til he came to three hundred, which was as
far as he could count. "More than three hundred years have passed since
that silly little squirrel dropped the nut from which this tree grew!"
said the old, rough Stone to himself.

[Illustration]

Then men came with axes and cut up the tree and carried all of it away.

When the hot summer days came the sun beat down upon the old, rough
Stone and he missed the shade of the gnarled tree. "My! It's hot!" said
the old, rough Stone, "I wish the gnarled tree with its pretty rustling
leaves were here again to shade me and keep me cool!"

When winter came the old, rough Stone missed the leaves which fell
around him and kept him warm.

"Oh dear! How cold it is!" he cried, "I wish the gnarled tree would come
back and scatter his leaves about me to protect me from the cold!"

So years and years and years passed, and the great old, rough Stone lay
all alone.

"I wish another squirrel would come to eat nuts upon me!" he thought.
"Squirrels are such knowing little creatures, I am sure another might
drop a nut which would grow into a lovely tree to keep me company."

But, many more years passed, and never again did a tiny squirrel sit
upon the old, rough Stone and eat nuts. And never again did another tree
grow above the old, rough Stone to keep him company.

"Ah me!" sighed the old, rough Stone, "We never know how well off we are
until we lose something we really need!"

[Illustration]

SALLY MIGRUNDY

Sally Migrundy lived all alone in a tiny little cottage no larger than a
piano box. This was plenty large enough for Sally Migrundy though, for
she was a tiny little lady herself. Sally Migrundy's tiny little cottage
stood at the edge of a stream, a beautiful crystal clear stream of
tinkling water which sang in a continual murmur all day and all night to
Sally Migrundy.

The stream tinkled merrily through a great forest which lay for miles
and miles, a green mantle over the hills and valleys, and Sally
Migrundy's tiny little cottage stood in the exact center of the great
whispering forest.

All the wood creatures knew and loved Sally Migrundy and she knew and
loved all of the wood creatures.

Each morning she would scatter food upon the surface of the singing
stream and the lovely fish, their sides reflecting rainbow colors, would
leap from the tinkling waters and splash about to show their pleasure.
And she would place food about her little garden for the birds a