A Book for Kids | Page 5

was forgetting that everyone has troubles of his own; but I hope it isn't so bad as you fear."
"It is bad enough," groaned the Blue-gum. "Ow! There it is again. I'm afraid it IS white-ants. I can feel the wretched little things nipping."
But the Little Red House hardly heard him. He was thinking again of his own troubles.
So they stood all through that day, saying very little to each other. Rabbits came and played about the Little Red House, and lizards ran over his door-step, and once a big wallaby went flopping right past the front gate. But the Little Red House paid no attention. He was too busy thinking of his loneliness.
Birds came and perched in the branches of the big Blue-gum, and chattered and sang to him, trying to tell him the news of other trees on distant mountains. But the big Blue-gum took no notice. He was too busy thinking about white-ants.
So the sun sank low behind the Little House, and the shadow of the tall Blue-gum began to creep down the mountain and get longer and longer.
Just as it was growing dark, the big Blue-gum said Suddenly, "It certainly looks more like rain than ever. The heavy clouds have been gathering all day, and we shall get it properly to-night."
But the rain did not come that night, nor the next day, nor for two days and nights. And all this while the Little Red House and the Big Blue-gum remained silent and miserable--one through loneliness, the other through white-ants.
But on the evening of the third day the big Blue-gum said, "The rain will come to-night for certain. I know by the feel of the air."
"Let it come!" said the Little Red House. "I don't care. I couldn't be more miserable than I am."
Just as he said that, one great rain-drop fell right on the middle of his roof--Plop!
"It's coming already," cried the Blue-gum, "and it's going to pour."
Then three more big drops fell--Plop! Plop! Plop!
"I have never in my life seen such big rain-drops," said the Blue-gum. "I've lived on this mountain, tree and sapling, for--"
But--Crash! came rain before he could finish; and in two seconds everything was sopping wet. The noise of it was deafening,
"Why, it's a cloud-burst!" shouted the Blue-gum. "Half of my leaves have been stripped off already." Then he peered through the rain and the dark to see how the Little Red House was taking it. "Why, what's the matter with your face?" he cried. "You look awful."
"I'm crying!" sobbed the Little Red House. "That's all--just crying. "Can't you see the tears?"
"Nonsense!" said the Blue-gum. "Those are not tears. It's just the rain-water running off your window-sills."
"I tell you I'm crying!" wailed the Little Red House. "I'm crying bitterly. I should know, shouldn't 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