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diff --git a/40553.txt b/40553.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1f24e3d..0000000 --- a/40553.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2616 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Queen Bee and Other Nature Stories, by -Carl Ewald, Translated by G. C. Moore Smith - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: The Queen Bee and Other Nature Stories - - -Author: Carl Ewald - - - -Release Date: August 21, 2012 [eBook #40553] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE QUEEN BEE AND OTHER NATURE -STORIES*** - - -E-text prepared by D Alexander, Matthew Wheaton, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive (http://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 40553-h.htm or 40553-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/40553/40553-h/40553-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/40553/40553-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - http://archive.org/details/cu31924003193673 - - - - - -[Illustration: THE FARMER'S WIFE] - - -THE QUEEN BEE AND OTHER NATURE STORIES - -Translated from the Danish of - -CARL EWALD - -by - -G . C . Moore Smith - - - - - - - -Thomas Nelson & Sons -London . Edinburgh . Dublin -And New York . 1908 . . . - - - - -PREFACE. - -BY THE TRANSLATOR. - - -Carl Ewald's "Aeventyr" or Nature Stories are well known and very -popular in Denmark and the rest of Scandinavia, though they have never -before this been brought to the notice of English readers. There are a -number of series of them, the first of which consists of the stories -given in this little book. - -This first series appeared in 1882, but took its definitive form in -the edition of 1895. When it first appeared, it was introduced by a -preface written by the author's father, the well-known historical -novelist, H. F. Ewald. This preface ran as follows:-- - -"It has often been a subject of complaint that our story books, with -their nixies, trolls, and bewitched princes and princesses, give -children superstitious ideas, and affect their imagination in a way -which is not the best possible. - -"The author of the little stories to which I am writing a word of -preface has struck out a way of his own. Holding that Nature, with -its manifold and many-coloured life, contains new material on which -children in their own way can draw, he has taken as the subject of his -stories the phenomena of natural history. - -"As I think, he has performed his task in a taking and attractive -manner, the child's fancy being sufficiently enthralled at the same -time that it gets a true conception of the working of natural forces, -a conception which will fix itself in the memory all the better for -its poetical clothing. - -"It seems to me that the author's view is a sound one, so I gladly -recommend his little book to parents who wish their children to read -what is both pleasurable and instructive." - -There are some touches in the stories, of course, which belong rather -to Denmark than England--for example, the custom of ringing the church -bells at sunset, the complete disappearance of starlings in the winter -months, the "starlings' box" which is ready for them to rest in on -their return, the presence of the stork. The phenomenon of beech -forests extruding and supplanting oak forests (referred to by Dr. -Wallace in "Darwinism" as one of the most striking instances of -"natural selection") is one of which there are clearer traces in -Scandinavian countries than in Great Britain. But, on the whole, -Nature is the same in England as in Denmark, and the English child -who learns natural history from these stories will not be misdirected. - -Meanwhile, I hope that these stories of Carl Ewald will be loved for -their own sake as stories merely. They have so much poetical -imagination, ingenuity of incident, and bright wit, that they seem -entitled to some share in the popularity accorded to the children's -tales of another Danish writer, Hans Christian Andersen. Some English -children have already listened to them eagerly, and many others, I -hope, will take them into their favour when they are sent out into the -world. They may even be read with pleasure by some who are children no -longer. If this is not so, the fault must lie with the translator. - - G. C. MOORE SMITH. - SHEFFIELD, 1907. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - THE QUEEN BEE - THE ANEMONES - THE MIST - THE BEECH AND THE OAK - THE DRAGON-FLY AND THE WATER-LILY - THE WEEDS - THE SPARROW - - - - -LIST OF COLOURED PLATES. - - - THE FARMER'S WIFE, _After a Drawing by Edmund Dulac._ - - THE BEEHIVES, _After a Drawing by Gilbert James._ - - MY LADY SPRING, _After a Drawing by Margaret E. Thompson._ - - THE EVENING HOUR, _After a Drawing by Edmund Dulac._ - - IN THE EARLY DAYS, _After a Drawing by John Hassall._ - - THE DRAGON-FLY - AND THE WATER-LILY, _After a Drawing by Marie Webb._ - - THE FARMER AND HIS BOYS, _After a Drawing by Gilbert James._ - - PREPARING FOR FLIGHT, _After a Drawing by Carton Moore Park._ - - ILLUSTRATIVE BORDERS, HEADPIECES, ETC. - - - - -_A DEDICATION._ - -(_After CARL EWALD._) - - - _We strayed, thy little hand in mine, - One summer morning fresh and fine, - In a wood where birches met; - A great sun-bonnet served as frame - To rounded childish cheeks aflame-- - Thy voice is ringing yet! - Of birdies' songs, of flowers, of trees-- - Whate'er thy tender mind could seize-- - I wove thee tales, my pet: - Ah, thou canst not remember it, - And I can ne'er forget!_ - - _And now my locks are thin and gray, - For years since then have slipped away, - For gladness or regret! - And ah, the woods where now I roam, - And those wide chambers of my home, - Know thee no more, Ninette! - Since I shall never find thee then, - Oh, let this Book remind thee then - Of a wood where birches met: - For thou canst not remember it, - And I can ne'er forget!_ - - - - -EWALD'S DANISH NATURE STORIES. - -Series I. - - - - -The Queen Bee - -[Illustration: THE QUEEN BEE] - - -The farmer opened his hive. "Off with you!" he said to the bees. "The -sun is shining, and everywhere the flowers are coming out, so that it -is a joy to see them. Get to work, and gather a good lot of honey for -me to sell to the shopkeeper in the autumn. 'Many a streamlet makes a -river,' and you know these are bad times for farmers." - -"What does that matter to us?" said the bees. But all the same they -flew out; for they had been sitting all the winter in the hive, and -they longed for a breath of fresh air. - -They hummed and buzzed, they stretched their legs, they tried their -wings. They swarmed out in all directions; they crawled up and down -the hive; they flew off to the flowers and bushes, or wandered all -round on the ground. There were hundreds and hundreds of them. - -Last of all came the queen. She was bigger than the others, and it was -she who ruled the hive. - -"Stop your nonsense, little children," she said, "and set to work and -do something. A good bee does not idle, but turns to with a will and -makes good use of its time." - -So she divided them into parties and set them to work. - -"You over there, fly out and see if there is any honey in the flowers. -The others can collect flower-dust, and when you come home give it in -smartly to the old bees in the hive." - -Away they flew at once. But all the very young ones stayed behind. -They made the last party, for they had never been out with the others. - -"What are _we_ to do?" they asked. - -"You! you must perspire," said the queen. "One, two, three! Then we -can begin our work." - -And they perspired as well as they had learned to, and the prettiest -yellow wax came out of their bodies. - -"Good!" said the queen. "Now we will begin to build." - -The old bees took the wax, and began to build a number of little -six-sided cells, all alike and close up to one another. All the time -they were building, the others came flying in with flower-dust and -honey, which they laid at the queen's feet. - -"We can now knead the dough," she said. "But first put a little honey -in--that makes it taste so much better." - -They kneaded and kneaded, and before very long they had made some -pretty little loaves of bee-bread, which they carried into the cells. - -"Now let us go on with the building," commanded the queen bee, and -they perspired wax and built for all they were worth. - -"And now _my_ work begins," said the queen, and she heaved a deep -sigh; for her work was the hardest work of all. - -She sat down in the middle of the hive and began to lay her eggs. She -laid great heaps of them, and the bees were kept very busy running -with the little eggs in their mouths and carrying them into the new -cells. Each egg had a little cell to itself; and when they had all -been put in their places, the queen gave orders to fix doors to all -the cells and shut them fast. - -"Good!" she said, when this was done. "I want you now to build me ten -fine big rooms in the out-of-the-way parts of the hive." - -The bees had them ready in no time, and then the queen laid ten pretty -eggs, one in each of the big rooms, and the doors were fixed as -before. - -Every day the bees flew in and out, gathering great heaps of honey and -flower-dust; but in the evening, when their work was done, they would -open the doors just a crack and have a peep at the eggs. - -"Take care," the queen said one day. "They are coming!" - -And all the eggs burst at once, and in every cell lay a pretty little -bee-baby. - -"What funny creatures!" said the young bees. "They have no eyes, and -where are their legs and wings?" - -"They are grubs," said the queen. "You simpletons looked just like -that yourselves once upon a time. One must be a grub before one can -become a bee. Be quick now, and give them something to eat." - -The bees bestirred themselves to feed the little ones, but they were -not equally kind to them all. The ten, however, that lay in the large -cells got as much to eat as ever they wanted, and every day a great -quantity of honey was carried in to them. - -"They are princesses," said the queen, "so you must treat them well. -The others you can stint; they are only working people, and they must -accustom themselves to be content with what they can get." - -And every morning the poor little wretches got a little piece of -bee-bread and nothing more, and with that they had to be satisfied, -though they were ever so hungry. - -In one of the little six-sided cells close by the princesses' chambers -lay a little tiny grub. She was the youngest of them all, and only -just come out of the egg. She could not see, but she could plainly -hear the grown-up bees talking outside, and for a while she lay quite -still and kept her thoughts to herself. - -All at once she said out loud, "I could eat a little more," and she -knocked at her door. - -"You have had enough for to-day," answered the old bee who was -appointed to be head bee-nurse, creeping up and down in the passage -outside. - -"Maybe, but I am hungry!" shouted the little grub. "I will go into one -of the princesses' chambers; I have not room to stir here." - -"Just listen to her!" said the old bee mockingly. "One would think by -the demands she makes that she was a fine little princess. You are -born to toil and drudge, my little friend. You are a mere working bee, -and you will never be anything else all your days." - -[Illustration: THE BEEHIVES] - -"But I want to be queen!" cried the grub, and thumped on the door. - -Of course the old bee did not