Year: 1861

per year according to tie SPACE they occupy.





through with that then we spread of in diff
ierent directions, and occupied the day without
success. Oh what horrible night was that TO
me which followed.


"For few days we secured the country in
every direction, without getting any tidings Of
the poor child and then all, even the most
SanSul1c IN hnding her. gave her up as utterly
iost and completely worn out and heartbroken,
J. l. threw myself down, wishing Cor death TO re-
lieve me Of my misery.


1T was on this evening shat Younger broth
er, who had been away on u tourney up the
country, returned with Bruno, who had becn
his sole travelling companion. The sight of the
dog whose sagacily bad long been the wonder
of all who knew him, exeited faint hone in
my breast that he might yet find his voung
mistress, either living or dead and with this
idea uppermost in my mind half insane as |
was, l talked to him on the sad affair just as if
he were blessed with the understanding of a
human being. Never shall | forget the sorrow
iul but singu arly comprehensive expression of
his brown eyes, as be kept them fixed upon
mine all the while was speaking to him; and
when had done, he turned awey with a low.
mourning whine, and suddenly disappeared.


Early the next morning my brother should
cred his rifle, and announced his intention of
trying his fortune in fresh search for the poor
child but all the men had gone home and |
was too much broken down With grief to ac-
company him and so, calling for the dog, and
not finding him. he set of alone.


at was somewhat about the middle of the
LAY, that ws sitting by the bed of my nearly
distracted wife, trying to soothc and console
her as best l could, when suddenly Bruno,
whom had en- irely forgotten in the meantime,
came bounding into the room, looking soiled
and fatigued, as if from Journey, and at once
began to bark and whine in a strange, pecu-
liar manner, running TO and sro between me
and the door,


81 do believe the dog has found the child >
exclaimed |, starting to my feet with new
hope.


"'God grant it = cried my wife, wringing her
hands.


"'Try and be calm, at least till return
said |, feeling new life in my veins.


81 hurried out, the dog preceding me and
barking joyously. He then struck off in a di-
rection different from any we had taken in our
.carch for the GIRL barking excitedly, looking
back every few steps, and thus seeming to urge
me to follow him. This did, as fast as the
nature OF the ground would permit, running
most of the wayj into and through a deep,
lense wood, down along gloomy hollow. and
up the steep sides of wild, rocky mountain,
the faithful dog led me a distance Of three miles,
keeping just so far in advance and always IL
ming his gait to mine.


"At length we reached spot more Wild
rocky, and gloomy than | had vet seen and
climbing to the top of sort of cliff Bruno
gave vent to series Of strange sounds, some
thing between bark, howl, and wall, alter
nately looking back to me and down at some
object evidently far below him. Pressing for
ward with emotions that have no language to
ihp hut AL IL
beating of my heart, and rendered me sick and
faint, gained footing beside the dog and
looking down into pit or basin, surrounded on
all sides by preclpitous rock-a strange forma-
tion OF nature indeed beheld my poor child
stretched out on the earth motionless, and as |
then believed, dead. My brain reeed at the
sight, and it is wonder did not fall. Per-
haps | did for how got down to her never
knew; but my next remembrance is of sitting
on the earth, clasping the poor, bruised, starved
creature in my arms, thanking God with all my
heart that held my living, breathing child.


81 took OIL my coat, tore 1t into strips, ashed
the child to my back, clambered up the rocks,
and thus conveyed her home, and tainted with
fatigue and emotion just inside the doorway


"That she eventually recovered you have an
evidence in her presence here tonight


"ln searching for the missing cows, she had
lost her way, and becoming frightened she had
wandered off, she knew not whittier, and had
fallen over the rock during the night, inIuring
herself so severely as to be unable to escape
from the pit, where she had remained FIVE NOR
tai days without food. Only for this noble an
imal, her bones mig hit have been bleaching there
to this day, and myself and wife been crushed
with calamity that would have left US childless.
BY what strange instinct, reason, sagacity, or
what you will, the dog had found her, ] am un-
able to to say; but the fact, itself would have
been sufficient, had ever been doubter or a
skeptic, to have made me firm believer in the
waichful care and inscrutabe ways of Divine
Providence. Do you wonder, now, Sir, that
no money can purchase Bruno?"


The next morning, when the stage came
along, in good repair, and took leave of the
worthy farmer and his family, held out my
hand to the noble dog, who placing his paw in
it with dgnifed gravity, gave me parting
look of intelligence that haunts me to this day,
and which, were | an artist, should long since
been drawn upon canvas. Had that animal
mind and soul? Sometimes when l compare
him with the human brutes meet almost daily,
| am tempted to believe he had both, and that
| the latter have neither.