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XXXVI.-MERRY SPRING.

Merry Spring,
Will you bring

Back the little birds to sing?
I am sad;
Make me glad,

Gentle, merry, laughing Spring.

Winter's snow

Had to go

From the hills and vales below;

Then the showers

Made the flowers

Over all the hillsides grow.

Mother said,

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They're not dead,

Only sleeping in their bed;

When spring rain

Comes again,

Each one lifts its tiny head."

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drought thirsting whine dip'per lodge precious jagged ex cite a mazement

XXXVII.-LEGEND OF THE GREAT DIPPER.

One night Mother Earth noticed that the stars were very bright. She wondered what it meant. She listened. The moon was tell

ing a story to the stars, and this is the story she told:

Once in a land far, far from here, there was

a great drought. Not one
drop of water could be
found anywhere. The
springs and the moun-
tain streams were all dried
No rain had fallen

up.
for many months and the
people were thirsting.

In one of the lodges of that land lived a little girl. She pitied the people and the animals. She wanted to help them. How could she do so? Water, water, fresh water!" was the cry of all living things. The little girl went up into the mountains alone to pray for water.

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She carried a little tin dipper. She knelt

and prayed to God to fill it with water. When her prayer was finished she looked into the It was full of fresh, cold water.

dipper.

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How glad she

She thought of her

poor

She

sick mother at home in the lodge. Without waiting to take a drink herself, she ran homeward as fast as her feet could carry her. did not mind the sharp, jagged stones that cut her bare feet, leaving a trail of blood in their path. She thought only of her dear mother and the joy of seeing her take a drink of cool

water.

As she ran she heard a low, sad whine in the brush by her side. She stopped to see what caused the noise. She found a poor dog dying of thirst. The little girl at once poured some of the precious water into her hand and gave it to the dog. The dog lapped the water, looked grateful, and ran joyously away.

But a strange thing happened to the dipper. It suddenly changed to silver and became larger than before. It was still full of clear, cold water. The little girl ran home greatly excited.

She gave the dipper to the maid and said, "Please give my mother a drink quickly." But the maid was so weak she could not lift the dipper to the mother's lips. The sick woman told the maid to stoop down and take a drink and then give it to her.

When the maid had taken a drink she revived and became strong. The mother and daughter drank, and they too revived and were well. But the dipper had changed to pure gold and was larger than ever. And what was even more remarkable, it was still full of pure, cold water.

Soon a weary traveler came to the gate of the lodge. He was sick and suffering for want of water. The maid ran and brought him a drink from the dipper of gold. The traveler was restored to health and departed, blessing the family in the lodge. When they looked at the dipper, behold, it had changed into a diamond dipper. While they looked in amazement at the wonderful change it became a running fountain, clear as crystal, and sparkling like a diamond. It never ceased to flow. All the people came and drank and were well.

Thereafter every child in that land was given a tin dipper, and told the story of the little girl. Each child tried to live such a life as would change its dipper into silver or gold or diamonds.

cot'tage pov'er ty misě ry děbt worries ǎt ten'dants fâre well'

XXXVIII. THE MILLER OF DEE.

Once a miller lived on the bank of a little river called the Dee. This miller did not have much money, but he owned a little land along

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