The Sun's Babies, Page 2

  She worked away busily under her green cloak, and grew taller andtaller every day. The little Earth-worm often came out to look at her,but all he could see was the green cloak. "Why don't you come out andsee the world?" he would shout from his lowly place on the ground. Shealways answered: "Wait a little longer. I am making my frock."

  At last, one beautiful spring morning, the frock was finished. "I amcoming out now," cried the Daffodil Baby. The Earth-worm wriggled upto the top, and the sunbeams flew down to help. They tugged at thethick green cloak with their warm hands till it flew open. Out sprangthe Daffodil Baby--a Daffodil Baby no longer, but grown into theloveliest little Daffodil Lady. Her frock was all yellow and frilled,and she wore the daintiest little green shoes. She was very beautiful.The Earth-worm heard everybody say that.

  "What a glorious world!" cried the little yellow lady. "Now I am goingto be very happy." And so she was. She played with the sunbeams,danced with the winds, and talked merrily to her green-leaf brothers.The bees and the moths came to see her every day; one warm day thefirst butterfly of the season came to visit her.

  But with all her good times she did not grow proud. She was just asfriendly with the Earth-worm, now when she stood so far above him, asshe had been when under the ground. She often had long talks with himin the early mornings before the bees were awake. "Why don't you climbup here?" she asked him one day. "It is much nicer swaying in thewind, and I could talk to you so much more easily."

  "I should grow giddy up there," answered the Earth-worm. "It is notthe place for me at all. Besides, I shall be able to talk to you allthrough the long winter, when you are in your blankets again."

  DAFFODILS

  Oh the golden daffodils, That open in the spring, When gorse blooms out on all the hills, And birds begin to sing!

  They nod their heads, their yellow heads, All down the garden walk; As if they wish to leave their beds, And run about, and talk.

  Suppose they could! What jolly fun To see them run and play! Like golden children from the sun, Come down to spend the day.

  WILLY WALLFLOWER

  The sun shone gaily, for it was the middle of summer. The flowers inthe garden made love to the bees and tossed their pretty heads at oneanother. Only Willy Wallflower stood green and straight, for hisflowers had not yet come.

  "Wake up, Willy Wallflower!" called the Roses. "It is time you showedus your flowers."

  "Not yet," said Willy Wallflower. "They are not ready."

  "How slow you are!" cried the White Lily. "If you do not hurry, thesummer will be over and the bees gone. Then what will be the use ofyour flowers?"

  "I cannot help it," said Willy. "I was planted late, and am now busymaking my wood. I will bloom when my time comes."

  The summer passed and the autumn came, but still Willy Wallflower hadno flowers, though he grew taller and stouter every day. Then the coldwinter came. The flowers shivered themselves away to nothing, the beestook to staying in the hive all day.

  The snow and ice passed, and the keen spring winds began to blow. NowWilly Wallflower was ready to make his flowers. He wrapped the littlebuds in their warm round tunics and set them in clusters amongst theirsheltering leaves. "Grow high and open out," he said.

  Slowly they grew high, and at last one mild day they pushed aside theirtunics and opened out. They were very beautiful; four red velvetypetals spread widely out on each side; in the middle there were sixpale yellow stamens and a fluffy double pistil-head. Below the fluffyhead was the long, slender seed-case, where the tiny baby seedlingswaited for the pollen grains that were to make them grow.

  "Where is our pollen?" the babies cried eagerly.

  "Be patient," said Willy Wallflower. "Soon the bees will bring it."

  But the bees were long in coming. Day after day Willy Wallflower andthe babies waited, listening anxiously for the busy wings that did notcome. The honey-cups were filled with sweetest honey, the petalspoured out their delicious scent into the surrounding air, but no beesappeared.

  "Wait a little longer," said Willy Wallflower. "They will surely comesoon."

  In the hive the bees hung in a mass on their comb to keep warm. In thecentre was the Queen; round her clung her people, row after row, allquiet and orderly, and doing their best to help one another. As theouter ones grew cold they passed into the centre; at meal-times theinside ones passed out the honey to the others. From mouth to mouth itwas passed till it reached the other row, everybody waiting his turnand showing no greediness. Every now and again they beat their wingsto keep warm, but otherwise they were still, as they had been all thewinter.

  One day a warm breath of air floated in through the door. "That feelslike spring!" cried the bees. "Perhaps the flowers are waking."Scouts were sent out to see.

  Soon they came back. "The crocuses and primroses are opening," theyreported, "and Willy Wallflower is all in bloom waiting for us."

  "Then let us go!" said the bees. They flew straight out to WillyWallflower.

  "At last! at last!" cried the wee green babies joyfully. The beesdipped deep into the sweet honey-cups, carrying the pollen from thestamens of one flower to the fluffy pistil-heads of others. Then thepollen grains ran down into the seed-cases and helped the babies togrow into seeds.

  SWEET VIOLET

  A little girl brought a violet plant and a pansy plant to her teacher.

  "See!" said she. "These were given to me. May I grow them in school?"

  "Certainly," said the teacher. "Here are two little pots. We willplant them both, and set them on the broad window-sill. You can waterthem each day, and we shall see how well they will grow."

