That night before she jumped into bed Nan looked out of the window. There in the starry sky was the moon gazing down at her.
“Were you waiting for me all this time, moon?” asked Nan. “I can’t come out until to-morrow night. We’ll have another walk then.”
And they did.
WHAT CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DID
A great many years ago in far-off Italy lived Christopher Columbus. He did a wonderful thing. He and some companions and sailors set out in three small ships to cross the great wide ocean. The huge waves tossed the ships about and came up over their bows. The sailors were so terrified they begged Columbus to turn back. But he was too brave to do that. He kept on till he came to a new country. It was America, our country. Then he and all with him knelt on the shore and gave thanks to God.
WHAT THE MOON SAW
“Yesterday,” said the Moon to me, “I looked down into a small yard. There sat a clucking hen with eleven chicks, and a pretty little girl was running and jumping around them. The poor hen didn’t know what to make of it. She screamed and spread out her wings over her brood. The noise brought the girl’s father out. He scolded his daughter and sent her into the house. I glided on and thought no more about it.
“But this evening, only a few minutes ago, I looked down into the same yard. The hen and her chicks had gone to roost. Everything was quiet. Out came the little girl, crept to the hen-house, pushed back the bolt, and slipped in. The hen and chicks cried out at once and came fluttering down from their perches. I saw it all, for I looked through a hole in the hen-house wall. I was angry with the obstinate child. And so was her father. He came out and seized her by the arm.
“‘What are you about?’ he asked.
“The little girl wept and sobbed. ‘I wanted to kiss the hen and beg her pardon for frightening her yesterday, but she does not understand.”