LOUISE ROBINSON 
 
\/ 
 
 "OfespTS 
 
 Sv^ 
 
 "AT THE OPEN DOOR is the 
 
 most charming reader that has 
 
 fallen into my hands for many 
 
 a long day. Prom cover to 
 
 cover it is a v/ork of art. 
 
 The reading matter is fully 
 
 equal to the illustrations. •• 
 
 P. L. HEATO]N-, 
 Deputy Supt. of 
 Schools, 
 
 San Francisco, Cal. 
 
 •V — \ 
 
 b^ 
 
 ■•c<i^■ .crt-^. 
 
Louise Robinson 
 
 First Assistant in Charge, Louisa M. Alcott School 
 
 Boston, Massachusetts 
 
 Illustrated by Clara E. Atwood 
 
 Silver, Burdett & Company 
 Boston New York Chicago 
 
 FOR EXAMINATION 
 
 COMPLIMENTS OP 
 
 SILVER, BURDETT 4; COMPANY 
 

 
 Copyright, 1913 
 By Silver, Burdett & Company 
 
 Gift 
 
 K.D .LINGUIST 
 
 EDUCATION DEPT, 
 
575832 
 
^^^mm,m 
 
Mary and the Apple 
 
 Mary is looking up at the tree. 
 
 She sees a bright red apple up there. 
 
 It is so high that Mary can not get it. 
 
 She calls to it to come down. 
 
 Mary thinks that the apple is asleep. 
 
 " Good sun, wake the apple," she says. 
 
 She asks a bird to wake it. 
 
 The bird sings. The sun shines. 
 
 They can not wake the apple. 
 
 "Wind, wind, wake the apple," she calls. 
 
 The wind blows and blows. 
 
 See the tree shake ! See the apple 
 
 swing ! Down it conies ! 
 Thank you, good wind. 
 
What a fine red apple you are ! 
 
 Yes, I was on the old tree all summer. 
 
 Once I was part of the blossom. 
 
 At first I was small and green. 
 
 I was hard too, and not good to eat. 
 
 The mother tree took good care of me, 
 
 I hid among the green leayes. 
 
 No one saw me, for I was green too. 
 
 I held on to the twig with my stem. 
 
 By and by I became red and good to eat. 
 
 6 
 
Mary has cut the apple ! 
 
 See the little brown seed babies. 
 
 Mary will not eat the brown seeds. 
 
 She will drop them on the ground. 
 
 The wind may blow the seeds away. 
 
 Are you tired, little seed? 
 
 Yes, I think I will rest here. 
 
 I like to be near the old apple tree. 
 
 This is a good bed for a little seed. 
 
 Come, little leaves, and keep me warm. 
 
 Come, soft white snow, and be my 
 blanket. 
 
 I will sleep until the warm spring time. 
 
 Then the sun will shine, and I shall 
 push my roots down into the ground, 
 and grow up into the sunlight. 
 
 I shall be an apple tree too, some day. 
 
The Little Gray Squirrel 
 
 This is a little gray squirrel. 
 
 He is tame. He will sit on my arm. 
 
 We saw him one day in the garden. 
 
 We put nuts on the window ledge. 
 
 At first he was afraid to come to us. 
 
 See his beautiful bushy tail. 
 
 He holds it up over his back. 
 
 8 
 
I like to see him crack a hard nut. 
 He holds it in his paws, sits on his 
 
 hind legs, and cracks it with his 
 
 sharp teeth. 
 He puts the nuts into his pockets, too. 
 Do you know where his pockets are? 
 Where do you live, little gray squirrel? 
 Can I find your house in the garden? 
 I do not think you could find it. 
 My house is in the old oak tree. 
 I have a nest in the big tree's trunk. 
 That is where I put some of my nuts. 
 Soon the cold days of winter will 
 
 come. Then I will visit you again. 
 My baby squirrels must stay in the 
 
 soft, warm nest. 
 My baby squirrels have a bed of leaves. 
 
 9 
 
Come here, Carlo. You must not bark. 
 The gray squirrel is afraid of you. 
 Poor little squirrel, do not be afraid. 
 Carlo will not hurt you. 
 He may bark, but he can not catch 
 
 you. He can not find your nest. 
 The squirrel looks at me. 
 He wishes to see if Carlo has gone. 
 See, he runs up my arm, and eats the 
 
 nut from my hand. 
 There are more nuts in my pocket, 
 
 little squirrel. 
 Can the squirrel find my pocket? 
 Yes, there he goes into my pocket! 
 Take all the nuts you can find to your 
 
 home in the big oak tree, little 
 
 gray squirrel. 
 
 10 
 
By the Roadside 
 
 Here are some lovely fall flowers. 
 They grow by the roadside. 
 Goldenrod is a beautiful yellow flower. 
 He nods to us as we go by. 
 He says, "I am as bright as the sun." 
 
 You are very beautiful, goldenrod. 
 
 11 
 
You make the dusty roadside bright. 
 Baby will carry you home to mother. 
 See, baby, see these lovely blue flowers. 
 They are asters. Some asters are blue, 
 
 and some are white. 
 Look, baby, see this pretty brook. 
 The goldenrod and asters are here too. 
 They are growing by the brookside. 
 In the brook we can see more asters. 
 The "asters by the brookside make 
 
 asters in the brook." 
 Here is the mother milkweed bush. 
 See these funny, dusty, green pods. 
 I wonder what is inside these pods. 
 Now, baby, let us open a milkweed pod. 
 Oh, see all the little seed babies! 
 The pod is a pretty cradle for them. 
 
 12 
 
What lovely white silk dresses! 
 Every baby seed has a silk dress. 
 Little seeds, come out from your cradle. 
 Shake out your pretty silk dresses! 
 Here comes the wind. Blow, wind! 
 Blow the little milkweed seeds. 
 
 There they go, baby, up in the sky. 
 They will wish to rest by and by. 
 Then they will drop to the ground. 
 They will sleep all winter long. 
 The little green cradle is empty now. 
 The seed babies have left the cradle. 
 See how soft and pretty it is. 
 It is like a little green boat. 
 
 13 
 
September 
 
 The goldenrod is yellow, 
 
 The com is turning brown, 
 
 The trees in apple orchards 
 
 With fruit are bending down. 
 
 The gentian's bluest fringes 
 Are curling in the sun; 
 
 In dusty pods the milkweed 
 Its hidden silk has spun. 
 
 The sedges flaunt their harvest 
 In every meadow nook; 
 
 And asters by the brookside 
 Make asters in the brook. 
 
 By all these lovely tokens 
 
 September days are here, 
 
 With summer's best of weather, 
 
 And autumn's best of cheer. 
 
 H. H. 
 
 Copyright, 1873, by Little, Brown & Company 
 
 14 
 
What Happens in the Autumn 
 
 Jack Frost opens the chestnut burrs. 
 The squirrel gathers his acorns. 
 The flowers go to sleep for a long nap. 
 The leaves turn red, brown, and yellow. 
 The farmer picks his apples. 
 The bear rolls himself up in a ball. 
 The worms sleep in the hard ground. 
 Dogs and horses put on warm coats. 
 Boys and girls put on warm coats too. 
 Father buys his coal for winter. 
 Now the men are roasting chestnuts. 
 The fruit stands are full of fruit. 
 The purple grapes are on the yine. 
 Boxes of grapes are in the stores. 
 
 15 
 
People have put away their straw hats. 
 There are no watering carts to be seen. 
 People are washing their windows. 
 They are taking out the window screens. 
 Soon father will put on our storm door. 
 The wind is very busy in the autumn. 
 He whirls the leaves high into the air. 
 The farmer is raking his leaves. 
 The wind will help make a big bonfire 
 
 of the leaves. 
 The wind tells the birds to fly south. 
 He sends the little seeds to bed. 
 He dries the mud in the streets. 
 He dries the clothes on the line. 
 He turns the windmills roimd. 
 The wind dashes the waves up on the 
 rocks. 
 
 16 
 
The wind blows the kites up high. 
 Did you ever hear the wind call ? 
 A little boy once heard the wind call. 
 It said, " Who, who are you, o-o-o ? " 
 Last night some one knocked on my 
 
 window. 
 Was it you, old wind, who knocked ? 
 
 17 
 
The Burr Children 
 
 There were once three burr children. 
 They lived on an old burdock bush. 
 The bush grew in the meadow. 
 The burdock children were not happy. 
 They wished to see more of the world. 
 One little burr said, " Let us fly away." 
 That was silly, for burrs can not fly. 
 The mother bush said, " Wait and see." 
 So the burrs waited on the old bush. 
 One day Joe and Kover were running 
 
 along the road. 
 Joe had been to the store. 
 When they came to the meadow, Joe 
 
 whistled to Eover. 
 
 18 
 
He said, " Come, Eover, let us go home 
 
 the shortest way." 
 So they crawled under the fence. 
 " Catch a ride," said the mother bush. 
 " Quick! Now you can see the world." 
 So some burrs clung to Joe's coat. 
 Others held fast to his stockings. 
 One burr stuck to the top of his cap. 
 The others stole a ride on Eover's back. 
 They went far from their old home. 
 Poor Eover was not very happy. 
 
 19 
 
When he got home he barked at Joe. 
 Joe said, " Poor dog, come here." 
 Then Joe pulled the burrs from Eover. 
 The little burrs were tired. 
 They were glad to rest on the ground. 
 There they will sleep all winter. 
 They will sleep until the spring. 
 Then some of the little burrs will grow 
 
 to be burdock bushes. 
 They will have little burr children. 
 Perhaps they will tell them stories of 
 
 their trayels. 
 They may say, " Long ago we left our 
 
 home in the old meadow. 
 "We wanted to see the great world. 
 
 We came to this beautiful sunny 
 
 place, and made a new home." 
 
 20 
 
Thank You, Pretty Cow 
 
 Thank you, pretty cow, that made 
 Pleasant milk to soak my bread, 
 Every day and every night. 
 Warm, and fresh, and sweet, and white. 
 
 Do not chew the hemlock rank. 
 Growing on the weedy bank ; 
 But the yellow cowslip eat. 
 That will make it very sweet. 
 
 Where the purple violet grows. 
 
 Where the bubbling water flows. 
 
 Where the grass is fresh and fine. 
 
 Pretty cow, go there and dine. 
 
 Jane Taylor 
 
 21 
 

 The Farmyard 
 Mr. Brown is a farmer. 
 He liyes in that white house. 
 Across the path is his big barn. 
 There are six cows and three horses 
 
 in the barn. 
 The white horse is Ted. 
 The children ride on Ted's back. 
 In the morning Jack drives the cows 
 
 to the meadow. 
 At night he drives them home again. 
 
