22 STORIES OF EARTH AND SKY 



time, until they were well out of sight of the 

 house. 



" Sphee-phee-phee-sphee ! " chanted the chorus 

 of frogs, directly ahead of Anne, where bushes 

 of all kinds marked the bed of a sluggish water- 

 course that was entirely hidden here and there 

 by mats of last year's cat-tail flags. 



Anne picked her way carefully, stepping on 

 sedge tussocks and partly decayed logs, stop- 

 ping now and then to pick an especially pretty 

 wand of Pussy-willows. She slipped once, and 

 trod upon something that crushed with a crisp 

 noise, which was followed by a most disagreeable 

 odor. 



" Dearie me," said Anne aloud, " I wonder if 

 I've trodden on a bad egg ; but how did it come 

 here? No, it isn't an eggy smell either; it's more 

 like a Scent Cat." 



" You have smashed one of my brothers," said a 

 voice choking with anger. As Anne hopped to 

 another tussock and looked down she saw a 

 curious looking plant peering up from the wet 

 leaf mould. A thick purple and green mottled, 

 pointed hood partly hid, not a queer little goblin 

 face, as Anne half expected, but instead enfolded 

 a thick fleshy spike, powdered here and there with 

 yellow pollen. Not a leaf was in sight, though 



