Among the Meadow People

by Clara Dillingham Pierson

  "Humph!" exclaimed a Bee, "it is a very poor place for pockets, and avery poor use to make of them. Every Bee knows that pockets are handieston the hind legs, and should be used for carrying pollen to the babiesat home."

  "My pocket is behind," said a Spider, "and my web silk is kept there. Icouldn't live without a pocket."

  Some of the meadow people were getting angry, so the Garter Snake, whowould always rather laugh than quarrel, glided forward and said: "Myfriends and neighbors; our speaker here has been so kind as to tell ushow the Mosquitoes do a great many things, and to try to teach us theirway. It seems to me that we might repay some of his kindness by showinghim our ways, and seeing that he learns by practice. I would ask theSpiders to take him with them and show him how to spin a web. Then theBees could teach him how to build comb, and the Tree Frog how to croak,and the Earthworms how to burrow, and the Caterpillars how to spin acocoon. Each of us will do something for him. Perhaps the Measuring Wormwill teach him to walk as the Worms of his family do. I understand hedoes that very well." Here everybody laughed, remembering the jokeplayed on the Caterpillars, and the Snake stopped speaking.

  The Mosquito did not dare refuse to be taught, and so he was taken fromone place to another, and told exactly how to do everything that hecould not possibly do, until he felt so very meek and humble that he waswilling the meadow people should be busy and happy in their own way.

  THE FROG WHO THOUGHT HERSELF SICK

  By the edge of the marsh lived a young Frog, who thought a great dealabout herself and much less about other people. Not that it was wrong tothink so much of herself, but it certainly was unfortunate that sheshould have so little time left in which to think of others and of thebeautiful world.

  Early in the morning this Frog would awaken and lean far over the edgeof a pool to see how she looked after her night's rest. Then she wouldgive a spring, and come down with a splash in the cool water for hermorning bath. For a while she would swim as fast as her dainty webbedfeet would push her, then she would rest, sitting in the soft mud withjust her head above the water.

  When her bath was taken, she had her breakfast, and that was the way inwhich she began her day. She did nothing but bathe and eat and rest,from sunrise to sunset. She had a fine, strong body, and had never anache or a pain, but one day she got to thinking, "What if sometime Ishould be sick?" And then, because she thought about nothing but her ownself, she was soon saying, "I am afraid I shall be sick." In a littlewhile longer it was, "I certainly am sick."

  She crawled under a big toadstool, and sat there looking very glumindeed, until a Cicada came along. She told the Cicada how sick shefelt, and he told his cousins, the Locusts, and they told their cousins,the Grasshoppers, and they told their cousins, the Katydids, and theneverybody told somebody else, and started for the toadstool where theyoung Frog sat. The more she had thought of it, the worse she felt,until, by the time the meadow people came crowding around, she wasfeeling very sick indeed.

  "Where do you feel badly?" they cried, and, "How long have you beensick?" and one Cricket stared with big eyes, and said, "Howdr-r-readfully she looks!" The young Frog felt weaker and weaker, andanswered in a faint little voice that she had felt perfectly well untilafter breakfast, but that now she was quite sure her skin was gettingdry, and "Oh dear!" and "Oh dear!"

  Now everybody knows that Frogs breathe through their skins as well asthrough their noses, and for a Frog's skin to get dry is very serious,for then he cannot breathe through it; so, as soon as she said that,everybody was frightened and wanted to do something for her at once.Some of the timid ones began to weep, and the others bustled around,getting in each other's way and all trying to do something different.One wanted to wrap her in mullein leaves, another wanted her to nibble abit of the peppermint which grew near, a third thought she should bekept moving, and that was the way it went.

  Just when everybody was at his wits' end, the old Tree Frog came along."Pukr-r-rup! What is the matter with you?" he said.

  "Oh!" gasped the young Frog, weakly, "I am sure my skin is getting dry,and I feel as though I had something in my head."

