Buttercup Gold | Page 9

air to play with the sunbeams and flowers; and the little children
called her a butterfly.

Five Little Indian Brothers
Once there were five little brothers living in Farmer Lane's barn. There
were a great many other children there, too, but these little brothers
played by themselves, and chased each other across the wide floor of
the barn until they reached a corner where there was a large crack, and
then they could look out into the world. The first thing they saw was
Farmer Lane breaking up the rich brown earth with his plough, for
Spring hadcome, and told him it was time to do his planting, while the
little brothers were watching him, and wishing they could find a way to
roll out into the bright sunshine and help him, something happened.
What do you suppose it was?
A great brown hand came up behind them and in a moment they found
themselves in a wooden measure with many more of their friends.
"What is the matter?" said one little brother. "I don't know," said
another. "Maybe we are going to travel," said a third; while the two
smallest cuddled very closely together, and whispered, "We won't be
afraid; God will take care of us."
The measure was taken, out into the field, where Farmer Lane was still
at work, and soon, into the furrows made by the plow, the little brothers
were dropped one by one. They lay very still at first. It was so strange
and dark in their new home. By and by they found a friend, an
earth-worm, who told them wonderful stories, how God would take
care of them, and some day would give them a new life. Then the little
brothers were glad and hoped it would be soon. Thus the days went by.
The warm spring showers moistened the earth, and the sun shone so
brightly that the brothers danced for joy way down in their dark home.
What do you suppose happened when they danced? Why, their old
coats split open, and some little hands came out. They were helpful
hands, too, and went to work at once. Some of them went down into the
earth to find food and water for the whole plants, and the others
reached upward to the air and sunshine, and spread out beautiful, long
green leaves.
Each day the plants grew taller and taller, and new buds came that
blossomed into flowery tassels that waved over the tops of the plants.
These tassels were fall of a golden dust called pollen, and as the wind
blew it to and fro, some of the tiny grains found little green cradles
along the sides of the plants, and crept into them. There they stayed,

growing strong and round, until one midsummer day the plants were
full of ripe, sweet ears of corn.
When were the five little brothers, do you ask? Why, they were five
little kernels of Indian corn that Farmer Lane planted one spring
morning, and each beautiful stalk of corn was the new life the
earth-worm told them about. God had taken care of them, and takes
care of of His little children, too.

Buttercup Gold
Did you ever hear of the pot of gold hidden at the end of the rainbow?
Some people think it is there now, but they are mistaken, for a long
time ago somebody found it. How he happened to find it, nobody
knows, for a great many people have searched in vain, and have never
even been able to discover that the rainbow has any ends at all. The
man who found it was very selfish and did not want anybody to know,
for fear they might want some of his money. So one night he put it in a
bag, which he slung over his shoulder, and walked across the fields
toward a thick wood where he meant to hide it.
In the bag was something beside the gold--something so small that the
greedy man in his hurry had not noticed it. It was a hole, and, as he
walked on, one by one the gold coins fell out into the grass. When he
reached the wood and found all of his money gone, he hurried back to
search for it, but something strange had happened. It was a midsummer
night, and the fairies were having a dance out in the meadows. They
were good, loving little people, and despised selfishness above
everything. One little fairy spied the glittering gold among the grasses.
She had seen the greedy man passing by, and knew he would soon be
back to hunt for his treasure. "It will do him no good," she said, "if he
hides it away, and neither will it help anybody else. I will change it