FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85  
86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   >>  
eatedly, but there was no answer. He searched the yard and the shore, but there was no trace of his little daughter. He went through the big open mill, and peered into shadowy corners, but Anna was not to be found. And at last he hurried back to tell Paul and Rebby, and to have them help him in his search for the missing girl. CHAPTER XIII DOWN THE RIVER Anna had gathered an armful of dry wood and was just starting back when a queer little frightened cry made her stop suddenly and look quickly around. In a moment the noise was repeated, and she realized that it came from a pile of logs near the river bank. Anna put down the wood, and tiptoed carefully in the direction of the sound. As she came near the logs she could see a little gray creature struggling to get loose from a coil of string in which its hind legs were entangled. "Oh! It's a rabbit!" Anna exclaimed. "Perhaps it is Trit," and she ran quickly forward. But the little creature was evidently more alarmed at her approach than at the trap that held him, and with a frantic leap he was off, the string trailing behind him; but his hind feet were still hampered by the twisting string, and he came to a sudden halt. "Poor Trit! Poor Trit!" called the little girl pityingly, as she ran after him. Just as she was near enough to touch him another bound carried him beyond her reach. On leaped the rabbit, and on followed Anna until they were some distance below the mill and near the river's sloping bank, over which the rabbit plunged and Anna after him. A small boat lay close to the shore, and Bunny's plunge carried him directly into the boat, where, twisted in the string, he lay struggling and helpless. Anna climbed into the boat and picked up "Trit," as she called the rabbit, and patiently and tenderly untied the string from the frightened, panting little captive, talking gently as she did so, until he lay quiet in her hands. The little girl was so wholly absorbed in her task that she did not notice that the boat was not fastened, or that her spring into it had sent it clear from the shore. Not until Trit was free from the string did she look up, and then the little boat was several feet from the shore, and moving rapidly downstream. If Anna had stepped overboard then she could easily have waded ashore and made her way back to the mill; but she was so surprised that such a course did no
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85  
86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   >>  



Top keywords:

string

 

rabbit

 

called

 
carried
 

creature

 

quickly

 

struggling

 

frightened

 
overboard
 

easily


ashore

 
leaped
 

stepped

 
rapidly
 

moving

 

downstream

 

sudden

 
twisting
 

hampered

 

untied


pityingly

 
surprised
 

tenderly

 

directly

 

twisted

 

plunge

 
absorbed
 

wholly

 
picked
 

gently


talking

 

helpless

 

climbed

 

notice

 
plunged
 
sloping
 
distance
 

panting

 

patiently

 

fastened


spring

 

captive

 
CHAPTER
 

missing

 

search

 

gathered

 
starting
 

armful

 

daughter

 

eatedly