Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-01-14

StlIcSSlLS II NttliiS XIII Nil ttlc ioslS
side.
Come" | said to her: let me ct
least try TO help you. Tell me your
troubles"
She looked up at me through those
eyes Of hers, so black that they were
the only thing about me clearly visible
in the dull light of the muOn, and for
the first time in my life l realized
what is meant by the word despair,
that condition wherein the last shred
of hope is gone. Then she spoke, and
the voice was like the features-weird
and uncanny.
1T all comes of the mania"
What maniaT" ! asked.
For wandering"
started The girl continued:
Father must have been born With
it. | heard grandma say once that
when he was little boy less than ten
years old he ran away from home.
They got him back, but could not keep
him. AS a little girl can remember
mother trying to persuade him to be
contented Mt home. But he wouldn't
He insisted on going to Omaha, taking
mother and US children with him, and
there he QUILTED wagon train and
started for Pixies peak. where every
one was then going. On the way he
heard that there was gold in the noun
tains and kept on westward. That was
hot summer. and on the dry alkali
| plains the wood in the wagons shrunk
and most of the wheels fell to pieces.
| We had seven wagons at starting, but
before we reached the foothills all the
wheels had dropped to pieces except
enough for three wagons. We went
on with these three, leaving the rest
with the goods they contained for the
Indians and the birds.
"Mothrr died before we reached the
mountains. | think it was worry kill
ed her. and from that time father was
discouraged. Still he kept on. When
he~ got to the reported gold fields
everybody was leaving them. They
had turned out to be WORTH ess He
turned southwark, and we then struck
| Denver. We children begged father to
stay there. but he wouldn't. He said
that the great southwest was looming
up and there were fortunes to be made
there.
zone OF the remaining wagons broke
down, ana Willie got sick and died. We
buried him beside the road soon after
leaving Denver. Edith went next. She
was five years old. Then the baby
died in my arms. That left only father
and me-
The poor girl fell to weeping again,
and drew her closer to me and kissed
her cheek. 1t was like piece Of cold
marble. Wishing to hear what re-
manned of the story, | encouraged her
to go on:
after they had gone and this wagon
was all that was left of our teams fa-
Their promised he would go to Santa Fe
and stay there We reached the out
skirts of the town. and he said that
since he had promised me to remain at
the next stopping place and We must
! SptlltI the ItSl VI buI llNcO lAClG we
had better turn about and 90 home.
didn't see how we were going to get
home. but | assented. Father was
very miserable by this time, and fear.
ed he would break down on the way.
And so he did A week after leaving
Santa Fee he died and left me all
alone"
There was an infinite depth of mis-
cry in the words "all alone" / had
got the story and RETAINED from Civ
ing the sufferer more pain by asking
her to speak further of her troubles
Touching her cold cheek again with
my lips, | said:
"Be comfortcd. | will return to the
wagon and come back with food and
the whcrcWithal to enable you to rest.
| will bring matches and make a fire
TO warm you, for you are cold"
She looked up at me gratefully, but
without Il single glimmer Of hope.
asked her if | could not do something
to make her more comfortable while
was away. and she said not, adding
"All | fear is that the mania, the
only legacy father left me, will seize
me-
"Resist it. | said. In less than halt
an hour | will be with you with food
with blankets. with everything you
need, and give you one good nights
rest, and when tomorrow comes"-
Tomorrow
oh, the look she gave me when she
spoke the word, and in what tone OF
voice 1t was spoken!
dashed away through the brush
sometimes leaping over It, till reach
ed my own camp. Snatching up few
articles of food, some blankets and
matches, l ran back to where I had
left the girl
The wagon. the horses, the girl her
self, had disappeared. Everything was
still, motionless, except that the top OF
bush beside the stump on which she
had been sitting waved in the wind
l listened and heard a creaking in the
distance, while something like sol
came back. But | was in doubt If II
was a sob or the words "The mania!'
For the first time began to suspect
that either something in my brain was
wrong or that | had seen the spec
trail. | dragged myself back to my
camp.
The next morning wondered II
had dreamed or had really gone out il
the night. went over to the spot tC
satisfy my curiosity There was the
nut In which the wagon had beer
stalled; there was the stump on which
the girl had been sitting. But there
was no wagon, no horses. no girl. Tho