The last day of school rolled round. The pupils of the Beaver Creek School were in a state of pleasant excitement. They smoothed their feathers or brushed their fur until they were as sleek as could be. All the civilized animals for miles around were present. Mr. Owl, looking wiser and more serious than ever, was the first visitor to arrive. Miss Hare, with earrings hanging from her long ears and a wreath of white blossoms on her head, greeted him warmly. Soon after, Mother Goose, the most beloved fowl in Animal Kingdom, waddled into the main building in good time. Sammy Rabbit’s relatives followed her, also Puss Snowball’s mother and aunt.

Billy Beaver and his friends had erected a platform in the creek, and upon its smooth surface had built a green bower. The messenger pigeons had adorned this bower with beautiful flowers, and the pupils had filled in the rough places of the floor with pretty shells and pebbles.

On the shady bank across the way, the larger animals of the wood had gathered. Tiny could see them plainly as he sat in his room, brushing out his long tail. There were Mr. Goat, of the great department store, and his daughter, Miss Nannie; the Otter family in their best garments; Miss Mink, a close friend of Miss Hare; several from the Badger family; and, in the background, as modest as could be, Mr. Opossum, Jolly Gopher, and the Ferret brothers.

While awaiting the signal of Billy Beaver, Tiny was visited by Shifty Woodchuck, who carried a soiled composition.

“Won’t you please help me?” whined Shifty, as he thrust the composition between Tiny’s forepaws. “You know I was to graduate with your class, but Miss Hare will not let me.”

“Pupils that fail should not blame their teachers. It is entirely your own fault,” said Tiny, looking over the careless manuscript.

“I wish I hadn’t slept so much last winter,” continued Shifty, ruefully. “However, I believe that if Miss Hare will let me read my composition, I will get the prize. Miss Hare says I cannot read it properly, because it is carelessly written. Please tell me what is the matter with it. To me it looks very well. I have spent nearly an hour in writing it.”

“If you ever intend to write a good composition, you will have to work longer than an hour,” said Tiny. “You will have to read things that will help you, and you must exercise great care. Moreover, you must not postpone your work until the last minute.”

Tiny, with great difficulty, read Shifty’s composition, which was as follows:

one saturday Afternoon in may

“the first may Holiday was beautiful! the sun shined bright. birds twittered and sung sweetly the flowers were in bloom. nature was happy. warm weather had came. mister beaver and me went for a stroll. how our hearts thrilled with Joy? We stopped by the Creek. us animals like the water

the clear sparkling waves passed by us. hark sweet music comes from the brook and the forest they cried.

come into the woods mister beaver i said, are you afraid of the tall trees.

i will set here says he. a Beaver don’t wander into the Thicket, he prefers the Creek. daisys and violets may be pretty but spatter-docks is prettier, you can go if you wish, and I will stay here.

i replied that Woodchucks squirrels rabbits and many other animals preferred the wild flowers. i ran to the bushes. o how cool they seemed. they were green and fragrant with blossoms, the leaves of the trees were bigger than their’s but they wasn’t more beautiful. i wandered for a hour through the woods. i seen a birds’ nest and many interesting things, a active guinea hen was hiding among the Ferns with her brood

a few deers were laying behind a pile of brush, they run when i approached. i could heer wild geeses’ cries. every animal of the forest were moving about. in each glade was a hundred live creatures. i went back to the brook, mister beaver was waiting for me.

“did you have a pleasant time he asked lazily?”

the forest is grand i cried joyously. the animals of the forest are rejoicing while you are setting by this brook with a long face.

“What is wrong with it?” inquired Shifty, when the red squirrel had finished reading. “I am sure that it is as well written as the others, for I am a good speller and have learned not to use bad grammar.”

“Everything is wrong with it,” said Tiny, frankly, although he was too polite to make fun of Shifty’s ignorance.

At that moment Billy Beaver began thumping with his long tail.

“Read it over very carefully many times, and perhaps you may be able to find your mistakes,” said Tiny, as he hastened out into the sunlit air.

From the top of the bower over the platform a chorus of goldfinches, swallows, robins, and wrens began singing “Hail to Spring.” At the same time Miss Hare, followed by the graduating class, came out of the schoolroom, and, with great dignity, made her way to the platform. Miss Hare seated herself upon a mossy cushion, while the graduating class sat near her, forming a semicircle. The graduates were Susie Goose, Sammy Rabbit, Winkie Weasel, Puss Snowball, Rover Canine, Reynard Redfox, and Tiny Redsquirrel.

