A Voyage of Discovery 



Katherine R. Rogers 



New Bedford, Mass. 



The little waves were very happy when the warm summer days 

 came along, and they rippled gently back and forth on the beach, 

 chasing the pebbles playfully up, and then drawing them down 

 again, and laughing to themselves over the way the pebbles scolded 

 at such treatment. Every day, when the tide went out, the waves 

 went along with it, far down the beach, and then the pebbles were 

 left in peace and they got quite nice and dry, but it was a little 

 lonesome and they didn't really mind the playing of the waves, 

 so they were always glad to see them back, when they rode in 

 again with the high tide. The waves were always full of life then, 

 and ran up a little farther every few minutes with a rush and a 

 roar that gave the pebbles a delicious scare, for they knew it meant 

 they were going to be caught and rolled over and over in the cool 

 salt water. 



One day when the sun was shining brilliantly, some children 

 came to play on the beach, with pails and shovels and little carts, 

 and they ran about in great excitement, picking up all the prettiest 

 pebbles and shells they could find, and trying to see how near they 

 could get to the waves without getting very wet. Of course, they 

 did get their shoes wet, because they would follow the waves as 

 they slipped down the beach, and the waves could always run back 

 up the beach faster than the children could, though they scampered 

 and shrieked their best, so finally their mothers decided it was 

 warm enough to take off their clothes and put on bathing suits 

 and let them get as wet as they liked. And then the waves had 

 a glorious time ! They tried their best to knock the children down, 

 for that was their idea of fun, and once or twice when a venture- 

 some boy got in pretty deep, they did make him turn and scramble 

 for the shore, and they threw salt water in his mouth and eyes, 

 but he only laughed, and they laughed too, and danced and spark- 

 led in the sunshine. 



Suddenly some larger waves came rolling in, sent by a big boat 

 going by out in the harbor, and then the children did tumble over 

 and roll about for a minute ! 



"Come on!" the big waves cried to the little ones, "get on our 

 backs and we'll take you over to France and Spain. It's awfully 

 exciting out on the ocean!" 



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