Show daddy af 6 ve al fairy fd i ry tale cypa A RY GRAHAM IAM BOWER J 11 THE BIG TREES billie brownie had always wanted to see the big trees of california many had boon been the sights lie ho had seen many ere the trips he had taken ile he had talked to so many creatures too and had heard their stories but always he had said to himself that one of these fine days lie he must take a trip to see the big trees of california well said old mother nature which of the fine days are you going to choose people say that they will do something or other one of these fine days and I 1 never know what t they hey mean can at least I 1 do not seo see why they wait so long after saying that they let one after another fine day pass them by without doing what they haye have said they were going to do so longas they fire are planning to do such and such a thing ono one of these fine days why let so many fine days go by NIt without hout starting although of course I 1 suppose they have other things to do mother nature continued and they like to dream of pleasant times ahead quite awhile before they can make their dreams carue true but cant you go any time billie brownle brownie 1 I cau can billie Bro vinie said and I 1 would love to go as soon as I 1 can how about this very fine day good sald said mother nature and you will be able to understand the lani iani WA good said mother nature guage of the trees not only by their rings but by their tree talk they sound as though they were in the jewelry business laughed billie bron nie so off lie he went and so that he could see the lie trees all the sooner lie took his little airplane at last he stood in a forest of great hiees oil oh no wonder they called them the big trees never had billie brownie seen such a forest never had lie seen such mighty mighty trees never had lie been so thrilled and so excited by the sight of trees there they stood many many many trees and all so magnificently large and strong and handsome oil oh trees said billie bronie BroNn le youre so bo beautiful you are more beautiful than I 1 dreamed you would be and I 1 always have thought you would be very beautiful 1 I have heard so much of you but I 1 have heard nothing to tell me halt half how wonderful you really are you cant imagine what it means to have heard of great big beautiful trees and then find they are so much more beautiful than youve been told mother nature said you would talk to me big trees so one of the oldest and the biggest of tile the trees spoke to billie brownie yes we are very big there are few it if any trees such as we are anywhere the blue gum trees in faraway far away australia they say are our only rivals and were very old hundreds and hundreds of bears old weve seen een so much weve been through so much sometimes we ne have been sick fires have given us bruises and wounds but we act as doctors and nurses to ourselves we fold some pf af our living tissue over the burnt and wounded part and even though it may take a long time to heal we are patient 1 I heard about your rings billie brownie said oh yes said the big tree we have rings about our tree bodies to show how old we are we dont add rings us is some ladles ladies might do as they get more money we add them with our age but billie brownie we like to have people see us und and admire us it seems a pity at times that the country Is so high it makes it so hard tor for people in one part to see the beauties in another all I 1 say ans answered billie brownie I 1 is that I 1 hope people all get to see you ilig big trees some time or other 1 I baye missed tills for anything and the big trees bowed in a dignified beautiful fashion |