I earn my own bread; I love my wife
and my children; I love my friends, and they love me; and I owe not a
penny to any man. Why should I not be happy? For here is the River
Dee, and every day it turns my mill; and the mill grinds the corn that
feeds my wife, my babes, and me."
[Illustration]
"Say no more," said the king. "Stay where you are, and be happy still.
But I envy you. Your dusty cap is worth more than my golden crown.
Your mill does more for you than my kingdom can do for me. If there
were more such men as you, what a good place this world would be!
Good-by, my friend!"
The king turned about, and walked sadly away; and the miller went back
to his work singing:--
"Oh, I'm as happy as happy can be,
For I live by the side of the River Dee!"
SIR PHILIP SIDNEY.
A cruel battle was being fought. The ground was covered with dead and
dying men. The air was hot and stifling. The sun shone down without
pity on the wounded soldiers lying in the blood and dust.
One of these soldiers was a no-ble-man, whom everybody loved for his
gen-tle-ness and kindness. Yet now he was no better off than the
poorest man in the field. He had been wounded, and would die; and he
was suf-fer-ing much with pain and thirst.
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