第 23 节
作者:沸点123      更新:2021-02-27 02:03      字数:9322
  came sweeping and dusting and wiping and scrubbing; to make everything
  grand and clean for the Christ…child's birthday。 Her broom went into all the
  corners;   poke;   poke;and   of   course   the   spiders   had   to   run。   Dear;   dear;
  HOW the spiders had to run! Not one could stay in the house while the
  Christmas cleanness lasted。   So; you   see; they couldn't   see the   Christmas
  Tree。
  Spiders like to know all about everything; and see all there is to see;
  and these were very sad。 So at last they went to the Christ…child and told
  him about it。
  〃All the   others see   the   Christmas Tree;   dear   Christ…child;〃   they  said;
  〃but   we;   who   are   so   domestic   and   so   fond   of   beautiful   things;   we   are
  CLEANED UP! We cannot see it; at all。〃
  The Christ…child was sorry for the little spiders when he heard this; and
  he said they should see the Christmas Tree。
  The day before Christmas; when nobody was noticing; he let them all
  go in; to look as long as ever they liked。
  They came creepy; creepy; down the attic stairs; creepy; creepy; up the
  cellar stairs; creepy; creepy; along the halls;and into the beautiful room。
  The   fat   mother   spiders   and   the   old   papa   spiders   were   there;   and   all   the
  little   teeny;   tiny;   curly   spiders;   the   baby   ones。   And   then   they   looked!
  Round and round the tree they crawled; and looked and looked and looked。
  Oh; what a good time they had! They thought it was perfectly beautiful。
  And   when   they   had   looked   at   everything   they  could   see   from  the   floor;
  they   started   up   the   tree   to   see   more。 All   over   the   tree   they   ran;   creepy;
  crawly; looking at every single thing。 Up and down; in and out; over every
  branch   and   twig;   the   little   spiders   ran;   and   saw   every   one   of   the   pretty
  things right up close。
  They stayed till they had seen all there was to see; you may be sure;
  and then they went away at last; QUITE happy。
  Then;   in   the   still;   dark   night   before   Christmas   Day;   the   dear   Christ…
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  child came; to bless the tree for the children。 But when he looked at it
  WHAT do you suppose?it was   covered with cobwebs! Everywhere   the
  little spiders had been they had left a spider…web; and you know they had
  been   everywhere。   So   the   tree   was   covered   from   its   trunk   to   its   tip   with
  spider… webs; all hanging from the branches and looped round the twigs; it
  was a strange sight。
  What could the Christ…child do? He knew that house…mothers do not
  like cobwebs; it would never; never do to have a Christmas Tree covered
  with those。 No; indeed。
  So the dear Christ…child touched the spider's webs; and turned them all
  to gold! Wasn't that a lovely trimming? They shone and shone; all over the
  beautiful tree。 And that is the way the Christmas Tree came to have golden
  cob… webs on it。
  WHY THE MORNING…GLORY CLIMBS'1'
  '1' This story was given me by Miss Elisabeth McCracken; who wrote
  it some years ago in a larger form; and who told it to me in the way she
  had told it to many children of her acquaintance。
  Once the Morning…Glory was flat on the ground。 She grew that way;
  and she had never climbed at all。 Up in the top of a tree near her lived Mrs
  Jennie Wren and her little baby Wren。 The little Wren was lame; he had a
  broken wing and couldn't fly。 He stayed in the nest all day。 But the mother
  Wren told him all about what she saw in the world; when she came flying
  home at night。 She used to tell him about the beautiful Morning…Glory she
  saw on the ground。 She told him about the Morning…Glory every day; until
  the little Wren was filled with a desire to see her for himself。
  〃How I wish I could see the Morning… Glory!〃 he said。
  The Morning…Glory heard this; and she longed to let the little Wren see
  her face。 She pulled herself along the ground; a little at a time; until she
  was at the foot of the tree where the little Wren lived。 But she could not
