108 FOREST FANCIES 



her mandibles and flattened it into a strip of 

 paper, *^one named Reaumur noticed me at 

 work. He did not 'go to the ant/ but went to 

 the wasp and considered her ways ; and now a 

 great Man-made wasp, with sharp steel man- 

 dibles and iron jaws, sits upon the river bank, 

 making paper out of wood. Man calls the 

 wasp a mill.'' 



As the summer days passed, Picea watched 

 Vespa making paper. When the chill, wet 

 days of autumn came, Vespa flew away and did 

 not return. Her work was done. 



As the last bright leaves of the maples fell 

 to the ground, Picea 's neighbors called sleep- 

 ily, *^ Good-night!" 



^* Good-night," responded Picea, ''and good- 

 bye!" 



''Why 'Good-bye'?" asked a little maple 

 drowsily. 



Picea looked wistfully through the evergreen 

 forest, intermixed with the fading foliage of 

 the hardwood trees, with here and there a 

 bright autumnal torch that the north wind had 

 not blown out, and sighed. She leaned her 