At the close of the song, which was followed by loud cries of applause, Mr. Owl, who sat upon a branch in front of the platform, said that the class would proceed to deliver their compositions. He added that a prize would be given to the one who had the best theme, and that Miss Hare, Mother Goose, and he would be judges.

When this announcement was made, Mother Goose rose from her comfortable seat by the side of the Misses Pea Fowl and Guinea, and flew to a seat beside Mr. Owl. The audience cheered again more loudly than before.

Sammy Rabbit was the first of the class to speak. Leaping to the front of the platform, he faced his audience, and, with a profound bow, read as follows:

SOME QUEER CREATURES I HAVE SEEN.

One day our teacher sent us out to study Nature. She said that we should observe the simplest things, for often they were the most instructive.

My friend, Puss Snowball, went with me. Both of us were anxious to improve our time. We animals are fast friends.

Three merry little ferrets darted across our pathway. We followed them, but finally gave up the chase. Snowball’s fur was filled with briers and thistles; I was covered with mud, and had to bathe in the brook. How we laughed! At last we decided that we would study the smallest and simplest things, as our teacher had told us to do.

We found some earthworms in the soft loam. These little creatures burrow into the soil when the first frost comes. They spend the winter deep in the ground, where the cold cannot reach them. They do not mind if it blows and snows.

We saw a katydid. He was of a pale green color. His gauzy wings had little covers that looked like drums. He rubbed the drums briskly, and the music that he made was very cheerful. Did you ever hear the katydid’s shrilling? The katydid, however, is very small.

We saw two interesting spiders in the brook. Spiders have eight legs, while true insects have only six. One of these little creatures had made a silken diving-bell that resembled a tiny silver globe. The other had made a raft of weeds, fastened together with silken threads. Then they went slowly downstream to catch insects that might fall into the water. Spiders, although quite tiny, are very clever. When spiders sleep, they sleep soundly; when they work, they work industriously; when they fight, they fight fiercely.

Ants, bees, and wasps are interesting. The fly, too, is worthy of study. It has four thousand small eyes. Observe it carefully.

Nature is full of wonderful, beautiful things—but I shall not have time to tell any more about the queer creatures I have seen.

Sammy’s composition was much appreciated. He had chosen a simple, familiar subject and kept it plainly in mind.

Winkie Weasel met with less favor, for he had undertaken to write about something that was beyond his understanding. One can imagine how much a little weasel would know about “The Growth of Intellectual Perspicuity.” He stumbled over the long words in a way that made all the little prairie dogs in the front row titter in a very impolite manner. Weenie Mouse became so much frightened that he scampered away, long before it was time for him to recite, and caused quite a panic amongst the members of the Hen family.

The other compositions were well written, although Puss Snowball’s was spoiled by a singsong delivery.

Occasionally, the frog orchestra, from their green lily pads close by, would play a spirited air; and Jenny Wren, a nervous little body, who twitched every time she reached a high note, sang “Happy Woodlands.”

Tiny Redsquirrel was the last of his class to appear before the audience. With becoming modesty, he rose, saluted the judges and his hearers, and recited in a loud, clear voice:

HAPPINESS EVERYWHERE.

When he had finished, all the animals near and far gave vent to tremendous applause, for animal audiences are not so hard to please as those composed of human beings. Mr. Opossum became so enthusiastic that he shouted at the top of his voice:

“Hurrah for Mr. Redsquirrel! One cannot judge by the size of a creature how much he can say.”

Miss Hare joined the other two judges, and for a few moments they held an earnest conversation among themselves, while the audience sat in breathless expectation.

Finally, Mother Goose descended from her perch and waddled to the front of the platform, where she faced the eager listeners and said in a shrill, but kindly voice:

“Animals of the forest, the judges have decided that the prize should go to Mr. Tiny Redsquirrel of Squirreltown!”

Turning to the embarrassed but happy little squirrel, she pulled from her wing a quill, which she gave him with a low bow, saying:

“This quill was taken from my wing. No creature is more respected by the human race and all other animals than I am. Anyone who receives a quill pen made from one of my feathers will be famous ever after. Accept this reward for your excellent poem and your good scholarship; but bear in mind that every achievement is but a camping place for the night.”