The Sun's Babies Read online

  Produced by Al Haines

  Cover art]

  [Frontispiece: "'Why has your tree no flowers while ours are pink?'"(missing from book)]

  The

  Sun's Babies

  By Edith Howes

  Author of "Fairy Rings," "Rainbow Children," etc.

  With Four Illustrations in Colour by FRANK WATKINS

  Cassell and Company, Ltd

  London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne

  1913

  First published October 1910.

  Reprinted September and November 1911, August 1912, January 1913.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  CONTENTS

  The Sun-Man's Babies The Snowdrop Baby Little Golden Heart Dickie Codlin The Apple Fairy Johnny Crocus The Daffodil Baby Daffodils Willy Wallflower Sweet Violet The Cherry Children The Daisy Fairy My Garden Bed-time Pansy May Fairies The Dragon Gold Broom and White Broom Kitty Crayfish's Housekeeping The Garden Party Bluebells Cowslips Of Royal Blood Billybuzz the Drone Honey On the Hillside The Sun's Nest Crikitty-Crik The Discontented Root Creepy-Crawly Blackie Little Birds The Brownies Brave Rose-Pink Sweet-Pea Land Mrs. Frog, Mr. Frog, and the Little Frog Buttercups Spinny Spider Spinny Spider's Children Tinyboy The Mosquito Babies The Scrambler Woollymoolly Thistle-Mother Sally Snail's Wanderings Milly Mushroom Wiggle-Waggle The Leaf Fairies Bunny-Boy Love-Mother The Hill Princess Urchins in the Sea Where White Waves Play-- (I) Red-Bill (II) The Sea-Squirt who Stood on his Head (III) Bobby Barnacle's Wanderings (IV) Little Starfish (V) Kelp (VI) Black Shag (VII) Through Days of Growth (VIII) Fanny Flatface (IX) The Oyster Babies Fanny Fly At Sunset Summer Tears The Wheat People Chick-a-Pick Chick-a-Pick's Crow The Gorse-Mother The Proud Paling Fence Tail-up The Rain-Fairy The Disobedient Sunbeams White-Brier A Trip into the Country Grey-King The Season Fairies Spring Story Spring Time Summer Story Summer Time Autumn Story Autumn Time Winter Story Winter Time

  LIST OF PLATES

  "'WHY HAS YOUR TREE NO FLOWERS WHILE OURS ARE PINK?'" . . ._Frontispiece_

  "WHEN SHE SAW TINYBOY, SHE HID HER FACE SHYLY IN HER CURLS"

  "IN THE WOOD THE LEAF FAIRIES WERE BUSY MAKING THEIR LEAVES"

  "SHE WENT TO THE AFTERNOON CLOUDS AND ASKED THEM TO PLAY WITH HER"

  THE SUN-MAN'S BABIES

  _The Moon-Man sent his stars to bed, And turned a pitying eye To where the Sun-Man sailed alone, Across the eastern sky._

  _"Poor thing!" he said. "How sad to have No children round your knee. A thousand thousand stars are mine How lonely you must be!"_

  _The Sun-Man laughed a jolly laugh. He pointed far below, To where the shining busy earth Swung golden in his glow._

  _"A million million babes are mine," He said, "on yonder earth; My sunbeams wrap them all the day, To me they owe their birth._

  _"A million million babes smile up From dawn till day is done. And when I say my last good-night I kiss them every one."_

  THE SUN'S BABIES

  THE SNOWDROP BABY

  The Snowdrop Baby lay in her little cradle under the ground. Do youknow how white and smooth the Snowdrop cradle is, and how snugly thesilky sheets are tucked round the baby?

  Above the ground it was summer. The birds sang, the bees hummed, theroses and pinks talked to one another across the beds. "What a numberof flowers are out this year!" they said. "The garden is full ofblossom." Do you know that the flowers talk?

  The Snowdrop Baby listened to it all. "I am not needed yet," she said.She turned over and went to sleep.

  Summer passed, and autumn came. Asters and dahlias talked to oneanother now, and tiger lilies bloomed in the garden.

  The Snowdrop Baby woke and listened. "My time is not yet come," shesaid. She slept again.

