The Sun's Babies Page 5

  "Tell her that Jack Frost will nip her with his cruel fingers if shestays there," said the Earth-mother.

  The elves took the message, but soon returned.

  "She says she is strong and hardy, and will laugh at Jack Frost," theyreported.

  "Tell her the Storm-king will beat her down with his great winds, andbreak her back," said the Earth-mother.

  They went again, but returned and said: "She says she will grow littletendrils with which to hold tightly to the fence, so that the greatwinds cannot tear her down."

  "Tell her that the Snow-queen will bury her in her cold whitesnowflakes," said the Earth-mother.

  "She says she will not die, but will push her head through the coldwhite snowflakes," they said when they came back.

  "Then leave her alone," said the Earth-mother. "She is brave, andperhaps her courage will carry her safely through the winter. If itdoes her reward will come in the summer."

  So Rose-Pink was left alone, and went on growing quietly by the fence,taking advantage of every little bit of sunshine that came her way.Jack Frost nipped her with his cruel fingers, but she only laughed athim; the Storm-king tried to beat her down with his great winds, butshe clung to the fence with her little tendrils; the Snow-queen buriedher in her cold white snowflakes, but she pushed her head through andlived on.

  At last the winter passed, and the soft spring air blew over thegarden. The elves brought back the seeds and set them in their places."Rose-Pink must be dead," they said, and they ran to look.

  "I am alive and well, and very happy," sang Rose-Pink from half-way upthe fence.

  She grew fast now, and soon reached the top of the fence. Then cameher reward; for while the other sweet-peas were only half grown, herlittle buds came and her flowers opened out. Such glorious flowersthey were, flushed like the sunrise sky. Rose-Pink sang for joy, andbreathed out scented happiness on every breeze.

  "You have come long before your sisters," said the Bees. "Nothing inall the garden is so sweet and beautiful as you."

  SWEET-PEA LAND

  Oh, have you been to Sweet-pea Land, Where little brown seeds once lay? And have you seen the tall green swings That cover that Land to-day?

  And have you seen in Sweet-pea Land The dear wee ladies who swing? They've blowing frocks of blue and pink As light as a silken wing.

  And have you smelt in Sweet-pea Land The scent the wee ladies throw From each to each, as up and down The wonderful green swings go?

  And have you heard in Sweet-pea Land The question-song of the bee? "Dear Lady Pink, Dear Lady Blue, Have you some honey for me?"

  Oh, come with me to Sweet-pea Land, Where little brown seeds once lay; Where green swings rock in the summer wind. And pretty wee ladies play.

  MRS. FROG, MR. FROG, AND THE LITTLE FROG

  "Do you mean to say I was ever like that?" asked Mrs. Frog.

  "Of course you were. We all were," said Mr. Frog.

  "I don't believe you," said Mrs. Frog. "Why, it is nothing but alittle ball of jelly with a spot in it. How can it grow into a frog?"

  "Well, I don't know exactly how it does it," said Mr. Frog, "but youcan see it is an egg, and eggs grow into the most wonderful things."

  "I am not going to believe this one will grow into a frog till I seeit," said Mrs. Frog; and she swam away.

  The egg lay in the water under a lily leaf. It certainly did not lookin the least like a frog; indeed, it did not at first seem alive atall. But the spot began to spread, and day by day it grew till at lasta tiny tadpole came out of the jelly and hung on to the lily leaf.

  Mrs. Frog saw it, and called Mr. Frog to come and look.

  "You were wrong," she said. "It is not a frog. It is only a kind ofwormy thing."

  "Give it time," said Mr. Frog. "We all began like that."

  "What nonsense you talk, Mr. Frog! If it's a frog, where is its head?Where is its mouth? Where are its legs? The thing is nothing but ajelly-worm stuck on a leaf. And you tell me I was once like that! Ihave no patience with you. I shall not stay to hear another word."

