Part 3

Naka lives in a queer little round house made of cakes of snow. The door is so close to the ground that she has to creep in and out on her hands and knees.

One day Naka’s mother dressed the little girl in her warm fur clothes.

She first put on stockings made of bird skins. The soft feathers kept her feet very warm. Over the stockings she wore another pair made of bearskin.

Next she put on a white bearskin coat. This had a hood which she put over Naka’s short, dark hair.

It was almost noon when they crept out into the dim light.

They climbed a hill and saw the sun just rising; the beautiful, bright sun which they had not seen for so long!

It soon went away, but the next day it came again and stayed longer. After a while it did not go away at all.

All day and all night the bright sun was shining on the earth. Naka had a merry time playing in the warm sunshine.

She ran about on the soft green grass and picked the pretty flowers.

She found some berries one day and carried them home to her mother.

She watched the great white birds that came to lay their eggs among the rocks.

Best of all, the reindeer came back and gave her milk to drink.

By and by the sun went slowly away. But Naka was happy.

In the winter she had no sun. But the moon and the stars were bright.

Then, too, she saw again the beautiful northern lights, which are brighter than fireworks.

MICHAEL ANGELO.

Long ago in a country over the sea there lived a Grand Duke.

He had a garden in which he put some beautiful statues.

A boy artist named Michael Angelo often came there to study. One day he saw across the garden the statue of a faun that had no head.

“I will make a head for that statue,” said Angelo.

He made a head of a laughing faun. The mouth was open so that the teeth could be seen.

About this time the Grand Duke was walking in his garden. He stopped to look at the statue made by the boy artist.

“Well done, Angelo!” said the Grand Duke. “But, see! You have made an old faun. He should not have all his teeth.”

“That is so,” said Angelo, and he quickly took out some of the teeth.

This pleased the Grand Duke so much that he asked Angelo to live with him in his castle.

The years Michael Angelo spent among the beautiful statues in the Grand Duke’s garden helped him to become a great artist.

FEBRUARY.

A VALENTINE.

I’m making you a valentine, At least, I’m going to try, Because they don’t seem really mine Those valentines I buy.

But _this_ one is my very own. See! Here a kiss I write Shaped like a star that all alone Shines brightly through the night.

Now something blue, just like the sky. And this—green like a tree, And this thing—oh, so very high!— Is just some love from me!

EVE BRODLIQUE SUMMERS.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

When Abraham Lincoln was a little boy, he lived in a log house in the woods.

He could not go to school, for he worked on a farm with his father. He went to school only one year.

His mother taught him how to read and write in the evenings. When everybody had gone to bed, he would sit and read by the light of a log fire.

There were only two or three books in the house. Lincoln read them over and over.

One day a man let him take a book about George Washington. When he went to bed, Lincoln put it between the logs of the house.

When he awoke he found that the snow had fallen upon the book and spoiled it. He took it back to the man and told him he was very sorry.

The man said, “You must either pay for the book, or work three days in my corn-field.”

At the end of the three days the man said, “You are an honest boy, Abe. You may keep the book.”

II

Lincoln did not like to see any one unkind to animals.

Once, when he was a boy, Lincoln was standing on a log making a speech. The boys were clapping their hands and shouting.

One of the boys saw a turtle. He picked it up and threw it down at Lincoln’s feet. The poor turtle could not crawl away with its broken shell.

Lincoln did not like this. He jumped off the log and said, “Whoever did that is a coward!”

The boys were sorry for the poor turtle. They gently picked it up and carried it down to the water.

One day when Lincoln was a man, he saw a pig trying to get out of the mud.

Lincoln had on some new clothes. He did not want to get them muddy, so he passed on.

But he could not help thinking about the poor pig. He turned back and helped the pig out.

Lincoln became a very great man. He was so wise and kind that the people made him President.

He did so much for his country that we keep his birthday on the 12th of February.

THE FIRST FLAG.

