_It is a wise man that makes provisions against a rainy day._
One morning in April a wee brownie started out for a walk. It was
a beautiful day and there was not a cloud in the sky. He put on a
brown jerkin and brown breeches, and brown pointed shoes, and a
little brown pointed cap, as all brownies should. His clothing was
all new and fresh. He carried his basket over his arm, for he had a
bit of marketing to do by the way. He skipped along as merry as any
brownie could be on a bright, sunny morning in April.
He bought a jar of honey from a wandering bee, and a jar of butter
at the buttercup shop. He drank some milk that he got from a milk
weed, and then lay down to rest a bit. By and by a squirrel came
along and said, “You had better hurry home. It is going to rain.”
But the brownie looked at the sky and laughed at the squirrel. By
and by a butterfly flew by and said, “You had better hurry home.
It is going to rain.” But the brownie laughed again and paid no
attention to the butterfly.
When it was time to go home, the brownie started across the fields
when he felt a drop on his face. “Bless me! what’s that?” said the
brownie. The sunny April day had changed to a showery April day,
and it was raining. It is quite bad enough to be a little child out
of doors when it is raining, but think of a tiny little brownie
with fresh new clothes, and every raindrop as full as a bucket!
He crept under the tallest blades of grass and tried to cover
himself, but it was no use. The raindrops fell thicker and faster,
and he became more drenched every minute.
At last he saw, just a little way ahead, a fine broad toadstool.
That would make a good roof! So he ran as fast as his little legs
would carry him to get under the stool.
But some one else needed shelter from the weather, too. The brownie
ran straight into a huge doormouse who lay safe and dry under the
toadstool.
Poor little brownie! He was frightened. The doormouse looked as
large as a bear. But it was warm and dry under the toadstool, and
very wet outside. The doormouse did not see him, and kept on the
other side of the stalk, just peeping out now and then. The brownie
began to tug at the toadstool. It was very heavy. But never mind!
Tug--tug--tug--up it came, and off scampered the brownie with the
toadstool over his head, and the doormouse was left out in the
rain!
By and by a grown-up person with very sharp eyes, saw the brownie,
and the grown-up person went off at once and made himself a large
toadstool from iron and wood and cloth to hold over his head when
it rained. So that is how we came to have umbrellas.