THE HARVEST-FIELD It was late in the afternoon of a long summer\'s day in Belgium. Father Van Hove was still at work in the harvest-field, though the sun hung so low in the west that his shadow, stretching far across the level, green plain, reached almost to the little red-roofed house on the edge of the village which was its home. Another shadow, not so long, and quite a little broader, stretched itself beside his, for Mother Van Hove was also in the field, helping her husband to load the golden sheaves upon an old blue farm-cart which stood near by. Them were also two short, fat shadows which bobbed briskly about over the green meadow as their owners danced among the wheat-sheaves or carried handfuls of fresh grass to Pier, the patient white farm-horse, hitched to the cart. These gay shadows belonged to Jan and Marie, sometimes called by their parents Janke and Mie, for short. Jan and Marie were the twin son and daughter of Father and Mother Van Hove, and though they were but eight years old, they were already quite used to helping their father and mother with the work of their little farm. They knew how to feed the chickens and hunt the eggs and lead Pier to water and pull weeds in the garden. In the spring they had even helped sow the wheat and barley, and now in the late summer they were helping to harvest the grain. The children had been in the field since sunrise, but not all of the long bright day had been given to labor. Early in the morning their father\'s pitchfork had uncovered a nest of field mice, and the Twins had made another nest, as much like the first as possible, to put the homeless field babies in, hoping that their mother would find them again and resume her interrupted housekeeping. Then they had played for a long time in the tiny canal which separated the wheat-field from the meadow, where Bel, their black and white cow, was pastured. There was also Fidel, the dog, their faithful companion and friend. The children had followed him on many an excursion among the willows along the river-bank, for Fidel might at any moment come upon the rabbit or water rat which he was always seeking, and what a pity it would be for Jan and Marie to miss a sight like that! When the sun was high overhead, the whole family, and Fidel also, had rested under a tree by the little river, and Jan and Marie had shared with their father and mother the bread and cheese which had been brought from home for their noon meal. Then they had taken a nap in the shade, for it is a long day that begins and ends with the midsummer sun. The bees hummed so drowsily in the clover that Mother Van Hove also took forty winks, while Father Van Hove led Pier to the river for a drink; and tied him where he could enjoy the rich meadow grass for a while. And now the long day was nearly over. The last level rays of the disappearing sun glistened on the red roofs of the village, and the windows of the little houses gave back an answering flash of light. On the steeple of the tiny church the gilded cross shone like fire against the gray of the eastern sky....

KIT AND KAT This is a picture of Kit and Kat. They are Twins, and they live in Holland. Kit is the boy, and Kat is the girl. Of course their real names are not Kit and Kat at all. Their real names are Christopher and Katrina. But you can see for yourself that such long names as that would never in the world fit such a short pair of Twins. So the Twins\' Mother, Vrouw Vedder, said, "They cannot be called Christopher and Katrina until they are four and a half feet high." Now it takes a long time to grow four and a half feet of Boy and Girl. You know, chickens and puppies and colts and kittens always grow up much faster than twins. Kit and Kat ate a great many breakfasts and dinners and suppers, and played a great many plays, and had a great many happy days while they were growing up to their names. I will tell you about some of them. I. THE DAY THEY WENT FISHING One summer morning, very early, Vrouw Vedder opened the door of her little Dutch kitchen and stepped out. She looked across the road which ran by the house, across the canal on the other side, across the level green fields that lay beyond, clear to the blue rim of the world, where the sky touches the earth. The sky was very blue; and the great, round, shining face of the sun was just peering over the tops of the trees, as she looked out. Vrouw Vedder listened. The roosters in the barnyard were crowing, the ducks in the canal were quacking, and all the little birds in the fields were singing for joy. Vrouw Vedder hummed a slow little tune of her own, as she went back into her kitchen. Kit and Kat were still asleep in their little cupboard bed. She gave them each a kiss. The Twins opened their eyes and sat up. "O Kit and Kat," said Vrouw Vedder, "the sun is up, the birds are all awake and singing, and Grandfather is going fishing to-day. If you will hurry, you may go with him! He is coming at six o\'clock; so pop out of bed and get dressed. I will put some lunch for you in the yellow basket, and you may dig worms for bait in the garden. Only be sure not to step on the young cabbages that Father planted." Kit and Kat bounced out of bed in a minute. Their mother helped them put on their clothes and new wooden shoes. Then she gave them each a bowl of bread and milk for their breakfast. They ate it sitting on the kitchen doorstep. This is a picture of Kit and Kat digging worms. You see they did just as their mother said, and did not step on the young cabbages. They sat on them, instead. But that was an accident. Kit dug the worms, and Kat put them into a basket, with some earth in it to make them feel at home. When Grandfather came, he brought a large fishing-rod for himself and two little ones for the Twins. There was a little hook on the end of each line. Vrouw Vedder kissed Kit and Kat good-bye. "Mind Grandfather, and don\'t fall into the water," she said. Grandfather and the Twins started off together down the long road beside the canal. The house where the Twins lived was right beside the canal. Their father was a gardener, and his beautiful rows of cabbages and beets and onions stretched in long lines across the level fields by the roadside....

Lucy Fitch Perkins (1865-1937) was an American children\'s book author and illustrator, famous for writing the "Twins" series of books. Her books include The Dutch Twins (1911), The Japanese Twins (1912), The Irish Twins (1913), The Eskimo Twins (1914), The Mexican Twins (1915), The Cave Twins (1916), The Belgian Twins (1917), The French Twins (1918), The Spartan Twins (1918), Cornelia (1919), The Scotch Twins (1919), The Italian Twins (1920), The Puritan Twins (1921), The Swiss Twins (1922), The Filipino Twins (1923), The Colonial Twins of Virginia (1924), The American Twins of 1812 (1925), The American Twins of the Revolution (1926), Mr Chick: His Travels and Adventures (1926), The Pioneer Twins (1927), The Farm Twins (1928), Kit and Kat (1929), The Indian Twins (1930), The Pickaninny Twins (1931), The Norwegian Twins (1933), The Spanish Twins (1934), and The Chinese Twins (1935). --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Lucy Fitch Perkins (1865-1937) was an American children\'s book author and illustrator, famous for writing the "Twins" series of books. Her books include The Dutch Twins (1911), The Japanese Twins (1912), The Irish Twins (1913), The Eskimo Twins (1914), The Mexican Twins (1915), The Cave Twins (1916), The Belgian Twins (1917), The French Twins (1918), The Spartan Twins (1918), Cornelia (1919), The Scotch Twins (1919), The Italian Twins (1920), The Puritan Twins (1921), The Swiss Twins (1922), The Filipino Twins (1923), The Colonial Twins of Virginia (1924), The American Twins of 1812 (1925), The American Twins of the Revolution (1926), Mr Chick: His Travels and Adventures (1926), The Pioneer Twins (1927), The Farm Twins (1928), Kit and Kat (1929), The Indian Twins (1930), The Pickaninny Twins (1931), The Norwegian Twins (1933), The Spanish Twins (1934), and The Chinese Twins (1935). --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.