answer such nonsense, but went on to the -others. From every side they were calling out for more food, and the -little grub could hear it all. - -"It is hard, though," she thought, "that we should have to be so -hungry." - -And then she knocked on the princess's wall and called to her, "Give -me a little of your honey. Let me come into your chamber. I am lying -here so hungry, and I am just as good as you." - -"Are you? Just you wait till I am a reigning queen," said the -princess. "You may be sure that when that time comes I shall not -forget your impertinence." - -But she had scarcely said this before the other princesses began to -cry out in the most dreadful manner. - -"_You're_ not going to be queen! _I_ shall be queen! _I_ shall be -queen!" they shrieked all together, and they began to knock on the -walls and make a frightful disturbance. - -The head bee-nurse came running up in an instant and opened the doors. - -"What are your graces' orders?" she asked, dropping a curtsy and -scraping the ground with her feet. - -"More honey!" they shouted, all in one voice. "But me first--me first. -I am the one who is to be queen." - -"In a moment, in a moment, your graces," she answered, and ran off as -fast as her six legs could carry her. - -She soon came back with many other bees. They were dragging ever so -much honey, which they crammed down the cross little princesses' -throats. And then they got them to hold their tongues and lie still -and rest. - -But the little grub lay awake, thinking over what had happened. She -longed so much for some honey that she began to shake the door again. - -"Give me some honey! I can't stand it any longer. I am just as good as -the others." - -The old bee tried to hush her. - -"Hold your tongue, little bawler! The queen's coming." - -And at the same moment the queen bee came. - -"Go your ways," she said to the bees; "I wish to be alone." - -For a long time she stood in silence before the princesses' chambers. - -"Now they are lying there asleep," she said at last. "From morning -till evening they do nothing but eat and sleep, and they grow bigger -and fatter every day. In a few days they will be full grown, and will -creep out of their cells. Then my turn will be over. I know that too -well. I have heard the bees saying to one another that they would like -to have a younger and more beautiful queen, and they will chase me -away in disgrace. But I will not submit to it. To-morrow I will kill -them all; then I can remain queen till I die." - -Then she went away. But the little grub had heard all she said. - -"Dear me!" she thought; "it is really a pity about the little -princesses. They are certainly very uppish, and they have not been -nice to me, but still it would be sad if the wicked queen killed -them. I think I will tell the old growler outside in the passage all -about it." - -She began once more knocking at the door, and the head bee-nurse came -running up, but this time she was fearfully angry. - -"You must mind what you are doing, my good grub," she said. "You are -the youngest of them all, and you are the worst for making a noise. -Next time I shall tell the queen." - -"First listen to me," said the grub, and she told her about the -queen's wicked design. - -"Good gracious! is that true?" cried the old nurse, and beat her wings -in horror. And without hearing a word more, she hurried off to tell -the other bees. - -"I think I deserve a little honey for what I have done," said the -little grub. "But I can now lie down and sleep with a good -conscience." - -Next evening, when the queen thought that all the bees were in bed, -she came to kill the princesses. The grub could hear her talking aloud -to herself. But she was quite afraid of the wicked queen, and dared -not stir. - -"I hope she won't kill the princesses," she thought, and squeezed -herself nearer to the door to hear what happened. - -The queen looked cautiously round on all sides, and then opened the -first of the doors. But at the same moment the bees swarmed out from -all directions, seized her by the legs and wings, and dragged her out. - -"What is the matter?" she cried. "Are you raising a rebellion?" - -"No, your majesty," answered the bees, with great reverence; "but we -know that you are intending to kill the princesses, and _that_ you -shall not be allowed to do. What would become of us in the autumn -after your majesty's death?" - -"Let me go!" cried the queen, and tried to get away. "I am queen now -anyway, and have the power to do what I like. How do you know that I -shall die in the autumn?" - -But the bees held her fast, and dragged her outside the hive. There -they set her free, but she shook her wings in a passion and said to -them,-- - -"You are disloyal subjects, who are not worth ruling over. I won't -stay here an hour longer, but I will go out into the world and build a -new nest. Are there any of you who will come with me?" - -Some of the old bees, who had been grubs at the same time as the -queen, declared that they would follow her. And soon after they flew -away. - -"Now we have no queen," said the others, "we must take good care of -the princesses." And so they crammed them with honey from morning till -night; and they grew, and grabbed, and squabbled, and made more noise -each day than the day before. - -As for the little grub, no one gave a single thought to her. - -One morning the doors of the princesses' chambers flew open, and all -ten of them stepped out, beautiful full-grown queen bees. The other -bees ran up and gazed at them in admiration. - -"How pretty they are!" they said. "It is hard to say which is the -most beautiful." - -"_I_ am!" one cried. - -"You make a mistake," said another, and stabbed her with her sting. - -"You are rather conceited," shrieked a third. "I imagine that _I_ am -rather prettier than you are." - -And immediately they all began calling out at once, and soon after -began to fight with one another as hard as ever they could. - -The bees would have liked to separate them, but the old head bee-nurse -said to them,-- - -"Let them go on fighting; then we shall see which of them is the -strongest, and we will choose her to be our queen. We can't do with -more than one." - -At this the bees formed round in a ring and looked on at the battle. -It lasted a long time, and it was fiercely fought. Wings and legs -which had been bitten off were flying about in the air, and after some -time eight of the princesses lay dead upon the ground. The two last -were still fighting. One of them had lost all her wings, and the -other had only four legs left. - -"She will be a poor sort of queen whichever of the two we get," said -one of the bees. "We should have done better to have kept the old -one." - -But she might have spared herself the remark, for in the same moment -the princesses gave each other such a stab with their stings that they -both fell dead as a door-nail. - -"That is a pretty business!" called the bees, and ran about among each -other in dismay. "Now we have no queen! What shall we do? what shall -we do?" - -In despair they crawled about the hive, and did not know which way to -turn. But the oldest and cleverest sat in a corner and held a council. -For a long time they talked this way and that as to what they should -decide on doing in their unhappy circumstances. But at last the head -bee-nurse got a hearing, and said,-- - -"I can tell you how you can get out of the difficulty, if you will but -follow my advice. I remember that the same misfortune happened to us -in this hive a long time ago. I was then a grub myself. I lay in my -cell, and distinctly heard what took place. All the princesses had -killed one another, and the old queen had gone out into the world: it -was just as it is now. But the bees took one of us grubs and laid her -in one of the princesses' cells. They fed her every day with the -finest and best honey in the whole hive; and when she was full-grown, -she was a charming and good queen. I can clearly remember the whole -affair, for I thought at the time that they might just as well have -taken me. But we may do the same thing again. I propose that we act in -the same way." - -The bees were delighted, and cried that they would willingly do so, -and they ran off at once to fetch a grub. - -"Wait a moment," cried the head bee-nurse, "and take me with you. At -any rate, I will come and help you. Consider now. It must be one of -the youngest grubs, for she must have time to think over her new -position. When one has been brought up to be a mere drudge, it is not -easy to accustom oneself to wear a crown." - -That also seemed to the bees to be wise, and the old one went on,-- - -"Close by the side of the princesses' cells lies a little grub. She is -the youngest of them all. She must have learnt a good deal by hearing -the princesses' refined conversation, and I have noticed that she has -some character. Besides, it was she who was honourable enough to tell -me about the wicked intentions of the old queen. Let us take her." - -At once they went in a solemn procession to the six-sided cell where -the little grub lay. The head bee-nurse politely knocked at the door, -opened it cautiously, and told the grub what the bees had decided. At -first she could hardly believe her own ears; but when they had carried -her carefully into one of the large, delightful chambers, and brought -her as much honey as she could eat, she perceived that it was all in -earnest. - -"So I am to be queen after all," she said to the head bee-nurse. "You -would not believe it, you old growler!" - -"I hope that your majesty will forget the rude remarks that I made at -the time you lay in the six-sided cell," said the old bee, with a -respectful bow. - -"I forgive you," said the new-baked princess. "Fetch me some more -honey." - -A little time after the grub was full grown, and stepped out of her -cell as big and as beautiful as the bees could wish. And besides, she -knew how to command. - -"Away with you!" she said. "We must have more honey for our use in the -winter, and you others must perspire more wax. I am thinking of -building a new wing to the hive. The new princesses shall live there -next year; it is very unsuitable for them to be so near common grubs." - -"Heyday!" said the bees to one another. "One would think she had been -a queen ever since she lay in the egg." - -"No," said the head bee-nurse; "that is not so. But she has had -_queenly thoughts_, and that is the great thing." - - - - -The Anemones - -[Illustration: The Anemones] - - -"Peeweet! peeweet!" cried the plover, as he flew over the bog in the -wood. "My Lady Spring is coming! I can tell it from the feeling in my -legs and wings." - -When the new grass that lay below in the earth heard that, it pushed -up at once and peeped out merrily from among the old yellow grass of -last year. For the grass is always in a great hurry. - -The anemones in among the trees also heard the plover's cry; but they, -on the contrary, would not come up yet on any account. - -"You must not believe the plover," they whispered to one another. "He -is a gay young spark who is not to be depended upon. He always comes -too early, and begins crying out at once. No, we will wait quietly -till the starlings and swallows come. They are sensible, steady-going -people who know what's what, and don't go sailing with half a wind." - -And then the starlings came. They perched on the stumps in front of -their summer villa, and looked about them. - -"Too early as usual," said Daddy Starling. "Not a green leaf and not a -fly to be seen, except an old tough one from last year, which isn't -worth opening one's bill for." - -Mother Starling said nothing, but she did not seem any more enchanted -with the prospect. - -"If we had only stayed in our cosy winter home down there beyond the -mountains," said Daddy Starling. He was angry at his wife's not -answering him, because he was so cold that he thought it might do him -good to have a little fun. "But it is _your_ fault, as it was last -year. You are always in such a dreadful hurry to come out to the -country." - -"If I am in a hurry, I know the reason for it," said Mother Starling. -"And you ought to be ashamed of yourself if you didn't know it also, -since they are your eggs just as much as mine." - -"What do you mean?" said Daddy Starling, much insulted. "When have I -neglected my family? Perhaps you even want me to sit in the cold and -sing to you?" - -"Yes, I do," said Mother Starling in the tone he couldn't resist. - -He began to pipe at once as well as he knew how. But Mother Starling -had no sooner heard the first notes than she gave him a flap with her -wings and snapped at him with her beak. - -"Oh, please stop it!" she cried bitterly. "It sounds so sad that it -makes one quite heartsick. Instead of piping like that, get the -anemones to come up. I think it must be time for them. And besides, -one always feels warmer when there are others freezing besides -oneself." - -Now as soon as the anemones had heard the first piping of the -starling, they cautiously stuck out their heads from the earth. But -they were so tightly wrapped up in green kerchiefs that one could not -get a glimpse of them. They looked like green shoots which might turn -into anything. - -"It is too early," they whispered. "It is a shame of the starling to -entice us out. One can't rely on anything in the world nowadays." - -Then the swallow came. - -"Chee! chee!" he twittered, and shot through the air on his long, -tapering wings. "Out with you, you stupid flowers! Don't you see that -my Lady Spring has come?" - -But the anemones had grown cautious. They only drew their green -kerchiefs a little apart and peeped out. - -"One swallow does not make a summer," they said. "Where is your wife? -You have only come here to see if it is possible to stay here, and you -want to take us in. But we are not so stupid. We know very well that -if we once catch a bad cold we are done for, for this year at any -rate." - -[Illustration: MY LADY SPRING] - -"You are cowards," said the swallow, perching himself on the -forest-ranger's weathercock, and peering out over the landscape. - -But the anemones waited still and shivered. A few of them who could -not control their impatience threw off their kerchiefs in the sun. The -cold at night nipped and killed them; and the story of their pitiful -death was passed on from flower to flower, and caused a great -consternation. - -And then--one delightfully mild, still night--my Lady Spring came. - -No one knows how she looks, because no one has ever seen her. But all -long for her, and thank her and bless her. She goes through the wood -and touches the flowers and trees, and at once they burst out. She -goes through the cattle-stalls and unties the beasts, and lets them -out on to the field. She goes straight into the hearts of men and -fills them with gladness. She makes it hard for the best boy to sit -still on his form at school, and she is the cause of a terrible -number of mistakes in the copy-books. - -But she does not do all this at once. Night after night she plies her -task, and she comes first to him who longs for her most. - -So it happened that on the very night of her coming she went straight -to the anemones, who stood in their green kerchiefs and didn't know -how to hold out any longer. - -And one, two, three! there they stood in their newly-ironed white -collars, and looked so fresh and so pretty that the starlings sang -their prettiest songs out of sheer joy in them. - -"Ah, how sweet it is here!" said the anemones. "How warm the sun is, -and how the birds sing! It is a thousand times better than last year." - -But they said the same thing every year, so one needn't take any -account of it. - -There were many others who were quite beside themselves when they saw -the anemones had come out. One was a schoolboy who wanted to have his -summer holidays at once; and another was the beech tree, who felt -exceedingly put out. - -"Aren't you coming soon to me, my Lady Spring?" he said. "I am a much -more important person than those silly anemones, and I can't really -hold in my buds much longer." - -"I am coming, I am coming," answered my Lady Spring. "But you must -give me a little time." - -She went on her way through the wood, and at every step many and many -an anemone burst into flower. They stood in crowds round the roots of -the birch tree, and bashfully bowed their round heads to the earth. - -"Look up," said my Lady Spring, "and rejoice in God's bright sunshine. -Your life is short, so you must enjoy it while you have it." - -The anemones did as she told them. They stretched and strained, and -spread their white petals to all sides, to drink as much sunshine as -they could. They pushed their heads against one another, and twined -their stalks together, and laughed, and were immensely happy. - -"Now I can wait no longer," said the beech, and he burst into leaf. - -Leaf after leaf crept forth from its green sheath and waved in the -wind. The great tree made a green arch, like a mighty roof over the -earth. - -"Dear me, is it already evening?" asked the anemones, who noticed that -it had grown quite dark. - -"No; it is Death," said my Lady Spring. "Now _your_ time is over. It -happens to you just as it happens to all that is best on earth. -Everything in turn must spring to life, and bloom, and die." - -"Die?" cried some little anemones. "Must we die already?" - -And some of the big ones grew quite red in the face in their terror -and vexation. - -"We know what it is," they said. "It is the beech that is the death of -us. He steals the sunshine for his own leaves, and does not allow us a -single ray. He is a mean, wicked thing." - -They stood for some days, grumbling and crying. Then my Lady Spring -came for the last time through the wood. She had still the oak trees -and some other crusty old fellows to attend to. - -"Lie down nicely in the earth and go to sleep," she said to the -anemones. "It is of no use to kick against the pricks. Next year I -will come back and waken you once more to life." - -And some of the anemones did as she told them. But others still -stretched their heads into the air, and grew so ugly and stalky that -it was horrid to see them. - -"Fie for shame!" they cried to the beech leaves. "It is you who are -killing us." - -But the beech shook his long boughs and let his brown husks drop down -to the ground. - -"Wait till the autumn, you little simpletons," he said, laughing. -"Then you shall see." - -The anemones could not understand what he meant. But when they had -stretched themselves till they were as tall as they could be, they -broke off and withered. - - * * * * * - -The summer was over, and the farmer had carried his corn home from the -field. - -The wood was still green, but it was a darker green than before; and -in many places red and yellow leaves glowed among the green ones. The -sun was tired after his hot work in the summer, and went early to bed. - -At night Winter was stealing about among the trees to see if his time -was not soon coming. When he found a flower, he gallantly kissed it, -saying,-- - -"What! are you here still? I am charmed to meet you. Please stay where -you are. I am a good old man, and would not harm a cat." - -But the flower shuddered at his kiss, and the transparent dewdrop that -hung from its petal froze to ice at the instant. - -Again and again Winter ran through the wood. When he breathed on them, -the leaves turned yellow and the earth grew hard. - -Even the anemones, who lay below in the earth waiting till my Lady -Spring should come back as she had promised, they too felt his breath -and shuddered down in their roots. - -"Ugh! how cold it is!" they said to one another. "How shall we stand -the winter? We shall die for a certainty before it is over." - -"Now it's _my_ time," said Winter. "Now I need no longer steal about -like a thief in the night. After to-day I shall look everybody in the -face, and bite their noses, and make their eyes run with water." - -At night he let loose the storm. "Let me see you make a clean sweep," -he said. And the storm obeyed his command. He went howling through the -wood, and shook the branches till they creaked and cracked. Any that -were rotten broke off, and those that held on had to turn and bow this -way and that. - -"Away with that finery!" howled the storm as he tore off the leaves. -"This is not the time to dress yourself up. The snow will soon be -coming on to your branches; that will be quite another story." - -All the leaves fell in terror to the earth, but the storm would not -let them rest. He seized them round the waist and waltzed with them -out over the field, high up into the air, and into the wood again, -swept them into great heaps, and then scattered them in all -directions--just as it pleased him. - -Not till morning came did the storm grow weary and lie down to rest. - -"Now you shall have peace for a time," he said. "I will take a rest -till we have the spring cleaning. Then we can have another turn -together--that is, if there are any of you left by then." - -And the leaves lay down to rest, and spread themselves like a thick -carpet over the whole land. - -The anemones felt that it had become pleasantly warm. - -"Can it be my Lady Spring already?" they asked each other. - -"I haven't got my buds ready," shouted one of them. - -"Nor I! Nor I!" cried the others in one voice. - -But one of them took courage and peeped out over the earth. - -"Good-morning!" cried the withered beech leaves. "It is a little too -early, little lady. I hope you will be none the worse for it." - -"Isn't it my Lady Spring?" inquired the anemone. - -"Not yet," answered the beech leaves. "It is only the green beech -leaves that you were so angry with last summer. The green has gone -from us, so we have no great finery to boast of now. We have enjoyed -our youth and had our fling, I can tell you. And now we lie here and -protect all the little flowers in the earth against the winter." - -"And meanwhile _I_ stand shivering in all my bare boughs," said the -beech peevishly. - -The anemones talked it over one to another down below in the earth, -and thought it was grand. - -"Those grand beech leaves!" they said. - -"Mind you remember this next summer when I burst into leaf," said the -beech. - -"We will! we will!" whispered the anemones. - -But that sort of promise is easily made--and easily broken. - - - - -THE MIST - -[Illustration: THE MIST] - - -The sun had just gone down. - -The frog was croaking his "good-night," which lasted so long that -there seemed no end to it. The bee was creeping into its hive, and -little children were crying because they had to go to bed. The flower -was closing up its petals and bowing its head; the bird was tucking -its bill under its wing; and the stag was laying himself down to rest -in the tall, soft grass in the glade of the wood. - -From the village church the bells were ringing for sunset, and when -that was over the old clerk went home. On his way he had a little chat -or two with the people who were out for an evening