  Winter came. Frost following frost killed all the flowers; storm afterstorm blew the dead leaves away, leaving the brown stalks bare. Snowfell, and melted. A tiny drop crept down to where the Snowdrop Babylay. Do you know how the water-drops creep down?

  "Your time has come," it said.

  "Yes," said the Baby joyfully; "I am making my white frock. Soon Ishall go up."

  Next day she was ready. She pushed her way through the soft wet earth,and reached the top. Up yet, and up, till she hung on her green stalkhigh above the ground.

  How beautiful she looked in her snowy frock! Pure white it was, exceptfor here and there a splash of softest green. Do you know how lovelySnowdrop Babies are?

  She turned her face to the ground, for the sun dazzled her, and madeher shy; but a bird saw her. "A Snowdrop! A Snowdrop!" he sang."Spring is coming, sweet spring is coming!" Do you know how sweetspring is?

  LITTLE GOLDEN HEART

  A field-daisy opened her golden heart, and looked up at the blue sky.The warm sun shone on her, and the morning wind blew softly over her;but the daisy was afraid. "The world is so wide, and I am so small,"she sighed. "I cannot be of any use. Perhaps it would be better tofold my petals and hide my head."

  A bee flew down and settled on the daisy. "Dear little Golden Heart,how sweet you are!" she whispered. "How your white petals shine!Their tips are pink, as if the wind had kissed them. Will you give mehoney and pollen to make bee bread for the babies in the hive?"

  The daisy shook with joy. "Take all I have," she said. "How glad I amto find that I am loved and needed!"

  A lark dropped from the sky, singing a glorious song that told aboutthe beauty of the clouds. He saw the daisy.

  "Dear little Golden Heart, how sweet you are!" he sang, as he camedown. "How your white petals shine! Their tips are pink, as if thewind had kissed them. Will you stay there and bloom so that my babiespeeping from their nest may watch you all the day? They love to lookat pretty, shining things."

  "Gladly, gladly!" cried the daisy. "How sweet it is to think that theyshould like to look at me!"

  A little girl came tripping over the short grass. When she saw thedaisy she ran to it and knelt beside it. She touched it lovingly.

  "Dear little Golden Heart, how sweet you are!" she said. "How yourwhite petals shine! Their tips are pink, as if the wind had kissedthem. Will you stay here and bloom till I may bring the baby out tosee you?"

  "Oh, how willingly!" whispered the daisy. Now her golden heart wasfull of joy.

  "What a happy, happy world!" she thought. "Although it is so wide,there is a place for me. I can be useful and give pleasure. Whatcould be better than that?"

  Thankfully she spread her shining petals to the sun. When night cameshe folded their tips together, and hung her head, to rest till morninglight again brought happiness.

  DICKIE CODLIN

  The spring winds rocked Dickie Codlin to and fro as he lay in hisscented cradle, and the happy bees buzzed their honey song over him.For he lay wrapped in his tiny egg-skin in the heart of an appleblossom. Mrs. Moth had gently laid him there only a day or two before.

  The pink apple-petals loosened their hold and dropped to the ground,and the flower closed up and grew into an apple. And Dickie Codlinhatched himself out of his egg-skin and grew into a little caterpillar,with a pink and white skin and ever so many fat, short legs. He stilllived on in the heart of the apple.

  It was a delightful place to have for a home, for the walls were madeof the food he liked best, and all he had to do was to turn himselfround and nibble. So he stayed there, eating and growing, till hecould not grow any bigger. Then he ate his way out to the skin.

  He stood in the entrance of the opening he had made, and looked down."Dear me!" he said, "it seems a long way to the ground. But I mustreach it somehow."

  He sat down on the apple and spun a
silk thread, fixed it to the holethrough which he had come, and dropped by it. "Good-bye, apple-home,"he called as he went; but the apple said nothing, for its heart waseaten out.

  When he reached the ground he hurried to the trunk of the tree, crawledup it till he found a loose scrap of bark, and crept under this safehiding-place.

  "Now I am going to make my new clothes for my wedding," he said; so hespun a little silk workroom for himself. Into this he crept, and herehe made his new clothes for his wedding. He made a brown velvet suitand beautiful bronze-tipped wings trimmed with gold-dust.

