Year: 1877

close upon midnight, when the storm
which had been brewing broke. The
thunder roared, the lain fell in torrents;
the best | could do was to press onward
in it..


All at once, as | rode on, cry star
tied me; faint wailing sound, like the
cry of child. Refining up, / sat still,
and listened. Had been mistaken?
No, there it was again, but in what di-
rectiOn | could not tell. couldn't see
a thing. 1t was as have said, as dark
as pitch. Getting of my horse, | felt
about, but could ind nothing. And
while l was seeking the cry come again
the faint moan of a child in pain.
Then began to wonder. | am not SUI
perstitious, but asked myself how it
was possible that child could be out on
the prairie at such an hour and on such
a night No; real child it could not
be.


Upon that, came another thought
one less welcome. Was tia trap TO him
der me on my way and ensnare me?
There might be midnight robbers who
would easily hear of my almost certain
ride home that night and of the money
l should have about me.


don't think, sir, | am more timid
than other people; not as much so, per-
haps, as some; but onfess the idea
made me uneasy. My best plan was to
ride on as fast as could, and get out
of the mystery into safe quarters. Just
here was the darkest bit of road in all
the route. Mounting my horse, L was
about to urge him on, when the cry
came again. 1t did sound like a child's;
the plaintive waif of child nearly ex-
hGusted.


"God guide mel" | said, undecided
what to do. And as sat another mo-
ment listening, once more heard the
cry, fainter and more faint. threw
myself off my horse with an exclama-
tiOn.


"Be it a ghost or be it "a robber, An
thony Hunt is not one to abandon a
child to die, without trying to save it. F"


But how was to save it2 How find
it? The more searched about, the less
could my hands alight on anything,
save the sloppy earth. The voice had
quite ceased now, so | had no guide
from that. While stood trying to peer
into the darkness, my ears alert, a flood
of sheet lightning suddenly illuminated
the plain. At little distance, just be-
yond kind of ridge or gentle hill, l
caught glimpse of something white.
1t was dark again in moment, but |
made my way with unerring instinct.
Sure enough, there lay poor little
child. Whether boy or girl l could not
tell. 1t seemed to be three parts insen-
sible now, as | took it up, dripping with
wet from the sloppy earth.


"My poor little thingw said as |
hushed it to me. Gwen go and find
nanny. You are all safe now."


And, in answer, the child just put out
its feeble hand, moaned once, and nes-
| tied close to me.


With the child hushed to my breast,
| rode on. Its perfect silence soon
showed me that it slept. And, sir, |
thank God that he had let me save it,
and thought how grateful some poor
mother would be! But / was full of
wonder for all that, wondering what
extraordinary fate had taken any young
child to that solitary spot.


Getting in sight of home saw all the
windows alight, Deborah had done it
for me, thought, to guide me home
in safety through the darkness. But
presently knew that something must
be the matter, for the very few neigh
bo-s we had were collected there. My
heart stood still with fear. | thought
of some calamity to one or other of the
children. had saved like one from
perishing, but what might not have
happened to my own?


Hardly daring to lift the latch, while
my poor tired horse stood still and mute
outside. went slowly in, the child in
my arms covered with the flap of my
long coat. My wife was weeping Bit
terly.


"What's alniss?" / asked in a faint
voice. And it seemed that a whole
chorus of voices answered me.


"Dolly's lost"


Dolly lost! just for moment my
heart turned sick. Then an Instinct,
like ray of light and hope, seized upon
me. Pulling the coat off the face OF the
child / held, lifted the little sleeping
thing to the light, and saw Dolly!


Yes, sir. The child had saved was
no other than my own.-my little Dolly.
And knew that Gods good angels had
guided me to save her, and that the
first flash of the summer lightning had
shone just at the right moment to show
me where she lay. 1t was her white
sunbOnnet that had caught my eye. My
darling 1t was, and none other that /
had picked up on the drenched road.


Dolly, anxious tor her doll, had wan
dered out unseen to meet me in the af-
ternoon. For some hours she was not
missed. 1t chanced that our two elder
girls had gone over to our nearest
neighbours, and my wife, missing the
child just afterward, took it for granted
she was with them. The little one had
gone on and on, until night, and the
storm overlook her, when she fell down
utterly exhausted. | thanked Heaven
aloud before them all, sir; as said that
none but God and his holy angels had
nrnilnl mo To hnr ItIn MT nnnnh nf a.