The Sun's Babies Read online

"When she saw Tinyboy she hid her face shyly in hercurls"]

  The Butterfly stopped next at a bluebell's door. He had no need tocall out there, for a little lady dressed all in blue sat on thedoorstep.

  "Good day, Red Butterfly," she called as they came near. "Who is thison your back?"

  "This is Tinyboy," said the Butterfly. "He is looking for a playmate.Will you come?"

  The blue lady looked at Tinyboy and shook her head. "I don't likered," she said, pointing to Tinyboy's red clothes. "I like boys inblue suits."

  "That's right," called a merry voice from the next bluebell. Tinyboylooked and saw a little fellow in a bright blue suit laughing up athim. "The blue lady is my playmate," he said, "and you are not to takeher away."

  So Tinyboy and the Butterfly went on. By and by they came to a big redpoppy with a black velvet floor. "Why, that is just like my house,"Tinyboy said when he saw it. "Is it my house?"

  "No," said the Butterfly. "Your house is at the other side of thegarden. Tinygirl lives here."

  The Butterfly stood on the edge of the poppy, and Tinyboy looked in.There sat a dear little Tinygirl on the doorstep, swinging her feetjust as Tinyboy had done in his house, and looking just as lonely as hehad been. She was dressed all in red silk, and her wee cap of blackvelvet was just like his.

  She smiled at Tinyboy and Tinyboy smiled at her, and said: "Will youplay with me?"

  "Of course I will," she said at once. "Come into my house and playball."

  THE MOSQUITO BABIES

  On the top of the pool floated a dainty raft of mosquito eggs, gluedtogether by their careful mother to keep them from sinking. In a dayor two tiny wrigglers came out of the eggs, and began to dart about inevery direction to find their food.

  They were the queerest little water-babies! Their bodies were long andjointed, and from every jointed bit little bundles of swimming hairsstuck out on both sides. They had feelers on their heads, and theybreathed through their tails--of all strange places! When they wanteda fresh supply of air they stood head downwards in the water, withtails stuck up to breathe.

  How those babies did wriggle about, to be sure! They seemed never tobe still for a moment. They would take in air, then sink to the bottomof the pool and draw in tinier creatures than themselves with theirmouth hairs, then, having made their meal, wriggle up again to the top.And every movement was so wonderfully quick! It had to be so, indeed,for young dragon-flies and water-spiders and many other enemies werealways waiting to swallow them if the chance came.

  After a few days the wrigglers changed their shapes in the strangestways. Funny round shields grew over their heads, and two little tubesgrew up from the top of each shield. These tubes stood above the waterwhen the babies were at the top, and now the tail curled round, and wasnot used for breathing any more, for the babies breathed through thetwo little tubes.

  Under the shield the babies were busily making their wings and growinginto mother and father mosquitoes. But though they were so busy, theydid not rest; they moved about almost as much as ever, but now theirheads were so heavy that they tumbled and bobbed up and down instead ofwriggling. So everybody in the pond called them tumblers.

  Now came their last days in the pond. One by one they pushedthemselves out of their old skins, and stood on top of them to drytheir wings. Then they left their old home, flying off to the nearestbushes for their first rest, and from there seeking out their food."We want only juices," said the father mosquitoes; "juices of fruit orsweet green things."

  But the mother mosquitoes said: "We want blood. Nothing but blood.Where is it? Where is it?"

  THE SCRAMBLER

  He was a young blackberry plant; but he was so tiny that he couldscarcely be seen. Indeed, there was such a crush of growing thingsround him that it was a wonder he was not choked. He had started lifeunder a hedge where the tangled weeds grew so thickly that even air wasscarce; it looked for a time as if the little Scrambler must die.

  But his heart was bold; he did not give up. He pushed and pushed tillhe rose a little higher and could breathe a little more freely; then hegrew a number of strong curved hooks on his arms.

  "Kindly allow me to hold on to you," he said to the nearest weeds. Heheld on to them with his hooks and rose yet higher in the crowd.

