Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-08-02
Lost Lucy-A True Story,

other children.
s"Well," said grandpa, i''let Hattie
climb up on my knee, and the rest of
you sit down on the grass where you
can look towards the river, and will
tell you how my little sister Lucy was
I lost, when she was four years old, Just
Hatties age, and I was the age of Hor-
ace, here. = Peg
It was in haying time, and father
and his men were very busy in that
meadow you see down by the river.
John Bangs, another boy about my own
age, and myself, were helping, when
Lucy came to us and told us that moth
er said it was time to 60 after the COWS.
Lucy liked to come down to the mead.
ow, and as it was in sight Of the house,
mother often used to send her, and she
would 60 back with father when he left
his work. .sQtft4 a. t5a5gfise ID I'll
Is Away up on the mountain side,
across the river, father had chosen a
/ favorable spot and cleared a piece of
land which he had made into q pas
ture. Here the COWS were kept at this
time Of the year, and john and start
ed to bring them home. We had to
cross the river on foot-bridge, only the
width Of one plank, and then elmo the
mountain by path through the woods.
We had gone some distance, when we
heard something behind us, and look
ing back we saw Lucy hurrying along to
go with us, instead of staying with faith
er as we had supposed.
/ 1--WE stopped little while to corsid-
er what should be DONE 1t was nearly
night, and if we went back with her, it
might be too dark by the time we re-
] turned to the pasture to find the cattle.
On the other hand, we did not dare to
send her back alone, for fear she would
fall from the narrow bridge, although
she must have crossed it when she fol.
lowed us. So we concluded the better
way would be to take her with us, not
withstanding she would be quite him
drance. This delay made it rather late
when we reached the pasture, and then
we discovered that the fence had been
broken, and the COWS were nowhere to
be seen.
Here was a new difficulty, and we
were puzzled to know what to do with
Lucy. We finally left her sitting near
3 large tree, and charging her not to
sir till we came back, we took turn
through the woods, John in one direc-
ton and I in another, hoping to find
the COWS before it grew too dark to see
them. We made our round and came
back to the startiag-place; but Lucy
had disappeared We searched in ev-
cry direction, and called her name over
and over very loudly, but no answer
came, and it was already too dark to
see much.
We soon concluded she must have
started towards home, and we took the
path, searching and calling as we hur-
ried along, but found no trace of the
missing girl. We reached home and
she was not there. Great was the ex-
element when we told our story, and
as soon IS possible all who were fit for
the work started out with lanterns and
torches to renew the search, while some
of the younger children went to alarm
the neighbors. All through the neigh
borhood the story spread and all hearts
were stirred. Before morning hum
dred men were searching the mountain
for the lost child"
i Grandpa paused, and sat for few
moments lost in thought, while the
children waited breathlessly for the
i story to be finished. At length Robbie's
curiosity could be restrained no longer
and he asked, "What are you thinking
of grandpa p ss.e,a r4 9.
was thinking that many of those
men had children of their own whom
they loved better, but they left them to
search for little Lucy, because their
dear ones were safe at home, while this
little lamb was lost on the dark noun
tan. A thousand times have been
reminded of the shepherd who left the
ninety and nine and went out to seek
the one sheep that had gone astray.
r For the Son OF Man is come to seek
and save that which is lost.'o
Again ne paused for a moment, and
then went, on: All night long they
searched, but by some means they all
missed the place where the child was.
She had got tired of waiting for the
boys, and started to. go home, but had
gtrayed Oft, she never could tell where.
When she became tired out she lay
down and slept till daylight awakened
her. Then she started again, and
found her way to the river, where her
steps could be traced along the shore
o the only place for miles where she
could have gone through without being
swept away, and there she crossed and
made her way to the nearest house.
She was immediately carried home,
and shall never forget mothers look
as her child was once more placed in
her arms. She fed the hungry wan
derer, and when she was overcome with
sleep, mother sat gazing into her face,
as though she could never let her go
out of her sight again.
In the meantime the guns had been
fired, thus giving the signal that had
been agreed upon in case Of success,
and the men began to troop down from
the mountain and gather at the house
where the rescued child lay sleeping.
They could not be satisfied without
seeing the object of their efforts; and SO
father took. her up, carried her into the
! front yard, and climbing up on some