Year: 1869

the doctor came, and the mother, half un-
easy by this time, said to him


"Did you not overtake my little girls
coming home?"


No, he answered, he had seen nobody.


Then he examined her husbands knee,
and told her what to do for it. As he
was going away he glanced up at the sky
while she held the door open for him, and
said, carelessly,-.


t" We shall have snow before night, 1
think" ~ 10


40, wish my children were at
homcl" the mother crieds with sudden
fear.


"Where do you suppose they are The
little girl was with me hours ago." he
said. 5...i


And then she told him that she sup
posed they must have been persuaded to
stay at her neighbor's cottage, though it
was not like Barbara, she said, who was so
thoughtful always


40, well, don't you frighten yourself"
the doctor answered, good -naturedly.
"I'n knock at Mrs. Pope's just now as /
pass, and send them home to you"


And then he went away, and when he
got to Mrs. Pope's he stopped at the door
and knocked.


you've got Mrs Morris children
with you here, haven't you ?" he said.
" Tell them to run away home, for their
mother wants them"


At got the children, sir n Mrs. Pope
exclaimed, 1 haven't seen them |"


"Why, she sent them here this morn
ing" the doctor said.


"Then they never got in, sir, for I've
been down in the village all the morning"
she answered, "and had the house shut
and the key in my pocket"


1t was half past four o'clock, and the
short November day was already ending.
The doctor gave quick look towards the
forest.


"H they have lost themselves wander
ing about there, with the night coming
on" he said, suddenly.


But Mrs. Pope shook her head. "I don't
think they can have lost themselves, sir"
she answered. "Why, little Barbara is as
steady as woman she'd no more go into
her way than would. I'll tell you what
I dare say she's done. think that she's
taken the children with her down to the
where for bit / wish they were at
home, for the nights coming on fast but
/ don't believe they can be in the forest,
sir"


The doctor was busy and had no more
time to waste.


"Well, if they've all been to the village
and if do I'll hurry them home"


And then he bade Mrs. Pope good night,
and hastened on. But he did not meet
Al. II, hsu No.fhor ho
any one else ever met the three little fig
ures again coming up the steep path.


1t was half past twelve o'clock when
Barbara reached Mrs. Pope's cottage. She
knocked atthe door, but no one, of course,
opened it.


40 dearr' Barbara exclaimed, "she's
not at home !" And, then, quite puz-
zled what to do, she stood with the
two little ones at her side. She
thought at first that she must take them
home again but then it would delay her
so in fetching the doctor, for it was such
long way home. She could not take them
to the village with her, for the only time
that she had tried to do that Davie had
broken down upon the road, and she had
had to carry him in her arms till she could
scarcely stand. Suppose she left them
here outside the cottage to run about and
play till Mrs. Pope should come back and
take them in? She thought the question
over in her grave little mind for
two or three minutes, and then at last
she resolved that she could leave them
here. The poor child was SO anxious to
get the doctor for her father that at the
moment that seemed to her more impor-
tant than any other thing. Her father
was so ill if she could only get the doctor
quicklyl


"Lizzy," she said to her little sister, if
leave you and Davie here to play till l
come back, will you be sure to keep inside
the garden, and not 60 anywhere out of
sights"


"PIl come back as fast as ever can,"
Door Barbara promised; land mind, l
shall be so angry if you don't do what I
tell you. Now you understand ?"


40 yesl" said Lizzy again.


"And you're to take care of Davie, you
know, and not let him stir step beyond
the gate or get into any mischief / shall
be back very soon sha'Dt be more than
an hour away" said the elder sister. And
then. half uneasy, and yet not knowing
what else she could do, she closed the
little garden gate upon the children, and
hurried away.


She ran half way to the doctors house,
and half way back again. She was tired
and breathless when she got once more to
Mrs Pope's cottage. The garden door
was standing open, and the children were
not in the garden; but she said to herself,
40, Mrs. Pope has come back; that is all
right" and went quickly up to the house
door and knocked. But no one answered
her knock. With the color leaving her
face, she went round to the window and
looked in. No one was there; the fire
had not been touched; the house was
empty.


She stood still fer a minute, and in her
sudden fear burst into tears. She was too
startled at first to do anything else. But
when that first minute had passed, she be-
gan to get back her courage. W, they
shouldn't have gone away when ! told
them notT she said to herself. They
must have gone into the wood, and Llzzy
promised me that she wouldn't" she said,
reproachfully, as she ran back again to
the garden gate to begin her search Tor
them.


She was not very much frightened now,
for she and her brother and sister had
often played in this part of the forest that
was close to Mrs POpe's house, and she
thought that very likely the children had
only gone a very little way in, and that
she should find them before many min
utes. So she went in amongst the trees,
and began to call, "Lizzy, Lizzy" and
then " "Daviel Davie don't you hear me p
thinking every moment that their voices
would come back to answer her.


But no answer came, though she went
on calling till she was tired. Then she
began to get frightened again, and went
backwards and forwards searching for
them everywhere, and began to pierce into
parts of the forest where she had never
been before, so eager to find them that she
quite forgot that she was losing her own
way, and that the trees were closing In all
around her.


She had been looking for them for
long time-or at least for what to her
seemed a long time-when at last she
heard little sound that she thought was
Davies voice. 1t was faint sound OF cry
ing far away She had been standing
still listening, not knowing in her terror
what to do next, wondering whether 1t
would be best for her to go home and see
if they might have got there before her,
and vet feeling as If her heart would
break If she should get home and find
they weren't there-when this feeble little
voice reached her, and made her heart
leap to her lips with joy.


40 Daviel yes, 1 hear you" she cried
out. and then she ran to where the voice
seemed to come from, and as she ran she
of q