Left on the Prairie

gone on and left him behind! He noticed the still damp embers of the extinguished fire, and tho

nt at this unkind w

ite me. I don't care much; they'll go very slow, an' I guess I ca

olutely alone on the prairie. He felt very hungry, and of course ther

ar (about one shilling in our English money) out of his store and returned the rest to a safe place inside his shirt. He k

time in entering the village, trusting to make someone understand what he wanted; but he had not proceeded a couple of hundred yards up

ping him. He got out of patience at last, and endeavoured to make his way through the noisy band towards the centre of t

roup of cruel boys tormenting him. Jack was no coward, although he was so young, and after receiving a hard

strong for him, and at last he found himself being hustled out of the village where he had entered it, while his tormentors formed a long line to prevent his coming in again. Bleeding and bruised, Jack felt too worn out and faint from h

, BUT THEY WERE T

d, Jack noticed that the sky was assuming a very threatening aspect. Big clouds came rolling up over the mountains, making them look almost black in the shadow. Jack

round, and echoed and re-echoed through the rocky ca?ons. In a short time Jack was in the midst of a bad specimen of a Rocky Mountain thunderstorm, a

very day since she left. Now he knelt down and prayed to God, Who rules the storms, asking Him to send him help and keep him safe, and he felt comforted in his fear. Soon the rain began to

ition and moved on again, not knowing whither he was going. He had

ng was buzzing and humming in his brain. He thought he heard people shouting after him, and suddenly imagined he could distinguish his Uncle Mat's harsh voice calling him. How it seemed to ring through his head! It struck terror into his weak, over-strained mind, and he rushed on wildly into the gather

he tore on, but suddenly his headlong career was stopped. His foo

d; 'he'll get me and take me back!' And t

Yankee Boy, and after riding a few miles, came upon Nigger, whom he at once secured and brought back to camp. He then harnessed up the four horses ready to start, and as Jack did not return, he grew very impatient, and while idling about doing nothing an evil thou

ately dozed off again, quite unconscious of what was going on. All day he remained half-stupefied, and as Lem dr

d in him cleared his tor

ve been and left the youn

t some tricks, so I guessed we'd get rid of him. I sent h

l it a crying shame to desert him. You daren't have done it if I'd known what was

did he see of the boy. On the way he endured the whole of the awful storm, which he hardly noticed. In his anxiety he pressed on, arriving late in the Mexican village, where he made inquiries, but received such purposely conflicting answers to his questions about the way

ankets asking, 'Well, I suppose you've got

t here and the village for him to shelter in. I'll never forgive mysel' nor you either for this day's work, and the soo

er a bit of a kid, but poor Jeff's conscience was at work, an

as I live. But that won't bring back the little lad,' he went on sadly to himself, 'and I'm scared as a n

tossed about, listening

be trusted. He did it for spite, I'm pretty sure, and nothin' el

t when he found the desire for it growing too strong, and felt inclined to yield to the temptation, he would think of little Jack sitting by the camp fire singing his hymns, and as the bright face of the boy rose before him, it would bre

, 'but I'm feared as his mother 'll neve