IT is incredible what children know nowadays．One is almist at alossto say what there is that they do not know．

That the stork¹ has fetched them out of the wellor out of the mill－dam，and brought them as little children to theirfather and mother，is now such an old story，that they don't believeit，andyetitistheonly true one．

Buthowdo the children come tobein the mill-dam

andthewell？Ah，everyonedoesnotknowthat，butstill some do．Have you ever really looked at the sky， on a clear starry² night，andseen the manyshooting－stars？ It is as if a star fell and vanished． The most learned cannot ex- plain what they do not know themselves！ but it can be ex－plainedwhen oneknows it． It is just as if a little Christmascandle fell from the sky and wasextinguished； it is a soul－spark from Our Father， which travels down towards the earth， and whenit comes into our closer， heavier atmo－ sphere the brightness vanishes， and thereremainsonlywhat our eyes have not the power to see， for it is somethingmuch finer than our air， it is a heaven－child which is sent，a little angel， but without wings， for the little one shall be－come a man. Quietly it glidesthrough the air，andthe wind carriesit intoaflwer,itmaybeaviolet，a dande- lion， a rose or a ragged³ robin， there it lies and makes itselfstrong． It is light and airy； a flymightflyaway with it，orat any rate abee,and they come by turns to search for the sweetness intheflower．If nowthe air-childshould lie in their way， theydonotwhisk it out， theyha not the heart to do that； they lay it in the sun， on a wate- lily leaf， andfrom there it crawls and creeps down into the water， where it sleeps andgrows， till the storkcan see it， and fetches itto a human family， which wishes for such a sweet littleone； but whether it is sweet or not， depends on whetherthe little one has drunk of theclear spring， or has swal－ lowed mud or duck－weed the wrong way： that makes it soearthy．The stork takes the first hesee，without making any choice．One comes into a goodhouse to matchless parents； another comes tohard people in great poverty； itwould have been much better to stay in the mill－dam． The little ones do not remember at all what they dreamt about under the water－lily leaf， where in the evening the frogs sang to them，"Croak， croak， creek， creek,"—which means inthelanguage of men，"Will you see now， if you can sleep and dream！" They cannotremember either in which flower they first lay， or how it smelt， and yet there is somethingin them， when they grow up， which says，"This is the flower we like best，"and that is the one theylay in as air－children． The stork becomes a very old bird， and always pays sttention to how things go with the little oneshehas brought， and how they behave in theworld． He cannot really do anything for them， or change their lot， as he hashis own family to care for， but he never lets them slip outof his thoughts． I know an old， very honest stork， who has a great deal of knowledge， and has brought many little ones， andknows their stories，inwhich there is always a little mud and duck－weed from the mill-dam． Ibegged him to give a little life-

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1 stork
n.鹳
参考例句：
A Fox invited a long-beaked Stork to have dinner with him.狐狸请长嘴鹳同他一起吃饭。 He is very glad that his wife's going to get a visit from the stork.他为她的妻子将获得参观鹳鸟的机会感到非常高兴。

2 starry
adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的
参考例句：
He looked at the starry heavens.他瞧着布满星星的天空。 I like the starry winter sky.我喜欢这满天星斗的冬夜。

3 ragged
adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的
参考例句：
A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。 Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

4 sketch
n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述
参考例句：
My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。 I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

5 delightful
adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的
参考例句：
We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。 Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

6 jug
n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂
参考例句：
He walked along with a jug poised on his head.他头上顶着一个水罐，保持着平衡往前走。 She filled the jug with fresh water.她将水壶注满了清水。

7 promising
adj.有希望的，有前途的
参考例句：
The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。 We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

8 trumpet
n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘
参考例句：
He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。 The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

9 devoted
adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的
参考例句：
He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。 We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

10 hearty
adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的
参考例句：
After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。 We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。