The emerald story book; stories and legends of spring, nature and Easter

Introduction

There is no richer theme for children’s sto¬ ries than the miracle of Spring. The selec¬ tions in “The Emerald Story Book” aim to serve the young reader’s interest in three ways. Some of the myths and legends are interesting or amusing because flowers, insects, or birds are presented as personalities and emphasise human qualities or feelings. Some of the sto¬ ries and poems contribute to the child’s store of knowledge by attracting his attention to some fact, beauty, or blessing in nature which may have escaped his notice. Still others make an appeal by suggesting or affirming the abiding hope symbolised in the thought, “See the land her Easter keeping.”

The child’s heart is filled with the joy of spring,—with the rapture expressed in the thrush’s song which Mrs. Ewing describes. “Fresh water and green woods, ambrosial sun¬ shine and sun-flecked shade, chattering brooks

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INTRODUCTION and rustling leaves, glade and sward and dell. Lichens and cool mosses, feathered ferns and flowers. Green leaves! Green leaves! Joy! Joy!”

The editors’ thanks are due to Mrs. Kather¬ ine Tynan-Hinckson for permission to use her poem, “Sheep and Lambs”; Miss Lucy Wheelock for her story, “A Little Acorn”; to Mr. Bliss Carman for “A Lyric of Joy”; Mr. Clinton Scollard for “The Little Brown Wren”; Mr. James Whitcomb Riley for the quotation from “Mister Hop-Toad”; Mrs. Agnes McClelland Daulton and Rand, Mc¬ Nally & Co., for two stories, “A Great Fam¬ ily” and “Jolly Little Tars”; Mr. Warren J. Brier for “Mr. Pine and Mr. Maple”; Mrs. Margaret Deland for her poem, “Jon¬ quils”; Miss Helen Keller for “Edith and the Bees”; Mrs. Annie Trumbull Slosson for “A Child’s Easter”; and Mr. Alfred Noyes for his poem “Little Boy Blue”; and to the follow¬ ing publishers who have granted permission to reprint selections in this collection from works bearing their copyright: to G. P. Put-

INTRODUCTION vii

nam’s Sons for ‘‘The Selfish Giant,” by Oscar Wilde; to Houghton Mifflin Co., for the poem, “Talking in Their Sleep,” by Edith M. Thomas; to the Atlantic Monthly and Silver Burdette Company for “The Maple Seed”; to A. Flanagan and Co., of Chicago, for “The Promised Plant,” from “Child’s Christ- Tales,” by Andrea Hofer Proudfoot, and “Pussy Willow,” from “Little People’s Do¬ ings and Misdoings” by Kate Louise Brown; to Doubleday, Page & Co., for “The House Wren,” from “Birds Every Child Should Know,” by Neltje Blanchan, and “Briar Rose” from “The Fairy Ring,” edited by Kate Doug¬ las Wiggin and Nora Archibald Smith; to Grace Duffield Godwin for “An Eastern Legend,” from Houjon Songs, published by Sherman, French & Co.; to Henry Holt & Co., for the selection, “Buzz and Hum,” by Maurice Noel; The Churchman for “In the Garden: An Easter Prelude”; Fleming H. Revell Co., for “When Thou Comest Unto Thy Kingdom”; to The Sunday School Times for the “Story of Blue-Wings” and “The Wind, a Helper”; to The Youth's Companion viii INTRODUCTION

and Miss Helen Keller for the selection, “The Spirit of Easter”; to Messrs. Dodd, Mead and Co., and Mr. Paul R. Reynolds, for the selec¬ tion from “The Children’s Bluebird,” by Maurice Maeterlinck.

SPRING STORIES AND LEGENDS

PAGE

April. .

