Winter Trees

        ''All the winter things,'' said daddy, ''such as the cold Winds, the Snow and the Ice told the Pine Trees and the Fir Treesand the Spruce Trees how much they liked them.

       ''I will tell you a secret,'' said the Pine Tree.

       '' 'Yes,'' said the Snow, as it nestled closer to the branches of the big tree.

       ''Years and years and years ago, I talked to my family about dropping off in the Winter-time. We never got any further than talking about it, for just as I had said, ''Well, and what do you think of the scheme?'' some of the Snow Flakes came and rested on our branches.

       '' 'Oh,'' they said, ''you're so much nicer than the branches without any leaves. There we have to fill up the corners, but with you we can nestle down.''

       '' 'The North Wind told us,' continued the Pine Tree, 'that it was such a joy to have a good strong tree around that wouldn't feel hurt if he played about and had a good time. And so we discovered how much the North Wind liked us.

       '' 'Then,' said the Pine Tree, 'we heard the Grown-Ups. They said what a comfort it was to have some green trees in the Winter and they said how horrible it would be if every tree were quite bare and ugly. And then came the Children. They walked through the woods one snowy day and they stopped to look up at us. 'Ah, how tall those trees are. And how warm it is in these woods. Our favorite trees are the Winter Trees - the Spruce Trees, the Fir Trees, the Pine Trees.''

       '' 'Now do you understand how we have to be as fine looking in the Winter as in the Spring?' And the Snow understood.''