I? I'm shivering and crying
because I'm cold and lonely and miserable."

"Oh, very well," agreed the Blue-gum. "You are crying. But if this
rain doesn't stop soon, you'll cry the front path away. It certainly
is wet."

Very late that night the rain eased a little and then stopped
altogether. The tears ceased to run from the eyes of the Little
Red House, and they now came only in drops, slower and slower, falling
into the great pool by the front door.

"It's a hard world!" sobbed the Little Red House, squeezing out
another tear.

"Listen!" cried the Big Blue-gum. "Do you hear THAT?"

From far away on the distant ranges came a dull, moaning sound. As
they listened it grew louder, and right in the middle of of it came
another sound--Thump!

"That's wind," said the Blue-gum; "and a big wind, too."

"Let it come!" sighed the Little Red House. "I couldn't be more
miserable than I am."

As he spoke, the moaning grew louder, and there were three or four
quite big thumps one after another.

"What's that thumping?" asked the little House.

"Those are my poor brothers," answered the big Blue-gum very sadly,
"Those are trees going down before the big wind. The birds were
bringing me messages from those poor fellows quite lately; and now I
shall never hear from them again. It's very sad."

"I never thought the wind could blow down big trees," said the Little
House.

"No tree knows when his time will come," the big Blue-gum answered
gravely. "I've had some very narrow escapes in my time, as tree and
sapling on this mountain."

The Little Red House was very quiet and thoughtful for a long time
after that. Then he asked suddenly, "Which way do you think you would
fall if you did fall?"

But the big Blue-gum said that he couldn't tell. It depended on the
wind, and he might fall any way.

"Not on me!" cried the Little House.

The Blue-gum said that he didn't know; but he hoped not.

"If you DID fall on me," said the Little Red House, "I suppose it
would hurt me."

The Blue-gum said it certainly would, and there would be very little
left but splinters and glass.

"Then don't! Please don't," yelled the Little Red House.

But before they could say another word the great wind struck them with
a roar. It tossed the roses about so that the eyebrows of the Little
House seemed to be twitching horribly; and it swayed the big Blue-gum
this way and that till he appeared to be fighting for his very life.
It picked up th