A Book for Kids: Large Print

"Cheer up!" said the big Blue-gum.But the Little Red House couldn't say a word.Presently the big Blue-gum groaned loudly."Oo! Ah! Ah! Golly!" groaned the Blue-gum in a strange voice."I beg your pardon? said the Little Red House."Oh, I have a nasty sharp pain in my side," said the Blue-gum. "I dohope and trust it isn't white-ants. It would be simply horrible, ifit were. Fancy getting white-ants at my time of life! Here I havelived on this mountain, tree and sapling, for over a hundred...
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"Cheer up!" said the big Blue-gum.But the Little Red House couldn't say a word.Presently the big Blue-gum groaned loudly."Oo! Ah! Ah! Golly!" groaned the Blue-gum in a strange voice."I beg your pardon? said the Little Red House."Oh, I have a nasty sharp pain in my side," said the Blue-gum. "I dohope and trust it isn't white-ants. It would be simply horrible, ifit were. Fancy getting white-ants at my time of life! Here I havelived on this mountain, tree and sapling, for over a hundred years;and to think those nasty, white, flabby little things should get meat last is horrible--horrible!""I am sorry," said the Little Red House. "I'm afraid I've been veryselfish, too. I was forgetting that everyone has troubles of his own;but I hope it isn't so bad as you fear.""It is bad enough," groaned the Blue-gum. "Ow! There it is again. I'mafraid it IS white-ants. I can feel the wretched little things nipping."But the Little Red House hardly heard him. He was thinking again ofhis own troubles.So they stood all through that day, saying very little to each other.Rabbits came and played about the Little Red House, and lizards ranover his door-step, and once a big wallaby went flopping right pastthe front gate. But the Little Red House paid no attention. He wastoo busy thinking of his loneliness.Birds came and perched in the branches of the big Blue-gum, andchattered and sang to him, trying to tell him the news of other treeson distant mountains. But the big Blue-gum took no notice. He was toobusy thinking about white-ants.So the sun sank low behind the Little House, and the shadow of thetall Blue-gum began to creep down the mountain and get longer andlonger.Just as it was growing dark, the big Blue-gum said Suddenly, "Itcertainly looks more like rain than ever. The heavy clouds have beengathering all day, and we shall get it properly to-night."But the rain did not come that night, nor the next day, nor for twodays and nights. And all this while the Little Red House and the BigBlue-gum remained silent and miserable--one through loneliness, theother through white-ants.But on the evening of the third day the big Blue-gum said, "The rainwill come to-night for certain. I know by the feel of the air.""Let it come!" said the Little Red House. "I don't care. I couldn'tbe more miserable than I am."Just as he said that, one great rain-drop fell right on the middleof his roof--Plop!"It's coming already," cried the Blue-gum, "and it's going to pour."Then three more big drops fell--Plop! Plop! Plop!"I have never in my life seen such big rain-drops," said the Blue-gum."I've lived on this mountain, tree and sapling, for--"But--Crash! came rain before he could finish; and in two secondseverything was sopping wet. The noise of it was deafening,"Why, it's a cloud-burst!" shouted the Blue-gum. "Half of my leaveshave been stripped off already." Then he peered through the rain andthe dark to see how the Little Red House was taking it. "Why, what'sthe matter with your face?" he cried. "You look awful.""I'm crying!" sobbed the Little Red House. "That's all--just crying."Can't you see the tears?"