The Story Book of Science

MP3 Audio CD. The Story Book of Science

CHAPTER I

THE SIX


ONE evening, at twilight, they were assembled in a group, all six of
them. Uncle Paul was reading in a large book. He always reads to rest
himself from his labors, finding that after work nothing refreshes so
much as communion with a book that teaches us the best that others have
done, said, and thought. He has in his room, well arranged on pine
shelves, books of all kinds. There are large and small ones, with and
without pictures, bound and unbound, and even gilt-edged ones. When he
shuts himself up in his room it takes something very serious to divert
him from his reading. And so they say that Uncle Paul knows any number
of stories. He investigates, he observes for himself. When he walks in
his garden he is seen now and then to stop before the hive, around which
the bees are humming, or under the elder bush, from which the little
flowers fall softly, like flakes of snow; sometimes he stoops to the
ground for a better view of a little crawling insect, or a blade of
grass just pushing into view. What does he see? What does he observe?
Who knows? They say, however, that there comes to his beaming face a
holy joy, as if he had just found himself face to face with some secret
of the wonders of God. It makes us feel better when we hear stories that
he tells at these moments; we feel better, and furthermore we learn a
number of things that some day may be very useful to us.

Uncle Paul is an excellent, God-fearing man, obliging to every one, and
“as good as bread.” The village has the greatest esteem for him, so much
so that they call him Maître Paul, on account of his learning, which is
at the service of all.

To help him in his field work—for I must tell you that Uncle Paul knows
how to h