of the others, even the Forest Children who are so
swift and clever.

After that, almost everyone had to take his turn at being It.

When the merry game came to an end at last, they gathered around the
boulder fireplace. The twigs were glowing embers now and looked like
myriads of golden flower-buds. Then the Forest Children began clamoring
for a World Story. So Ivra climbed up on the Tree Man's knee and tipping
her head back against his chest, looked into the fire and told one of
Helma's World Stories. It was the story of a glacier. That may not sound
like a very interesting story to you, but if you could hear Ivra tell it
in all its wonder just as Helma had told it to her, you would never ask
for a better story. No, you would ask for that one over and over again,
as the Forest Children did the minute she was through.

But instead of telling that one over, Ivra told another, a little story
about some eggs and a brood of chickens. And they wanted _that_ over.
But there must be an end to everything, and so the Tree Girl brought out
a bowl of beechnuts, and they forgot the stories, and ate as much as
they wanted. There were apples, too, big and red and cold cheeked.
Everyone was hungry.

When all were satisfied, there was sudden whispering among the guests.
The Bird Fairies fluttered and hummed with excitement. The Forest
Children's eyes began to shine expectantly. Ivra, who still sat on the
Tree Man's knee, spoke what they were all thinking. "The surprise," she
said to the Tree Man. "You know you promised us a surprise to-night. Is
it time for it yet?"

"Yes," said the Tree Man. "It is. _High_ time! Come, put on your cloaks.
It's a cold night."

"But the surprise!" they all cried at once. "We don't want to go home
until we have had the surprise!"

"Oh, the surprise is up in the branches. My mother is there with her
air-boat, waiting to take you all home."

The Forest Children clapped their hands and jumped up and down until
their sandal-laces that were not already loose and flapping came undone
and flapped too. Wild Star sprang towards the stairs, his face alight,
Ivra slipped down from the Tree Man's knee and ran to Eric.

"The Tree Mother! The dear, beautiful Tree Mother! We are to see her and
ride with her!" she cried.

Then she dashed away for her cloak. The Forest Children, with the Tree
Girl's help, were tumbling into theirs, wrong-end-to mostly, ripping off
buckles in their hurry.

"The Tree Mother!