  "Umph!" grunted the Tree Frog to himself, "I guess there isn't enough inher head to ever make her sick; and, as for her skin, it isn't dry yet,and nobody knows that it ever will be."

  But as he was a wise old fellow and had learned much about life, he knewhe must not say such things aloud. What he did say was, "I heard therewas to be a great race in the pool this morning."

  The young Frog lifted her head quite quickly, saying: "You did? Who arethe racers?"

  "Why, all the young Frogs who live around here. It is too bad that youcannot go."

  "I don't believe it would hurt me any," she said.

  "You might take cold," the Tree Frog said; "besides, the exercise wouldtire you."

  "Oh, but I am feeling much better," the young Frog said, "and I amcertain it will do me good."

  "You ought not to go," insisted all the older meadow people. "You reallyought not."

  "I don't care," she answered, "I am going anyway, and I am just as wellas anybody."

  And she did go, and it did seem that she was as strong as ever. Thepeople all wondered at it, but the Tree Frog winked his eyes at them andsaid, "I knew that it would cure her." And then he, and the GarterSnake, and the fat, old Cricket laughed together, and all the youngermeadow people wondered at what they were laughing.

  THE KATYDIDS' QUARREL

  The warm summer days were past, and the Katydids came again to themeadow. Everybody was glad to see them, and the Grasshoppers, who arecousins of the Katydids, gave a party in their honor.

  Such a time as the meadow people had getting ready for that party! Theydid not have to change their dresses, but they scraped and cleanedthemselves, and all the young Grasshoppers went off by the woods topractise jumping and get their knees well limbered, because there mightbe games and dancing at the party, and then how dreadful it would be ifany young Grasshopper should find that two or three of his legs wouldn'tbend easily!

  The Grasshoppers did not know at just what time they ought to have theparty. Some of the meadow people whom they wanted to invite were used tosleeping all day, and some were used to sleeping all night, so it reallywas hard to find an hour at which all would be wide-awake and ready forfun. At last the Tree Frog said: "Pukr-r-rup! Pukr-r-rup! Have it atsunset!" And at sunset it was.

  Everyone came on time, and they hopped and chattered and danced and atea party supper of tender green leaves. Some of the little Grasshoppersgrew sleepy and crawled among the plantains for a nap. Just then a bigKatydid said he would sing a song--which was a very kind thing for himto do, because he really did it to make the others happy, and not toshow what a fine musician he was. All the guests said, "How charming!"or, "We should be delighted!" and he seated himself on a low swingingbranch. You know Katydids sing with the covers of their wings, and sowhen he alighted on the branch he smoothed down his pale green suit andrubbed his wing-cases a little to make sure that they were in tune. Thenhe began loud and clear, "Katy did! Katy did!! Katy did!!!"

  Of course he didn't mean any real Katy, but was just singing his song.However, there was another Katydid there who had a habit ofcontradicting, and he had eaten too much supper, and that made him feelcrosser than ever; so when the singer said "Katy did!" this cross fellowjumped up and said, "Katy didn't! Katy didn't!! Katy didn't!!!" and theykept at it, one saying that she did and the other that she didn't,until everybody was ashamed and uncomfortable, and some of the littleGrasshoppers awakened and wanted to know what was the matter.

  Both of the singers got more and more vexed until at last neither oneknew just what he was saying--and that, you know, is what almost alwayshappens when people grow angry. They just kept saying something as loudand fast as possible and thought all the while that they were verybright--which was all they knew about it.

  Suddenly somebody noticed that the one who began to say "Katy did!" wasscreaming "Katy didn't!" and the one who had said "Katy
didn't!" wasroaring "Katy did!" Then they all laughed, and the two on the branchlooked at each other in a very shamefaced way.

  The Tree Frog always knew the right thing to do, and he said"Pukr-r-rup!" so loudly that all stopped talking at once. When theywere quiet he said: "We will now listen to a duet, 'Katy,' by the twosingers who are up the tree. All please join in the chorus." So it wasbegun again, and both the leaders were good-natured, and all theKatydids below joined in with "did or didn't, did or didn't, did ordidn't." And that was the end of the quarrel.

