Chapter II

Old Abe was carried in front of the soldiers.

Often he would spread his wings and fly far up into the sky. Then how the men cheered!

Sometimes Old Abe flew away to look for food and he would be gone for two or three days. But he always found his soldiers again.

At one time the soldiers’ food was nearly gone. For two days Old Abe had nothing to eat.

The soldiers of the other army were very near. No one could leave the camp.

Tom, the man who carried Old Abe, felt very sorry. He went to his captain and begged him to let him go out and get food for poor Old Abe.

Soon Tom came back with a good supper for his pet.

Old Abe was very fond of music, and liked to drill with the soldiers. He watched the captain and did as he was told.

At last the war came to an end. The brave eagle that had been in so many battles was taken home.

A large house was built for him. The soldier who had carried him through the war took care of him.

In this pleasant home Old Abe lived a long and happy life.

THE CALICO’S STORY.

Once I was a tiny seed covered over with a brown coat. I had many brothers and sisters.

We lived in the warm South and were kept in a strong bag.

One morning the people who lived in the house were up very early.

I heard the master say, “Tom, you may plant that cotton seed to-day.”

Cotton Seed was my name. Tom picked me up and I was soon put into a little bed close to a great river. I began to feel larger and larger.

One day my coat burst and I came up out of the ground. Wasn’t I happy then!

I had a green body and two green leaves. I stretched my head higher and higher.

II

At last I had three beautiful blossoms. Soon all my pretty leaves left me, to go with Mr. Wind.

One day the buds left by the blossoms burst open. I was covered with cotton as white as snow and as soft as silk.

“Come, children!” I heard some one call. “We must pick the cotton.”

And the children did come. They had woolly heads and shining eyes.

One little boy cried out, “Oh! Did you ever see prettier cotton?”

His little black fingers soon picked all my white cotton.

Next I was riding in a basket on Tom’s head.

I was sorry to leave the fields, and said, “Good-by, dear old body and leaves! Good-by, dear river!”

III

A machine took away from me many little hard seeds. They looked just as I did before I went to sleep in Mother Earth.

After a while I was loaded on a ship which sailed on a great sea. By and by the ship stopped.

I was carried to a large house where I heard, “Buzz, buzz, buzz!”

A great many strange things were done to me. I was cleaned, and twisted, and spun, and woven.

At last I had become white cloth.