In this forest a little girl was struggling along. There was no path
for her to follow, for the snow covered all the paths. The little
girl's name was Paulina. She was dressed in a long fur coat, and she
wore a cap and mittens and gaiters of fur, so that she looked more
like a little furry animal than a little girl. She kept tramping
along, not a bit afraid, when suddenly she heard a call for help.
"Help! Help!" the call came.
"Coming, coming!" she called back. She went in the direction of the
voice and soon she saw a man making his way toward her. His dress was
that of a peasant.
"Will you please direct me out of this forest, little one?" he asked.
"You probably know the paths about."
"No, I am a stranger here," Paulina answered. "I live in Kief--that
is, I did live there; but I am on my way to my father."
"Where is your father?" asked the man.
"He is in Siberia. They banished him."
"But, little one," said the stranger, "that is a terrible place for a
child to go to. That frozen country, where wicked people are sent!"
"O, yes,--but my father is there, you know," said Paulina.
"Who is your father?" the man asked.
The little girl was about to tell him, when she noticed a look of
interest on the stranger's face, so she said,
"Did you say that you had lost your way in the forest? Do you live far
from here?"
"Yes, very far.
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