﻿THE LOST CHILD. 61 



that name.) As she was very kind and affectionate towards him, 

 he soon became much attached to his little mistress, and followed 

 her wherever she went. 



In course of time he became a large dog ; and as he grew older, 

 his affection for her did not diminish, but increased. As she had 

 no brother or sister, he was her constant companion, the sharer of 

 all her sports ; and, except her parents, the dearest object of her af- 

 fections. 



One pleasant day in the month of August, while Mr. Hudson was 

 absent on business, at a settlement about ten miles distant, accompa- 

 nied by Carlo, Anna asked leave of her mother to go into the woods, 

 to gather some berries. As she was pretty well acquainted with 

 the forest, within half a mile of the house, her mother granted per- 

 mission, and taking her basket on her arm, she departed. She soon 

 arrived at a place a short distance from the brook, where she found 

 some berries, but not so many as she expected ; and after gathering 

 a few, she went m search of a place where they were more plenti- 

 ful. But she was unsuccessful, and in a few moments went in 

 search for more. 



Thus she went on for some time, not reflecting that she was in 

 danger of losing her way. At length she arrived at a place 

 where berries grew in abundance, and she soon filled her basket, 

 and prepared to start for home. But she found, to her great sur- 

 prise, that she was utterly at a loss what course to take. For a long 

 time she remained on the spot, and then started in the direction 

 which she thought was most likely to lead her home. But she soon 

 became convinced that she had taken the wrong course, and so she 

 changed her direction. 



Thus she wandered tm for several hours, and at length became 

 perfectly bewildered. The last rays of the setting sun threw their 

 light upon the old gray forest, when she arrived, after all her wan- 

 derings, at the bank of the river we have mentioned, about two miles 

 below the place where the brook emptied into it. 



As she was very hungry and much exhausted, she made a meal of 

 the berries which she had gathered, and finding the hollow trunk of a 

 hemlock tree near by, she crept into it and soon fell asleep. The gray 

 dawn of a summer's morning had just begun to tinge the eastern 