 22 
 
You should see Jack milk the cows. 
 
 He sits on a little stool. 
 
 The milk splashes into the tin pail. 
 
 How sweet, and warm, and white it is! 
 
 Have you been eating clover, old cow? 
 
 What do I see near the big maple tree? 
 
 That is Jack's turkey. 
 
 When the turkey sees Jack, he says, 
 
 " Gobble, gobble." 
 See the turkey run for the corn! 
 You can not have all the corn, turkey. 
 Some of the corn is for Jack's hens. 
 Jack has six white hens and four black. 
 They lay fresh eggs for him every day. 
 Jack gives the eggs to his mother. 
 Now let us go into the big barn, and 
 
 see the hay for the horses and cows. 
 
 23 
 
Have you an apple orchard, Mr. Brown? 
 Yes, my orchard is behind the big barn. 
 There are not many apples there now. 
 We packed them away in barrels. 
 We put the barrels into the big wagon. 
 Old Ted trotted down the road. 
 At last we came to the railroad. 
 We sent the apples to market. 
 Where are your pigs, Mr. Brown? 
 What! Haven't you seen my baby 
 
 pigs and the old mother pig? 
 They are in the pen behind the barn. 
 Jack will show you the ten baby pigs. 
 You will laugh at their curly tails. 
 The mother pig is proud of her babies. 
 She wishes you to scratch her back. 
 
 24 
 
The Birds in Autumn 
 
 The birds are flying to the southland. 
 It is warm in the sunny southland. 
 By and by, it will be cold here. 
 What a long jom^ney, little birds! 
 Do you not get yery tired on the way? 
 Yes, we have a long journey, little boy. 
 We travel many, many miles. 
 Sometimes we stop to rest. 
 We have a leader to show us the way. 
 We follow him so we do not get lost. 
 
 26 
 
Oh, robin, are you going away too? 
 
 Are you going to the southland? 
 
 Please stay here. I will feed you. 
 
 I can not stay with you, little boy. 
 
 Once a robin did not go to the south- 
 land, but when the north wind 
 began to blow he had no home. 
 
 His nest had blown away. 
 
 He flew to the barn up under the 
 eaves where he tried to keep warm. 
 
 The north wind blew and blew. 
 
 Kobin hid his head under his wing. 
 
 Pigeons, do you go to the southland? 
 
 No, Ned, we are big and strong. 
 
 See us walk. We are too big to hop. 
 
 If we stay all winter, will you feed us? 
 
 We can not sing. We say " Coo-coo." 
 
 27 
 
The Indians tell a story about the birds. 
 
 Once there were no trees. 
 
 Wherever God touched the earth, a 
 
 tree sprang up. 
 In autumn, the leaves turned red, 
 
 yellow, and brown. 
 Then they sank down to the earth. 
 But God did not wish them to die. 
 So he touched each bright leaf 
 
 and said, "Live and be beautiful 
 
 always." 
 Then each leaf became a bird. 
 The brown oak leaves became sparrows. 
 The elm leaves became yellow birds. 
 The red maple leaves became robins. 
 This is why the birds love the trees. 
 It is why they build upon the branches. 
 
 28 
 
What Jack Found 
 
 One day Jack went into the garden. 
 He found something large and round 
 
 growing on a vine. 
 He was going to carry it to his 
 
 mother. 
 On the way Jack met his father. 
 "What is that in your arms?" he said. 
 "A pumpkin, father," said Jack. 
 "Let us carry the pumpkin to the 
 
 barn," said Mr. Brown. 
 So Jack carried it into the barn. 
 
 29 
 
What is that on the milk stool? 
 See the great eyes, nose, and mouth! 
 What great teeth! Will it bite us? 
 Oh, no, don't you know what it is? 
 It is a Jack-o'-lantern. Jack and his 
 
 father made it from the pumpkin. 
 They cut a hole in the top of the 
 
 pumpkin and took out all the seeds. 
 They dug out the inside, cut two holes 
 
 for eyes, and one hole for the nose 
 
 of the Jack-o'-lantern. 
 Then Jack made the mouth and Mr. 
 
 Brown made the big teeth. 
 Inside, there is a burning candle. 
 Jack will make the Jack-o'-lantern 
 
 peep into the window. 
 Mother will see the funny face. 
 
 30 
 
What the Brownies Did One Thanksgiving 
 
 Did you ever see a brownie? 
 They wear brown suits and red caps. 
 The brownies live out of doors. 
 They sleep in a hole in the tree. 
 When it rains they sit under toadstools. 
 Did you ever hear the leaves rustle? 
 The brownies may be playing hide- 
 and-seek. 
 Once there was a selfish old farmer. 
 He had all the food he could eat. 
 He had good clothes and a good bed. 
 He would not share his good things. 
 Not far away lived a poor old woman. 
 She had to work hard to get food. 
 
 31 
 
Thanksgiving day was coming. 
 The brownies had not forgotten it. 
 They peeped in the farmer's window. 
 There sat old Farmer Wood, fast asleep. 
 He did not see the brownies. 
 
 They opened the window and danced 
 
 around the farmer's chair. 
 Two little brownies ran up his arm. 
 They whispered something in his ear. 
 Then they ran and hid in the barn. 
 By and by Farmer Wood awoke. 
 "Who has nothing to eat?" he said. 
 
 32 
 
"How can I help that?" 
 
 " Carry a turkey down there to-morrow." 
 
 "Carry some other good things from 
 your barn," said a little voice. 
 
 Farmer Wood could see no one. 
 
 "I'll think about it," said the farmer. 
 
 The next day he was up early. 
 
 He filled a basket with apples. 
 
 He found a big pumpkin and some 
 nuts. He put these into a wagon. 
 
 "Don't forget the turkey," said a small 
 voice from the hay. 
 
 In went a big, fat turkey. Then Far- 
 mer Wood drove out of the barn, 
 and down the hill. 
 
 The brownies climbed into the wagon 
 and danced on the turkey's back. 
 
 33 
 
Bedtime 
 
 Autumn is the sleepy time of the year. 
 The long night of winter is coming. 
 The flowers sleep under the snow. 
 The leaves sleep on the ground. 
 In the meadow the oak tree sleeps. 
 In the oak the baby squirrel sleeps. 
 Kitty sleeps hear the kitchen stove. 
 Carlo sleeps in his house in the yard. 
 In the barn is the mother horse and 
 
 her colt on their bed of soft hay. 
 Up under the eaves is a pigeon with 
 
 his head under his wing. 
 
 34 
 
The frogs hear the sleepy call, down 
 
 deep in their bed of mud. 
 The fish too are resting. 
 The rabbit makes a hole in the ground. 
 He does not often come out. 
 In the woods there is a cave where the 
 
 big brown bear is curled up asleep. 
 He will sleep until the spring. 
 He will be very hungry then. 
 The baby pigs are in a pen under the 
 
 barn, asleep beside their mother. 
 My little yellow bird sleeps in his cage. 
 He sits on his perch and tucks his 
 
 head under his wing. 
 When is sleepy time for children? 
 At night when mother sings them 
 
 to dreamland. 
 
 35 
 
Sweet and Low 
 
 Sweet and low, sweet and low, 
 
 Wind of the western sea; 
 Low, low, breathe and blow. 
 
 Wind of the western sea! 
 Over the rolling waters go. 
 Come from the dying moon, and blow, 
 
 Blow him again to me; 
 While my little one, while my pretty one, sleeps. 
 
 Sleep and rest, sleep and rest. 
 
 Father will come to thee soon; 
 Rest, rest, on mother's breast. 
 
 Father will come to thee soon; 
 Father will come to his babe in the nest. 
 Silver sails all out of the west, 
 
 Under the silver moon; 
 Sleep, my little one, sleep, my pretty one, sleep. 
 
 Alfred Tennyson 
 36 
 
'^^^S: 
 
 mi&m^jrm,:z.^z^ 
 
 Stories for the Winter 
 
 
 Out of the bosom of 
 
 the Air, 
 Out of the cloud-folds 
 
 of her garments 
 
 shaken, 
 Over the woodlands 
 
 brown and bare. 
 Over the harvest-fields 
 
 forsaken, 
 Silent, and soft, and 
 
 slow. 
 Descends the snow. 
 
 onoi 
 
The Little Snowflakes 
 
 How do you do, little children? 
 I am Snowflake. These are my friends. 
 We have come a long way to visit you. 
 We left our cloud home last night. 
 In the clouds we were raindrops. 
 All night we were falling, falling. 
 It was a long journey to the earth. 
 On the way we met Jack Frost. 
 He kissed us as we went by. 
 He gave us our pretty white dresses. 
 We were no longer raindrops. 
 We came to keep the seeds warm. 
 We will make coasting for you. 
 We fell softly. No one heard us. 
 
 39 
 
The children saw us in the morning. 
 We were coming from the sky. 
 They clapped their hands. 
 "Mother, it is snowing!" they said. 
 I saw some one looking at us. 
 The boy looked just like you, Tommy. 
 We like to peep in at the windows. 
 Please do not take us into the house. 
 If you take us into your kitchen, we 
 
 shall cry. 
 Did you ever see a snowflake cry? 
 What do you think we did last night? 
 You were asleep and did not see us. 
 Some of us went to the meadow. 
 Some of us coyered the pine trees. 
 We made the old fence all white. 
 We made the pump look like a ghost. 
 
 40 
 
Mary can not get to the woodshed. 
 John can not get to the barn. 
 People do not like us on the sidewalk. 
 We have covered all the paths. 
 Get your shovels, boys. Go to work. 
 The wind will blow us everywhere. 
 Sometimes the wind frightens us. 
 Then we all fall in a big drift. 
 One day we made a drift near the barn. 
 Ned said, "Oh, see the big drift!" 
 He jumped on us. Down he sank. 
 Some of us hid in his rubber boots. 
 We did not stay there long. 
 
 41 
 
Jack Frost 
 
 Does Jack Frost live in your town? 
 No, but he comes to visit us in winter. 
 He conies in the night time. 
 Have you ever seen Jack Frost? 
 No, but I know when he comes. 
 I see his steps upon the grass. 
 When the sun wakes, he is afraid. 
 He runs away as fast as he can go. 
 Jack Frost likes to play tricks. 
 He bites little boys on the toes, and 
 
 little girls on the nose. 
 He pinches children's cheeks. 
 Jack Frost can not play all the time. 
 He has work to do just as you have. 
 
 42 
 
Jack Frost is a carpenter. 
 