stroll, or were -standing before their gate and smoking a pipe till they bade him -good-night and shut the door. - -Then it grew quite quiet, and the darkness fell. There was a light in -the parson's house, and there was one also in the doctor's. But the -farmers' houses were dark, because in summer-time the farmers get up -so early that they must go early to bed. - -And then the stars began to twinkle, and the moon crept higher and -higher up the sky. Down in the village a dog was barking. But it must -have been barking in a dream, for there was nothing to bark at. - -"Is there anybody there?" asked the mist. - -But nobody answered, for nobody was there. So the mist issued forth in -her bright, airy robes. She went dancing over the meadows, up and -down, to and fro. Then she lay quite still for a moment, and then she -took to dancing again. Out over the lake she skipped and deep into the -wood, where she threw her long, damp arms round the trunks of the -trees. - -"Who are you, my friend?" asked the night-violet,[A] who stood there -giving forth fragrance just to please herself. - -[Footnote A: An inconspicuous flower which in Denmark is very fragrant -in the evening, the "night-smelling rocket" (_Hesperis tristis_).] - -The mist did not answer, but went on dancing. - -"I asked you who you were," said the night-violet. "And as you don't -answer me, I conclude that you are a rude person." - -"I will now conclude _you_," said the mist. And then she spread -herself round the night-violet, so that her petals were dashed with -wet. - -"Oh, oh!" cried the night-violet. "Keep your fingers to yourself, my -friend. I have a feeling as if I had been dipped in the pond. You have -no reason for getting so angry just because I asked you who you are." - -The mist let go of her again. - -"Who am I?" she said. "You could not understand even if I told you." - -"Try," said the night-violet. - -"I am the dewdrop on the flower, the cloud in the sky, and the mist on -the meadow," said the mist. - -"I beg your pardon," said the night-violet. "Would you mind saying -that again? The dewdrop I know. It settles every morning on my leaves, -and I don't think it is at all like you." - -"No; but it is I all the same," said the mist mournfully. "But no one -knows me. I must live my life under many shapes. One time I am dew, -and another time I am rain; and yet another time I babble as a clear, -cool streamlet through the wood. But when I dance on the meadows in -the evening, men say that it is the marsh-lady brewing." - -"It is a strange story," said the night-violet. "Do you mind telling -it to me? The night is long, and I sometimes get a little bored by -it."' - -"It is a sad story," answered the mist. "But you may have it and -welcome." - -But when she was about to lie down the night-violet shook with terror -in all her petals. - -"Be so kind as to keep at a little distance," she said, "at least till -you have properly introduced yourself. I have never cared to be on -familiar terms with people I don't know." - -So the mist lay down a little way off and began her story:-- - -"I was born deep down in the earth--far deeper than your roots go. -There I and my sisters--for we are a large family, you must -understand--came into the world as waves of a hidden spring, pure and -clear as crystal; and for a long time we had to stay in our -hiding-place. But one day we suddenly leapt from a hillside into the -full light of the sun. You can well imagine how delightful it was to -come tumbling down through the wood. We hopped over stones and rippled -against the bank. Pretty little fishes gambolled amongst us, and the -trees bent over so that their beautiful green was reflected in our -waters. If a leaf fell, we cradled it and fondled it and carried it -out with us into the wide world. Ah, that was delightful! It was -indeed the happiest time of my life." - -"But when are you going to tell me how you came to turn into mist?" -asked the night-violet impatiently. "I know all about the underground -spring. When the air is quite still, I can hear it murmur from where -I stand." - -The mist lifted herself a little and took a turn round the meadow. -Then she came back, and went on with her story:-- - -"It is the worst of this world that one is never contented with what -one has. So it was with us. We kept running on and on, till at last we -ran into a great lake, where water-lilies rocked on the water and -dragon-flies hummed on their great stiff wings. Up on the surface the -lake was clear as a mirror. But whether we wished it or not, we had to -run right down by the bottom, where it was dark and gruesome. And this -I could not endure. I longed for the sunbeams. I knew them so well -from the time I used to run in the brook. There they used to peep down -through the leaves and pass over me in fleeting gleams. I longed so -much to see them again that I stole up to the surface, and lay down in -the sunshine all amongst the white water-lilies and their great green -leaves. But, ugh! how the sun burnt me there on the lake! It was -scarcely bearable. Bitterly did I regret that I had not stopped down -below." - -[Illustration: THE EVENING HOUR] - -"I can't say this part of your story is very amusing," said the -night-violet. "Isn't the mist soon coming?" - -"Here it is!" said the mist, and dropped down once more on the flower, -so that it nearly had the breath squeezed out of it. - -"Ough! ough!" shrieked the night-violet. "Upon my word, you are the -most ill-natured person I have ever known. Move off, and go on with -your story, since it must be so." - -"In the evening, when the sun had set, I suddenly became wonderfully -light," said the mist. "I don't know how it came about, but I thought -I could rise up from the lake and fly; and before I knew anything -about it, I was drifting over the water, far away from the -dragon-flies and the water-lilies. The evening breeze bore me away. I -flew high up into the air, and there I met many of my sisters, who had -been just as eager for novelty as myself, and had had the same fate. -We drifted across the sky, for, you see, we had become clouds." - -"I am not sure I do see," said the night-violet. "The thing sounds -incredible." - -"But it is true all the same," answered the mist. "And let me tell -you what happened then. The wind carried us for a long way through -the air. But all at once it would not do so any more, and let us -drop. Down we fell on to the earth as a splashing shower of rain. -The flowers all shut up in a hurry, and the birds crept under -cover--except, of course, the ducks and the geese, for, you know, the -wetter it is the more they like it. Yes--and the farmer too! He wanted -rain so much for his crops, he stood there hugely delighted, and did -not in the least mind getting wet. But otherwise we really did make -quite a sensation." - -"Oh! so you are the rain as well?" said the night-violet. "I must say -you have plenty to do." - -"Yes, I'm never idle," said the mist. - -"All the same, I have not yet heard how you became mist," said the -night-violet. "Only, _please_ don't get into a passion again. You know -you promised to tell me without my asking you, and I would sooner -hear the whole story over again than shiver once more in your horrid, -clammy arms." - -The mist lay silent and sobbed for a few moments. Then she went on -with her story:-- - -"After I had fallen on the earth as rain, I sank down into the black -soil, and was already congratulating myself on soon getting back to my -birthplace, the deep underground spring. There, at any rate, one -enjoyed peace and had no cares. But, as I was sinking into the ground, -the tree roots sucked me up, and I had to wander about for a whole day -in the boughs and leaves. They treated me as a beast of burden, I -assure you. All the food that the leaves and flowers needed I had to -carry up to them from the roots. It was not till the evening that I -managed to get away. When the sun had gone down the flowers and trees -all heaved a deep sigh, and I and my sisters flew off in that sigh in -the form of bright airy mists. To-night we dance on the meadow. But -when the sun rises in the morning we shall turn into those pretty -transparent dewdrops which hang from your petals. When you shake us -off we shall sink deeper and deeper till we reach the spring we came -from--that is, if some root or other does not snap us up on the way. -And so the journey goes on. Down the brook, out into the lake, up into -the air, down again to the earth--" - -"Stop!" said the night-violet. "If I listen to you any more, I shall -become quite sea-sick." - -Now the frog began to stir. He stretched his legs, and went down to -the ditch to take his morning bath. The birds began to twitter in the -wood, and the bellow of the stag echoed amongst the trees. It was on -the point of dawn, and here came the sun peeping up over the hill. - -"Hullo, what is that?" he said. "What a strange sight! One can't see -one's hand before one's face. Wind of the morning! up with you, you -sluggard, and drive the foul mists away." - -The morning wind came over the meadow, and away went the mists. And at -the very same moment the first rays of the sun fell right on the -night-violet. - -"Heyday!" said the flower. "We have got the sun already, so I had -better make haste and shut up. Where in the world has the mist gone -to?" - -"I am still here," said the dewdrop that hung on its stalk. - -But the night-violet shook herself peevishly. "You may stuff up -children with that nonsense," she said. "As for me, I don't believe a -word of your whole story. It is as weak as water." - -Then the sun laughed and said, "You are quite right _there_!" - - - - -THE BEECH AND THE OAK - -[Illustration: THE BEECH AND THE OAK] - - -It all happened long, long ago. There were no towns then with houses -and streets, and church steeples domineering over everything. There -were no schools, for there were not many boys, and those that there -were learnt from their father to shoot with the bow and arrow, to hunt -the stag in his covert, to kill the bear in order to make clothes out -of his skin, and to rub two pieces of wood together till they caught -fire. When they knew this perfectly, they had finished their -education. There were no railways either, and no cultivated fields, no -ships on the sea, no books, for there was nobody who could read them. - -There was scarcely anything except trees. But trees there were in -plenty. They stood everywhere from coast to coast; they saw themselves -reflected in all the rivers and lakes, and stretched their mighty -boughs up towards heaven. They leaned out over the shore, dipped their -boughs in the black fen water, and from the high hills looked out -proudly over the land. - -They all knew each other, for they belonged to a great family, and -were proud of it. - -"We are all _oak_ trees," they said. "We own the land, and rule over -it." - -And they were right. There were only a few human beings there in those -days, and those that there were were nothing better than wild animals. -The bear, the wolf, and the fox went out hunting, while the stag -grazed by the edge of the fen. The field-mouse sat outside his hole -and ate acorns, and the beaver built his artistic houses by the river -banks. - -One day the bear came trudging along and lay down at full breadth -under a great oak tree. - -"Are you there again, you robber?" said the oak, and shook a lot of -withered leaves down over him. - -"You should not squander your leaves, my old friend," said the bear, -licking his