Some boys looking for nuts happened along, and Dorothy asked if they had seen a girl anywhere in the woods.
“What girl?” asked a rather saucy fellow, without raising his cap.
“Any girl,” replied Dorothy, defiantly.
“Plenty of them out here after nuts,” answered the urchin. “I saw one a while ago—looked as if she had never seen a real nut in her life. Guess she hadn’t much to eat lately.”
Dorothy was interested instantly. The Major had gone on ahead, and she called to him to wait while she made further inquiries.
The description seemed to Dorothy to answer to that of Urania, Dorothy thought, and when the boy directed her to a “big chestnut tree, over on the mountain road,” she and the Major promptly took up their travels in that direction.
Dorothy felt she would now find Urania—she must find her—and soon the afternoon would be lapping over into twilight!
“Can you hurry a little, father?” she asked, as the Major trudged bravely along. “It is quite a distance to the hillside.”
“And maybe a ‘wild goose’ chase at that,” replied her father. “I didn’t just exactly like the look on that boy’s face. He may have fooled you.”
“Do you think so!” exclaimed Dorothy, instantly allowing her spirits to flag.