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?



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