Year: 1874

Can there be any doubt that they will
find Lucy now sOf course we shall
find her, said the people. "But bark,
says one, ''do you hear that barking ?
Is it dogs or wolves ?"-''It is wolves"
says the captain. The short twilight is
attended with the deep gloom peculiar
to mountain forests, and Is very shortly
followed by total darkness. The squads
collect material for lights, and continue
the search by the aid of lighted torches
carried in the hand and after little
while the captains big fire begins to be
visible. Soon cry of "Child found ]"
is raised, which causes a rush of all the
hunters to headquarters. But it is a
mistake. due to some ones over-zeal !;
and the squads all depart again with in
structions to build fires all over the
mountain. The fires will show what
ground they have been over They will
light up the woods j; and perhaps the
child will see them, and come TO them
And they will scare away the wolves.


The tedious night wears slowly away,
and morning comes at last but no light
dawns yet upon the mystery of the lost
child. Wolves have not only been heard
growing and barking in the distance,
but actually seen skulking away before
the advance of the hunters, and lurking
around as near as they dare to the fires.
The opinion generally prevails that the
child has been devoured by wolves and
the captain thinks it is certain. The
evening before, some persons had urged
Littlejohn to get his hounds, and see
if they would not take scent from some
of the child's clothing, and trace the di-
rection that she took in the woods.
THAT would never do" was the reply.
In the night, the hounds would soon get
out of sight, and he would lose control
over them. They were savage dogs; and
it would be dangerous to let them loose
on the child's track, unless he were close
with them. Now that morning has come
he thinks it will do no harm to try them
and goes for his hounds.


After brief absence in the morning
to get breakfast, and attend to such do
mestic affairs as need some brief daily
attention, the child-hunters return again
with large re-enforcements. Littlejohn
also soon returns with his fox-hounds,
and all the Keyes family watch with
gratitude and hope his attempt to make
them trace the little steps. The intelli-
gent brutes evidently understand we'll
enough what is wanted, and do their
best to find them. They follow the scent
easily enough little way into the woods
and then appear to lose it nor are they
able to recover it again, though making
many Intellectual attempts to do so.
Whereupon Littlejohn announces that he
has changed his mind from the wolf the
ory to the Indian theory. The reason
why his dogs cannot follow the scent
farther is because the child was lifted
off the ground, and carried off in some
ones arms. Meantime the news has
spread, and is spreading to neighboring
towns and before 10 o'clock more than
a thousand people have arrived and
fresh arrivals are constantly coming. AL
the different theories are discussed
Against the wolf theory it is urged that
if correct, some fragment of the child
or certainly of her clothing, ought to be
found. And this argument, together
with LittleJohn's experiment with the
hounds, as explained by him, causes gen
eral abandonment of the wolf theory il
favor of the Indian theory. And so {
strong party is organized, and placed un
der Captain Littlejohn, to start off with
guns in search of Indians But Rober
Keyes, with the assistance of the greater
part of the people, proceeds to carry int
effect plan that he reverently believes
has been suggested to him in answer t.
his prayer for Divine guidance. He viii
form the people in great circle arount
the base of Wachusett and they shall
advance slowly up the mountain, search
ing every foot of ground as they 90
Whether his child be living now or not
he will solve the mystery of her disap
pearance, God willing, and the people
assisting him. And the day is spent il
attempting to carry out his plan. Blu
it is less perfectly carried out than h.


could wish, for want of sufficient men t.
completely surround the mountain, ant
have them as near together as they ough
to be. 1t would be tedious to dwell up
on the details of this and other plans
, and their repetitions ON this and subse
, quent days. On the third day there wa
no lack of men. Thousands of peopl
, were there; all the able bodied men anC
boys within thirty miles were there
, From Lancaster, Worcester ard Barre
and all the neighboring towns they cam
and continued to come day after day
And the fathers plan, and many othe
plans, were tried with great thorough
| ness over and over again. Suffice it t
say, there was not one foot of ground o.
Wachusett, or around the base for miles
| that was not searched all in vain. An