more than they ask you to bite holes and eat of the potatoes.
“We have to invite ourselves and look after ourselves. It’s too bad the
farmers don’t like us when we like the potatoes they plant.”
And so the potato bugs and the grubs tried to do all they could to hurt
the farmer’s crop of potatoes. And they didn’t even feel badly, they were
so naughty!
MAY 22: Meadow Mouse and Mole
“The Meadow Mouse and the Mole,” said daddy, “had become very good
friends. They both lived near each other in the field, and they used to
visit each other in their holes under the ground.
“‘What do you think of the food this year?’ asked Mr. Meadow Mouse, just
as if he were staying at a hotel and wanted things the way he asked for
them.
“‘Well, I think it’s pretty good,’ said Mr. Mole. ‘The farmer planted all
the things I like best this year, and so I’ve had a very good time.’ Just
then they heard a voice say:
“‘I advise you not to stay,
You had better move away.
For, some day when the farmer passes,
He may chop your heads off with the grasses.’
“‘Oh, who could that have been?’ asked Mr. Meadow Mouse. And the voice
went on:
“‘I cannot be seen,
I’m the Fairy Queen.’
“Pretty soon Mr. Meadow Mouse and Mr. Mole were off for the next meadow,
where the Fairy Queen told them they’d be safe, and all their children
with them. Mrs. Meadow Mouse and Mrs. Mole didn’t care about moving, but
when they were told that their heads would be chopped off if they didn’t,
they hurried along!
“And when they got to the next meadow, they began to burrow in the ground
and dig it up with their little noses. Especially good for such work was
Mr. Mole, and his children all copied him, and were a great help.”
MAY 23: Wishes
“Hello, aprons, gloves, toys, books, games, gold fish, party dresses,
gingham dresses,” called Fairy Grant-Your-Wishes to the toys and clothes
in the children’s big store.
They all called back “Hello.” That is, all those did who were awake this
evening and who weren’t so tired that they went to sleep at once.
“What is this I hear that you want?” she asked.
“We all wish we were something else,” said the gingham dress. “I’d like
to be a party dress, and the party dress is tired of its ribbons and
laces. The gold fish down the aisle wants to be—what is it you want to
be, gold fish?”
“I want to be a toy,” said the gold fish.
“And oh,” said a pair of brown jumpers, “I want to be myself. But I want
a playmate. I’d like to have a doll, please, Fairy!”
“The doll you shall have,” said the fairy. “I’ll wave my wand.”
As she did so the whole store began to grow and grow, it seemed. Each
counter was now like a store in itself and none of the counters were near
each other. There were great, enormous roadways between the counters and
the things themselves were all different. The gingham dress was now a
party dress. It was wonderful how a party dress had been made out of the
gingham one, for the gingham dress saw that there was some of the old
dress left.
“Oh,” said the gingham dress, now a party dress, “I do want to go to a
party now.”
“You shall,” said Fairy-Grant-Your-Wishes, suddenly appearing again.
“Every one is to have a complete, whole wish granted this evening. And
all of the others will go where they please and be what they please.”
Such a change as there was. The gingham dress, now a party dress, found
herself at a great party. There were many boys and girls and they looked
at her as she came in the doorway. Oh, how strange and uncomfortable she
felt. It was really a most miserable feeling.
“Do we make mud pies later on?” she asked of another party dress.
“Ha, Ha,” said the other party dress, “where did you come from that you
didn’t know that at parties such as this we don’t do such things. We
couldn’t soil our clothes. I do believe your grandmother must have been a
gingham. My grandmother,” the other party dress said very proudly, as she
walked off tittering and giggling, “was a Lady Lace and she went to court
affairs where my grandfather, Lord Velvet, met her.”
“What horrid, snobbish creatures,” said the gingham dress. “Oh, dear,
what shall I do? No one will be friendly with me. I wish I were going to
a good outdoor garden-playground party where children and clothes did
things so I wouldn’t feel so strange.”
“All right,” said Fairy-Grant-Your-Wishes. “I will make you happy and
change you back to what you were.”
MAY 24: The Tree’s Complaint
“The house near-by is receiving a coat of paint,” began the tree, “and
it is trying to pretend it’s the only thing that was ever painted. It is
very proud and disagreeable about it.
“If the house were receiving any other kind of a coat I wouldn’t be angry
with it. I would never expect to have a coat of cloth or rubber for the
rain or fur perhaps for the winter, but then I’m not a boy, a girl, a
lady or a big man. I’m a tree, and the house is a house.”
