flight of crows; and as the farmers were away, they flew down and began picking the grains out of the ground as fast as they could. I lay trembling with fear, thinking my turn would come, and that I too should be eaten up. But before they reached the spot where I was, the farmers returned to the field, and frightened them away. Not long afterwards there was a fine shower of rain, and some of the drops fell upon me, and carried me down with them into the ground. There I was quite safe from the birds. I remained in the ground some time. After a while I could feel myself beginning to swell and I at last grew so large that my skin could not hold me, and it burst open. Out there came at one end a little tuft of small roots scarcely larger than hairs. These struck into the ground and grew downwards. At the other end out came several tiny green stalks, which grew above the ground. At first they looked like blades of grass. But they soon became taller and taller, and stronger and stronger, and at last a beautiful ear of wheat was seen at the top and a few long leaves, like those of grass, grew on the sides of each stalk. Thus from a small seed I was changed into a little plant. And a very pretty change it was. The little roots sucked in water, which went up all through my green veins into the ears, and made them swell out and grow large and full of seeds. How proud and happy I felt! Then, when the pleasant warm weather came, the sun turned us as yellow as gold, and the wind blew us about with the other ears of wheat that grew in the same field, and we all felt very proud of our beauty. But our pride did not last long, for one day some men came into the field with a big machine, and cut us all down." "Those were the farmers with the binder," said Edward. "We were then bound up in sheaves and set upright on the ground, leaning one against the other for support. As we were separated from our roots in the ground, we were no longer able to stand upright. We remained some days and nights on the ground, and then we were put into a large cart and carried to the farm-yard to be stacked. After that we were left quietly there for some time, except that a hungry rat now and then found its way into the stack, and ate up as many of us as he could swallow for his breakfast. "One day we saw a very large machine coming into the yard. It was making a loud noise. Suddenly it stopped and gave a sharp whistle.' "That was the threshing machine," said Edward. "It was indeed," replied the crust of bread. "A man came and put us into a big mouth that the machine had. A wheel began to turn and in a minute we were all driven out of the ears in which we had grown, and our stalks were torn away. Before I could think we dropped into another mouth, and another wheel whirled us around. At last we were dropped into a bag. There were thousands and thousands of us then, beautiful little white grains of wheat." "So then you were changed back again into. a grain of wheat," said Edward. "Not into one grain," replied the bread, "but into one or two hundred. I was but a single grain, it is true, when I was first sown in the ground, but I sprang up with so many fine ears that I had over two hundred seeds. No others were so plump and well-grown as ourselves. Well, the next thing that happened to us was that we were sent to the mill to be ground all to pieces to make flour; and after that to the baker, who mixed us up with water and yeast, and made us into a piece of dough. After we had been well kneaded, he put us into an oven to be baked. We thus became part of a loaf of bread, which the baker's boy brought here today to be eaten." At the last word the voice failed-the power of the fairy's wand was at an end. Edward waited for some time to hear whether or not the bread would say anything more; and finding it quite silent, he took it from his ear, put it to his mouth, and ate it up. THE RABBIT'S TRICK AUTHOR UNKNOWN One day Brother Rabbit was running along the sea-shore when he saw a Whale and an Elephant talking together. He crouched down and listened to what they were saying, and this is what he heard: "You are the biggest animal on the land, Brother Elephant," said the Whale, "and I am the biggest one in the sea; if we work together, we can rule all the animals and do just as we please." "Excellent," said the Elephant; "that just suits me; we'll do it." The Rabbit smiled. "They will not rule me," he said. Off he ran and soon came back with a long strong rope and a big drum. He hid the drum some distance away in the bushes. Then he ran along the shore till he met the Whale. "Brother Whale," said he, "will you do me a favor? My cow is stuck in the mud away back in the bushes, and I am not strong enough to pull her out. May I ask you to help me?” "Certainly," said the Whale, "I shall be glad to assist you." "Then," said the Rabbit, "let me tie this end of my rope round you, and I will run back into the bushes and tie the other end round my cow, and when I have done that, I will beat on my drum. You will have to pull hard, for the cow is down deep in the mud." "Pshaw!" said the Whale, "I will pull her out, even if she is covered to the tips of her horns." The Rabbit tied the rope to the Whale and ran off as fast as he could to the place where the Elephant was feeding. "Dear Mr. Elephant," said he, "will you do me a kindness?" "What do you want?" asked the Elephant. "My cow is stuck in the mud some distance down on the shore, and I am not strong enough to pull her out. May I ask you to help me?" "Why, of course," said the Elephant. "Then," said the Rabbit, "let me tie the end of this rope to your trunk and the other to my cow, and when I have done this, I will beat on my big drum. When you hear that, pull with all your might, for the cow is a large one." "Nonsense," said the Elephant. "I could pull a dozen cows." "I feel sure of that," said the Rabbit, "only do not pull too hard at first. When he had tied the rope about the Elephant's trunk, he ran back to a little hill in the bushes, where he could see what was about to happen, and began to beat the drum. |