“W canot b far fṛm ɖ rod v yelo bric, nǎ,” rmarct ɖ Scercro, az h std bsd ɖ grl, “fr w hv cm nirli az far az ɖ rivr carid s awe.”
Ɖ Tin Wŭdmn wz abt t rplî ẃn h hŕd a lo grǎl, n trnñ hiz hed (ẃć wrct bytifli on hinjz) h sw a strenj bīst cm bǎndñ ovr ɖ gras twd ɖm. It wz, indd, a gret yelo Wîldcat, n ɖ Wŭdmn ʈt it mst b ćesñ smʈñ, fr its irz wr layñ clos t its hed n its mǎʈ wz wîd opn, śowñ tū roz v ugli tīʈ, ẃl its red îz gloud lîc bōlz v fîr. Az it cem nirr ɖ Tin Wŭdmn sw ɖt runñ bfr ɖ bīst wz a litl gre fīldmǎs, n olɖo h hd no hart h ń it wz roñ fr ɖ Wîldcat t trî t cil sć a priti, harmlis crīćr.
So ɖ Wŭdmn rezd hiz ax, n az ɖ Wîldcat ran bî h gev it a qc blo ɖt cut ɖ bīst’s hed clīn of fṛm its bodi, n it rold ovr at hiz fīt in tū pìsz.
Ɖ fīldmǎs, nǎ ɖt it wz frìd fṛm its eṇmi, stopt śort; n cmñ slǒli p t ɖ Wŭdmn it sd, in a sqīci litl vôs:
“Ǒ, ʈanc y! Ʈanc y evr so mć fr sevñ mî lîf.”
“D’nt spīc v it, I beg v y,” rplaid ɖ Wŭdmn. “I hv no hart, y nǒ, so I am cerfl t hlp ol ɖoz hu me nīd a frend, īvn f it hapnz t b onli a mǎs.”
“Onli a mǎs!” craid ɖ litl animl, indignntli. “Ẃ, I am a Qīn—ɖ Qīn v ol ɖ Fīldmîs!”
“Ǒ, indd,” sd ɖ Wŭdmn, mcñ a bǎ.
“Ɖrfr y hv dn a gret dīd, az wel az a brev wn, in sevñ mî lîf,” add ɖ Qīn.
At ɖt momnt sevṛl mîs wr sìn runñ p az fast az ɖer litl legz cd cari ɖm, n ẃn ɖe sw ɖer Qīn ɖe xclemd:
“Ǒ, yr Maɉsti, w ʈt y wd b cild! Hǎ dd y manij t iscep ɖ gret Wîldcat?” Ɖe ol baud so lo t ɖ litl Qīn ɖt ɖe olmst std upn ɖer hedz.
“Ɖs funi tin man,” ś ansrd, “cild ɖ Wîldcat n sevd mî lîf. So hiraftr y mst ol srv him, n obe hiz slîtist wiś.”
“W wl!” craid ol ɖ mîs, in a śril cōṛs. N ɖen ɖe scamprd in ol d’rex́nz, fr Toto hd awecnd fṛm hiz slīp, n siyñ ol ɖz mîs arnd him h gev wn barc v dlît n jumt rît intu ɖ midl v ɖ grūp. Toto hd olwz luvd t ćes mîs ẃn h livd in Canẓs, n h sw no harm in it.
Bt ɖ Tin Wŭdmn còt ɖ dog in hiz armz n hld him tît, ẃl h cōld t ɖ mîs, “Cm bac! Cm bac! Toto śl nt hrt y.”
At ɖs ɖ Qīn v ɖ Mîs stuc hr hed ǎt fṛm undnʈ a clump v gras n asct, in a timid vôs, “R y śr h wl nt bît s?”
“I wl nt let him,” sd ɖ Wŭdmn; “so d nt b afreid.”
Wn bî wn ɖ mîs cem crīpñ bac, n Toto dd nt barc agn, olɖo h traid t gt ǎt v ɖ Wŭdmn’z armz, n wd hv bitn him hd h nt noun vri wel h wz md v tin. Fîṇli wn v ɖ bigist mîs spouc.
“Z ɖr enʈñ w cn d,” it asct, “t rpe y fr sevñ ɖ lîf v ǎr Qīn?”