 He builds a roof for the brook, and for 
 
 the ponds and rivers too. 
 He makes the snowflakes. 
 He paints frost pictures for us on the 
 
 window pane. 
 When we sleep, Jack Frost paints. 
 He paints wonderful flowers and trees. 
 Sometimes he paints tall mountains, 
 
 and church towers, and houses, 
 
 and fences covered with snow. 
 How can you paint so well, Jack Frost? 
 How can you see to paint at night? 
 Do you paint by the light of the moon? 
 We are glad you put the pond to sleep. 
 Now Ned and I can go skating. 
 The men can cut ice from the river. 
 
 43 
 
You make us shiver and shake, Jack 
 Frost, but we are glad you came 
 to see us. 
 
 In the spring you will go back to the 
 northland. 
 
 44 
 
The Snowman 
 
 See what the boys made last night. 
 They rolled a snowball on the ground. 
 It gathered snow until it was large. 
 Then they made a smaller snowball. 
 They put this on top of the first ball. 
 A still smaller one made the head. 
 Two sticks made the snowman's arms. 
 He has Tom's little old coat on. 
 The snowman stands out on the lawn. 
 People laugh at him when they go by. 
 He has grandpa's cane in his hand. 
 That old hat is grandpa's too. 
 The snowman is taller than the boys. 
 How did the boys make his eyes? 
 
 45 
 
I know, they used two pieces of coal. 
 His eyes look as if lie were surprised. 
 Jack Frost tried to freeze him. 
 The snowman was not at all afraid. 
 He stood very still, and did not speak. 
 North wind has blown your hat, snow- 
 man. Put your hat on straight. 
 Let us throw snowballs at his hat. 
 Do you think you can hit it? 
 See if you can hit his hat, girls. 
 I do not think I can, but I will try. 
 Hurrah! Nellie has knocked it off! 
 Here comes Carlo. What will he do? 
 Carlo looks at the snowman. 
 He says, "Are you grandpa?" 
 "No, I do not think you are. 
 "You do not belong in this yard." 
 
 46 
 
Then Carlo barks at the snowman. 
 Come away, Carlo. The snowman is 
 
 not afraid of you. 
 He is not afraid of our snowballs. 
 He is only afraid of the sun. 
 Poor snowman, the sun makes you sad. 
 When the sun comes you will grow 
 
 thinner, and thinner, and thinner. 
 Your hat and coat will fall off. 
 Your cane will drop from your hand. 
 Your eyes will drop from your head. 
 No wonder you are afraid of the sun! 
 
 47 
 
Winter Song 
 
 Hurrah for the jolly old Winter! 
 
 The king of the seasons is he; 
 
 Though his breath is cold and icy, 
 
 His heart is full of glee. 
 
 He piles up the beautiful snowflakes 
 
 On the apple trees bare and brown, 
 
 And laughs when the north wind shakes them, 
 
 Like a shower of blossoms down. 
 
 Hurrah for the jolly old Winter! 
 He shouts at the door by night: 
 "Come out where the ice is gleaming 
 Like steel in the cool moonlight. " 
 Like swallows over the water 
 The skaters merrily go : 
 There's health in the blustering breezes, 
 And joy in the beautiful snow. 
 
 Emily Huntington Miller 
 48 
 
Winter Fun 
 
 Kate has a fine new sled named "Dart." 
 "Dart" is a good name for a sled, 
 Kate loves to coast down a steep hill. 
 The sled goes fast. Kate is not afraid. 
 Jip likes to coast with Kate. 
 He thinks it is fun to go fast. 
 He barks at the girls and boys. 
 He rolls in the snow. 
 Jip helps Kate pull her sled up hill. 
 He holds the rope in his mouth. 
 When Jip is not looking, Kate jumps 
 on the sled. Poor old Jip! 
 
 49 
 
Dick likes to skate. 
 
 His father gave him these fine skates. 
 
 He had a hard time at first. 
 
 He tried to stand, but he kept falling. 
 
 The other boys helped him. 
 
 They showed him how to skate. 
 
 He can skate all over the pond now. 
 
 Dick says that skating is like flying. 
 
 Look out for the holes, Dick! 
 
 Don't fall through the ice. 
 
 Mother made a bag for the skates. 
 
 Dick takes good care of his skates. 
 
 He keeps them dry so that they will 
 
 not rust. 
 Dick plays a game with the boys. 
 He has a long stick in his hand. 
 Do you know how he plays the game? 
 
 50 
 
Dick and I go sleighing. 
 
 We put on warm coats and mittens. 
 
 Three of us can sit on the back seat. 
 
 Father puts a big fin- robe over us. 
 
 He tucks us all up snug and warm. 
 
 Mother sits on the seat with father. 
 
 Do you know where we are going? 
 
 We are going over the river. 
 
 The river is asleep now. 
 
 We go through the wood. The trees 
 
 are covered with snow. 
 The wind blows. Trot fast, old horse! 
 Jack Frost paints our cheeks. 
 We hide under the big fur robe. 
 Hear the sleigh bells jingle! 
 Now we are out of the wood. 
 Hurrah! I see grandmother's house. 
 
 51 
 
Santa Claus Land 
 
 Santa Claus lives in the northland 
 I went to visit him early one winter. 
 Santa Claus took me into his workshop. 
 I saw tops and dolls and sleds. 
 I saw books and kites and games. 
 Mrs. Claus was making dolls' dresses. 
 Santa Claus was sharpening skates. 
 "Where are your reindeer, Santa?" 
 "My reindeer are resting in the barn. 
 
 62 
 
"This is their playtime. When winter 
 
 conies we travel many miles. 
 "I shall soon start on my journey." 
 "What is in that big book, Santa?" 
 "In this book are the names of good 
 
 boys and girls. 
 "I have presents for them all." 
 I opened the book and read, "John, 
 
 Fred, William, Harold, and Eichard." 
 I read, "Nellie, Annie, Mary, Kate, 
 
 Florence, Elizabeth, and Jennie." 
 There were many pages in the book. 
 "What are you doing now, Mrs. 
 
 Glaus?" I said. 
 "I am sewing up Santa's pack." 
 "Good!" said Santa. "I almost lost a 
 
 book through that hole last year." 
 
 53 
 
"Your pack must be heavy, Santa 
 
 Claus. Do you carry all the toys 
 
 in your pack?" 
 "Oh, no, I fill my sleigh too. 
 "I couldn't get down the chimney if 
 
 my pack were full. 
 "I should stick on the way down. Then 
 
 the children might catch me. 
 "When the stockings are filled^ I go 
 
 up the chimney. 
 "That is not so easy as going down. 
 "My reindeer are on the roof waiting. 
 "I jump into my sleigh and away we go, 
 
 down one roof and up another. 
 "When Christmas is over, I go home. 
 "Mrs. Santa Claus is waiting for me. 
 "We sit by the fire and eat supper." 
 
 54 
 
My Dolly 
 Is she not a beautiful dolly? 
 I found her in my stocking. 
 When I awoke she was looking at me. 
 Mother says that Santa brought her. 
 I thought he would give me a dolly. 
 Before Christmas I wrote to Santa. 
 I said, "Dear Santa Claus, please give 
 
 me a dolly. 
 "A doll would make me very happy." 
 Father carried the letter to town. 
 He put it into the letter box. 
 I said, "Will Santa get my letter?" 
 Father said, "Wait until Christmas." 
 I could not go to sleep that night. 
 
 55 
 
I watched my stocking a long time. 
 
 I watched to see Santa Clans. 
 
 I mnst have gone to sleep. 
 
 Well, dolly, tell me abont Santa Clans. 
 
 Did yon come in his sleigh last night? 
 
 What is yonr name, dolly dear? 
 
 Yon have no name? That is too bad! 
 
 Yonr name is Rnth, dolly dear. 
 
 What pretty cnrly hair yon have! 
 
 Yonr eyes are as bine as the sky. 
 
 Yon mnst be very tired, Enth. 
 
 Was it a long jonrney from the cold 
 
 northland? 
 Come, I will sing yon to sleep. 
 See, Rnth is asleep now. 
 I will pnt her on my bed. 
 I will pnt a blanket over her. 
 
 56 
 
When she awakes, I will put on her 
 dress, her hood, and her fur coat. 
 
 We will go up the street to see Mary. 
 
 Euth can not walk. I will carry her. 
 
 Who is crying? Oh, Euth is awake. 
 
 Come, Euth, I will dress you. 
 
 We will go over to Mary's house. 
 
 Here we are at Mary's house. 
 
 Good morning, Mary. See what I 
 found in my stocking. 
 
 Is she not the dearest dolly? 
 
 We have come to visit you. 
 
Good Night 
 
 Little baby, lay your head 
 
 On your pretty cradle bed; 
 
 Shut your eye-peeps, now the day 
 
 And the light are gone away; 
 
 All the clothes are tucked in tight; 
 
 Little baby dear, good night. 
 
 Yes, my darling, well I know 
 How the bitter wind doth blow; 
 And the winter's snow and rain 
 Patter on the windowpane; 
 But they can not come in here, 
 To my little baby dear. 
 
 For the window shutteth fast, 
 
 Till the stormy night is past; 
 
 And the curtains warm are spread 
 
 Roundabout her cradle bed; 
 
 So till morning shineth bright, 
 
 Little baby dear, good night. 
 
 Jane Taylor 
 58 
 
Tom's Christmas Party 
 
 Tom Clark gave a Christinas party. 
 He invited six poor children. 
 Tom wished to make them happy. 
 He had a little money of his own. 
 He bought a present for each child. 
 Father gave him a Christmas tree. 
 Tom, mother, and father trimmed it. 
 They put strings of pop corn and red 
 
 berries on it. 
 When it was trimmed, Tom was happy. 
 He said, "What will the children say?" 
 At six o'clock the door bell rang. Tom 
 
 ran to the door. "Come in," he said. 
 "Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!" 
 
 59 • 
 
"Merry Christmas!" said the children. 
 They took off their hats and coats. 
 Tom's mother shook hands with them. 
 "Merry Christmas!" she said. "Tom 
 
 will take you to the parlor." 
 The children clapped their hands and 
 
 shouted when they saw the tree. 
 It was covered with tiny candles. 
 The candles were like twinkling stars. 
 Just then the doorbell rang again. 
 Tom said, " I think that is Aunt Mary." 
 He went to the door and opened it. 
 It was some one in a big fur coat! 
 He had a beard as white as the snow! 
 His coat was covered with ashes ! 
 He went right into the parlor. 
 He shook hands with all the children. 
 
