ONCE upon a time

A wonderful start to the week

ONCE upon a time, early in the morning when 
the sun was just climbing over the hills and 
all the clouds were rosy pink, a little child lay 
asleep in his pretty white bed. 

" Wake up, wake up," ticked the clock that stood 
on the mantel. " Wake up, wake up; " but the child 
did not hear a word that it said. 

" I '11 wake him up," said a bird that lived in a tree 
close by the window. " He throws me crumbs to eat 
every day, and I will wake him with a song." So the 
bird sat in the tree and sang and sang, " Wake up, 
dearie, dearie, dearie," till all the birds in the garden 

waked up and sang with her; but the little child slept 
on in his pretty white bed. 

He was still asleep when the wind from the South 
blew through the garden. " I know this little child," 
said the wind. " I turned his windmill for him yes- 
terday, and I will blow through the window and wake 
him with a kiss." So the wind blew through the win- 
dow and kissed him on both cheeks, and blew his 
curls about his face; but the child did not stir in his 
pretty white bed. 

" He is waiting for me to call him," said the rooster 
in the barnyard. " Nobody knows him so well as I, 
for I belong to him, and I will wake him." So the 
rooster stood on the fence and flapped his wings, and 
crowed : — 

" Cock, cock a doo, 
I 'm calling you. 
Wake up, wake up, 
Cock, cock a doo."