nglish ones. The French ones are
sometimes painted, and they have garlands round the top arranged on
hoops, from which hang little golden balls. In Holland the Maypoles are
quite different: they have a big flower-pot on top with a tree inside
it; round the tree flags are arranged. The pole itself is painted blue
and white. But the funniest Maypole of all is found in Austria. There is
a flag at the top, and then a big bunch of green leaves and flowers,
then more flags, and after that figures of little men and women and
animals in wood nailed on to the pole so as to look as if they were
climbing up it. Sometimes there is a stag nailed on, with a pack of dogs
after it, all in wood.

In England, on the morning of May Day, the boys and girls used to get up
very early and go into the fields, where they picked flowers and green
branches from the trees and hedges. These they brought back to the
village, and made into wreaths to trim the Maypole. When the pole was
quite ready, the biggest boys fixed it in the ground. There were long
garlands hanging from it, and each boy and girl took one and danced
round. The dance was called the Maypole dance, and it had proper steps
of its own, just like any other dance.

Those of you who live in London may have seen a funny-looking man
walking about on May Day wrapped up in a bush, with flags and paper
flowers on him, and making a noise with drums. If you ask who he is, you
will be told that he is a chimney-sweep, called 'Jack-in-the-Green.' All
chimney-sweeps used to keep May Day, and some do so still, and there is
a story told to explain the custom.

A long time ago, little boys used to be sent up the chimneys to clean
them. It was very dangerous, and they were often killed at their task.
Of course, it was not easy to get little boys to be chimney-sweeps, and
so wicked men used to steal little children from their homes for the
purpose.

There once lived in London a very rich man, who had one little son, whom
he loved very much. One day the child was missing, and nobody could find
him, though a search was made everywhere, until at last his parents gave
up all hope of ever seeing him again. Two years afterwards it happened
that while the chimneys of the house were being swept, one of the
servants went into the lady's room and found a little boy, all black
with soot, lying on the clean white bed; he was fast asleep. She left
him there and told her mistress. The lady came and looked at the