 60 
 
Then he took the presents off the tree. 
 Mary had a doll with long curls. 
 Ned had a top that could hum. 
 Kate had some red mittens and a book. 
 Fred had a new cap and a sharp knife. 
 Dick had a game and a pair of skates. 
 Rose had a string of blue beads. 
 Then they went into the dining room. 
 There was ice cream and cake for all. 
 Fred gave his ice cream to Santa Claus. 
 "It is too cold for me," said Santa. 
 At nine o'clock the children went 
 home. "We have had a happy 
 
 time," they said, 
 
 61 
 
A Visit to Eskimo Land 
 
 Let us go to the cold northlancL 
 We shall find no trees there. 
 There is snow as far as we can see. 
 The sun does not shine for weeks. 
 Is it always dark in this country?* 
 The stars help to make it bright, and 
 there are wonderful lights in the sky. 
 The Eskimos live in this far-away land. 
 They build houses of ice and snow. 
 Shall we go into an Eskimo house? 
 We crawl in on our hands and knees. 
 Around the room is a platform of ice. 
 It is covered with deerskins. 
 It is the Eskimo's bed, chair, and table. 
 
 62 
 
What is in the middle of the floor? 
 That is a bone dish filled with oil. 
 It is the Eskimo's lamp and stove. 
 He cooks his food over this lamp. 
 When the Eskimo is dressed, he looks 
 
 like a big white bear. 
 Men, women, and children dress alike. 
 Mother Eskimo carries her baby in 
 
 the hood of her coat. 
 The baby is warm and happy there. 
 
 63 
 
The Eskimo boy does not go to school. 
 He must learn to drive the dogs. 
 He begins to learn when he is little. 
 The dogs are little, too. 
 He hitches the dogs to his sledge. 
 At first he drives only one or two. 
 He runs by the side of his sledge. 
 He drives about near his home. 
 When he is a man he drives many dogs. 
 He cracks his whip, and away he goes, 
 
 for miles over the frozen snow! 
 Eskimo boys and girls love to coast. 
 Their ice sleds go down hill very fast. 
 The boys like to stick reindeer horns 
 
 into the snow, coast down the hill, 
 
 and try to hit the horns with their 
 
 arrows. 
 
 64 
 
St. Valentine's Day 
 
 Long ago, there lived a good man 
 whose name was Valentine. 
 
 He loved his people doarly. 
 
 If any were sick, he took care of them. 
 
 If any were poor, he gave them clothes. 
 
 If any were hungry, he gave them food. 
 
 All the people knew and loved him. 
 
 The children would run to meet him. 
 
 After many years the good man be- 
 came too old to go to visit his people. 
 
 So he sent them messages of love, 
 called "valentines." 
 
 After he died, the good old man was 
 called "Saint Valentine." 
 
 65 
 
Saint Valentine's birthday is the four- 
 teenth of February. 
 
 We send valentines on that day. 
 
 A valentine carries love to some one. 
 
 In February, we are thinking of 
 spring, with its flowers and birds. 
 
 Flowers, and birds, and butterflies are 
 on the valentines. 
 
 Harry made his mother a valentine. 
 
 He tried hard to make it beautiful. 
 
 He cut a nest from brown paper. 
 
 Then he cut five eggs from blue paper. 
 
 He put the eggs into the nest. 
 
 Over the nest Harry wrote "A nest 
 full of love." 
 
 Under each egg he wrote a message. 
 
 He put the valentine on the doorstep. 
 
 67 
 
He rang the bell, and ran away and hid. 
 Mother came to the door. She said, 
 
 " Why, here is a valentine for Harry." 
 Then she saw her own name on it. 
 Harry was peeping in at the window. 
 He saw his mother smile. 
 Then he saw her peep under the eggs. 
 Harry had written under the eggs. 
 The first message was, "I love you." 
 The second was, "You are sweet." 
 The third was, "I send you a kiss." 
 The fourth was, "My good wishes." 
 The fifth message was, "Will you be 
 
 my yalentine?" 
 Mother knew who sent the valentine. 
 
Waiting 
 
 In the woods I walked to-day; 
 
 The snow was deep and white, 
 It covered all the tiny flowers, 
 
 It hid the ferns from sight. 
 
 I hunted for the little brook 
 That sang in summer days. 
 
 But not an echo of its song 
 
 Eang through the woodland ways. 
 
 At last I found the fettered stream 
 And broke the ice so clear, 
 
 And heard the tinkling water say, 
 "Tm hidden, but Tm here." 
 
 69 
 
On the hill I walked to-day; 
 
 The sky was dim and gray, 
 I hunted for the apple tree 
 
 That bloomed so fair last May. 
 
 There were no blossoms on its boughs, 
 
 No bees around it went, 
 And through the chilly winter air 
 
 No fragrant breath was sent. 
 
 But listening by the gray old trimk 
 
 I heard a whisper clear, 
 " The leaves and buds and blossoms bright 
 
 Are hidden, but they're here." 
 
 So on the hill and in the wood. 
 Though hidden now in snow, 
 
 I know the flowers will bloom again. 
 The little brooks will flow. 
 
 By permission, Educational Publishing Company. 
 
 70 
 
Maple Sugar 
 
 The maple trees have been sleeping 
 all winter. Most of the sap has been 
 down in the roots. In the early spring, 
 the sap travels upward, and the tree 
 awakes. 
 
 The maple tree does not need all 
 its sap. It will give some of it to us. 
 
 We boys once visited a maple sugar 
 camp. There were ten of us. We 
 went to the camp in the early spring 
 before the snow was off the ground. 
 
 The maple woods we visited were 
 two miles away. Mr. Eeed was the 
 owner of the sugar camp. 
 
 We went to the camp in an old cart. 
 
 71 
 
When we reached the woods, we saw 
 little tin spouts in the tree trunks. 
 The men had bored holes in the tree 
 trunks and put spouts into them. 
 Upon these spouts pails were hanging. 
 
 72 
 
As we got near the trees, we could 
 hear the drip, drip, drip of the sap 
 falling into the pails. The men told 
 us that it took a whole day to get a 
 pail full. 
 
 When the pails were full, the men 
 emptied the sap into a barrel, and 
 carried it to the sugar house. 
 
 There it was poured into a large 
 pan, set over a fire to boil. 
 
 Mr. Eeed told the boys to stir the 
 sap so that it would not burn. When 
 it began to thicken, the syrup was 
 poured into another pan and boiled till 
 it became hard to stir. 
 
 "Now is the time to fill your spoons 
 
 with hot syrup," said Mr. Eeed. 
 
 73 
 
The boys carried their spoonfuls out 
 of the log house and dropped the 
 syrup on the snow. It grew hard 
 and cold. It tasted like candy. 
 
 Mr. Eeed showed us how to make 
 pictures in the snow with the hot 
 syrup. By dropping it carefully, we 
 made birds, fishes, horses, flowers, trees, 
 and men. 
 
 Mr. Eeed gave us some little tin 
 pans. There were round pans, and 
 square ones, pans like little baskets, 
 and pans with scalloped edges. 
 
 It was fun to fill the pans and to 
 spread them out to cool. It was more 
 fun to carry home the maple sugar I 
 had helped to make! 
 
 74 
 
StoriesfortheSpring 
 
The Little Brook 
 
 A little brook lay half asleep. The 
 trees were bare. No birds were singing 
 to him. He felt sad and lonely. 
 
 One day he had a dream. He 
 seemed to hear some one calling. He 
 hurried over the pebbles. The warm 
 spring sun smiled at him. In a tree 
 close by, was an old friend. It was a 
 robin singing merrily. 
 
 His dream was true ! Spring and the 
 robins had come! 
 
 The brook called to the willow bush, 
 as he passed by. " Pussy Willow, wake 
 
 up!" he said. 
 
 77 
 
Pussy Willow began to stir. "It 
 must be time to awake," she said. 
 "The brook is calling. I will tell the 
 children that spring is coming." 
 
 "I am glad that spring is here/' said 
 a little fish. "It has been very cold 
 all winter. I have lived down deep in 
 the water. Jack Frost made a door 
 of ice to our house! Now our ice door 
 is melted. Sunshine is making the 
 water warm. We can hide, and swim, 
 and play. Don't you wish that you 
 were a fish, little boy?" 
 
 "Dear brook, where did you come 
 from?" I said. 
 
 "I used to live down in the ground," 
 said the brook. "One day I pushed 
 
 78 
 
I 
 
 myself up through the earth. Blue 
 sky was above me, and all around me 
 was green grass, 
 
 "I started down the hill for a run. 
 I have been running, running ever 
 since. I flow through grassy meadows. 
 The cows come to me for a cool drink. 
 
 79 
 
Butterflies wave their bright wings 
 over me. Little children sail boats 
 upon my surface. 
 
 "The birds build their nests in trees 
 close by. 'Little brook, sing to us/ 
 they say as I hurry along. So I sing 
 and dance oyer the pebbles. 
 
 "When I grow stronger, I shall be 
 a river, a mighty, rushing river. I 
 shall carry logs to the mill and turn 
 the mill wheels round and round. 
 Some day I shall reach the sea. 
 
 "Now that my door of ice is broken, 
 I must hurry on my way. I know 
 that my friends will be glad to see 
 me. I can not stop to talk, but I sing 
 to them as I pass by." 
 
 80 
 
Pussy Willow 
 
 Pussy Willow has been asleep all 
 winter. The warm spring sun called 
 to her to awake. She came out to see 
 the world. 
 
 The birds were swinging on the 
 branches. A few brave flowers were 
 opening their sleepy eyes; and the 
 grass was peeping above the ground. 
 
 "Is it time I awoke?" said Pussy 
 Willow. "The wind is very cold. I 
 will keep on my fur hood and my 
 little brown coat." 
 
 "Good morning, Pussy Willow," 
 sang the brook. 
 
 81 
 
" Good morning, Pussy Willow," sang 
 the birds. "We are glad to see you. 
 Now we know that spring is here." 
 
 Have you heard how Pussy Willow 
 came to have her name ? I will tell you. 
 
 Long ago, in a far-away city, there 
 were a great many cats. The people 
 in this city loved their cats and never 
 let any one harm them. 
 
 When the city was very old, a great 
 flood came. It rained many days and 
 the water rose higher and higher in 
 the streets. 
 
 Now, cats do not like water, you 
 know. So when the ground grew wet 
 and muddy they tried to find trees into 
 which they might climb. 
 
 82 
 
The big cats remembered a forest a 
 long way from the city. So they 
 started on the run for the forest. 
 
 The kittens started too, but they 
 could not run fast. Their little legs 
 grew tired trying to run through the 
 deep mud. So when they came to a 
 row of willow trees by a river, they 
 just climbed up on the branches and 
 went to sleep. 
 
 83 
 
It rained and rained. The water rose 
 higher and higher. The wind blew 
 and splashed mud over the kittens. - 
 
 At last the rain stopped. The kittens 
 were still inside their mud coats. 
 
 Then the sun came out and dried 
 their coats until they cracked. 
 
