Childs Story Garden | Page 7

weaving she could do; but the goddess told
her that she was foolish to be so boastful.
This made Arachne angry, and she said: "I am not afraid at all, not of
any one in the world." At this moment the goddess threw aside her
plain garments and revealed herself the goddess Athena. This did not
frighten Arachne. She looked calmly at Athena and told her that she
would give up anything, even her life, to prove to the people that she
could weave even better than the goddess.
They then set about to arrange their looms, to select their threads, and
to begin work. At last they began. Whirr! Whirr! went the shuttles.
Spin! Spin! they sang, faster and faster, in and out, over and under, flew
the shuttles.
Arachne had chosen the most delicate, lovely threads that she could
find, but while she wove these beautiful threads she was thinking of her
revenge and other evil and wicked thoughts, while her skillful and swift
fingers moved faster and faster.
At the same time Athena was sitting in the sunlight, busily and
carefully weaving over and under, and in and out, her dainty, beautiful
silken threads, which seemed to have come from the very sunbeams
themselves. The colors were most harmonious and exquisite. Even the
rainbow was surpassed. Athena was thinking of the fleecy clouds,
which were to her as white ships that sailed through the blue sea of the
sky. She thought of the brown earth, with its emerald decking of trees
and meadows; of the buttercups and daisies of gold, and the roses and
lilies which dotted Mother Earth's carpet. She thought of the butterflies
that flitted about, and of the birds, in coats of red, blue, glossy black,
and dazzling gold.
When Arachne looked at Athena's work she shuddered with shame, for,
although her own work had been skillfully done, it was marred by the
envy, malice and evil thoughts she had woven into it. While Athena's
work was no more skillfully woven, it was by far the more beautiful.
The azure sky, with fluffy white clouds; the meadows, dotted with
flowers, and fields, with their shady green trees, filled with birds of

gorgeous hues, all made a wonderful picture.
Poor Arachne knew her fate. She hastened away and took with her the
threads that she had been using in weaving, and wrapped them about
her neck. She thought she would end her life by hanging to a tree. This
made the beautiful and kind Athena sad, and she said to Arachne: "You
must live--live on forever," and she touched Arachne and changed her
form. Arachne gradually grew smaller and smaller, until she was no
larger than a honeybee. She had many legs and wore a brown, fuzzy
coat. Instead of hanging by the threads she had used she now hung
from a dainty silken spider web, for Arachne was still a weaver, but not
a weaver as of old.
Today, perchance, if you should see a busy little spider, it might be one
of Arachne's children, or perhaps Arachne herself. No one
knows--neither you nor I.

THE BIRDS OF KILLINGWORTH
It was spring, and the little town of Killingworth told of the joy of
living again. Every little rivulet had broken from its frozen chain,
which had held it fast during the long winter, and was rushing on,
rejoicing at its freedom. The purple buds, holding wonderful secrets of
things to come, were bursting forth from every tree and bush, while
from the topmost boughs the birds called and sang to their mates: "Oh!
be happy, be happy, for spring has come!"
There were all the messengers of spring--the robin, the oriole, and the
bluebird--filling the orchard with their glad melody. The little sparrow
chirped in glee for the very joy of living, and the hungry crows, in great
crowds, called loudly the tidings of spring. But not long could they stop
to sing, for the homes must be made, and soon from every tree and
bush could be seen these dainty, downy nests, and in every nest the
eggs, and in every egg a wonderful secret about which all the happy
birds twittered and sang together.
The farmers, as they plowed their fields and made their gardens that
spring, heard these tree-top concerts, and saw the multitude playing and
working about them, and they shook their heads and said: "Never
before have we had so many birds in Killingworth. We must surely do
something, or they will eat up half of our crops, and take the grain and
fruits that should go to feed our own children." Then it was decided to

have a meeting. All in the town were free to come, and here they were
to decide what was to be done with