  Left to herself, the little tadpole dropped from the lily leaf and swamabout in the water. In a day or two the head and mouth appeared, andfunny, frilly breathing gills grew out from her sides. Then these wentaway and inside gills grew. A hard little beak grew on her mouth, justthe thing for nibbling leaves and stalks. Now she spent all the dayeating vegetable dinners and growing. How fast she grew, to be sure!

  Mrs. Frog came one day to see how she looked. "Do you call that afrog?" she asked Mr. Frog scornfully. "Whoever saw a frog with a tail?Or eating leaves? Or breathing like a fish?"

  "My dear, think back," said Mr. Frog. "Have you no memory of a time inyour youth when we all swam together in the water, never wishing to goup on the land? You had a lovely long tail in those days. And do younot remember how sweet those green things tasted to us?"

  A puzzled look came into Mrs. Frog's eyes, and a dim remembranceflashed across her brain.

  "Oh, well, I shall watch," she said.

  So every day Mrs. Frog jumped into the pool and swam round the littletadpole, watching the changes that took place. Soon she saw thehind-legs begin to grow. Then one day the tadpole left off eating, andstartling changes began to take place. The tail dwindled away, givingup its strength to feed the body; the horny beak dropped off; the mouthwidened and widened, till it went nearly round the head; the tonguegrew big; the eyes and the front legs came out through the skin. Dayby day the changes went on, and Mrs. Frog was at last convinced thatthe little tadpole was really a frog.

  When she saw the little creature rise up to the surface and swim to theshore, breathing as frogs breathe, and when she saw her jump up on theland and catch a fly and eat it, she went home.

  "You were right, after all," she said to Mr. Frog.

  "Of course I was," said Mr. Frog.

  BUTTERCUPS

  It was not at all a pretty spot, this swampy bit of roadside. A coarsegrass was the only thing that grew on it, for its soil was always wetand spongy.

  Its neighbours despised it. "If you grew pink-tipped daisies andpretty white bells like mine," said the Hill, "the children would loveyou." "Or if you grew red and white clover like mine," said the Field,"they would love you." "Or if you grew wild roses like mine," said theHedge, "they would love you."

  But the swampy ground could grow neither daisies nor bells nor clovernor wild roses. It lay there, ugly and useless and sad.

  One day a bird dropped a clinging seed from its feet as it passed; thatwas the beginning of the wonderful change that came to the despisedpiece of ground. The tiny seed sank into the soft wet earth, sprouted,and grew. Soon it was a well-grown plant, with beautiful broad leaves.It stretched its soft green stems over the ground, rooted afresh onthis side and on that, and spread and spread and spread. How quicklythe white roots grew! The damp soil suited them perfectly.

  "This is a splendid growing place," they said.

  "You dear things!" said the Ground. "How pleased I am that you havecome! I will do my very best for you."

  The summer and the winter passed, and spring came. From the new plantslittle round buds pushed up their heads. They grew fast, and openedout into golden flowers. "Buttercups! Buttercups!" shouted thechildren. They ran down the hill to where the new flowers shone in themorning sun. How lovely these golden flowers were! How their polishedpetals glittered! They looked like fairy-cups in the children's hands.

  The swampy ground has never been sad since, for now it is alwaysbeautiful, and the children love it. Year after year they watch thelittle buds unfold; then they fill their hands and pinafores with thegolden buttercups, and carry them home as treasures to be loved andprized above all other flowers.

  SPINNY SPIDER

  "Why don't you grow wings?" asked the Red Butterfly. "And whatever isthe good of having all those legs? Eight! Why, I am sure six areenough for anybody. You are not at all
handsome."

  Spinny Spider turned herself round and round, and looked her velvetybody all over with her six eyes.

  "We seem to look at things from different standpoints," she said. "Ihave no fault to find with my shape. I don't admire wings at all, andI certainly need all my legs. But I have no time to argue. I have myweb to make."

  She ran to the top of the hedge and found a nice space between severaltwigs. Then she sat still, and from a little spinneret on each side ofher body she drew hundreds of fine threads of silk, so soft and gummythat they looked like honey. With the tiny combs she carried on eachhind foot she combed the threads in the air till they dried andhardened; then she twisted them into a single silken rope.

