"Why did you come to us? Others could have done so much better."
"You have done the best you could; who could do better than that?" said
the tall one. "Come with us," and he led them to the top of the hill.
Then he stretched out his hand toward the village, and they saw it sink
down, down out of sight, and the river came rushing in, and the place
was a lake. Nothing could be seen but the house they had just left. It
stood on the shore of the lake. Its timbers were growing higher and
higher, and the yellow straw that thatched the roof changed to shining
gold. It was now a beautiful temple.
"Ask of me anything you wish and I will give it to you," said the tall
one.
"I know now you are Jupiter," said Philemon. "Let us take care of your
temple while we live, and when it is time for us to leave it let us go
together. Let not one be taken and the other left."
Philemon and Baucis cared for the beautiful temple for years. Feeling
old and weary, they went to the top of the hill one day to say good-by
to all things. As they stood there they saw each other change, one into
this oak and the other into this linden.
"Good-by," they said together, as the bark grew up over their lips.
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