  "This is dreadful," said the Pansy to the Violet, as they stood side byside on the window-sill. "How shall we bear the dust and heat of thisroom after the fresh sweet air of the garden? I am sure I shall die."

  "Oh! it is not quite so bad as that," said the Violet. "It certainlyis not so pleasant as the garden, but when the window is opened onefeels better."

  "My leaves are covered with dust already. How is one to breathe?"grumbled the Pansy.

  "So are mine," said the Violet; "but never mind. Don't think about it.Let us turn our attention to making our flowers."

  "You don't mean to say that you think of making a flower here!" criedthe Pansy. "What would be the use? You would never be able to makegood seed, for no bee or butterfly will ever find its way in amongstthese close buildings."

  "One never knows what may happen," said the Violet; "and it is betterto be busy than to mope."

  She set to work to make her flower, and took just as much care over itas if she had been out in the garden. She covered the slender stalkand pointed sepals with soft white fur, and filled her seed-box withtiny green balls. Then she drew honey guides down her blue silkpetals, made her pollen, and filled her quaint honey-bag with honey,just as if she expected a bee or a butterfly at any moment.

  "You are wasting your time," said the Pansy, who was doing nothing.

  "I am busy, and that keeps me happy," said the Violet. She scented herpetals and set their brushes on them.

  "My violet has a flower on it!" cried the little girl. "Oh, how sweetit smells!" She watched the sun shining through the blue petals as theflower hung over the pot, and her eyes shone with pleasure. Allthrough the day she turned to look at the Violet as soon as each littletask was done, and at night she told her mother what had happened.

  "I shall not mind if no bee finds me now," said the Violet. "My flowerhas given so much happiness that I am content, even if I never makegood seed." The Pansy had nothing to say.

  A few days later a wonderful thing happened. A bee came buzzing in atthe open window and flew straight to the Violet.

  "Sweet Violet," he said, "I have found you at last. Your scent cameout to me as I was passing, and I have sought for you in all thewindows. Have you any honey for me?"

  "Plenty!" cried the Violet joyfully. "Dip deep and
take all I have,dear friend."

  "Thank you," said the Bee. "I will give you some pollen from yourcousins in return. They are blooming in a window-box in the nextstreet."

  He brushed tiny pollen grains off his head and gave them to the Violet.

  "Thank you," said the Violet. "Please take some of mine back to mycousins." She laid some of hers on his head, and he flew off.

  Filled with joy, the Violet set to work to make her little green ballsinto seeds.

  "Well, if I had thought a bee really would come, I would have made aflower too," said the Pansy.

  THE CHERRY CHILDREN

  It was early spring. The Cherry Children woke up and called: "Mother,may we go to play now?"

  "Wait till I have made your fairy boats," said the Cherry Mother.

  They lay still and waited, and she made their fairy boats, with whitesilk sails. Then they sprang up and played in the sunshine, sailing toand fro on the spring winds, and throwing tiny scent-balls out into theair. The bees and butterflies and silver moths came to visit them;everybody laughed and chattered and was happy.

  After a while the Cherry Children grew tired.

  "Mother," they called, "we have played enough. We should like to restnow."

  "Creep into your little green cradles," said the Cherry Mother. "Restthere and grow while I make your cradles big."

  They crept into their cradles. The mother gently loosened the whitesails and dropped them on the ground, where they lay like scentedsnowflakes. Then she made the cradles bigger as the children grew.She lined the wooden walls with softest satin, and covered them with athick green covering. The winds blew and rocked the little cradles toand fro; from the neighbouring trees the birds sang soft lullabies, andwatched and waited.

  The green cradle coverings turned deep red. Once more the CherryChildren woke up.

  "Mother, we wish to grow," they called.

  "The birds are coming. They will carry you away to grow," replied themother.

  The birds came in flocks and carried the Cherry Children away in theirbeaks. They pecked off the sweet red coverings and ate them, droppingthe hard wooden cradles on the ground. There the autumn leaves coveredthem when they fell, and the rain showers washed them farther andfarther into the soft earth.

  One day the wooden cradles split open at the sides, and out peeped theCherry Children. They grew down and up, and soon wherever a cradle hadfallen there stood a young cherry tree, slender and green.

  THE DAISY FAIRY

  She was a dainty little fairy, and all her work was daintily done. Theriver bank was so gay with her sweet, pink-tipped daisies thateverybody admired it. The bees loved the spot.

  One day she noticed that a hill standing near had no flowers on it.

  "I must make that beautiful too," she thought, so she flew across andplanted a daisy-seed near the top.

  "That is absurd," said the Hill. "How can a thing so tiny be of anyuse to me?"

  "Wait and see," said the Fairy. To the seed she said: "Swell andsprout and grow up and down."

  The seed swelled and sprouted, and grew up and down; when the Fairycame again it had a root and a stem.

  "Now make your leaves," she said; when next she came the leaves weremade. "Very well done," she said. "Now I will help you to make yourflowers, for they are most important."