“Perfectly true,” said the song sparrow, “I don’t wish to correct a thing
you have said.”
“But a coat of paint is entirely different.”
“Entirely, chirp, chirp,” agreed the song sparrow. “I don’t suppose a
girl or a boy, a lady or a big man would care for a coat of paint.”
“Whiz, whiz, I should say not,” whistled the wind.
“But the house,” continued the tree, “pretends it is very wonderful. It
is trying to look so fresh and stuck-up.”
“You must forgive those things,” said the song sparrow, “as the paint
makes the house behave like that.”
“That’s so,” said the tree. “I suppose I was a bit harsh. But you know my
trunk was painted this spring, painted white, to protect me and to look
after me. So, I didn’t like seeing the house act in such a proud fashion.”
MAY 25: Saving a Tail
Evelyn rushed up to Jack as soon as he came out of school one day.
“Oh, Jack,” she said, “something is the matter with Marian. She behaves
so queerly. She said she wanted to have me play with the other girls; she
had something special to do at home. She really wouldn’t let me go home
with her. I would have been mad only she was just too queer for anything.
I don’t understand.”
“Jock was the same way; let’s go back, anyway, and see what is up.” Jock
and Marian were cousins who had recently come to town.
They hurried down a street, running most of the way, and then turned down
another and ran almost all of five more blocks to reach their cousins’
home.
Jack went half-way down the hall when he bumped straight into Jock coming
up from the cellar. He was holding in his arms the little fox terrier
Marian had bought just a week before with her birthday money. The dog
was only a tiny puppy still, a lovely little soft white puppy with one
brown ear and one black one and two black spots on his soft white back.
“Oh, did Buster get hurt?” Jack shouted. Buster, of course, was the
small, gay, naughty, happy puppy.
“No, he didn’t,” said Jock. “And it’s none of your business, anyway, even
if you are our cousins.”
“That’s so,” said Marian, who came up behind Jock. “If we want to have
Buster’s tail cut, it’s no one’s business but our own. It was just like
you to find out somehow.”
“Going to have his tail cut?” gasped Evelyn and burst into tears.
“Yes, fox terriers look absurd with long tails,” said Jock; “every one
says so. And, besides, he’ll be all well in a week, quite well.”
“And for the sake of a little style,” said Jack, his teeth clenched
tightly together, “you’d let that dog suffer for a whole week. I just
wish I could cut off a part of your arm, that’s what I do.”
“The bones are soft,” murmured Marian. “He’d look foolish with a tail, so
every one says.”
“What do you care what every one says?” screamed Jack; “you are two
horrid, cruel children, and if you don’t let that poor puppy, who has
never done you any harm, and who is at your mercy, alone, you’ll never be
friends of ours, and we’ll tell others of your cruelty. We mean it, too.”
And they did mean it, for they didn’t care what any one thought of them
so long as they saved the puppy from being hurt.
But after Jack and Evelyn had told Jock and Marian of the suffering it
would mean for Buster, of course they didn’t do such a cruel thing.
They weren’t really cruel, only they didn’t know that such a thing hurt
dreadfully. They had never been told the real truth, and they were glad
they had heard it in time!
MAY 26: Life in the Fireplace
“Jamie and Jackie had both fallen asleep in front of the fire,” commenced
daddy, “and now instead of the fire they saw huge castles and towers and
turrets and bridges and royal people. Far over in a corner, too, they saw
a dark gray stone cave in which was sitting an old, old Witch dressed in
a scarlet robe, with a tall black hat on her head.
“Soon they heard the Kings and Queens and the Princes and Princesses
talking. They had low voices, but every little while a sudden gun would
go off and for a moment they would all keep very quiet.
“‘What do those guns mean?’ asked Jackie and Jamie together.
“‘It’s the Fireplace clock,’ the Sparks answered.
“‘But it doesn’t seem to keep very good time—I heard the gun go off three
times in a hurry and then not for ages,’ said Jamie.
“‘It keeps as good time as we care about,’ said the Sparks. ‘We’re not so
awfully particular. Anyway, our bright colors and our gorgeous castles
should be fine enough without hearing from you that our clock doesn’t
keep good time.’
“‘Indeed, we do think you’re all beautiful, and we love a cool evening
when we can have a fire. We don’t mind if your clock doesn’t keep good
time,’ said Jamie.
“‘What are you saying about the time?’ said the Mother of Jackie and
Jamie. ‘Bedtime, eh?’ for both Jamie and Jack were being shaken gently
and told to trot off to their real bed. But as they both crawled into
their nice soft sheets, they found that they’d each had the very same
dream—and both had seen the Fireplace castles and heard the Fireplace
clock which kept such bad time!”