  get any farther; because she did not know how to climb。 At last she wanted
  to go up so much; that she caught hold of the bark of the tree; and pulled
  herself up a little。 And little by little; before she knew it; she was climbing。
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  And she climbed right up the tree to the little Wren's nest; and put her
  sweet face over the edge of the nest; where the little Wren could see。
  That was how the Morning…Glory came to climb。
  THE STORY OF LITTLE TAVWOTS'1'
  '1' Adapted from The Basket Woman; by Mary Austin。
  This is the story an Indian woman told a little white boy who lived
  with his father and mother near the Indians' country; and Tavwots is the
  name of the little rabbit。
  But once; long ago; Tavwots was not little; he was the largest of all
  four…footed   things;   and   a   mighty   hunter。   He   used   to   hunt   every   day;   as
  soon as it was day; and light enough to see; he used to get up; and go to his
  hunting。 But every day he saw the track of a great foot on the trail; before
  him。 This troubled him; for his pride was as big as his body。
  〃Who is this;〃 he cried; 〃that goes before me to the hunting; and makes
  so great a stride? Does he think to put me to shame?〃
  〃T'…sst!〃 said his mother; 〃there is none greater than thou。〃
  〃Still; there are the footprints in the trail;〃 said Tavwots。
  And the next   morning he got up earlier; but still the great   footprints
  and the mighty stride were before him。 The next morning he got up still
  earlier; but there were the mighty foot… tracks and the long; long stride。
  〃Now I will set me a trap for this impudent fellow;〃 said Tavwots; for
  he was very cunning。 So he made a snare of his bowstring and set it in the
  trail overnight。
  And when in the morning he went to look; behold; he had caught the
  sun in his snare! All that part of the earth was beginning to smoke with the
  heat of it。
  〃Is it you who made the tracks in my trail?〃 cried Tavwots。
  〃It is I;〃 said the sun; 〃come and set me free; before the whole earth is
  afire。〃
  Then Tavwots saw what he had to do; and he drew his sharp hunting…
  knife and ran to cut the bowstring。 But the heat was so great that he ran
  back before he had done it; and when he ran back he was melted down to
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  half   his   size!   Then   the   earth   began   to   burn;   and   the   smoke   curled   up
  against the sky。
  〃Come again; Tavwots;〃 cried the sun。
  And Tavwots ran again to cut the bowstring。 But the heat was so great
  that   he   ran   back   before   he   had   done   it;   and   he   was   melted   down   to   a
  quarter of his size!
  〃Come again; Tavwots; and quickly;〃 cried the sun; 〃or all the world
  will be burnt up。〃
  And Tavwots ran again; this time he cut the bowstring and set the sun
  free。  But   when   he   got   back   he   was   melted   down   to   the  size  he   is   now!
  Only one thing is left of all his greatness: you may still see by the print of
  his feet as he leaps in the trail; how great his stride was when he caught
  the sun in his snare。
  THE PIG BROTHER'1'
  '1' From The Golden Windows; by Laura E。 Richards。 (H。 R。 Allenson
  Ltd。 2s。 6d; net。)
  There was once a child who was untidy。 He left his books on the floor;
  and his muddy shoes on the table; he put his fingers in the jam pots; and
  spilled ink on his best pinafore; there was really no end to his untidiness。
  One day the Tidy Angel came into his nursery。
  〃This   will   never   do!〃   said   the  Angel。   〃This   is   really   shocking。   You
  must go out and stay with your brother while I set things to rights here。〃
  〃I have no brother!〃 said the child。
  〃Yes; you have;〃 said the Angel。 〃You may not know him; but he will
  know   you。   Go   out   in   the   garden   and   watch   for   him;   and   he   will   soon
  come。〃
  〃I don't know what you mean!〃 said the child; but he went out into the
  garden and waited。
  Presently a squirrel came along; whisking his tail。
  〃Are you my brother?〃 asked the child。
  The squirrel looked him over carefully。
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  〃Well;  I   should hope   not!〃   he said。   〃