FullReads

“But if you were dead you would not know it,” said Bud.

“Stupid child! if I’m killed in that way I cannot live again; but if I bury myself and lie asleep till spring, I come up a grub or a young beetle, I don’t know which, but I am sure of some change. So I want a good grave to rest in; for dying is only a sleep before we wake up in another shape.”

“I’m glad of that!” cried Bud. “I’ll help you dig, and I’ll cover you nicely, and hope you will be some pretty insect by and by.”

So she threw off her veil, and worked busily with a little wooden shovel till a deep grave was made. The old beetle tumbled in with a gruff “Thank you, child,” and died quite comfortably, with the warm sand over him. Bud piled little stones above the place, and left him to his long sleep, happy to be able to help, and full of wonder as to whether she too would have to die before her change came.

The sun was going down now; for the butterfly party and the beetle’s funeral had taken a long time, and twilight was coming on.

“I must find a place to sleep,” said Bud, rather anxiously; for this was her first night alone, and she began to miss Mother Linnet’s warm wings brooding over her.

But she kept up her courage and trudged on till she was so tired she was forced to stop and rest on a bank where a glow-worm had just lighted its little lamp.

“Can I stay here under this big leaf?” she asked, glad to see the friendly light and bathe her tired feet in the dewy grass.

“You cannot go much farther, for the marsh is close by, and I see you have no wings, so you never could get on,” answered the worm, turning his green lamp full upon the weary little wanderer.

Bud told her story, and was just going to ask if there was anything to eat, for she was sadly hungry, when some very sweet voices called down to her from a tall bush over her head,–

“Come to us, dear! We are the marsh-honeysuckles, cousins of the columbines you met to-day. Here is supper, with a bed, and a warm welcome for the good little creature Honey-bag the bee told us about.”

Bud put up her arms to a great cluster of white flowers bending down to her, and in a moment lay in a delicious place, full of sweetest fragrance, while the honeysuckles fed and petted and rocked her to sleep before she could half thank them for their kindness.

There was time for a good nap and a lovely dream before a harsh voice waked her up, and she heard a bat talking as it hung near by, with its leathery wings over its eyes to shut out the light of the glow-worm still strolling about on the bank.

“Yes, the poor little boy wandered into the bog and was nearly drowned,” said the bat. “It was that naughty Willy Wisp playing tricks again, and leading people out of the right path to splash into the mud. I’ve scolded him many a time, but he will do it; for he loves to make the woodmen and the children think he is the light in their cottage windows till they fall into the marsh, and then he hides and leaves them to get out as they can.”

“What a wicked fellow!” cried Bud, rubbing her eyes and sitting up to listen.

“Of course he wouldn’t mind you, for he knows you hate light, and he likes to teaze you by flashing his lantern in your eyes,” said the glow-worm.

“Yes, I do hate light of all kinds, and wish it were always night,” scolded the bat.

“I don’t! I love sunshine and stars and fireflies and glow-worms and all the bright things; so perhaps if I went and talked to Willy Wisp he would stop playing these naughty pranks,” said Bud, much interested, and feeling that this would be a very good work to do for the dear children.