  THE LAST PARTY OF THE SEASON

  Summer had been a joyful time in the meadow. It had been a busy time,too, and from morning till night the chirping and humming of the happypeople there had mingled with the rustle of the leaves, and the soft"swish, swish," of the tall grass, as the wind passed over it.

  True, there had been a few quarrels, and some unpleasant things toremember, but these little people were wise enough to throw away allthe sad memories and keep only the glad ones. And now the summer wasover. The leaves of the forest trees were turning from green to scarlet,orange, and brown. The beech and hickory nuts were only waiting for afriendly frost to open their outer shells, and loosen their stems, sothat they could fall to the earth.

  The wind was cold now, and the meadow people knew that the time had cometo get ready for winter. One chilly Caterpillar said to another,"Boo-oo! How cold it is! I must find a place for my cocoon. Suppose wesleep side by side this winter, swinging on the same bush?"

  And his friend replied: "We must hurry then, or we shall be too old andstiff to spin good ones."

  The Garter Snake felt sleepy all the time, and declared that in a fewdays he would doze off until spring.

  The Tree Frog had chosen his winter home already, and the Bees weremaking the most of their time in visiting the last fall flowers, andgathering every bit of honey they could find for their cold-weatherstock.

  The last eggs had been laid, and the food had been placed beside many ofthem for the babies that would hatch out in the spring. Nothing was leftbut to say "Good-by," and fall asleep. So a message was sent around themeadow for all to come to a farewell party under the elm tree.

  Everybody came, and all who could sing did so, and the Crickets andMosquitoes made music for the rest to dance by.

  The Tree Frog led off with a black and yellow Spider, the Garter Snakefollowed with a Potato Bug, and all the other crawling people joined inthe dance on the grass, while over their heads the Butterflies and otherlight-winged ones fluttered to and fro with airy grace.

  The Snail and the fat, old Cricket had meant to look on, and really didso, for a time, from a warm corner by the tree, but the Cricket couldn'tstand it to not join in the fun. First, his eyes gleamed, his feelerswaved, and his feet kept time to the music, and, when a frisky young Antbeckoned to him, he gave a great leap and danced with the rest,balancing, jumping, and circling around in a most surprising way.

  When it grew dark, the Fireflies' lights shone like tiny stars, and thedancing went on until all were tired and ready to sing together the lastsong of the summer, for on the morrow they would go to rest. And thiswas their song:

  The autumn leaves lying So thick on the ground, The summer Birds flying The meadow around, Say, "Good-by."

  The Seed Babies dropping Down out of our sight, The Dragon-flies stopping A moment in flight, Say, "Good-by."

  The red Squirrels bearing Their nuts to the tree, The wild Rabbits caring For babies so wee, Say, "Good-by."

  The sunbeams now showing Are hazy and pale, The warm breezes blowing Have changed to a gale, So, "Good-by."

  The season for working Is passing away. Both playing and shirking Are ended to day, So, "Good-by."

  The Garter Snake creeping So softly to rest, The fuzzy Worms sleeping Within their warm nest, Say, "Good-by."

  The Honey Bees crawling Around the full comb, The tiny Ants calling Each one to the home, Say, "Good-by."

  We've ended our singing, Our dancing, and play, And Nature's voice ringing Now tells us to say Our "Good-by."

  THE END.

  "_Many a mother and teacher will accord a vote of thanks to theauthor._"

  Among the Meadow People.

  STORIES OF FIELD LIFE, WRITTEN FOR THE LITTLE ONES. By CLARA D. PIERSON.