  "Take your hooks out. You are hurting us!" cried the weeds. Theytried to grow above him and to crush him down, but he had the startnow, and he made the most of it. Higher and higher he grew, holding onto the taller plants, and sending out new hooked branches on every sideto help in his support. At last his head rose above all thesurrounding plants. He could breathe freely in the sweet air. "Ah!this is delightful!" he cried. He grew fast, spreading himself outwidely on both sides.

  Next he turned his attention to the hedge. "I must climb to the top,"he said, "so as to escape its shadow and get all the sunshine thereis." Hook by hook and branch by branch he climbed up the side of thehedge until he could look over the top.

  "Why don't you grow thick stems of your own instead of hanging on toother people?" grumbled the hedge. But the Scrambler took no notice;he was busy making his flowers. "Now that I have been so successful, Imust do my duty and bear seeds," he said to himself.

  When the buds opened he was starred with pretty white blossoms tingedhere and there with pink. He put plenty of honey in the honey-cups, sothe insects came in crowds and carried his pollen from flower toflower. "That is well," he said. "Now my seeds will set."

  Soon the petals fell and the seeds set. "I must make a sweet berry, sothat the birds will carry my seeds away to grow," he said. So he sethis seeds in berries that turned black and sweet and juicy. The birdscame and picked them, and carried the seeds away to grow.

  "I wonder you like to see your children going so far away from you,"said the Hedge.

  "It is the best thing for them," replied the Scrambler. "There is noroom for them here. They would be choked if they fell beneath mybranches."

  There was indeed no room for them there. The Scrambler had not onlycovered the top of the hedge, but had grown over the other side too,down to the ground.

  WOOLLYMOOLLY

  Woollymoolly blamed the sweet-peas and sunflowers and gold and purplepansies; but I blame Woollymoolly for not doing as he was told. Henever would do what he was told, and that caused all the trouble. Whenhe was only a few weeks old he jumped down from the railway truck, awayfrom his mother; and though she called him and called him and calledhim, he just ran and ran and ran till he was lost. Then a big kindlady found him and took him home and fed him; and he became a Pet Lamb.

  At first she gave him milk, but as soon as he could eat grass he wastethered to a peg in the back garden and allowed to nibble for yardsand yards and yards all round. That should have been enough, for therewas plenty of grass; and if he tired of grass there was clover; and ifhe tired of clover there were soft sow-thistles and milky chickweed.But after the first week he never was content with the back, forthrough a hole in the fence he could see in the front the sweet-peasand sunflowers and gold and purple pansies.

  His peg was moved from day to day, to give him fresh choice of thegrass and clover and soft sow-thistles and the milky chickweed, but hewould not be content. He raced round and round and tugged at his rope,until one day the peg came out. Then with a rush he was on his way tothe front garden, dragging rope and peg behind him. But his mistressheard the patter, patter, patter of his naughty little hoofs, and sheran fast and caught him, and hammered the peg in again. Then she toldhim plainly what to do. "Stay where you are tied," she said. "This isyour garden, all amongst the grass and the clover and the softsow-thistles and the milky chickweed. You must never, never go intothe front to eat my sweet-peas and sunflowers and gold and purplepansies."

  She was good to him. She brought him juicy turnips, and he grew bigand fat and strong. One day she let him wander in the road, and atonce he thought of the forbidden front. The little gate was shut andlatched, but through the p
icket fence he could see the shining of theflowers, the sweet-peas and sunflowers and gold and purple pansies. Sohe waited and he waited and he waited, till at last that careless,lazy, good-for-nothing butcher boy forgot to shut and latch the littlegate. Then in crept Woollymoolly, and all the sunny day, while hismistress forgot him in her household work, he gobbled up the sweet-peasand the sunflowers and the gold and purple pansies.

  At last his mistress thought of him, and went to bring him in. Shesearched up the road and down the road and back and forth across theroad, and at last she found him gobbling in her garden. "Oh, youwicked, wicked lamb!" she cried. "You have eaten all my flowers. Youhave pulled and smashed and trampled all my pretty garden. You havegreedily gobbled up my sweet-peas and sunflowers and gold and purplepansies."

