Virginia W. Johnson

“ Finally the peddler, who is stopping here to-night, discovered me, while he was driving his wagon slowly along, and raised me from my lowly position.
"I do not know where I may go next," said the Umbrella, mournfully. "We are all born, but we are not all dead, you know."
"A new thought, certainly," remarked the Kettle, drowsily. "Follow an umbrella from the cradle to the grave."
It was now time for the Wasp to distinguish himself. ”

“ Down the moonbeam, which formed a pathway paved with sparkling hues, floated tiny fairy figures, bearing in their midst upon a litter, formed of a lily-cup, their queen. Milly thought she had never dreamed of any thing half so beautiful. Shimmering colors wrapped each little sprite in a misty glow, while their wings were frosted like those of a butterfly. As for the queen, she was ten times more radiant than any of her subjects, as a queen should be; and, when she moved, a faint musical sound tinkled from the chains of turquoises, which were fastened about her waist ”

“ It was a flower of the most exquisite coloring, with a rich purplish-crimson outer edge and a disk of the same hue, the stout, short tentacles of which were marked with pellucid rings of white and lilac. Floating [Pg 56] just beneath a crystal film of sea, it expanded temptingly under my wistful gaze. What a wonderful place, I thought, where delicious flowers were borne to hungry travellers! I fluttered nearer, longing for a sip of honey; and in another moment should have been lost, had not a little fish come along, to be stung and devoured by the anemone before I fell into its clutches. ”

“ Milly watched all the busy little figures until her very eyes ached, and the clock, upon the dining-room wall of the baby-house, struck one, two, when out popped the bird above, without [Pg 176] any one's pulling the silk tag, and chirped 'cuckoo' quite distinctly. At this the moonbeam fairies fluttered from their perch upon the gables, and circled in rings of flame and purple and gold and blue, quickly succeeding each other; while the moonlight streamed brighter and brighter, wrapping every thing in a dazzling cloud. ”

“ I never see a dragon-fly floating along, without thinking of that dreadful pit where the ant-lion lurked in waiting for victims. I felt too much exhausted to move after that, and, while in so miserably helpless a state, a bird snapped me up, to carry me through the air by three legs, as food for the young birds. ”

“ If the Spider was here, I could tell him of some relatives that I met,—rough, hairy spiders, with fierce looks; soft, plump things that melt away almost at the touch; and others of gorgeous hues, that double themselves into cunning shapes to resemble flowers and buds. At last I came upon an army of Saüba ants, each one carrying a bit of green leaf daintily as a parasol. ”

“ Fame is a greater gift than that of my sister here: any fool can be rich. But every man cannot have what these men possessed, because God gave them what gold never can buy,' said the West Wind, her proud eyes brightening.
"'I should only be a cripple, and men would laugh at me,' sighed Neil, taking up the third peach, and opening it. ”

“ I can generally tell when a storm is coming,—they are right in supposing that much,—and oh! how I enjoy it! Why, friend Wasp, you have no idea what [Pg 51] life really is, just fluttering about among the flowers and trees: I should gasp for breath where every thing is only still sunshine. What I call life is to see the clouds piled in dark masses overhead, the waves rearing mountains high, and to have the wind blow a hurricane.'
"'I should imagine such exposure would beat the life out of you,' I remarked.
"'Not at all,' replied the Petrel. ”

“ I have no learned tastes, like my bachelor brother; I do not care in the least whether the moon is green cheese or not,—as long as I stay on earth it need not trouble me; I am not a business mouse, like my city brother ”

“ Think of that!" cried the Spider, hugging himself with satisfaction.
"You need not turn up your broken nose, Madame Teapot: we are all murderers; still we do any amount of good, after all, in destroying insects that would otherwise cause much trouble."
"I don't believe a word of what you say," interrupted the Saucepan. "A spider kill a bird, indeed! Nobody ever heard of such a thing."
"My dear," interposed the Teapot scornfully, feeling very much angered at the allusion to her [Pg 18] nose made by the ill-bred stranger, "great travellers always tell fine stories." ”

