The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-05-15
Tle Oak and tle Ivy.
By Eugene Field.

In the greenwood stood a mighty oak. So majestic was he that all who came that way paused to admire his strength and beauty, and all the other trees of the greenwood acknowledged him to be their monarch.
 Now it came to pass that the ivy loved the oak tree, and inclining her graceful tendrils where he stood, she crept about his feet and twined herself around his sturdy and knotty trunk. And the oak tree pitied the ivy
 Oho,' he cried, laughing boisterously but good-naturedly. Ono, so you love me, do you, little vine? Very we'll then, play about my feetand l will tell you pretty stories about the clouds, the birds and the stars
 The ivy marveled greatly at the sto- ries the oak tree told. They were sto- ries the oak tree heard from the winds that loitered about his lofty head and whispered to the leaves in his topmost branches. Sometimes the story was about the great ocean in the east, some times of the broad prairies of the west, sometimes of the ice-king who lived in the north, and sometimes of the flower king who dwelt in the south. Then, too, the moon told story to the oak tree every night-or at least every night she came to the greenwood, which was very often, for the greenwood is very charming spot as We All know. And the oak tree repeated every story the moon told, and every song the stars sang
 Pray, what are the winds saying now?" or What song is that I hear? the ivy would ask, and then the oak tree would repeat the story or the song, and the ivy would listen in great won derment.
 Whenever the storm came the oak tree cried to the little ivy: "Cling close to me and no harm shall betall you! See how strong am the tempest does not so such as stir mel mock it's furyi'
 Then, seeing how strong and brave he was, the ivy hugged him closer. His brown rugged breast protected her from every harm and she was secure.
 The years went by how quickly they hew-spring, summer, winter and then again spring, summer, winter-ah, life is short in the greenwood as elsewherei And now the ivy was no longer a weakly little vine to excite the pity of the pass er-by. Her thousand beautiful arms had twined hither and thither about the
 
 ted trunk, shooting forth a bright deli cious foliage and stretching far up among his lower branches Then the oak trees pity grew into love for the little ivy, and the ivy was filed with great joy And the oak tree and the ivy were wed one June night, and there was wonderful celebration in the greenwood and there was the most beautiful music in which the pine trees, the katy-dids, the crick- cts, the frogs and the nightingales joined with pleasing harmony.
 The oak tree was always good and gentle to the ivy There is storm coming over the hills he would say. The east wind tells me so; the swal- lows fly low in the air and the sky is dark. Cling close to me, my beloved, and no harm shall befall you"
 Then, confidently and with an always growing love, the ivy would cling more closely to the oak tree and no harm came to her.
 And, although the ivy was now the most umbrageous and luxuriant vine in all the greenwood, the oak tree regarded her still as the tender little thing he had laughingly called to his feet that spring day, many years before-the same little ivy he had told about the stars, the clouds and the birds. And, just as pa- ! tiently as those days he had told her of these things he now repeated other tales the winds whispered to his top most boughs-tales of the ocean in the east, the prairies in the west, the ice king in the north and the fower-queen in the south. Nestling upon his brave breast and in his strong arms, the ivy