Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-02-07
nailp Nrlsndyrt yomnal.
LOST.

sound of the fail. Thud, thud, thud, came
the beat of the duh. humping strokes
through the thick, opaque. gray fog. Will
lie was hardly four years old, and when
once he was a few rods away from the
barn, off on the plain of monotonons, yell
low. stubble, he could not tell where he
was, and could not detect the deceptive
nature of the sound and its echo. lie
saw nothing; whichever way he looked,
wherever he walked, there were the same
reyerberations, and the same narrow
dome of watery gray was everywhere
shutting down close around him. AS he
followed the muffied sound, in his efforts
to get back to the barn, it seemed to re-
treat from him, and he ran faster to over
take it. He ran on and on, and so was
lost.
That night and the next day q few
neighbors, gathered from the adjoining
farms, searched for Willie. They wan
dered about the fields and the margin of
the woods, but found no trace of the lost
child. 1t became apparent that general
search must be made.
The fog had cleared away on the second
morning after Willie was lost, as about
hundred woodsmen and farmers and hunt
ers, gathered from the farms and forest
and settlement 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 sweeping the woods and
finding Willie.
During all the hours OF the two preyi-
GUS nights, the lanterns and torches had
been flashing in and out behind the logs
and fallows; and the patches OF snow,
that fingered in spite of the April rains,
gave evidence that every foot of the ada
cent clearing had been trampled over in
the search. But the men were not yet
satisfied that the search abont the farm
had been thorough. Standing by the
house, thew could see the field of the
nights work, the level stubble of the
grain-lot, and the broad. irregular hollow
used as pasture and filled with stumps
and logs and brush Here and there
could be seen men still busy poking sticks
under the logs and working around bog
holes in the low ground. You see it
stands to reason said Jim, addressing q
group by the house. "that little chap
less than four years old could not get out
Of this clearing into the woods"
A white-haired patriarch remarked with
great confidence and solemnity, The boy
IS within half mile of the house, and if |
can have command Of six men will find
him." The patriarch continued to press
his suggestion until he secured his COM
pany and started off, feeling that he car
ricd great weight of responsibility. He
joined the log pokers and bog-expiorers,
but nothing came of his search.
The morning was wearing away; the
men, gathered from great distance, were
impatient of the delay to organize the line.
Willie had been out nearly forty-eight
hours could il be that he had passed be-
yond the stubble-feld into the forest,
nearly half mile from the house If he
had managed to cross the brook ut the
edge of the woods, he had the vast Adj
rondack Wilderness before him, II was
time to search thoroughly, and upon q
large scale, if the boy was TO. be found
alive.
But a reason for delay was whispered
around,-the fortune-woman was coming.
Soon 4 rough farm-wagou came up the
road and through the yard gate, and
stopped in front Of the door Of the farm
house. There was a hush of voices and q
reverent look upon the part OF some OF
the men, and smoker and digging of
their neighbours ribs upon the part OF 9TH
ers, as n large, coarse-teatured woman
was helped out of the wagon by the driver
of the team.
This female was the famous fortune
woman. Some of these jewellers on the
wilderness were no better than the classic
Greek and noble Roman of ancient times,
Tor they believed in divination.
The fortune-woman went into the house
where the mother of Willie sat crying
The men crowded the room and windows
and door. Some of the men looked SOL
emn, some jeered. Out OF the door Josh
explained apologetically to the unbeliev-
ers that ''inasmuch as some thinks as how
she can tell, and some thinks as how she
can't so it were thought better tor to 60
and fetch her, so that all might satisfactory
themselves, and no fault found, and every
thing done for the little boy.'
After a brief seance with the teacup in
the house, the fortune-woman. urged by
the men, went tout OF DOORS" and walked
up along the hollow with her teacup, ex-
perimenting to find the child. About half
of the men struggled after her. Jim de-
declared to the group who fingered at the
house that he would sell out and leave if
the entire crowd disgraced the town by
following after that "old- she devil"
10 stranger COMING upon llle Hefd IL
this time, the scence was curious and pic
turesque, and some Of it unaccountablc.
In the background was vast, descending
plain OF evergreen forest, sloping away
from the Adirondack highlands to the dim
distance OF the St. Lawrence Valley,
where could he seen the white thread-like
line of the great river, and still beyond
the Canada woods melting away to meas.
ureless distance of airy blue. IL the tore
ground was vulgar old woman waddling
along, and snatching here and there tea
cup full OF water from the puddles formed
by the melting snow; and fifty vigorous
men in awe-struck attitudes were gazing
at her, and when she moved they followed
after.
Odd US this grotesque performance
seemed, it had in it n touch of the old
heathenish grandeur belonging to the an
Client superstition. The same strange
light that through all time has shone from
human faces as souls reach after the great
infinite unknown, shone from the faces OF
some of these men. There were fine Wis
ages among them, Burly Josh and n
n ,tl, 40, xvpniI bat.o