live in a house with blinds
and trees and flowers, and have a cousin come to see _me_!"

It wasn't strange that Patty should feel like this, and want to cover up
her bare feet in the grass; but in admiring Flaxie she forgot entirely
to watch Bubby, and that was a great mistake. _He_ didn't care, he never
liked to be watched; it was fine fun to see the whole world before him
and go just where he chose. Didn't the trees and grass and flowers all
belong to him! To be sure they did, and he meant to carry some of them
home. But while he was trudging about, and making up his little mind
where he would begin to pull, he espied the river sparkling in the sun,
and that was finest of all. "Pitty, pitty!" cried he, and thought he
would carry the river home too. How nice it would be to splash in! He
fairly shouted at the idea, for having never seen a bath-tub, he hadn't
learned to be afraid of soap and water. "Pitty, pitty!" said he,
toddling down with outstretched hands toward the dashing, dancing,
merry, white cascade; while the children, running away from the terrible
old woman, and trying to see which could scream loudest, never saw or
heard him at all.

Ah, baby, foolish baby, do you think you can seize that bright river and
carry it home? No, it is the bright river that is going to seize _you_,
unless somebody stops your little feet before they get to the brink!

About this time Preston Gray had finished reciting his lesson. It was
not a very good one, though his teacher found no fault whatever; and now
instead of going home, Preston strolled along toward the "Children's
Park," thinking how strange it was that little girls should scream so
much louder than boys at their games.

"Flaxie is a gay one," said he, as he saw her chasing her children with
a white birch switch; but at that moment he saw something else that made
his heart stand still. The Proudfit baby was scrambling down the bank,
just above the falls!

Preston called out, but it was of no use; there was not a man to be
seen, and if there had been twenty men they could have heard nothing,
while the little girls were making such a noise. He ran with all his
might, but by the time he reached the bank, the baby had tumbled
headlong into the river!

What was to be done? Preston was only a little boy himself, let me tell
you, and though he had learned to swim, the current was strong right
here, and there was great danger of his being carried over the falls.

What