by a pair of winged dragons.
“Dear Mother,” said Proserpina, “may I go down to the shore and play with
the sea-maids?”
“Yes, child,” answered Mother Ceres, “but you must not go alone into the
fields.”
The sea-maids heard Proserpina calling. Soon she saw them coming up out
of the water. They made a chain of beautiful shells and hung it around
Proserpina’s neck.
“How pretty it is!” said Proserpina. “Wait for me here while I run into
the fields. I want to make each of you a chain of flowers.”
Proserpina’s hands were soon full of flowers. She was turning to go back,
when she saw a beautiful plant near her.
“I will put it in my garden,” said Proserpina. She pulled and pulled.
Soon Proserpina held the plant in her hands. She was surprised to see the
deep hole which its roots left in the ground.
II
The hole grew deeper and wider, and Proserpina heard a loud noise under
the ground.
Four black horses jumped out of the hole, drawing a golden chariot. In it
sat a very dark man, with a crown of diamonds on his head.
The man caught Proserpina in his arms, and shouted to his horses. They
went so fast that they seemed to fly through the air.
Proserpina was frightened and called out, “Mother! Mother Ceres! Come
quickly and help me!”
But Mother Ceres was a great way off, and could not hear her cry.
“I will not harm you,” said the man. “I am King Pluto. All the gold and
silver under the ground belong to me.
“I will give you a garden full of prettier flowers than those in your
hand. Where I live all the flowers are made of pearls and rubies.”
[Illustration]
Just then Proserpina saw Mother Ceres in a field far away. She gave a
loud cry, but King Pluto only made the horses go faster.
As they went under the earth it grew darker and darker. By and by they
came to his castle. It was made of gold and lighted with lanterns made of
diamonds. There was no sunshine in King Pluto’s country.
“Try to be happy, little Proserpina,” he said. “You may have my crown to
play with. If you like, you may sit beside me and be my little queen.”
“I do not want golden castles and crowns,” sobbed Proserpina. “Please
carry me back to my mother.”
Dinner was ready for them but Proserpina would eat nothing. She knew that
if she ate the food or drank the water of King Pluto’s country, she could
never see her mother again.
III
Mother Ceres heard Proserpina’s loud cry. She looked all around but could
not see her. Then she drove home quickly, but she could not find her in
the house.
She heard the sea-maids singing, and ran down to ask them about
Proserpina.
“She left us this morning to gather flowers,” said one of them. “We have
not seen her since.”
It was now almost dark. Mother Ceres lighted her torch, and went from
house to house asking every one about her child.
Day and night for six long months she hunted for her little girl. Her
torch burned dimly by day but at night it lighted her path.
At last some one told her that Proserpina had been carried off by King
Pluto.
Then Mother Ceres said, “The grain shall not grow, nor the flowers bloom,
until my little girl is given back to me.”
The earth turned brown, and there was no food for men nor animals. So
they asked King Pluto to make the earth green by sending Proserpina home.
IV
Proserpina had grown very hungry. She had just begun to eat some fruit
when King Pluto told her she could go back to her mother.
As she walked along, everything turned green. Beautiful flowers grew in
her path. The cows and the sheep began to eat the grass and the birds to
sing in the trees.
Mother Ceres was sitting on the door-step when she heard Proserpina say,
“Here I am, Mother dear.”
How happy Mother Ceres was, to hold her little girl in her arms once
more. Proserpina told her all about King Pluto’s castle.
“I was so unhappy, Mother dear,” she said, “that I did not eat anything
until to-day. Then King Pluto gave me some fruit that had grown in one of
your gardens.”
“Oh, my little Proserpina!” said Mother Ceres. “Why did you eat it?”
“I did not eat all of it,” said the little girl. “I swallowed only six
seeds.”
“My child,” said Mother Ceres sadly, “you ate those six seeds in King
Pluto’s castle. So you will have to spend six months of every year under
the ground with him. While you are gone nothing shall grow. But when you
come back to me in the spring, we will make the world beautiful.”
NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE (_Adapted_).
HAWTHORNE AND HIS CHILDREN.
[Illustration]
Nathaniel Hawthorne had three children. They had great fun together.
In the spring he made them boats to sail on the lake, and kites to fly in
the air.
In the summer he went fishing with them and took them into the woods to
gather flowers.
In the autumn they went nutting.
One day the children were standing at the foot of a tall walnut tree.
Soon they heard a shout.
