A GRAIN OF WHEAT

147

At last Jerry, our wheat, and the boys saw the mill.

A big wheel was turning slowly around.

The water was dashing and foaming over it. "What turns the wheel?" asked one of the

boys.

"The water," said Jerry.

"What turns the water."

"I don't know," said Jerry.

"What a boy you are for asking questions!" Then he carried the wheat to the miller. The miller put it into a hopper.

It was then crushed between two stones. "Makes nice flour," said the miller, rubbing it between his fingers.

company

CHAPTER VII

daughters

pea-pod

The sack of flour was carried home.

The farmer's wife opened it and said:

"I am going to make this into cake."

Even in his wheat days the flour had never been so proud.

66

Now," it said, "I shall be rich."

The farmer's wife beat eggs and sugar and butter together in a large bowl.

Then she beat in some flour, too.

"Now, I am in grand company," said the flour.

"The eggs are the color of gold.

"The sugar is like diamonds.

"This is the company for me."

"The cake looks rich," said one of the daughters.

"I am rich, and I am a cake!" said the happy flour.

Just then a pair of brown eyes peeped into the room.

"What is that?" asked one of the boys. "Cake."

"Who made it?"

"I did."

"I like you. You are such a nice woman. Who is going to eat any of it?"

"I am afraid it is too rich for boys."

66

"No," said the boy, "I am afraid it isn't."

It was now put into a pan.

Then it went into the oven.

It was so hot in there that it nearly burned. But it was happy again when it came out.

For every one who saw it said :

"Oh, what a nice cake!

The two boys came.

They looked at it with open mouths.
This made the cake feel very nervous.
A chill ran over it.

It became quite cool.

At last the farmer's wife put it away.

She trimmed it with leaves and put it on the supper table.

It felt very happy.

But when the boys came it felt nervous again. It almost fainted when one of them said:

"There's the cake!"

Then some one cut a slice.

"Go away," said the cake. "I am cake.

I am rich. I am not for boys."

But no one heard it.

Then the cake saw a red mouth open.

It opened wide enough to show two dreadful rows of little sharp, white things. "Good gra- began the cake.

But it never said "cious" at all.
For in a minute it was eaten.

And this is the end of the story.

STORY OF SOME WATER DROPS

flirted

foggy visit

disappeared

Did you see the drops of water on the glass of the aquarium?

The gold fish flirted them out with her tail. Already they have started on their travels. The warm air has carried them away.

By and by she will take them out of the window.

Then the sun will carry them up into the sky. You cannot see this, of course.

For water drops are too heavy.

Even the sunbeams cannot carry them.

So first they were changed into water dust.
Do you know what water dust is?

STORY OF SOME WATER DROPS

151

Now breathe into the cold air.

You can see the water dust.

Sometimes we call it steam.

When there is a great deal of water dust around us, we say:

"It is foggy this morning."

Our little water drops felt very happy.

They liked to travel on sunbeams.

They wanted to go to the blue sky.

After a while it was time for the sun to visit

the rest of the world.

He got red in the face over it.

But still he had to go.

So he sank lower and lower.

At last, suddenly, he disappeared.

slipped

It

grew colder and colder.

The grains of water dust were frightened.

Some of them were still near the earth.

The pebbles said:

"Keep away from us."

But the blades of grass begged them to come

back.