mother died, the cow and hens and house had to be sold to pay the doctor
and the debts. Then Rosy was left all alone, with no mother, no home, and
no money to buy clothes and dinners with.

"What will you do?" said the people, who were very sorry for her.

"I will go and find my father," answered Rosy, bravely.

"But he is far away, and you don't know just where he is, up among the
mountains. Stay with us and spin on your little wheel, and we will buy the
yarn, and take care of you, dear little girl," said the kind people.

"No, I must go; for mother told me to, and my father will be glad to have
me. I'm not afraid, for every one is good to me," said Rosy, gratefully.

Then the people gave her a warm red cloak, and a basket with a little loaf
and bottle of milk in it, and some pennies to buy more to eat when the
bread was gone. They all kissed her, and wished her good luck; and she
trotted away through the wood to find her father.

For some days she got on very well; for the wood-cutters were kind, and
let her sleep in their huts, and gave her things to eat. But by and by she
came to lonely places, where there were no houses; and then she was
afraid, and used to climb up in the trees to sleep, and had to eat berries
and leaves, like the Children in the Wood.

She made a fire at night, so wild beasts would not come near her; and if
she met other travellers, she was so young and innocent no one had the
heart to hurt her. She was kind to everything she met; so all little
creatures were friends to her, as we shall see.