ined an apple blossom closely, so I will 

 tell you about one. To begin, we have 

 five pretty leaves which are sometimes 

 white and sometimes pink, and a num- 

 ber of little, pin-like things, with tiny 

 knobs on top, covered with yellow dust. 

 Also, we have five other pin-like things 

 without any dust on them, and these 

 last are joined together below and set 

 in a green cup, whose top is cut into 

 five pieces, rolled back like leaves. Just 

 look carefully at an apple blossom next 

 May and see if this is not so. The wise 

 men have names for all these parts, and 

 some day you may study all about them 

 and then you will know that I am tell- 

 ing you a true story. Well, it happened 

 one day that a bee paid me a visit." 



"Oh, dear!" said Elsie. ''Were you 

 afraid?" 



"Afraid," was the scornful answer. 

 ''Certainly not. Didn't I wear my pretty 

 dress and store my precious, drop of 

 honey, just to attract that bee? You 

 see, she had been making calls on other 

 blossoms and was covered with their 

 yellow dust and it was this yellow dust 

 I needed for the little pin-like things, 

 without dust, which I mentioned a 

 minute ago." 



"But I don't understand," Elsie an- 

 swered. "Why couldn't you use your 

 own dust?" 



"Oh, that's Mother Nature's secret 

 and I have not time to explain it now. 

 I had to have the dust from another 

 blossom, and only the bee could bring 

 it to me! I paid my good friend with 

 honey, and also gave some of my own 

 dust in exchange for what I received, 

 so it was no robbery you see. If you 

 ever have a chance, watch a bee as he 

 visits an apple blossom. It will be 

 worth your while, I promise you." 



"It may be," agreed Elsie, "but I 



can't see much sense in it now." 



"You will when you are older and 

 wiser," the Apple answered. 



"After the bee's visit, I no longer 

 needed my pretty dress, and it gradual- 

 ly dropped away. Then a great change 

 came over me. You remember the cup 

 I spoke of awhile ago? Well, in that 

 cup were a number of little green 

 things, like tiny eggs, and the life in 

 the dust went down to them and they 

 too became full of life and began to 

 grow. Of course, the cup had to grow 

 also. It became larger and juicier un- 

 til " 



"Oh! I know what happened," inter- 

 rupted Elsie, clapping her hands. "It 

 grew into you, and the tiny green 

 things are your seeds; babies, I mean; 

 only they must be brown now." 



"Just it," agreed the Apple. "You are 

 beginning to think a little. All sum- 

 mer I have taken goo,d care of 'my 

 babies, but now they are quite grown 

 up, and it is time for them to be out 

 and about their work. You see, they 

 must make the new trees, which will 

 bear apples long after these trees are 

 gone. Dear me, how tired I am. I 

 fear this talk has been too much for 

 me." 



"I should think," began Elsie^ — then 

 she stopped, for something had touched 

 her quite sharply. 



She started up with a little cry and 

 began to rub her eyes. 



The big Pippin had fallen and lay 

 beside her in the hammock. 



"Why, I must have been dreaming," 

 she said, "but what a wonderful dream 

 it was. I'll tell mama all about it; and 

 after this I mean to keep my eyes open 

 and look out for the wonderful things 

 that the Apple said were happening all 

 the time." Louise Jamison. 



