The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-10-27
THE ANTS, MONDAY DINNER,

THE ANTS MONcAY DINNER.
How did / know what the ants had for
dinner last Monday? fla, it is odd that
| should have known, hut I'll tell you
how it happened
[ was sitting under big pine tree.
high up on high hill. side The hill.
side was more than seven thousand feet
above the sea, and that is higher than
many mountains which people travel nun.
dreds Of miles TO look at But this hill.
side was in Colorado, 40 there was moth.
ing wonderful in being so high up. | had
been watching the great mountains with
snow on them, and the great forests OF
pine trees. miles and miles Of tnem-so
close together that it looks as if you could
lie down on their tops nd not fall through
and my eye, were tired with looking at
such great, grand things. so many miles
of 50 looked down on the grouud
where | was sitting and watched the ants
which were running about everywhere. as
busy aud restless as ifthey had the whole
world on their shoulders.
Suddenly | saw, under a iuit of grass,
Il tiny yellow caterpiler. which seemed to
be bounding along in very strange way.
In second more. saw an ant seize hold
Of him and begin to carry him of. The
catcrplller was three times as long as the
ant, and his body was more than twice as
large around rs the biggest part Of the
ants body
Ito no Mr.. Aut." SAID |. "you
needn't think you're going to be strong
enough to drag that fellow very far"
Why it was about the same thing as if
you or should dag of heiicr kicking,
and struggling for dear lille all the time
only that the heiier hasn't got half so
many legs to catch hold Of things with as
the caterpiller had. Poor caterpiler
how he did try to get away. But tho
ant never gave him second. time to
take good grip of anything and he was
cunning enough too. to drag him on his
side, so that he couldn't use his legs very
well. Up and down. and under and over
sticks and stones in and out Of tufts Of
grass; up to the very top o! the tallest
blades, aud then down again over gravel
and sand, and across bridges OF pine nee.
dies from stone to stone; backward all
the way,--but. for all | could sec, Just as
swiftly as il he were going head.ioremost
ran that ant. dragging the catelpiller af.
ter him, watched him very closely,
thinking, o. coutse. he must be making
for his house Presently, be darted up
the trunk Of the pine.tree.
Dear me :" aaid |, "anis iout live 10
trees What does this mean ."
The bark Of the tree was all broken
and jagged and full Of seams twenty times
Is deep as the height Of the aui's body.
Bnt he did Int mind : down cre eide and
up the other he went They must have
been lul chasms 10 hiu and to the
poor caterriller too. for their sharp edges
caught and tore his skin. aud doubled hi II
up dozen ways in minute. Aud vet
the ant never once stopped OF went hi,
slower had TO watch closely. rot to
lose sight Of him altogether. began to
ihink that he was merely trying to Kill
the cntcrpilcr; that perhaps be didn't
mean to eat him, after all. Perhaps he
wa" merely geutemanly sportsman ant
out on irolic. How did know bu,
some ants might hunt ca.erpilers, Just a:
some men hunt deer, for fun, and not al
all because they need food ? If had
been sure OF This, | would have spoiled
Mr. Ants sport for him very soon, you
may be sure. and set the poor caterpiIe,
free. But never heard Of an ants be.
ing cruel and if it were really for dinner
for his family that he was working SC
hard | thought he ought to be helped
instead Of hindered Just then my at.
tention was diverted from him by sharE
cry overhead. | looked up, and there
was an enormous hawk, sailing round in
circles with two small birds flying aitel
him, pouncing dows on his head. aud ther
darting away. and all the time making
shrill cries Of fright aud hatred knew
very well what that meant. Mr.. IIawl
also was out trying to 10 some marketing
for his dinner and he had had hi. ey,
on some little birds in their nest ant
there were the Father aud mother bird.
driving him away. You wouldn't hav,
believed two such ltrle birds could hay,
driven OF such a big creature us the hawl
but they did They seemed to lairl,
buzz round his head IA, flies do round
horses head aud at last ho Just gave NJ
! and flew otl % far that he vanished il
the 3uc ky. AID the little birds cam
sklmming horne again into the wood.
"Wel! we'll. -aii "ihr i,llc rcopl
aIc stronger than the big ones. after all
/ Where has my ant gone -
Sure enough It hadn't been tw
minutes that had been watching tn
hawk and the binds. hut ia that two min
minutes the ant and the catcrpiller ha
disappeared Al last | lonnl them
where do you think In fold Of my wa
ter.proot cloak. On which was sitting
The ant had let 60 Of the eaterpiler an
was running round and round him. pei
iecily hewlidered and the caterpille
was too near dead to stir | shook th
fold oui, and ~ soon a. the cloth la
olaigh, aud smooth the ant la,i ened hi
uippeT, in The eaterpiler asain. and star
ed of rs fast as ever. suppose If
could have seen his face. I should hay
seen plaiuly wrilt,n there, "1eur III,
what sort OF a country was that tun
blcd into, 50 irightfully black an
smooth ?' by this time the calcrpillt
had had the breath pretty well knocke
out ol his body aud was 50 limp aud hell
less that the ant was not afraid Of hl5 GO
ting away from him So be stopped
second now aud thea 10 rest. Sometime
, he would rrling On the ca,erpille, : bac
aud stretch himself out there ,omc,im
be would stand -lill on one side and oC
al him sharply keeping Que nipprr on b
head. All the time though he was wo.
iDg steadily ia one direction; be WI
headed Tor home now felt very certai
II a>lunished me very mucn at first th