e care of me and don't let that big bear
catch me; don't let papa and mamma feel too bad, and please make the bad
bear go away and let me alone."

CHAPTER XI.

"GOTT SEI DANK!"

The prayer of little Nellie Ribsam--so far as it related to herself--was
answered.

She secured her seat, as best she could, in the branches of the chestnut
sapling, and, by arranging her dress and the yielding limbs with
considerable skill, she made herself quite comfortable.

The trying situation in which she was placed, it would be thought, was
enough to drive away all disposition to sleep, but at the end of less
than half an hour the little head was nodding again, and, forgetful of
her peril, her senses soon left her.

It will be understood that the danger of the young wanderer was rendered
all the greater by this loss of consciousness, for her muscles would
relax in slumber, and, unless her position was unusually secure, she was
certain to fall.

But that gracious Father in whom she so implicitly trusted watched over
the little one, and she remained as though seated in the broad
rocking-chair at home.

When at last she moved slightly and was on the point of losing her
balance, she awoke so quickly that she saved herself just in the nick of
time.

She was shocked and startled, but regaining her breath she held fast
with one hand while she parted the branches with the other and carefully
peered down among the limbs.

"He is gone!" was her joyous exclamation; "I knew the Lord would make
him go away, because I asked him to."

She was right: the bear had vanished, and all danger from that source
for the time had passed.

The brute probably found enough to eat without waiting for little girls
to fall into his clutches. As he had never been known to trouble any one
in the neighborhood, it was reasonable to believe that he got all he
wanted without venturing away from the depths of the woods, and rousing
an ill-will against himself that would speedily result in his
destruction.

Nellie did not feel surprised at all, for, as I have shown, she had the
faith to believe that her prayer would be answered.

"Now I will go down to the ground and start for home. I guess the bear
isn't far off, but the Lord will not let him hurt me."

She carefully descended the tree and stood on the ground a minute later.
She found that her dress was torn and she had lost part of the ribbon
from her hat. This troubled her more than anything els