In company with Brother Fairbanks, with whom I was traveling, I visited some of his relatives and stayed a while in the State of New Jersey. From here we took a trip into the northern part of New York State, where we remained some time, and then returned to New Jersey. During our absence the following incident occurred: Near what is called Pompton Plains, New Jersey, a family, consisting of parents and three children, lived near the edge of a patch of timber land. One evening in the latter part of December, the two elder children, aged respectively nine and five years, went to a hickory tree about half a mile from the house to gather nuts, contrary to the bidding of their mother, who had charged them strictly not to go. Before the mother had time to go after them, night came on, and, to make matters worse, it commenced raining. She called loudly for them, but no answer was received from the little truants. The night grew pitchy dark and the mother's anxiety increased. What was she to do? Her husband not yet returned from his work, no houses near or help at hand and she alone with her young babe, not daring to leave it to go and search the missing ones. As she waited and looked in vain for their return her anxiety became almost unbearable and she started out with her child in her arms, but the rain drove her back. Soon afterwards her husband returned, and the hurried story of his children's absence needed no repeating to rouse him to action. He started immediately in search of them. He went to the hickory tree, but no children were there. He called aloud, but was answered only by the wind whistling through the trees. After satisfying himself that they were not in that vicinity he returned home, fondly hoping that the little ones had, by this time, reached there. But in this he was disappointed. The wind had now set in pretty strongly and the air was keen with frost. What to do now was the question, for it was certain the children were lost, and, being thinly clad, if they were not soon found they must certainly perish. The father ran to the nearest neighbors, a distance of half a mile, and gave the alarm. As soon as possible a company of fifteen or twenty men and boys were collected to assist in the search. But, by this time, it was nearly midnight, and no tidings had been heard of the little wanderers.