 One by one, the kittens awoke and 
 put their heads through the cracks. 
 They saw that the water had gone. 
 They were alive and safe. If you look 
 at the willow bushes down by the river 
 to-day, you will see the pussies upon 
 the branches. They will make you 
 think of the kittens of that old city 
 and the way that they lived safely 
 through the flood. 
 
 84 
 
The Echoing Green 
 
 The sun doth arise, 
 
 And make happy the skies ; 
 
 The merry bells ring, 
 
 To welcome the spring; 
 
 The skylark and thrush, 
 
 The birds of the bush, 
 
 Sing louder around 
 
 To the bell's cheerful sound; 
 
 While our sports shall be seen 
 
 On the echoing green. 
 
 Old John with white hair. 
 Does laugh away care, 
 Sitting under the oak. 
 Among the old folk. 
 They laugh at our play. 
 
 And soon they all say, 
 85 
 
"Such, such were the joys 
 When we all — girls and boys — 
 In our youth time were seen 
 On the echoing green." 
 
 Till the little ones, weary, 
 
 No more can be merry; 
 
 The sun doth descend. 
 
 And our sports have an end. 
 
 Round the laps of their mothers 
 
 Many sisters and brothers. 
 
 Like birds in their nest, 
 
 Are ready for rest. 
 
 And sport no more seen 
 
 On the darkening green. 
 
 William Blake 
 
 86 
 
The Robins Are Here 
 
 "Eobin is here. Oh, mother, see 
 him hop about in the snow. He is try- 
 ing to find his breakfast. Brave little 
 robin shall have some crumbs " said 
 Mary as she opened the window. 
 
 "Cheer up! chee, chee!" sang robin. 
 I think he tried to say, "You are a 
 good girl. It is hard to find a break- 
 fast with snow on the ground. I have 
 
 come from the sunny south. It is cold 
 
 87 
 
here, but my feathers will keep me 
 warm. 
 
 "Shall I tell you a secret, little 
 Mary? The bluebirds will soon be 
 here. Spring is coming; I know it, I 
 know it, I know it! 
 
 "I must look about for our new 
 home. There are many good places 
 in which to build. There is room for 
 all my friends to build new homes too. 
 
 "Last year I lived in the apple tree. 
 It was a good place for robins, for not 
 far away there was a cherry tree. 
 Mother robin and I had a great feast 
 on those cherries! 
 
 " I think I will look at the apple tree." 
 So away to the orchard flew robin. 
 
 88 
 
He found the apple tree still there, 
 but there was nothing left of the old 
 nest. If it had been there, I do not 
 think that robin could have lived in it. 
 Do you know why? 
 
 Mother robin will come soon. They 
 will build the new house together. 
 They will find straw near the barn, and 
 bits of string in the yard. 
 
 Father robin will plaster his house 
 with mud, and line it with horsehair. 
 
 How hard they work till the nest 
 is done! Mother robin sits inside and 
 turns round and round. She fits the 
 nest to her body. Father robin sits 
 near by and watches. They are proud 
 of the new home. 
 
 89 
 
By and by there will be some eggs, 
 lovely blue eggs, as blue as the sky. 
 Mother robin will keep the eggs warm. 
 Father robin will find worms for her, 
 and he will sing his prettiest song 
 "Cheer up! chee-chee-chee ! " 
 
 Some day the baby robins will come. 
 What busy days the mother and father 
 will have then! They will have to 
 find many worms to fill those four 
 wide opened mouths. 
 
 90 
 
Tap ! Tap ! Tap ! 
 
 Tap, tap, tap! Who is making that 
 noise? Tap, tap, tap! I hear it again. 
 Is it a carpenter with his hammer? 
 Oh, now I see. It is a woodpecker. 
 He is over there on the trunk of the 
 maple tree. 
 
 What is that he is saying? "No 
 breakfast here. This bark is hard." 
 Down sat woodpecker to think. 
 
 Then away to the pear tree he flew. 
 Part of the tree was decayed. 
 
 "I will find my breakfast here," he 
 said. "There must be some bugs 
 under this bark." 
 
 91 
 
Sure enough, he found some. 
 
 Then he flew to the apple tree. It 
 was fun to see him hang by his toes 
 on the under side of a branch. 
 
 "This is the place for me to build," 
 he thought. "It is dry and soft, and 
 just the place for a nest. It will take 
 a long time to build our little house, 
 but when it is done, 
 my little wife will be 
 happy." 
 
 92 
 
Your black and white feathers are 
 pretty, woodpecker. I like that red 
 cap on the back of your head. That 
 is the way my little brother Tom wears 
 his cap. 
 
 Here is mother woodpecker. She 
 looks like the father bird but she has 
 no pretty red cap. She lays six snow- 
 white eggs in the nest. 
 
 The father bird stands near by. He 
 drums to the mother bird, while she 
 keeps her eggs warm. He would like 
 to sing to her but he does not know 
 how. 
 
 Do you remember the story of the 
 little old woman in her black dress, 
 her white apron, and red cap? 
 
 93 
 
She was making some cakes, one day, 
 when an old beggar came along. 
 
 "Pray give me something to eat," 
 he said. 
 
 Now the old woman was very sel- 
 fish. She broke off a tiny bit of one 
 cake and gave it to the old man. It 
 was not enough. He asked for more. 
 
 The little old woman shook her 
 head. "Yon cannot have any more," 
 she said. "I want the cakes myself." 
 
 Then a strange thing happened. 
 Her black dress and white apron were 
 changed to feathers. 
 
 Up the chimney she flew, a red- 
 headed woodpecker. Now she must 
 find her food under the bark of trees. 
 
 94 
 
How Do You Do, Brown Bear? 
 
 A little boy once had a dream. In 
 his dream he thought he was walking 
 alone in the woods. He was a braye 
 boy, but he did not like being alone. 
 
 He knew that bears sometimes lived 
 in woods and he wondered what he 
 should do if he met one. 
 
 He thought at first that he would 
 run. Then he thought that perhaps 
 the bear could run faster. 
 
 Then he thought that he would 
 hide. He seemed to see the bear 
 smelling his tracks along the ground 
 until he came to his hiding place. 
 
 95 
 
"And then/' thought the boy, "I should 
 be too frightened to move." 
 
 At last he said, "I think that if I 
 met a bear I should climb a tree. I 
 wonder if bears can climb trees." And 
 while he was wondering he heard a 
 rustle among the leaves. 
 
 He looked up, and right before him 
 in the path was a big, brown bear! 
 
The little boy did not have time to 
 hide! He did not have time to run! 
 He could not even try to climb a tree! 
 He just stood and looked at the bear, 
 and the bear looked at the boy. 
 
 The boy said, "How do you do, 
 brown bear? Where did you come 
 from?'' 
 
 And the bear said, "How do you do, 
 boy? I have just come from my cave. 
 I have been asleep all winter. I did 
 not like the cold days of winter. Even 
 my thick fur could not keep out the 
 cold wind. I curled myself up into a 
 big ball. I slept all winter long. 
 
 "I hid in my cave among the rocks. 
 The snow made a door to my cave. 
 
 97 
 
"I knew that spring had come. I 
 awoke and looked about. I am hungry. 
 I have had nothing to eat all winter." 
 
 "That's too bad, brown bear," said 
 the boy. "What can you eat here?" 
 
 "Oh, I shall find roots and berries. 
 I shall drink from the brook. If you 
 will come with me, I will show you my 
 roots and berries, and you may have a 
 drink from my brook." 
 
 The little boy started after the bear, 
 but he never reached the brook. 
 
 Do you know why? 
 
 98 
 
D'kG' 
 
 Dandelions 
 
 I am a dandelion. Are you glad to 
 see me? Are you not glad that spring 
 is coming? I heard the robins sing- 
 ing, "Wake up, little dandelion." So 
 I came up near the roadside. 
 
 I felt the gentle south wind. He said, 
 "Time to awake, dandelion." Then I 
 saw the sun. I liked his smiling face. 
 So I tried to be like him. 
 
 99 
 
By and by I had ever so many 
 brother and sister dandelions near me, 
 in the lawn and in the fields. 
 
 We like to grow in the green grass. 
 My leaves are good to eat. 
 
 What time do you get up, Charlie? 
 
 You would have to get up very early 
 to catch a dandelion sleeping. We 
 wake up with the sun. Did you ever 
 see the sun come up in the sky? We 
 have. 
 
 We go to sleep and close our eyes in 
 the evening, just when the birds and 
 children are going to bed. 
 
 Did you ever try to make curls from 
 our stems? Did you ever try to make 
 dandelion chains? 
 
 100 
 
Our stems have a wlilte sap iii fliem. 
 It tastes bitter, and it will stain your 
 fingers if you get it on them. 
 
 Children like to carry us to school. 
 We are afraid to go so far away from 
 our homes. We sometimes shut our 
 eyes on the w^ay. 
 
 When we grow old, we have gray 
 hair. A little girl found some dande- 
 lions that had gone to seed. They 
 looked like white fluffy balls. 
 
 The little girl said, "I will see if 
 mother wants me." So she blew the 
 fluffy ball three times. One, two, 
 three! She blew all the little seeds 
 away. She said, "My mother wants 
 
 me." 
 
 101 
 
Siire enoiigli, her mother wanted her. 
 Her mother said, " Why, Alice, how did 
 you know that I wanted you?" 
 
 Alice said, "The dandelion told me 
 that you were calling. I blew three 
 times, and I blew all the seeds away. 
 Then I came home." 
 
 The other girls blew the seeds too, 
 but their mothers did not want them. 
 
 Do you know how they could tell? 
 
How We Came To Have Buttercups 
 
 Some people think that there is a 
 pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. 
 There is no pot of gold there now, for 
 long ago somebody found it. 
 
 Nobody knows how this man found 
 it, for many people who have tried to 
 find the end of the rainbow say that 
 the rainbow has no end at all. 
 
 The man who found the pot of gold 
 was very selfish. He did not want 
 any one to know that he had found it. 
 He wanted to keep all the gold for 
 himself. 
 
 One very dark night, he put all his 
 gold into a bag. Do you know what 
 
 103 
 
he was going to do? He was going 
 to hide it in some thick woods not far 
 from his house. 
 
 He slung the bag over his shoulder. 
 He walked across the meadow toward 
 the woods. 
 
 Now there was something in that 
 bag which the selfish man had not 
 seen. It was a hole. As he walked 
 on, the gold pieces fell out, one by one. 
 
 By and by he reached the wood. 
 He took his bag off his shoulder. It 
 felt very light. He looked inside! 
 There was no gold! 
 
 He hurried back to the meadow to 
 try to find it. The moon was shining. 
 That helped him to find his way. 
 
 104 
 
But the fairies had been out dancing 
 that night. They were good fairies, 
 and they did not like selfish people. 
 
