18 FOREST FANCIES 



*^I would be the cradle of babyhood," re- 

 plied the king of the forest, while the laugh- 

 ter of the trees ran like squirrels over the 

 branches. Unheeding, he continued, **And as 

 I rocked the child, I would whisper tales of 

 the forest, till he smiled at my fancies and slept 

 his innocent sleep. I would tell him the stories 

 of acorns and ivy and birds. What the wind 

 has told me, I would tell him, till his fancies 

 were as flowers and the sunbeams of happy 

 thoughts touched him with their radiance. 

 And all the while I would be giving him the 

 strength which is the strength of a great tree, 

 the patience which is found in the growth of 

 a century, the endurance which comes from 

 a struggle for life from infancy. 



^* What I have attained, he should attain, my 

 strength should be his strength ; and he at last 

 would be crowned with victory in the struggle 

 of life, even as I am crowned with branches 

 and leaves. And while he stood firm on the 

 foundation of world-wisdom, upon his head 

 would rest the eternal sunlight of a Higher 

 Truth — the consciousness of Life Divine, 