paws. "That is all the shade you can give against the -sun." - -"If you are not pleased with me, you can go," answered the oak -proudly. "I am lord in the land, and whatever way you look you find my -brothers and nothing else." - -"True," muttered the bear. "That is just what is so sickening. I have -been for a little tour abroad, I may tell you, and am just a little -bit spoilt. It was in a land down towards the south--there I took a -nap under the beech trees. They are tall, slim trees, not crooked old -things like you. And their tops are so dense that the sunbeams cannot -creep through them. It was a real pleasure there to take a midday nap, -I assure you." - -"Beech trees?" said the oak inquisitively. "What are they?" - -"You might well wish you were half as pretty as a beech tree," said -the bear. "But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now. I -have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who struck -me on one of my hind legs with an arrow. Now I should like to have a -sleep, and perhaps you will be kind enough to leave me at peace, since -you cannot give me shade." - -The bear stretched himself out and closed his eyes; but he got no -sleep _that_ time, for the other trees had heard his story, and they -began chattering and talking and rustling their leaves in a way never -known in the wood before. - -"What on earth can those trees be?" said one of them. - -"It is, of course, a mere story; the bear wishes to impose upon us," -said the other. - -"What kind of trees can they be whose leaves sit so close together -that the sunbeams cannot creep between them?" asked a little oak, who -was listening to what the big ones were talking about. - -But by his side stood an old gnarled tree, who gave the little oak a -clout on the head with one of his lowest boughs. - -"Hold your tongue," he said, "and don't talk till you have something -to talk about. You need none of you believe a word of the bear's -nonsense. I am much taller than you, and I can see far out over the -wood. But so far as ever I can see, there is nothing but oak trees." - -The little oak was shamefaced, and held his tongue; and the other big -trees spoke to one another in low whispers, for they had great respect -for the old one. - -But the bear got up and rubbed his eyes. "Now you have disturbed my -midday nap," he growled angrily, "and I declare that I will have my -revenge. When I come back I will bring some beech nuts with me, and I -vow you will all turn yellow with jealousy when you see how pretty the -new trees are." - -Then he made off. But the oaks talked the whole day long one to -another about the funny trees he had told them about. - -"If they come, I will kill them," said the little oak tree, but -directly afterwards he got one on the head from the old oak. - -"If they come, you shall treat them politely, you young dog," said he. -"But they will not come." - - * * * * * - -But in this the old oak was wrong, for they did come. - -Towards autumn the bear came back and lay down under the old oak. - -"My friends down there wish me to present their compliments," he said, -and he picked some funny things out of his shaggy coat. "Here you may -see what I have for you." - -"What is it?" asked the oak. - -"That is _beech_," answered the bear--"the beech nuts which I promised -you." - -Then he trampled them into the ground and prepared to go back. - -"It is a pity I cannot stay and see how angry you will be," he -growled, "but those confounded human beings have begun to press one so -hard. The day before yesterday they killed my wife and one of my -brothers, and I must see about finding a place where I can live in -peace. There is scarcely a spot left where a self-respecting bear can -stay. Good-bye, you old, gnarled oak trees!" - -When the bear had shambled off, the trees looked at one another -anxiously. - -"Let us see what comes of it," said the old oak. - -And after this they composed themselves to rest. The winter came and -tore all their leaves off them, the snow lay high over the whole land, -and every tree stood deep in his own thoughts and dreamt of the -spring. - -And when the spring came the grass stood green, and the birds began -singing where they left off last. The flowers came up in multitudes -from the earth, and everything looked fresh and gay. - -The oak trees alone stood with leafless boughs. - -"It is the most dignified thing to come last!" they said one to -another. "The kings of the wood do not come till the whole company is -assembled." - -But at last they came. All the leaves burst forth from the swollen -buds, and the trees looked at one another and complimented one -another on their beauty. The little oak had grown ever so much. He was -very proud of it, and he thought that he had now the right to join in -the conversation. - -"Nothing has come yet of the bear's beech trees," he said jeeringly, -at the same time glancing anxiously up at the old oak, who used to -give him one on the head. - -The old oak heard what he said very plainly, and the other trees also; -but they said nothing. Not one of them had forgotten what the bear had -told them, and every morning when the sun came out they peeped down to -look for the beeches. They were really a little uneasy, but they were -too proud to talk about it. - -And one day the little shoots did at last burst forth from the earth. -The sun shone on them, and the rain fell on them, so it was not long -before they grew tall. - -"Oh, how pretty they are!" said the great oak, and stooped his crooked -boughs still more, so that they could get a good view of them. - -"You are welcome among us," said the old oak, and graciously inclined -his head to them. "You shall be my foster-children, and be treated -just as well as my own." - -"Thanks," said the little beeches, and they said no more. - -But the little oak could not bear the strange trees. "It is dreadful -the way you shoot up into the air," he said in vexation. "You are -already half as tall as I am. But I beg you to take notice that I am -much older, and of good family besides." - -The beeches laughed with their little, tiny green leaves, but said -nothing. - -"Shall I bend my branches a little aside so that the sun can shine -better on you?" the old tree asked politely. - -"Many thanks," answered the beeches. "We can grow very nicely in the -shade." - -And the whole summer passed by, and another summer after that, and -still more summers. The beeches went on growing, and at last quite -overtopped the little oak. - -"Keep your leaves to yourself," cried the oak; "you overshadow me, and -that is what I can't endure. I must have plenty of sunshine. Take -your leaves away or I perish." - -The beeches only laughed and went on growing. At last they closed -together over the little oak's head, and then he died. - -"That was a horrid thing to do," a great oak called out, and shook his -boughs in terror. - -But the old oak took his foster-children under his protection. - -"It serves him right," he said. "He is paid out for his boasting. I -say it, though he is my own flesh and blood. But now you must behave -yourselves, little beeches, or I will give you a clout on the head." - -Years went by, and the beeches went on growing, and they grew till -they were tall young trees, which reached up among the branches of the -old oak. - -"You begin to be rather pushing," the old tree said. "You should try -to grow a little broader, and stop this shooting up into the air. Just -see where your branches are soaring. Bend them properly, as you see us -do. How will you be able to hold out when a regular storm comes? I -assure you the wind gives one's head a good shaking. My old boughs -have creaked many a time; and what do you think will become of the -flimsy finery that you stick up in the air?" - -[Illustration: IN THE EARLY DAYS] - -"Every one has his own manner of growth, and we have ours," answered -the young beeches. "This is the way it's done where we come from, and -we are perhaps as good as you are." - -"That is not a polite way of speaking to an old tree with moss on his -boughs," said the oak. "I begin to repent that I was so kind to you. -If you have a spark of honourable feeling alive in you, be good enough -to move your leaves a little to one side. There have been scarcely any -buds on my lowest branches this year, you overshadow me so." - -"I don't quite understand how that concerns us," answered the beeches. -"Every one has quite enough to do to look after himself. If he is -equal to his work, and has luck, it turns out well for him; if not, -he must be prepared to go to the wall. That is the way of the world." - -Then the oak's lowest branch died, and he began to be seriously -alarmed. - -"You are pretty things," he said, "if this is the way you reward me -for my hospitality. When you were little I let you grow at my feet, -and sheltered you against the storm. I let the sun shine on you as -much as ever he would, and I treated you as if you were my own -children. And in return for all this you stifle me." - -"Stuff and nonsense!" said the beeches. So they put forth flowers and -fruit, and when the fruit was ripe the wind shook the boughs and -scattered it round far and wide. - -"You are quick people like me," said the wind. "I like you for it, and -am glad to do you a good turn." - -And the fox rolled on the ground at the foot of the beech trees and -got his fur full of the prickly fruits, and ran with them far out into -the country. The bear did the same, and grinned into the bargain at -the old oak while he lay and rested in the shadow of the beeches. The -field-mouse was beside himself with joy over his new food, and thought -that beech nuts tasted much nicer than acorns. All around new little -beech trees shot up, which grew just as fast as their parents, and -looked as green and as happy as if they did not know what an uneasy -conscience was. - -But the old oak gazed sadly out over the wood. The light-green beech -leaves were peeping out everywhere, and the oaks were sighing and -bewailing their distress to one another. - -"They are taking our strength out of us," they said, and shook as much -as the beeches around would let them. "The land is ours no longer." - -One bough died after another, and the storm broke them off and cast -them on the ground. The old oak had now only a few leaves left at the -very top. - -"The end is near," he said gravely. - -By this time there were many more human beings in the land than there -were before, and they made haste to hew down the oaks while there were -still some remaining. - -"Oak timber is better than beech timber," they said. - -"At last we get a little appreciation," said the old oak, "but we have -to pay for it with our lives." - -Then he said to the beech trees,-- - -"What was I thinking of when I helped you on in your young days? What -an old stupid I was! Before that, we oak trees were lords in the land; -and now every year I see my brothers around me perishing in the fight -against you. It will soon be all over with me, and not one of my -acorns has sprouted under your shade. But before I die I should like -to know the name you give to such conduct." - -"That will not take long to say, old friend," answered the beeches. -"We call it _competition_, and that is not any discovery of our own. -It is competition which rules the world." - -"I do not know these foreign words of yours," said the oak. "I call it -mean ingratitude." And then he died. - - - - -The Dragon-Fly and the Water-lily - -[Illustration: The Dragon-Fly: and the