When they looked up the children saw their father high up in the top of
the tree. Then down came the nuts! The children put them into bags and
carried them home.
When the snow came, their father took them coasting. Sometimes as they
went down the hill they fell into the snow.
Then how they shouted and laughed!
Hawthorne liked to take long walks with his son. The little boy thought
that his father was the best playmate in the world.
Once when they were out walking, they passed through some tall grass and
weeds. They played these were giants and dragons which had to be cut down.
Hawthorne struck so hard that he broke his cane. Then he sat down and
watched the little boy fighting with the giants and dragons.
Hawthorne loved children so much that he wrote books for them.
His three children loved his stories. They read his Wonder Book and
Tanglewood Tales so often that they knew them almost by heart.
JUNE.
[Illustration:
The lilies ring their tiny bells
From garden-beds in June,
And high and clear their music swells,
A lovely fairy tune.
SELECTED.
]
THUMBLING.
There was once a woman who had no little child. So one day she went to
see a Wise Fairy.
“I wish for a tiny, little child,” she said. “Can you tell me where I can
get one?”
“Here is a grain of corn,” said the Wise Fairy. “Plant it in a
flower-pot. Then you will see what is to be seen.”
“Thank you,” said the woman.
Then she went home and planted the corn in a flower-pot.
The next day a large flower came up. It looked like a tulip bud.
The woman kissed the red and yellow leaves. As she kissed it the flower
opened with a loud snap.
In the middle of the tulip there was a little tiny girl. She was only an
inch high. So they named her Thumbling.
II
“Thumbling must have a cradle,” said the woman. So she made her one out
of a walnut shell.
[Illustration]
Thumbling slept on the blue velvet leaves of a violet. Her cover was a
pink rose leaf.
One night a great Ugly Toad hopped in at the window.
“What a pretty little girl!” she said. The Ugly Toad took the walnut
shell and hopped down into the garden. A brook ran through the garden.
“I will put her out in the brook on a water-lily leaf,” said the Ugly
Toad. “Then she cannot get away.”
On the largest leaf the Toad laid the walnut shell. Thumbling was in it
fast asleep.
In the morning Thumbling awoke and began to cry. The Fishes looked up and
saw poor little Thumbling.
“Why are you crying, little girl?” they said.
“I do not want to live with the Ugly Toad,” said Thumbling.
“Live with the Toads?” said the Fishes. “No, that must never be.”
They cut the stem of the lily leaf with their sharp teeth.
The lily leaf floated down the brook and carried Thumbling away from the
Ugly Toads.
III
By and by a large May-bug came flying along.
He caught Thumbling with his long claws. Then he flew with her into a
tree. How frightened little Thumbling was!
Soon many other May-bugs came into the tree, to look at poor frightened
little Thumbling.
“Why!” said one. “She has no claws.”
“She has only two legs,” said another. “She should have six.”
“How ugly she is!” said all the others.
When the May-bug heard this he flew down with her from the tree. He set
her upon a large daisy and left her there.
All summer Thumbling lived alone in the great woods.
She wove a bed out of the leaves of grass. She hung the bed under a large
leaf to keep out the rain.
Thumbling ate the honey from the flowers. She drank the dew that stood
every morning upon the leaves.
Then winter came, and it began to snow. Poor little Thumbling! She was
very cold.
IV
A Field Mouse lived in a corn-field close to the woods.
“I will ask the Field Mouse for something to eat,” she said.
Poor Thumbling stood at the door like a little beggar girl.
“You dear child!” said the Field Mouse. “Come into my warm house. You may
eat dinner with me.”
“Would you like to stay with me all winter?” said the Field Mouse.
“You may keep my house clean, and you may tell me pretty stories.”
The winter was long and cold. But Thumbling was happy with the kind Field
Mouse.
V
One day Thumbling found a poor bird lying near the Field Mouse’s door.
Thumbling was very sorry. She thought the bird was dead.
“Poor little Swallow!” she said. “You must not lie on the cold snow.”
Thumbling wove a mat of hay. Then she laid it over the Swallow. She found
some soft wool and made a warm bed.
“Good-by, you pretty little Swallow,” she said.
Then Thumbling laid her head against the bird. The Swallow moved. It was
not dead. It was only cold.
The Swallow opened its eyes and looked at Thumbling.
“Thank you, pretty child,” he said. “I am warm now. Soon I shall fly
about in the bright sunshine.”
“Oh!” said Thumbling. “You cannot live out of doors. Cold winter is here.
