



Produced by Dianne Bean





BUTTERCUP GOLD AND OTHER STORIES

By Ellen Robena Field




  Copyrighted, 1894, by the Bangor (Maine) Kindergarten Association

  This book is lovingly dedicated to the dear kindergarten
  children, and particularly to my little friend, Alice Caro Wing.



  "Children are God's apostles, day by day sent forth preach of
  love and hope and peace."--Lowell.



          "Come to me, O, ye children!
          And whisper in my ear
          What the birds  and winds are singing
          In your sunny atmosphere.

          Ye are better than all the ballads
          That were ever sung or said;
          For ye are living poems
          And all the rest are dead."--Longfellow.



          "And Nature, the old nurse, took
          The child upon her knee,
          Saying: 'Here is a story-book
          Thy Father has written for thee."--Longfellow.




The Little New Year

One cold morning Maurice awoke from his dreams and sat up in bed and
listened. He thought he heard a knock at his window; but though the moon
was shining brightly, Jack Frost had been so busily at work that Maurice
could not see through the thickly painted panes. So he crept sleepily
out of bed, and opened the window, and whispered: "Who is there?"

"I am," replied a tinkling voice. "I am the little New Year, ho! ho! And
I've promised to bring a blessing to everyone. But I am such a little
fellow I need somebody to help me distribute them. Won't you please come
out and help?"

"Oh, it's so cold!" said Maurice; "I'd rather go