Motes in the Sunbeam and Other Parables from Nature (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: the place, when there is something to sing about. It rather raises one's spirits than otherwise. For instance, when the weather becomes mild in the early year, and the plants begin to grow and get juicy, and it is about time for me to get up from my winter's sleep, I have no objection to be awakened by your voices. But now, in this miserable season, when the fruits and flowers are gone, and when even the leaves that are left are tough and dry, and there is not a dandelion that I care to eat; and when it gets colder and colder, and damper and damper every day, this affectation of merriment on your part is both ridiculous and hypocritical. It is impossible that you can feel hapry yourself, and yon have no business to pretend to it." " But, begging your pardon once more, good sir, I do feel happy, whatever you may think to the contrary," answered the Robin. " What, do you mean to say that you likf. cold, and damp, and bare trees, with scarcely a berry upon them ?" " I like warm, sunny days the best, perhaps," replied the Robin, " if I am obliged to think about it and make comparisons. But why should I do so ? I am quite comfortable as it is. If there is not so much variety of food as there has been, there is, at any rate, enough for every day, and everybody knows that enough is as good as a feast. For my part, I don't see how I can help being contented." " Contented! what a dull idea, to be just contented! I am contented myself, after a fashion; but you are trying to seem happy, and that is a very different sort of thing." " Well, but happy; I am happy, too," insisted the Robin. " That must be then because you know nothing of what is coming," suggested the Tortoise. " As yet, while the open weather lasts, you can pick up your favourite worms, and satisfy your appe...