The author of this selection was a famous American preacher who liked the Out-of-Doors. He tells us here about the changing colors of the leaves and their falling to the ground.

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cry, as leaves often do when a gentle wind is about. And the twig said, "What is the matter, little leaf?"

The leaf said, "The wind just now told me that one day it will pull me off and throw me down to lie on 5 the ground!"

The twig told it to the branch on which it grew, and the branch told it to the tree. When the tree heard it, it rustled all over and sent back word to the leaf, "Do not be afraid; hold on tightly, and you shall 10 not go till you want to."

And so the leaf stopped sighing, but went on nestling and singing. Every time the tree shook itself and stirred up all its leaves, the branches shook themselves, and the little twig shook itself, and the little leaf danced 15 up and down merrily, as if nothing could ever pull it off.

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And so it grew all summer long, until October. When the bright days of autumn came, the little leaf saw that all the leaves around were becoming very beautiful. Some were yellow and some scarlet and s some striped with both colors.

Then it asked the tree what it meant; and the tree said, "All these leaves are getting ready to fly away, and they have put on these beautiful colors because of joy."

Then the little leaf began to want to go, and grew very beautiful in thinking of it; and when it was very gay in color, it saw that the branches of the tree had no color in them, and so the leaf said, "O branches, why are you lead color and we golden?"

"We must keep on our working clothes, for our life is not done; but your clothes are for holiday, because your tasks are over."

Just then a little puff of wind came, and the leaf let go without thinking about it, and the wind took it up and turned it over and over and whirled it like a spark of fire in the air. Then it fell gently down under the fence among hundreds of other leaves, and began to dream a dream so beautiful that perhaps it will last forever.

1. Bring to the class to-morrow the prettiest autumn leaf you can find. What kind of leaf is it? Draw a picture of it. Tell its story.

2. How many kinds of leaves do you know? When do leaves come on the trees? When do they fall? What makes them fall?

BY WILLIAM BLAKE

This little poem tells of the happiness of all Nature in the summer time. Notice that everything and everybody are laughing. After reading it several times, try to repeat it.

HEN the green woods laugh with voice of joy

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And the dimpling stream runs laughing by;
When the air does laugh with our merry wit,
And the green hill laughs with the noise of it;
When the meadows laugh with lively green,
And the grasshopper laughs in the merry scene;
When Mary and Susan and Emily

With their sweet round mouths sing "Ha, ha, he!"
When the painted birds laugh in the shade,
Where our table with cherries and nuts is spread:
Come, live and be merry, and join with me,
To sing the sweet chorus of "Ha, ha, he!"

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FANCIFUL TALES

"Tell me a story!" That is the cry of young and old everywhere. And story-tellers have spun us tales and tales, but never enough. It is these "made-up" stories that we like best to read. They are the Tales of Fancy-the kind of story we ourselves like most to daydream over.