the box," answered Neva in a sorrowful 

 tone. • - 



Aunt Doris gave one look and then she 

 laughed. "Why, Neva, the sandman is 

 still in your eyes, for you are looking at 

 the bottom of the box and here is the cat- 

 erpillar hung up on the netting by the lit- 

 tle hooks in the tail. It is well that you 

 wakened so early, for half an hour later 

 our Danais Archippus would have been 

 a chrysalis and you never could have 

 seen it cast its skin." 



Then putting a soft shawl around the 

 little girl she took her in her lap and let 

 fier hold the box. 



Very soon the caterpillar commenced 

 rolling off its skin, but although Neva 

 watched every minute and almost held 

 her breath, she could scarcely tell how a 

 little, green case, which looked as though 

 it might be made of wax, was hanging 

 where the caterpillar had hung a few 

 moments before, while the old skin lay 

 shriveled up in the bottom of the box. 



"Isn't it beautiful, auntie?" she said. 

 "How can God make so many beautiful 

 things?" 



"Yes, it is very beautiful," replied her 

 aunt, "but it will be more so after a lit- 

 tle ; we will set the box up now and look 

 again after you are dressed." 



"You were right, auntie," Neva called 

 a little later. "The green case is a pret- 

 tier color now and it has a row of such 

 cute little gold knobs near the top. What 

 do you s'pose they are there for?" 



"You notice that they are placed just 

 where the chrysalis bulges ; they are put 

 there to protect the little sleeper when 

 the wind blows the case against any- 

 thing. You know a chrysalis is usually 

 suspended from a leaf out of doors, and 

 so it needs some such protection," ex- 

 plained Aunt Doris. 



"And now how long will this be just a 

 chrysalis and will it just hang and do 

 nothing?" asked the little girl. 



"If you are watching it closely you 

 will see that it sometimes swings towards 

 the light and sometimes away from the 

 light just as its needs require. It is a 

 sensitive little mummy. But my little 

 Neva will have to be very patient for it 

 may be twelve or even sixteen days be- 

 fore the butterfly appears." 



"It's good I'm making you a long vis- 

 it," said Neva, " 'cause I wouldn't like 

 to go home before the butterfly came." 



After ten days had passed the chrysalis 

 began to look a little darker and the 

 twelfth day Neva said, "Auntie, I 

 b'lieve I see something that looks like a 

 wing inside of this little case." 



"Sure, enough," said Aunt Doris. 

 "That means that Danais Archippus will 

 soon come out of the little green house." 

 Almost before she had finished speaking 

 the case began to move and then the part 

 that was over the butterfly's back burst 

 and a crumpled little object dropped to 

 the bottom of the box. 



"Oh, what mussed up wings!" ex- 

 claimed Neva in an excited whisper, but 

 already the butterfly had commenced dis- 

 tending them and, soon they looked three 

 times the size and were all smoothed 

 out. ' 



"Now will he fly?" asked Neva. 



"No, the wings are still drooping a 

 little because they are moist; he will 

 move them back and forth after a little, 

 but will not fly until they are perfectly 

 dry." 



"Isn't he just a beauty! How I wish 

 mamma could see how he looks," said the 

 little girl in a longing tone. 



"How would you like to have auntie 

 paint his picture before he is ready to 

 fly away?" asked her aunt. 

 ' Neva's eyes sparkled. "Oh, will you?" 

 she exclaimed. "I'll run and get your 

 paints." 



A few minutes later the Danais was 

 taken from the box and placed on the 

 tablespread and Aunt Doris' brush was 

 doing rapid work. 



Neva was fascinated as her eyes trav- 

 eled from her live butterfly to the beauti- 

 ful deep orange wings trimmed with 

 black and white which her aunt was 

 painting. 



"Why Aunt Doris," she said, "It's a 

 zact match, it's 'most a reg'lar twin. 

 How large it is !" 



"Yes, it is four and a half inches 

 across the wings. It is the largest kind of 

 an American butterfly." 



By the time the painting was finished 

 the butterfly commenced flitting about 

 the room. It soon found its way to the 



209 