  The next day came the careless, lazy, good-for-nothing butcher boyagain, but this time when he went he carried with him in his cart thelamb who would not do as he was told. "I have done with him!" hismistress cried.

  What happened to him afterwards I will not say, though maybe you canguess. At any rate, he never disobeyed again, nor walked amongst thesweet-peas and the sunflowers and the gold and purple pansies.

  THISTLE-MOTHER

  Thistle-mother looked up and saw that the winter was over, for the sunwas creeping higher and higher in the sky, and the birds werepractising their spring songs. So, unfolding her arms, she spread themover the ground, and began to push herself up into the warm air.

  Her home was on the roadside, where grasses and weeds grew so closelytogether that it was hard to find room. As she grew, they began tocomplain. "Don't push so," they cried. "And oh! how horribly pricklyyou are! You are scratching us dreadfully."

  "I am very sorry," she said, "but I really cannot help it. I seem togrow like this without knowing it."

  "Well, you might at least go somewhere else to live, where you will notdisturb so many people," they grumbled. But this was just what shecould not do. She went on growing; as the others shrank back from herprickly arms she could look over their heads.

  One day she saw a cow eating the grasses near her. She shuddered asits long tongue twisted itself round their poor helpless stems, andforced them into its great mouth. When it passed her by untouched shefelt thankful that she had so many thorns on her arms. "At last I knowwhy I grow like this," she thought. "The prickles are very useful,after all."

  When the summer came she began to make her children's cots. She wovethe overlapping sides of brightest cot-green, strong and fine. Then,remembering the cow, she put a sharp prickle at each point, and closedthe points together. She made warm fluffy beds, and in them she placedher children.

  They were tiny, helpless things, white and soft. They looked up at theshining walls as she gently put them in their cots, and asked: "Mother,must we always stay in here?"

  "No, dear ones," said the mother; "when you are strong and brown youshall fly out over the world. But rest now while I make your wings."

  Nothing daintier or more beautiful than their wings had ever been seen.They were snow-white and glistening, and long and fine, and softer thanthe softest silk. She tied them firmly to the little shoulders, and inthe middle of each wing she placed a long lilac-coloured plume. Thenshe gently opened the cots a little, and the plume-ends floated outinto the sunshine. The children sang for joy.

  "We have the most beautiful wings in the world," they sang. "Now wecan fly away."

  "Not yet," said Thistle-Mother. "Wait a little longer. You must growbrown and strong first."

  The lilac plumes glowed in the sunshine, and the cots swung in thesummer winds. "Now your time is coming, for your plumes are turningbrown," said Thistle-Mother; the children looked at one another, andsaw that they themselves had turned from white to lilac.

  "Shall we be brown next?" they asked.

  "Yes," she answered, "when your plumes are curled and twisted. Restagain."

  Soon the plumes were curled and twisted, and Thistle-Mother opened thecots widely at the top. Now the children were brown and strong. Whenthey saw the blue sky they sprang to meet it; but, instead of flyingup, they tumbled in a heap on their mother's arms.

  Thistle-Mother laughed tenderly at them. "You were in too great ahurry," she said. "Lie here till the wind comes. He will lift yourwings and give you a start, and then you can fly away. And, children,when you have seen the world, and feel ready to settle down, be sure tochoose a good growing-place. Then in time you too will becomeThistle-Mothers. Ah! here comes the wind. Good-bye, my little ones."

  "Good-bye, mother dear," they called gaily, for the wind was liftingthem and spreading their wings. They floated up into the air, and flewoff, their beautiful white feathers glistening like silver in thesunlight. "What a glorious place the world is!" they called to oneanother as they flew over the land. They went everywhere and saweverything. Those who remembered Thistle-Mother's words chose a goodgrowing-place and settled down and became Thistle-Mothers themselves;but the careless ones, who forgot--well, nobody knows what became ofthem.

