He said to himself, "In a week I will begin to eat them all up. But nowI will still put them under my plate."
So, every day when his plate was taken away, there were the crusts.Peter did not see his father look at them. And his father said nothingmore about them.
By and by Peter began to think that his father had forgotten.
So, when the week was over, he said to himself, "I am sure that myfather has forgotten. I am going to keep on leaving my crusts."
But his father had not forgotten. He was just waiting to see if Peterwould obey.
That noon he saw that Peter had left a crust.
He said, "My son, you have not learned to eat your crusts. And you havenot learned to obey. I must teach you."
Then Peter was more naughty still. He said, "I do not like old crust. Iwill throw old crust away. Then I cannot eat it."
He picked up the crust and jumped down from his chair.
His father called, "Peter!"
But Peter did not stop. He ran to the door and threw the crust out uponthe grass.
His father went after him. "You may pick up your crust, Peter," said he.
This time Peter started to obey. He knew that he had been very naughty.But, before he could get to the crust, an old hen ran up. She snatchedit in her bill and off she went.
Peter looked at his father. He was not sure what his father would do. Healmost wished the hen had not taken the crust.
Father only laughed. He said, "That old hen is a friend of yours, Peter.If it had not been for her, you would have eaten that crust."
"I know it," said Peter. "And, father, I am sorry. I do not like to benaughty. I will be good. I will eat my crusts now to please you."
And after this he did.
THE FIRST ICE
"Water now has turned to stone, Stone that I can walk upon."
One morning mother said, "Polly, will you go to the store for me? I needa can of corn. We must have it for dinner."
"May Peter go, too, mother?"
"Oh, yes, Peter may go, if he wishes. Run and find him."
Now Polly and Peter liked to go to the store. It belonged to theirfather. Sometimes they helped him unpack goods. Sometimes they sat stilland watched the customers.
Sometimes he let them play keeping store. Once Polly had really soldsome candy to another little girl.
But to-day they could not stay to play. They must get the can of cornfor mother, and come home.
They went down the hill. At the railroad tracks they stopped. Theylooked for a train. They saw none, so they ran across the tracks.
Then they came to the bridge. You can find it on the map in the front ofthis book.
They stopped to look over the rail at the water, far below.
"O Polly!" said Peter. "What is on the water?"
"Why, it is ice, Peter. The top of the water is frozen. See, the icegoes nearly across the river."
"Ice, ice!" shouted Peter. "Now winter is almost here. The leaves havegone. The ice has come. Let's run and tell father."
The children ran to the store.
"Father, father," called Peter, "we have seen ice!"
"So have I," said father. "Where did you see it?"
"We saw it from the bridge. The river is frozen at the sides. It is notfrozen in the middle."
"Yes," said father. "It freezes first at the edges, because the waterflows more slowly there. In the middle it flows faster.
"Every cold night that ice will grow. It will soon cover the middle ofthe river, too. And at the same time it will grow thicker."
"By and by it will be so thick that we can walk upon it. Then it is timeto learn to skate. Perhaps you can learn this winter."
"When the ice is thick enough, men cut it into blocks. What will they dowith them?"
"Make houses of them," said Peter.
"O Peter, we are not Eskimos," said Polly. "I know, father. They willput the ice into big ice houses. They will keep it to use in the hotsummer. I saw them doing it last winter."
"Right, Polly. That is where our ice comes from in the summer."
"Does all the water in the river freeze, father? Where do the fishes go?Are they in the ice?"
"The ice is lighter than the water, Peter. So it stays on top of thewater. The bottom of our river does not freeze. The fishes are there.They do not mind the cold as we do.
"Did you come to the store just to tell me about the ice, chicks?"
"No, father," said Polly. "We came for a can of corn. We saw the icewhen we were on the bridge."
"Then here is the corn. Take it to mother and tell her about the ice."
Off went the children. When they came to the bridge, Peter dropped somesmall stones on the ice. But it did not break.
"It must be thick now, Polly," said he. "I wish we could skate."
"We weigh more than those stones do, Peter. I think the cold will haveto make the ice grow more before father will let us. And, anyway, wehave no skates."
"Let's tell mother about that, too, Polly. Perhaps she knows where thereare some."
So Peter and Polly hurried up the hill to find their mother.
THE THREE GUESSES
"Polly and Peter," said Mr. Howe, "I have something for you. It issomething to use in the winter, and not in the summer. You may havethree guesses."
"It can't be a sled," said Polly, "for we have sleds."
"It can't be a coat," said Peter, "for we have coats."
"And we have mittens and leggings and overshoes, too," said Polly.
"It might be my pony," said Peter.
"No," said Polly. "It couldn't be, Peter. We can use a pony in thesummer. Let's not guess that."
"Is it good to eat, father?" asked Peter. "I am hungry now."
"No, Peter. And there are four of them; two for each of you. They arehard and shiny."
"Guns, guns!" shouted Peter.
