Page:The disobedient kids and other Czecho-Slovak fairy tales.pdf/24

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Then she became more and more atraid. She was now in the thick woods, where there was but little light, so that she could not see whether or not there were any foot prints that she could follow.

She was lost indeed. You would not be so poorly off as she, for you could shout and cry, but she, poor thing, was deaf and dumb, so all she could do, was to run about, more and more confused. Her feet were tired, oh so

tired, and there was no kind nurse to care for her. There was the fear of wild beasts and the darkness of evening. Then too she began to think that her mother would be alarmed at her absence, and perhaps angry.

All at once she found herself at the well. Tremblingly she knelt down for a long drink of its cool water. On getting up, she noticed two well beaten paths, but she did not know which one to choose. This made her think that not every path leads home. At the same time she remembered, that whenever her mother was in trouble or perplexity, she would go to her room and pray. So the little girl knelt down. "Oh, dear God, be good to me and show me the way out of the awful wood, so that I can get home safe."

At the same time, a humming noise sounded in her ears, clearer and clearer. She was more frightened than ever, and began to cry at what she thought was a new terror. But just as she was about to run, wonderful to relate, she saw a white sheep coming towards her from the forest.