_Showing how each single drop plays its part in making the earth
fruitful._
In a tiny spring at the foot of a green mossy hill, a merry drop
of water once decided to take a journey. “Good-by!” it called to
the others, and away it ran, faster and faster until it came to a
brook.
Here it had the merriest time running over the shining pebbles,
and joining its song to the brook’s as it wound in and out through
the forest. It saw the tiny fishes darting here and there, and the
dragon flies above. Sometimes the cows came for a long cool drink,
and once it passed some children playing on the bank.
It helped to carry the paper sail boats far down the stream, and
just as it was thinking how much it would like to turn back to play
with the children, the little brook emptied into the river.
Now, it was not so pleasant here for the little drop of water. The
river ran too fast and there was not much room to turn about. You
see the river had much work to do.
Big boats had to be carried from place to place, and the wheels
of the factories had to be turned, and there were many logs to be
carried from the timber forests to the saw mills, where there were
still other wheels to turn. The river was a very busy place indeed,
and every drop had to work.
“Oh, river!” the little drop cried, “please wait for me!” But on
the river ran, and by and by the little drop of water was carried
into the sea. Here the big waves rolled and tumbled over each
other. Farther and farther out it was carried with never a moment
to rest. The little drop of water thought the waves were very rough
indeed, and wondered if they were never still.
After a while it saw a sunbeam. “Now is my chance,” it thought;
“what fun it will be to climb up to the land where the Sun King
lives. Good-by, old Ocean; you may roll on without me,” and up
and up it climbed until it was too tired to go any higher. Then
suddenly it fell off into a cloud and floated through the sky.
After a while the cloud melted and down, down fell the little drop.
It was not alone, for hundreds of little raindrops were falling
with it. It fell right into the tender leaves of a stalk of corn
that was growing in the field. The corn was so grateful that he
drank the little drop of water, and let it go down on to its very
roots.
But there were others there, too, and so they began to travel under
ground until one day they came out from the side of a hill, and
splash! the little drop of water was back in the very spring from
which it started!
“Why, what a journey I have had!” exclaimed the drop. “I should
like to do that again,” and straightway started on its way down
the brook. And to this day the little drops of water go down the
brooks, and out to sea, and up in the clouds, and down like rain,
and they do that over and over again.