Nature Myths and Stories for Little Children Part 17

They brought great logs from the forest and bound them upon the deck.

Upon these they placed his beautiful white horse, his dogs, his s.h.i.+ning armor, and many things which he had loved on earth.

When it was finished, they raised the sails, set the s.h.i.+p on fire and pushed it out upon the sea.

They sang and wept all night until at sunrise the sails fell.

They watched the flames die down and the waves wash over the sinking s.h.i.+p.

As they turned sadly from the sh.o.r.e, they met the messenger from Hela's regions.

"Rejoice," he said, "Hela says, 'If everything living and lifeless weep for Balder, he may return to us.'"

There was great happiness in Asgard that day.

"Surely," they thought, "everything in the world will weep for Balder."

They had forgotten the cruel Loki.

He sat with dry eyes though rocks and trees, birds and flowers, wind and clouds were shedding tears.

When Odin found that Balder could not return to life, his anger and grief were terrible to see.

In fear, Loki hid himself deep in the earth under a mountain.

Frigga knew that he was conquered, and she patiently waited for the time when Balder should again be allowed to bring gladness to the earth, and fill all the heavens with the glory of his smile.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

HOW THE CHIPMUNK GOT THE STRIPES ON ITS BACK.

Do you all know the little striped chipmunk which lives in our woods?

He has a cousin in far off India called the geloori.

It is said the stripes came on the back of the geloori in a wonderful way.

One day the great s.h.i.+va saw a little gray chipmunk on the seash.o.r.e.

He was dipping his bushy tail into the sea, and shaking out the water on the sh.o.r.e.

Twenty times a minute he dipped it into the ocean.

In wonder, s.h.i.+va said, "What are you doing, little foolish, gray, geloori? Why do you tire yourself with such hard labor?"

The geloori answered, "I cannot stop, great s.h.i.+va.

"The storm blew down the palm tree, where I built my nest.

"See! the tree has fallen seaward, and the nest lies in the water; my wife and pretty children are in it; I fear that it will float away.

Therefore all day and all night I must dip the water from the sea.

"I hope soon to bale it dry.

"I must save my darlings even if I spoil my tail."

s.h.i.+va stooped and with his great hand stroked the little squirrel.

On the geloori's soft fur from his nose to the end of his tail, there came four green stripes! They were the marks of s.h.i.+va's fingers, placed there as signs of love.

s.h.i.+va raised his hand, and the water rolled back from the sh.o.r.e. Safe among the rocks and seaweeds, the palm tree lay on dry land.

The little squirrel hastened to it; his tail was now high in the air. He found his wife and children dry and well in their house of woven gra.s.s-blades.

As they sang their welcomes to him, the geloori noticed with delight that each smooth little back was striped with marks of s.h.i.+va's fingers.

This sign of love is still to be seen upon the back of chipmunks.

That is the reason why in India, good men never kill them.

A man who loves both children and chipmunks says, when he tells this story, "Perhaps our squirrels, though s.h.i.+va never stroked them, would be grateful if we left them, unharmed, to play in the maples in our woods."

THE FOX AND THE STORK.

A fox met a stork and invited him to dinner.

"With all my heart, friend," said the stork.

When they arrived at the home of the fox and dinner was served, he was not so happy.

The fox had fine hot soup, but he served it in shallow plates.

The poor stork could only stand by and watch the fox eat.

The fox seemed to think that it was a very good joke.

The next day the stork met the fox and invited him to dinner. The stork brought out fine hot soup in a high narrow necked bottle, but the fox could not see the joke at all.

The stork said, "Friend fox, enjoy your dinner. I hope that the soup is as well flavored as yours was yesterday."

As he said this he poured out half of the soup into a bowl and set it before the fox.