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THE POPLAR TREE.

"Oh, what a beautiful rainbow!

One end is in my papa's woods.
I will go and find the pot of gold."
The little boy ran off

to the woods.

He went a long way.
It grew very dark.

Still he ran on and on.

At last he found the

pot of gold.

How glad he was.

But the gold was very heavy.

The boy was a long way from home.

"What shall I do?" said he.

"I cannot carry this heavy gold.
I will hang it on this tree.
Then I will go and tell my papa.

In the morning he will

come and get it for me."

He hung the gold on a

poplar-tree.

The poplar branches

were like the pine branches.

They grew straight out.

The tree was asleep.

It did not know what the boy had done.

No one could see the gold.

The leaves hid it.

Iris took care of the rainbow.

She had hung a pot of gold on each end

of it.

That was to hold the rainbow down.
The wind might not blow it away.

In the morning she saw that one pot

was gone.

She asked Mercury to find it for her.
Mercury went to the woods.

Wake up!" he said to the trees.

'Have you seen the pot of gold?

Wake up and tell me."

The trees were very sleepy.

"No, we have not seen the gold," said

they.

Mercury wanted to be sure.

Hold up your arms!" said he.

“Then I shall know you are awake.”

All the trees held up their arms.

There was the pot of gold, hanging from

the poplar-tree.

The tree felt very badly.

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"I did not know it was there.

I would not steal the rainbow gold. After this I will always hold up my arms.

Nothing shall be hid among my leaves again."

The other trees laughed at him.

"You look like a closed umbrella," said

they.

The poplar tree did not care.

He has held his arms up ever since.