g6 ARBOR DA Y MANUAL. 



THE STORY OF THE MORNING-GLORY SEED. 



A LITTLE girl one day in the month of May dropped a morning-glory seed 

 into a small hole in the ground and said : " Now, morning-glor) r seed, 

 hurry and grow, grow, grow until you are a tall vine covered with pretty green 

 leaves and lovely trumpet flowers." But the earth was very dry, for there had 

 been no rain for a long time, and the poor wee seed could not grow at all. So, 

 after lying patiently in the small hole for nine long days and nine long nights, 

 it said to the ground around 'it : "O ground, please give me a few drops of 

 water to soften my hard brown coat, so that it may burst open and set free my 

 two green seed-leaves, and then I can begin to be a vine!" But the ground 

 said : " That you must ask of the rain." 



So the seed called to the rain : " O rain, please come down and wet the 

 ground around me so that it may give me a few drops of water. Then will my 

 hard brown coat grow softer and softer until at last it can burst open and set 

 free my two green seed-leaves and I can begin to be a vine!" But the rain 

 said : " I cannot unless the clouds hang lower." 



So the seed said to the clo'uds : "O clouds, please hang lower and let the 

 rain come down and wet the ground around me, so that it may give me a few 

 drops of water. Then will my hard brown coat grow softer and softer until at 

 last it can burst open and set free my two green seed-leaves and I can begin to 

 be a vine !" But the clouds said : "The sun must hide, first." 



So the seed called to the sun : " O sun, please hide for a little while so that 

 the clouds may hang lower, and the rain come down and wet the ground 

 around me. Then will the ground give me a few drops of water and my hard 

 brown coat grow softer and softer until at last it can burst open and set free 

 my two green seed-leaves and I can begin to be a vine ! " "I will," said the 

 sun, and he was gone in a flash. 



Then the clouds began to hang lower and lower, and the rain began to fall 

 faster and faster, and the ground began to get wetter and wetter, and the seed- 

 coat began to grow softer and softer until at last open it burst ! and out came 

 two bright green seed-leaves and the Morning-glory Seed began to be a Vine ! 



/. Nicholas, 1888. MARGARET EYTINGE. 



FOOLISH LITTLE ROBIN. 



ONCE there was a robin lived outside the door, 

 Who wanted to go inside, and hop upon the floor. 

 " Oh, no ! " said the mother, "you must stay with me ; 

 Little birds are safest sitting in a tree." 



" I don't care," said robin, and gave his tail a fling; 

 " I don't think the old folks know quite every thing." 



Down he flew, and kitty seized him, before he'd time to blink 

 "Oh," he cried, "I'm sorry! but I didn't think." 