  She worked hard, and soon had made enough of the rope to reach to theopposite twig, so she put a drop of gum on it and let it float in theair till it caught the twig and stuck there. "This is a good start,"she said. Now she climbed a higher twig and made another rope, anddropped it across the first one at right angles. Then she made severalmore, fastening them all together in the middle and gumming themtightly to twigs at the ends, until at last the foundation of the webwas made. It looked like the spokes of a wheel without the rim.

  She began to spin a finer rope. As she spun she moved slowly fromspoke to spoke, drawing the new rope with her and gumming it firmly toeach spoke. Round and round she went in ever-widening circles, tillthe web was complete.

  Then she stood for a moment to admire her finished work. And well shemight admire, for a moonshine wheel in a fairy coach could not be morebeautiful than this. The delicate white silk glistened and shone inthe sunlight, and here and there on every circle were set tiny drops ofgum that gleamed like golden balls.

  In the centre there was no gum, for that was to be Spinny's waitingplace. She curled herself up to rest after her work and to wait forher tea. And her tea soon came. A gnat came flying past in a hurry,caught one of his wings in the web, and in a moment was struggling forhis life. "The gum will hold him," thought Spinny to herself. "I neednot move." The gum did hold him, and his struggles only tightened theweb about him. In a few minutes he was dead; Spinny went over to him,and had him for tea. Then she rolled herself up again.

  Presently a big blue-bottle fly came noisily buzzing along, andblundered into the net.

  "Goodness gracious! what's all this?" he shouted; and he banged andkicked with all his wings and legs. Such a commotion! "He will smashmy web and get away, after all," cried Spinny, and she was out to himin a moment. Quickly she spun a few threads and bound them round himto hold him. Then she unsheathed two sharp claws in her feelers. Shedrove these into the fly, holding them still for a second while a dropof poison from her poison bag ran down each claw into the wound. Verysoon Blue-bottle was dead.

  "This is a splendid tea!" said Spinny. "The wings are too hard anddry, but the body is just what I like."

  "You savage creature!" cried the Red Butterfly, who had seen the deathof the fly. "How can you bear to be so cruel?"

  "Again we look at things from different standpoints," said Spinny. "Icannot eat honey like you, but am made to live on flesh and blood.What seems cruelty to you is only my nature, and I cannot help mynature. I must get my food in this way, or I should die."

  SPINNY SPIDER'S CHILDREN

  "What are you making now?" asked the Red Butterfly of Spinny Spider.

  "A round cradle for my babies," said Spinny Spider.

  "Really! And where are the babies?"

  "They are not here yet. Don't talk to me. I am busy."

  She went on working, spinning fine silk threads and weaving themcarefully into a ball-shaped cradle.

  Then she put her little white eggs in it, and picked it up and carriedit about with her.

  "Well, you are a silly!" cried the Butterfly. "Fancy carrying thatweight about with you wherever you go. Why don't you do as I do?"

  "What do you do?" asked Spinny Spider.

  "I leave my eggs on a stalk or a leaf," said the Butterfly. "The sunhatches them, and I have no further trouble."

  "And do you mean to say you do nothing more for them?"

  "Nothing at all."

  "Don't you even go to see how they are? Why, something might eat them!"

  "I lay them as far out of sight as I can," said the Butterfly. "Thatis all I can do."

  "That way would never suit me," said Spinny Spider. "You call mecruel, but I say you are heartless."

  "It is my nature. I cannot help it," said the Butterfly. "As youyourself said, we look at things from different standpoints."

  Spinny Spider said nothing, but hugged her precious burden more closelyto her. By and by, however, a wasp was caught in her nest, so she hidthe cradle for safety in the darkest corner of her little house nearby, while she attended to Mr. Wasp.

  After a few days the children came out of their shells. What a crowd!They ran all over the little house and peeped into everything. "Comeout and see the world," said Spinny Spider. She led them out into thesunshine.

  Wicked Mr. Striped Spider was passing the door. "Good day, SpinnySpider!" he said. "That is a fine family of yours. May I look at thelittle dears?"

