in the cage. It became so well tamed 

 that she allowed it to exercise in the 

 garden every day, after which it would 

 return to her out-stretched finger, and 

 allow itself to be replaced in its cage. 

 It died at the end of three weeks. An- 

 other cocoon hatched and was placed in 

 the same cage. This Butterfly soon 

 learned that by folding its wings it could 

 escape through the openings of the cage, 

 which it did every day, but after sun- 

 ning itself in the window always returned 

 to its pleasant captivity." 



"How charming," Edith observed, "it 

 must have been for the lady to be on 

 terms of intimacy with such a fragile, 

 beautiful child of the air." 



"The Butterfly is a favorite with Dame 

 Nature," Aunt Jane continued. "She has 

 given it a monopoly of the nectar in long- 

 tubed flowers. Its proboscis is long and 

 hollow, and it sucks the honey from the 

 extreme tip. But Nature loves the flow- 

 ers, too, so the mouth of the Butterfly is 

 covered with hairs, to which the flower 

 pollen clings, and is thus carried by the 

 Butterfly to fertilize other flowers which 

 it visits. The Butterfly is not, therefore, 

 an idle beauty, dancing in the sunshine, 

 but it has an important work to do for 

 the perpetuation and perfection of the 

 long-tubed flowers." 



Belle Paxson Drury. 



THE BUTTERFLY. 



Frail little butterfly, 



'Mid these mighty mountains, 

 Fluttering 'twixt summits high. 



Sipping at the fountains. 

 Fearless as fragile, thou, 



Heedless of all danger, 

 Floating where blue flax-flowers bow, 



Exquisite, rare ranger ! 



Sunlit meadows, soft and low 



Hold thee, gently hovering. 

 Far above may tempests blow — 



Lowliness thy covering! 

 So thy little day is spent, 



Vastness all around thee ! 

 Happy in thy sweet content, 



Till the night has found thee ! 



— Mrs. Merrill E. Gates. 