“Nʈñ ɖt I nǒ v,” ansrd ɖ Wŭdmn; bt ɖ Scercro, hu hd bn trayñ t ʈnc, bt cd nt bcz hiz hed wz stuft wɖ strw, sd, qcli, “Ǒ, yes; y cn sev ǎr frend, ɖ Cawdli Layn, hu z aslip in ɖ popibed.”
“A Layn!” craid ɖ litl Qīn. “Ẃ, h wd īt s ol p.”
“Ǒ, no,” dclerd ɖ Scercro; “ɖs Layn z a cawd.”
“Riyli?” asct ɖ Mǎs.
“H sz so himslf,” ansrd ɖ Scercro, “n h wd nvr hrt enwn hu z ǎr frend. F y wl hlp s t sev him I promis ɖt h śl trīt y ol wɖ cîndnis.”
“Vri wel,” sd ɖ Qīn, “w trust y. Bt ẃt śl w d?”
“R ɖr mni v ɖz mîs ẃć cōl y Qīn n r wilñ t obe y?”
“Ǒ, yes; ɖr r ʈǎzndz,” ś rplaid.
“Ɖen snd fr ɖm ol t cm hir az sn az poṣbl, n let ć wn brñ a loñ pìs v strñ.”
Ɖ Qīn trnd t ɖ mîs ɖt atndd hr n tld ɖm t g at wns n gt ol hr ppl. Az sn az ɖe hŕd hr ordrz ɖe ran awe in evri d’rex́n az fast az poṣbl.
“Nǎ,” sd ɖ Scercro t ɖ Tin Wŭdmn, “y mst g t ɖoz triz bî ɖ rivrsîd n mc a truc ɖt wl cari ɖ Layn.”
So ɖ Wŭdmn wnt at wns t ɖ triz n bgan t wrc; n h sn md a truc ǎt v ɖ limz v triz, fṛm ẃć h ćopt awe ol ɖ līvz n branćz. H fasnd it tgɖr wɖ wŭdn pegz n md ɖ for ẃīlz ǎt v śort pìsz v a big trītrunc. So fast n so wel dd h wrc ɖt bî ɖ tîm ɖ mîs bgan t arîv ɖ truc wz ol redi fr ɖm.
Ɖe cem fṛm ol d’rex́nz, n ɖr wr ʈǎzndz v ɖm: big mîs n litl mîs n midl-sîzd mîs; n ć wn bròt a pìs v strñ in hiz mǎʈ. It wz abt ɖs tîm ɖt Doṛʈi wouc fṛm hr loñ slīp n opnd hr îz. Ś wz gretli astoniśt t fînd hrslf layñ upn ɖ gras, wɖ ʈǎzndz v mîs standñ arnd n lcñ at hr timidli. Bt ɖ Scercro tld hr abt evrʈñ, n trnñ t ɖ digṇfaid litl Mǎs, h sd:
“Pmit m t intṛdys t y hr Maɉsti, ɖ Qīn.”
Doṛʈi nodd grevli n ɖ Qīn md a crtsi, aftr ẃć ś bcem qt frendli wɖ ɖ litl grl.
At frst ɖ litl crīćrz, mni ɖo ɖe wr, cd hardli str ɖ heṿli lodd truc; bt ɖ Wŭdmn n ɖ Scercro bʈ pśt fṛm bhnd, n ɖe got alñ betr. Sn ɖe rold ɖ Layn ǎt v ɖ popi bed t ɖ grīn fīldz, ẃr h cd briɖ ɖ swīt, freś er agn, instd v ɖ pôzṇs sént v ɖ flǎrz.
Doṛʈi cem t mīt ɖm n ʈanct ɖ litl mîs wormli fr sevñ hr cmpańn fṛm deʈ. Ś hd groun so fond v ɖ big Layn ś wz glad h hd bn reskd.
Ɖen ɖ mîs wr unharnist fṛm ɖ truc n scamprd awe ʈru ɖ gras t ɖer homz. Ɖ Qīn v ɖ Mîs wz ɖ last t līv.
“F evr y nīd s agn,” ś sd, “cm ǎt intu ɖ fīld n cōl, n w śl hír y n cm t yr asistns. Gdbî!”
“Gdbî!” ɖe ol ansrd, n awe ɖ Qīn ran, ẃl Doṛʈi hld Toto tîtli lest h śd run aftr hr n frîtn hr.
Aftr ɖs ɖe sat dǎn bsd ɖ Layn untl h śd awecn; n ɖ Scercro bròt Doṛʈi sm frūt fṛm a tri nir bî, ẃć ś ét fr hr dinr.
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