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Men have learned to do a great many things by watching animals at work. Is it not wonderful that these dumb creatures can build as they do? They cannot understand the reasons for their work, but they do all these wonderful things by instinct. Each one in kind has been created able to do its own work perfectly.

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Buzz! buzz! buzz!

The sweet-smelling clover,
He, humming, hangs over;
The scent of the roses

Makes fragrant his wings;
He never gets lazy;
From thistle and daisy,
And weeds of the meadow,
Some treasure he brings.

Buzz! buzz! buzz!
From morning's first light
Till the coming of night,
He's singing and toiling
The summer day through.
Oh! we may get weary,
And think work is dreary;
'Tis harder by far

To have nothing to do.

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FRITZ AND HIS BLUE FLOWERS

Listen now to the story of Fritz and his little blue flowers.

Fritz was a young shepherd who, with his wife Gretchen, lived long years ago in Germany. They both had to work hard, for they were very poor. Gretchen kept the little house trim and neat while Fritz watched the flocks on the hillside. Sometimes he had the good fortune to shoot wild game on the mountain, and then he and Gretchen had a better dinner than usual.

The ground

One day he had gone a long way up the mountainside beyond the woods of pine and fir. here was covered with ice and snow. came to a large opening in a snow looked like the mouth of a cave.

Suddenly he bank which

Fritz thought he would just step inside a moment, for it seemed a wonderful place and he wished very much to see it. And indeed it was quite worth seeing, so bright and beautiful that poor Fritz was almost dazed.

The cave was sparkling with precious stones, blue and green and yellow. They hung down from the

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roof like icicles, flashing and twinkling in the golden light. The place was full of flowers, and Fritz could hear music coming nearer and nearer. He rubbed his eyes to see more clearly, and then he found that he was really in the home of the fairies.

Some were dancing and tripping in every direction, some were resting on the soft green moss, while others were making wreaths and festoons of flowers.

Just then the beautiful queen of the fairies came up to Fritz, holding in her hand a bunch of pretty blue flowers. She told him in a kind voice to choose something which he would like for his own.

Fritz felt shy at first, but the kind words of the queen put him at his ease. He looked around; those rich jewels and sparkling gems were not for him, he thought. He knew not what to say, but finally he asked timidly if he might have the pretty little flowers which the fairy was holding in her hand.

This seemed to please her very much. "You have made a wise choice," said she. Gladly she gave him the flowers, and she added a handful of

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