The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-12-07
The Story Of the
Curious Child

It was a far-off time, in a far-off
land that the curious child lived, 1t
was summer, and his tribe worked
that they might not starve In the COM
ing winter $50 by day they digged In
the fields and hunted the deer and
gathered the fruit of the trees. and by
night they wrapped their sheepsktns
about them and lay down to sleep.
But there was one that did not al
ways sleep. 1t was the curious child.
He would lie on his bed OF leaves and
watch the white clouds sailing past
the moon. and he would see the stars
hide behind them and twinkle when
the sky was blue again. He loved the
trees above and the grass beneath him.
Much he wondered at 1t all; much the
! tribe brothers wondered at him. And
his father would say: Sleep: for on
/ the morrow we hunt the wild boar,
and we dig the fields. Be strong to
do thy labor
| SO day by day they hunted in the
forest and labored In the fields. But
often the curious child laid down his
spade and slipped into the marsh.
When the reeds and rushes closed be-
hind him, his brothers would become
angry. He loveth ease" they said.
He worketh not as we'll as the wo-
men" And when he came again to
them they scorned him. But the Gu
rious child worked and was silent
one day the tribe father came-he
that ruled over all, And the tribe
brothers came to him and said: See
that we do not all tho labor; see that
the curious child helps us"
The tribe father said: Call the
child to me, that ! may speak 10
him"
But when the brothers looked he
was gone. "He is in the marsh said
one. HE abideth his time among the
reeds" So they went to fetch him
And as they went their way, 10! from
the deep of the marsh they heard q
low sweet sound, 1t was like the
sough OF the pines, then it was Hike
the murmur Of distant waters, ther
it was like the wall of the winds in
winter.
To" said one. is it not the birt
that sings In the storm"
No said the others; at is like
nothing we have ever heard,
So among the flags and bushes they
leaned on their STATS and listened
let us so farther said they. II
Il be god surely he who can make
tour hearts to beat like this will moi
harm US
Then on they went. stepping sc
softly that scarcely were the leaves
moved or the marsh lily broken. On
ly the grasses bent before them anc
then lifted their blades again. So the,
parted the reeds and followed ths
sound. So beautiful was 1t now tina
they could not choose but follow
Then, all bewildered. they stopped
For, behold! there lay on the faller
tree the form OF the curious child
And in his hands were marsh reeds
! and he held them TO his lips. Their
they marveied; for the child told
! them that 1t was he that sent thu
: sweetness on the marsh winds. Ant
: he showed them how he blew upon thu
} reeds and made them tell what mel
; had long felt, but knew not how tt
tell. And he blew on the reeds again
! A hush fell over the marsh, and th'
men bowed their heads and listened
Then said the tribe brothers: Truly
! the curious child la wiser than we
Now let him take his reeds and blow
| upon them as we dig, and we shall
, do his labor for him"
And no one said ever afterward
? that the brothers wrought better
than tho curious child.--Lois Rogers
In Nashville Christian Advocate.