Page:Fairy Tales for Worker's Children.djvu/38

 It has always been the same, for thousands of years." And again the Sphinx yawned.

"Can't you also see into the future, wise Beast?" bashfully questioned the Sparrow.

"Yes, I can also see that. Listen to my words, little bird. A day will come when all slaves will arise in a dreadful struggle against their oppressors. After long bloody battles they will conquer and then there will be a new world, where everything belongs to all the people and all people are free. Even today the earth trembles in happy expectation, and in the quiet night I feel its trembling. For thousands of years I have not spoken to any being, I will only speak again when the day of freedom dawns. Then my voice will join in the jubilations of the freed people."

The Sparrow flew out of the desert where he could find nothing to eat, back to the green stream, and enjoyed many pleasant days there.

One day he was sitting on a stone on the bank of the stream, when he heard familiar voices, "Tweet! Tweet!"

He looked up and saw three Swallows who flew slowly toward him.

"Are you here already?" the Sparrow asked in surprise.

"Certainly, certainly," twittered the Swallows. "At home rough winds are blowing, the frost is in the meadows at night, winter is coming."

How frightened the Sparrow was at that. Here in this beautiful land where he had plenty of fat worms and warm sunshine, he had forgotten about his Sparrow brothers. And in the meantime the deadly winter had come! He must rush home to teach them how to reach the sunny land. Would he reach there in time? How selfish he had been; if Sparrows were freezing and starving at home, it was his fault. 32