Robert Browning

The Spring-Maiden and the Frost Giants (Norse Legend) 3 Eleanor L, Skinner

How the Bluebird Was Chosen Herald ...... 14

Jay T. Stocking

Eugene Field

Oscar Wilde

The Promised Plant.50

Andrea Hofer Proudfoot

Kate Douglas Wiggin and Nora Archibald Smith

PiCCiOLA (Adapted).61

St. Saintine

St. Francis, the Little Bedesman of Christ.67

William Canton

Proserpina and King Pluto (Greek Myth) ..... 71

Eleanor L. Skinner

The Wonder— A Parable (From “Parables”) .... 83

Friedrich Adolph Krummacher

NATURE STORIES AND LEGENDS

Green Things Growing (Poem).86

Dinah Mulock Craik

PAGE

V

The Story of a Little Grain of Wheat ...... 87

May Byron

The Little Acorn.100

Lucy Wheelock

The Story of Two Little Seeds.104

George MacDonald

How THE Flowers Came (Selected) .107

Jay T. Stocking

The Legend of Trailing Arbutus (Indian Legend) . .115

Eleanor L. Skinner

The Fairy Flower (Adapted from “Norwood”) .... 120 Henry Ward Beecher

The Snowdrop.127

Hans Christian Andersen

What the Dandelion Told.131

Clara Maetzel

Verse.137

James Russell Loivell

A Great Family.138

Agnes McClelland Daulton

The Birth of the Violet (Legend).142

Ada M. Skinner

A Lyric of Joy (Poem).148

Bliss Carman

AMONG THE TREE-TOPS

Robin’s Carol (From “Angler’s Reveille”) .150

Henry van Dyke

How THE Birds Came (Indian Legend). 151

Ada M. Skinner

How THE Birds Learned to Build Nests.154

James Baldvuin

Out of the Nest.158

Maud Lindsay

PAGE

Mary Ste^wart

An Eastern Legend (Poem).170

Grace Duffield Goodnvin

The House Wren.171

Neltje Blanchan

The Little Brown Wren.173

Clinton Scollard

The Children of Wind and The Clan of Peace (A

Christ-Legend) (Adapted).176

Fiona MacLeod

IN MEADOW AND POND

A Spring Lilt (Poem).182

Unkno^ivn

How Butterflies Came.183

Hans Christian Andersen

White Butterflies (Poem).184

Algernon Charles SvAnburne

Mrs, Alfred Gatty

Mary Steivart

The Springing Tree: Willows .203

Mrs. Dyson

Pussy Willow.210

Kate Louise Bro^wn

Mrs. Alfred Gatty

The Cicada’s Story (Selected).220

Agnes McClelland Daulton

Edith and the Bees. 2,26

Helen Keller

PAGE

The Little Tadpoles (From Stories in “Prose and Verse”) 230 Katharine Pyle

Mister Hop-Toad (Poem).237

James Whitcomb Riley

Maurice Noel

The Story Without an End. i. In the Green Meadow.

2. The Story of a Drop of Water.246

Translated by Sarah Austin from the German of A. Carove

Legend of the Forget-Me-Not ......... 253

Ada M. Skinner

Four-Leaf Clover (Poem) . 256

Ella Higginson

Agnes McClelland Daulton

Warren Judson Brier

A GARDEN OF EASTER STORIES

Old English Verse.286

The Easter Rabbit (German Legend).287

Eleanor L. Skinner

The Boy Who Discovered the Spring .295

Raymond MacDonald Alden

Sheep and Lambs (Poem) ..308

Katharine Tynan

Robin Redbreast— A Christ-Legend (Adapted) (From

Christ-Legends).309

The Maple Seed.; ..318

From The Atlantic Monthly

Why the Ivy Is Always Green.322

Madge Bingham

PAGE

Jonquils (Poem) . .. 329 '

Margaret Deland

When Thou Comest Into Thy Kingdom >• . . . 330 Mary Ste^ivart

The Legend of the Easter Lily.345

Ada M. Skinner

Henry Neville Maughan

In the Garden; An Easter Prelude.347

JV. M. L. Jay

Margaret Emma Ditto

A Child’s Easter (Poem).. . > . . 359

Annie Trumbull Slosson

The Spirit of Easter. 363

Helen Keller

There Are No Dead.365

Maurice Maeterlinck, adapted from “The Bluebird” by Madame Maeterlinck.

