ded desperately to see which
should first reach the turn beyond. And as they raced away he listened
to the song they sang:

"Rushing, pushing, on we go!
Not a wave may gently flow--
All are too excited.
Ev'ry drop, delighted,
Turns to spray in merry play
As we tumble on our way!"

Next Claus searched for roots to eat, while the daffodils turned their
little eyes up to him laughingly and lisped their dainty song:

"Blooming fairly, growing rarely,
Never flowerets were so gay!
Perfume breathing, joy bequeathing,
As our colors we display."

It made Claus laugh to hear the little things voice their happiness as
they nodded gracefully on their stems. But another strain caught his
ear as the sunbeams fell gently across his face and whispered:

"Here is gladness, that our rays
Warm the valley through the days;
Here is happiness, to give
Comfort unto all who live!"

"Yes!" cried Claus in answer, "there is happiness and joy in all things
here. The Laughing Valley is a valley of peace and good-will."

He passed the day talking with the ants and beetles and exchanging
jokes with the light-hearted butterflies. And at night he lay on his
bed of soft moss and slept soundly.

Then came the Fairies, merry but noiseless, bringing skillets and pots
and dishes and pans and all the tools necessary to prepare food and to
comfort a mortal. With these they filled cupboard and fireplace,
finally placing a stout suit of wool clothing on the stool by the
bedside.

When Claus awoke he rubbed his eyes again, and laughed, and spoke aloud
his thanks to the Fairies and the Master Woodsman who had sent them.
With eager joy he examined all his new possessions, wondering what some
might be used for. But, in the days when he had clung to the girdle of
the great Ak and visited the cities of men, his eyes had been quick to
note all the manners and customs of the race to which he belonged; so
he guessed from the gifts brought by the Fairies that the Master
expected him hereafter to live in the fashion of his fellow-creatures.

"Which means that I must plow the earth and plant corn," he reflected;
"so that when winter comes I shall have garnered food in plenty."

But, as he stood in the grassy Valley, he saw that to turn up the earth
in furrows would be to destroy hundreds of pretty, helpless flowers, as
well as thousands of the tender blades of grass. And this he could not
bear to do.