put down her head and ran at them, as if she was afraid
they meant to hurt her calf. All turned, and ran as fast as they could
toward the wall; but poor Will in his fright tumbled down, and lay
screaming. Ned and Polly had reached the wall, and, looking back, saw
that their shadows had not followed. Ned's stood before Will,
brandishing his pole; and Polly's was flapping a shadowy sun-bonnet with
all its might. As soon as they saw that, back they went,--Ned to
threaten till he broke his pole, and Polly to flap till the strings came
off. As if anxious to do its part, the bonnet flew up in the air, and
coming down lit on the cross cow's head; which so astonished her that
she ran away as hard as she could pelt.

"Wasn't that funny?" said Will, when they had tumbled over the wall, and
lay laughing in the grass on the safe side.

"I'm glad I wore the old bonnet; for I suppose my best hat would have
gone just the same," said Polly thankfully.

"The calf doesn't know its own mother with that thing on," laughed Ned.

"How brave and kind you were to come back and save me! I'd have been
deaded if you hadn't," said Will, looking at his brother and sister with
his little face full of grateful admiration.

They turned towards home after this flurry, feeling quite like heroes.
When they came to the corner where two roads met, Ned proposed they
should take the river-road; for, though the longest, it was much the
pleasantest.

"We shan't be home at supper-time," said Polly. "You won't be able to do
your jobs, Ned, nor I mine, and Will's chickens will have to go to bed
hungry."

"Never mind: it's a holiday, so let's enjoy it, and not bother,"
answered Ned.

"We promised mamma we'd come home early," said Will.

They stood looking at the two roads,--one sandy, hot, and hilly; the
other green and cool and level, along the river-side. They all chose the
pleasant path, and walked on till Ned cried out, "Why, where are our
shadows?"

They looked behind, before, and on either side; but nowhere could they
see them.

"They were with us at the corner," said Will.

"Let's run back, and try to find them," said Polly.

"No, let 'em go: I'm tired of minding mine, and don't care if I never
see it again," said Ned.

"Don't say so; for I remember hearing about a man who sold his shadow,
and then got into lots of trouble because he had none. We promised to
follow them, and we must," said Polly.

"I wish," began Ned in a pet; but Polly