THE BUTTERFLY HUNTERS. 1 29 



boarding of the sides having nearly all fallen off, leaving 

 a mere skeleton of beams, inside of which were many 

 remains of the works, old shafts, pieces of broken wheels, 

 and other things, all fallen together and overgrown with 

 moss. The mills were built over the brook which flowed 

 from the pond, and the water gushed through the old 

 buildings, foaming and sparkling over the broken and 

 silent water-wheel, which lay motionless, its iron shaft 

 rusted fast. The boys thought they never had seen such 

 a place to play in before, and even Gilbert forgot his 

 assumed dignity as the oldest of the boys, and was down 

 on his knees digging out an old wheel, when Mr. Benedict 

 came in search of his young companions. He said if they 

 wanted to reach the Falls House that day they must be 

 off. None of the boys were ready to leave the Deserted 

 Village, and little Frank could hardly help crying when 

 Touzer put his big nose close to his face and barked 

 an affectionate good-by. Mr. Benedict, however, thought 

 it unwise to remain any longer ; so, after thanking their 

 kind host for his attention, the boys set out for another 

 day's walk. It did not come quite so easy as when they 

 first started, and they walked with a much slower step. 

 Still, not one was willing to be the first to say he was 

 tired. 



Their road wound along on the top of the mountain 

 range, and the morning air was fresh and cool. It was 



9 



