Buttercup Gold | Page 4

as he worked:-
"Oh, I am the little New Year; ho! ho! Here I come tripping it over the
snow, Shaking my bells with a merry din; So open your door and let
me in."
Old Joe, hearing some noise outside, came to the door, and when he
saw all the nice gifts the tears ran down his cheeks for gladness; and as
he carried them into the house, he whispered: "The dear Lord has been
here to-night."
"Where am we going now?" asked Maurice, as they ran down the hill.
"To take some flowers to a poor sick girl," answered the New Year.
Soon they came to a small white house, where the New Year stopped.
"Why, Bessie, our sewing girl lives, here," said Maurice. "I didn't know
she was sick." "See," said the New Year, "this window is open a little;
let us throw this bunch of pinks into the room. They will please her
when she wakes, and will make her happy for several days."
Then they hurried to other places, leaving some blessing behind them.
"What a wonderful cart you have," said Maurice; "though you have
taken so much out, it never seems to get empty." "You are right,
Maurice, there is never any end to love and kindness. As long as I find
people to love and be kind to, my cart is full of blessings for them; and
it will never grow empty until I can no longer find people to help. If
you will go with me every day and help me scatter my blessings, you
will see how happy you will be all the long year."
"A happy New Year!" called some one; and Maurice found himself in
bed, and his sister standing in the doorway smiling at him. "Have you

had a pleasant dream, dear?" she asked.
"Why, where is the little New Year?" said Maurice; "he was just here
with me."
"Come into Mamma's room and see what he has brought you,"
answered his sister. There in a snowy white cradle he found a tiny baby
brother, the gift of the New.Year. How happy Maurice was then! But
he did not forget his dream. Old Joe and Bessie had their gifts, too, and
Maurice tried so hard to be helpful that he made all his friends glad
because the happy New Year had come.

Mother Nature's House Cleaning
One morning Mother Nature stood at the door of her house looking out
over the world. King Winter's reign was over and he had gone back to
his home at the North Pole; and Spring was coming over the hill with
her three little helpers to make Mother Nature a visit.
Let us see who these helpers were. First there was roguish March with
his rosy cheeks, and his curly hair flying in the winds that blew all
about him. Next came Baby April with her apron full of violets,
daffodillies, and green grasses. Part of the time she smiled sweetly, and
part of it she frowned till the big tear drops chased each other down her
cheeks. Last came May, playing tag with the sunbeams, wandering
knee-deep in flowers, and calling to the birds that sang around her:
Mother Nature watched them coming and murmured, "Such a dirty
world as King Winter has left behind him! It must be cleaned up before
the little girls, April and May, come, but March I am sure will want to
help me do it."
She beckoned to the frolicsome boy who came racing down the hill to
see what she wanted. "I must have some rain to wash away all this dirty
snow," she said; so March whistled to the East Wind, who blew
together the rain-clouds, and soon the tiny rain drops were busy at work
washing the floors of the world, and in a short time the snow was all
gone. Then Mother Nature wanted the sky ceilings cleaned, so this time
March whistled to the West Wind who began to sweep away the cloud
cobwebs from the sky till the cheery old sun smiled again, and shone
Mother Nature a bright "good morning."
"Now March," said she, "there is one more thing you can do to help.
You must start the work for Baby April." Then March, with the South

Wind to help him, awoke the seeds, whispered to the trees to begin to
bud, started the brooks singing, and called the robins back from the
South.
When his visit was over Mother Nature thanked him for helping her so
well on all of the thirty-one days he had spent with her, and told him
she would send for him again when her next cleaning day came around.

How the Raindrops and Sunbeams Helped
One morning Mother Nature looked about her,