Little Boy Blue (Poem).370

Alfred Noyes

I i t i k

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SPRING STORIES AND LEGENDS

APRIL

The year’s at the spring And day’s at the morn;

Morning’s at seven;

The hillside’s dew-pearled;

The lark’s on the wing;

The snail’s on the thorn:

God’s in his heaven—

All’s right with the world!

And after April, when May follows

And the whitethroat builds and all the swallows!

Hark! where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge Leans to the field and scatters on the clover Blossoms and dewdrops—at the bent spray’s edge— That’s the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, Lest you should think he never could recapture The first fine careless rapture!

And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,

All will be gay when noontide wakes anew The buttercups, the little children’s dower—

—Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!

Robert Browning.

THE SPRING-MAIDEN AND THE FROST GIANTS

In their glittering palace of icebergs the Frost Giants were planning to capture Iduna, the fair Spring-Maiden, and the rare treasure which she guarded. Hoar-Frost, North- Wind, Sleet, Hail, and Blizzard were grow¬ ing restless, locked in their frozen waste-land of the North. They longed to enter the valley of Spring and bring desolation to the fruitful fields.

‘We are helpless unless we seize the Spring- Maiden and take from her the casket of golden apples,” said Giant Hoar-Frost. “So long as she guards this life-giving fruit all nature will rejoice; the birds will sing their foolish ju¬ bilees; gay blossoms will flaunt in the mead¬ ows; robes of green will bedeck the trees, and the people will enjoy everlasting youth and vigour.”

“What you say is true,” said Giant North- Wind. “If once I could enter the groves of the Spring-Maiden’s valley I’d howl so long and loud that those tiresome birds would stop their endless singing.”

^‘Ha! ha! ha!” laughed Giant Blizzard. ‘‘You would need my help, I believe. One of my early morning calls would turn the trem¬ bling dew-drops into icicles, and change the smiling faces of the brooks and rills into frozen images 1”

“Especially if I went with you,” added Giant Sleet slyly.

“Oh, I should expect to be accompanied by you and your twin brother Hail,” nodded Bliz¬ zard. “I know how easily you can lock the grass and flowers in a casement of ice which they couldn’t break, and Hail has a very clever, quick way of cutting off all the leaves. But the question now is how shall we capture the Spring-Maiden whose apples keep the valley fresh and fair and the people forever young!”

For a few moments the Frost Giants were silent. Many times they had tried to entrap the fair Iduna and her treasure, but they had always failed.

“I have it/’ said Hoar-Frost. must se¬

cure the help of Loki, the Prince of Mischief. He lives in Asgard near the Spring-Maiden’s groves, and people say he often visits Iduna in order to refresh himself with one of her life-giving apples. Let us capture him first and then compel him to help us. We giants are fast growing old! The magic apples would renew our strength for years to come!”

^‘Agreed!” said North-Wind, Blizzard, Sleet, and Hail in one voice. “Loki first and then Iduna!”

After much discussion it was decided that 'Blizzard should undertake to capture Loki.

A short time after the council of the Frost- Giants, Loki, the Prince of Mischief, was amusing himself with a great fire which he had built on one of the hills just beyond the city of Asgard. Several times he stopped and peered into the sky to see what caused the huge shadow which seemed to hover near him. He could see nothing but a gigantic eagle whirl¬ ing around the summit of the hill. Loki left his fire to gather another bundle of faggots. Suddenly the great bird swooped down very near him. He quickly seized a long stake and struck the intruder across the back. To Loki’s amazement one end of the stake stuck fast to the eagle’s plumage and the Prince of Mis¬ chief could not loosen his hands from the end which he held. The eagle spread its huge dark wings and flew away over rocks and hills far to the North.

^‘Help! help!” screamed the terrified Loki, but although he struggled with all his might he could not escape from his captor.

