There's some
Solomon's seal — do you want some of that?"
Ellen sprang to it with exclamations of joy, and, before she
could rise from her stooping posture, discovered some cowslips
to be scrambled for. Wild columbine, the delicate corydalis,
and more uvularias, which she called yellow bells, were added
to her handful, till it grew a very elegant bunch indeed. Mr.
Van Brunt looked complacently on, much as Ellen would at a
kitten running round after its tail.
"Now, I won't keep you any longer, Mr. Van Brunt," said she,
when her hands were as full as they could hold; — "I have kept
you a great while; you are very good to wait for me."
They took up their line of march again, and after crossing the
last piece of rocky woodland, came to an open hill-side,
sloping gently up, at the foot of which were several large
flat stones.
"But where are the sheep, Mr. Van Brunt?" said Ellen.
"I guess they ain't fur," said he. "You keep quiet, 'cause
they don't know you; and they are mighty scary. Just stand
still there by the fence. — Ca-nan! ca-nan! ca-nan, nan, nan,
nan, nan, nan, nan!"
This was the sheep-call, and raising his voice, Mr. Van Brunt
made it sound abroad far over the hills. Again and again it
sounded; and then Ellen saw the white nose of a sheep, at the
edge of the woods, on the top of the hill. On the call's
sounding again, the sheep set forward, and in a long train
they came running along a narrow footpath, down towards where
Mr.
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