Water-lily:] - - -In among the green bushes and trees ran the brook. Tall, -straight-growing rushes stood along its banks, and whispered to the -wind. Out in the middle of the water floated the water-lily, with its -white flower and its broad green leaves. - -Generally it was quite calm on the brook. But when, now and again, it -chanced that the wind took a little turn over it, there was a rustle -in the rushes, and the water-lily sometimes ducked completely under -the waves. Then its leaves were lifted up in the air and stood on -their edges, so that the thick green stalks that came up from the very -bottom of the stream found that it was all they could do to hold -fast. - -All day long the larva of the dragon-fly was crawling up and down the -water-lily's stalk. - -"Dear me, how stupid it must be to be a water-lily!" it said, and -peeped up at the flower. - -"You chatter as a person of your small mind might be expected to do," -answered the water-lily. "It is just the very nicest thing there is." - -"I don't understand that," said the larva. "I should like at this -moment to tear myself away, and fly about in the air like the big, -beautiful dragon-flies." - -"Pooh!" said the water-lily. "That would be a funny kind of pleasure. -No; to lie still on the water and dream, to bask in the sun, and now -and then to be rocked up and down by the waves--there's some sense in -_that_!" - -The larva sat thinking for a minute or two. - -"I have a longing for something greater," it said at last. "If I had -my will, I would be a dragon-fly. I would fly on strong, stiff wings -along the stream, kiss your white flower, rest a moment on your -leaves, and then fly on." - -"You are ambitious," answered the water-lily, "and that is stupid of -you. One knows what one has, but one does not know what one may get. -May I, by the way, make so bold as to ask you how you would set about -becoming a dragon-fly? You don't look as if that was what you were -born for. In any case you will have to grow a little prettier, you -gray, ugly thing." - -"Yes, that is the worst part of it," the larva answered sadly. "I -don't know myself how it will come about, but I hope it _will_ come -about some time or other. That is why I crawl about down here and eat -all the little creatures I can get hold of." - -"Then you think you can attain to something great _by feeding_!" the -water-lily said, with a laugh. "That would be a funny way of getting -up in the world." - -"Yes; but I believe it is the right way for me!" cried the dragon-fly -grub earnestly. - -"All day long I go on eating till I get fat and big; and one fine day, -as I think, all my fat will turn into wings with gold on them, and -everything else that belongs to a proper dragon-fly!" - -The water-lily shook its clever white head. - -"Put away your silly thoughts," it said, "and be content with your -lot. You can knock about undisturbed down here among my leaves, and -crawl up and down the stalk to your heart's desire. You have -everything that you need, and no cares or worries--what more do you -want?" - -"You are of a low nature," answered the larva, "and therefore you have -no sense of higher things. In spite of what you say, I wish to become -a dragon-fly." And then it crawled right down to the bottom of the -water to catch more creatures and stuff itself still bigger. - -But the water-lily lay quietly on the water and thought things over. - -"I can't understand these animals," it said to itself. "They knock -about from morning till night, chase one another and eat one another, -and are never at peace. We flowers have more sense. Peacefully and -quietly we grow up side by side, bask in the sunshine, and drink the -rain, and take everything as it comes. And I am the luckiest of them -all. Many a time have I been floating happily out here on the water, -while the other flowers there on dry land were tormented with drought. -The flowers' lot is the best; but naturally the stupid animals can't -see it." - -When the sun went down the dragon-fly larva was sitting on the stalk, -saying nothing, with its legs drawn up under it. It had eaten ever so -many little creatures, and was so big that it had a feeling as if it -would burst. But all the same it was not altogether happy. It was -speculating on what the water-lily had said, and it could hardly get -to sleep the whole night long on account of its unquiet thoughts. All -this speculating gave it a headache, for it was work which it was not -used to. It had a back-ache too, and a stomach-ache. It felt just as -though it was going to break in pieces, and die on the spot. - -When the sky began to grow gray in the early morning it could hold out -no longer. - -"I can't make it out," it said in despair. "I am tormented and -worried, and I don't know what will be the end of it. Perhaps the -water-lily is right, and I shall never be anything else but a poor, -miserable larva. But that is a fearful thing to think of. I did so -long to become a dragon-fly and fly about in the sun. Oh, my back! my -back! I do believe I am dying!" - -It had a feeling as if its back was splitting, and it shrieked with -pain. At that moment there was a rustle among the rushes on the bank -of the stream. - -"That's the morning breeze," thought the larva; "I shall at least see -the sun when I die." And with great trouble it crawled up one of the -leaves of the water-lily, stretched out its legs, and made ready to -die. - -But when the sun rose, like a red ball, in the east, suddenly it felt -a hole in the middle of its back. It had a creepy, tickling feeling, -and then a feeling of tightness and oppression. Oh, it was torture -without end! - -Being bewildered, it closed its eyes; but it still felt as though it -were being squeezed and crushed. At last it suddenly noticed that it -was free; and when it opened its eyes it was floating through the air -on stiff, shining wings, a beautiful dragon-fly. Down on the leaf of -the water-lily lay its ugly gray larva case. - -"Hurrah!" cried the new dragon-fly. "So I have got my darling wish -fulfilled!" and it started off at once through the air at such a rate -that you would think it had to fly to the ends of the earth. - -"The creature has got its desire at any rate," thought the water-lily. -"Let us see if it will be any the happier for it." - - * * * * * - -Two days later the dragon-fly came flying back, and seated itself on -the flower of the water-lily. - -"Oh, good-morning," said the water-lily. "Do I see you once more? I -thought you had grown too fine to greet your old friends." - -"Good-day," said the dragon-fly. "Where shall I lay my eggs?" - -"Oh, you are sure to find some place," answered the flower. "Sit down -for a bit, and tell me if you are any happier now than when you were -crawling up and down my stalk, a little ugly larva." - -"Where shall I lay my eggs? Where shall I lay my eggs?" screamed the -dragon-fly, and flew humming around from place to place, laid one here -and one there, and finally seated itself, tired and weary, on one of -the leaves. - -"Well?" said the water-lily. - -"Oh, it was better in the old days--much better," sighed the -dragon-fly. "The sunshine is really delightful, and it is a real -pleasure to fly over the water; but I have no time to enjoy it. I have -been so terribly busy, I tell you. In the old days I had nothing to -think about; now I have to fly about all day long to get my silly eggs -disposed of. I haven't a moment free. I have scarcely time to eat." - -"Didn't I tell you so?" cried the water-lily in triumph. "Didn't I -prophesy that your happiness would be hollow?" - -"Good-bye," sighed the dragon-fly. "I have not time to listen to your -disagreeable remarks. I must lay some more eggs." - -But just as it was about to fly off the starling came. - -"What a pretty little dragon-fly!" it said; "it will be a delightful -tit-bit for my little ones." - -Snap! it killed the dragon-fly with its bill, and flew off with it. - -"What a shocking thing!" cried the water-lily, as its leaves shook -with terror. "Those animals! those animals! They are funny creatures. -I do indeed value my quiet, peaceful life. I harm nobody, and nobody -wants to pick a quarrel with me. I am very luck--" - -It did not finish what it was saying, for at that instant a boat came -gliding close by. - -"What a pretty little water-lily!" cried Ellen, who sat in the boat. -"I will have it!" - -She leant over the gunwale and wrenched off the flower. When she had -got home she put it in a glass of water, and there it stood for three -days among a whole company of other flowers. - -"I can't make it out," it said on the morning of the fourth day. "I -have not come off a bit better than that miserable dragon-fly." - -"The flowers are now withered," said Ellen, and she threw them out of -the window. - -So there lay the water-lily with its fine white petals on the dirty -ground. - -[Illustration: THE DRAGONFLY AND THE WATERLILY] - - - - -The Weeds - -[Illustration: The Weeds] - - -It was a beautiful, fruitful season. Rain and sunshine came by turns -just as it was best for the corn. As soon as ever the farmer began to -think that things were rather dry, you might depend upon it that next -day it would rain. And when he thought that he had had rain enough, -the clouds broke at once, just as if they were under his command. - -So the farmer was in a good humour, and he did not grumble as he -usually does. He looked pleased and cheerful as he walked over the -field with his two boys. - -"It will be a splendid harvest this year," he said. "I shall have my -barns full, and shall make a pretty penny. And then Jack and Will -shall have some new trousers, and I'll let them come with me to -market." - -"If you don't cut me soon, farmer, I shall sprawl on the ground," said -the rye, and she bowed her heavy ear quite down towards the earth. - -The farmer could not hear her talking, but he could see what was in -her mind, and so he went home to fetch his scythe. - -"It is a good thing to be in the service of man," said the rye. "I can -be quite sure that all my grain will be well cared for. Most of it -will go to the mill: not that that proceeding is so very enjoyable, -but in that way it will be made into beautiful new bread, and one must -put up with something for the sake of honour. The rest the farmer will -save, and sow next year in his field." - -At the side of the field, along the hedge, and the bank above the -ditch, stood the weeds. There were dense clumps of them--thistle and -burdock, poppy and harebell, and dandelion; and all their heads were -full of seed. It had been a fruitful year for them also, for the sun -shines and the rain falls just as much on the poor weed as on the rich -corn. - -"No one comes and mows _us_ down and carries us to a barn," said the -dandelion, and he shook his head, but very cautiously, so that the -seeds should not fall before their time. "But what will become of all -our children?" - -"It gives me a headache to think about it," said the poppy. "Here I -stand with hundreds and hundreds of seeds in my head, and I haven't -the faintest idea where I shall drop them." - -"Let us ask the rye to advise us," answered the burdock. - -And so they asked the rye what they should do. - -"When one is well off, one had better not meddle with other people's -business," answered the rye. "I will only give you one piece of -advice: take care you don't throw your stupid seed on to the field, -for then you will have to settle accounts with _me_." - -This advice did not help the wild flowers at all, and the whole