 They said, "If the selfish man finds 
 his gold, it will do nobody any good. 
 If he hides it away, that will not help 
 any one." 
 
 Then the fairies all said, "Let us 
 change the gold into something that 
 will make every one happy." 
 
 The selfish man looked here and 
 there in the grass for his lost gold. 
 He could not find a single piece, but in 
 its place were bright yellow flowers. 
 
 105 
 
The Busy Farmer 
 
 My father is a farmer. When 
 spring comes a farmer is very busy. 
 I can tell you some of the things he 
 has to do, for I sometimes help him. 
 
 Last year's leaves are about the yard 
 and garden. These are to be raked. 
 That is something that I can do. 
 
 Then we gather the twigs and sticks 
 that have been broken from the trees 
 and bushes by the winter wind. 
 
 In the autumn father put straw 
 around the trees and bushes. 
 
 In the spring the straw is not 
 needed, so we rake it off. 
 
 106 
 
By this time we have gathered 
 many leaves, broken twigs, branches, 
 and straw. We put them all into a 
 wheelbarrow and wheel it to the 
 meadow behind the barn. 
 
 Do you know what we do then? 
 We have a good big bonfire! 
 
 In our yard we have some flower 
 beds. These must be spaded up. The 
 ground is so hard that no seed could 
 grow in it. Father turns the earth 
 over and over with his spade. This 
 loosens the earth and makes it soft. 
 
 If a farmer has a great field to plant, 
 he loosens the earth with a plow. 
 
 In some parts of our country oxen drag 
 the plow, but my father uses a horse. 
 
 107 
 
When father begins to plow, you 
 would laugh to see the hens and 
 chickens follow him. Do you know 
 what they are looking for? In the 
 newly turned earth, they will find nice 
 large worms for their breakfast. 
 
When the ground is ready, the 
 farmer plants his seeds. Now the 
 blackbirds and the crows follow him. 
 They will eat the seeds if they can. 
 So father puts up a scarecrow. The 
 birds think that the scarecrow is the 
 farmer, and they do not dare to steal 
 his seed. 
 
 Seeds need air, sunshine, and rain. 
 If there is no rain, the farmer must 
 water his seeds with a hose or with a 
 watering pot. 
 
 He must keep his garden free from 
 weeds. 
 
 I will show you my father's tools. 
 Just now he is using his rake, spade, 
 hoe, plow, pitchfork, and harrow. 
 
 109 
 
When the Rain Conies 
 
 Once there was a little raindrop. 
 He lived up in a big gray cloud. He 
 had many brothers and sisters. They 
 were a very happy family. 
 
 One night little raindrop could not 
 go to sleep. "I will run away," he said. 
 
 So he started from his cloud home. 
 
 But the other raindrops felt him go. 
 "He will get lost," they said. "We 
 must run after our brother." So they 
 came down to earth, too. 
 
 The flowers lifted their heads. The 
 ducks paddled in the pond. The brook 
 rushed faster and faster. 
 
 110 
 
The river made the old mill wheel 
 turn round and round. 
 
 Some of the raindrops sank into the 
 ground and made the thirsty roots glad. 
 
 The old brown horse found a cool 
 drink in the rushing brook. 
 
 But the squirrel was not so happy 
 when the raindrops came. IJe hid 
 behind his bushy tail. 
 
 Pussy did not like the raindrops. 
 She ran into the house and dried her 
 wet fur by the kitchen stove. 
 
 The little children ran to school. 
 
 Their mother shut the windows. 
 
 Father opened his big umbrella. 
 
 The policeman put on his rubber 
 
 cape. 
 
 Ill 
 
But the big boy who looked like our 
 John, put on his rubber boots and said, 
 "Now I'll walk in all the puddles." 
 
 112 
 
For a long time the raindrops stayed. 
 They thought the earth a beautiful 
 place. They said "Let us stay here 
 always." 
 
 Just then Father Sun came out from 
 behind the gray clouds. 
 
 " Come, little raindrops, down there on 
 the earth. It is time to come home." 
 
 Do you know what those raindrops 
 did? Some hid in the earth! Some 
 jumped into the brook and tried to 
 swim away! 
 
 But Father Sun was stronger than 
 they. He called again. They had to 
 come. Into. a pretty white boat he put 
 them, and the wind gently sailed them 
 across the sky. 
 
 113 
 
The Old Toad 
 
 He lives under the stone. He has 
 been asleep all winter. The warm 
 sun called to him, and he awoke from 
 his long winter nap. 
 
 The fimny old fellow gets up and 
 changes his dress. He rolls his old 
 clothes into a ball. What do you think 
 he does then? He stuffs the clothes 
 down his throat! Isn't that strange? 
 
 114 
 
Your new clothes are wrinkled, old 
 toad. I do not think that they fit you 
 very well. 
 
 This toad is very hungry. He hopped, 
 and hopped, until he came to a garden. 
 
 There was rich earth in the garden, 
 and plenty of bugs. 
 
 In the house near the garden liyed 
 a little girl. One day about five o'clock 
 the girl came down the stone steps of 
 her house. She was going to water 
 her plants in the garden. 
 
 Who was that hopping up the path- 
 way? She walked very softly so as 
 not to frighten her visitor. He had 
 on his wrinkled coat. His big mouth 
 and funny eyes made the girl laugh. 
 
 115 
 
Kitty and the puppy had to see 
 what the trouble was. I think that 
 they would have liked to poke the toad 
 with their paws. 
 
 116 
 
Funny old hop-toad, you are not 
 afraid of these big creatures, are you? 
 You are not afraid of the girl, the kitty, 
 or the puppy. 
 
 Hop into the garden, old toad, and 
 catch the bugs. They will eat the 
 roses. You would better have the 
 bugs for your breakfast or supper. 
 
 If you hop toward the puppy, he 
 may bark at you. If you hop toward 
 the kitty, she may spit at you. If you 
 hop toward the girl, she will go into 
 the house. 
 
 Blink your eyes, old toad. You are 
 not very pretty, though you may be 
 useful. Eun and catch your bugs. 
 Oh ! you cannot run. You can only hop. 
 
 117 
 
Spring Games 
 
 The girls in our school jump rope in 
 the yard. Two girls swing a long rope 
 oyer the heads of the girls who are to 
 jump. When the rope hits the ground, 
 the girls jump. They must jump over 
 the rope and not step on it. 
 
 If they fail to jump, they must stop 
 playing. The girl who jumps longest 
 wins the game. 
 
 118 
 
Every spring the boys play marbles. 
 
 One game is called '^ Bunny." 
 
 This is how the game is played. 
 
 A small cup-shaped hole is dug in 
 the ground. The ground is made 
 smooth around the hole. 
 
 Each boy takes the same number of 
 marbles. Any number of boys can 
 play. They stand back from the hole 
 or " bunny/' and try in turn to throw 
 their marbles into it. The boy who 
 gets the most in, wins all the marbles. 
 
 Sometimes a boy puts a glass marble, 
 or "glassy," into the hole. The players 
 stand off and try to hit the "glassy." 
 The first boy who hits the "glassy" 
 becomes its new owner. 
 
 119 
 
Every spring the boys spin tops and 
 play ball. I can not spin a top. My 
 top always spins on its head! 
 
 My brother plays baseball. There 
 are eight boys who play with him, 
 and nine boys who play against him. 
 
 They play with a hard ball made of 
 string, covered with horsehide. They 
 have a hard round wooden bat, and a 
 thick glove. The boy who catches 
 the ball wears a mask. 
 
 All the boys dress alike. Their 
 shoes have no heels. 
 
 The boy who throws the ball must 
 throw it straight. The boy with the 
 bat will hit it, and some boy will try 
 to catch it. 
 
 120 
 
Stories for theSummer 
 
 No matter how barren 
 
 the past may have 
 
 been, 
 Tis enough for us now 
 
 that the leaves are 
 
 green ; 
 We may shut our eyes, 
 
 but we cannot help 
 
 knowing 
 That skies are clear, 
 
 and grass is growing. 
 James Russell Lowell 
 
Ned's Caterpillar 
 
 Ned found a large caterpillar in the 
 garden. It was crawling on a bush. 
 He carried it into the house. 
 
 "Mother, I have brought you a visi- 
 tor," he said. 
 
 "Let us put it into this glass jar. 
 Kun into the garden, Ned, and get 
 a little dirt and some fresh leaves." 
 
 Ned did as his mother said. Mother 
 put the leaves and dirt into the jar. 
 Then she put the caterpillar in too. 
 
 The caterpillar seemed to like its 
 
 new home. It grew fat eating so 
 
 many green leaves. 
 
 123 . 
 
One day it hung itself up on one of 
 the leaves to sleep. After a while its 
 skin with the black and yellow stripes 
 fell off, but inside was a soft green 
 blanket to keep it warm. 
 
 The caterpillar slept a long time. 
 By and by it crawled out of its blanket. 
 It did not look like a caterpillar. 
 
 Do you know what had happened? 
 It was a beautiful butterfly. 
 
 Ned took it out of the jar gently and 
 held it in his hand. 
 
 If the butterfly could have talked I 
 think it would have said, " Thank you, 
 Ned, for taking me out of the jar. It 
 was a nice home, and I liked those 
 green leaves. 
 
 124 
 
"I had often watched butterflies 
 when I was in the garden. They sailed 
 high in the air while I only crawled. 
 
 " Then I went to sleep and dreamed 
 that I was a butterfly. It was such a 
 beautiful dream that I did not wish to 
 awake. But when I awoke, I found 
 that my dream was true. 
 
 "See the lovely spots on my wings 
 as I spread them out. I can not fly far 
 yet, but I am happy in the sunshine. 
 
 "The bees and the birds sing to me. 
 The flowers say, 'We love you, but- 
 terfly.' I whisper, 'I love you, dear 
 flowers.' 
 
 "I wish you had wings, Ned. Fly- 
 ing is better fun than walking." 
 
 125 
 
Red Clover 
 
 Eed Clover is here, and this is his 
 little sister, White Clover. She is 
 sweeter than Eed Clover, and smaller. 
 
 Red Clover lives in the meadow. 
 Sometimes he grows very tall. Daisies 
 and buttercups are his friends. 
 
 Eed Clover has many visitors every 
 day. The bees and the butterflies love 
 him. They tell him stories of the great 
 
 126 
 
world beyond the meadow. He gives 
 them sweet nectar from his many 
 blossoms. 
 
 The farmer likes to have cloYer in 
 his meadow. It is good for his cows. 
 It makes the milk sweet and rich. 
 
 Do you see Red Cloyer's pretty green 
 leaf? How many parts can you count? 
 In that leaf there are three parts. Did 
 you ever find a leaf with four parts? 
 Sometimes there are five parts to a 
 clover leaf. 
 
