Chapter III

A few weeks after the men went away, a large box came to Nils. He opened it and found that the travelers had sent him a beautiful violin.

As he drew the bow over the strings, Nils said, “Now I can play the Nixie’s music.”

He ran down to the water, for it was Midsummer Night. That is the time when Nixie always plays the loudest.

After a while he heard the soft music. But when he tried to play it the music was gone. Sadly he put his violin down.

Should he never see the Nixie and tell her his three wishes?

Then he said to himself, “But I have my first wish, for the people call me Wise Nils. And I might have been famous, if I had gone with the men.”

Then he thought of his third wish. He picked up his dear violin, and held it lovingly in his arms.

HJALMAR HJORTH BOYESEN (_Adapted_).

JULY.

’Tis the star-spangled banner!
Oh, long may it wave!
O’er the land of the free
And the home of the brave!

FRANCIS SCOTT KEY.
]

AMERICA.

(_To be memorized_)

My country! ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my Fathers died,
Land of the Pilgrims’ pride,
From ev’ry mountain side
Let freedom ring.

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom’s song;
Let mortal tongues awake,
Let all that breathe partake,
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our Fathers’ God, to thee;
Author of liberty,
To thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom’s holy light,
Protect us by thy might,
Great God, our King!

SAMUEL F. SMITH.

THE LIBERTY BELL.

It was the Fourth of July, 1776.

For more than a year America had been at war with England.

A great and good man had written a paper saying that America must be free.

On the Fourth of July a number of wise men met in Philadelphia, to see about signing this paper.

Many people stood around the house where they met.

“Will they sign it? Will they sign it?” the people asked.

An old bell-man was in the tower ready to ring the bell. His little grandson stood below to tell him when to ring it.

Hour after hour passed, but still the old man and the little boy waited.

At last the boy shouted, “Ring, Grandpa! Ring! Oh, ring for liberty!”

The old bell rang out loud and clear. How the people shouted! Cheer after cheer went up.

For two hours the old bell-man sent out the glad news. America was free!

This was the first Fourth of July.

For many years the old bell rang out merrily on all great days. But at last a sad thing happened. A large crack was found in it.

The old bell could never ring any more. But the people loved it better than ever.

They gave it a home in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where every year travelers go to see it.

THE SOLDIER BIRD.

One day, Chief Sky, an Indian, found an eagle’s nest with a baby eagle in it.

The Indian was poor, so he sold the eagle to a white man for some corn.

The man took it into a village where some soldiers were getting ready to go to the war.

“Here is a new soldier,” he said.

“An eagle! An eagle!” shouted the soldiers. “Let us take him to the war.”

They put red, white, and blue ribbons around his neck, and named him Old Abe. They covered his perch with the American flag and marched into camp.

When the eagle heard the people cheer, he took the flag in his beak and spread his wings.

“The bird of America! The eagle of freedom!” shouted the soldiers.