bare, with
no tree or plant to cover its brown breast.

"Oh!" said the child. "Poor place, will nothing grow in you? here is a
seed for you, and now I will plant it properly."

So he planted the seed properly, and smoothed the earth over it, and
went his way singing, and looking at the white clouds in the sky and at
the green things unfolding around him.

It was a long, long journey the child had to go. Many perils beset his
path, many toils he had to overpass, many wounds and bruises he got on
the way. When he returned, one would hardly have known, to look at him,
that he was still a child. The day had been cruelly hot, and still the
afternoon sun beat fiercely down on the white road. His clothes were
torn and dusty; he toiled on, and sighed as he went, longing for some
spot of shade where he might sit down to rest.

Presently he saw in the distance a waving of green, and a cool shadow
stretching across the white glowing road: and he drew near, and it was a
tree, young and vigorous, spreading its arms abroad, mantled in green
leaves that whispered and rustled.

Thankfully the child threw himself down in the pleasant shade, and
rested from his weary journey; and as he rested, he raised his eyes to
the green whispering curtain above him, and blessed the hand that
planted the tree.

The little green leaves nodded and rustled, and whispered to one
another:

"Yes! yes! it is himself he is blessing. But he does not know, and that
is the best of all!"

THE GRAVE DIGGERS

A youth stood in the doorway of his house and looked out upon the road
he was to travel.

"Alas!" he said. "It is a rough and stony road, and I am far from
strong: also my feet are tender, and I cannot bear pain. How shall I
take this hard journey?"

Then, as he sighed and looked, he was ware of two coming towards him
with pick and mattock on their shoulders. Swiftly they came, and soon
they were at his side, fawning on him, and speaking in soft, wheedling
voices. Their faces were eager and servile, their eyes bright as flame.

"Dear youth," they said, "we are come to smooth the road for you. It is
our trade; look, we have our tools with us! Give us but leave and we
will work for you gladly, and ask no pay."

"What men are ye?" asked the youth.

"We are called Temptation and Opportunity," they answered; "but what
matters this name or that? we seek but to serve you. Rest you still, and
soon the way shall be clear before you."

So