Fortunately the brook was not very deep, particularly at this point. Jessie laid down her dolls, and went to the bank near the log, reaching out her hands and calling to Adele, “Come up here.”
Adele cast a frightened look over her shoulder at Mrs. Mooky, who was taking an evening drink from the stream. “She won’t hurt you, will you, Mrs. Mooky?” said Jessie encouragingly.
The cow lifted her head and looked fixedly at Jessie, moving a few steps nearer.
“Oh, she’s coming! She’s coming!” cried Adele frantically trying to scramble up the bank.
“No, she isn’t,” Jessie assured her. “Give me your hand. There now, you are safe, but you are awfully wet. Come right home with me and get some dry clothes.”
“No, no,” protested Adele, “I’ll go home.”
“It’s further to your house. You’d better come,” said Jessie decidedly.
“It was all that horrid cow,” said Adele. “She came splashing down into the water and scared me so my foot slipped and down I went.”
Jessie smiled. She could not imagine any one being afraid of Mrs. Mooky, but she saw that Adele was really frightened so she only repeated: “You’d better come home with me.”
“What will your mother say?” said Adele, still holding back.