A SYLVAN EASTER 63 



say, with the eyes of love, but you have popped 

 an idea into my head: I will turn you into a 

 magnif ying-glass. ' ' 



Polly looked uneasy, pinching her chubby 

 arm to see whether she was a little girl or a 

 microscope. 



**When you are a magnif ying-glass," con- 

 tinued Spring, **you and the robin and the bee 

 shall be the three judges to tell which tree is 

 fairest." 



Then Spring summoned a bee, and presto 1 

 before Polly knew it, she was no bigger than 

 a bumblebee herself, sitting like a fairy queen 

 between the wings of her new friend — quite 

 safe from the sting-end, she was sure. 



Up, up flew Polly and the bee, straight to the 

 silver maple. But the silver maple had lost 

 her flowers, and in their place winged seed 

 hung like katydids under a flock of butterfly 

 leaves. 



The flowers of the red maple, too, had burned 

 out, though all her seed were winged with 

 flame. 



Their sister, the boxelder, not so eager 



