“So you see how pretty the names are that have been given us and how many people need us for their happiness.
“We must bring more and more flowers into the world, for there are not enough even yet.
“But we that live under your shade are not happy. You take away the sun so that he never shines on us, and when the rain comes, not a drop can reach our throats. The breeze comes, but never into our house—no fresh air, no sunshine, no rain, until we fear that we shall die.
“For eighty years our family has lived here. Our children sometimes say, ‘We hope that next year we may have sunshine,’ or ‘We hope that we may soon have rain to drink.’ Still no sunshine and no rain can reach us.
“You have destroyed many of our people. When will you allow us to have sun, rain, and air? Do you not know that you are killing us?”
Then the evergreen tree said, “My dear friend, I can not prevent this. Your people are more easily moved than I am. We are three brothers who have lived here hundreds of years and we are here forever. If our great bodies were moved we should die. It is you who should go away from here. Your seeds are light and it would be easy for them to go. [[30]]
“When summer comes the children need us here. When the sun is hot the boys and girls sit under our shade, and even though we may kill some of your family, yet must we serve mankind. Do you not know that the children hang swings, and that women hang their babies’ beds in our arms? The children also play ride-the-horse, and climb up in our arms, and have many games in our shade.
“Although we serve them and make them happy, yet they are not always kind to us, for sometimes they cut our bark. Students write words in my body with a sharp knife, but I can not prevent it. I have cried many years about this one thing and I would like to go away from here—but how can I move?
“I do not wish to hurt you, dear friend, any more than I wish to be hurt by others; but I am a mountain evergreen and must stand here forever. I hope you will be able to go, for we do not want to quarrel.”
The marigold bowed her head and made no reply. And a deep silence came over the evergreen tree as he grew and grew, a year and a hundred years, and many, many more.