Ǎr litl parti v travlrz awecnd ɖ nxt mornñ rfreśt n fl v hop, n Doṛʈi brecfstd lîc a prinses of pīćz n plumz fṛm ɖ triz bsd ɖ rivr. Bhnd ɖm wz ɖ darc forist ɖe hd pást sefli ʈru, olɖo ɖe hd sufrd mni dscurijmnts; bt bfr ɖm wz a luvli, súni cuntri ɖt sīmd t becn ɖm on t ɖ Emṛld Siti.
T b śr, ɖ brōd rivr nǎ cut ɖm of fṛm ɖs bytifl land. Bt ɖ raft wz nirli dn, n aftr ɖ Tin Wŭdmn hd cut a fy mor logz n fasnd ɖm tgɖr wɖ wŭdn pinz, ɖe wr redi t start. Doṛʈi sat dǎn in ɖ midl v ɖ raft n hld Toto in hr armz. Ẃn ɖ Cawdli Layn stept upn ɖ raft it tipt badli, fr h wz big n hevi; bt ɖ Scercro n ɖ Tin Wŭdmn std upn ɖ uɖr end t stedi it, n ɖe hd loñ polz in ɖer handz t pś ɖ raft ʈru ɖ wōtr.
Ɖe got alñ qt wel at frst, bt ẃn ɖe rīćt ɖ midl v ɖ rivr ɖ swift cuṛnt swept ɖ raft dǎnstrīm, farɖr n farɖr awe fṛm ɖ rod v yelo bric. N ɖ wōtr grù so dīp ɖt ɖ loñ polz wd nt tuć ɖ botm.
“Ɖs z bad,” sd ɖ Tin Wŭdmn, “fr f w canot gt t ɖ land w śl b carid intu ɖ cuntri v ɖ Wicid Wić v ɖ Wst, n ś wl inćant s n mc s hr slevz.”
“N ɖen I śd gt no brenz,” sd ɖ Scercro.
“N I śd gt no curij,” sd ɖ Cawdli Layn.
“N I śd gt no hart,” sd ɖ Tin Wŭdmn.
“N I śd nvr gt bac t Canẓs,” sd Doṛʈi.
“W mst srtnli gt t ɖ Emṛld Siti f w cn,” ɖ Scercro cntinyd, n h pśt so hard on hiz loñ pol ɖt it stuc fast in ɖ mud at ɖ botm v ɖ rivr. Ɖen, bfr h cd pl it ǎt agn—or let g—ɖ raft wz swept awe, n ɖ pur Scercro wz left clññ t ɖ pol in ɖ midl v ɖ rivr.
“Gdbî!” h cōld aftr ɖm, n ɖe wr vri sori t līv him. Indd, ɖ Tin Wŭdmn bgan t crî, bt forćṇtli rmembrd ɖt h mt rust, n so draid hiz tirz on Doṛʈi’z epṛn.
V cors ɖs wz a bad ʈñ fr ɖ Scercro.
“I am nǎ wrs of ɖn ẃn I frst met Doṛʈi,” h ʈt. “Ɖen, I wz stuc on a pol in a cornfīld, ẃr I cd mc-b’liv scer ɖ croz, at eni ret. Bt śrli ɖr z no ys fr a Scercro stuc on a pol in ɖ midl v a rivr. I am afreid I śl nvr hv eni brenz, aftr ol!”
Dǎn ɖ strīm ɖ raft flotd, n ɖ pur Scercro wz left far bhnd. Ɖen ɖ Layn sd:
“Smʈñ mst b dn t sev s. I ʈnc I cn swim t ɖ śor n pl ɖ raft aftr m, f y wl onli hold fast t ɖ tip v mî teil.”
So h sprañ intu ɖ wōtr, n ɖ Tin Wŭdmn còt fast hold v hiz teil. Ɖen ɖ Layn bgan t swim wɖ ol hiz mît twd ɖ śor. It wz hard wrc, olɖo h wz so big; bt bî n bî ɖe wr drwn ǎt v ɖ cuṛnt, n ɖen Doṛʈi tc ɖ Tin Wŭdmn’z loñ pol n hlpt pś ɖ raft t ɖ land.
Ɖe wr ol tîrd ǎt ẃn ɖe rīćt ɖ śor at last n stept of upn ɖ priti grīn gras, n ɖe olso ń ɖt ɖ strīm hd carid ɖm a loñ we past ɖ rod v yelo bric ɖt léd t ɖ Emṛld Siti.
