Page:The Children Who Followed the Piper.djvu/92

 coming to where she lay. She rose up and hurried on. She was wearied to the bone now, but where was the place where she could take rest in safety?

She came to a space where there were no trees. She stood at the edge of the space and she heard the rustling still coming beside her. And then she saw a light—a lantern it was; she went toward it, hoping that there was a place there where she would be guarded while she lay down to rest herself.

The lantern was strung upon a broken tree, and there was a bent man beside it. He looked to Golden Hood like some one she had seen before. The bent man had a sickle across his shoulder. "Oh, tell me, tell me who you are?" Golden Hood cried out as she came near him.

"Hush," said the bent man. "Every one knows me, but no one speaks to me. I am the Man in the Moon."

"Oh, you will help me," said Golden Hood. "You will help me, for you are friendly to men!"