Part 8 (1/2)
”What are you thinking about,his soft, honey-colored hair
”The blackberry-bush,to me behind the fence; what does it say, mamma?”
”It says,” she answered, 'I see a happy little boy in the warhted room The wind blows cold, and here it is dark and lonely; but that little boy is warm and happy and safe at his mother's knees I nod to him, and he looks at me I wonder if he kno happy he is!
”'See, all my leaves are dark crimson Every day they dry and wither more andto my branches, and the north ill tear them all away, and nobody will remember them any more Then the snoill sink down and wrap ain and icy rain will clothe s up and down
”'I nod o by; but in the happy house, so warht, the little boy plays all day with books and toys His mother and his father cherish hiht, while they read to his to him,--the happy little boy! And outside I peep over the snow and see a streaht from a crack in the -shutter, and I nod out here alone in the dark, thinking how beautiful it is
”'And here I wait patiently I take the snow and the rain and the cold, and I alad; for in reenness and beauty is shut up safe in ain; little by little the snow rows soft; the sky is blue; the little birds fly over crying, ”It is spring! it is spring!” Ah!
then through all row the sunbearass creep thick aboutbuds More and reen dress, and nod in joy and pride The little boy co to look at me, and cries, ”Oh, reen Oh, come and see!” And I hear; and I bow row more beautiful, till at last I shake out blossorant
”'A few days rass, and, lo! the green tiny berries! Carefully I hold thehts; slowly they ripen; they grow larger and redder and darker, and at last they are black, shi+ning, delicious I hold the out He shouts with joy, and gathers them in his dear hand; and he runs to share the, ”Here is what the patient blackberry-bush bore for us: see how nice, lad, and would say, if I could, ”Yes, take the up to sun and rain to make them sweet and ripe for you;” and I nod and nod in full content, for my work is done From the atches me and thinks, ”There is the little blackberry-bush that was so kind to me I see it and I love it I know it is safe out there nodding all alone, and next suain”'”
Then the wee boy smiled, and liked the little story His mother took him up in her arms, and they went out to supper and left the blackberry-bush nodding up and down in the wind; and there it is nodding yet
THE FAIRIES[1]
[1] By Willialen, We daren't go a-hunting For fear of little ether; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl's feather!
Down along the rocky shore Some make their home-- They live on crispy pancakes Of yellow tide-foas for their watch-dogs, All night awake
High on the hilltop The old King sits; He is now so old and gray, He's nigh lost his wits
With a bridge of white mist Coluue to Rosses; Or going up with ay Northern Lights
They stole little Bridget For seven years long; When she caone
They took her lightly back, Between the night and ht that she was fast asleep, But she was dead with sorrow
They have kept her ever since Deep within the lake, On a bed of flag-leaves, Watching till she wake
By the craggy hillside, Through the mosses bare, They have planted thorn-trees, For pleasure here and there
Is anythem up in spite, He shall find their sharpest thorns In his bed at night
Up the airyFor fear of little ether; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl's feather!
THE ADVENTURES OF THE LITTLE FIELD MOUSE
Once upon a time, there was a little brown Field Mouse; and one day he was out in the fields to see what he could see He was running along in the grass, poking his nose into everything and looking with his two eyes all about, when he saw a srass
It was such a fine shi+ny little acorn that he thought he would take it home with him; so he put out his paw to touch it, but the little acorn rolled away fro on, just ahead of hi oak-tree had its roots spread all over the ground Then it rolled under a big round root