  "No, indeed!" cried Spinny Spider, for she knew he only wanted to eatthem.

  She placed herself in front of them, and a great fight began. Mr.Striped Spider was hungry, and if he could only kill Spinny Spider hemight have the whole family for dinner. But Spinny Spider was fightingfor the lives of her children, and her love for them gave her strengthand fierceness. Mr. Striped Spider soon lay dead at her feet. Thenthe family had him for dinner.

  The Red Butterfly had seen it all. "How you fight!" she said. "Whatare you going to do next?"

  "Come in and see," said Spinny Spider.

  "No, thank you," said the Butterfly. She flew off. She knew SpinnySpider's ways too well.

  The children began at once to make dainty little webs for themselves,and to catch their own food. Spinny Spider saw with pride that withoutany teaching they were able to make their webs as perfectly as shecould. They soon started out in life on their own account, each onelooking after himself.

  TINYBOY

  Tinyboy lived in a big red poppy. It was a pretty house. The wallswere red silk, and the floor was black velvet, and there were plenty ofsoft velvet balls to play with. In the day-time the bees andbutterflies came to see him; at night, when the poppy shut its petals,he crept down into the seed-box and slept in his warm blankets.

  But Tinyboy grew very lonely, for he had no one to play with. The beesand butterflies were always in such a hurry that they had no time for agame, and he had no one else to talk to. He was really a merry littlefellow, but just now he was so lonely that he grew quite cross.

  He sat on his doorstep and kicked his heels, and said: "Oh, dear! Iwish I had somebody to play with. I'm tired of this big, lonely house,and those silly bees and butterflies that are always in such a hurry.I do wish somebody would come and play with me."

  "How cross you are to-day," said a Red Butterfly who heard what hesaid. "If you are so rude we won't come to see you at all," she wenton. "Fancy calling us silly!"

  "Oh, well," said Tinyboy, "you know I didn't mean it. Only I'm solonely, and you never will stop to play with me."

  "I should think not," said the Butterfly. "I have my work to do, and Ican't stop to play. Why don't you go out and look for a playmate?"

  "How can I?" asked Tinyboy. "You know I can't get out of this house.It's so high up that I should fall and hurt myself if I stepped out. Ican't fly like you, for I have no wings."

  "No, neither you have! I forgot about that," said the Butterfly."Well, I feel sorry for you, so I'll tell you what I shall do. I shallgive you a ride round the garden on my back, and we'll look for aplaymate for you."

  "Oh, that will be grand," said Tinyboy. "I'm ready now."

  "Jump on, then," said the Butterfly, "and hold tight."

  Tinyboy jumped on and held tight, and off th
ey started.

  It was a wonderful ride. Tinyboy had never been out of his housebefore, so he knew nothing about the other flowers in the garden. Whenhe saw the roses and lilies and pansies and bluebells he thought thismust be the great world he had heard the bees talking about.

  "Is this the world?" he asked.

  The Butterfly laughed.

  "No," she said; "this is only a garden. Over the hedge there isanother garden, and past that there is another, and many more afterthat. It takes more gardens than one to make a world."

  "Ah, well. I'm sure it is pretty enough to be a world," said Tinyboy;and so it was. The sun shone, the birds sang, the bees and butterfliesflew gaily about their work, and the flowers laughed and nodded to oneanother across the garden. It was all lovely; Tinyboy would have likedto ride all day on the Butterfly's back. But he knew the Butterflymust soon go on with her work, so he began to look about for a playmate.

  "Let us see if anyone is at home here," said the Butterfly, stopping ata large pink rose.

  "Come out, Rose-lady!" she called, and out came the prettiest littlelady you ever saw. She was dressed in soft pink silk, and her hair wasyellow and fluffy. She came out smiling at the Butterfly, who was herfriend, but as soon as she saw Tinyboy she hid her face shyly in hercurls and ran back into her house. The Butterfly called and Tinyboycalled, but she was too shy to come out again, so they had at last tofly away to another flower.