  By and by he came out looking wonderfully neat and handsome. Off heflew into the warm, scented air to be married to pretty Miss Codlin.It was a splendid wedding. Everybody wore new clothes and danced inthe maze dance, and after that they had a honey feast.

  THE APPLE FAIRY

  She was usually a busy little fairy, but one year she grew lazy. "I amgoing to take a rest," she said; "I don't see why I should work sohard. I shall sleep all the winter and play all the summer, and theapple-tree can take care of itself."

  She curled herself up in her snug little bed, down amongst the roots ofthe apple-tree, and there she slept through the winter, creeping outonly now and again to peep and shiver at the cold, wet world outside.No work was done in the workroom, where in other winters she had beenso busy, and so, when the spring came, and all the other apple-treeswere wreathed in sweet pink flowers, hers alone stood bare and brown.

  The bees came round the tree, buzzing their surprise anddisappointment. "Wake up, Apple Fairy!" they called. "The spring hascome, and your tree is bare. Where are our honey-cups andpollen-bags?" The moths and early butterflies came fluttering roundthe bees, for they too were anxious about the honey-cups. But theApple Fairy gave them no satisfaction. "Go away," she called from herbed; "I don't care about your old honey-cups; I am going to rest." Sothey had to fly away to other trees.

  The birds came next. "Why, Apple Fairy, where are your flowers?" theychirped. "At this rate there will be no apples, and that will be a sadloss to us, for yours were the sweetest in the garden."

  "Go away," called the Apple Fairy. "I don't care about your oldapples; I am going to rest."

  "How very strange!" said the birds to one another. "This is not likeour little Apple Fairy of other springs." They flew away to theflowered trees to sing.

  The sun shone brightly, the air was clear and warm, and the applefairies came up from their workrooms for their spring dance on theyoung clover-leaves. "But where is our little sister?" they asked.They ran to her tree, only to find it bare and empty.

  "Where are you, little sister?" they called.

  She came up and stood on a branch to look at them.

  "What is the matter?" they asked. "Why has your tree no flowers, whileours are pink? Where are your petals? Perhaps you have not yet hadtime to unroll them all. Shall we help you?"

  "No, thank you," she said; "I am having a rest; there will be no applesthis year on my tree, for I have slept all the winter and am going toplay all the summer."

  The fairies looked shocked. "You mustn't do that!" they cried. "Why,if we all did that there would be no apples at all!"

  "I don't care about the old apples," she said sulkily, and down shewent again.

  She came up a few minutes later to peep at the happy fairies dancing onthe clover, while the birds sang their gayest songs, and the cricketsplayed their little banjos; but she did not join them, for she feltthat they did not approve of her laziness. "Ah, well, my leaves willsoon be out, for I put the buds on last summer," she said to herself."When they come I shall make a swing, and swing all through the longsunny days."

  Soon the leaves opened out. She made the swing, hung it on a branch,and sat in it in the pleasant shade, while the other fairies polishedup the growing apples and formed the buds for the next year's leaves.She was not really happy, but she tried to think she was. She wasrather lonely, and, somehow, it was dull when there was nothing to do.But she did not go down to her work; she swung herself to and fro, toand fro, till the autumn came, and the apples on the other trees wereripe.

  One day a merry, childish voice floated through the garden: "Oh,grandpa! it's my birthday, so I have come for an apple off your besttree."

  Then at last the Apple Fairy hung her head, and was sorry, for herpunishment had come. Every year, on her birthday, pretty little Elsiehad been given the best apple in the garden, and every year until nowthe Apple Fairy had been proud to know that it had been picked from hertree. Now, alas! she had no apples. Elsie would be disappointed; andshe was very fond of Elsie.

  Elsie was indeed disappointed. She listened to her grandfather as hetold her how his best apple-tree had failed this year, and how hethought he must cut it down if it did not do better next year. ThenElsie came and stood under the tree and looked up anxiously into thebranches. "I am so sorry!" she said aloud. "I wonder if it will haveapples on next year? I do hope it will."

  "It shall! Indeed it shall!" cried the Apple Fairy. She sprang to theend of a branch so that Elsie could see her. "I have been lazy," shesaid. "I have slept all the winter and have played all the summer, butnow I shall work. You shall have apples next year. Good-bye, littleElsie! Here is my swing."