"One guess is gone, Peter. What would you do with two guns?"
"Are they for us to wear, father?" asked Polly.
"Yes, Polly, but not all the time. You cannot wear them in the house."
"Then I know what they are, father. If there are two for each of us,that is one for each foot. Can't you guess now, Peter?"
"Rubber boots," shouted Peter.
"I think it is skates, father. And I am glad. I have wished for someever since we saw the ice."
"You have made a good guess, Polly. Bring me the box that is in thehall."
Out of the box Mr. Howe took two pairs of shining new skates.
"Oh, goody, goody!" cried both children, when they saw what was in thebox.
"We will go skating now," said father. "Then we can try them."
At the edge of the river he stopped. He put on the children's skates.Then he put on his own.
"I will show you how to do it," he said. "Then I will help you just alittle."
He showed them how to strike out, first with one foot and then with theother. His tracks looked like this:
Then Polly tried, but her tracks looked like this:
"That is not the way, Polly," said her father. "You are skating withyour right foot. But you are only pushing with your left. You must skatewith both. Watch me again."
Then Peter tried. His tracks looked like this:
The cross marks the place where Peter fell down. But he did not care. Hegot up and tried again.
Polly was doing better. So her father took hold of her and helped her alittle.
He said, "I wish you to learn alone. Then you will be a good skater. IfI help you all the time, you will never be able to skate alone."
Polly said, "That is what my teacher tells us. She says, 'I will showyou how to do it. And I will help you a little. Then you must try foryourself.'"
"That is good," said father. "You must learn to do things alone. Yourteacher and your father will not always be near."
Soon the skates were taken off. "We must not stay too long the firsttime," said father. "You may come again to-morrow. You may skate ever
yday until the snow comes."
"Oh, may we, father, may we?" cried Peter and Polly, jumping up anddown. "And when the snow comes, we can sweep it off the ice."
"Maybe I shall not wish for any snow now," said Peter. "Maybe I likeskating better."
"You will get the snow just the same, my son," said father. "So you mayas well wish for it. It is sure to come."
"Now, good-by. We have all had a good time. Take my skates home with youand dry them when you dry yours. Then they will not rust. We will bringmother the next time we come."
THE FIRST SNOWSTORM
One morning mother called to Peter, "Wake up, Peter! Look out of yourwindow. Winter has come."
Peter had been dreaming about a big snow man who chased him. He jumpedout of bed and said, "You didn't get me that time, old snow man. I wokeup too soon."
He ran to the window. The ground was white. The trees were white. Theair was full of the white butterflies that Peter likes so well.
"Oh! Oh!" he shouted. "I must go out to play! I must go out to play!"
"Not until you are dressed, Peter," said mother. "Then you must havebreakfast. After that you may go out."
At breakfast father said, "It has snowed a foot since dark yesterday.How many inches is that, Polly?"
"It is twelve inches, father. Do you think this snow has come to stay?Or will it melt away?"
"I think that it will stay, Polly. It is time for sleighing."
Peter and Polly put on their coats and caps, their leggings, overshoes,and mittens. Then they were ready to go out.
At first Peter ran about in the yard. He kicked up the snow as he ran.It flew all over him.
"Polly, Polly!" he called. "I am a snow man now. I shall chase you asthe one in my dream chased me."
He ran after her. Just as he caught her, she slipped. Down they bothwent. They were covered from head to foot with snow.
"Now we are both snow men," said Polly. "Let's go and shake the littletrees."
These were two fir trees. They were at the side of the house. Polly tookhold of the end of a low branch. Peter stood under the tree, while Pollyshook it. Down came a shower of snow.
Then Polly stood under the other, while Peter shook that. Down cameanother shower of snow. Some of this went into Polly's neck. But Pollydid not care.
"Now we will show grandmother how white we are," she said.
Grandmother heard them coming. She went out on the piazza.
She said, "I see two snow men. I cannot ask them in. Snow men would meltnear the fire. Then they would be nothing but water."
"Oh, yes, grandmother, they would be Peter and Polly," said Peter.
"Why, Peter! Why, Polly! Is this really you? I have no spectacles on,this morning. Where are your sleds?"
"In the barn, in the barn!" shouted Peter. "We could not wait for them."
"See the posts of your fence, grandmother," said Polly. "They all haveon tall white caps."
"So they have, Polly. And how clean the snow caps are. How clean thesnow makes everything. We are all glad to have it, aren't we?"
"I am, I am!" shouted Peter. "Winter has come, winter has come! Good-by,grandmother. I must go and play."
"Good-by," called grandmother. "Come down to dinner, if mother will letyou. We will have sugar on snow."
"She will let us," called Peter. "I know she will. And I will get thepan of snow for the sugar."
THE STAR SNOWFLAKE
All that day Peter and Polly played in the snow. All day Peter's whitebutterflies fell. Down they came out of the air, softly and silently.
