lad that he had found her, and could take her back to her
mother safe and unharmed, that he forgot everything else, and of
course, Ruby was happy at being in those strong arms, when she had been
so sure that she was going to be burned up; and all the way up to the
house she resolved, as she had so many times before, that she would
surely, surely be good now, for whenever she was naughty, and did
things that she knew would not please her father and mother, she always
got into trouble, and was not half as happy as she would have been if
she had tried to please them. After all, papas and mammas did know
what was best for little girls.

CHAPTER IV.

CONSEQUENCES.

Ruby really had very good reason to be sorry for this last piece of
naughtiness. By the time her papa carried her into the house they
found that her mamma was very ill with the anxiety about Ruby, and her
papa just let her kiss the white face once, and then he hurried her
away to bed, so that he might do all that he could for the invalid.

Ruby was very much surprised to find every one up in the house. She
had been so sure that it was nearly morning that she could not
understand how it was that, after all she had been doing, and the long
sleep she had had out in her little cabin, it should only be a little
after ten o'clock.

It was some time before Ruby went to sleep, and in that quiet time she
had a good opportunity to think how very naughty she had been. "I wish
I had n't played Swiss Family Robinson," she said to herself. "I wish
I had never, never heard anything about that old book. I should never
have thought of it by myself, and then, of course, I would never have
done such a thing. And now, it is just perfectly dreadful. I know
papa thinks I have been too bad to love any more, and mamma is so
sick, and Ann looked as cross at me as if she would just like to bite
my head off, and I most know she will scold and scold at me to-morrow,
and there, Aunt Emma had to come the first time I ever did such a
thing, and now, I suppose she thinks I run away every night, and I
never, never did before, and it is n't fair, so;" and Ruby cried
softly. "Oh, dear, I do wish I had n't, and it don't make the least
speck of difference how many times I wish I had n't now, 'cause it is
too late. I wish I always knew beforehand how sorry I would be, and
then I would n't do things that make me feel so dreadful bad. I wish I
knew how mamma is. If she was n't