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ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A YOUNG RAT NAMED ARTHUR WHO COULDN'T MAKE UP HIS MIND |
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WHENEVER THE OTHER RATS ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD LIKE TO GO OUT HUNTING WITH THEM HE WOULD ANSWER IN A SOFT VOICE I DON'T KNOW. |
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AND WHEN THEY SAID WOULD YOU RATHER STAY INSIDE HE WOULDN'T SAY YES OR NO EITHER. |
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HE'D ALWAYS AVOID MAKING A CHOICE |
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ONE FINE DAY HIS AUNT ZELDA APPEALED TO HIM NOW LOOK HERE |
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NO ONE IS GOING TO CARE ABOUT YOU IF YOU CARRY ON LIKE THIS |
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YOU HAVE NO MORE MIND OF YOUR OWN THAN A GREASY OLD BLADE OF GRASS |
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ARTHUR COUGHED AND LOOKED WISE AS USUAL BUT SAID NOTHING |
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DON'T YOU THINK SO SAID ZELDA STAMPING HER FOOT FOR SHE COULDN'T BEAR TO SEE THE POOR LITTLE RAT SO COLDBLOODED |
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I DON'T KNOW WAS ALL HE EVER ANSWERED |
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AND THEN HE'D WALK OFF TO THINK FOR AN HOUR OR MORE |
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ABOUT WHETHER HE WOULD STAY IN HIS HOLE IN THE GROUND OR GO UP INTO THE LOFT |
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ONE NIGHT THE RATS HEARD A LOUD NOISE |
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THEY LIVED IN A VERY DARK AND DREARY OLD PLACE |
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THE ROOF LET THE RAIN COME WASHING IN |
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MAKING SHALLOW POOLS ON THE MUDDY FLOOR. |
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THE BEAMS AND RAFTERS WERE ALL ROTTEN THROUGH |
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SO EVENTUALLY THE WHOLE STRUCTURE WAS QUITE UNSAFE |
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AT LAST ONE OF THE JOISTS GAVE WAY AND THE BEAMS FELL DOWN. |
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THE WALLS SHOOK AND THE CEILING COLLAPSED WITH A LOUD BANG |
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THE RATS SHRIEKED AND THEIR FUR STOOD ON END WITH FEAR AND HORROR |
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THIS WON'T DO SAID THEIR LEADER WITH A SCOWL |
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WE CAN'T STAY COOPED UP HERE ANY LONGER. |
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SO HE SENT OUT SCOUTS TO SEARCH FOR A NEW HOME |
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A LITTLE LATER ON IN THE EVENING THEY CAME BACK |
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HAVING FOUND AN OLD-FASHIONED BARN NEAR A STONE HOUSE WHERE THERE WOULD BE ROOM |
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BOARD AND FOOD FOR ALL OF THEM. |
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THERE THEY SAW A KINDLY MARE NAMED ALBERTA |
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A COW AND SOME BIRDS IN THE GARDEN WITH AN ELM TREE IN THE MIDDLE. |
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THE LEADER GAVE THE ORDER AT ONCE COMPANY FALL IN. |
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THE RATS CRAWLED OUT OF THEIR HOLES RIGHT AWAY AND THE SAD MOB STOOD ON THE FLOOR IN A LONG LINE |
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JUST THEN THE OLD RAT CAUGHT SIGHT OF YOUNG ARTHUR |
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HE WASN'T IN THE LINE AND HE WASN'T EXACTLY OUTSIDE IT |
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HE STOOD JUST NEARBY EARS PRICKED. |
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COME ON GET IN LINE GROWLED THE OLD RODENT UNAMUSED. |
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YOU ARE COMING TOO AREN’T YOU |
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I DON'T KNOW SAID ARTHUR CALMLY. |
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WHY THE IDEA OF IT YOU DON'T THINK IT'S SAFE HERE ANYMORE DO YOU |
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I'M NOT CERTAIN SAID ARTHUR UNDAUNTED. |
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THE ROOF MAY NOT FALL DOWN YET. |
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WELL SAID THE OLD RAT YOU WOULD BE STUPID NOT TO JOIN US. |
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THEN HE TURNED TO THE ASSEMBLED GROUP AND SHOUTED |
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RIGHT ABOUT FACE MARCH |
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AND THE LONG LINE MARCHED OUT OF THE BARN WHILE THE YOUNG RAT WATCHED THEM |
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I THINK I'LL GO TOMORROW HE SAID TO HIMSELF |
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BUT THEN AGAIN PERHAPS I WON'T |
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IT'S SO NICE AND SNUG HERE. |
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I GUESS I'LL GO BACK TO MY HOLE UNDER THE LOG FOR A WHILE BEFORE I MAKE UP MY MIND |
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BUT DURING THE NIGHT THERE WAS A BIG CRASH. |
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DOWN CAME BEAMS RAFTERS JOISTS — THE WHOLE BUSINESS IN A PILE OF RUBBLE |
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NEXT MORNING THERE WAS A FOGGY DEW. |
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SOME BOYS AND GIRLS RAN TO THE BARN AND A MAN IN BOOTS CAME TO VIEW THE DAMAGE. |
