crowell] the old willow tree 303 



began to feed the tree with water and air and it began to grow very 

 fast and soon became a small tree with many branches. 



By this time the little boys were big boys but liked to make 

 whistles and still use whips. They cut all the whips they could 

 reach off the tree but do you suppose this little tree gave up and 

 died ? Oh ! no, it only worked harder and grew taller and had more 

 limbs. The limbs grew up in the air always reaching after more 

 light and rain. The roots went deeper down into the ground and 

 farther from the tree always trying to find more to eat and always 

 trying to hold the tree when the wind was blowing hard. 



By the time these boys got to be big men this tree was also a big 

 tree and was so big that one of them could hardly reach around it. 



Also now many other people lived near these men so that a town 

 had grown up at that place and the Indians were all gone. Also a 

 great war had been fought and our country was to have no more 

 trouble from other nations. 



Soon these two men had little boys of their own to whom they 

 told the story of the tree which they had started as a whip. The 

 tree was now so big that the other little boys then used it to play in 

 and got whips from it to drive their fathers' cows with. It was one 

 of these little bo^^s, who when an old man, and my uncle, told me 

 about this tree. 



When the first little boys became old men and died do you sup- 

 pose the tree died? No, instead it got bigger and bigger, always 

 getting more roots and more leaves. Soon it was way up above the 

 bam and in fact its limbs covered the roof of the barn. 



These second little boys, now big boys, used to climb up into the 

 tree where they often played, but they also walked out on the 

 limbs and onto the barn which I think is dangerous, don't you? 



Then when the second boys were young men there came that 

 great war when nearly all the men in town went to fight. Think of 

 it, this makes two great wars that this tree has seen. 



After the war these second boys returned home to the farm again 

 and had little boys of their own, but the tree was almost too big for 

 them to play in. 



Now came the time when the old tree nearly died. The summer 

 was very dry so that the tree could not get enough food, for you 

 know the ground where the willow is must be wet so that it can get 

 its food and grow well. But this was not all, for the insects and 

 worms came and ate the leaves so that the tree could hardly breathe 



