Children straying Came a-playing On its pretty banks; Glad, our little brooklet Sparkled up its thanks.

Blossoms floating, Mimic boating, Fishes darting past, Swift, and strong, and happy, Widening very fast.

Bubbling, singing, Rushing, ringing, Flecked with shade and sun.

Soon our pretty brooklet To the sea has run.

LESSON XXI.

WORK OF FLOWING RIVERS.

Would you like to know more about brooks and rivers--about the work they do?

Notice what happens when it rains. Little tiny streams are formed, which chase each other down the slopes. See how they cut away the loose soil and carry it off. Notice how muddy this loose soil makes the water. What becomes of this loose soil, or mud?

Fill a jar with water. Put in a handful of mud from the nearest stream.

Shake the jar, and the water is muddy. Let it stand awhile. What do you notice? The water is clear, and the soil has settled to the bottom.

Follow the streams to the valley where they unite to form a river. When does the load of mud it carries settle? Here, where the water scarcely moves, we find some of the soil spread out over the ground near the river banks.

You have seen a river overflow its banks. When the water went down, it left a layer of rich mud, which made the soil very fertile.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "THESE FERTILE MEADOWS WERE FORMED OUT OF THE LOAM."]

Have you never seen the low ground on the banks of rivers covered with rich gra.s.s and clover?

Well, these fertile meadows were formed out of the loam that has been washed down the streams from the far-off hills and mountains.

Look at the jar again. Which settled first, the coa.r.s.e material or fine loam? What kind of a deposit will be made in the upper course of a river? What kind toward the mouth?

High up in the valley, when the river is low, we see _pebbles_ in its bed; lower down, the pebbles are worn into _gravel;_ and as we get still farther down, we find the gravel ground into _sand_.

Examine the stones found along the sh.o.r.e of a brook or river. Some are quite smooth and round. They were not always so, but had sharp edges. Do you know what made them round?

When there are heavy rains, the rushing water sweeps large stones down the mountain side and into the valley. As they are carried down the stream, the stones, by rubbing against each other, are smoothed and rounded and ground into pebbles. The pebbles themselves are ground at last into gravel and fine sand.

This is what the streams are doing everywhere--plowing deep furrows in the sides of the mountains, grinding the pebbles and sand into fine soil, and carrying it into the valleys below.

LESSON XXII.

WATERDROP'S STORY.

Patter, patter, fall the raindrops on the brown leaves in the woods. Mr.

Squirrel's bright eyes sparkle as he peeps out of his queer little home, a hole in the tree; his store of nuts has been carefully hidden away.

Splash comes a drop on a leaf just opposite him. Such a friendly little drop it is, for soon it tells this little woodland dweller of all its travels.

Let us listen, for we may hear too:

"My home," began the Waterdrop, "is in the wide blue sea, where I live with many, many other drops.

"One day as we rode up and down on the big waves, the sun shone down on us, and we grew warmer. Each little drop felt, 'Oh, if I could only get away from the other drops, how much cooler I should be!' Then each tiny drop separated from the others, and grew so small you could not see it.

"We, of course, grew lighter, lighter than the air. Up, up we rose into the bright blue sky. When we got pretty high, where the air was cool, we came closer together again and formed a great fleecy white _cloud_, that cast its shadow over everything. Then a friendly wind carried us along, and soon we left the sea behind. Far below; we could see green fields and waving woods."

"You must have been very happy" said the little squirrel.

"Yes; it was a merry life we led, as we floated hither and thither, playing with the sun-beams," replied the Waterdrop.

"But we came at last to a purple mountain, and a chill wind began to blow. How we shivered with the cold! Then we huddled close together to get warm. We were now heavy again--so heavy that we could not stay up in the air.

"Then,

'I'm going down to cheer a flower,'

Cried a little drop of rain; 'I hear it sigh. It droops its head As if in weary pain.'

'And I will go!' 'And I!' 'And I!'

Cried all the raindrops near.

So down we went in merry haste The whole wide field to cheer.

"The drooping flowers lifted their bright faces to thank the little drops for the cool drink. Even the great tall trees nodded their heads in welcome."

"The gra.s.s on the hillside and in the valley must have been grateful, too, for your coming," said the squirrel. "It always looks so fresh and green after a shower. But, tell me, what became of _you_?"

"I fell where the ground was brown and bare, stopped for a moment, then went down, down into the ground, where all was dark. I met other drops trying to get out, and we went on together, turning first this way, then that way, till we burst into the sunshine again."

"We rested for a moment in a tiny pool of clear water; then I ran with the rest down the mountain side, slipping over smooth pebbles, and tumbling over sharp rocks, until I found myself in a deep, swift stream, where plants and trees grew on either bank."

[Ill.u.s.tration: "SUDDENLY WE FELL OVER THE ROCKS."]

"As I was hurried along, I heard a great roaring noise made by the river falling over a high ledge of rocks, as a cataract or waterfall. Suddenly we fell over the rocks so steep and high that we went leaping and dashing in all directions. We rose in the air in a fine gray mist, then sank back again into the foam-covered stream.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "THEN WE CAME TO A BIG MILL-WHEEL."]

"Soon we were in a broad, quiet river, flowing past the gra.s.sy hills and green pastures. Then we came to a big mill-wheel, upon which we jumped, and by our weight made it turn over and over, and thus move the machinery in the mill. Here we were tossed in the air, whirled around, and at last flung back into the river, where we sailed slowly and quietly as before.

"By and by, we saw large boats floating on the water. We pa.s.sed towns and cities with busy streets and many people; and as our river widened, and we heard the big sea waves dashing against the sh.o.r.e, we knew our brothers and sisters were singing a welcome home.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "WE Pa.s.sED TOWNS AND CITIES."]

"And now farewell, little squirrel. My story is done, and I must hasten to my home in the sea. Perhaps we shall meet again some day. I may float down to you, a white-winged snowflake, or patter down as I came this time, a tiny raindrop."

_Write the following:_

The water rises from the sea in vapor.