Child's Story Garden - - (inspirational books to read TXT) 📗
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the sea. The little pine tree wished to grow and be tall, like the rest
of the trees, for it wanted to see what was in the world outside of the
forest. The tall pine trees would sing songs as the wind whistled
through their branches, and the little pine tree waited day after day,
so that it might be tall and sing songs, too. When summer came the birds
would rest on the branches of this wee tree, but would not build nests,
because it was too low. When winter came little white snowflakes came
fluttering down and rested on the branches of the little pine tree.
Year after year the little tree waited, but it grew all this time, and
seemed to stretch higher and higher its beautiful green branches.
One day, when the little snowflakes had fluttered down and made all the
world white, and the wind was whistling a merry tune, the little pine
tree heard some strange noises. The tall pine trees nodded their heads,
for they knew who were coming. They were the woodmen. They had a sled
with them, drawn by horses. The sight was strange to the pine tree, for
it had never before seen woodmen, nor a sled, nor horses. But the old
pine trees knew what it all meant, for they had seen the woodmen many
times. They wondered which tree the woodmen would choose. Now, the
little pine tree had grown, and it was not a wee tree any longer, but
was a straight, strong, beautiful tree. The woodmen walked about with
something very bright and shining in their hands. When they came to this
pine tree they looked at it, shook it and sounded the ax against its
trunk.
How queer the pine tree felt! It wondered what they were going to do
with it. Suddenly a sharp sound rang out in the air, and another, and
still another one. And the pine tree felt itself swaying and swaying,
and down it went, lower and lower, until its branches touched the soft
white snow on the ground. The woodmen lifted the pine tree very
carefully, placed it on the sled and drove the horses away. Pine Tree
was happy now, for he was going to see something of the great, wonderful
world.
The woodmen drove the horses out of the forest into the beautiful white
world. On and on they went until at last they came to a little village
by the sea. They drove through the village and into a great shipyard,
where saws were buzzing, hammers were pounding, and busy men were
hurrying about. Pine Tree had never seen anything like this before. He
was lifted from the sled and his beautiful branches were taken from the
trunk. Then he lay with, many other logs for a long time, until one day
the carpenters took him away, and he found that he was helping to make a
part of a ship. Boards were nailed on, and the busy carpenters worked
day after day.
At last the strong and stately ship was finished. It glided gracefully
into the water and sailed away. Pine Tree was very happy now, for he was
seeing new and strange things. The waves dashed carelessly against the
ship. They seemed to have a song, too. Pine Tree had not forgotten the
songs that the old pines used to sing. The waves did not always sing the
same song—sometimes they would rush and roll against the ship very hard
until they grew tired, and then they would roll on, and sing a quiet
song again.
Sometimes the ship would stop at strange countries, people would get
off, other people would get on, and then the ship would sail off out
into the sea again. Now, the pine tree had been a part of the ship for
many years, when one night while the ship was sailing the seas the waves
grew so high and strong that the parts of the ship could not stay
together. So Pine Tree was thrown out upon the angry waves and was
rocked all night long—very roughly at first, but gently afterwards.
When the sunshine looked down upon the sand the next morning it saw Pine
Tree. Pine Tree lay there many days.
How lonesome Pine Tree was! He seemed to hear the songs of the old
pines, and sometimes the songs of the waves. One day he heard another
song. It was a new song to the pine tree, for the song was sung by some
little children who were digging in the sand close by. They came here
every day to play, and once a man came with them. When he saw Pine Tree
lying upon the sand he said: “This is just what I have been looking for.
I will use this for the ridge-pole for my little cottage.” So he took
Pine Tree away with him. After a time Pine Tree found himself a part of
the man’s cottage, and, of course, he could not hear the songs of the
forest, nor the songs of the waves, but he heard new songs. They were
rock-a-bye-baby songs that the mother in this little cottage would sing
to her children in the evening, when it was time for them to go to
sleep.
Years passed, and the children grew to be men and women, and after a
while all the songs Pine Tree heard were those of the grandmother, which
were soft and low. At last these, too, were heard no more—the little
cottage grew quiet and everything was still. Pine Tree wondered where
everybody was. The only company he had were the birds that came in
through the window and built nests in the attic. Now the cottage was no
longer a home, but was used as a barn, and the gentle cows, the woolly
sheep and the kind horses rested there at night. They, too, seemed to
sing a song to Pine Tree, but by and by even their song could not be
heard—nothing but the wind and the owls in the trees outside—because
what had once been the cottage, and then a barn, was now a forsaken
little hut.
