kept saying a paraphrase over to myself and the Golden Text of the
next Sunday School lesson but oh, how my heart beat when I got
near the hollow! It was so dark. You could just see things dim-
like but you couldn't see what they were. When I got to the
bridge I walked along sideways with my back to the railing so I
couldn't think the dog was behind me. And then just in the middle
of the bridge I met something. It was right before me and it was
big and black, just about the size of a Newfoundland dog, and I
thought I could see a white nose. And it kept jumping about from
one side of the bridge to the other. Oh, I hope none of my
readers will ever be so frightened as I was then. I was too
frightened to run back because I was afraid it would chase me and
I couldn't get past it, it moved so quick, and then it just made
one spring right on me and I felt its claws and I screamed and
fell down. It rolled off to one side and laid there quite quiet
but I didn't dare move and I don't know what would have become of
me if Amos Cowan hadn't come along that very minute with a
lantern. And there was me sitting in the middle of the bridge and
that awful thing beside me. And what do you think it was but a
big umbrella with a white handle? Amos said it was his umbrella
and it had blown away from him and he had to go back and get the
lantern to look for it. I felt like asking him what on earth he
was going about with an umbrella open when it wasent raining. But
the Cowans do such queer things. You remember the time Jerry
Cowan sold us God's picture. Amos took me right home and I was
thankful for I don't know what would have become of me if he
hadn't come along. I couldn't sleep all night and I never want to
have any more adventures like that one.

CECILY KING.