German composition

Section 98 The Lost Child Found⁠. I.1

A few years since, in the United States of America, a child was lost⁠2 in the woods. Darkness (S. 3, N. 2) was rapidly coming on⁠3, and the alarmed father, accompanied by some of his neighbours, hastened away in⁠4 search of the lost child. The⁠5 search continued in vain till nine o’clock in the evening. Then the alarm bell was rung⁠6, and the cry of fire⁠7 soon resounded through the streets. It⁠8 was, however, ascertained that⁠9 it was not fire which caused the alarm, and that the bell tolled⁠10 to spread the more⁠11 solemn tidings⁠12 of a child lost⁠13.

Every heart sympathised⁠14 in the sorrows of the distracted⁠15 parents, and multitudes⁠16 of the people⁠17 were seen (S. 4, N. 4) ascending the hill upon the declivity of which the village was situated⁠18, to⁠19 aid in the search. The night passed away, the morning dawned, and yet no tidings came. The sun arose. The whole landscape glittered in the rays of the morning sun. But the village was deserted and still; the shops were closed, and business was hushed⁠20. Mothers⁠21 were walking⁠22 the streets with sympathising⁠23 countenances and anxious⁠15 hearts. There⁠24 was but one thought there:—What has become of⁠25 the lost⁠13 child?

Notes

1 Das wiedergefundene Kind.

2 to be lost, sich verirren.

3 to come on, heran´rücken.

4 in — child = to seek the missed child.

5 The — evening = Till 9 o’clock in the evening (abends) their endeavours had remained without success (erfolglos). Remember that the verbs sein, werden, and bleiben are conjugated with the auxiliary sein.

6 ziehen.

7 Form a compound noun by combining the corresponding German terms of the nouns ‘fire’ and ‘cry’ (S. 36, N. 7, A).

8 it — ascertained, Es stellte sich jedoch heraus.

9 that — alarm = that the alarm was not caused through fire.

10 ertönen.

11 more solemn = still more dreadful.

12 tidings = message.

13 Use the p. p. of the verb vermissen. See S. 7, N. 3, A.

14 Say ‘shared the sorrow’ (Kummer, m., which is only used in the Sing.).

15 angsterfüllt.

16 Scharen.

17 of the people = of country-people.

18 to be situated, liegen.

19 to — search, um mit suchen zu helfen.

20 ‘to be hushed’, here = to rest.

21 Say ‘The women’.

22 to walk the streets, auf den Straßen umher´gehen.

23 teilnehmend.

24 Es war nur ein Gedanke, der alle erfüllte.

25 aus.