day -they stood pondering what they should do. When the sun set they shut -up their petals and went to sleep; but the whole night through they -were dreaming about their seed, and next morning they had found a -plan. - -The poppy was the first to wake. She cautiously opened some little -trap-doors at the top of her head, so that the sun could shine right -in on the seeds. Then she called to the morning breeze, who was -running and playing along the hedge. - -"Little breeze," she said, in friendly tones, "will you do me a -service?" - -"Yes, indeed," said the breeze. "I shall be glad to have something to -do." - -"It is the merest trifle," said the poppy. "All I want of you is to -give a good shake to my stalk, so that my seeds may fly out of the -trap-doors." - -"All right," said the breeze. - -And the seeds flew out in all directions. The stalk snapped, it is -true; but the poppy did not mind about that, for when one has -provided for one's children, one has really nothing more to do in the -world. - -[Illustration: THE FARMER AND HIS BOYS] - -"Good-bye," said the breeze, and would have run on farther. - -"Wait a moment," said the poppy. "Promise me first that you will not -tell the others, else they might get hold of the same idea, and then -there would be less room for my seeds." - -"I am mute as the grave," answered the breeze, running off. - -"Ho! ho!" said the harebell. "Haven't you time to do me a little, tiny -service?" - -"Well," said the breeze, "what is it?" - -"I merely wanted to ask you to give me a little shake," said the -harebell. "I have opened some trap-doors in my head, and I should like -to have my seed sent a good way off into the world. But you mustn't -tell the others, or else they might think of doing the same thing." - -"Oh! of course not," said the breeze, laughing. "I shall be as dumb as -a stone wall." And then she gave the flower a good shake and went on -her way. - -"Little breeze, little breeze," called the dandelion, "whither away so -fast?" - -"Is there anything the matter with you too?" asked the breeze. - -"Nothing at all," answered the dandelion. "Only I should like a few -words with you." - -"Be quick then," said the breeze, "for I am thinking seriously of -lying down and having a rest." - -"You cannot help seeing," said the dandelion, "what a fix we are in -this year to get all our seeds put out in the world; for, of course, -one wishes to do what one can for one's children. What is to happen to -the harebell and the poppy and the poor burdock I really don't know. -But the thistle and I have put our heads together, and we have hit on -a plan. Only we must have you to help us." - -"That makes _four_ of them," thought the breeze, and could not help -laughing out loud. - -"What are you laughing at?" asked the dandelion. "I saw you whispering -just now to the harebell and poppy; but if you breathe a word to them, -I won't tell you anything." - -"Why, of course not," said the breeze. "I am mute as a fish. What is -it you want?" - -"We have set up a pretty little umbrella on the top of our seeds. It -is the sweetest little plaything imaginable. If you will only blow a -little on me, the seeds will fly into the air and fall down wherever -you please. Will you do so?" - -"Certainly," said the breeze. - -And ush! it went over the thistle and the dandelion and carried all -the seeds with it into the cornfield. - -The burdock still stood and pondered. Its head was rather thick, and -that was why it waited so long. But in the evening a hare leapt over -the hedge. - -"Hide me! Save me!" he cried. "The farmer's dog Trusty is after me." - -"You can creep behind the hedge," said the burdock, "then I will hide -you." - -"You don't look to me much good for that job," said the hare, "but in -time of need one must help oneself as one can." And so he got in -safety behind the hedge. - -"Now you may repay me by taking some of my seeds with you over into -the cornfield," said the burdock; and it broke off some of its many -heads and fixed them on the hare. - -A little later Trusty came trotting up to the hedge. - -"Here's the dog," whispered the burdock, and with one spring the hare -leapt over the hedge and into the rye. - -"Haven't you seen the hare, burdock?" asked Trusty. "I see I have got -too old to go hunting. I am quite blind in one eye, and I have -completely lost my scent." - -"Yes, I have seen him," answered the burdock; "and if you will do me a -service, I will show you where he is." - -Trusty agreed, and the burdock fastened some heads on his back, and -said to him,-- - -"If you will only rub yourself against the stile there in the -cornfield, my seeds will fall off. But you must not look for the hare -there, for a little while ago I saw him run into the wood." - -Trusty dropped the burs on the field and trotted to the wood. - -"Well, I've got _my_ seeds put out in the world all right," said the -burdock, and laughed as if much pleased with itself; "but it is -impossible to say what will become of the thistle and the dandelion, -and the harebell and the poppy." - - * * * * * - -Spring had come round once more, and the rye stood high already. - -"We are pretty well off on the whole," said the rye plants. "Here we -stand in a great company, and not one of us but belongs to our own -noble family. And we don't get in each other's way in the very least. -It is a grand thing to be in the service of man." - -But one fine day a crowd of little poppies, and thistles and -dandelions, and burdocks and harebells poked up their heads above -ground, all amongst the flourishing rye. - -"What does _this_ mean?" asked the rye. "Where in the world are _you_ -sprung from?" - -And the poppy looked at the harebell and asked, "Where do _you_ come -from?" - -And the thistle looked at the burdock and asked, "Where in the world -have _you_ come from?" - -They were all equally astonished, and it was an hour before they had -explained. But the rye was the angriest, and when she had heard all -about Trusty and the hare and the breeze she grew quite wild. - -"Thank heaven, the farmer shot the hare last autumn," she said; "and -Trusty, fortunately, is also dead, the old scamp. So I am at peace, as -far as _they_ are concerned. But how dare the breeze promise to drop -the seeds of the weeds in the farmer's cornfield?" - -"Don't be in such a passion, you green rye," said the breeze, who had -been lying behind the hedge and hearing everything. "I ask no one's -permission, but do as I like; and now I'm going to make you bow to -me." - -Then she passed over the young rye, and the thin blades swayed -backwards and forwards. - -"You see," she said, "the farmer attends to his rye, because that is -_his_ business. But the rain and the sun and I--we attend to all of -you without respect of persons. To our eyes the poor weed is just as -pretty as the rich corn." - -The farmer now came out to look at his rye, and when he saw the weeds -in the cornfield he scratched his head with vexation and began to -growl. - -"It's that scurvy wind that's done this," he said to Jack and Will, as -they stood by his side with their hands in the pockets of their new -trousers. - -But the breeze flew towards them and knocked all their caps off their -heads, and rolled them far away to the road. The farmer and the two -boys ran after them, but the wind ran faster than they did. - -It finished up by rolling the caps into the village pond, and the -farmer and the boys had to stand a long time fishing for them before -they got them out. - -[Illustration: PREPARING for FLIGHT] - - - - -The Sparrow - -[Illustration: THE SPARROW] - - -The swallow was in a bad temper. He sat on the roof close by the -starlings' box and drooped his bill. - -"There is not a fly left to chase," he whined piteously. "They are all -gone, and I am _so_ hungry--_so_ hungry!" - -"This morning I could not get a single worm," said the starling, and -shook his head wisely. - -The stork came strutting along, and stood on one leg in the ploughed -field just outside the garden, and looked most melancholy. - -"I suppose none of you have seen a frog?" he asked. "There isn't one -down in the marsh, and I have not had any breakfast to-day." - -Then the thrush flew up and perched on the roof of the starlings' box. - -"How crestfallen you all are," he said. "What is the matter with you?" - -"Ah," answered the starling, "there's nothing else the matter, only -the leaves are beginning to fall off the trees, and the butterflies -and flies and worms are all eaten up." - -"Yes, that is bad for you," said the thrush. - -"Well, isn't it just as bad for you, you conceited creature?" said the -swallow. - -But the thrush piped gaily and shook his head. - -"Not quite," he said. "I have always the fir trees, which don't lose -their leaves; and I can live very many weeks yet on all the delicious -berries in the wood." - -"Let us stop squabbling," said the stork. "We had better consider -together what we are to do." - -"We can soon agree about that," answered the starling, "for we have no -choice. We must _travel_. All my little ones can fly quite well now; -we have been drilling every morning down in the meadow. I have already -warned them that we shall be starting off one of these days." - -The other birds thought this very sensible--all except the thrush, who -thought there was no hurry. So they agreed to collect next day down in -the meadow, and hold a grand review of the party that was to travel. - -They flew off, each to his own quarters; but up under the roof sat the -sparrow, who had heard all they had been saying. - -"Ah, if only I could travel with them!" he said to himself. "I should -so like to see foreign lands. My neighbour the swallow has told me how -delightful it is. Such a lot of flies and cherries and corn, and it's -so delightfully warm. But no one asks _me_ to fly with him. I am only -a poor sparrow, and the others are birds of wealth and position." - -He sat thinking it all over for a long time, and the more he thought -the sadder he became. When the swallow came home in the evening, the -sparrow asked if he could not get him leave to travel with them. - -"You? You want to go with us?" asked the swallow, laughing at him -scornfully. "You would soon be sick of it. It means flying, flying -over land and sea, over hill and dale. Many and many a mile we fly in -one journey without a rest. How do you imagine your short wings are -going to support you so long as that?" - -"Oh, but I should so like to go with you," the sparrow pleaded. -"Couldn't you get leave for me to fly with the rest? I have such a -longing for it. I _must_ go with you." - -"I believe you are mad," said the swallow. "You forget who you are." - -"Oh no," said the sparrow. - -But the swallow took it upon him to instruct him about his position in -society. - -"Don't you see," he said, "the rich merchant who lived here in the -country during the summer has now moved into town, and the baron who -lives on Tower Island has done the same? The painter who was staying -out here is also by this time in Copenhagen; and they won't come out -here again till next spring. We birds of high station act in the same -way. As soon as ever we smell winter, we make our way to lands where -life is more enjoyable--to the warm south. But you poor wretches must -of course stay at home and suffer. That is how things are arranged in -this world. It is just the same with day labourers, and cottagers, and -other poor folks." - -The sparrow said nothing to this long speech; but when the swallow -dropped asleep in his