 A four leaf clover means good luck. 
 If you find a four leaf clover you must 
 keep it. If you find a five leaf clover 
 you must give it to some one. Then 
 he will have good luck too. 
 
 127 
 
There is a story about a four leaf 
 clover. I will tell it to you. 
 
 A man said that if he could find a 
 four leaf clover, he should be happy. 
 
 To find the four leaf clover he went 
 here and there, but not one did he find. 
 
 At last he found himself growing 
 old. He was far from his home. He 
 said, "I am tired; I will go back home." 
 
 At last he came to the field near his 
 house. He threw himself upon the 
 ground. "I can go no farther," he said. 
 
 As he lay on the ground, what do 
 you think he saw? A field of four 
 leaf clover! He had been the whole 
 world over to find it, and there it was 
 at his very door. 
 
 128 
 
The Daisies 
 
 " Our friends are coming to see us/' 
 said a daisy one day. "Coming to see 
 lis, coming to see us," sang all the dai- 
 sies. Then they nodded their little 
 heads in the morning breeze. 
 
 Just then some children came into 
 the field with baskets on their arms. 
 "Dear little daisies," said the children, 
 "do you wish to go a-yisiting? Come, 
 we will give you a ride in our baskets." 
 
 In tumbled the daisies, laughing at 
 the fun. Then one daisy began to talk. 
 
 "Have you seen our tiny green 
 stems?" she said. "Have you seen our 
 
 129 
 
lovely white frills and our bright 
 golden centers? We have some cousins 
 who wear yellow frills and brown 
 centers. They are called ox-eyed daisies. 
 
 " We always come in the spring. We 
 stay until the autumn comes. 
 
 "Do you know how we got our 
 name? As soon as the sun is up, we 
 open our eyes. People say that we 
 awake with the day. So we were 
 called 'daisy,' or * day's eye.' 
 
 "Before the stars are in the sky, we 
 go to sleep. We fold our white frills 
 over our golden centers, and we go to 
 sleep just like you." 
 
 A man wrote a poem about daisies. 
 The sky made him think of a meadow. 
 
 130 
 
The stars, that dotted the sky, made 
 him think of little white daisies. 
 
 While he was thinking of this pretty 
 picture, the moon came out. 
 
 He thought that the moon looked 
 like a lady with fair hair. "What is 
 the lady doing up there in the sky- 
 fields?" said he. "Is she picking the 
 star daisies?" 
 
 In the morning, when he awoke, 
 there was not a star left in the sky. 
 
 "Yes," thought the man, "the lady 
 has picked them all. She has dropped 
 them down into the meadows of the 
 town." 
 
 131 
 
The Little Dreamer 
 
 A little boy was dreaming 
 
 Upon his nurse's lap 
 That the pins fell out of all the stars, 
 
 And the stars fell into his cap. 
 
 So, when his dream was over, 
 What should this little boy do? 
 
 Why, he went and looked inside his cap. 
 And found it wasn't true. 
 
 Robert L. Everett 
 
 132 
 
'•■s \ \ \ V ■ ■: / • ; / / / .• 
 
 Ih Can You Tell My Name? 
 
 This morning I was up before you. 
 
 When I rise the sky grows lighter; 
 the birds begin to sing; the rooster 
 begins to crow; the insects begin to 
 hum, and the flowers smile at me. 
 
 After a while men, women, and chil- 
 dren leave their homes to go to work. 
 
 When I rise, the dew is on the grass. 
 In a little while I take it all away. 
 
 Without me the world would be dark 
 and cold. I give you heat and light. 
 
 133 
 
I often hide behind some cloud. 
 
 You can not catch me ; you can feel me. 
 
 If I shine in your eyes you close 
 them. 
 
 At night I go to visit children on 
 the other side of the world. I never 
 go to sleep. Somewhere I am always 
 shining bright. 
 
 When night comes I paint the clouds 
 pink, purple, and orange. 
 
 I seem to go down behind the hills. 
 
 When I go the bees fly to their hives, 
 the birds fly to their nests, and the 
 chickens go to roost. The flowers go 
 to sleep. 
 
 The animals lie down in the fleld, 
 and the sky grows dark. 
 
 134 
 
After a while the stars and the moon 
 come out. One by one the lamps are 
 lighted, ^the dew begins to fall, little 
 children go to bed. 
 
 In summer I stay with you a long 
 time. In winter I go in the afternoon. 
 
 At noon I am in the south. At 
 night I am in the west. In the morn- 
 ing I am in the east. 
 
 I have many children. They are 
 called "beams." I send them down to 
 earth from my sky home. I send them 
 to visit you. They travel very fast. 
 They always travel in a straight line. 
 They chase away the dark. They 
 make children grow. 
 
 Who can tell my name? 
 
 135 
 
The Rainbow 
 
 All day long the Sun Fairies had been 
 busy, making the world briglii. "We 
 wish we might stay here/' they said. 
 
 But Father Sun knew better. " Come," 
 he said. "All day you have been busy. 
 The flowers were happy to see you, and 
 so were the children. But so many Sun 
 
 136 
 
Fairies have made the earth warm. 
 Come, hide behind the big gray cloud." 
 
 Then the Rain Fairies gave the 
 thirsty flowers a drink. They covered 
 the hot and dusty ground, and called 
 the gentle breeze to refresh the tired 
 people. 
 
 "Well done, my little Eain Fairies," 
 said Father Sun. 
 
 "Put on your prettiest dresses, and 
 work now with the Sun Fairies." 
 
 In gay colors the fairies came: red, 
 yellow, orange, blue, green, and purple. 
 
 "We will work together, dear Father 
 Sun," they said, and joining hands they 
 made a beautiful arch from earth to 
 heaven. We call this arch the rainbow. 
 
 137 
 
Little May 
 
 Have you heard the waters singing, 
 
 Little May, 
 Where the willows green are bending 
 
 O'er their way? 
 Do you know how low and sweet, 
 O'er the pebbles at their feet. 
 Are the words the waves repeat, 
 
 Night and day? 
 
 Have you heard the robins singing. 
 
 Little one. 
 When the rosy dawn is breaking, — 
 
 When 'tis done? 
 Have you heard the wooing breeze. 
 In the blossomed orchard trees, 
 And the drowsy hum of bees 
 
 Li the sun? 
 
 Emily Huntington Miller 
 
 138 
 
The Bees 
 
 We are bees, and we live in a little 
 round house called a hiye. Do you see 
 our brothers and sisters flying in and 
 out? We are a large family. 
 
 We are always busy. Do you know 
 
 139 
 
what we sing as we work? "Buzz, 
 buzz, buzz," that is our song. 
 
 We visit Clover in the meadow, and 
 Eose in the garden. Sometimes we 
 meet our friends, the butterflies. 
 
 Some day you may like to look into 
 our hive. Do not come too near us, for 
 we may sting you. 
 
 Did you ever see so many rooms 
 in one house? Some are storerooms, 
 but some are used for our baby bees. 
 When the rooms are filled, we close 
 them up with wax. We make the wax 
 on cloudy or rainy days. 
 
 On our legs we have little baskets. 
 In these we carry the yellow dust, or 
 pollen, that we get from the flowers. 
 
 140 
 
We mix the pollen with honey and 
 feed it to our baby bees. 
 
 There are three kinds of bees in 
 every hive, — the workers, the drones, 
 and the queen bee. 
 
 Our queen is the mother bee. She 
 lays all the eggs. She stays at home 
 all the time, and we worker bees feed 
 her. We take care of her. She has 
 short wings. She could not fly far. 
 
 The drones do not work. They are 
 large and lazy. We workers are small. 
 
 From our wax, people make candles, 
 and dolls. You may find a piece of 
 wax in mother's work basket. She rubs 
 it on her thread to make it strong. 
 Have you ever eaten our honey? 
 
 141 
 
The Moon and the Stars 
 
 As soon as the great golden sun goes 
 to bed, the moon awakes. See how 
 she gently pushes her beautiful cloud 
 curtains apart! There is her round 
 face, smiling at us. 
 
 O moon, I love to see you away up 
 in the sky. Sometimes you sail along 
 so swiftly. Sometimes you play hide- 
 and-seek behind the great white clouds. 
 
 142 
 
Are the stars your children, Lady 
 Moon? What a big family you have! 
 More little children than we can count. 
 Do you ever rock the baby stars to sleep 
 in your pretty cradle? 
 
 All night your little stars are busy. 
 They peep in at our windows and 
 watch us while we sleep. They shine 
 upon the birds asleep in their nests. 
 They twinkle through the trees. They 
 show sailors how to steer their boats. 
 
 Long, long ago the stars used to sing 
 together. The whole sky shone when 
 they sang. One morning they heard 
 a new song. It was the most beautiful 
 song they had ever heard. Every star 
 in the deep blue sky stopped singing. 
 
 143 
 
In the deepest blue of the sky, 
 they saw a new star. It was the 
 new star that was singing the beau- 
 tiful song. 
 
 And this is what it sang, "A loving 
 child, a loving child is on the earth." 
 
 Then the beautiful star traveled 
 across the sky, until it came to a little 
 town. There it stood still. 
 
 The stars are still looking for a lov- 
 ing child. That is why they peep in 
 at the window and ask, "Is this a lov- 
 ing child?" 
 
 Sometimes they find a loving child, 
 with a gentle heart and kind ways. 
 
 Then they sing again, "A loving 
 child, a loving child is on the earth." 
 
 144 
 
Down the Lane 
 
 There was once an old willow tree. 
 It grew in the lane behind our house. 
 How we children loved it! 
 
 It had low spreading branches that 
 seemed like mother's arms. 
 
 In the morning, after breakfast, we 
 would run to our tree, and as soon as 
 school was over, we would visit it. 
 
 On Saturday the tree was our play- 
 house. The branches were the rooms. 
 We had a parlor, dining room, kitchen 
 and two bedrooms. We had green 
 curtains at the windows. Do you 
 know what the curtains really were? 
 
 145 
 
Our dolls had a nap in the morning. 
 We undressed them and hung their 
 clothes upon the branches. We had 
 two doll's hammocks. We put our 
 dolls into the hammocks and covered 
 them with their blankets. Then we 
 sang, "Eock-a-bye, baby," to them. 
 The wind rocked them to sleep. 
 
 146 
 
Sometimes my brother Jack came to 
 play with us. Then we played church. 
 
 Jack was the minister. My father 
 was a minister, so Jack tried to be like 
 him. He would stand upon a high 
 branch and preach. Then he would 
 say, "Let us sing." Sometimes the 
 birds sang too. 
 
 The dolls were very good. They 
 could not sing, but they sat still in 
 their mothers' laps. 
 
