hance
of finding her was the hope that the little boat could not have gone
very far. "It may have been swept out to sea," Mr. Cary said, and at
this Amanda set up such a wail that he instantly added: "But Anne will
be found; of course she will."

CHAPTER III

A NEW FRIEND

"It's morning!" And Anne sat up and looked about with surprised eyes.
Little flecks of sunshine came through the sheltering branches of the
tall pine, squirrels ran up and down its trunk, and there were chirpings
and calls of birds among the near-by trees. "And I'm not half-way to the
top," continued Anne, shaking off the feeling of drowsiness, and
springing up from the soft moss. She picked up her bundle and "Martha
Stoddard" and started on. "'Tis about the time that Aunt Martha and
Uncle Enos are eating porridge," she thought longingly, and then
remembered that on the hillside, not far from the top, there was a
spring of cool water, and she hurried on. She could hear the little
tinkling sound of the water before she came in sight of the tiny stream
which ran down the slope from the bubbling spring; and laying down her
doll and the bundle she ran forward, eager for a drink. She knelt down
and drank, and then turned to pick up her belongings, but the bundle and
doll had disappeared. Anne looked about as if she could not believe her
eyes. "They must be here!" she exclaimed aloud, and at that moment
"Martha Stoddard" peered at her astonished owner from behind a tree. The
little wooden doll appeared to walk. Then it bowed very low, and
vanished. Anne ran to the tree, but Martha was not there; but the doll's
head could be seen behind a small bush, almost within Anne's reach; but
now Anne stopped, remembering that dolls, even dolls like Martha, could
not play hide-and-seek. She felt bewildered, and, although Martha bowed
and even tried to dance, Anne did not approach a step nearer. She could
see that a small brown hand was keeping a tight grasp on Martha, and as
she watched this hand a brown face peered out at her over Martha's
head--the brown smiling face of an Indian girl, probably several years
older than Anne. After looking at Anne for a few seconds she came out
from behind the cluster of bushes. "She's as tall as Rose Freeman," was
Anne's first thought.

"Where is my bundle?" she demanded, for although the Indian girl held
Martha Stoddard in plain sight the bundle was not visible.

The Indian girl shook her head smilingly, and Anne repea