In Story-Land Reading Day 23

THE

LOVING CUP WHICH WAS MADE OF IRON.

Upon the edge of a great forest a woodcutter had built him a cottage , and soon he brought a fair young bride to live in it . She was a neat , trim , little body , who wasted nothing and kept everything in the house in perfect order , so that in a short time their small yard showed her care also .

One day some cousins came from town to see the woodcutter , and his wife . They brought with them their dinner in a large basket , and a jolly time they had of it , wandering through the woods , lying on the soft green grass , and gathering the wild flowers . Finally , hunger drove them back to the woodcutter's house , and as they sat on the porch eating their luncheon , they thoughtlessly threw the skins of their oranges and the banana peelings on the grass in front of them . The woodcutter's wife said nothing , but she felt sure that such litter and dirt on the fresh green grass would grieve the wood- fairies who were trying to keep the forest and all of its sur-

THE LOVING CUP. 79

roundings as beautiful as possible . Therefore when the guests had gone , she quietly picked up all the skins and scraps of paper and burned them .

This so pleased the wood - fairies , that when her first boy baby came , they sent him a lovingcup of gold . Around it were circles of diamonds and pearls and deep red rubies . Of course, the young mother was very happy , for she knew that such a gift meant her son would some day possess much money . So she set herself to work to make her yard more beautiful than it had been before , by planting flowerseeds in a border by the fence . " If my son is to become a rich man , " said she to herself , " he must learn to love what is beautiful , that he may use his money wisely . " She did not stop when she had made her own yard beautiful , but soon began scattering more flower- seed down by the spring that the wood - fairies might have flowers to enjoy while they came to drink . Before long her kind heart led her to plant other flowers by the dusty roadside and down in the lonely valley , in order that weary travelers , as they journeyed along , might see the bright blossoms and smell the sweet perfume .

This pleased the wood- fairies even more

than her thoughtful tidiness had done , so , when her second boy baby came , they sent him a loving-cup of pure silver . Around the outside of it were carved pictures of youths and maidens dancing in a circle on the green grass . This gift made the mother even happier than the first had done , for she read in the carving on the cup that her boy would love the open air and would grow up strong and healthy and her heart grew tender to all things about her .

She had noticed that some of the ugliest and most neglected weeds often bore delicate flowers , which, however , soon faded for lack of care . " I will see ," said she , " if I cannot make the weeds grow into flowers by watering them and pruning them and lovingly caring for them . In this way I can help to make the whole forest wholesome , and thus show the wood-fairies that I am grateful to them for their gift of health to my second son . "

She began by caring for the weeds which stood nearest her own home , and was rewarded by seeing them slowly change into shapely plants and their blossoms become strong and beautiful . Then her care extended to the weeds along the wayside , and in a short time there was not a hurtful weed to be