his eyes, and stared about him
wonderingly. "Why, I'm out in the woods!" he said in a surprised voice.
Gradually he recollected how he had built the house, chased a hen, and
lost his hammer. This last accident troubled him a little. "Papa said I
mustn't touch that big hammer ever," he thought to himself, "'cause I'd
be sure to spoil it. But I'll tell him it isn't spoiled, and he can pick
it up and put it back into the drawer; then he won't mind."

One of the striped squirrels came down from a bough overhead, and
stopped just in front of the place where Archie sat. Archie looked at
him; he looked at Archie. The squirrel put its paws together and rubbed
its nose. It chippered a minute, twinkled its bead-like eyes, then, with
a final flick of its tail, it was off, and up the tree again like a
flash. Archie looked after it delighted.

"What a pretty bunny!" he said out loud.

"Now I'll go home," was his next remark, getting suddenly up from the
ground.

The cause of this resolution was a little gnawing sensation which had
begun within him and was getting stronger every moment. In other words,
he was hungry. Gingerbread and apples do not satisfy little boys as
roast beef does. Archie's stomach was quite empty, and began to cry with
an unmistakable voice, "I want my dinner, I want my dinner. Give me my
dinner quick, or I shall do something desperate." Everybody in the world
has to listen when voices like these begin to sound inside of them. All
at once home seemed the most attractive spot in the world to Archie.
Visions of Mamma and bread and milk and a great plate full of something
hot arose before his eyes, and an immense longing for these delights
took possession of him. So he shouldered his spade and set forth, not
having the least notion--poor little soul!--as to which side home lay,
but believing, with the confidence of childhood, that now he wanted to
go that way, the way was sure to be easily found. Refreshed by his long
sleep, he marched sturdily on, taking any path which struck his eye
first.

There is a pretty picture--I wonder if any of you have ever seen it?--in
which a little child is seen walking across a narrow plank which bridges
a deep chasm, while behind flies a tall, beautiful angel, with a hand on
either side the child, guiding it along. The child does not see the
angel, and walks fearlessly; but the heavenly hands are there, and the
little one is safe. It may be that just such a good angel flew behi