You must stay in the Field Mouse’s home.”
The Field Mouse did not like birds. But she liked Thumbling and wished to
make her happy.
So all winter the Swallow lived in the Field Mouse’s warm home.
VI
At last spring came.
“I must go now,” said the Swallow. “Will you go with me, Thumbling? You
may sit upon my back and I will fly out into the bright sunshine.”
“No!” said Thumbling. “The kind Field Mouse will be sorry to have me
leave her.”
[Illustration]
“Good-by, then, dear little Thumbling,” said the Swallow.
“No, no!” said Thumbling. “I will go with you. I do not like to live in
the dark ground when it is so beautiful above.”
Thumbling sat upon the Swallow’s back. Then he flew high up into the air.
By and by they came to a warm country.
A large white flower was growing in a garden. The Swallow flew down and
set Thumbling upon one of its broad leaves.
VII
In the middle of the flower she saw a little tiny man. He was no larger
than Thumbling.
The tiny man was as pure and white as if made of glass. He had a gold
crown on his head and bright wings on his shoulders.
He was the King of the flower fairies.
“Oh, how beautiful he is!” said Thumbling to the Swallow.
The fairy King was glad to see Thumbling. He took off his crown and put
it on her head.
“You shall be Queen of all the flower fairies,” he said.
How happy every one was! Out of every flower came a tiny flower fairy.
Each one brought the Queen a gift, but the one she liked best was a pair
of golden wings.
When she put these on she could fly from flower to flower.
“You shall not be called Thumbling,” said the fairy King. “That is an
ugly name. We will call you Maia.”
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN (_Adapted_).
[Illustration]
MIDSUMMER NIGHT.
When the moon shines, and the stars are bright, and the warm winds blow,
the fairies meet together. They come from everywhere.
The fairy queen, Titania, sends one to hang pearls of dew on the flowers.
She sends another to kill the worms that are eating the roses. She sends
others to frighten away the birds that cry at night.
When Titania lies down upon a bed of cowslips, the fairies sing her to
sleep.
Other fairies wait upon Oberon, the king. The one he likes best is Puck.
Puck is the merriest fairy of all. He plays all sorts of tricks to make
the king laugh.
The fairies dance merrily together in the moonlight. But when they are
frightened they hide in acorn cups.
The king and the queen and all their fairies stay in the woods through
the summer night. But when they first see the sunlight, they fly away,
and follow darkness around the world.
SHAKESPEARE’S “Midsummer Night’s Dream” (_Adapted_).
THE TEETER.
[Illustration]
Said the brownest little Brownie,
To the weest little Fairy,
“Won’t you come along
And play a while with me?”
Said the weest little Fairy
To the brownest little Brownie,
“Tell me what you want to play,
Then I will see!”
So this sprightly happy fellow
Found the broadest blade of grass,
And balanced it upon a mossy stone.
And those little fairy children
Teetered gaily up and down,
Up and down all the afternoon alone.
MAUD BURNHAM.
THE NIXIE’S MUSIC.
Little Nils was born on Sunday.
His mother told him that the fairies always liked a Sunday child. They
would help him to be a great and good man.
She said that if he were kind and true, he would see the Nixie sometime.
Then the Nixie would grant him three wishes.
Nils wanted to see the Nixie more than anything else. Many a time he sat
by the water where the Nixie lived and listened for her music.
Sometimes on midsummer nights he thought he could hear it. But he could
not see the Nixie nor tell her his three wishes.
“Perhaps I am not good enough,” thought Nils. Then he tried to be kind to
the birds and animals. He was also very gentle with his little sister.
He knew what his three wishes would be, when he saw the Nixie.
First he wanted to be wise; then he wanted to be famous. But most of all
he wanted a violin, so that he could play the Nixie’s music.
[Illustration]
One day he asked the schoolmaster to let him take his violin.
The kind old man listened to Nils’s story. Then he said, “I will teach
you to play the violin.”
After a few lessons, Nils tried to play the Nixie’s music. But though his
ears could hear it, his fingers could not play it.
II
After a while the old schoolmaster died and left his violin to Nils.
Nils played on it all the time when he was not at work in the woods with
his father.
The people said that he could play the Nixie’s music. They came from far
and near to hear it. But Nils knew that he could not play it, although he
could still hear it.
He played at all the feasts. He made more money with his violin than he
did when he worked in the woods.
When he grew to be a man, he was very gentle and kind. People came to him
when they were sad and wanted help. They called him Wise Nils.
