The wise old willow-tree by the river looked down on the fields, and
thought his thoughts.
One day a dreadful storm came. The field-flowers folded their leaves
together, and bowed their heads. But the buckwheat stood straight and
proud.
"Bend your head, as we do," called the field-flowers.
"I have no need to," said the buckwheat.
"Bend your head, as we do!" warned the golden wheat-ears; "the angel of
the storm is coming; he will strike you down."
"I will not bend my head," said the buckwheat.
Then the old willow-tree spoke: "Close your flowers and bend your leaves.
Do not look at the lightning when the cloud bursts. Even men cannot do
that; the sight of heaven would strike them blind. Much less can we who
are so inferior to them!"
"'Inferior,' indeed!" said the buckwheat. "Now I _will_ look!" And he
looked straight up, while the lightning flashed across the sky.
When the dreadful storm had passed, the flowers and the wheat raised their
drooping heads, clean and refreshed in the pure, sweet air. The
willow-tree shook the gentle drops from its leaves.
But the buckwheat lay like a weed in the field, scorched black by the
lightning.
THE JUDGMENT OF MIDAS[1]
[Footnote 1: Adapted from _Old Greek Folk-Stories_, by Josephine Preston
Peabody.
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