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ARBOR DA Y MANUAL. 
THE STORY OF THE MORNING-GLORY SEED. 
LITTLE gill one day in the month of May dropped a morning-glory seed 
w into a small hole in the ground and said: “Now, morning-glory 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 clouds : “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 !:'. 
St. Nicholas, 1888. Margaret Eytinge. 
FOOLISH LITTLE ROBIN. 
O NCE 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 ol,d folks know quite everything.” 
Down he flew, —and kitty seized him, before he’d time to blink;. 
“Oh,” he cried, “I’m sorry! but I didn’t think.” 