“Ẃt śl w d nǎ?” asct ɖ Tin Wŭdmn, az ɖ Layn le dǎn on ɖ gras t let ɖ sún drî him.
“W mst gt bac t ɖ rod, in sm we,” sd Doṛʈi.
“Ɖ bst plan wl b t wōc alñ ɖ rivrbanc untl w cm t ɖ rod agn,” rmarct ɖ Layn.
So, ẃn ɖe wr restd, Doṛʈi pict p hr bascit n ɖe startd alñ ɖ grasi banc, t ɖ rod fṛm ẃć ɖ rivr hd carid ɖm. It wz a luvli cuntri, wɖ plenti v flǎrz n frūțrīz n súnśîn t ćir ɖm, n hd ɖe nt flt so sori fr ɖ pur Scercro, ɖe cd hv bn vri hapi.
Ɖe wōct alñ az fast az ɖe cd, Doṛʈi onli stopñ wns t pic a bytifl flǎr; n aftr a tîm ɖ Tin Wŭdmn craid ǎt: “Lc!”
Ɖen ɖe ol lct at ɖ rivr n sw ɖ Scercro prćt upn hiz pol in ɖ midl v ɖ wōtr, lcñ vri lonli n sad.
“Ẃt cn w d t sev him?” asct Doṛʈi.
Ɖ Layn n ɖ Wŭdmn bʈ śc ɖer hedz, fr ɖe dd nt nǒ. So ɖe sat dǎn upn ɖ banc n gezd wistḟli at ɖ Scercro untl a Storc flù bî, hu, upn siyñ ɖm, stopt t rest at ɖ wōtr’z éj.
“Hu r y n ẃr r y gwñ?” asct ɖ Storc.
“I am Doṛʈi,” ansrd ɖ grl, “n ɖz r mî frendz, ɖ Tin Wŭdmn n ɖ Cawdli Layn; n w r gwñ t ɖ Emṛld Siti.”
“Ɖs z’nt ɖ rod,” sd ɖ Storc, az ś twistd hr loñ nec n lct śarpli at ɖ qir parti.
“I nǒ it,” rtrnd Doṛʈi, “bt w hv lost ɖ Scercro, n r wunḍrñ hǎ w śl gt him agn.”
“Ẃr z h?” asct ɖ Storc.
“Ovr ɖr in ɖ rivr,” ansrd ɖ litl grl.
“F h wz’nt so big n hevi I wd gt him fr y,” rmarct ɖ Storc.
“H z’nt hevi a bit,” sd Doṛʈi īgrli, “fr h z stuft wɖ strw; n f y wl brñ him bac t s, w śl ʈanc y evr n evr so mć.”
“Wel, I’l trî,” sd ɖ Storc, “bt f I fînd h z tù hevi t cari I śl hv t drop him in ɖ rivr agn.”
So ɖ big brd flù intu ɖ er n ovr ɖ wōtr tl ś cem t ẃr ɖ Scercro wz prćt upn hiz pol. Ɖen ɖ Storc wɖ hr gret clwz grabd ɖ Scercro bî ɖ arm n carid him p intu ɖ er n bac t ɖ banc, ẃr Doṛʈi n ɖ Layn n ɖ Tin Wŭdmn n Toto wr sitñ.
Ẃn ɖ Scercro faund himslf amñ hiz frendz agn, h wz so hapi ɖt h hugd ɖm ol, īvn ɖ Layn n Toto; n az ɖe wōct alñ h sañ “Tol-de-ri-de-ǒ!” at evri step, h flt so ge.
“Ʈanc y,” rplaid Doṛʈi, n ɖen ɖ cînd Storc flù intu ɖ er n wz sn ǎt v sît.
Ɖe wōct alñ liṣnñ t ɖ sññ v ɖ brîtli culrd brdz n lcñ at ɖ luvli flǎrz ẃć nǎ bcem so ʈic ɖt ɖ grǎnd wz carṗtd wɖ ɖm. Ɖr wr big yelo n ẃît n blu n prpl blosmz, bsdz gret clustrz v scarlit popiz, ẃć wr so briłnt in culr ɖe olmst dazld Doṛʈi’z îz.
