I talked with Sarah of my trip to New Orleans and played with little Amos.  I asked Sarah at last about Zoe.  Reverdy had already done all he could to trace her.  The stage driver had been questioned, but knew nothing.  Some one had seen a girl, probably Zoe, walking north from town.  Outside of that nothing had been heard.  The facilities for finding her were so primitive.  How could posters be sent around, how phrased?  How could constables and sheriffs in the surrounding counties be notified?  And if an advertisement should be published in the local newspaper where would it reach?  Upon what basis could I seek to regain Zoe, if she did not wish to return?  Sarah and I discussed these problems.  But if she had met foul play how could that be discovered?  I seemed quite helpless, yet since it was the best I could do I placed an advertisement with the newspaper.  Then telling Sarah that I wished to see Reverdy, I returned to the farm.

CHAPTER XX

I had much to do, and work kept me from brooding.  It was three days after I had gone to find Reverdy that he came to see me, bringing Douglas.  My first words to Reverdy were concerning Zoe; but Douglas at once took a hand in that subject.  She would either turn up after a little wandering about the country or she was gone for good.  If she had met her death it would be known by now, in all probability.  I could be sure that she knew better than to go south.  Her likely destination was Canada, or northern Illinois.  There was much going on in Chicago to attract an adventurous girl.  Should I not go there for her?  But it was only a chance that I would find her.  What of her property, her interests?  Let them rest until an emergency arose.

In truth Reverdy and Douglas had not come to see me about Zoe, but to enlist my support in Douglas’ ambition to go to the legislature.  Douglas was now twenty-three years of age.  He had been in Illinois just three years.  During that time he had become a lawyer, had had the law changed so as to be appointed state’s attorney.  He had only held that office from February to April of this year, when he had organized a convention at Vandalia to choose delegates to the national convention for next year.  He had fought down opposition to the convention system; he had successfully managed a county convention in which he had been nominated for the legislature.  Now he was out upon the stump, speaking in behalf of state policies like canals and railroads; and there was the question too of removing the state capital from Vandalia to Springfield, which might constitute a leverage for a vote for internal improvements.  Douglas was in favor of both.  While slave interests were seeking land for cotton, the agrarian interests in Illinois were awake to the need of transportation facilities and markets.  As I had wheat and corn to sell besides cattle and hogs, and would have them in increasing quantities, I should use my influence