John of the Woods

This is a story. A charming, poetic story, which teachers brotherly love without preaching, of a boy tumbler who escapes from cruel masters and lives in the forest with a hermit, making friends with the wild beasts. It was late of a beautiful afternoon in May. In the hedges outside the village roses were blossoming, yellow and white. Overhead the larks were singing their happiest songs, because the sky was so blue. But nearer the village the birds were silent, marveling at the strange noises which echoed up and down the narrow, crooked streets.