The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Story of a Dewdrop, by J. R. Macduff

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Title: The Story of a Dewdrop

Author: J. R. Macduff

Release Date: November 14, 2006 [EBook #19809]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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The Story of
A DEWDROP.

[Illustration]

THE
STORY
OF A
DEWDROP

J. R. MACDUFF D D

WITH
FOUR COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS

LONDON MARCUS WARD & CO BELFAST

1881

FOREWORDS.

To Charlie.

A Dewdrop is a small affair; and the world would not be the least
interested, nor a bit the wiser, by knowing how I come
affectionately to dedicate the story I have written about it to
_you_. I may tell you it was one line of eleven words, read one
night from a musty old volume of last century, which suggested it.

Everybody must have their play-hours and moments of recreation. I
think I have gone back to other and more serious work all the better
after writing a page or two of what follows. I am happy thus to have
had my little holiday along with you in this ideal region of quaint
conceits.

Shall we hope that others may share our pleasure?

Let us try.

_List of_
ILLUSTRATIONS.

_The Procession of the Queen of the Morning_ (p. 41), _Frontispiece._

_The Bird-talk and its surroundings,_ 14

_The Nightingale and the Dewdrop,_ 19

_The Ascent of the Million Army,_ 53

_The Story of_
A DEWDROP.

CHAPTER THE FIRST.

Three birds of very favourable
repute in these regions
met together one evening--a
Thrush, a Lark, and a Nightingale.
And all for what purpose, think you?
It was a queer one--to hold a solemn
conference about a DEWDROP!

Yes, it must be allowed it was an
original thought which brought these
three feathered friends thus into council;
and a pretty talk to be sure they had
about it.

They selected, as an appropriate time
for preliminar