e fallen leaves and twigs, and even small stones, and
hurled them down the mountain in a cloud.

In the midst of all the uproar the Little House heard the Blue-gum
calling to him.

"As long as I've lived upon this mountain, tree and sapling," he
shouted, "I've never known such a wind. I'm not so young as I used to
be, and I fear that my end has come."

"Be brave! Oh, be brave!" implored the Little Red House. "Don't let
him blow you down. I should be so sorry to lose you, What are you
grunting for?"

"I'm not grunting," answered the Blue-gym in a pained voice. "Those
are my roots giving way, one by one. I can't stand much more of this.
Look out!"

The Little Red House looked up, and what he saw terrified him. The
big Blue-gum, in the clutch of the wind, was bent right over him,
so that the top branches seemed to be just above his roof; and the
great tree appeared to be falling, falling, helplessly.

"Don't fall on me!" shrieked the Little Red House. "Oh, don't fall
on me; because, if you do, you know you'll squash me! I don't want
to be squashed!"

But the big Blue-gum said, "There is just one little root holding
now. If that gives way we are both done for."

"Be brave! Oh, be brave!" shrieked the Little Red House.

Then slowly, very slowly, the big Blue-gum began to straighten up
again, away from the Little Red House.

"I have stood upon this mountain, tree and sapling, for over a
hundred years," he said when he had recovered; "but if it blows like
that again, it is the end of me."

But it did not blow like that again; though the wind howled and
shrieked all that day as if it was very angry and disappointed that
it could not blow down the big Blue-gum.

Then, towards evening, the wind fell; the heavy clouds went away
beyond the edge of the sky, and all became very calm and peaceful.

The birds came from their hiding places and sat in the branches of
the Blue-gum and chattered away to him, until he began to feel quite
cheerful once more, in spite of his trouble. And when a certain
little Tree-creeper--a very wise bird--came and had a long, serious
talk with the Blue-gum, he became very much interested indeed and
quite happy.

But the Little Red House was miserable still; and the beauty of
the evening didn't cheer him up one bit.

"Ah, well," said the Blue-gum, when the darkness came to the mountain,
"I am going to have a good sleep tonight. I'm a match still for old
Daddy Wind, in spite of all his no