"'Give me of your bark, O Birch Tree! For the summer time is coming, And the sun is warm in heaven, And you need no white skin wrapper.' "Then he took off my bark so carefully that he did not hurt me a bit. But he is not living now. This boy is not like him." "I don't like boys, either," spoke up the Apple. "One day a boy climbed up into my branches and broke off one of my limbs. He was a very silly boy, for he wanted green apples. Had my fruit been ripe, I would have tossed one down to him. How happy we should be if it were not for boys!" The Maple was very angry. "This boy said we were of no use, but it was only this morning that I heard him tease his grandfather for a cake of my sugar." "He ate it as if he liked it, too," said the Palm. "I saw him; he was fanning himself with one of my leaves." The Willow wiped her eyes. "Boys, boys, boys!" she said. "I'm so sick of boys! This same boy made a whistle out of one of my children this very night, when he went for the cows." Then a queer tree in the corner spoke in a thick voice: "We are of no use, are we? If it were not for me, where would he get the tires for his bicycle? There are his rubber boots, too. Why, he uses me every day about something. But I've thought of a plan." The trees crowded around him, talking together excitedly. "But how shall we do it?" Dick heard them say. "Oh," said the Elm, "the Wind will help us. He is our friend." Before Dick could cry out, he found himself being carried away by the Wind. "Where am I going?" he called. "To the land of no trees," they answered; and they bowed and smiled. Even the Willow held up her head long enough to call, "Good-by!" and then home and trees were left far behind. How fast the Wind traveled! On and on they rushed, until suddenly the Wind dropped him and went whistling away. Dick felt really frightened when he found himself all alone. "Oh, I'm so hot!" he exclaimed. "Where am I?" Certainly he had never before been in such a place. There were no trees nor green grass anywhere in sight. As far as he could see, there was only sand—white sand, hot and scorching. "It seems to me I've seen pictures in my geography like this," he said to himself. "I can't stay here. What shall I do?" All at once he noticed a tiny speck far away in the distance. Now it looked larger. He brushed away something that looked very much like a tear, though he told himself that it was only because he was so warm. Yes, that speck surely moved, and was coming nearer. What if it were a bear! "There is no tree to climb, and I cannot run—I am so tired, and it is very hot." Nearer and nearer it came, moving slowly. Dick watched it with a beating heart. At last he saw that it was not a single animal, but a great many in line. "Oh, they are camels!" he cried. "Yes, I know they are. Once at a circus I saw some that looked just like them—but what queer-looking men are on them!"