traver] PINE TREE AND THE MAN IN THE MOON 345 



and watched the young grow. Any destruction of nests or young 

 became quite a serious matter with them. Their interest in the 

 birds was so well known, that at Christmas there was a regular 

 shower of Bird Books as gifts to the great delight of the recipients. 

 The one who feels that she has been benefitted most, is the 

 teacher whom they ' ' lured' ' into joining their club. Through these 

 four boys she has become better acquainted with the bird life of the 

 community, and rejoices in being able to recognize now so many of 

 the bird friends. She hopes that some day the information gained 

 from wood and field will be considered as valuable as that secured 

 from books, and that the time will come when it will be the proper 

 thing to have specially prepared teachers to take all the children 

 out to the woods once or twice a week in spring and autumn and 

 there study the varied and abaundant life that fills them. A par- 

 tial remedy for the sordidness and discontent of the cities is to put 

 the child into touch with the great out-of-doors. 



The Pine Tree and the Man in the Moon 



Jay Traver 



It was eleven o'clock, and Roger had been in bed since eight, 

 but he couldn't go to sleep. He lay very still in bed, and thought 

 and thought. The big pine tree just outside the window was 

 sighing in the wind that swept thru its branches. The big full 

 moon looked in at the window, at Roger, and the little boy was 

 quite sure that the Man-in-the-Moon winked at him, with his 

 left eye, very slowly. Then strange things began to happen. 



One branch of the pine tree was quite near the window. 



Roger heard a voice it was strangely like the rustle and sigh of 

 the pine tree — say, "Come out, Roger, come out and swing in the 

 moonlight." So Roger got up very softly and stepped up on the 

 window-sill. The branch of the pine tree was right beside the 

 window now, so the little boy stepped out on it. He wasn't at 

 all frightened for the pine branch seemed to reach out its arms 

 to hold him. He crawled a little way up the branch and then sat 

 still, and swung back and forth gently. Mr. Wind came along 

 just then and gave the branch a push, and it swung out away from 

 his window. The Man-in-the-Moon winked again very slowly — 



