The Young and Field Literary Readers Part 11

Then the three faithful beasts broke open the great box.

They gave the stone to the man.

He took it and wished himself in the castle again, and wished the three faithful beasts with him.

At once they were in the castle.

The merchants were gone.

So the man and his three faithful beasts lived there ever after.

POEMS BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

WHERE GO THE BOATS?

Dark brown is the river, Golden is the sand; It flows along for ever, With trees on either hand.

Green leaves a-floating, Castles of the foam, Boats of mine a-boating-- Where will all come home?

On goes the river And out past the mill, Away down the valley, Away down the hill.

Away down the river, A hundred miles or more, Other little children Shall bring my boats ash.o.r.e.

AT THE SEASIDE

When I was down beside the sea A wooden spade they gave to me To dig the sandy sh.o.r.e.

My holes were empty like a cup; In every hole the sea came up, Till it could come no more.

RAIN

The rain is raining all around; It falls on field and tree, It rains on the umbrellas here And on the s.h.i.+ps at sea.

AUTUMN FIRES

In the other gardens And all up the vale, From the autumn bonfires See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over And all the summer flowers; The red fire blazes, The gray smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!

Something bright in all!

Flowers in the summer, Fires in the fall!

THE WIND

I saw you toss the kites on high And blow the birds about the sky, And all around I heard you pa.s.s Like ladies' skirts across the gra.s.s-- O wind, a-blowing all day long O wind, that sings so loud a song!

I saw the different things you did, But always you yourself you hid; I felt you push, I heard you call, I could not see yourself at all-- O wind, a-blowing all day long, O wind, that sings so loud a song!

O you that are so strong and cold, O blower, are you young or old?

Are you a beast of field and tree, Or just a stronger child than me?

O wind, a-blowing all day long, O wind, that sings so loud a song!

HINDU FABLES

THE TIMID HARES

Once there was a timid little hare who was always afraid something dreadful was going to happen.

She was always saying, "What if the earth should fall in? What would happen to me then?"

One day, after she had been saying this to herself many times, a great coconut fell from a tree.

"What was that!" said the hare.

She jumped as if she had been shot.

"The earth must be falling in!" she cried.

So she ran and she ran as fast as she could run.

Soon she met another hare.

"O Brother Hare," she said, "run for your life! The earth is falling in!"

"What is that you say!" cried the other hare. "Then I will run, too."

This hare told another hare, and the other hare told other hares, and soon all the hares were running as fast as they could run, and crying:

"The earth is falling in! O, the earth is falling in!"

The big beasts heard them, and they too began to run and to cry:

"O, the earth is falling in! Run for your life!"

A wise old lion saw them running and heard them crying.

"I cannot see that the earth is falling in," he said.