He hunted around for clods and dead 

 branches which, in his efforts to throw 

 over its crown; he threw into and through 

 the tree. 



"You'll see, Mr. Tree, some day, I'll 

 be able to throw higher," said our cheer- 

 ful Jacob. 



Just then Rover came running to him 

 and they had one of their jolly romps 

 on the dry grass and leaves. Presently, 

 tired out with their sport, both boy and 

 dog dropped to sleep. Now was the pine 

 tree's chance. 



"Jacob, Jacob!" called the tree; "1 am 

 a pine tree." One of the little, green 

 fairy spirits who made her home among 

 the branches had cast such a spell over 

 Jacob that now he could hear every word 

 the tree said as plainly as when his 

 mamma spoke. 



"When you come to know me and 

 my friends better you will love us for 

 our youth and worth as well as for our 

 beauty," said the pine. ''See — the oaks 

 and maples are mere dark skeletons. 

 What you call needles are our leaves. 

 They never all leave us at once. In our 

 family our faithful leaves serve us for 

 two years. When a new growth cov- 

 ered with fresh needles comes at the end 

 of a branch the old needles drop, it is 

 true, leaving our branches full of scars. 

 Since others never grow in these same 

 places our larger branches are left bare; 

 but the bunches of needles on the new 

 growth keep us always green. 



"That hard thing which you found, and 

 which you supposed to be a nut, was a 

 mature dry cone. In our cones we hide 

 our seeds, which have wings, so that they 

 fly on the wind to a good resting and 

 growing place. The little, tender balls 

 which you found near the young bud at 

 the end of the branchlet is a new cone 

 just started this year. The harder, dark- 

 er growth farther down among the 

 needles is a last year's cone. 



"My home is not in this country. I 

 was brought from a country of highlands 

 and nujuntains where the Scottish people 

 live. I am called a Scotcli pine. I do 

 not choose to live in a graveyard, but I 

 am willing to serve man and God by do- 

 ing my best wherever I chance to be. My 

 comrades and ] liave been placed here by 

 mourning friends for a token of the con- 

 stant rcmcnil)rances and love which arc 



held for their friends who have passed 

 away. 



"In our native land my brothers grow 

 to be very large, sometimes living for 

 three or four hundred years. As we 

 grow at the top, keeping our rounded 

 shape, our lower branches drop off." 



"Are you only useful for planting in 

 graveyards ?" asked Jacob. 



"Oh, no, indeed ! We furnish excel- 

 lent timber, called red pine, which is of 

 great use for fuel and in ship and house 

 building. When our trees are cut 

 through the bark, sap runs out. When 

 this is strained it is called turpentine, 

 which is used so much in medicine, by 

 painters and by other workmen. Oil of 

 turpentine is also made from our leaves 

 and cones. When you have a very bad 

 cold your mamma sometimes rubs tur- 

 pentine on your chest." 



"Oh, yes, I remember," said Jacob ; it 

 has a strong smell." 



"The dregs harden," continued the 

 pine, "and are called resin. This is used 

 in making yellow soap, ointments and 

 plasters. Our wood is burned to make 

 charcoal, tar and pitch. Even the soot is 

 saved, and called lampblack. 



"Charcoal is good for many things. 

 Doctors use it. Placed in a cistern filter 

 it purifies the water. It is burned for 

 fuel, especially when a fire with no smoke 

 is wanted. 



"As water cannot get through tar and 

 pitch, these are used in protecting wood 

 from water. Hence they are put on the 

 outside of ships, on the inside of water 

 casks, and on roofs. They are used in 

 making a black varnish with which peo- 

 ple coat iron pumps and fences to keep 

 them from rusting. Did you see the men 

 making the hard asphalt pavement which 

 leads to the vault?" 



"Oh, yes. They had a big kettle oi 

 tar, didn't they?" " 



"Yes. Stick out your foot." 



Jacob did as told. 



"You have shining patent leather lips 

 on your shoe toes. Ask papa to tell you 

 how patent leather is prepared. 



"Lampblack is mixed with white lead 

 to make paint. If a little lampblack is 

 used a gray is made. Enough can be 

 used to make the paint black. Less makes 

 a slate color." 



