Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 295, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 December 1915 — Lost and Found [ARTICLE]

Lost and Found

“Why, I dunno," said their father, bewllderingly. “I did call them to come to lunch; you told me to!** “Well, but didn’t they answer?” demanded the mother. "Er—well—l don’t know!* said their father, not thoroughly divorced from his magazine. “Pete—rrr! Florence!” Dead silence. “My goodness!” cried their mother anxiously. "Whatever has happened to them?” "Now, Agnes!” said the husband. "Why should anything happen to them at this perfectly simple place? Nothing has happened—they’ve just strolled off! Telephone the Goobles and the McKanes!” He remained standing nonchalantly on the steps, while she obeyed. Two wrinkles came between his eyebrows as he narrowed his eyes to look up the pathway winding between the summer cottages. Peter and Florence was conspicuous by their absence. “They haven’t seen them!” declared his wife, .hurrying to the door. “You go up that way and I’ll go this way and ask people.” She darted off in the hot sun and their father sighed and did likewise. It was odd —Peter had definitely promised never to run away again, after the last time back In town when he had been rescued from an old clothes wagon and then painstakingly disinfected. Florence was too young to be strong against malign Influence. Where he was she was sure to be! Half an hour later the hot and worried perents met again on the veranda. The cook joined them. The woman from the adjoining cottages ran over, luncheon napkins in hand, to discuss the mystery and tell the distracted mother that positively nothing could have happened to her children. They were absolutely optimistic. “Why, It’s perfectly safe here!” declared the fat, blonde woman. "That’s the reason it’s such a lovely place for children! You know,/they simply can’t get into trouble! The time that Phipps: child got carried away by gypsies was an exception—the farmer shouldn’t have let them camp on his land. Now, my dear, don’t take on that way! Nobody has seen any gypsies around here this year at all! Some one certainly would have seen them if there had been any? Still, they’re so sly—” “You must brace up!” chimed in the short, dark woman, soothingly. “Peter certainly wouldn’t think of taking Florence and going out in a rowboat, a child of eight like Peter! You’ve warned him repeatedly, especially since the accident at the other end of the lake! Oh, I’m sure he hasn’t gone out in a boat —I wouldn’t worry about it a bit! Not a bit!" "D-d-da you see anything of them, Walter?" faltered their mother, incipient hysteria showing in her voice. "No,” said the father. “I’ll go get some of the men to search the woods. Pete-rrrr! Flor—ence! Peter—rrr!” "Oh, Oh!” cried the mother, wringing her hands. "We’d never f-f-flnd them in these w-w-woods never!/ "It was a week before they found that Phipps child,” said the fat, blonde woman, consolingly. "Or, wasn’t It ten days, dear?” she Inquired from the short, dark woman. "It seems to me they would have thought of gypsies immediately, but people are so funny! They always hope for the best! Now, I believe If something awful happens the best thing to do is face It at once, and Now, my dear, you really mustn’t get Into such a distracted state! Probably nothing at all has happened to them

"Then why don’t they come home?* walled their mother. “They’re always so starved at meal time. Nothing would keep them away! Oh, Pete-rrr! Flor —ence!" "We’ve beat the woods all around here,” reported their father, appearing with several other men. "We’ve called and shouted ** "They couldn’t have found that abandoned well back of the old Jones place, could they?” asked the fat blonde woman. “I’m sure they couldn’t have lifted off the boards and fellin * “They’re not there reported their father qulverlngly, a little later, returning in time to help resusitate his wife, who had promptly fainted at mention of the well. There was a little rustle of leaves in the stillness. The rustle came from beneath the summer cottage, which was built on piles. All the men fell upon their hands and knees and p eared beneath the house. Then their father clutching a shoe of each, dragged them out, protesting. “Y’ don’t understand!" Peter yelled Indignantly. "We’re ’Mexicans—an* you were Mexicans —an* we had to be still as—as still—er you’d catch us and shoot us—why, you jus* don’t understand!” “My compreheipion may be limited said Peter's father, punctuating each syllable with a spank, "but my imagination is great! Just'play Pm a Mexican who’s spanking you." The woman who says she wouldn’t marry the best man on earth usually weds one that is no good. A bachelor says the simplest kind of simple addition is the addtotf of tme and one to make on*