Once more his master led him back to the seashore. He filled the bags with salt. The donkey was wiser now and carried the salt safely home. [Pg 61] [Pg 61] THE SECRET OF FIRE. A TREE STORY. NE summer night a great army of pine trees settled down in a quiet valley to rest. They were a tall, dark, grave-looking company. They held their heads high in the air, for they were the only trees in the world who knew the wonderful secret of fire. High above this valley, on the hillside, lived a little company of oaks. They were young, brave, and strong-hearted. When they saw the great band of pines marching into the valley, the tallest one said: “Let us make them divide the gift of fire with us.” “No,” said the oldest, wisest oak, “we must not risk, foolishly, the lives of our acorns. We could do nothing against so many.” All the acorns had been listening to what the tree said. Each one longed to help in finding out the great secret. [Pg 62] One of them became so excited that he fell from the limb, down upon the hard ground. He did not stop at the foot of the tree, but rolled over and over, far down into the valley. [Pg 62] Here a brook picked him up and hurried him away; but as he stopped to rest by a stone, he heard his good friend, the wind, talking to a pine tree. “What is the secret of fire which the pine trees know?” asked the wind. “Don’t you think it is selfish to keep it all to yourselves?” The pine tree loved the wind and
Prev.
Back
Top