Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-01-31
LOS

lie was lost in the edge Of the Adirondack
of the fail Thud, thud, thud, came the
beat of the dull. humping strokes through
the thick, Opaque, gray fog. Willie was
hardly four years old; aud when once he
was few rods away from the barn, off on
the plain of monotonous, yellow stubble, he
could not tell where he was, and could not
detect the deceptive nature Of the sound and
its echo. He could see nothing; whichever
way he looked wherever he walked, there
were the same reverberations: and the same
narrow dome of watery gray was everywhere
shutting close down around him. As he fol-
lowed the muffled sound, in his efforts to get
back to the barn, it seemed to retreat from
him, and he ran faster to overtake it. He
ran oil and on, and so was lost.
That night and the next day few neigh
bors, gathered from the adjoining farms,
searched for Willie. They wandered about
the fields and the margin of the woods, but
found no trace of the lost child. 1t became
apparent that a general search must be
made.
The fog had cleared away on the second
morning after Willie was lost, as about a
hundred woOdsnen and farmers and hunters,
gathered from the farms and forest and set
Element near by called Whiskey Hollow,
stood and sat in grotesque groups around the
little farmhouse and barn, waiting the grand
organization into line preparatory to sweep
ing the woods and finding Willie.
During all the hours Of the two previous
nights. the lanterns and torches had been
flashing in and out behind the logs and brush
of the falows and the patches of snow, that
fingered in spite of the April rains, gave ey-
idence that every foot OF the adjacent clear
ing had been trampled over in the search
But the men were not yet satisfied that the
search about the farm had been thorough
Standing by the house, they could see the
field of the nights w,rk,-the level stubbl'
OF the grain-iot, and the broad, irregular hOl
low used as pasture aud filed with stump'
and logs and brush. Here and there could
. be seen men still busy pOking sticks undel
the logs and working around bog-holes il
the low ground. " You see it stands to ca
son" said jim. addressing group by thu
house. ." that a little chap less than fou
years old could not get out Of this clearing In
10 the woods"
A white.haired patriarch remarked will
great confidence and solemnity, " The boy j
within half mile of the house, and if | cal
have command OF six men | will find him.
The patriarch continued to press his sugges
ton until he seenTed hiS company and starte,
of, feeling that he carried great weight Q
responsibility. file joined the ogpoker
and bog-explorers but nothing came Of hi
search.
The morning was wearing away; tn
men, gathered from great distance, wer
impatient Of the delay to organize the linz
Willie had been out nearly forty-eigh
hours could it be that he had passed BE-
youd the stubble-feld into the forest, nearl
half mile from the house ? If he had mai
aged to cross the brook at the edge Of tn
woods, he had the vast Adirondack Wilder
ness before him. 1t was time to search tho
oughly and upon large scale, if the DO
was 10 be found alive.
But reason for delay was whispere
around the fortune-wOman was oominI
Soon a rough farm-wagon came up the rOa
and through the yard-gate and stopped
front of the door Of the farmhouse. Thel
was hush of voices and a reyeFent look upC
the part of some of the mon. and a snck,
and digging of their neighbOrs' ribs uPc
the part Of others, as large, eoDrse.ieatar'