First, I'm going to tell you a story. I used to tell Laura... Mrs. Wilder, this story when she was a little girl. It's called 'Stone Soup'.

Stone Soup?

You've been studying 'The American Revolution', haven't you?

Yes.

Fine. I want you to imagine that you're a starving British soldier, lost in a wild land where nobody wants you and all doors are closed to you. This young soldier stumbled out of the forest into a small village. He was weak with hunger and frozen, almost to death. He was very young, not much older than Willie. In fact, his name was William.

He knocked on all the doors, asking for food and shelter, but the people told him they were starving, too. He offered to chop wood for a meal, but all the doors slammed shut in his face.

Did WillIiam go back into the forest to freeze to death?

No.

That's right. He went straight into the center of town and took off his knapsack. Then he found a big black iron pot and filled it with snow. Next, he built a roaring fire under that pot to melt the snow.

And what do you suppose the people in the village were doing?

I don't know.

They were peeking at him because they were curious. And they became even more curious when he opened his knapsack and took out three very round shiny rocks.

What do you suppose he did with those rocks?

He dropped them into the boiling water slowly, one by one, so that all the people looking out of their windows could see him. In a few minutes, he opened his pack and took out a big spoon. Then he stirred the boiling water. Then he spooned up a taste and smelled it. He smiled as if it were the most wonderful food in the world.

What do you suppose the villagers were doing?

They came to see what was happening.

Exactly. Their curiosity got the better of them, and they stomped through the snow to stand and stare at the steaming pot. And then a little girl about Cassandra's age asked what everyone wanted to know.

"What are you cooking?"

And what did William tell them he was cooking?

Stone soup.

Ha, ha. Exactly. And before anyone could ask another question, he tasted his soup again, and he said, "If only we had some onions, this soup would be perfect."

An old man allowed as how he might have a few onions left in his cellar. In a minute, he was back with a bunch of onions. William put them into the soup. Then he tasted it again. "With some carrots and about 20 potatoes it would be even better." Then some people found some potatoes and carrots. Sure enough, those people had been hiding food. Now the soup was smelling even better. Then came some beef bones. William said, "the soup was done."

He let the old man who had made the first contribution have the first bowl, and can you guess what he said?

No. No.

What he said was: "Best darned stone soup I ever had!"

Is that all?

Well, if you're waiting for me to tell you what the story means, you just have to figure that out for yourselves.