CHAPTER V 



THE SHEEPFOLD 



IN the evening Uncle Paul resumed the story of 

 the ants. At that hour Jacques was in the habit 

 of going the round of the stables to see if the oxen 

 were eating their fodder and if the well-fed lambs 

 were sleeping peacefully beside their mothers. Un- 

 der the pretense of giving the finishing touches to 

 his wicker basket, Jacques stayed where he was. 

 The real reason was that the ants' cows were on his 

 mind. Uncle Paul related in detail what they had 

 seen in the morning on the elder : how the plant-lice 

 let the sugary drops ooze from their tubes, how the 

 ants drank this delicious liquid and knew how, if 

 necessary, to obtain it by caresses. 



"What you are telling us, Master," said Jacques, 

 "puts warmth into my old veins. I see once more 

 how God takes care of His creatures, He who gives 

 the plant-louse to the ant as He gives the cow to 

 man." 



"Yes, my good Jacques," returned Uncle Paul, 

 "these things are done to increase our faith in 

 Providence, whose all-seeing eye nothing can escape. 

 To a thoughtful person, the beetle that drinks from 

 the depths of a flower, the tuft of moss that receives 

 the rain-drop on the burning tile, bear witness to 



the divine goodness. 



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