  Left alone, Thistle-Mother folded her tired arms and sank into theground, to sleep till summer and cot-making time should come again.

  SALLY SNAIL'S WANDERINGS

  "I smell strawberries," said Sally Snail. "They are somewhere acrossthe road. I shall go and find them."

  "Nonsense!" said the others. "It is too dangerous a journey. Thereare always boys and carts and birds, and all sorts of monsters on theroad. You will never reach the other side alive."

  "I am going," said Sally. She started off on her strong, creepingfoot, leaving a shining wet trail behind her.

  Her curly shell covered her back, but her head was thrust well out, sothat the eyes on her two long horns could see the roadway and givewarning if danger were near. With her shorter horns she followed thescent of the strawberries.

  Half-way across the road a starling saw her. He flew down at once,thinking he had found an easy tea. But Sally Snail was too quick forhim. In an instant she drew her head and foot into her shell, and satdown so firmly on the ground that the starling could not move her. Hepulled at the shell, but he could not pull it off the ground. Hepecked at it, but he could not pierce it with his beak.

  "I will wait till you come out," he cried. "You can't stay herealways!" But a boy came running down the road, and threw a stone atthe starling. The frightened bird flew off, and Sally Snail continuedher journey. The boy did not notice her, so she reached the hedge insafety, crawled through, and found the strawberries.

  What a feast she had! She cut pieces out of the sweet fruit with thefiles in her mouth, sucked them in, and swallowed them. "If the othersknew how good these are, I am sure they would all come too," shethought.

  She stayed there till all the strawberries were gone; then she had togo back to eating leaves again.

  "There is a cabbage garden through that next fence, I am sure," shesaid one day. "I shall go and see." So she travelled next into thecabbage garden. Here she found her cousins, the Slug family.

  "Dear me, how strange you all look!" she said. "Why don't you growshells on your backs?"

  "Don't give yourself airs. We have as blue blood as you," said theSlugs. They were touchy about their soft backs.

  "How cross you are! I shall go and visit my cousins in the pond," saidSally.

  However, the cabbages were very good, so she stayed till they were allcut and taken away. Then she crossed the garden, slipped through thefence, and came to the pond. Here her cousins, the Water Snails, weregliding across the top of the water, shell downwards, like a boat, andfoot up like a sail.

  "Oh! how lovely to be able to do that!" said Sally as she watched them.

  "I have found you again!" said the Starling coming down with a swoopand a sharp peck.

  Sally slipped into her shell, but this time she was not quite quickenough. The starling had caught one of her long horns, and now flewoff with the eye from the end of it.

  "It doesn't
matter," said Sally. "I can easily grow another."

  She crept under a bush and lived there for a time, and when she cameout again another eye had grown at the end of the horn.

  "I shall go home now," said Sally. She went home and told the othersall about her travels. "We must certainly cross to the strawberrygarden next year," said the Snails, "but now winter is coming fast--wemust bury ourselves."

  They crept into the ground, sealed up the mouths of their shells withlime so that no enemies could enter, and went to sleep for the winter.

  MILLY MUSHROOM

  She was very tiny at first, and quite brown. Her mother laid hergently on the ground and said: "Creep down into the warmth and grow."So Milly crept down into the warmth, and grew into a little white girlas thin as a thread. For a year she stayed under the ground with herbrothers and sisters; then they all put on their best velvet hoods andpuffed themselves out to go up into the world.

  Billy Button sprang up first. He called down to Milly: "Come up,little sister. The sun is shining through a silver mist and everythingis glorious."

  "I am not quite ready," said Milly Mushroom. "I must grow biggerfirst."

  She puffed herself out as fast as she could, and at last was ready togo up. She tied her hood over her face to keep the wind off her softcheeks. Then she too sprang up.

  "Oh, dear," she said, "how strange it feels up here!"

  "You will soon grow used to it," said Billy Button. "Hurry up andgrow, and turn pink like me."