Over one hundred years ago, there lived in Philadelphia a young woman named Betsy Ross.

From the time she was a little girl she liked to sew. When her husband died she made money by her needlework.

One day there came to her little brown house the great General Washington.

He wanted a new flag for his soldiers to carry in their war against the King of England.

When he heard of the beautiful needlework of Betsy Ross, he came to ask her to help him.

Together they planned a flag that had thirteen stripes and thirteen stars.

A few days later Betsy Ross showed General Washington the flag. She had cut it and sewed it with her own hands.

General Washington was so pleased that he told his soldiers to have their flags made at once.

Soon the beautiful stars and stripes were flying all over the country.

In Philadelphia, the little house where Betsy Ross lived is still standing.

LONGFELLOW’S ARM-CHAIR.

Near the poet Longfellow’s home there was a blacksmith shop. A beautiful chestnut tree grew beside it and spread its branches over the shop.

Little children often looked in at the open door on their way home from school. They liked to see the sparks fly from the anvil.

The poet Longfellow sometimes passed by the shop. He thought it was such a pretty picture that he wrote a poem about it. He called the poem “The Village Blacksmith.”

Longfellow loved the tree and felt sorry when it was cut down. He and the chestnut tree had grown old together.

About that time Longfellow had a birthday. He was an old, white-haired man.

The children wanted to show their love for him. They had the wood from the tree made into a chair and gave their pennies to pay for it.

This gift made Longfellow very happy. He thanked the children by writing a beautiful poem, called “From My Arm-Chair.”

THE ROAD OF THE LOVING HEART.

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the beautiful poem called “Singing.” It is in a book which he named “A Child’s Garden of Verses.”

He was sick much of the time and had to live in a warm country. His home was far away in the South Seas on a beautiful island.

Robert Louis Stevenson built his house on a hillside among the large forest trees. Here the flying foxes came to rest. At night great bats flew about.

The house was three miles from the nearest town. The trees grew close and high along the path that led to it. They used packhorses to carry things from the town to the house.

A beautiful stream ran through the ground. Orange trees grew along the banks. Here Robert Louis Stevenson came to bathe and swim.

Mrs. Stevenson had a garden in which grew oranges, lemons, bananas, and breadfruit trees.

She had cows, and pigs, and chickens in the barn-yard.

Robert Louis Stevenson had a brown pony named Jack. He and Jack were great friends and had many fine rides together.

In this warm country Robert Louis Stevenson grew so much better that he once said,

“It is like a fairy story that I should become well and strong. I go boating, riding, bathing, and work hard with my wood-knife in the forest.”

II

The people on the island do not look as we do. Their skin is brown. Many bright flowers grow on the island. The women always wear flowers in their hair.

The people loved Mr. Stevenson very dearly. When they learned that he wrote stories, they named him Tusitala. That means The Story Writer.

Once some of the chiefs were put in prison. Robert Louis Stevenson did not think this was right.

He went to the prison to see the chiefs and was very kind to them.

At last the chiefs were set free. They wanted to show their love for Mr. Stevenson, so they made a road from the town to his house.

It was a hard piece of work. It took many men a long time to do it.

When the road was made the chiefs gave a great feast. All the people on the island came to it.

These are some of the words which they put on a board beside the road,

“To show our great love for Tusitala we have made this gift. It shall never be muddy. It shall go on forever, this road that we have dug.”

SINGING.

Of speckled eggs the birdie sings And nests among the trees; The sailor sings of ropes and things In ships upon the seas.

The children sing in far Japan, The children sing in Spain; The organ with the organ man Is singing in the rain.

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.

MARCH.

THE FOUR WINDS.

“Which is the wind that brings the cold?” “The North wind, Freddy, and all the snow; And the sheep will scamper into the fold, When the North begins to blow.”

“Which is the wind that brings the heat?” “The South wind, Katy; and corn will grow, And peaches redden for you to eat, When the South begins to blow.”