Peter liked to stand and look up into the sky. He liked to feel the softflakes light upon his face. He liked to see them on his coat sleeve.
Polly said, "Aren't the flakes pretty, Peter? They are little stars. Theperfect ones have six points. The Story Lady told me a story about astar snowflake. I will tell it to you.
"Once a little water fairy lived in our brook, back of grandmother'shouse. One day she was very, very naughty. She did not wish to go upinto the air. She did not wish to be part of a cloud. She wished tostay in the brook.
"Her father said, 'You must go. And I shall have you punished for beingso naughty. I shall have Jack Frost change you into a snowflake.'
"Jack Frost came one day to change the cloud into snowflakes. He saw howsorry the water fairy was because she had been so naughty.
"So he said, 'You know that I have to make all snowflakes like stars.Some of them are very pretty. I will change you into the prettiest starsnowflake that I know.'
"'And when you melt,' said Jack Frost, 'you will be a water fairy again.You will always be good then, won't you?'
"So he changed her into a beautiful star snowflake. I have seen herpicture. The Story Lady showed it to me."
"Let's find her," said Peter. "Then let's show her to the Story Lady.That will be better than the picture."
So the children looked and looked. They found many stars. But Polly wasnot sure that any one of them was the right one.
At last Peter found the most beautiful star of all. "This is the waterfairy, this is the water fairy!" he cried.
And Polly said, "It does look like the picture. So let's go and show itto the Story Lady."
Down they went to her house and into the kitchen. There was the StoryLady, washing dishes.
"O Story Lady," said Peter. "I have the water fairy on my arm! She ischanged into a star. See her!"
But when the Story Lady looked, there was no star snowflake.
"She has gone," said Peter. "That is too bad." And he looked ready tocry.
"Why, yes, Peter," said the Story Lady. "She has gone. But don't youthink that she is happy to be just a water fairy again? She likes thatbetter, you know. You must be glad that you found her and helped hermelt."
"I am glad," said Peter. "But it was only a 'Once upon a time' story,wasn't it?"
"Of course it was, Peter. But don't you know that all snowflakes arewater fairies? Now run along and play with those that are left."
HOW PETER HELPED GRANDMOTHER
Grandmother was getting ready for Thanksgiving. Peter and Polly andfather and mother were going to her house on that day.
So grandmother was making mince pies. She was making other things, too.One was fruit cake.
Peter and Polly were down at grandmother's, helping. At least, Polly washelping and Peter was hindering.
He seemed bound to stand just where grandmother wished to walk. Hespilled a cup of milk on the table. After he had wiped it up, he upsetsome flour.
But he did not mean to hinder.
Polly watched her grandmother make the pies. She watched her roll thepie crust thin and trim it to the size of the plate.
She said, "If I had some dough, I am sure I could do that."
Her grandmother gave her some and a little plate. Polly rubbed the platewith melted butter. Then she rolled out the dough and put it on theplate.
"That is very good, Polly. Now we will fill our pies. Here is themincemeat."
Polly tried to make her little pie look like grandmother's large one.
"Next we must put on the covers," said grandmother. "Roll yours out likemine."
She had Polly stick a knife through her cover in four places. Ask yourmother why she did this.
Then she helped Polly put on her cover, for that was quite hard to do.Last of all she showed her how to pinch together the edges.
"Now," said grandmother, "we will bake our pies. What shall you do withyours?"
"I should like to take it home to show mother and father. May I?"
"Why, to be sure. They ought to have a bite of your first pie. Please,Peter, carry this pail of sugar into the pantry for me. I do not need itany more."
The pies were baked brown. As soon as hers was cool enough, Pollycarried it up the hill to mother.
"See, mother," she said, "I can cook now. Grandmother let me make a pie.It is for you and father."
"How good it looks, Polly! We will try it for dinner. You have
done thiswell. I see that I must begin to teach you to cook.
"Bread comes first. The next time I sponge bread, you may try. Yourfirst good loaf you may take to grandmother."
"Oh, may I, mother? I want to learn to cook. Then I can cook for you andfather. I watched grandmother all the morning. I helped her, too."
"So did I help grandmother," said Peter.
"O Peter, what did you do to help?" asked Polly. "You spilled the milkand then you spilled the flour. That isn't helping much."
"I did help," said Peter. "I helped all the morning. I worked veryhard."
"I am sure that you meant to, Peter," said mother. "But tell me what youdid."
"Why," said Peter, "why, I carried away the pail of sugar."
Polly laughed, but mother said, "That was kind, Peter. And you know thatyou always help by being a good boy. So I really think that you areright."
THE SNOW MAN
"Let's make a snow man this morning. Will you, Peter? The snow is justright for big balls."
"Then we will," said Peter. "But let's get Tim to help us."
Tim is Peter's playmate. He lives on a farm. His house is farther up thehill. Look for it on the map in the front of this book.
Soon Tim was down at Peter's. His big dog Collie was with him. Wag-wagand Collie are friends. They often play together.