ickly Bush

ARBOR DAY.

The Tinker's Willow _Edward W. Frentz_
The Story of the Laurel _Grace Kupfer_
The Little Acorn _Lucy Wheelock_

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THE HOME

THE TREASURE IN THE HOUSE

Once upon a time there was a little Princess, and when she was ten
years old they gave her a wonderful birthday party. There were
musicians, and roses in all the rooms, and strawberry ice cream, and
cakes with pink icing. Every one brought gifts.

The King, her father, gave the Princess a white pony with a long tail,
and a blue and silver harness. The Queen, her mother, gave the
Princess a little gold tea set for her dolls. There were other
beautiful gifts; a ring with a sparkling stone set in it, and a dozen
or so new silk dresses, and a nightingale in a gold cage; but every
one waited to see what the gift of the Princess' fairy-godmother would
be.

She was late coming to the party. One never knew just _how_ she would
come, on wings, or on a broomstick. This time she came walking, and
dressed in a short red gown and a white apron. Her kind eyes twinkled
as she gave her gift to the Princess.

Such a strange gift as it was, only a tiny black key!

"This will unlock a little house at the end of the garden which is my
birthday gift to you," the fairy-godmother of the Princess said. "In
the little house you will find a treasure." And then, as suddenly as
she had come, the fairy-godmother was gone, wearing one of her
surprise smiles on her lips.

Every one wondered about the house, and some of the guests went to the
end of the garden to look at it. All they saw, though, was a tiny
thatched cottage, very neat, but not at all fine. So they turned up
their noses and went back to the castle.

"A very poor present indeed!" they said.

The little Princess put the key in the silk bag that hung at her side
and then forgot all about it. Not until late in the afternoon did she
go to the end of the garden.

The little house made her curious, because it was so different from
the castle. The castle had great, coloured windows, but the little
house had tiny ones with crimson geraniums on the ledges and plain
white curtains.

She opened the door and went inside. The castle had many rooms, large
and lonely, but the little house had one room, small and very cozy.
There was a chimney and a fireplace where a bright little fire
sparkled and danced and chuckled to itself. A tea kettle hung over the