ees were
felled.

"And after that may I go with you?" asked Coora. And her father promised
that it should be so.

The days went by and at last the trees were all felled in the clearing.
When Coora heard this she jumped up and down on her little bare brown
feet until her anklets tinkled, and cried, "O Father! Now I may go with
you to the clearing, may I not? For so you promised."

But again her father shook his head and said, "No, Coora, not yet. You
must wait until the fallen timber has been burned off. Then you shall go
with your mother and me to the planting of the rice."

Coora was very much disappointed, and the big tears stood in her eyes.
But she only said, "Do you promise that I may help plant the rice,
really and truly?"

And he called back over his shoulder, "I promise!"

At last the fallen timber was burned away, and the ground was ready for
planting. One morning Coora saw her father and mother making ready to go
out together. "Oh, where are you going, Father and Mother?" she asked.

"We go to the planting of the rice," answered her father, slinging a big
bag over his shoulder.

"But you promised that I should go with you when that time came?" cried
Coora wistfully. "Please, please may I not be your little helper?"

"No, no, Coora," answered her mother impatiently. "Do not tease us so.
You must stay at home to take care of your little sister. Be a good
girl this time, and when the rice is well grown we will all go together
and harvest it. That will be great fun!"

"Shall I really go? Do you promise, Mother?" asked poor Coora hopefully,
for she felt sure that her mother would not deceive her.

"I promise," said the mother, not looking her in the eyes; and the
parents went away through the forest to plant the rice.

Time went by until the rice had grown tall and was ready for the
harvest. Now Coora heard her parents talking of the matter, and she was
very gay, for now she expected a happy, happy day. She dressed herself
and made ready to go to the harvesting, as her parents had promised. But
when she joined them, smiling joyfully, they turned upon her frowning
and bade her return to the house and take care of everything until their
home-coming. Then poor little Coora burst into tears and said, "O my
Father and O my Mother, I have obeyed you without a word every time you
broke your promise to me. And still you continue to put me off from day
to day, when this is the thing I long to do so much that i