MAY 27: The Jewelweed’s Visitor
“I am the Jewelweed flower, though I am sometimes known as the
Touch-Me-Not flower, too.
“I have little seed pods and boys and girls love to pop open these pods,
for then my seeds jump forth quite wildly and excitedly. I mean by my
name of Touch-Me-Not, that no one must touch me unless he wants to be
very much surprised!
“I am orange yellow in color and I have reddish spots upon me. I have
also sometimes been called the Wild Lady’s Slipper because I am shaped
something like that. And sometimes I’ve been called Lady’s Eardrops
because my shape is something like a lady’s eardrop, too.
“I’m hoping I will have a caller to-day. I’m expecting one, I know. And I
hope I won’t have to wait long. I haven’t seen this caller for some time.
“It is most exciting to expect a caller. Very, very exciting!
“They call me Jewelweed because in the early morning when I’ve taken my
morning bath, as all good flowers do, in the Magic Dew Water which the
Dewdrop Brothers bring around to us, I sparkle like jewelry.
“Oh, indeed! I always take a morning bath. Sometimes when it showers I
take an extra bath.
“And always, when my bath is over, I look for Mr. Sun and I ask him to
make my jewelry look pretty.
“Then my pretty leaves look so bright and sparkling. Yes, that is one of
the reasons for my name.
“I do hope my visitor will be along soon. I asked him to come as soon as
he came up this way.
“I sent word by the Breeze Brothers to be sure to let him know that I was
waiting for him and that I hoped he would come to see me as soon as he
arrived.
“Ah, I believe I hear my visitor coming. I believe I do.”
“May I come in, buzz-z-z-z-z-z-z-z, may I come in?”
“Oh, do,” said the Jewelweed. “I am expecting you.”
Then appeared Mr. Ruby-Throated Humming Bird who had just arrived from
the South.
“Well,” he said, “how glad I am to see you.”
“And I am so glad to see you,” said the Jewelweed. “You must have a
cooling sweet drink. I didn’t let any other visitors take any of it. No
indeed! There was the Bee who tried to get me to give him a sweet drink,
but I keep it deep down in my very center dining room where even the Bee
with his long, thirsty tongue can’t get at it.
“I kept it for you, and you, with your tongue which can stretch out
farther than your long bill, will be able to get it.
“Dear Mr. Humming Bird, I am so glad you have come. And you will have
some refreshment, will you not?”
“Indeed I will, thank you, Jewelweed,” said the Humming Bird, “and it is
indeed good of you to save your sweetness for me.”
“Ah, our families have been friends for so many years,” said the
Jewelweed, “and I like to do as my family have always done.”
“I must be off now,” said the Humming Bird, “for as I have only just
arrived I have a good many calls to make. There are a number of my flower
friends who are expecting me to call as soon as I arrive. But may I come
and see you again?”
“Oh, indeed yes,” said the Jewelweed, “and you will always be welcome.
Make your other calls, but come back again soon.”
“I’ll be back soon,” said Mr. Humming Bird. “I have had such a charming
call and it has been such a pleasure to feel that my visit has been so
welcome.”
“Your visits are always welcome and always will be,” said the Jewelweed,
“just so long as there are Jewelweeds and Humming Birds!”
MAY 28: Peter’s Birthday Party
“A little dog named Peter Murray,” said daddy, “was just one year old.
His Mistress was a little girl named Inez and she was almost fonder
of Peter Murray than of anything else in the world. Inez sent out
invitations several days in advance to a number of the little boys and
girls she knew who owned pet dogs. The invitations read:
‘Mr. Dog Peter Murray,
At Home,
In Honor of his First Birthday.’
“All of the little dogs who were invited accepted and the day of the
party came at last. The first thing that Inez did that morning was to
rush over to Peter Murray’s basket and say ‘Many happy returns.’ Now, of
course, Peter Murray woke right up and was out of his basket with a bound.
“He jumped up and down for Inez, which was his way of saying, ‘Thank you,
Missy,’ and he wagged his tail for all he was worth.
“‘We have lots to do to-day, Peter Murray,’ said Inez, and Peter Murray
knew just what she meant. He put his head first on one side and then on
the other. And when he saw Inez take a little purse out of her pocket and
jingle some pennies he put his ears up in the air as if to say:
“‘What do those funny things mean?’
“‘They mean,’ said Inez, ‘that we must get goodies for the party, bones
and such things.’
“Now, when Peter heard the word ‘bones’ he wagged his tail, for he knew
perfectly well what bones meant.
