articlesforchristians

Down the hill Peter and Polly trotted. They followed the little brook. By and by it ran into a larger one.

“This large brook runs into the river,” said Polly. “We cannot follow it much farther. We cannot follow it all the way to the river.”

“Why?” asked Peter.

“Because it goes under the road, Peter. Don’t you remember? Here is the place.”

“Oh, yes,” said Peter. “I remember. Well, let’s look under the road.”

“All right, Peter. But there is not much to see. It is dark.”

“I can see through to the other side,” said Peter.

“So can I, now,” said Polly. “And, Oh Peter! It is quite a big place. I am sure that we can walk through. Let’s go now.”

“All right,” said Peter. “I should like to walk under the road.”

“Dear me! I forgot this old egg,” said Polly. “I should be sure to break it. We must wait until some other day. Let us go to the blacksmith’s now.”

Soon they were at the shop.

“Well, Polly,” said the blacksmith, “did the water boil?”

“Here is my egg,” said Polly. “It did not cook. Maybe that is a boiling spring. But it is cold water.”

“It is really a bubbling spring,” said the blacksmith. “Much water comes out of the ground. It comes very fast.

“That makes the sand at the bottom of the spring move. It makes the top of the spring go up and down. The water looks as if it were boiling. But it is not.”

“It is a nice spring,” said Peter. “I took a drink of the water. It was very cold.”

“Yes,” said the blacksmith. “That water must come from deep down in the ground. It is the coldest spring I know.”

“I had a good time, anyway,” said Polly. “We saw goldenrod and Black-eyed Susans.”

“That is a sign that autumn is almost here,” said the blacksmith. “I can see another sign this very minute.”

“Where, where?” cried both children.

“Look on the telephone wires. The sign is there.”

“Oh, oh, see the swallows!” cried Polly. “I never before saw so many together. The wires are full.”

“Perhaps you saw the very same thing last fall,” the blacksmith said. “It happens every year. They are thinking about flying away. They go south for the winter, you know.”

“But it isn’t time,” said Polly. “It isn’t really autumn yet. It is only next to it. Oh, I do not wish them to go. I wish they would stay here.”

“They will not go yet. But they cannot stay here all winter. They could not get food,” said the blacksmith.

“Oh, oh!” called Peter. “They are going now! They are going now! They have just started! See them!”

The blacksmith laughed. “They are only flying about for fun, Peter. Come and see what I have in my shop.”