THE SEAECH. 98 



thought what terror it would carry to her little heart. 

 I heard the dull creaking of some great tree, as it 

 rubbed against another, and while to me it was a fa- 

 miliar sound, yet how full of horror it would be to 

 her ears. She was a timid, tender thing, and I thougtd 

 all these sounds, and the darkness would kill her- 

 I sat there may be an hour, when I heard a crashing 

 of the brush on the way I had come, and in a moment 

 Shack bounded up to me. He was panting and 

 lolling, as if he was just from a long chase, but he 

 seemed overjoyed and crazy as a loon. He bounded 

 around me, and jumped upon me, and whined and 

 barked in a way that I had never seen a dog do be- 

 fore ; and it seemed out of place that he should be so 

 merry, when my own heart was so sad. He would 

 jump upon me, and bound away, and then stop and 

 look back, as if asking me to follow him. Scolding 

 did no good, he would not heed it. All at once, light 

 broke in upon me. He has found my child, I cried, 

 and is telling me to go to her. I wasn't long in obey- 

 ing him, you may be sure, Squire ; and when I start- 

 ed in the direction he indicated, he became at once 

 quiet, and steady before me, as if satisfied that he was 

 understood. We had travelled thus what seemed to 



