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DOWN in an earth garden were some flowers all drooping and sad. Father
Sun saw them, and calling his little children, the sunbeams, to him,
said, “To-day, my little helpers, I need you to do some work for me. Go
down to the big, round earth far below, and bring back to the sky
country all the water dust that you can carry.”
The little sunbeams started, and although it was a long, long journey,
they were so bright and merry that it seemed like play to them. By and
by they drew near to Mother Earth, and before long saw myriads of tiny
drops of water, some taking hold of hands forming part of the great
ocean, others rushing along in a strong, deep river, while some were
dancing and tumbling in a merry little brook, singing sweet songs. But
how could the sunbeams coax the water drops to come up into the sky
country? Surely the ocean, or the river, or even the little laughing
brooks could not be carried up so high!
But the little workers were not a bit discouraged, and they began at
once to shake the water drops apart. The little particles of water no
sooner felt the sunbeams shaking them than they said to each other,
“Come, now for a long ride.” And sure enough, up, up, up they sailed in
the boats of air, helped on by the sunbeams. But as they rose higher in
the air suddenly they began to shiver, for just then Mr. North Wind came
rushing along. How the poor little vapor mass shook, and then suddenly
began once more to form into drops! And some little children, far down
on the earth below, looked up at the sky and exclaimed, “See the dark
clouds up there!” while their mamma said, “It is going to rain.”
In a few minutes the little drops felt as if they were being pulled back
to earth, and starting from the cloud which was holding them, they said
to one another, “Now for a race!” And soon, patter, patter, patter, came
the sound of the rain, and the little drops once more were back in their
earth home.
Ah! how the flowers lifted their drooping heads and smiled then. If you
had been very close, you might almost have heard them sing, “God is
good! God is good!”
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