UmBRELLAS
One sunny morning in April, a wee brownie started out for a walk.
He wore a brown coat, brown trousers, brown pointed shoes, and a long brown pointed cap.
He carried his basket over his arm, for he hadmarketing to do.
He skipped along, dodging the beetles, and peeping in at the doors of the ant hills, as merry as any brownie could be on a sunny morning in April.
He bought a pot of butter at a buttercup shop, and a jar of honey from a bee.
He was just going home again when "Dear me! What"s that ?" said the brownie. "Pit! pat! pit! pat! there"s the rain!"It is quite bad enough to be a child and out of doors when it rains, but think of being a tiny, wee, little mite of a brownie with fresh, new clothes, and every raindrop as full as a bucket!
He ran so fast that the jar of honey and the pot of butter rattled like a kettle-drum.
He crept under the tallest blade of grass, and tried to cover himself with a leaf, but it was of no use; the raindrops fell faster and faster untilhe was drenched.
At last he saw, just a little way ahead, a fine toadstool. That would make a good roof!
He ran as fast as his little legs would carry him to get under it. But the brownie ran into a fat grey mouse, who lay safe and dry under the toadstool.
Poor little brownie! He trembled with fright.
The mouse seemed to him as large as a bear, and he was so afraid! But it was warm and dry under the toadstool, and very wet outside.
The mouse did not see him, for he kept on the other side of the toad- stool, and just peeped out now and then.
Then the brownie began tugging at the toadstool. It was very heavy. Tug! tug! Up it came, and off scampered the brownie with the toadstool over his head, and the poor mousewas left in the rain.
"Ha ! ha ! see the brow nie ! " cried the crickets, the beetles, the grass - hoppers , and the ants:
"See the brownie with a toadstool
over his head to keep off the rain! What a funny roof! Why, it"s an umbrella !"