Once two men were traveling through the country. They came to hear Nils
play.
The travelers had never heard such beautiful music. They asked Nils to go
with them and play in many countries.
“No!” Nils answered. “I must stay here. My people need me.”
III
A few weeks after the men went away, a large box came to Nils. He opened
it and found that the travelers had sent him a beautiful violin.
As he drew the bow over the strings, Nils said, “Now I can play the
Nixie’s music.”
He ran down to the water, for it was Midsummer Night. That is the time
when Nixie always plays the loudest.
After a while he heard the soft music. But when he tried to play it the
music was gone. Sadly he put his violin down.
Should he never see the Nixie and tell her his three wishes?
Then he said to himself, “But I have my first wish, for the people call
me Wise Nils. And I might have been famous, if I had gone with the men.”
Then he thought of his third wish. He picked up his dear violin, and held
it lovingly in his arms.
HJALMAR HJORTH BOYESEN (_Adapted_).
JULY.
[Illustration:
’Tis the star-spangled banner!
Oh, long may it wave!
O’er the land of the free
And the home of the brave!
FRANCIS SCOTT KEY.
]
AMERICA.
(_To be memorized_)
My country! ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my Fathers died,
Land of the Pilgrims’ pride,
From ev’ry mountain side
Let freedom ring.
My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom’s song;
Let mortal tongues awake,
Let all that breathe partake,
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.
Our Fathers’ God, to thee;
Author of liberty,
To thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom’s holy light,
Protect us by thy might,
Great God, our King!
SAMUEL F. SMITH.
THE LIBERTY BELL.
[Illustration]
It was the Fourth of July, 1776.
For more than a year America had been at war with England.
A great and good man had written a paper saying that America must be free.
On the Fourth of July a number of wise men met in Philadelphia, to see
about signing this paper.
Many people stood around the house where they met.
“Will they sign it? Will they sign it?” the people asked.
An old bell-man was in the tower ready to ring the bell. His little
grandson stood below to tell him when to ring it.
Hour after hour passed, but still the old man and the little boy waited.
At last the boy shouted, “Ring, Grandpa! Ring! Oh, ring for liberty!”
The old bell rang out loud and clear. How the people shouted! Cheer after
cheer went up.
For two hours the old bell-man sent out the glad news. America was free!
This was the first Fourth of July.
For many years the old bell rang out merrily on all great days. But at
last a sad thing happened. A large crack was found in it.
The old bell could never ring any more. But the people loved it better
than ever.
They gave it a home in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where every
year travelers go to see it.
[Illustration]
THE SOLDIER BIRD.
One day, Chief Sky, an Indian, found an eagle’s nest with a baby eagle in
it.
The Indian was poor, so he sold the eagle to a white man for some corn.
The man took it into a village where some soldiers were getting ready to
go to the war.
“Here is a new soldier,” he said.
“An eagle! An eagle!” shouted the soldiers. “Let us take him to the war.”
They put red, white, and blue ribbons around his neck, and named him Old
Abe. They covered his perch with the American flag and marched into camp.
When the eagle heard the people cheer, he took the flag in his beak and
spread his wings.
“The bird of America! The eagle of freedom!” shouted the soldiers.
II
Old Abe was carried in front of the soldiers.
Often he would spread his wings and fly far up into the sky. Then how the
men cheered!
Sometimes Old Abe flew away to look for food and he would be gone for two
or three days. But he always found his soldiers again.
At one time the soldiers’ food was nearly gone. For two days Old Abe had
nothing to eat.
The soldiers of the other army were very near. No one could leave the
camp.
Tom, the man who carried Old Abe, felt very sorry. He went to his captain
and begged him to let him go out and get food for poor Old Abe.
Soon Tom came back with a good supper for his pet.
Old Abe was very fond of music, and liked to drill with the soldiers. He
watched the captain and did as he was told.
At last the war came to an end. The brave eagle that had been in so many
battles was taken home.
A large house was built for him. The soldier who had carried him through
the war took care of him.
In this pleasant home Old Abe lived a long and happy life.
THE CALICO’S STORY.
Once I was a tiny seed covered over with a brown coat. I had many
brothers and sisters.
We lived in the warm South and were kept in a strong bag.
One morning the people who lived in the house were up very early.
I heard the master say, “Tom, you may plant that cotton seed to-day.”
Cotton Seed was my name. Tom picked me up and I was soon put into a
little bed close to a great river. I began to feel larger and larger.