nest, _he_ lay awake and wept over his hard -fate. He had still not quite given up hope of going with them all the -same. - -Next day the birds came flying from all directions, and settled down -in the meadow. There were starlings and storks and swallows, besides -many little singing-birds. But neither the cuckoo nor the nightingale -was there, for they had left long ago. "Fall in!" commanded an old -stork. He had been ten times in Egypt, and was therefore reckoned the -wisest of them all. - -All the birds lined up, and then the oldest and most experienced went -round and saw if they had their travelling equipment in order. All -those who had their wings rumpled, or had lost some of their -tail-feathers, or did not look strong and well, were dismissed or -chased away. If they did not obey commands at once, they were beaten -to death without mercy. - -You may be sure there was a great disturbance when they discovered the -sparrow, who had flown up without being noticed, and had planted -himself in the ranks with the others. - -"A creature like that!" the starling called out. "_He_ wants to go -too!" - -"Such a pair of wings!" said the swallow. "He thinks that with them he -can fly to Italy!" - -And all the birds of passage began to scream at once and laugh at the -poor sparrow, who sat quite terrified in the midst of them. - -"I know quite well," he said humbly, "that I am only a poor little -sparrow. But I should so like to see the warm, pleasant lands you are -going to. Try to take me with you. I will use my wings as well as -ever I can. I implore you to let me come!" - -"He has some cheek, hasn't he?" said the old stork. "But he shall be -allowed to keep his miserable life. Chase him away at once, and then -let us be off!" - -So the birds chased the sparrow away, and he hid his miserable self -under the eaves. - -When the review was over, the birds of passage began to make off. -Company after company, they flew away through the air, whilst the -sparrow peered out from under the eaves and gazed sadly after them. - -"Now they have all gone," he said. "No one but me is left behind." - -"Me too!" screamed the crow. - -"And me," said the chaffinch. - -"And me too, if you please," peeped the tomtit. - -"Yes," said the sparrow, "that is how it is. It is just as the swallow -says--all we _poor_ birds must stay here and suffer." - - * * * * * - -The winter had come. Over all the fields lay the snow, and there was -ice on the water. All the leaves lay dead and shrivelled on the -ground; and there were no flowers, except here and there a poor frozen -daisy, which stood gleaming white among the yellow grass. - -And the flies and the gnats, and the butterflies and the cockchafers -were dead. The snake lay torpid, and so did the lizard. The frog had -gone into his winter quarters at the bottom of the pond, sitting deep -in the mud, with only his nose sticking up into the air. And that was -how he intended to sit the whole winter through. - -The birds who had remained behind had not, after all, such a very bad -time of it. The crows held great gatherings every evening in the wood, -and screamed and chattered so loudly one could hear them ever so far -away. The chaffinch and the tomtit hopped about cheerfully enough in -the bushes, and picked up what they could find. The sparrow alone was -always out of sorts. He sat on the ridge of the roof and hunched -himself up, but the whole time he was thinking about the birds of -passage. - -"They are there by this time," he said to himself. "Here we have ice -and snow; but down south, in the pleasant, warm countries, they have -endless summer. Here I have a job to find even some dry bread; but -_there_ they have more than they can manage to eat. Ah, if one only -had gone with them!" - -"Come down and join us," called the chaffinch and the tomtit. - -But the sparrow shook his head, and remained sitting on the ridge of -the roof. - -"I am consumed with longing, I can't endure it!" he screamed, and he -took a long flight to cool his blood. - -But it was of no use. Wherever he came, it seemed to him that -everything was so wretched and bare. - -Out in the field the lark was flying up to the sky and singing its -trills. - -"Good-morning, sparrow," it twittered. "I am glad to see that you have -not gone away. I am also staying on, as long as I can stand it. It is -so delightful at home here, even in winter. Only see how the trees -have decked themselves out with hoarfrost, how the ice glistens, and -how gleaming white the snow is!" - -"It is miserable," said the sparrow. "Poverty and want everywhere." - -But the lark did not hear a word of what he said; he flew on his way, -singing joyously. - -"Craw!" screamed the black jackdaws. "The winter is not so bad after -all." And then they walked proudly round the field and looked about on -all sides, for they knew that they cut a fine figure against the white -snow. - -"The winter is really quite peaceful," said the field-mouse, as he -stuck his nose out of his hole. "If only it doesn't stay too long, the -food will last. I filled my pantry well last summer, and as long as -one has food one can always keep warm." - -The sparrow heard it all, but it did not do him a bit of good. - -"They seem to be contented enough with their lot," he said to himself, -"and I suppose it is all right for them. But this miserable life of -mine does not satisfy _me_!" - -So he flew home in the sulks, and settled himself again on the ridge -of the roof. - -"Oh, I know what I will do," he cried suddenly. "I will creep into the -swallow's nest and sleep there to-night, then I can dream that I am a -swallow." - -And he did so, and dreamt all night that he was flying over hill and -dale, over land and sea, all the way to Italy. He thought he was so -light, so free, and his wings carried him as straight as an arrow -through the air. It was the most delightful dream he had ever had. - -After this he crept every evening into the swallow's nest, and lay -there till ever so late in the morning. When he came out, he sat -crunched up on the ridge of the roof or in the bare lime tree. If the -gardener's wife had not thrown out some crumbs to him now and then, he -would certainly have starved to death. For he didn't care a rap about -anything; he merely longed for the evening to come, so that he could -dream again. Every evening he dreamt the same thing, but he never -grew tired of it. - -"This is nearly as good as actually going with them," he thought. "If -only I could dream in the daytime in the same way." - -But in time his head got quite muddled, and he paid no attention to -anything. - -Little by little the winter was slipping away, and now it was gone -altogether. The days grew longer, and there was more warmth in the -sunshine. - -"What! are you still here?" said the sun. And he stared so hard at the -snow that at last it grew quite bashful, and melted away and sank into -the earth. - -"Wait a moment," said the cloud to the sun; "we must have a thorough -cleaning before your turn comes." - -So it fell like a sousing rain on the earth, washing the leaves of the -trees and bushes, and collecting into quite a little lake on the ice. - -"Now I am coming! now I am coming!" said the real lake, which lay -below, under the ice. - -It heaved its breast, and with a great sigh the roof of ice burst, -and all the little scales began hopping and dancing like boys who have -escaped from school. - -Then the sun broke out from the cloud, and a thousand little green -shoots peeped up from the earth. - -"Lend me your wings," said the winter to the storm; "I must be off." - -And away it flew to the cold lands right away in the north, where -there is winter always. - -At last a message came from my Lady Spring that now they might expect -her any day. - -The only person who saw nothing of what was going on was the sparrow. -The whole day he lay there in the swallow's nest, only flying out for -a quarter of an hour to take a little bit of food. He hadn't the least -idea that it was now going to be summer again. He had grown quite -silly, and imagined that he was the swallow. - -But one day the swallow came back. - -"Chee! chee!" he peeped; "is everything in order to receive us?" - -This is what he wished first of all to see about, and so he flew all -day long over cornfield and meadow. - -"There are not many gnats here yet, but they may still come," he said -in the evening when he came home. - -Then he peeped into the starlings' box to say "How-do" to his -neighbours; but it chanced that at the moment there was no one at -home, so he got ready to go to bed. - -But when he was going to creep into his nest he noticed there was -somebody there already. - -"What's this?" he said. "Who has taken the liberty to borrow my nest?" - -"It is not yours," said the sparrow, who was lying there. "_I_ am the -swallow, and I have just come home from Africa. You may take my word -for it, it was delightful there. I have heaps of things to tell you." - -The swallow sat for a moment quite speechless. Then he screamed out in -a furious passion,-- - -"You may take my word for it, I shall have something to say to _you_, -you wretched sparrow! I might have guessed it was you who had the -impudence to steal my nest. I noticed you were a little cracked even -last year. Now, look sharp and come out of that. _At once_, I say!" - -But it was no good the swallow's screaming and threatening. The -sparrow was quite sure that he was in the right. He went on telling -the swallow how he had just come home from Africa, and was so tired he -really must have a quiet time to sleep. - -"I will have my revenge," said the swallow as he flew away. - -And there in the nest the sparrow lay asleep, dreaming of the warm, -delightful land with all the gnats and flies and cherries. - -He was still lying fast asleep when, in the middle of the night, the -swallow came back. He had filled his broad bill with mud, and quite -quietly began to wall up the hole into the nest. To and fro he flew -the whole night long, and by the time the sun rose the hole was quite -closed up. - -"Now he's happy," thought the swallow, as he began to build himself a -new nest. - -Three days later the swallow and the starling met in the meadow. They -said, "How do you do?" and told each other all they had gone through -since they last saw one another. - -"The most remarkable thing comes last," said the swallow. "Just fancy! -When I came home I found the sparrow had taken my nest, and I could -not get him to come out." - -"Well, I never!" cried the starling. "What on earth did you do to -him?" - -"Come and see," answered the swallow. - -They both flew off to the nest, and the swallow told him how he had -taken his revenge. Then they pecked a hole with their bills, and out -fell the poor sparrow to the ground quite dead. - -"It serves him right," said the swallow. - -And the starling nodded, for he thought so too. - -But the chaffinch and the tomtit stood below on the ground and gazed -at the dead bird. - -"Poor sparrow!" said the chaffinch. "I am sorry for him." - -"He couldn't expect a better fate," said the tomtit. "He was -ambitious; and that is what one has no right to be when one is only a -sparrow." - -[Illustration: THE END] - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE QUEEN BEE AND OTHER NATURE -STORIES*** - - -******* This file should be named 40553.txt or 40553.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/0/5/5/40553 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. 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