The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-09-23
A TALE OF TWO TREES.

Once upon time there was a tiny
acorn lying in the soft earth in
forest. Just tiny, yellow acorn that
no one would ever notice, that the
wind blew off the branch when it
shook the tree.
Plump! 1t fell down on the sod
and there it lay buried under the
leaves with the SHOWS above it for a
covering during the long winter. Then
at last spring came, the sun came out
brightly and the ground felt warm as
the little acorn nestled down in the
roots of the grass. The gentle rains
dripped down on it till it grew soft
and swelled and swelled and swelled
till at last it burst and wee shoot of
green peeped up through the soil.
"How beautiful everything ISL
whispered the little acorn. $50 green
and the sky so blue! How lovely, how
lovely"
Just above the tiny acorn shoot was
tree full of big, white blossoms.
They hung in great clusters of fleecy
foam, the petals like snowflakes; and
the sweetness from their perfume
made the air as rose garden. 1t was
locust tree in full bloom.
"You say everything is beautiful p
said the locust tree. THAT is true,
but 1 am the most beautiful of all.
See my great punches of feathery
blossoms with their delicious odor."
The timid little shoot looked meekly
up at the big locust-yes, it was a
magnificent tree.
Il am the sweetest and prettiest
tree in the woods continued the
proud locust. and, pray, what use
are you in the world?"
The little shoot hung it's head
What could it do? Would it ever grow
into big, strong, pretty tree? 1t did
not know. Still it thought it would
do it's best and that was all one could
do.
81 am very SMALL" it said, land dc
not yet know about what l will be
able to do. But whatever is my duty
that | will do to the best of my
power"
6O llC Llhy Civ" anu $oAO
The sun warmed it, the rain made the
earth soft and the wind tossed it about
to give it exercise. In winter it kept
still, but every spring it would begin
to climb, and at last it was quite big
tree.
81 see you are going to be some
thing after ALL" said the locust, jeal
ously But you will never get to look
as pretty or be of use in the world
like me-
Maybe not" sang out the young
oak-for it was now an oak-"but
am going to do my best as long as
grow"
So it kept on growing. The trunk
went up straight, the bark got thick
the branches reached out wide and
were covered with handsome leaves
The birds and squirrels seemed to
love the friendly tree and made theil
homes in it's shade.
But the locust did not grow. II
was getting old and it's scraggy limbs
broke off and Uttered the ground
One day the farmer came into the
woods with an ak.
This old locust never was any
good" he exclaimed. "All it did was
to have few blossoms and then there
was lot of dead limbs dropping all
about. 1t was just silly thing en-
numbering the ground. But it will make
a fine fire for the kitchen stove"
After while two more men came
with a big saw. ''This is a fine oak,
said the farmer, "and we will make
it into timber for masts of ships. II
grows tall, straight and strong with
out a flaw"
Then the great oak, which had once
been a tiny acorn, was glad-glad il
had kept on growing, glad it was tC
be of use in the world. 1t would be
made into tall masts that would hole
sails and help the boats over the
water; it would see far-off lands and
strange people. It would race or
through the suns and storms, through
the moonlight and SHOWS, over the
dancing waves bearing great freights
from one land to another
So the great, strong oak-the OAK
which had once been wee, tiny acorn
was glad and proud that at last, wher
it had done its best, it was of use in
L