“R’nt ɖe bytifl?” ɖ grl asct, az ś briɖd in ɖ spîsi sént v ɖ brît flǎrz.
“I s’poz so,” ansrd ɖ Scercro. “Ẃn I hv brenz, I śl probbli lîc ɖm betr.”
“F I onli hd a hart, I śd luv ɖm,” add ɖ Tin Wŭdmn.
“I olwz dd lîc flǎrz,” sd ɖ Layn. “Ɖe sīm so hlplis n frel. Bt ɖr r nn in ɖ forist so brît az ɖz.”
Ɖe nǎ cem upn mor n mor v ɖ big scarlit popiz, n fywr n fywr v ɖ uɖr flǎrz; n sn ɖe faund ɖmslvz in ɖ mdst v a gret medo v popiz. Nǎ it z wel noun ɖt ẃn ɖr r mni v ɖz flǎrz tgɖr ɖer ǒdr z so pǎrfl ɖt enwn hu briɖz it fōlz aslip, n f ɖ slīpr z nt carid awe fṛm ɖ sént v ɖ flǎrz, h slīps on n on fr evr. Bt Doṛʈi dd nt nǒ ɖs, nr cd ś gt awe fṛm ɖ brît red flǎrz ɖt wr evrẃr abt; so prezntli hr îz grù hevi n ś flt ś mst sit dǎn t rest n t slīp.
Bt ɖ Tin Wŭdmn wd nt let hr d ɖs.
“W mst huri n gt bac t ɖ rod v yelo bric bfr darc,” h sd; n ɖ Scercro agrìd wɖ him. So ɖe cept wōcñ untl Doṛʈi cd stand no longr. Hr îz clozd in spît v hrslf n ś fgot ẃr ś wz n fél amñ ɖ popiz, fast aslip.
“Ẃt śl w d?” asct ɖ Tin Wŭdmn.
“F w līv hr hir ś wl dî,” sd ɖ Layn. “Ɖ smel v ɖ flǎrz z cilñ s ol. I mslf cn scersli cīp mî îz opn, n ɖ dog z aslip olrdi.”
It wz tru; Toto hd fōḷn dǎn bsd hiz litl mistris. Bt ɖ Scercro n ɖ Tin Wŭdmn, nt biyñ md v fleś, wr nt trubld bî ɖ sént v ɖ flǎrz.
“Run fast,” sd ɖ Scercro t ɖ Layn, “n gt ǎt v ɖs dedli flǎrbed az sn az y cn. W wl brñ ɖ litl grl wɖ s, bt f y śd fōl aslip y r tù big t b carid.”
So ɖ Layn arǎzd himslf n bǎndd fwd az fast az h cd g. In a momnt h wz ǎt v sît.
“Let s mc a ćer wɖ ǎr handz n cari hr,” sd ɖ Scercro. So ɖe pict p Toto n pt ɖ dog in Doṛʈi’z lap, n ɖen ɖe md a ćer wɖ ɖer handz fr ɖ sīt n ɖer armz fr ɖ armz n carid ɖ slīpñ grl btwn ɖm ʈru ɖ flǎrz.
On n on ɖe wōct, n it sīmd ɖt ɖ gret carpit v dedli flǎrz ɖt srǎndd ɖm wd nvr end. Ɖe foloud ɖ bnd v ɖ rivr, n at last cem upn ɖer frend ɖ Layn, layñ fast aslip amñ ɖ popiz. Ɖ flǎrz hd bn tù stroñ fr ɖ hyj bīst n h hd gvn p at last, n fōḷn onli a śort distns fṛm ɖ end v ɖ popi bed, ẃr ɖ swīt gras spred in bytifl grīn fīldz bfr ɖm.
“W cn d nʈñ fr him,” sd ɖ Tin Wŭdmn, sadli; “fr h z mć tù hevi t lift. W mst līv him hir t slīp on fr evr, n phps h wl drīm ɖt h hz faund curij at last.”
“I’m sori,” sd ɖ Scercro. “Ɖ Layn wz a vri gd comred fr wn so cawdli. Bt let s g on.”
Ɖe carid ɖ slīpñ grl t a priti spot bsd ɖ rivr, far inuf fṛm ɖ popifīld t privnt hr briɖñ eni mor v ɖ pôzn v ɖ flǎrz, n hir ɖe leid hr jntli on ɖ soft gras n wêtd fr ɖ freś brīz t wecn hr.
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