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IT SEEMED ODD THAT THE OLD BUILDING WAS NOT HAUNTED BY RATS. |
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BUT AT LAST ONE OF THE CHILDREN HAPPENED TO NUDGE A BOARD AND HE SAW A PUNY RAT |
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QUITE DEAD TAIL HALF IN AND HALF OUT OF HIS HOLE. |
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THUS THE COWARD GOT HIS DUE AND THERE WAS NO MOURNING FOR HIM |
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ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A GIRL CALLED CINDERELLA |
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BUT EVERYONE CALLED HER CINDERS |
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CINDERS LIVED WITH HER MOTHER AND TWO STEPSISTERS CALLED LILY AND ROSA. |
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LILY AND ROSA WERE VERY UNFRIENDLY AND THEY WERE LAZY GIRLS. |
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THEY SPENT ALL THEIR TIME BUYING NEW CLOTHES AND GOING TO PARTIES |
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POOR CINDERS HAD TO WEAR ALL THEIR OLD HAND-ME-DOWNS |
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AND SHE HAD TO DO THE CLEANING |
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ONE DAY A ROYAL MESSENGER CAME TO ANNOUNCE A BALL |
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THE BALL WOULD BE HELD AT THE ROYAL PALACE IN HONOUR OF THE QUEENS ONLY SON PRINCE WILLIAm |
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LILY AND ROSA THOUGHT THIS WAS DIVINE |
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PRINCE WILLIAM WAS GORGEOUS AND HE WAS LOOKING FOR A BRIDE |
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THEY DREAMED OF WEDDING BELLS |
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WHEN THE EVENING OF THE BALL ARRIVED CINDERS HAD TO HELP HER SISTERS GET READY |
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THEY WERE IN A BAD MOOD |
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THEY'D WANTED TO BUY SOME NEW GOWNS BUT THEIR MOTHER SAID THAT THEY HAD ENOUGH GOWNS |
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SO THEY STARTED SHOUTING AT CINDERS |
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'FIND MY JEWELS' YELLED ONE |
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'FIND MY HAT' HOWLED THE OTHER |
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THEY WANTED HAIRBRUSHES HAIRPINS AND HAIR SPRAY |
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WHEN THE SUNLIGHT STRIKES RAINDROPS IN THE AIR THEY ACT AS A PRISM AND FORM A RAINbow |
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THE RAINBOW IS A DIVISION OF WHITE LIGHT INTO MANY BEAUTIFUL COLORS |
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THESE TAKE THE SHAPE OF A LONG ROUND ARCH WITH ITS PATH HIGH ABOVE AND ITS TWO ENds apparently beyond the horizon |
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THERE IS ACCORDING TO LEGEND A BOILING POT OF GOLD AT ONE END |
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PEOPLE LOOK BUT NO ONE EVER FINDS IT |
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WHEN A MAN LOOKS FOR SOMETHING BEYOND HIS REACH HIS FRIENDS SAY HE IS LOOKING FOR the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow |
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THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES PEOPLE HAVE EXPLAINED THE RAINBOW IN VARIOUS WAYS |
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SOME HAVE ACCEPTED IT AS A MIRACLE WITHOUT PHYSICAL EXPLANATION |
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TO THE HEBREWS IT WAS A TOKEN THAT THERE WOULD BE NO MORE UNIVERSAL FLOODS |
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THE GREEKS USED TO IMAGINE THAT IT WAS A SIGN FROM THE GODS TO FORETELL WAR OR HEAVy rain |
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THE NORSEMEN CONSIDERED THE RAINBOW AS A BRIDGE OVER WHICH THE GODS PASSED FROM EARth to their home in the sky |
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OTHERS HAVE TRIED TO EXPLAIN THE PHENOMENON PHYSICALLY |
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ARISTOTLE THOUGHT THAT THE RAINBOW WAS CAUSED BY REFLECTION OF THE SUN'S RAYS BY THe rain |
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SINCE THEN PHYSICISTS HAVE FOUND THAT IT IS NOT REFLECTION |
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BUT REFRACTION BY THE RAINDROPS WHICH CAUSES THE RAINBOWS |
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MANY COMPLICATED IDEAS ABOUT THE RAINBOW HAVE BEEN FORMED |
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THE DIFFERENCE IN THE RAINBOW DEPENDS CONSIDERABLY UPON THE SIZE OF THE DROPS |
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AND THE WIDTH OF THE COLORED BAND INCREASES AS THE SIZE OF THE DROPS INCREASES |
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THE ACTUAL PRIMARY RAINBOW OBSERVED |
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IS SAID TO BE THE EFFECT OF SUPER-IMPOSITION OF A NUMBER OF BOWS. |
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IF THE RED OF THE SECOND BOW FALLS UPON THE GREEN OF THE FIRST |
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THE RESULT IS TO GIVE A BOW WITH AN ABNORMALLY WIDE YELLOW BAND |
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SINCE RED AND GREEN LIGHT WHEN MIXED FORM YELLOW |
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THIS IS A VERY COMMON TYPE OF BOW |
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ONE SHOWING MAINLY RED AND YELLOW |