"Bruno, where is our little Violet?" asked Mr. Travilla, stooping to pat the dog"s head and showing him the child"s slipper, "lead the way, sir; we must find her." There was a slight tremble in his tones.
"Dinah," he said, turning to the girl, who stood sobbing in the doorway, "if your mistress wakes while I am gone, tell her not to be alarmed; no doubt with Bruno"s help I shall very soon find the child and bring her safely back. See he has the scent already," as the dog who had been snuffing about suddenly started off at a brisk trot down the avenue.
Mr. Travilla hurried after, his fatherly heart beating with mingled hope and fear.
On and on they went closely following in the footsteps of the little runaway. The dog presently left the road that pa.s.sed directly in front of Ion, and turned into another, crossing it at right angles, which was the stage route between the next town and the neighboring city.
It was now some ten or fifteen minutes since the stage had pa.s.sed this spot bearing the dead body of the driver who had met his tragical end some quarter of a mile beyond.
The loud rumble of the wheels had waked little Vi, and as in a flash she had seen the whole--the horrible apparition in its glistening, rattling robes, step out from behind a tree and fire, and the tumble of its victim into the dusty road. Then she had sunk down upon the ground overpowered with terror.
But the thought of the almighty Friend who, she had been taught, was ever near and able to help, calmed her fears somewhat.
She was still on her knees sobbing out her little prayer over and over again, when a dark object bounded to her side, and Bruno"s nose was thrust rather unceremoniously into her face.
"Bruno, you good Bruno!" she cried clasping her arms about his neck, "take me home! take me home!"
"Ah, papa will do that, now he has found his lost darling," said a loved voice, as a strong arm put aside the bushes, and grasped her slight form with a firm, but tender hold. "How came my little pet here so far away from home?" he asked, drawing her to his breast.
"I don"t know, papa," she sobbed, nestling in his arms and clinging about his neck, her wet cheek laid close to his, "that carriage waked me, and I was "way out here, and that dreadful thing was over there by a tree, and it shooted the man, and he tumbled off on the ground. O papa, hurry, hurry fast, and let"s go home; it might come back and shoot us too."
"What thing, daughter?" he asked, soothing her with tender caresses, as still holding her to his breast, he walked rapidly toward home.
"Great big white thing, with horns, papa."
"I think my pet has been dreaming?"
"No, no, papa, I did see it, and it fired, and the man tumbled off, and the horses snorted and ran so fast; then they stopped, and the other mans came back, and I heard them say, "He"s killed; he"s quite dead." O papa, I"m so frightened!" and she clung to him with convulsive grasp, sobbing almost hysterically.
"There, there, darling: papa has you safe in his arms. Thank G.o.d for taking care of my little pet," he said, clasping her closer, and quickening his pace, while Bruno wagging his tail and barking joyously, gamboled about them, now leaping up to touch his tongue to the little dusty toes now bounding on ahead, and anon returning to repeat his loving caress; and so at last they arrived at home.
Mr. Travilla had scarcely left the house, ere the babe waked his mother.
She missed her husband at once, and hearing a half smothered sob coming from the room occupied by her daughters; she rose and with the babe in her arms, hastened to ascertain the cause.
She found Elsie alone, crying on the bed with her face half hidden in the pillows.
"My darling, what is it?" asked the mother"s sweet voice. "But where is Vi?"
"O, mamma, I don"t know; that is the reason I can"t help crying," said the child, raising herself and putting her arms about her mother"s neck, as the latter sat down on the side of the bed. "But don"t be alarmed, mamma, for papa has gone to find her."
"Where, daughter? she cannot have gone out of the house, surely?"
At this instant Dinah appeared and delivered her master"s message.
To obey his injunction not to be alarmed, was quite impossible to the loving mother heart, but she endeavored to conceal her anxiety and to overcome it by casting her care on the Lord. The babe had fallen asleep again, and laying him gently down, she took Elsie in her arms and comforted her with caresses and words of hope and cheer.
"Mamma," said the little girl, "I cannot go to sleep again till papa comes back."
"No, I see you can"t, nor can I so we will put on our dressing-gowns and slippers, and sit together at the window, to watch for him, and when we see him coming up the avenue with Vi in his arms, we will run to meet them."
So they did, and the little lost one, found again, was welcomed by mother and sister, and afterward by nurse and mammy, with tender, loving words, caresses and tears of joy.
Then Dinah carried her to the nursery, washed the soiled, tired little feet, changed the draggled night-gown for a fresh and clean one, and with many a hug and honeyed word, carried her back to bed, saying, as she laid her down in it, "Now, darlin", don"t you git out ob heyah no mo" till mornin"."
"No, I"ll hold her fast; and papa has locked the doors so she can"t get out of these rooms," said Elsie, throwing an arm over Vi.
"Yes, hold me tight, tight" murmured Vi, cuddling down close to her sister, and almost immediately falling asleep, for she was worn out with fatigue and excitement.
Elsie lay awake some time longer, her young heart singing for joy over her recovered treasure, but at length fell asleep also, with the murmur of her parents" voices in her ears.
They were talking of Violet, expressing their grat.i.tude to G.o.d that no worse consequences had resulted from her escapade, and consulting together how to prevent a repet.i.tion of it.
Mr. Travilla repeated to his wife the child"s story of her awaking and what she had seen and heard.
"Oh my poor darling, what a terrible fright for her!" Elsie exclaimed, "but do you not think it must have been all a dream?"
"That was my first thought; but on further consideration I fear it may have been another Ku Klux outrage. I dare say, the disguise worn by them may answer to her description of "the horrible thing that shooted the man;" I judge so from what I have heard of it."
"But who could have been the victim?" she asked with a shudder.
"I do not know. But her carriage was probably the stage: it was about the hour for it to pa.s.s."
Day was already dawning and they did not sleep again.
Mr. Travilla had gone on his regular morning round over the plantation, and Elsie stole softly into the room of her little daughters.
Though past their usual hour for rising they still slept and she meant to let them do so as long as they would. They made a lovely picture lying there clasped in each other"s arms. Her heart swelled with tender emotions, love, joy and grat.i.tude to Him who had given these treasures and preserved them thus far from all danger and evil. She bent over them pressing a gentle kiss upon each round rosy cheek.
Little Elsie"s brown eyes opened wide, and putting her arm about her mother"s neck, "Mamma," she whispered, with a sweet, glad smile, "was not G.o.d very good to give us back our Vi?"
"Yes, dearest, oh, so much better than we deserve!"
Violet started up to a sitting posture. "Mamma, oh mamma, I did have a dreadful, dreadful dream!--that I was "way off from you and papa, out in the night in the woods, and I saw--"
She ended with a burst of frightened sobs and tears, hiding her face on the bosom of her mother who already held her closely clasped to her beating heart.
"Don"t think of it, darling, you are safe now in your own dear home with papa and mamma and sister and brothers." Tender soothing caresses accompanied the loving words.
"Mamma, did I dream it?" asked the child lifting her tearful face, and shuddering as she spoke.
The mother was too truthful to say yes, though she would have been glad her child should think it but a dream.
"Perhaps some of it was, daughter," she said, "though my pet did walk out in her sleep; but papa is going to manage things so that she can never do it again. And G.o.d will take care of us, my darling."
The sobs grew fainter and softly sighing, "Yes mamma," she said, "I asked him to send papa to bring me home, and he did."
"And papa came in here this morning and kissed both his girls before he went down stairs. Did you know that?"