hange places with you again, Katrinka, for I
have found that there is far more pleasure in being happy than in being
unhappy!" "Of course there is, Matilda!" Katrinka replied. "You see, in
order to be happy ourselves we must reflect happiness to others, and the
more cheer we give to others the more joy we receive ourselves, so we
must continue to change from one house to another every other day so
that no one will know which of us is Matilda and which is Katrinka and
we will share our happiness with each other."

So Matilda's house was soon surrounded with beautiful flowers and her
house echoed with the fun and laughter of happy children.

And the two sisters who looked alike now acted alike and could not be
told apart, and they changed about so often people never knew whether
they were visiting Katrinka or whether they were visiting Matilda, for
one was as cheery as the other and was as happy in the love of all the
people in the little village.

And, as they could not be told apart, everyone called Matilda or
Katrinka the Cheery Twins whenever they spoke of either.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

LITTLE THUMBKIN'S GOOD DEED

Thumbkins lived in a tiny, cozy little house right down beneath a
mushroom. The tiny, little house was made of cobwebs which Thumbkins had
gathered from the bushes and weeds. These he had woven together with
thistle-down, making the nicest little nest imaginable.

One day Thumbkins was passing through the meadow and it began to rain.
"Dear me! I shall get soaking wet!" Thumbkins cried as he hurried along.

A mamma meadow-lark, sitting upon her nest, saw Thumbkins running and
called to him: "Come here, little man, and get beneath my wing and I
will keep you warm and dry!"

So Thumbkins crawled beneath Mamma Meadow-Lark's wings and, snuggling
down close to the bottom of the meadow-lark's nest, he found three tiny
little baby meadow-larks. It was too dark for Thumbkins to see them, but
he felt that the baby Meadow-Larks were as warm as toast.

Thumbkins kept very quiet, for the baby meadow-larks were sleepy little
fellows, and before he knew it Thumbkins was sound asleep himself, with
an arm around one of the baby birds.

[Illustration]

Thumbkins did not know how long he had been asleep, but when he awakened
the rain had ceased. Thumbkins knew it had stopped raining for he could
no longer hear the rain drops pattering upon Mamma Meadow-Lark's back.
So now he climbed out of