The Little Girl And The Butterfly
:
Keep-well Stories For Little Folks
Virginia is a little girl who lives in Not Far-Away Land. Her mother is
a wise woman, and she wants her little girl to grow up into a strong and
beautiful young woman.
Some days Virginia pouts and is cross. She does not go out to play. She
cries for things her mother does not want her to have. She will not
take a nap in her snug little bed. She cries for candy, and will not eat
her br
ad and butter.
One day Virginia was sitting on the door-step, pouting; she had
forgotten to be good that day. Presently, a beautiful butterfly
fluttered down near her.
Virginia forgot all her naughty thoughts and said, "Tell me, pretty
Butterfly, where did you come from and what made you so beautiful?"
The Butterfly turned its pretty head and looked at Virginia a moment.
Then it said, "Little girl, I'll tell you a secret if you will forget
your pouts and listen."
Virginia promised.
"I was an egg once; for you know, little girl, every living thing comes
from an egg. This egg hatched, and a little green worm crawled out. This
little green worm was I, and I did not know then that some day I would
be a beautiful butterfly.
"I was a good little worm, and did all the things Mother Nature told me
to do. I ate the things that were good for me. I liked nice, juicy
leaves--and Mother Nature told me they would make me grow big and
strong. Little babies and little calves have nice warm milk to make them
grow, and little worms eat nice, tender, green leaves. I chewed them up
fine, so that my very little stomach could digest them. Do you like your
bread and butter?
"I do not cry for things Mother Nature tells me are not good for me.
Every day I take plenty of cool, fresh water to drink from the drops I
find on the leaves. Little worms, as well as little girls, need cool,
pure water.
"You should see my bath-tub; it is a rose leaf filled with dewdrops. Oh,
how clean and sweet I am after my daily bath! I am fresh and fit for my
travels over the green bushes and pretty rose vines.
"Once I climbed to the top of a high maple tree, and rested on a leaf,
while I watched the folks below passing.
"After I had eaten, and bathed, and played as long as Mother Nature
wanted me to, I curled up in a tiny cradle and went fast asleep.
"My nap lasted a long time--all winter. All babies need sleep, you know;
it makes them grow healthy and strong. Mother Nature was wise; she hung
my cradle to the branch of a tree, where it would be in the pure fresh
air while I was sleeping. The winds sang sweet lullabys to me. Some fine
days Jack Frost would go whistling by. Sometimes an icicle would swing
on the same branch with me. When the warm sun came out from behind the
clouds, down would go the little icicle to the ground, shattered and
sparkling like a thousand diamonds. All this time I was tucked away in
my warm, brown cradle, waiting for the gentle spring breezes to wake me.
"One day I woke from my long nap to find that I was a beautiful
creature. Mother Nature had dressed me in wonderful colors. My wings
were gaudy. She had given me graceful legs on which to walk, and a
pretty head and body. I could fly from flower to flower. I did not eat
leaves any more, but I drank nectar from the flower cups.
"I love the sunshine, the clear water, the green grass, the bright
flowers, and I love to hear the birds sing in the trees. I love to see
the bees, as they rove from flower to flower to gather honey. Life
seems one long, sweet song as I flit here and there.
"Little girl, if you will listen to your mother as I listened when
Mother Nature told me how to grow strong and beautiful, you will grow to
be a strong, healthy girl, with rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes. To be
strong and healthy is to be beautiful."
QUESTIONS
1. Why was Virginia cross? How did she behave?
2. What fluttered down by her? What story did the
butterfly tell Virginia?
3. What kind of food did Mother Nature prepare for
the little baby that one day was to be a
butterfly? Was this different from the food it
needed when it grew into a butterfly?
4. What food is good for the little babies in the
home and the little baby calves?
5. When did baby butterfly sleep? Is fresh air
good for the baby in your home? Was it good for
Virginia?
6. What was the baby butterfly's cradle made of?