  Illustrated by F. C. GORDON. New Edition, 12mo, 194 pages, cloth, gilt top, $1.25

  "One of the daintiest and in many ways most attractive of the many books of nature study which the past year has brought forth."--_Boston Advertiser._

  "They are like Mrs. Gatty's well-known 'Parables from Nature,' written in the best of English, as fascinating as fairy tales, and yet 'really true,' a quality which we all know appeals to the childish mind."--_N. Y. Evangelist._

  "We have seen nothing better for its purpose, and hope many a teacher of kindergartens and many a mother may avail herself of the privilege of using these little tales."--_N. Y. Christian Advocate._

  "It will be a great advance in the work of education in the school and the home when such books are more generally utilized."--_Zion's Herald._

  "These charming stories of field life will delight many a child of kindergarten age; and it is safe to say that older brothers and sisters will also want to claim a share in them."--_Christian Register._

  Among the Forest People

  By CLARA D. PIERSON

  Illustrated by F. C. GORDON 12mo, 220 pages, cloth, gilt top $1.25

  "A thoroughly charming book for the little people, which grown folks can read, also, with many a satisfied chuckle at its slily insinuated 'morals,' and inimitable mingling of human sentiments and affairs in the wild life of 'the Forest People.' The illustrations have really artistic value; thoroughly well done, with a pleasing combination of the conventional in form and light and shade, they are also clever and accurate in drawing."--_Living Church._

  "A most charming series of stories for children--yes, and for children of all ages, both young and old--is given us in the volume before us. No one can read these realistic conversations of the little creatures of the wood without being most tenderly drawn toward them, and each story teaches many entertaining facts regarding the lives and habits of these little people. Mothers and teachers must welcome this book most cordially. One cannot speak too strongly in praise of it."--_Boston Transcript._

  "I declare I really feel tempted to adopt or borrow a nice little girl of six or seven, just for the pleasure of reading this perfect book to her while she snuggles down in my lap."--KATE SANBORN.

  "The telling is conceived with decided originality."--_Outlook._

  "There has not been such a book for many a year, and it makes the old folks long to be young again."--_N. Y. Observer._

  "Is an utterly delightful book for the little folk."--_Interior._

  Among the Farmyard People

  By CLARA D. PIERSON

  Illustrated by F. C. GORDON 12mo, 256 pages, cloth, gilt top, $1.25

  "The very pretty stories of animal life, 'Among the Forest People,' and 'Among the Meadow People,' are continued in Clara D. Pierson's 'Among the Farmyard People.' To those who know the earlier volumes, this needs no introduction or praise. To those who may still have that pleasure in store, we can commend heartily these tenderly realistic conversations, which show a sympathetic knowledge at once of animals and of children, who will be amused and taught and edified by these dainty little tales that never obtrude the always healthy moral of this genuine Child's Book of Nature."--_Churchman._

  "They will be found valuable for use by mothers and kindergarten teachers. The beautiful illustrations furnished by F. C. Gordon are distinctively instructive. Altogether the book is one of the most desirable works that can be
found to train the child's imagination, affection, and powers of observation."--_Boston Beacon._

  "We heartily recommend the book for its thoroughly healthy tone, far better adapted to a sweet and simple childhood than much of the rather stimulating juvenile literature of the day."--_N. Y. Commercial Advertiser._

  "A helpful book for young readers, teaching first lessons in natural history, and inculcating principles of love for animals."--_Philadelphia Evening Telegram._

  "A charming and pretty book for young children. It will help them to observe, and it will also help them to think. Nearly every story ends with something unsaid, which the nursery people are to think out for themselves."--_Church Standard._

  Among the Pond People

  By CLARA D. PIERSON

  With 12 full-page illustrations by F. C. GORDON 12mo, 222 pages, cloth, gilt top $1.25

  This last book of Mrs. Pierson's has all the charm of the earlier volumes. The adventures of Mother Eel, the Playful Muskrat, the Snappy Snapping Turtle, and the other Pond People, will be eagerly followed by children, whether they are naturalists or ordinary readers. The fact that one does not continually feel that she is writing for the purpose of instructing the young, gives Mrs. Pierson her hold on so many boys and girls. The books teach a great many lessons, but one does not feel that the author is lying in wait to enlighten the unwary youngster.