. Then Philemon and
Baucis knew that Zeus had spoken to them.

"Grant, O Zeus, that one of us may not outlive the other," they cried in
one voice.

"Your wish is granted," said Zeus; "yes, and more. Return to your home
and be happy."

[Illustration: Philemon and Baucis walking home]

Philemon and Baucis turned homeward, and, lo! their hut was changed to a
beautiful castle.

The old people turned around to thank their guests, but they had
disappeared.

In this castle Philemon and Baucis lived many years. They still did all
they could for others, and were always so happy that they never thought
of wishing anything for themselves.

As the years passed, the couple grew very old and feeble. One day Baucis
said to Philemon, "I wish we might never die, but could always live
together."

"Ah, that is my wish, too!" sighed old Philemon.

The next morning the marble palace was gone; Baucis and Philemon were
gone; but there on the hilltop stood two beautiful trees, an oak and a
linden.

No one knew what became of the good people. After many years, however, a
traveler lying under the trees heard them whispering to each other.

"Baucis," whispered the oak.

"Philemon," replied the linden.

There the trees stood through sun and rain, always ready to spread their
leafy shade over every tired stranger who passed that way.

--FLORA J. COOKE.

THE POPLAR TREE

Long ago the poplar used to hold out its branches like other trees. It
tried to see how far it could spread them.

Once at sunset an old man came through the forest where the poplar trees
lived. The trees were going to sleep, and it was growing dark.

The man held something under his cloak. It was a pot of gold--the very
pot of gold that lies at the foot of the rainbow. He had stolen it and
was looking for some place to hide it. A poplar tree stood by the path.

"This is the very place to hide my treasure," the man said. "The
branches spread out straight, and the leaves are large and thick. How
lucky that the trees are all asleep!"

He placed the pot of gold in the thick branches, and then ran quickly
away.

The gold belonged to Iris, the beautiful maiden who had a rainbow bridge
to the earth. The next morning she missed her precious pot. It always
lay at the foot of the rainbow, but it was not there now.

Iris hurried away to tell her father, the great Zeus, of her loss. He
said that he would find the pot of gold for her.

He called a messeng