Year: 1859

/ ~'AoiS 'Aoh


" How you know den dat / got de chile
now %


You have me there, Sam. don'i
know any more than you have often told
me about hlm as though he were in the
cave"


Well den howany officer guine gi,
IN yer cept l let um ins Nobody know
how fur git in yer when de place shu,
cept Massa and dem wat is owner oh de
cave. / no git in yer myself af is out
and dem comes in, w.dou, dey let me in
demselves''


But he might come in with me when
come TO see you"


Den ar,er dis l hab fur ak you eff you
got anybody wild you."


Well, Sam, you puzzle me- You are
SO conscientious about your oath, and vet
1t is to dc something or be aiding some
thing you think is bad 1t is a strange
aud mysterious matter!''


Well, Mass William, | tell you de
chile hab to be taken care OBJ. Eff any,
body was to get hold OBJ de chile wild on,
my knowledge and widoui my helpin um
to do it, and could git um to him house
and so keep de chile and take care OBJ
um heself. and glib me chance fur to
git to Can'da, tank de Lord from de
bottom ob my heart. But l no see no
way fur all dis to happen. l links about
1t nightly; and | is hopin dat Massa
will come befo' long and set de matter
all straight. But | hab my fears bote
ways. | don't like desc men what comes
about de cave and stays here sometimes
more'n a week. How Gey gifts in l neb-
ber kin tell, and when day goes out
dunno. Day treats me well, but fears
all amt right"


The Doctor now saw that the only way
he could do must be either by some STRAIT
egem 10 get away the child, or wait until
Smith returned from California and then
keep sharp lookout upon his movements.
TIE former plan he frequently tried, bu,
the negro would find him at it, and ex-
press his regret at the failure


In the Summer of 1857, one beautiful
morning when the prairie was radiant
with sunshine and flowers, and the tall
bluffs with their green oaks interspersing
the open pasturage, and here and there
the Jutting rocks, seemed to rival each
other IN attracting an admirng gaze, the
Doctor, assisted by his sons and Ger
man named Christian HOFFMAN were on
their way to Helena to survey some Is
lands in the Wisconsin River They had
TO pass near a bluff called the Sugar Loaf,
on account of It's height and shape Ii
lies a mile or more below Coon Bluff "A nd
Is indeed continuation of the same
range of hills. On the top of the Sugar
Loaf lies rock about six feet high and
nearly cube in its shape. No one trav-
els the prairie below without fixing the
eye frequently upon the apex of the Su-
gar Loaf. The attention of the party
was called TO a white spot surmounting
the rock. On approaching nearer it ap-
peared about the height of child ten or
twelve years old. A white sheet was
| closely drawn around the slender form.
The short dark hair made an impressive
contrast with the white robe and the pale
face, aud ever and anon there came a
shrill cry, " Father, Father, Fa Their ~
The party fastened around the bluff to
ascend it and in doing so lost sight of the
! object. On reaching the summit it had
vanished. There were the foot prints of
a child and the foot prints of man on a
sandy spot by the rock, but the party
could make no further discovery. Nor
did any one else In the neighborhood
know of any child who could have been
there al that time. The Doctor the next
day visited the cave. expecting 10 call at
the hole for Sam, but instead of this he
found himself as he had only once before
directly in the chamber. Sam was not
there, but there was his PralrIe du Chen
friend. An explanation was soon made.
| He had been on visit TO some of his old
friends in the vicinity, and had called up
! on Sam. He had found him the day be-
fore in great trouble of mind. When
Sam went for water he had as usual put
tha child down into an apartment, winch
was closed by stone at It's entrance
Upon taking up the stone and calling for
the child on his return, he received nc
response. Supposing the child was
sleeping on the bed he kept there for
him, he went down himself but could no
find him. He searched all about bu,
could see no place where he could ge