“Which is the wind that brings the rain?” “The East wind, Arty; and farmers know That cows come shivering up the lane, When the East begins to blow.”

“Which is the wind that brings the flowers?” “The West wind, Bessie; and soft and low The birdies sing in the summer hours, When the West begins to blow.”

EDMUND CLARENCE STEDMAN.

THE BAG OF WINDS.

Long ago there was a man named Ulysses who had been traveling for many years.

He was sailing toward home one day when he came to the land where Æolus lived. Æolus was king of all the winds that blow.

Sometimes he sent soft winds to fill the sails of the ships at sea. Sometimes he sent winds that made the waters roar. Then he called them back and the sea would become quiet again.

Ulysses and his sailors were glad to stay for a time in the land of Æolus. They were tired of traveling so long.

When they were ready to go away, King Æolus filled their boat with food and many gifts. One of these gifts was a large bag made of skin.

King Æolus said to Ulysses, “In this bag I have tied all the winds that blow. If you wish to go more quickly toward home, open the bag and let one of the winds fly out. Then tie the bag again.”

Æolus said good-by to Ulysses and sent a soft wind to carry him from the land.

II

Day after day Ulysses sailed his boat safely over the sea. But one night when he was asleep, his sailors wondered what was in the large bag made of skin.

“It must be full of gold,” they said. “Let us take it.”

The sailors opened the bag and at once all the winds flew out.

How they made the waters roar around the boat! Even Ulysses could do nothing to quiet them. For many days the boat was tossed about by the waves.

At last the sailors saw land. They were very glad to pull the boat upon the shore, and rest.

They did not know where they were. The winds had made the boat go far from its path.

The sailors were sorry that they had opened the bag which King Æolus had given Ulysses.

A long-time afterward the travelers came home. Ulysses often told the story of his friend, King Æolus, and his gift of the Bag of Winds.

THE FEAST OF DOLLS.

The Feast of Dolls is the happiest day in the year for the little girls in Japan. It is the third day of March.

The night before, while the little girls are asleep, great boxes of dolls are taken from the store-room.

There are all kinds,—large dolls, small dolls, girl dolls, and boy dolls.

The mothers and grandmothers of the little girls played with some of these. Others are very much older.

On the day of the Feast of Dolls, the little girls wake up early and run to the feast room.

Each doll must be dressed. This takes a long time, for some of the little girls have a great many dolls.

By this time the feast is ready. The dolls cannot eat the rice cakes and drink the tea, so their little mothers do this for them.

When the long, happy day is over, the dolls are undressed. Then they are put away until the Feast of Dolls comes again.

THE FEAST OF FLAGS.

The fifth of May is the great day for boys in Japan. It is called the Feast of Flags.

Everywhere poles with gold paper balls on the top may be seen. Paper flags of all colors fly from these.

The boys get up early on the day of the Feast of Flags. They go to the room where the dolls had their feast.

Now the room is filled with flags, toy soldiers, and the games that boys like. Their grandfathers and great-grandfathers played with some of these.

All day long the boys play at war with their soldiers. Sometimes they go into the garden and shoot at straw soldiers.

On the morning of the Feast of Flags each father gives his son a paper fish.

Every one in the house stands near while the boy ties this to a string. Then they watch him raise it to the top of the pole which is set before the house.

The wind fills out the hollow body of the fish. It pulls at the end of the string as if it were alive.

The name of this fish is the carp. It is so strong that it can swim very fast and even jump over waterfalls.

In America, fathers tell their sons to be brave and strong like the eagle. But in Japan, they tell them to be brave and strong like the carp.

FRANKLIN’S KITE.

A long time ago there lived a wise man named Benjamin Franklin.

People did not know much about lightning in those days. Franklin made a kite to catch some of it.

He knew that rain would spoil paper, so he covered his kite with silk. He put a piece of pointed wire at the top of the kite to draw the lightning into it.