“At last the time for the party came. And such a time as they did have.
Every little dog brought Peter Murray a present. He got wonderful things,
too. He was given a great pink bow and a new collar by his Mistress,
which, of course, he wore to the party. Then he received a fine hard
ball, a stick to play with, a second-best collar and a box of chocolates,
for Peter Murray loved candy, too.
“‘Supper time,’ shouted Inez, and all the little dogs wagged their tails
and jumped for the bones that Inez threw up in the air, until every
little dog had one.
“You see they were not fussy like people, and didn’t sit down to eat
their bones, for they had much fun throwing them up in the air and
playing with them. And then came the ice-cream, which they ate out of
little bowls, and for a surprise they had wonderful sugary cake, with a
little dog made in sugar on the top of it! Inez cut the cake, for in each
piece she had to take out a little bell which were the presents Peter
Murray gave to his guests on his birthday!”
MAY 29: The Spring Flowers’ Talk
“Good-by, good-by,” called the trailing arbutus family. “It’s getting a
bit too late for us. We will be around next spring, though.”
“Good-by, good-by,” said the hepatica family. “We will miss you, but
we’re going ourselves soon. We’re glad to have seen you. How lovely and
pink you were this year.”
“And how lovely and blue you were!” said the trailing arbutus flowers.
“Some of you were the most wonderful shades of lavender and purple and
even pink and white!”
“We like to have different colored frocks,” they said. But then fearing
that they might hurt the feelings of the trailing arbutus family they
added:
“We wouldn’t care about it, though, if we had the lovely pink dresses you
have!”
“Thank you, thank you,” said the trailing arbutus family. “We’re very
grateful to you.”
“Well, good-by,” said the hepatica family.
“Good-by,” said the arbutus family.
“Next spring, next spring,” added the hepatica family.
“Yes, next spring, next spring,” said the arbutus family.
“And we’ll come again, too,” said the little wild violets. “We’re early
spring flowers, you know.”
“Of course you are, dear little violets,” said the arbutus and hepatica
families together. “Next spring, then, little wild violets.”
“Next spring,” the violets whispered very softly.
MAY 30: Decoration Day
“The soldiers who have fought for their country should indeed be
remembered by placing on their graves the flag for which they fought—the
flag for which they gave up everything,” said daddy, on Decoration day.
“Not only is Decoration day a memorial to the brave men who have lived
and died for their country, but it should help to make us worthy of these
men who gave their all,” he ended.
MAY 31: What the Flag Said to Fred
“There was once a little boy named Fred,” said daddy. “He was very fond
of soldiers and bands. He had a great many little toy soldiers, and he
would have the most wonderful drills with them. Last Memorial day his
grandfather, who had since died, had given him a little, old, ragged
flag. But it was the stars and stripes, and Fred cherished it. His
grandfather had fought in the Civil War and all through that war had
carried the little flag. Now his grandfather was gone, and yesterday they
had put a fresh flag on his grave. But Fred had the little flag that had
been through the war.
“That night he was very tired, and he went to bed early. The cool white
sheets and soft pillow were delightful to a very sleepy little boy, but
soon he seemed to be sitting up on the pillow, and before him was the
flag.
“‘I have come,’ said the little flag, ‘because I thought you would like
me to talk to you. Your grandfather went to the Civil War, as you know.
“‘He was so brave in the war, and, oh, I was so proud while I was with
him all the time that it was for my sake he was fighting! It’s the most
wonderful thing in the world to be a flag even if you’re in rags.’”
JUNE 1: The Robin Parents
“Over a little balcony,” said daddy, “where a lady used to sit and sew,
there were several roofs adjoining and going off from different sides
of the balcony, and there were eaves running along the balcony. In the
spring a Mr. and Mrs. Robin looked about them for their home. ‘How about
this?’ asked Mr. Robin. He was pointing to the eaves right over the
little balcony.
“‘There is some one there,’ said Mrs. Robin, ‘but she looks very nice and
as though she wouldn’t hurt a little bird for anything. I think it is
perfectly safe. See, she is looking at us and her voice is low, and she
is not frightening us. She is speaking to us; listen to what she says.’
And they listened and heard the lady say: ‘Dear little robins, have you
come to call on me?’
“‘Ah, her voice is so sweet and so nice, and she really seems to be glad
to see us. Let us build our nest here.’
“‘I think it will be a good idea,’ said Mr. Robin.
“So they built their nest under the eaves, right over the balcony where
all day the lady sat, most of the time sewing, some of the time reading.
