know. Hermes was a wise baby and understood all that Æolus told him. When he was only two days old he could run and whistle as well as North Wind.

One day while he was very young he climbed out of his cradle and ran down to the seashore. There he found an old tortoise shell. He picked it up and put a row of holes along each edge of the shell. Through these holes he wove some reeds which he found upon the seashore. Then he blew softly upon the reeds.

The birds heard such wonderful music that they stopped to listen. The leaves on the trees began to dance, and nodded to the flowers to keep still. The waves on the shore caught the tune and have been singing it ever since. Hermes had invented the lyre and brought a new kind of music into the world. He soon tired of his lyre and went back to his cradle in the cave.

As he lay there he could see a beautiful blue meadow with many white cows upon it. Hermes knew that the cows belonged to his brother, King Apollo. "What fun," thought he, "I will go and make the cows run." Off he ran after them until he was tired and out of breath. Then he drove them all backward into a cave, and fastened them in. King Apollo soon missed the cows and searched all the meadow for them. He traced them to the cave, but when he came closer to it, he found that all the tracks led from the opening, not into it. Near the cave he saw an old man who told him that he had seen the cows. He said that with them he had seen a baby with wings on his cap and heels. Apollo knew at once that the baby was his brother, Hermes. He went straight to the cave of Æolus. There was Hermes in his cradle playing with the shell just like any other baby. Apollo was angry and commanded him to stop laughing and crowing and tell him where the white cows were. Hermes only picked up the shell and breathed softly upon it. Apollo forgot his anger and everything but the beautiful music. He took Hermes in his arms and kissed him and begged him to teach him his secret.

Hermes was glad to be so easily forgiven. He gave Apollo the lyre and taught him many ways to play upon it. Apollo was soon able to make even sweeter music than Hermes, and he afterward became the god of music. He was so thankful to Hermes for his gift that he gave him a wonderful rod called the caduceus. Whatever Hermes touched with the rod became wise, loving, and unselfish.

One time he saw two hissing serpents about to spring at each other in fury. He touched them with the caduceus. Instantly they twined themselves lovingly around the rod and never again left it. Apollo 

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