At the end of the string he tied a key for the lightning to follow. Then he tied a piece of ribbon to the string and held it in his hand.

One rainy night when it was lightning he went out to fly his kite.

After a while he held his hand near the key. He saw a little spark of lightning go from the key to his hand.

After that he brought the lightning into his house on wires. He made it ring bells and do many strange things.

Other wise men have told us how to make lightning without drawing it from the skies.

It lights houses, runs street-cars, and does many other useful things.

It is called electricity.

BOATS SAIL ON THE RIVERS.

Boats sail on the rivers, And ships sail on the seas, But clouds that sail across the sky Are prettier far than these.

There are bridges on the rivers, As pretty as you please; But the bow that bridges heaven And overtops the trees, And builds a road from earth to sky, Is prettier far than these.

CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI.

THE STORY OF A WATER-DROP.

Once there was a little drop of water. It lived in the great sea with hundreds of other water-drops.

When the sun shone all the little water-drops danced up and down. They looked like diamonds sparkling in the sunshine.

One day something happened. The little water-drop broke into a great many tiny drops.

At the same time it went up in the air. Other drops were going up, too. Up, up, they went, higher, and higher.

At last the water-drops were sailing far above the sea. A strong wind blew them over the land.

A man looked up at them and said, “See this big dark cloud. I think it is going to rain.”

II

As they sailed along, the air grew very cold. This made the little water-drops creep so close together that they became a shining raindrop.

Soon all the other little water-drops ran together and became raindrops.

They were so heavy that they could not float in the air. So down they all went toward the earth.

Pitter-patter! Pitter-patter! They fell upon the grass, the trees, and the fields.

“It is raining!” cried the children as they ran into the house.

When the rain was over, out came the sun. Then a wonderful thing happened.

Some of the water-drops were not heavy enough to fall to the earth. As the sun shone through them they changed into beautiful colors.

These colors were red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. They formed a bow across the sky.

“Oh, look!” cried the children. “Look at the beautiful rainbow.”

EVA MAYNE (_Adapted_).

APRIL.

THE SLEEPING PRINCESS.

Once upon a time there lived a king and a queen who had no children.

They were so happy when a little daughter came that they gave a great feast.

The king asked the fairies to come because he wished them to be kind and good to the little princess.

There were thirteen fairies in the land. But the king had only twelve golden dishes. So one fairy was not asked to come to the feast. This made her very angry.

The twelve fairies came and gave all their best gifts to the little princess.

Just then the door opened and the angry fairy came into the room.

“When the princess is fifteen years old she shall prick her finger with a spinning needle and die,” said the angry fairy.

But there was one kind fairy who had not made her wish.

“No!” she said. “The princess shall not die. She shall fall asleep for a hundred years.”

The king and the queen were frightened. So they said that no spinning-wheel should be used in all the land.

II

One day, when the princess was fifteen years old, she went into a high tower of the castle. There sat an old woman spinning.

“Good morning,” said the princess. “What are you doing?”

“I am spinning,” said the old woman.

“Oh,” cried the princess, “how I should like to spin!”

The old woman gave the needle to the princess. She pricked her finger and fell back fast asleep.

The king and the queen and every one in the castle fell asleep.

The fire in the kitchen stopped burning and the cook fell asleep.

The horses in the barn went to sleep.

The dogs stopped barking and fell asleep.

The doves on the housetop put their heads under their wings and went to sleep.

Even the flies on the walls stopped buzzing and fell asleep.

A hedge of thorns soon grew around the castle. It was so high and thick that no one could pass through it.

III

One hundred years after, a king’s son was hunting. He saw the towers of a castle far away.

He rode toward the castle and at last came to the hedge of thorns. As the prince looked he saw that it was not a hedge of thorns, but a hedge of beautiful flowers.

The prince passed through the hedge of flowers and followed a path to the castle.

He went into the castle and saw the king and the queen fast asleep.

