Cadmus was full of delight.  Could this be his long lost sister Europa coming to make him happy after all these weary years of searching and wandering?

How much he had to tell her about Phoenix, and Cilix, and dear Theseus and of the poor Queen’s lonely grave in the wilderness!  But as he went forward to meet the beautiful lady he saw she was a stranger.  He was thinking what he should say to her, when once again he heard the unknown voice speak.

“No, Cadmus,” it said, “this is not your dear sister whom you have sought so faithfully all over the wide world.  This is Harmonia, a daughter of the sky, who is given to you instead of sister and brother, and friend and mother.  She is your Queen, and will make happy the home which you have won by so much suffering.”

So King Cadmus lived in the palace with his beautiful Queen, and before many years passed there were rosy little children playing in the great hall, and on the marble steps of the palace, and running joyfully to meet King Cadmus as he came home from looking after his soldiers and his workmen.

And the five old soldiers that sprang from the dragon’s teeth grew very fond of these little children, and they were never tired of showing them how to play with wooden swords and to blow on a penny trumpet, and beat a drum and march like soldiers to battle.

PROSERPINA

ADAPTED BY C.E.  SMITH

Mother Ceres was very fond of her little daughter Proserpina.  She did not of ten let her go alone into the fields for fear she should be lost.  But just at the time when my story begins she was very busy.  She had to look after the wheat and the corn, and the apples and the pears, all over the world, and as the weather had been bad day after day she was afraid none of them would be ripe when harvest-time came.

So this morning Mother Ceres put on her turban made of scarlet poppies and got into her car.  This car was drawn by a pair of winged dragons which went very fast, and Mother Ceres was just ready to start, when Proserpina said, “Dear mother, I shall be very lonely while you are away, may I run down to the sands, and ask some of the sea-children to come out of the water to play with me?”

“Yes, child, you may,” answered Mother Ceres, “but you must take care not to stray away from them, and you are not to play in the fields by yourself with no one to take care of you.”

Proserpina promised to remember what her mother said, and by the time the dragons with their big wings had whirled the car out of sight she was already on the shore, calling to the sea-children to come to play with her.

They knew Proserpina’s voice and came at once:  pretty children with wavy sea-green hair and shining faces, and they sat down on the wet sand where the waves could still break over them, and began to make a necklace for Proserpina of beautiful shells brought from their home at the bottom of the sea.