“ The life of an umbrella is a most aggravated form of slavery. One can never be sure of having a moment's peace. In stormy weather, no matter how heavily the rain falls, or the snow sleet drives, one must be on duty, shivering in wet corners neglected, or dragged out to brave the tempest again; while on clear days one may be under the bed, or behind the wardrobe likely enough,—that at least was my experience, but then my master was a bachelor. ”

“ Upon all their faces beamed a joy that separated them from the world.
"'Riches do not always bring happiness,' said the North Wind. 'Fame seldom does, and mere earthly love must fade before the presence of death.'
"'Let me be like those you have shown me,' cried Neil, stretching out his hands towards her.
"The other sisters rose slowly, floating south, east, and west, until they became balls of light again; but the North Wind took the little cripple in her sheltering arms, and bore him swiftly away. Over the sea they went, the North Wind sweeping gracefully along ”

“ We do not live solely upon the juices of flowers and fruits: we are very fond of the hosts of flies that swarm about and render themselves so annoying in the summer season. For instance, if you notice the pigs in the farm-yard any warm day, you will observe that the flies cluster thickly over their skins, tormenting the poor animals terribly. This torment is greatly lessened by the wasps, who skim over the fence every now and then, and capture a fly inevitably in their fatal grasp."
"Is it possible!" exclaimed the Teapot.
"Yes, indeed," returned the Wasp complacently. ”

“ All the country mice put on their skates, made of beech-nuts, with crooked pins for runners, and began to caper about in a great way. The vain young city mouse then fastened on his, which were tiny apple-seeds beautifully polished, and strapped with gray horse-hairs. ”

“ At last the Cricket marched the strangers in one night, and gave them places about the hearth.
"Allow me," said he, flourishing his right feeler in the air, "to introduce to you, friends, some very distinguished additions to our number,—the travelled Spider, the disappointed Caterpillar, and the ambitious Wasp." [Pg 10]
"How do you all do?" inquired the Kettle very politely, for the Saucepan and Teapot seemed rather stiff in their manners. ”

“ THE TRAVELLED SPIDER.
I was born in the cellar of this very house, and, for a delightful, spidery residence, I know of no place to equal the dark, dust-stained window ledge where I first drew breath. After a long period of absence, I find my early home has lost none of its charms. This is the case with men as well as spiders, I am told. The American thinks there is no river in the world so grand as the great Mississippi; the Frenchman none so beautiful as the Seine; the Englishman none so famous as the Thames ”

“ Think of the power you can [Pg 90] wield. The whole world would open her countless treasures. You could obtain knowledge; you could see every thing that is beautiful or interesting; and you could relieve the needy by your bounty. Better be a rich cripple than a poor one.'
"Little Neil thought so, too; but he concluded to cut another peach before he decided the question. He did so; and the interior of the second was lined with crystals of great brilliancy, that shimmered in points of light like a rainbow prism, yet their gleam was cold as ice. ”

“ She wore a red-peaked cap, high-heeled shoes, and a tight-laced bodice. Her hair was bright yellow, and the tip of her sharp nose had a blue tinge, which would have been unbecoming to any other person than a fairy. Her carriage consisted of a sweet-pea blossom, drawn by two spirited cockchafers. The children could not but admire the skilful manner in which she handled the ribbons and whip, made of a spider's leg, ornamented with tassels. [Pg 198]
"'Here I am at last, dears,' said Madam Pug briskly. 'Whoa! Trot is a most vicious bug. ”

“ The children strolled about, every moment discovering something new to admire,—now it was a graceful-arched bridge; now it was a white statue gleaming through the shrubbery; now it was a massive carved urn, filled with hardy, clinging ivy vines.
"Seeing no one near, they determined once more to eat their dinner; and so, selecting a pleasant bank for the purpose, were soon discussing their good things.
"'Now you will find that May-day is nice, after all,' said Nellie triumphantly, her mouth full of cake, as she poured some of the contents of the bottle into a cup the size of a thimble. ”

