Childs Story Garden | Page 9

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heard the plans these
bad people had made he said: "Come, friends, and go with me, for we
must hurry and tell Pan what the wicked people have planned, so that
he will not be there when they go to push him into the river."
The beetles had only one day in which to reach Pan, for the evil people
were going to carry out their plans the next night, so they spread their
wings and flew as fast as they could fly. They could not travel far at a

time, because their wings grew very tired and their bodies were so
heavy. When they could fly no longer they would walk, and when they
were tired walking they would fly again. In this way they hurried on
and on, for the day was growing into night, and they could hear Pan
playing his beautiful songs way down by the river bank. They had
almost reached him when they heard what seemed to be a crowd of
people running through the bushes and among the trees, and it seemed
that they were going toward the river. Next there was a big splash and
many voices talking loudly, and after that--silence. When the beetles
reached the place where Pan always sat they could not find him; but
there in the river were his pipes, which he loved so well.
The people had reached Pan before the beetles, and had pushed him
into the river, and his pipes fell in, too, but Pan did not wait to get them.
He climbed out and ran as fast as his feet would carry him. The people
ran after him, but he leaped and bounded over the bushes and flowers,
and ran on and on. Sometimes they were almost upon him, but he
always out-ran them. He wished to hide, but could find no place. He
could not climb the trees, for the people could climb trees, too, and he
could not hide in the grass or under the bushes, for they would be sure
to find him there.
At last, along the river bank, he spied the little violets that had closed
their eyes, but were still gazing at the stars. One little violet seemed to
say to him, "I will hide you," and it folded its little petals around him.
Pan was safe now, and from his hiding place he could hear the people
searching for him. They looked for a long time, but they did not find
him. He was happy and thankful, and, as he was very tired and the soft
petals of the violets made a pleasant resting place, he was soon fast
asleep.
Away back on the river bank, where Pan always sat, were the beetles.
They were very sorry that they had not reached him in time to tell him
that the people were coming, and that they could not get his pipes out
of the water, where they had fallen. And, though they never saw him
again, they always remembered him and the beautiful music he used to
play.
One day some little children were picking violets by the river, and they
found one little violet that had eyes just like Pan's eyes. They took it
home and named it Pan's Eye, in memory of their old friend, but, as

that was rather a hard name for the little children to say, they called it
Pansy.

THE BELL OF ATRI
In the little town of Atri, which was nestled on the side of a wooded hill,
there was a strange custom.
The king had one day brought to the town a great bell, which he hung
in the market place beneath a shed, protected from the sun and rain.
Then he went forth with all his knightly train through the streets of Atri
and proclaimed to all the people that whenever a wrong was done to
any one, he should go to the market place and ring the great bell, and
immediately the king would see that the wrong was righted.
Many years had gone by. Many times the great bell had rung in the
little town of Atri, and, as the king had said, the wrongs of which it told,
were always righted.
In time, however, the great rope by which the bell was rung, unraveled
at the end and was unwound, thread by thread. For a long time it
remained this way, while the great bell hung silent. But close by, a
grape-vine grew, and, reaching upward, finally entwined its tendrils
around the ragged end of the bell rope, making it strong and firm again
as it grew around it, up toward the great bell itself.
Now, in the town of Atri there lived a knight, who, in his younger days,
had loved to ride and
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