One day my coat burst and I came up out of the ground. Wasn’t I happy
then!
I had a green body and two green leaves. I stretched my head higher and
higher.
II
At last I had three beautiful blossoms. Soon all my pretty leaves left
me, to go with Mr. Wind.
One day the buds left by the blossoms burst open. I was covered with
cotton as white as snow and as soft as silk.
[Illustration]
“Come, children!” I heard some one call. “We must pick the cotton.”
And the children did come. They had woolly heads and shining eyes.
One little boy cried out, “Oh! Did you ever see prettier cotton?”
His little black fingers soon picked all my white cotton.
Next I was riding in a basket on Tom’s head.
I was sorry to leave the fields, and said, “Good-by, dear old body and
leaves! Good-by, dear river!”
III
A machine took away from me many little hard seeds. They looked just as I
did before I went to sleep in Mother Earth.
After a while I was loaded on a ship which sailed on a great sea. By and
by the ship stopped.
I was carried to a large house where I heard, “Buzz, buzz, buzz!”
A great many strange things were done to me. I was cleaned, and twisted,
and spun, and woven.
At last I had become white cloth.
IV
Next I went through a printing-machine.
This machine sent me under a roller which left little red cherries all
over me.
Then I went under another roller which put green stems on the cherries.
It left green leaves close to the stems.
Prettier cherries you never saw!
After I left the roller I was dried, folded, and sent to a store in a
city.
One day a little girl from the country came into the store. She had a
basket of eggs. When she saw me she gave all of her eggs for me.
Then I was made into a pretty dress. I gave much joy to the little girl
who liked to wear me to school.
THE YOUTHS’ COMPANION (_Adapted_).
[Illustration]
AUGUST.
[Illustration:
Oh, fireflies, fireflies, light all your candles!
Far down, deep down in the sea’s wet bed
The wise little fishes have lighted their lanterns,
And luminous jellyfish tents are spread.
ELLA HIGGINSON.
]
THE SIX LITTLE SEA-MAIDS.
Deep down in the sea, there was a beautiful red and yellow castle. Its
roof was made of shells which opened and shut to let the water in and out.
There the sea king lived with his six daughters. They were pretty little
girls, with long, golden hair, and blue eyes. They had no feet, but they
had tails like fishes.
The sea-maids were very happy playing all day deep down in the water.
Sometimes the fish would swim through the windows of the castle. They
often ate out of the hands of the little sea-maids.
Outside the castle, the sisters had a garden, where flowers grew in the
blue sand.
On her fifteenth birthday, each of the little sea-maids went up through
the water for the first time. The sisters promised to tell what they
liked best in the world above.
The oldest sister came down to the castle and said, “I liked best to
watch the lights on the land, and to hear the bells ring.”
When the second sister was fifteen years old, she went up through the
water at sunset.
“I think the golden clouds are the most beautiful things in the world,”
said the second sister.
The third sister went up a wide river, with green woods and hills along
the shore. “I watched some children in the water,” said the sea-maid.
“How can they swim? Children have no fish tails.”
The fourth sister said, “The sea is more beautiful than the land. There
are white ships, and large fishes, and many strange things to be seen
here.”
The birthday of the fifth sister came in the winter. The sea was green.
There were large pieces of ice in it, which seemed to frighten the
sailors.
The sea-maid sat down on a piece of ice, and let the wind play with her
long hair.
II
The youngest sister wanted to see the world above more than any of her
sisters.
When she went up through the water, she saw a large white ship filled
with people.
A young prince was on the ship. It was his birthday, so there were
fireworks, and music, and dancing.
The little sea-maid had never seen men and women before. So she rode on
the high waves and watched them.
By and by there was a storm, and the people on the ship were frightened.
Soon the ship parted, and the sea-maid saw the young prince fall into the
water.
She knew that he could not live in the water. So the sea-maid went up to
him and held his head above the waves. When the storm was over, she laid
him down on the yellow sand.
Soon the prince opened his eyes. He was very glad to be on the land once
more. He did not know that he had been saved by a little sea-maid.
Often at evening the six little sisters joined hands and went up through
the water. They sang to the sailors in the ships.
“Do not be afraid,” sang the sea-maids. “It is very beautiful far down
under the blue water.”
[Illustration]
But the sailors could not hear what the sea-maids were saying. They
thought the sweet music was the sound of the wind.
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’S “A Little Sea-maid” (_Adapted_).
THE SINGER AND THE CRICKET.
[Illustration]