/ by Leonard Eilers meadow to pick some wild flowers. You see, several days ago, before my husband and the cowboys left to help with the spring roundup, one of the cowboys said he had seen some wild flowers in the upper meadow. Ever since then Annie has been pestering me to let her go to see them. She is so fond of flowers. I didn’t like the idea of her going alone. She is only five years old. Finally, however, I got so weary of her pleading that I let her go. Then I got busy getting supper and forgot all about her. All of a sudden I realized darkness had come, and Annie was still away. So I sent Joie, our oldest boy, he is only 10, to go to look for her. Soon he came back, but no Annie. I didn’t know what to do. The roundup camp is about 15 miles from here. So I sent Joie to tell his father. Now I’m worried about him, too. I was just getting ready to go out into the night myself when you rode up.” “ Now look here,” I said, “ don’t you worry about Joie, he’s on horse back, and he’ll make it all right. As for Annie. I’ll put my horse in the barn, borrow one of yours, and start right out. I’ll have Annie found in no time at all. You and the children go back into the house and get out of this miserable weather.” The thought of food was pushed out of my mind. Some thing more important had to be done than to eat, even though I was real hungry. I was glad that at least Deer- foot was going to get his supper. I had watered him on the way when we crossed Owl Creek. As soon as I had him tied to the manger in one of the empty stalls, I pulled mv saddle from his back. Then I went into another stall where the horse I was to ride was tied. I talked to him quietly. Soon I had him outside, and I was on his back. He didn’t like the idea very much. I didn’t either, but out there in the darkness of that storm was Annie, and we had no choice—no choice but to go and to try to find her. I’d much rather have had Deerfoot. The idea of riding a strange horse on a job like that didn’t appeal to me, but I felt that Deerfoot had to have a rest so we could be on our way in the morning. In a few minutes, after stopping at the house to find out where the upper meadow was, we were on our way. What a night to be out! Snow was falling thick and fast. A cold wind was beginning to stir. I had no idea where I was. It seemed as if I’d been searching for Annie for hours. Every once in a while I’d stop my horse and holler as loud as I could, “ Annie.” Then I’d listen, but all I could hear was the blowing of the wind. By then I was getting discouraged; I was cold and hungry too. What a chance had I ever to find Annie? Why it would be a miracle. A miracle—well why not? The thought sort of hit me. God could do it. He could perform the miracle. He loved Annie, and even though she wandered off and got lost, He was not willing that she should perish. I knew that God knew where Annie was. So, why not ask Him to lead me to her. Why hadn’t I thought of it sooner? So I prayed: “ Lord, you know where Annie is. You know how worried her mother is. You know without Your help I can’t find her. You can perform a miracle and lead me to her side. I pray that it may be so, in Jesus name, Amen.” You know, boys and girls, that after I had prayed, I had the warmest feeling come over me, and I just knew
that I’d find Annie. My heart was filled with hope. I was eager to be on my way. No more feeling of giving up. So I urged my horse on, and we rode for perhaps another half hour. And for what seemed to be the hundreth time I yelled, “Annie.” Then I listened. To my great joy I heard—I was sure I heard— the bark of a dog. I listened some more. There it was again. No doubt about it. Annie must have a dog with her, I thought to myself. Thrilled by the thought of finding Annie, I touched the horse’s side with my spurs. He broke into a gallop. We were hurrying now toward the place where the barking was coming from. Suddenly the unexpected happened. My horse must have stepped into some kind of a hole. His front feet seemed to collapse, and head over heels we went. What a tumble! I was lucky that the horse didn’t fall on me. But I was unlucky in that he got away and left me afoot! Now what? There I was left standing, fortunately unhurt — except for my feelings. I caught a faint sound of the horse running back to the ranch. Horses have a way of knowing where to go and how to get there even on the darkest night. But I certainly didn’t know how to get there. Once again I called on God. “ Lord, I asked you to perform a miracle, and it looks as if you are going to make it one that will really be one. To find Annie while I was riding a horse would have been miracle enough for me. But to find her, and to deliver her safely home, and do it on foot — well that will be a miracle enough for everybody. But if that’s the way You want it, well, O.K.” After that prayer, I listened for the dog’s bark to guide me, and I started Walking through the wet and soggy snow. With God’s help, I could make it. Louder and louder became the bark; faster and faster I hurried. I sort of stumbled across two deep ditches. Suddenly I was fright ened, but pleasantly, by the appearance of a big Collie dog. He jumped up real friendly like, and whinned a greeting. Then he led back to where Annie was. I ran as fast as my weary legs would allow. Soon I came to a haystack. For a moment I stood'still to catch my breath, as I leaned against the hay. Then I called out, “Annie, Annie, where are you?” “ Right here,” came a child’s voice from the other end of the haystack. Soon I was at her side. And the Collie was there, too. She’d made a hole in the side of the haystack and had crawled into it. There, shel tered from the storm, she had managed to keep quite comfortable with the Collie at her side to keep her warm. At first she was somewhat afraid of me. But after I told her how I came to be there, she was real friendly and was ready to tell me all about what had happened since she left her home. She told me how she wandered around the upper meadow looking for wild flowers and after a while she became tired. Seeing the haystack, she decided to rest a while. She didn’t intend to fall asleep, but that was what happened. Then when she awoke, it was dark and snowing. Being comfortable, and not realizing how worried her mother would be, she decided to wait until the storm passed before starting for home. Well, that was a smart thing to do. Had she started out in the storm she might have had a very sad ending to her wild flower hunt. Well, you know, I was so tired that if I’d done what I (Continued on page 53)
JANUARY, 1960
51
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter