warning at once. She dropped her work and listened: "What _is_ the
matter?" thought she.

Then there was a heavy tramp on the stairs, and Captain Abraham
French stood in the door, his stern weather-beaten face white and
set. Mrs. Polly followed him, looking very pale and excited.

"When did you see anything of our Hannah?" asked Captain French,
controlling as best he could the tremor in his resolute voice.

Ann rose, gathering up her big blue apron, cards, wool and all. "Oh,"
she cried, "not since last Sabbath, at meeting! What is it?"

"She's lost," answered Captain French. "She started to go up to her
Aunt Sarah's Monday forenoon; and Enos has just been down, and they
haven't seen anything of her." Poor Captain French gave a deep groan.

Then they all went down into the kitchen together, talking and
lamenting. And then, Captain French was galloping away on his gray
horse to call assistance, and Ann was flying away over the fields,
blue apron, cards, wool and all.

"O, Ann!" Mrs. Polly cried after, "where are you going?"

"I'm going--to find--_Hannah!_" Ann shouted back, in a shrill,
desperate voice, and kept on.

She had no definite notion as to where she was going; she had only
one thought--Hannah French, her darling, tender little Hannah French,
her friend whom she loved better than a sister, was lost.