“She would have visitors there, too, and sometimes she would tell them of
the robins who were so near-by, but she always saw that no one frightened
the robins, and that they were well looked after.
“She used to put bread-crumbs on the roof near the eaves. And a little
pan of water was always there, too, for bathing or for drinking!
“Mr. and Mrs. Robin built a lovely big nest, and there Mrs. Robin laid
the eggs. After a little while the baby robins came, poor little timid
creatures, with scarcely any feathers at all.
“But Mr. and Mrs. Robin loved them and thought they were beautiful,
just as boys and girls think their little baby brothers and sisters are
beautiful, even if they have no hair on their heads—in fact, they like
them that way, for then they look so appealing and so cunning and so
helpless and yet so glad to be in the world. Usually Mother Robin guarded
the nest, while Father Robin went off for food, for he was a very fine
robin to go to market and pick out all the best things. He just knew so
much about it all and was such a good business robin that he was a very
fine provider.
“And, too, he knew that by helping Mrs. Robin he was sharing in
everything, and he shared in doing what was to be done, it was not only
fair to Mrs. Robin who would get all tired out alone, but it was also
much more fun to help one’s mate.
“So the little robins grew up happily and safely in their nest by the
little balcony.”
JUNE 2: The Robins Come to the Rescue
“I am going to tell you,” said daddy, “about the mother humming-bird
whose little ones were about to be attacked by a snake when they were
rescued by some brave robins.
“The snake had come over from the vacant field and had crawled up the
honeysuckle vine as the mother humming-bird had gone off for some food.
Some robins hovering near had seen the snake. They had cried out in
terror and had flown over to the nest.
“The mother humming-bird heard the cries and hurried back, but the robins
had frightened off the snake. The snake was not a very large one, and
really he had been frightened by all the noise the robins had made, and
when he saw so many birds flying toward him he got away very quickly.
“The mother humming-bird got back just as the snake was leaving the nest.
“She couldn’t thank the robins enough for flying to the rescue and saving
her beloved little ones, but the robins didn’t want any thanks. They were
thankful, too, that the dear little birds had been saved, for birds are
very loyal to one another and will risk any danger to save each other.”
JUNE 3: The Persian Lilacs
“You know,” said one of the flowering almonds, “I think a special vote
of thanks should be given to the Persian lilacs. Every year they come
out, and after they go their lovely bushes are still so pretty with their
green leaves.
“But best of all is the visit they pay us every single spring. They
are so small and dainty a lilac, their color is such a soft shade of
lavender, they are so beautiful and so flowery and so soft and sweet, and
they are so very, very fragrant that we should tell them how much we love
them and how glad we are each year to see them.
“It is only right to tell nice creatures and things that we like them.
It would be quite unfair any other way at all, and so we should tell the
Persian lilacs that we love them and that we welcome them and that we are
looking forward to seeing them next year.
“We know how the people love them; we know that for years they have
looked forward to seeing the Persian lilacs in the spring and enjoying
them right through the spring, too. We know how, after the other lilacs
have come out, the Persian lilacs bloom and then they last longer than
the others, because they have come later.”
“Ah,” the Persian lilacs said, “it is good of you all to be so kind to
us. Our bushes are all very grateful. But you know we couldn’t help
but come out each spring. Beneath our bushes are beds of lilies of the
valley, the sweet, fragrant lilies of the valley, that nestle in among
their green leaves, and they always talk softly to us and send us their
sweet greetings.
“Then the people are so fond of us; they love their Persian lilacs so,
and all the flowers are so kind to us and help us add to the fragrance of
the spring garden. There is no jealousy, and every one is trying to add
his sweetness to the whole. We will always come out, never fear!” they
ended.
[Illustration: “THE MOTHER HUMMING-BIRD HURRIED BACK.”—_Page 129_]
JUNE 4: How a Wish Saved the Raccoons
“One day Mother Raccoon was just about to start telling one of her
stories,” said daddy, “when Daddy Raccoon saw all the children around her.
“‘Now this afternoon,’ said Daddy Raccoon, ‘I want to take all those
silly little ’Coons and show them how they can become brave big ’Coons
such as I am.’ And he thrust his tail this way and that with an air which
said, ‘I’m certainly one of the finest, bravest Animals any one could
hope to be like.’
“All the little ’Coons looked very mournful when they heard that they
were to be taken off to learn how to hunt in the swamp near-by. They were
always very much frightened when they went near the swamp, for they had
often heard the sound of a big gun, or had seen a dangerous Man with a
gun over his shoulder getting in behind the bushes.