92 CAROLINE.

 

Annie gives Livingston a great deal of information. The winding path.

 

“Have you got a garden? ” said Livingston.

“Yes,” said Annie. “Ellen made it for me,—only
Rodolphus dug up the ground. I raked it myself, and
Ellen helped me plant the seeds.”

Talking in this manner, Livingston and Annie passed
entirely through the garden, and came, at length, to a
gate, which led out into a field beyond. It was the same
gate that Caroline, Malleville, and Phonny had gone
through, in commencing their walk, on the day when they
were out in the shower.

“Where does this gate lead to? ” asked Livingston.

“Qh it leads to a path,” said Annie.

“ And where does the path lead to P” asked Livingston.

“Tt leads to a brook,” replied Annie.

“ Let us go and see,” said Livingston.

So Livingston opened the gate, and he and Annie went
through.

The path led by a winding way through a thicket, down
to the brook. Livingston saw some flowers growing near
a small heap of sticks and brushwood. He stepped out of
the path to gather them. In doing so, he happened to ob-
serve a small crooked stem of a bush, with four crooked
branches growing out from it, in such a manner as to pre-
sent some rude resemblance to a cow. At least there was
resemblance enough to suggest the form of Caroline's toy
cow to Livingston’s mind. So he took out his knife and
cut off the part of the stem which had attracted his
attention.

“What are you going to do with that?” said Annie.

“1 thought that perhaps I could make a cow of it for
you,” replied Livingston.

So saying he held the rude image wp, for Annie to