Year: 1877

Hunt. / nm settler and drover on this
Western prairie. Wilds? Yes, sir; its
little else than wilds now, but you should
have seen it when 1 and my wife first
moved up here. There was not house
within sight for miles. Even now we
have not many neighbors; but those we
have are downright good ones. To ap-
preciate your neighbors as you ought,
sir, you must live in these lonely places,
so far removed from the haunts of man.


What 1 am about to tell of happened
ten years ago. I was going to the dis
tant town, or settlement, to sell some
fifty head of cattle-fine creatures, sir,
as ever you saw. The journey was a
more rare event with me than it is now
and my wife had always plenty of CON-
missions to charge me with in the shape
of dry goods and groceries and such like
things.


Our youngest child was sweet little
gentle thing, who had been named after
her aunt, Dorothy. We called the child
Dolly. This time my commission in
cluded one for her-a doll. She had
never had n real doll; that is, IL bought
doll; only the rag bundles her mother
made for her. For some days before my
departure the child could talk of nothing
else-or we, either, for the matter of that
for she was great pet, the darling of
us all. 1t was to be a big, big doll, with
golden hair and blue eyes. 1 shall never
forget the child's words the morning l
was starting, as she ran after me to the
gate, Or the pretty picture she made.
There are some children sweeter and
prettier than others, sir, as you can't but
have noticed, and Dolly was one.


GA very great big doll, please,
daddy" she called out after me; "and
please bring it very soon."


1 turned to nod a yes to her as she
stood in her clean, whitey-brown pima
fore against the gate, her nut-b brown hair
falling in curls about her neck, and the
light breeze stirring them.


ga brave doll," l answered, "for my
little one-almost as big as Dolly"


Nobody would believe, dare say, how
full my thoughts were of that promised
doll, as I rode along, or what nice one
I meant to buy. 1t was not often I
spent money in what my good thrifty
wife would have called waste; but Dolly
was Dolly, and meant to do it now.


The cattle sold, went about my pnr-
chases, and soon had no end of parcels
to be packed in the saddle-bags. Tea,
sugar, rice, candles-but / need not
weary you, sir, with telling Of them, to-
gether with the calico for shirts and
nightgowns, and the delaine for the
children's new frocks. Last of all, 1
went about the doll-and found q
beauty. 1t was not as big as Dolly, or
half as big; but it had faxen curls and
sky-blue eyes; and by dint of pulling q
wire you could open or shut the eyes at
will.


"Do it up carefully" I said to the
storekeeper. "My little daughter would
cry sadly if any harm comes to it"


The day was pretty we'll ended before
all my work was done; and just for a
moment or two I hesitated whether I
should not stay in the town and start for
home in the morning. 1t would have
been the more prudent course. But 1
thought of poor Dolly's anxiety to get
her treasure, and of my own happiness
in watching the rapture in her delighted
eyes. SO with my parcels packed in the
best way they could be, l mounted my
horse and started.


1t was as COOL and steady horse as
you ever rode, sir; but night began to set
in before was well mile away from
the town; it seemed as if it were going
to be an ugly night, too. Again the
thought struck me should I turn back
and wait till morning? 1 had the price
of the cattle, you see, sir, in my breast
pocket; and robberies, aye, and mur-
ders also, were not quite unknown things
on the prairie. But 1 had my brace of
sure pistols with me, and decided to
press onward.


The night came on as dark as pitch,
and part of the way my road would be
pitch dark besides. But ON that score 1
had'no fear; 1 knew the road well, every
inch of it, though I could not ride SO
fast as should have done in the light
1 was about six miles from home, 1 sup
pose, and knew the time must be close
upon midnight, when the storm which
had been brewing broke. The thunder
roared, the rain fell in torrents; the best
1 could do was to press onward in it.


All at once, as 1 rode on, cry startled
mo. n faint. wailinp sound. like the cry