But let the good old crop adorn The hills our fathers trod; Still let us, for his golden corn, Send up our thanks to God. A Did the Cat Count?* CERTAIN wise mother cat had, time after time, been robbed of her kittens-all but one. She knew by this time what to expect. "Oh, dear!" said the mistress, "here are four more kittens to be killed, unless we can give them away." Kittens are too plenty and not popular enough for the demand to be equal to the supply; but by good fortune one of the neighbors did wish two of the kittens, and they were gladly given to him, while the mother cat was around the neighborhood visiting her sisters and cousins, and telling them what "a likely lot of lively kittens, all handsome as pictures," she had left at home. I fancy that she hinted, as some other mothers will do, in a vain way, that her kittens were even handsomer and brighter than her sisters' kittens. This proud mother returned home; her proud purring was even more self-satisfied than usual, as she daintily stepped over the grass and went under the shed where her kittens were at home in a barrel. She jumped upon the edge and looked down. "What!" Well, no, the cat did not speak, but she looked that word. She paused several seconds, then leaped in, and she searched, but it was no use; where she had left five hale and hearty kittens, there now were but three! * From Beacon Light Series, published by W. A. Wilde & Co. She made no loud wail; her sorrow was not cried from the housetop; she did not visit her neighbors, crying, “There is no sorrow like unto my sorrow; is it nothing to ye that pass by?" Indeed, not; she set her human friends a noble example of self-repression. But she did not leave her kittens that night even to get her own supper as usual. In the morning her mistress went to the barrel and called, and she came at once, but she only left one kitten there; where were the other two? It was some time before the family found the two missing kittens; faithfully she fed her one kitten, and seemed to leave it alone with perfect confidence. Later it was discovered that she had hidden the other two in separate hiding-places, and watched her chance to go to them when no one was looking. If any one came in sight, she looked as innocent as possible; as if she had never known the sorrow of having her children stolen and sold into slavery, or perhaps murdered in cold water. Evidently this cat said to herself, "Here I have five kittens; already two have been stolen, and soon two more will follow; one kitten is safe, for they always leave me one; so I will just hide two of the three left." How else can we account for the "close calculation" she evinced, after having lost two out of five? What Solon Did for Athens.* T Athens the troubles which led the people to call from wars with their enemies, but from quarrels in the city itself. There had once been kings at Athens who ruled over the people, but these had been overthrown, and the city was now what we call a republic; that is, certain men were chosen each year to rule over the others. But instead of letting all the people choose these men, as we do in our own republic, only the nobles were allowed to vote. This the common people did not like, so there were quarrels between them and the nobles. Besides this, there was another trouble. Owing to wars and bad harvests, the poorer people in the state had been obliged to borrow money of the rich, and when they could not pay it back the law allowed them to be seized, and sold as slaves. So there was much ill-feeling between the different classes, and it seemed for a time as if they would fall to fighting about these things. To prevent this, both sides agreed that a wise man named Solon should be chosen ruler for the year, and that he should be allowed to make any changes in the laws that he thought were needed. The nobles thought that Solon would decide in their favor because he was himself a noble; and the people thought he would *From Greek Gods, Heroes and Men, Scott, Foresman & Co., publishers. decide in their favor because he had always shown himself friendly to them. But Solon did not give either side all that they wanted. First he decided that the Athenians should not be sold as slaves when they could not pay their debts. That was something for the common people. Then he decided that the people who owed money and could not pay it should be helped to do so. This also was a gain for the poorer people; but as they had hoped that they should not have to pay anything at all, they were disappointed. Then he decided that the nobles must let the common people share in the rule of the city. "I gave the people," he said, "as much power as they ought to have without cheating them any, or giving them more than was their share." But this satisfied neither party; as the nobles had expected to keep all the power for themselves, while the people also had hoped to get it all for themselves. So both parties were dissatisfied with what Solon had done, and the quarrels continued. But after these had lasted for some time, and the Athenians had suffered much on account of them, they at last came to see that Solon was right, and they did as he wished them to do. The laws which Solon had made were cut in great blocks of wood, that they might not be forgotten; and for hundreds of years afterwards these blocks might be seen at Athens. Many people expected that Solon would not lay down his power when his year was out, and that he would make himself "tyrant" or king. But Solon was too honest to do anything of the kind. When his year was over he went away from Athens, and spent many years |