When they reached a very lonely spot the eagle alighted on a mountain peak and from the black plumage stepped the Storm Giant, Blizzard, who said:

^‘Loki, you are in my power and you shall not escape until you promise to help the Frost Giants in a very difficult undertaking!”

^‘What is that?” gasped the bruised and terrified Loki.

“You must help us to capture Iduna, the Spring-Maiden, and the treasure which she guards. We cannot enter the valley of Spring until Iduna is made our captive.”

“Help you to capture the treasure which gives life and youth to all who partake of it!” said Loki. “Impossible!”

“Then away to the North we will go,” de¬ clared the Storm Giant, putting on his eagle plumage again.

“Stop! Stop!” cried Loki in terror. “Let me think a moment!”

After a short consideration Loki took an oath that he would betray Iduna and her treas¬ ure into the hands of the Frost Giants. Then the Prince of Mischief was freed, and back to the North sped Blizzard.

The next day late in the afternoon, Iduna, robed in a trailing garment of green and crowned with a coronet of blossoms, was walk¬ ing through one of her loveliest groves. The leaves were dancing to the music of a gentle breeze. A delicious fragrance of hyacinths and roses scented the valley. She sat down near a cool fountain and placed her treasurecasket of apples on the marble basin.

Presently a long shadow darkened the path near her, and looking up quickly the Spring- Maiden saw Loki standing near.

“I have come for the refreshing gift of one of your apples, Iduna,” said he. ‘‘A long journey has wearied my limbs and broken my spirit.”

^‘You are very welcome to one of them,” said Iduna, opening her box. “It has been some time since you tasted a golden apple.”

Loki began to eat the precious gift, and Iduna watched him closely. She was very proud of her refreshing fruit.

In a little while he put the half-eaten apple on the basin of the fountain and said, “I am going to tell you a secret, Iduna. Not far away from here I discovered a grove where a marvellous tree grows. It bears fruit shaped like yours but larger and of a deep golden colour.”

“Oh!” laughed the Spring-Maiden, “the fruit may be larger and more beautiful than mine, but I’m sure it has not the power to put youth and life into those who partake of it.”

“I am afraid you are mistaken,” said the wily Loki. “People who have eaten the fruit of this tree say that its refreshing power is wonderful. If you wish, I will gladly guide you to the grove—it is not far away—and then you can compare this fruit, which is attract¬ ing much attention, with yours. Will you go?”

^Wes, I will indeed,” said Iduna, who could not believe that any other apples were com¬ parable with hers.

Loki led the way and Iduna, carrying her treasure, followed him eagerly. She was a little surprised to find the grove Loki de¬ scribed so far away from Asgard, but her de¬ sire to find fruit more wonderful than the magic apples urged her on. Finally they reached a meadow bordered by a dense forest.

^‘Look,” said Loki, pointing forward, ^Ve shall soon reach the place.”

Suddenly a dark shadow fell across Iduna’s path. The Storm Giant, disguised in eagle’s plumage, swooped down, caught the Spring- Maiden and her golden apples in his talons, and sped away to the frozen North. There the Frost Giants imprisoned the captive in one of their ice-palaces.

It was not long before the joyous valley of Spring felt the absence of Iduna. The flowers drooped and faded; the grass became parched and brown, and the tender green foliage turned to burnt orange, crimson, and russet.

^‘What has become of Iduna?” cried the people. “See how the valley is changing!”

Slowly but surely the Frost Giants were working their way toward the valley of Spring. One night Hoar Frost stalked along the outskirts of the groves and withered the leaves and flowers with his icy breath. The next morning the people heard the dismal howl of North-Wind. “We must find the Spring-Maiden or we shall die,” they cried in alarm.

In their distress they begged Odin, the wise hero who governed Asgard, to call a special council in order to determine how the secret of Iduna’s disappearance could be discovered.

Odin called together his hero council and after earnest thought they decided to question Loki, the Prince of Mischief. He had seldom been seen in Asgard since the Spring-Maiden had left the valley. One of the heroes de¬ clared that the last time he saw Iduna she was walking with Loki.