One day Pine Tree heard a man whistling. Oh! how he hoped he would come
in, for he had not seen anybody nor heard any of the songs he had loved
for so long. Pine Tree heard the whistle come nearer and nearer, and at
last the man stepped through the doorway. He looked about him and saw
the spider webs hanging in the corners and the birds flying in and out
of the windows, and he wondered how long it had been since people had
lived there. He looked up and saw the ridge-pole, which had once been
Pine Tree. “Oh!” he said, “I have found what I have long been looking
for.” So he climbed up and loosened the boards and took Pine Tree out of
his resting place. Now Pine Tree was going once more out into the world.
The man carried him on and took him into a little shop. It was a queer
shop, too, for there were many bright, shining things lying on the
work-bench. They were tools, you know. The man had a kind face and he
handled Pine Tree very carefully. He sawed and smoothed Pine Tree many
days, and as he worked he whistled and sang, for he was happy. Sometimes
he would whistle some of the songs that Pine Tree had heard when he
lived in the forest, and then sometimes those he had heard on the ocean,
and again he would whistle the songs that Pine Tree had heard in the
home of the children.
At last the man’s work was finished. Pine Tree had been made into a
wonderful musical instrument—a violin. The man took a bow and drew it
across the strings, and as he did so he smiled and nodded his head, for
the music was very sweet. The violin, which had once been Pine Tree, and
then part of a ship, and the ridge-pole of the cottage and the barn,
seemed to sing to the man the songs of the forest, the songs of the
ocean, the songs of the home, and the songs of the lowly barn.
One day the man put the violin in a case and took it away on a long
journey. When the case was opened, the violin saw that they were in a
strange hall full of people, and many of them were talking of this
man—the violin-maker.
The man lifted the violin from the case and went out upon a large
platform before the people, and began playing for them. He seemed to say
to the violin, “Sing for me,” and as he drew the bow across the strings
the violin sang. It sang to the people, first the very songs that the
tall pines sang in the forest. The song changed, and the lap of the
waters, and the dip of the oar could be heard as on a moonlight summer
night; then the angry wind and the dash of the waves could be heard as
in a fierce storm. Slowly this song died, and everything was quiet.
Then, after a little while, the faraway sound of children’s
voices—their laughter and singing—was heard, and then came the sweet
lullaby to the sleepy babes.
These songs all died away, and the violin sang the songs of the birds in
the summer-time, and the lowing of cattle, and the bleating of sheep in
the cold wintertime.
At last the violin could sing no longer the songs it knew, but a new
song came forth which was also very beautiful, and which caused the
people to bend forward and listen with eager faces, for it was the song
that came from the heart of the old man who was master of the violin.
A CHRISTMAS STORYIt was so long ago that the whole world has forgotten the date and even
the name of the little town in which lived a little boy whose name was
Hans.
Little Hans lived with his aunt, who was quite an old lady. She was not
always kind to Hans, but this made no difference to him. He loved her
just the same, and forgot that she was ever cross and very unkind to him
at times.
Hans went to school with many other boys, but he was not clothed as they
were. He had to wear the same clothes both week days and Sundays; the
same even in the summer that he wore in the winter.
It was now midwinter, when everything was wrapped in snow and glazed
with ice, while the north winds sang loud and whistled down the
chimneys, played very roughly with the bare trees, and crept through
every crack and crevice of the house. The frost, too, was busy pinching
the cheeks and biting the toes of the boys, and making them run, jump
and dance to keep warm.
The children were wild with the excitement and the joy that was astir at
this time. For there were secrets in the air. Every one was busy making
gifts for some loved one.
It was the night before Christmas, the one great birthday on which the
whole world rejoiceth and when all endeavor to make their fellow men
happy.
The schoolmaster and all of his pupils started for the midnight worship
and prayer at the church. All of the boys were well clothed, with heavy
coats, fur caps, thick mittens, and very heavy and warm shoes. But
little Hans had only a poor, plain, ragged suit, with no overcoat, no
mittens, and his shoes were only wooden ones. It was
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