Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-09-22

He found himself sitting on a warm
stone by the edge of pool of black water,
little grasses waving in it, bushes shutting
1t in from the meadows, large trees not
very far off, and in the sky were violet and
golden clouds as if at sundown, and every
where were little while violets. "Take
me-" whispered one dear little violet, that
he could reach without getting off his
stone. "Take me, and you will know
what all the voices are saying" The breath
Of the violet was so sweet tina. the little boy
took it into his hand and looked into its
fair face.
snow what would you like to know p"
asked a voice in the black water.
Nothing" answered the little boy.
"Then you can come again." said the
voice, and there was loud splash.
"Why didn't you ask him somethiDg7"
said The violet.
because know things" said the boy.
"Then tell me what that small boat Is in
the water that comes later every night?"
"The moon, of course" said the boy.
"What is il for? ?" ask ed the violet.
"For shining when the sun goes down."
"What else did you say you could tell
me7"
"oh, everything, most, ,--how to whistle,
and ring the school bell, and rattle bones,
and spin tops, and dy kites, and you can't
have a gun till you are big, and when
something black chases you, it is your
shadow, and thou shalt not steal = but l
forget the long one about gravy images"
THANK you," said the violet.
"Where is ihis?" ask ed the little boy.
"The Land Of the Grigs, this is you can
hear them talking in the water down there
with yOur-your moon.'
"Do they tell nice stories?" he asked.
sometimes they do. 1 like to hear them
talk 10 the cows when they come here TO
drink. Just scratch frog on the back,
and they will begin talking TO you in
minute"
The little boy stepped of bis stone and
scratched green frog with a small stick.
"If you should ever want TO SWIM" said
the frog, '.just do this in the water"
He did it SO quickly that Allen could not
see what he did; but he thanked the frog
when he came back, hanging his fore-legs
dJwn, and slantiug his hnd-legs.
'Td like to know how to lie in the wa
Ter that way without touching bcttom," he
remarked.
This! do you mean this?" asked the
frog. This is just done by-doing it, you
know. Hang your legs down, slant your
legs out don't think about il al ALL Any
baby frog can do this.
'I'd like to know" said the frog, in his
turn, "how you get across the meadow
with your fore-legs anywhere, hanging
down, or in The air; and sometimes you
swing them around your head, with piece
of your head in one foot"
"Perhaps that's my cap" said the boy.
"Why you just take it OF and swing 1t
round, or throw 1t in the air, If you like,
and kick it I; my little brother can do that"
"Mine can't" said the frog.
~ was a boy FIRST" began a voice in the
water, "but did not like it,"
Little boy Allen listened with both his
cars. He liged to hear about "boys once"
The Grig's voice was soft and pleasant, like
a rustic in the reeds.
mo, did not like 10 he a boy" he said.
IL had to go TO bed every night, and had a
velvet cap tied under my chin to go 10
school, as soon as 1 had eaten my break
fast, and school was the wors: place of all.
You sat on a bench, and if you didn't
know all there was in the books, some-
body was whipped for it,"
"Did you know then2" asked a crow.
"Not any more" answered the Orig,
"and the teacher SAID what was worst was,
you don't want 10 know, and you never
will know, and you never will be a man,
SIR"
The Grig's breezy voice grew quite aw-
ful when he talked like his teacher.
"Thcy would not let me alone TO be a
by" he continued, "they kept poking me
up TO read Ike man, and hold up my
head like man, to have my hat tied under
my chin, and do sums and geog'fy like
man."
You do know about tue battle of Bun
ker's Hill, don't your" asked Allen.
mo" shouted the Orig.
"Nor Putnam, and Adam and Eve, and
CORVALLIS and Cesar, and Daniel Boone,
and the Ionian Isles?"
"No-no-noi" roared the Orig.
"Tell us some more things that you don't
know about" said Allen.
"Oh, there's lots o. thingsI Five times
six is sixty-slx. If you put three eggs,
and two pigs, and six dogs in one cart, and
go five miles, how many carts will go one
mile in an hour?
II don't know that, nor geogfy !" con-
tinued the Grig. "They would turn over
as soon as I had found out what was OH one
side Of the world slap over, and ask you
what is on the other side"
Eastern Hemisphere" said Allen, So
promptly and gravely that all the Griggs
laughed in chorus, and he thought that
even the crow smiled. He was very much
confused; but the white violets looked
kindly at him and gave him courage to
say: "Why do you laugh at me9 1t is the
Eastern Hemisphere on The other side.
Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia"
"Stop him up there !" called out Orig.
ave always laugh when anybody knows
anything, especially boy" explained the
Grig who had been talking. "We feel so
sorry for him, for
We are merry, laughing Grigs!
We are shouting, chafhng Grigs
And we don't know thing,
And can only dance and sing,
With the Grigs, Grigs, Grigs,
With the Grigs."
All the Grigs in the black wafer Joined
in the chorus; some high, some low, and
there was a sound of eastanets and pipes
and reeds.-'S. Nicholas for September.