s two.
"Swim!" said the mother;
"We swim," said the two;
So they swam and they leaped
Where the stream runs blue.

[Illustration]

Over in the meadow,
In a hole in a tree,
Lived a mother bluebird
And her little birdies three.
"Sing!" said the mother;
"We sing," said the three;
So they sang and were glad
In the hole in the tree.

[Illustration]

Over in the meadow,
In a snug beehive,
Lived a mother honeybee
And her little honeys five.
"Buzz!" said the mother;
"We buzz," said the five;
So they buzzed and they hummed
In the snug beehive.

[Illustration]

Over in the meadow,
Where the clear pools shine,
Lived a green mother frog,
And her little froggies nine.
"Croak!" said the mother;
"We croak," said the nine;
So they croaked and they splashed
Where the clear pools shine.

[Illustration]

Over in the meadow,
In a sly little den,
Lived a gray mother spider
And her little spiders ten.
"Spin!" said the mother;
"We spin," said the ten;
So they spun lace webs
In their sly little den.

OLIVE A. WADSWORTH

[Illustration]

THE BELL OF ATRI

miser justice whose

Once upon a time a good and wise king ruled in the city of Atri.

He wished all his people to be happy.

In order that justice might be done to every one, he ordered a great
bell to be hung in a tower.

Tied to the bell was a strong rope, so long that it reached nearly to
the ground.

"I have placed the bell in the center of my city," said the king, "so
that it will be near all the people. The rope I have made long, so that
even a little child can reach it."

Then the king gave out this order:

"If there be any one among my people who feels that he has not been
justly treated, let him ring this bell.

Then, whether he be old or young, rich or poor, his story shall be
heard."

The bell of justice had hung in its place for many years.

Many times it had been rung by the poor and needy, and justice had been
done.

At length the old rope became worn with use and age.

When it was taken down, another rope, long enough and strong enough,
could not be found. So the king had to send away for one.

"What if some one should need help while the rope is down?" cried the
people. "We must find something to take its place."

So one of the men