Then he looked in all the rooms. By and by the prince came to the high tower.

There lay the princess fast asleep. She was so beautiful that the prince kissed her hand.

The princess opened her eyes and said, “My prince, I have waited for you here a hundred years.”

Then the prince and the princess went out of the high tower together.

At once the king and the queen and every one in the castle awoke.

The fire in the kitchen burned, and the cook began to get the dinner.

The horses in the barn awoke, and the dogs jumped about and barked.

The flies on the wall buzzed, and the doves flew about the housetop.

That night there was a great feast in the castle. Ever after the prince and the princess lived happily together.

JACOB AND WILLIAM GRIMM (_Adapted_).

AN OPEN SECRET.

Pussy Willow had a secret That the snowdrops whispered her, And she purred it to the south wind While it stroked her velvet fur; And the south wind hummed it softly To the busy honey-bees, And they buzzed it to the blossoms On the scarlet maple-trees.

And these dropped it to the wood brooks Brimming full of melted snow, And the brooks told Robin Redbreast As he chattered to and fro; Little Robin could not keep it, So he sang it loud and clear To the sleepy hills and meadows “Wake up! Cheer up! Spring is here!”

UNKNOWN.

THE FEAST OF EGGS.

There was once a princess who left her beautiful castle. She went to live in a little house in the country.

One day she told her servant to go to the village and buy some eggs for supper.

“Eggs!” said the servant. “There are no birds’ eggs.”

“I did not ask for birds’ eggs,” said the princess. “Buy hens’ eggs, of course.”

The servant shook her head and said, “We have no hens. I do not know what kind of birds they are.”

The princess thought that she would surprise the boys and the girls of the village. So she sent an old man far away.

When he came back the old man carried a chicken coop on his head.

All the children of the village ran after him. They wanted to know what he was carrying on his head.

The old man set the coop down, opened the little door, and a large rooster stepped out.

The children all cried, “Oh, what a wonderful bird that is!” They did not know what to call him.

Then out stepped the hens. There was a white one, and one that was brown, and one that had tall red combs.

The princess gave the chickens some corn. When they had eaten it the rooster crowed.

How the children laughed! “Ki-ki-ri-ki!” they cried, like the rooster.

II

The children ran home to tell about the wonderful birds that had come to live in the village.

Not long after, the princess showed the children one of the hens that was sitting.

“Fifteen eggs!” they cried. “The doves lay only two, and the other birds only five. How will the hens feed so many little ones?”

The children watched the chickens when they came out of the eggs. They were surprised that the little chickens were covered with yellow down.

“It is wonderful!” they cried. “Other little birds have no feathers. And see! They know how to run. Oh, there are no birds like them!”

By and by the princess asked the people of the village to a feast of eggs. They all sat down at a long table in the garden.

The eggs were in large baskets on the table. They were as white as snow.

The princess showed them how to break the eggs. Then she cooked them in many ways.

The people of the village liked the feast of eggs. When they went home, the princess gave them some chickens.

After that the children had merry times hunting for the white eggs.

From the German of CHRISTOPH SCHMID (_Adapted_).

THE EASTER EGG.

On Easter Day, a princess gave a party to the children of the village.

She had no apples and nuts to give them. So she colored some eggs red, blue, and yellow.

When the children came, the princess took them into the woods. She told them to make nests out of the grass and leaves.

They left the nests under the trees. Then they went into the garden where a feast was waiting for them.

While they were eating, the princess carried the colored eggs into the woods. She filled the nests with them.

Then she went back to the children and said, “Come, now! Let us look for our nests.”

The children hunted everywhere. When they found the nests, they clapped their hands for joy. In each nest lay five colored eggs.

“Red eggs! Red eggs!” cried one. “In my nest all are red!”

“In mine are blue ones,” cried another. “All blue like the sky!”

“And mine are as yellow as the butterfly that is flying around us,” said another.