"MARTIN BENT OVER THE CHILD AND LAID HIS BROAD, STRONG HAND ON HER."
"Then I went up into the woods and hunted a long, long time without finding them. But suddenly I saw something red shining behind the trees and I ran toward it. At first there were only a few flowers and not very bright red ones, but Seppli had said you had to go farther and farther into the woods. So I went still farther, and there were more and more flowers, and at last I came to a big, big bush with so many beautiful red flowers. They shone so wonderfully and I wanted them all, every one, and then suddenly I fell down and rested on a stone, but it was a small stone and so I pushed back against the rock and thought I would just lie still and Papa would soon come and get me. But then I was tired—and it was already getting rather dark—and I thought, I must really go to sleep, and in the morning Papa would come and get me. Then I thought I must say my prayer, so that the dear Lord would send his little angels to take care of me while I slept, and I prayed:
"Oh, gentle Jesus, hear me!
On bright wings hover near me,
And keep me from all harm!
Thru danger, pain and sorrow
I'll sleep until the morrow,
Protected by thine arm.
"Then I slept very well, until a man came, and I knew right away that Papa had sent him."
Her mother trembled as she followed the story. Her father could not conceal his delight at it.
"Now my little Grasshopper doesn't go another step alone," he said in as severe a tone as in his delight he could find it in his heart to use.
The mother had not yet heard who had finally taken the searching party to the right spot, and she wanted to know all about it. Then the father thought of Seppli and that he was really the first one to trace Rita.
"We must especially reward the brave boy," he said, and Rita, who grasped this idea with enthusiasm immediately scrambled down from the bed, in order to carry out the plan at once.
But what should the reward for Seppli be? What could she take to him right away?