"
Little Bo-Peep sat still and watched the old woman toil slowly up the
hill-side and disappear over the top. By and by she thought, "very
soon I shall see the sheep coming back;" but time passed away and
still the errant flock failed to make its appearance.
Soon the head of the little shepherdess began to nod, and presently,
still thinking of her sheep,
Little Bo-Peep fell fast asleep,
And dreamt she heard them bleating;
But when she awoke she found it a joke,
For still they were a-fleeting.
The girl now became quite anxious, and wondered why the old woman had
not driven her flock over the hill. But as it was now time for
luncheon she opened her little basket and ate of the bread and cheese
and cookies she had brought with her. After she had finished her meal
and taken a drink of cool water from a spring near by, she decided she
would not wait any longer.
So up she took her little crook,
Determined for to find them,
and began climbing the hill.
When she got to the top there was never a sight of sheep about--only a
green valley and another hill beyond.
Now really alarmed for the safety of her charge, Bo-Peep hurried into
the valley and up the farther hill-side. Panting and tired she reached
the summit, and, pausing breathlessly, gazed below her.
Quietly feeding upon the rich grass was her truant flock, looking as
peaceful and innocent as if it had never strayed away from its gentle
shepherdess.
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