Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-08-05
Sarah's Strange
Disappearance

was Just four years old. A very quiet
SHY little girl she was, too, who never
cried, or pouted, or made russ. Anu
because she never made any trouble her
father and mother used to take neI
about with them a great deal. Inat
how it happened that Mr. and MRS
Mason were out driving In the country
one day with Sarah between them In
the buggy. a.f
They stopped at Cousin James new
house. Cousin Jane asked them all to
stay to supper. Little Sarah thought
this great fun. There was pretty
gray cat at Cousin James with four
furry little gray kittens and Saran
played with them while the grown-up
people sat and talked.
After supper, when 1t was time to go
home. Mrs. Mason took Sarah into tne
parlor to put on her things. Tho parlor
was only partly furnished. and the
coats and wraps had been laid in there
on the soft. .,'~ .., ~ @.'s.
Sarah's little hat and coat were put
on, and then Mrs. Mason turned to put
on her own things. 1t was rather dark
In the parlor, with just an oil lamp no
the table, for this was before the days
Of gas or electric light in the country
or Of steam heat. When Mrs. Mason
had finished tying on her own bonnet,
girl was not there.
SARAH" called Mrs. Mason. But
Sarah did not answer. The room was
empty. Mrs. Mason looked all around In
the dim light but no Sarah She was so
shy and shrinking that 1t was not ike
ly she had run into the hall by herself;
and, besides. her mother had been
standing between her and the door. Still
Mrs. Mason went out into the hall and
then to the front door and called.
Mr.. Mason. with his overcoat and hat
on. was unhitching the horse in front
Of the door. and Cousin Jane was
standing in the doorway.
where's Sarah?" asked Mrs. Mason.
anxiously. But no one knew. 1t seemed
impossible that she could have disap-
peared like that In the dark. They all
went through the house, calling, and
then out to the barn. But there was no
answer.
Mrs. Mason went back into the par
lor and Cousin Jane followed her.
"There-she was there when I turn
ed my back. and then she was gone. all
at once!" cried her mother. And then,
because she was so frightened and so
perplexed by little Sarah's sudden and
strange disappearance, she falned rlght
in Cousin James arms.
When she came to. she was on the
soft. and little Sarah was standing
right beside her holding her hand.
Mother, mother! Here I am. moth
err" she was saying in her soft little
voice.
Where do you suppose she had been
all this time?
No, not in the barn, nor under the
soft. nor behind the door. Little Sarah
had left the ROOM but in way that no
one could ever have guessed: and 1t
was only because her mother happened
to faint Just where she did that Sarah
was found so soon.
When Mrs. Mason called out and
tainted. of course there was a stiffness
just for a MON ut. and then In the
stiffness Cousin Jane heard far away
little sound from under her very feet
That made her remember something.
She laid Sarahs mother down on the
sole and ran over and looked into the
corner behind the door. A round open.
ing had been cut there in the floor for
register from the new furnace in the
cellar. and little piece Of carpet had
been laid over 1t until the furnace and
the pipe and the register could be put
in. Cousin Jane saw that the carpet
was gone and the hole open. And the
far-away sound she had heard was a
little voice saying softly:
Mother! Mother!"
When Mrs. Mason turned to put on
her things Sarah had stepped on the
carpet and gone down with it through
the hole into the cellar landing on her
feet. There Cousin Jane found her,
standing. quite bewildered. in the dark.
not knowing what had happened. and
inst beginning to cry gently to herself.
She wasn't a bit hurt. not even bruised
for the carpet had broken the force OF
the fall.
. Cousin Jane gave her one Of the kit
tens to take home with her, to make up
for her fright. and they named the kit
ten Ginerva after the little girl in the
old ballad of "The Mistletoe Bough."
And. strange as it was for little
girl to be lost in that way, it all really
happened, just as I have told you.