There were the roses on the leads; it was summer, warm, glorious
summer.





The Fir-tree
Translated from the German of Hans Christian Andersen.



There was once a pretty little fir-tree in a wood. It was in a
capital position, for it could get sun, and there was enough air,
and all around grew many tall companions, both pines and firs.
It did not heed the warm sun and the fresh air, or notice the
little peasant children who ran about chattering when they came
out to gather wild strawberries and raspberries. Often they
found a whole basketful and strung strawberries on a straw; they
would sit down by the little fir-tree and say, 'What a pretty
little one this is!' The tree did not like that at all.

By the next year it had grown a whole ring taller, and the year
after that another ring more, for you can always tell a
fir-tree's age from its rings.

'Oh! if I were only a great tree like the others!' sighed the
little fir-tree, 'then I could stretch out my branches far and
wide and look out into the great world! The birds would build