 Once my dolly fell asleep. That 
 was when Jack preached too long. 
 Mary's doll cried once. Poor doll! 
 Was she too little to go to church? 
 No, what do you think was the matter? 
 She had lost one of her pink shoes. 
 
 147 
 
The Picnic 
 
 I am glad that this is vacation. 
 Father has come home early to-day. 
 We are all going on a picnic. 
 
 We are going in the big automobile. 
 We are going ten miles to the country. 
 It is my birthday. I have invited five 
 of my friends to go on the picnic. 
 
 Jump in, boys and girls, we are 
 ready to start. We are off to the 
 woods. Kate, Mary, Alice, and I will 
 sit in the back seat. Tom and John 
 will sit in the chairs. 
 
 Mother and father will sit in front. 
 
 Father toots the horn. We are off. 
 
 148 
 
We go fast, but we are not afraid. 
 
 The cool breeze blows our hair. Oh, 
 dear, Mary has lost her hat. John will 
 jump out and get it. It is covered 
 with dust. Tie your hat on, Mary. 
 
 Mother has filled the big basket 
 with good things to eat. It is on the 
 back of our automobile. I am hungry 
 every time I think of that basket! 
 
 Here we are in the woods. The 
 road is not very good. Father will 
 make the automobile go slowly now. 
 
 This is as far as we can go. "All 
 out! "says father. 
 
 Here is a good place for our supper, 
 under the pine trees. The pine needles 
 make a soft carpet. 
 
 149 
 
"Let us spread the tablecloth here." 
 
 Father unstraps the big basket. He 
 pulls the tin pail from under the seat. 
 
 "Boys, run down to the brook for 
 some fresh, cool water. We are going 
 to make some lemonade," he says. 
 
 We put stones on the corners of the 
 tablecloth so it will not blow. 
 
 Let us find some large leaves for 
 plates. Yes, and let us pick a few 
 flowers for our table. 
 
 What is in this box? Cut the string 
 please, Kate. Oh, these are sandwiches. 
 
 Here are the hard boiled eggs! Here 
 are the cookies! Here are the pickles! 
 Here is some cake! Oh, isn't it fun to 
 have a picnic in the woods ! 
 
 150 
 
I am going to ask father if we can 
 stay until the moon comes up. 
 What do you think he will say? 
 
 151 
 
Where Tom Spent His Vacation 
 
 Tom went to the farm to see his 
 grandfather last summer. 
 
 Every morning a rooster would crow 
 under Tom's window. Tom would 
 laugh and say, "It is time to get up. 
 You want your breakfast, old rooster." 
 
 As soon as Tom was dressed, he would 
 go to the barn, and fill his cap with corn 
 to feed the chicks. How they ran! 
 
 How fast they ate! Tom gave them 
 a good breakfast. 
 
Next Tom would visit the old mother 
 pig in her pen. He would rub her back 
 with a stick. There were ten baby 
 pigs with curly tails. 
 
 Sometimes Tom would go haying 
 with the men. He would climb into 
 the hayrack and stamp the hay as the 
 men threw it up with their pitchforks. 
 
 When the hayrack was filled, Tom 
 would have a ride home on the load. 
 
 Every night Tom went to see the 
 cows milked. After a while he could 
 milk old Molly himself. She would 
 give him two pails of milk every night. 
 
 Tom liked to visit the dairy best of 
 all. The dairy was in a stone house. 
 Even the walls and floors were of stone. 
 
 153 
 
Tom loved to watch his grandmother 
 make butter. First she put rich milk 
 into a churn. A churn is a tall barrel. 
 
 Inside the churn there is a long 
 handle. Grandmother moved the long 
 handle up and down. By and by the 
 cream came to the top. 
 
 The cream keeps growing thicker, 
 and at last it turns to butter. It is 
 fresh and sweet. Some of it is salted. 
 
 Tom liked to see his grandmother 
 make the butter into pretty little prints. 
 
 When the butter was ready for use, 
 grandfather carried it to the railroad. 
 It was sent to the big city. 
 
 People can buy the butter in prints, 
 boxes, or tubs. 
 
 154 
 
Where Fred Spent His Vacation 
 
 Fred Jackson went to the seashore 
 last summer. When he saw the ocean 
 and the sandy beach, he jumped for joy. 
 
 "Oh, mother, what a fine time we 
 shall have!" he said. 
 
 Every morning Fred went to the 
 beach. He loved to sit on the rocks 
 and watch the waves roll in. Often 
 they came in so fast that Fred had to 
 
 155 
 
<!>,\»re>T.flK3»od- 
 
go higher up on the rocks. "Do the 
 waves ever stop to rest?" he thought. 
 
 On the beach there were pretty 
 shells, and starfish and snails on the 
 rocks. Big horseshoe crabs and jelly- 
 fish moved about in the water, and 
 the seaweed drifted in on the waves. 
 
 Sometimes Fred would go fishing. 
 
 One day he caught a fine bluefish. 
 He carried it home to his mother. She 
 said it was the best fish she had ever 
 tasted. 
 
 Another day Fred visited a light- 
 house. It was on a rocky island far 
 out at sea. 
 
 There were no roads on the island, 
 only rough paths made by the sheep. 
 
 157 
 
The keeper and his children invited 
 the visitors into their house. 
 
 The lighthouse vras like a tower. 
 When Fred reached the top, he could 
 see far out on the ocean. He could 
 see ten ships with their white sails. 
 
 At night the keeper lighted the 
 lamp. The light could be seen far out 
 at sea. It told the sailors to keep their 
 boats off the rocks. 
 
 But the best fun was the clambake. 
 The boys dug clams when the tide was 
 out. They made a stone oven on the 
 beach, and cooked the clams in the hot 
 seaweed. They gathered driftwood and 
 made a fine bonfire. It burned until 
 the waves came up and put it out. 
 
 158 
 
Camping Out 
 
 Two boys had a camp last summer. 
 They built the camp in some woods 
 not far from the house. They chose a 
 beautiful spot for the camp. It was on 
 a hill among the pine trees. 
 
 First they chopped down some of 
 the small trees. They made a board 
 floor. Their father gave them a tent. 
 
 A high pole held the tent up. The 
 boys tied the sides of the tent to pegs. 
 Not a drop of rain could get in. 
 
 Inside, the boys had two cots. They 
 played that they were Indians and that 
 the tent was their wigwam. 
 
 159 
 
One very warm night, their mother 
 said that they might sleep in the tent. 
 The boys were delighted. They carried 
 out two blankets, some bread and butter, 
 cookies, and cold chicken for fear they 
 might be hungry before morning. 
 
 160 
 
It was quite dark at first in the woods, 
 but by and by the moon came up. It 
 shone through the trees, and the boys 
 were glad to see it. 
 
 Old Carlo was asleep on the floor. 
 
 It was very still out in the woods. 
 The wind rustled the leaves on the trees. 
 The boys could hear the river running 
 over the stones. They were a long time 
 going to sleep. Perhaps they wished 
 that they were safe in their own beds 
 at home. 
 
 Carlo began to bark early in the 
 morning. When the boys awoke, he 
 was crawling out the tent door. 
 
 What do you think Carlo was barking 
 at? A gray squirrel was up in a tree. 
 
 161 
 
Carlo barked and barked as if to say, 
 "Don't you know that I am taking care 
 of this camp?" 
 
 The boys ran down to the river for a 
 swim. The water was cold, but they 
 jumped in. As soon as they were 
 dressed, they started for the house. 
 They hoped that they were not late for 
 breakfast. 
 
 When they reached the house, the 
 back door was locked! They peeped in 
 the kitchen window. What time do you 
 think it was? It was just five o'clock! 
 
 The boys climbed up the back porch, 
 opened a window, and went to bed. 
 
 162 
 
Little Papoose 
 
 Little papoose in your cradle liigh, 
 Swung up on the dancing tree, 
 Looking up at the starry sky, 
 Tell me, what do you see? 
 Shining moon with his face so bright. 
 Watches with tender smile. 
 So close yom- eyes and sleep this night. 
 Sleep, little Lidian child. 
 
 Dream then, my little papoose in the tree, 
 Softly your cradle swings. 
 Father is hunting a rabbit for thee. 
 While mother is here and sings. 
 Brother's making a little canoe 
 Out in the woods so wild. 
 Every one's thinking, dear baby, of you, 
 Sleep, little Indian child. 
 
 Nina B. Hartford 
 163 
 
The Indian Baby in Summer 
 
 The Indian baby loves the summer 
 time. His father has made a cradle 
 for him. The birch tree gives its bark 
 to make the cradle. The father hangs 
 it on the lowest branch of the tree. 
 The gentle summer breeze will rock 
 
 164 
 
the baby's cradle. The birds will sing 
 him to dreamland. 
 
 The pine needles rustle all through 
 the night. The owl hoots in the trees. 
 
 The baby's father sleeps on the 
 ground. He dreams of many things. 
 He hopes that his baby will grow to 
 be a great chief some day. He longs 
 to teach him to ride, and to use the 
 bow and arrow. 
 
 The baby's mother sleeps on the 
 ground, too. She loves her little pa- 
 poose. She would ' like to have him 
 stay a little papoose for a long time. 
 
 The wood is dark, but they are not 
 afraid. The moon and the stars shine 
 through the trees upon the little child. 
 
 165 
 
The little papoose has many friends 
 in the forest. He calls to the birds 
 from his cradle. He watches the 
 squirrel jump from branch to branch. 
 
 He tries to catch the sun with his 
 little brown hands. 
 
 When he gets a little older, his 
 mother will tell him stories. She will 
 tell him stories of the moon, the sun, 
 and the stars. She will tell him about 
 the rainbow. She will tell him about 
 the forest. 
 
To-day the baby watches his father 
 make a canoe. He cuts the bark from 
 the birch tree, and he does not break it. 
 
 He takes branches and makes a 
 framework. He stretches the bark 
 over the framework. Then he sews it. 
 
 He gets some pitch from the pine 
 trees and fills up the cracks. Now the 
 water can not get into the canoe. 
 
 He is proud when his canoe is finished. 
 It rests like a lily upon the water. 
 He will paddle up and down the river. 
 He will shoot like an arrow down 
 the stream. 
 
 Will the little papoose and his mother 
 go in the canoe some day? I think so. 
 These are happy days for the papoose. 
 
 167 
 
As a fond mother, 
 when the day is 
 o'er, 
 
 Leads by the hand her 
 little child to bed, 
 
 Half willing, half re- 
 luctant to be led, 
 
 And leave his broken 
 playthings on the 
 floor. 
 
 Still gazing at them 
 
 through the open 
 
 door. 
 
 Longfellow 
 
 13. 
 
■ica".: :;k3-