wn illness, and of what he feared would come of it, to doubt the
wisdom of that planning.

As he looked at the boy's rapt face, he remembered David's surprised
questioning at the first dead squirrel he had found in the woods. David
was six then.

"Why, daddy, he's asleep, and he won't wake up!" he had cried. Then,
after a gentle touch: "And he's cold--oh, so cold!"

The father had hurried his son away at the time, and had evaded his
questions; and David had seemed content. But the next day the boy had
gone back to the subject. His eyes were wide then, and a little
frightened.

"Father, what is it to be--dead?"

"What do you mean, David?"

"The boy who brings the milk--he had the squirrel this morning. He said
it was not asleep. It was--dead."

"It means that the squirrel, the real squirrel under the fur, has gone
away, David."

"Where?"

"To a far country, perhaps."

"Will he come back?"

"No."

"Did he want to go?"

"We'll hope so."

"But he left his--his fur coat behind him. Didn't he need--that?"

"No, or he'd have taken it with him."

David had fallen silent at this. He had remained strangely silent
indeed for some days; then, out in the woods with his father one
morning, he gave a joyous shout. He was standing by the ice-covered
brook, and looking at a little black hole through which the hurrying
water could be plainly seen.

"Daddy, oh, daddy, I know now how it is, about being--dead."

"Why--David!"

"It's like the water in the brook, you know; THAT'S going to a far
country, and it isn't coming back. And it leaves its little cold
ice-coat behind it just as the squirrel did, too. It does n't need it.
It can go without it. Don't you see? And it's singing--listen!--it's
singing as it goes. It WANTS to go!"

"Yes, David." And David's father had sighed with relief that his son
had found his own explanation of the mystery, and one that satisfied.

Later, in his books, David found death again. It was a man, this time.
The boy had looked up with startled eyes.

"Do people, real people, like you and me, be dead, father? Do they go
to a far country?

"Yes, son in time--to a far country ruled over by a great and good King
they tell us."

David's father had trembled as he said it, and had waited fearfully for
the result. But David had only smiled happily as he answered:

"But they go singing, father, like the little brook. You know I heard
it!"

And there the matter had ended. David was t