  So she and the daisy worked together at the flowers. First they made astem, slender and green, with a knob at the top. On this they seatedthe flowers like tiny golden bells round and round in rings. In eachflower they put a store of honey for the bees and of pollen for theneighbour flowers. Then they set a row of fine large white petalsround the edge to catch the eyes of the bees, and the Fairy tipped themwith pink. Last they made the green leaf coverings for the outside tokeep away unfriendly insects.

  "Fold yourselves over the flowers till the morning," the Fairy said tothese leaves, "and then open widely to let the bees come in."

  From her river bank the next morning the Fairy saw the daisy shining inthe sunlight. She pointed it out to a bee. "There is a fresh daisyfull of honey-cups," she said. The bee flew to it at once. He stoodin the middle of the flower, unrolled his long tongue, and supped upthe sweet honey from flower after flower, turning himself round andround till he had dipped into every one.

  "Thank you, tiny daisies," said the Bee. "That was delicious honey."

  "Thank you, Mr. Bee," said the Daisies, "for you have mixed our pollen,and now our seed will grow well."

  The Daisy Fairy came again and said: "Drop your petals, close yourgreen leaf coverings, and make your seed."

  She came again when the seeds were ripe.

  "Now scatter your seeds," she said to the daisy, and to each littleseed as it fell she said as before: "Swell and sprout and grow up anddown." The seeds did as they were told, and soon there was a ring ofstrong young daisy plants growing round the first one. Again theflowers were made and the seeds scattered; in a short time the hill wasstarred with pink and white.

  "It is wonderful!" said the Hill. "I should never have believed it ifI had not seen it."

  "It was a tiny seed," said the Fairy, "but it has made you beautiful."

  MY GARDEN

  I have a garden of sweetest flowers, Beside the orchard wall. The sun sends sunbeams, the clouds send showers, To make them gay and tall.

  Marigolds, wallflowers, cowslips, pinks, Pansies, and mignonette! Forget-me-not blue its star-eye winks; Roses their buds have set.

  But dearest of all, in their border low, Bloom the daisies so wee. Pink and crimson, or as white as the snow; Daisies, daisies for me!

  BED-TIME

  Ticketty Tacketty, tick, tack, tock! Now then, young man, just look at that clock! Off with your shoe, and off with your sock. Ticketty Tacketty, tick, tack, tock.

  PANSY

  Pansy so velvety, pansy so wide, Pansy with heart of gold, How I wish I could stay outside Till I saw your petals unfold!

  When do you open them, pansy so blue? I watch, but never see. One day there's a bud; the next, there's--you! You are _such_ a puzzle to me.

  Do you open them softly in the dark, While stars watch overhead? Or fling them wide with the morning lark, Before I am out of my bed?

  MAY FAIRIES

  "Come out and dance," called the Snow Fairies to the May Fairies.

  The May Fairies peeped out of their homes in the hawthorn trees andshivered.

  "No, thank you," they said. "It is too cold out there. Besides, weare busy making our buds."

  They made tiny red-tipped buds and set them on the branches of thetrees, two at the foot of each thorn. Then they crept down into theirwarm homes again to wait for the spring.

  With the spring came the merry Sunbeams.

  "Come out and dance," they called.

  "Oh! are you there?" called back the May Fairies. "Then we must openour buds, so we have no time to dance."

  They worked hard, blowing out the buds with their dainty breath, tillat last the leaves opened and the trees were dressed in flutteringgreen.

  The Spring Fairies came tripping past, waving tasselled catkins intheir hands.

  "Come out and dance," they called.

  "We have no time. We must make our flower-buds," replied the MayFairies.

  They made their wee round flower-buds and set them on the trees, andblew into them and puffed them out till they looked like tinysnowballs. Harder and harder they blew, until at last the flowers flewopen. Then the trees looked as if showers of white stars had fallen onthem from the sky in snow-time. How lovely they were! The littleflies came from far and near to feast, buzzing out their thankfulnessto the fairies for the sweet honey.

  The Summer Fairies came with roses and forget-me-nots. "Come out anddance," they called.

  "We have no time," called back the May Fairies. "We have to make ourberries."

  They gently loosened the white petals of the flowers and set themfloating
on the wind. Then they made the little green seed-balls intoberries, blowing them big and round so that the seeds should have roomto grow, and polishing the outsides till they turned red and glowedlike garnets in the sunshine. What a feast the birds had!

  When the fairies had finished it was autumn.

  "Come and dance," called the Leaf Fairies as they fluttered past intheir brown and crimson robes.

  "We are coming," called back the May Fairies, "for now our work isdone." They flew down from their tree-homes, free at last to dancethrough all the golden autumn days.

  THE DRAGON

  He was not a pretty fellow by any means when he lived in the water.Indeed, the mosquito babies thought him the ugliest andfiercest-looking creature in the world; but as he ate them up wheneverhe could catch them their bad opinion of him was hardly to be wonderedat.

  They all lived in the pool. The mosquito babies felt that it wouldhave been a happy life if it had not been for the Dragon. He would lieso still and grey in the water that they would think he was only astick, but as they came near his horrid mask would open, and out wouldshoot his cruel jaws; they would be swallowed before they had time tothink any more. What an appetite he had! It seemed as if all themosquito babies in the pool would never satisfy him.