“ Across the fruit lay a small case-knife, the handle studded with precious stones, and the diamond blade wearing a keen edge.
"'This casket contains four wishes, from which you may choose. They are the gifts of the Wind Sisters,' said a water spirit; then sank in a circle of foam bubbles.
"In the sky appeared a ring of blended colors, which descended rapidly, taking the form of four globes,—one rose pink, one gold, one green, and the last pale blue. The radiance of these globes of light spread far over the ocean. ”

“ The Spider alone was unhurt; so he merely shook himself, and sat chuckling at the discomfiture of the others.
After doing all this mischief, the Kettle subsided, with many meek apologies.
"We can give you references enough, if that is all you want," said the Wasp snappishly; "but we had better leave, I think, comrades, before we have another hot bath. My hind leg is completely disabled." [Pg 12]
"Do not go," urged the Cricket. "We should enjoy your society so much, I am sure, when we become better acquainted." ”

“ The children had a smaller table to themselves, with just as much to eat as their parents. They behaved pretty well at first, until one roguish little mouse thrust his nose into the cheese, and the next one gave him a push that sent him sprawling across the table. This made all the others frolic, too, so that the city mouse had to come and box their ears all around.
"While she was doing this, the little servant happened to come along, carrying a nut-shell of honey; and what did she do but catch her foot in the beautiful long tail of the city mouse, and spill the honey all down her back. ”

“ The waves curled up over his head at times; great monsters swam towards him with fierce looks,—serpents and alligators opening their huge jaws as if to devour him; yet he panted on until he was cast upon the shore.
"When he awoke, Neil found himself lying upon the soft grass, near a spring of water that gurgled from a moss-grown rock, with a pleasant [Pg 99] sound, and tinkled along in mimic cascades beside him. He was surrounded by a group of fair children, who bade him drink of the spring. Neil drank deeply, and immediately he felt a new life. ”

“ When disturbed, out it pounces, with an angry snap of the claws and a savage whisk of the tail, ready for some mischief, you may be sure.
"Ah, I wish I was a scorpion, instead of a mere ordinary spider! But then every one cannot be great, after all.
"Well, even the scorpion is foolish sometimes, as I will presently tell you. It lives in burrows, which it digs in the ground, the entrance being formed to the exact size of the insect. By the shape of the hole people discover the residence, and, when they wish to destroy the inmate, they pour some water down, to see if the scorpion is at home. ”

“ Just at this moment the Kettle Club was startled by a sudden thump, thump in the room.
"What was that?" whispered the Teapot; and all the others listened, without daring to look over their shoulders, for the fire was rather low.
"It is only I," said the Saucepan. "I have jumped off the shelf to hear better."
"You must have hurt yourself," said the Kettle. [Pg 48]
"Oh, no: I only feel a trifle jarred. I am made of tin, you know."
How were they to move the Saucepan nearer to the hearth? ”

“ There was a portrait of one of our distinguished ancestors, painted in brickdust by a young mouse artist of great talent; there was a scrap of bacon sent from England; and there were two whole figs given to the fair by a wealthy mouse of high rank. There were also a number of articles to be sold by lottery; a work-box formed of a filbert hollowed out, and lined with moss, besides being fitted up with needles and scissors of fish-bone; a pony carriage made of a scallop shell upon spool wheels, the most luxurious thing to drive in I ever beheld ”

“ The nest is surrounded by a mound, and then the land is cleared for several feet beyond. A grain-bearing grass is sowed by the insect, and afterward tended with great care, the ant cutting away all other grasses or weeds that may spring up,—like the good farmer it is. When the small, white seed is ripe, it is carefully harvested, and carried into the granary, where it is cleared of the chaff, which is thrown outside as worthless. Should the rain wet the winter stores, the ant brings the grain out into the sun to dry, that the damp may not cause sprouting among the provisions. ”

“ She crept through the keyhole leaving her moth outside; and the water spirit changed herself into an ugly gray bat for the purpose of devouring Madam Pug's horse: so that she had to sit on the chimney all night, after paying the visit, until one of the gnats had flown away for another moth. ”