anage I do not know, upon my word. But the thistle and I
have put our heads together and have hit upon an expedient. You must
help us."

"That makes four in all," thought the wind and could not help laughing
aloud.

"What are you laughing at?" asked the dandelion. "I saw you whispering
with the bell-flower and the poppy just now; but, if you give them the
least hint, I won't tell you a thing."

"What do you take me for?" said the wind. "Mum's the word! What is it
you want?"

"We've put a nice little umbrella up at the top of our seed. It's the
sweetest little toy that you can think of. If you only just blow on me,
it will fly up in the air and fall down wherever you please. Will you?"

"Certainly," said the wind.

And--whoosh!--he blew over the thistle and the dandelion and carried all
their seed with him across the fields.

3

The burdock still stood pondering. She was thick-headed and that was why
she took so long. But, in the evening, a hare jumped over the hedge:

"Hide me! Save me!" he cried. "Farmer's Trust is after me."

"Creep round behind the hedge," said the burdock; "then I'll hide you."

"You don't look to me as if you were cut out for that job," said the
hare; "but beggars can't be choosers."

And then he hid behind the hedge.

"Now, in return, you might take some of my seeds to the fields with
you," said the burdock; and she broke off some of her many burs and
scattered them over the hare.

Soon after, Trust came running along the hedge.

"Here's the dog!" whispered the burdock; and, with a bound, the hare
leapt over the hedge into the rye.

"Have you seen the hare?" asked Trust. "I can see that I'm too old for
hunting. One of my eyes is quite blind and my nose can no longer find
the scent."

"I have seen him," replied the burdock, "and, if you will do me a
service, I will show you where he is."

Trust agreed and the burdock struck some of her burs
in his back and said:

"Would you just rub yourself against the stile here, inside the field?
But that's not where you're to look for the hare, for I saw him run to
the wood a little while ago."

Trust carried the burs to the field and ran off into the wood.

"So now I've got my seeds settled," said the burdock and laughed to
herself contentedly. "But goodness knows how the thistle is going to
manage and the dandelion and the bell-flower and the poppy!"

[Illustration]

Next spring, already, the rye was standing quite high:

"W