Her heart was cheered by the sight of the flowers and the soft cool grass , and she sat down and rested for a little . But hearing the birds chirping to their mates among the trees made her think with longing of her husband , and she wept bitterly , and taking her child in her arms , and her bundle of chicken bones on her shoulder , she entered the wood . For three days and three nights she struggled through it , but could find nothing . She was quite worn out with weariness and hunger , and even her staff was no further help to her , for in her many wanderings it had become quite blunted . She almost gave up in despair , but made one last great effort , and suddenly in a thicket she came upon the sort of house that the mother of the Wind had described . It had no windows , and the door was up in the roof . Round the house she went , in search of steps , but could find none . What was she to do ? How was she to get in ? She thought and thought , and tried in vain to climb up to the door . Then suddenly she be-thought her of the chicken bones that she had dragged all that weary way , and she said to herself : ` They would not all have told me to take such good care of these bones if they had not had some good reason for doing so . Perhaps now , in my hour of need , they may be of use to me . ' So she took the bones out of her bundle , and having thought for a moment , she placed the two ends together . To her surprise they stuck tight ; then she added the other bones , till she had two long poles the height of the house ; these she placed against the wall , at a distance of a yard from one another . Across them she placed the other bones , piece by piece , like the steps of a ladder . As soon as one step was finished she stood upon it and made the next one , and then the next , till she was close to the door . But just as she got near the top she noticed that there were no bones left for the last rung of the ladder . What was she to do ? Without that last step the whole ladder was useless . She must have lost one of the bones .
Then suddenly an idea came XXXXX her .
Across For Without as if in like till to upon