Year: 1859

it she bounded forward and with admira-
BILE skill went through the whole panto-
mime of her discovery, she representing
me,and an imaginary Perdida taking her
own place in the bush.


As soon as her little play was finished
she ran up TO me and kissed my hand
with the most passionate fervor. / clasp
ed the little creature in my arms and
strained her 10 my heart in a perfect
agony of affection-so intensely did /
love her, and so utterly incompetent was
| to express what ] felt to one in her
condition.


Never had | seen her look so magnifi-
Gently beautiful as at that moment, and
the stars of heaven were not brighter
than her glorious. If stranger had
come suddenly upon her in that grand old
wood, it would have been hard for him
to believe that she was a mere mortal
child, of ordinary flesh and blood. He
would surely have taken her for some
forest spirit-some tiny wood nym2h, or
else an elfn queen-some Nab or Titana,
fresh from fairy land.


While l was yet gazing at her, heard,
close by, the note of bird that was un-
known to me. Such sound was suffi-
cient to attract my attention at any time.
After search of minute or twJ, got
sight of the bird, but just as it was in
the act of flying away. 1t was bright,
pretty creature, very rare in that latitude.
Telling Perdida not to stir from the spot,
l instantly gave chase to it.


The trees were so thick and so tangled
up with vines and all sorts of luxuriant
underground, that it was extremely diff
cult TO get a shot at the bird, and, in my
eagerness, it led me a long chase, and


finally, escaped altogether. Convinced
that there was no hope of getting sight
of it again, turned about and retraced
my steps to the bunch of briars where
had left Perdida.


She was not there. This surprised
me very much, for she was docile and
obedient in the extreme. l had never
before known her to fail to obey my mos
trifing injunction to the very letter.
Something must have attracted her atten
ton, l thought, and induced her TO pene
trate further into the wood But she
could, of course, have advanced but g
very little way in so short time.


l examined the forest all around the
place rapidly but thoroughly, expecting tc
see the little laughing face every moment


but, to my intense astonishment, | coult
perceive no trace of her. l then stood
still and called aloud, Perdida! Perdi
da? with all the strength of my lungs


But there was no reply save the echt
from the neighboring hills, which hal
fancied TO be some old Castilian spirit o


the days Of Columbus, mocking me witt


the oft-repeated, mournful cry, Perdida
Perdida! lost lostp


And lost she was beyond all question
and upon the very spot where / had foun,
her-like dewdrop exhaled TO HEAVIER
again from the place where it fell. A
her arrival so was her deparfure-with
out single trace TO tell from whence sh


came or whittier she went.


E Unwillingly and by slow degrees, afte
: a search of many hours, recognized tn
melancholy truth, and then my manhoo
wholly deserted me and / fell upon th
ground and wepi like child. The ligt
I of our humble house had departed, an
{ the darkness which it had left behind ur


nerved and appalled, me.


d Slowly and sadly I dragged my leade
II limbs homeward and threw myself upo
o my bed, from which / did not rise agai
o for three long weeks.