Quickly he snatched it up and ran out of the room, up the little steps, out under the root, and away over the fields to his home.
He set the acorn on the table, with a sharp tap.
Up flew a little lid, and there, inside, was -oh! such a pretty necklace.
It was just the size for his little mouse sister, and so he gave it to her.
Lesson 48
THE DUCKS" DITTy
All along the backwater, Through the rushes tall, Ducks are a-dabbling, Up tails all!
Ducks" tails, drakes" tails, Yellow feet a-quiver, Yellow bills all out of sightBusy in the river.
Every one for what he likes!
We" d like to be Heads down, tails up,
Dabbling free.
High in the blue above, Swifts whirl and call -We are down a-dabbling, Up tails all!
-KENNETH GRAHAME
Lesson 49
UmBRELLAS
One sunny morning in April, a wee brownie started out for a walk.
He wore a brown coat, brown trousers, brown pointed shoes, and a long brown pointed cap.
He carried his basket over his arm, for he hadmarketing to do.
He skipped along, dodging the beetles, and peeping in at the doors of the ant hills, as merry as any brownie could be on a sunny morning in April.
He bought a pot of butter at a buttercup shop, and a jar of honey from a bee.
He was just going home again when "Dear me! What"s that ?" said the brownie. "Pit! pat! pit! pat! there"s the rain!"It is quite bad enough to be a child and out of doors when it rains, but think of being a tiny, wee, little mite of a brownie with fresh, new clothes, and every raindrop as full as a bucket!
He ran so fast that the jar of honey and the pot of butter rattled like a kettle-drum.
He crept under the tallest blade of grass, and tried to cover himself with a leaf, but it was of no use; the raindrops fell faster and faster untilhe was drenched.
At last he saw, just a little way ahead, a fine toadstool. That would make a good roof!
He ran as fast as his little legs would carry him to get under it. But the brownie ran into a fat grey mouse, who lay safe and dry under the toadstool.
Poor little brownie! He trembled with fright.
The mouse seemed to him as large as a bear, and he was so afraid! But it was warm and dry under the toadstool, and very wet outside.
The mouse did not see him, for he kept on the other side of the toad- stool, and just peeped out now and then.
Then the brownie began tugging at the toadstool. It was very heavy. Tug! tug! Up it came, and off scampered the brownie with the toadstool over his head, and the poor mousewas left in the rain.
"H a ! ha ! see t h e b r o w n i e ! " cried the crickets, the beetles, the g r a s s - h o p p e r s , and the ants:
"See the brownie with a toadstool
over his head to keep off the rain! What a funny roof! Why, it"s an umbrella !"Lesson 50
FAIRy UmBRELLAS
Wee grey and brown umbrellas Are scattered o"er the lawn!
The fairies ran and left them When day began to dawn.
They opened them last night, you know; From this it"s very plainThat fairies don"t like getting wet When it begins to rain.
Lesson 51
THE THRUSH"S SONG
One day a shepherd boy was keeping his sheep on a hill, when he heard a thrush singing, "Come and get it ! Come and get it! Come and get it!""Get what ?" asked the shepherd boy; but all the thrush answered was, "Come and get it! Come and get it!" till the shepherd boy could stand it no longer.
"Very well, I will!" he said at last, and randown to the farm to ask his master for a holiday. "You may take the day off, but you must be back by sunset to put the sheep in the fold," saidthe farmer.
The shepherd boy ran off, calling to the thrush, "Now, Thrush, I will follow you!""Come and get it!" sang the thrush, and flew
ahead. They went down the lane, and across the meadow, and up the hill.
"Is it much farther?" asked the boy.
"Come and get it!" sang the thrush from the tree beside the stile.
In the hedge was an old kettle.
"That"s it!" cried the shepherd boy, and seized hold of it.
Out flew Mrs. Robin in a great state of alarm. "Go away ! Let it alone ! That"s my nest! Howdare you touch it!" she chattered.
The shepherd boy peeped in, and --sure enough --there was, inside, a little nest with five pink-spotted eggs.
"I"m so sorry," he said to Mrs. Robin, putting back the kettle very carefully.
She popped inside again, and he heard the thrush calling from the next field, "Come and get it!""A shepherd boy was keeping his sheep."
"I wonder what it is?" he thought, hurrying on.
Still the thrush flew ahead.
At mid-day the shepherd boy sat down to rest under a tree, and ate the dinner he carried in his pouch, while the thrush sang over his head.
As soon as he had finished, it flew off again, still calling, "Come and get it!"In the middle of the next field was a big round ant-hill covered with thyme, and on top was the biggest grey snail-shell the shepherd boy had ever seen.
"Now I"ve got it!" he cried, picking it up.
Out came the snail"s head, and out stretched his horns. "Put down my house at once!" he said. "How would you like some one to pick up your house like this ?" "I"m very sorry," said the shepherd boy; "I did not know you were at home."He put down the snail and ran on, for the thrush was singing, "Come and get it," in the wood beyond.
Through the wood they went, and right across the common. "If I do not turn back soon, I shall not be home by sunset," thought the shepherd boy.
Just then, he came upon a fairy ring, and in the middle was the most beautiful toadstool ever seen. It was red on top, and had white frills underneath.
"At last!" cried the shepherd boy, and he was just going to gather it, when out peeped a tiny elf.
"Oh, don"t take away my sun-shade!" he begged. "I shall never find such a pretty one again.""Of course I won"t!" said the shepherd boy; but he thought to himself, "I shall never find outwhat the thrush is singing about after all, for the shadows are so long that it is time for me to go back."But, at that very moment, he heard the thrush singing, "Here! here! here!" It was perched outside a rabbit burrow, and outside the biggest hole sat Mr. Rabbit, wringing his paws, and crying, "Won"t anybody take it away?""Take what away?" asked the shepherd boy, and then he saw, just inside the burrow, a puppy curled up asleep.