  She took down her swing, put it into Elsie's hands, and went down toher workroom. Elsie was so astonished at the sight of a real fairy anda real fairy swing that she could find nothing to say; but, when shecame again the next year, the apples on her favourite tree were againthe finest in the garden, and the Apple Fairy was again busy and happy.

  JOHNNY CROCUS

  "Wake up! Wake up, little Johnny Crocus! Sit on my knee and begin togrow."

  Johnny woke up, sat on his mother's knee, and began to grow. Hismother fed him on rich white food, and wrapped him warmly in softblankets, so he grew big and strong. They lived together under theground, in a little round house with brown walls.

  One day Johnny said: "Now, I should like to go up and see what theworld is like. May I go up to-day?"

  "Not yet," said his mother. "You must make your flower first."

  So Johnny set to work to make his flower. In the middle he set thepistil with its fans. Round the pistil he put the orange-colouredstamens with their long narrow sacks on their heads, ready to be filledwith pollen. Outside the stamens he made a row of petals, small andclosely folded now, but soon to grow big and wide. Then he wrapped afine white silk cloak round the whole flower to keep it from harm.

  "My flower is made," he said to his mother. "May I go up now to seewhat the world is like?"

  "Not yet," said the mother. "Make your leaves first."

  So he made his leaves and set them closely round the flower. They werelong and thin and pale yellow, for they could not turn green till theyreached the sunlight.

  "My leaves are made," he said to his mother. "May I go up now to seewhat the world is like?"

  "Not yet," said his mother. "Make your pollen first."

  So he made his pollen, and filled the long sacks with it. Then hisflower was quite ready. He wrapped one white silk cloak after anotherover flower and leaves together, till they were so snugly covered thatno greedy insect could reach them.

  "My pollen is made," he said to his mother. "May I go up now to seewhat the world is like?"

  "Yes," said his mother. Johnny jumped for joy. He pushed and pushedthrough the brown earth above him; at last out popped his little headinto the light.

  The winter had not yet gone; snow still lay in shaded places. But thesun was shining, and he shone now full on Johnny Crocus. The silkencloaks fell away, the leaves sprang out and turned green, and slowlythe flower opened its beautiful golden heart to the warmth of thesunshine.

  "Why, there is Johnny Crocus!" called the sun. He shone more brightlythan ever on the gleaming petals.

  "If Johnny is up we must be stirring too," said the other crocuses.They sprang up and nodded and laughed to Johnny across the ground.Then
the snowdrops peeped out, and soon the whole garden woke up, andthe spring came.

  THE DAFFODIL BABY

  It was winter time, and the Daffodil Baby lay wrapped in her warm brownblankets under the ground. But she was not a contented Baby; shewanted to be up above the ground to see what the great world was like."It is very dull down here," she said to her little friend, theEarth-worm. "Do please go up and see if it is time for me to rise."

  The Earth-worm wriggled his way to the top of the ground, but he sooncame back, shivering with cold. "Don't think of going up yet," hesaid; "lie down and sleep again in your warm blankets. On the earththere is nothing to be seen but snow and ice. You would be frozen ifyou went up now."

  So the Daffodil Baby lay down and went to sleep, and slept for manydays and nights. By and by, however, she woke and grew restless again."Please see if I may go up yet," she said. The kind Earth-worm went upagain, but came back as quickly as before. "Stay where you are," hecried. "It has rained so much that all the garden is flooded. Youwould be drowned if you went up now."

  The Daffodil Baby had to lie down again. She tried to sleep, but sheonly grew more restless day by day. At last she begged the littleEarth-worm to go up once more and see what the world was like. Thistime he came back smiling. "You may safely go up now," he said. "Thesnow and floods are all away, and the sunbeams are there. They arelooking for you."

  The Daffodil Baby jumped for joy. She sprang out of her blankets andbegan to push her way up as fast as she could, wrapping herself as shewent in a warm, thick cloak of green. When she reached the top shefelt the little sunbeams lay their warm hands on her, and she heard hertall leaf-brothers say to one another: "Here comes Baby." But she didnot look out from her cloak, for she said to herself: "I must make myfrock and grow bigger before I shall be ready to play with thesunbeams."