seed came near
being destroyed; but the leaf, weak though it was, protected it.

It was a human foot which walked along over the ground, and pressed the
downy seed into the earth. When the foot was withdrawn, the earth fell,
and filled the little pit it had made.

The cold came, and the snow fell several feet deep; but the seed lay
quietly down there, waiting for warmth and light. When the spring came,
and the snow melted away, the plant shot up out of the earth.

There was a little gray cottage beside which it grew up. The tiny plant
could not see very far around, because rubbish and brush-heaps lay near
it, and the little window was so gray and dusty that it could not peep
into the cottage either.

"Who lives here?" asked the little thing.

"Don't you know that?" asked the ragged shoe, which lay near. "Why, the
smith who drinks so much lives here, and his wife who wore me out."

And then she told how it looked inside, how life went on there, and it
was not cheering; no, but fearfully sad. The shoe knew it all well, and
told a whole lot in a few minutes, because she had such a well-hung
tongue.

Now there came a pair of ragged children, running--the smith's boy and
girl; he was six years old and the girl eight, so the shoe said, after
they were gone.

"Oh, see, what a pretty little plant!" said the girl. "So now, I shall
pull it up," said the boy, and the plant trembled to the root's heart.

"No, do not do it!" said the girl. "We must let it grow. Do you not see
what pretty crinkly leaves it has? It will have lovely flowers, I know,
when it grows bigger."

And it was allowed to stay there. The children took a stick and dug up
the earth round about, so it looked like a plowed field. Then they threw
the shoe and the sweepings a little way off, because they thought to
make the place look better.

"You cannot think," said the shoe, after the children had gone, "you
cannot think how in the way folks are!"

"The children have to give themselves airs, and pretend to be very
orderly," said the half of a coffee-cup; and she broke in another place
she was so disturbed.

But the sun shone warmly and the rain filtered down in the upturned
earth. Then leaf after leaf unfolded, and in a few days the plant was
several inches high.

"Oh, see!" said the children, who came again; "see how beautiful it is
getting!"

"Come, father, come! brother and I have discovered such a pretty plant!
Come and see it!" begged the gi