The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-05-17
The Butterfly.

THERE, have caught him at last.
What beauty! and never could catch
q butterfly before"
The words were uttered in an excited
tone, by little Katie Kirkham. as she
grasped in both her hands lovely butter
fiy which she had been chasing in the
garden for nearly half an hour.
What have you there, Katie ?" asked
her father, looking up from his book
3" Let me see"
"a butterfly, papa,'' replied Katie,
running to the garden chair where her
father sat II am afraid it will fly away
if I open my hands" She cautiously
uploosed her grasp, and Mr. Kirkham
took the little creature in his hand.
"No, Katie, it will never fly again.
That little glad life which was passed so
happily in the sunshine is ut an end for
ever. You have crushed it to DEATH"
20, papa, didn't mean tot only
wanted to catch it. didn't think about
its being happy"
"But your not thinking has taken away
a life that you never can restore, if you
try till your hair is gray. How did it be-
come butterfly, Katies"
"Why, God made 1t, OF course; He
made everything"
Eyes; but how did He make it? What
was it before it was buttertiy?"
I" I don't know. Was it anything,
papa ?"
II will. ell you something about its
history. First of all another butterfly
laid tiny egg, several eggs, in fact, but
we have only to do with one. Well, from
this egg there came in time a wee little
grub, and the little grub crawled about
and nibbled cabbage-leaves till it grew
into fine large caterpillar"
sBut I want to hear about the butter
fly, papa, interrupted Katie, mot about
ugly grubs and caterpillars. / thought
you were going to say baby butterfly
came out Of the egg"
!. But it didn't, SO couldn't tell you so.
We shall find out how it did come all in
good time. Well, our friend the ugly
caterpillar had rather dull time of it,
only able to crawl along; it could not fly
about, you know, like the butterfly. But
at last Il found new occupation; II be-
gan to spin for itself silky case, or tied
itself to twig by silky cord, and here
it lay or swung for some time in what is
called the chrysalis state, till, when the
bright, warm weather came, the cocoon
burst, and out few beautiful butterfly. /"
Oh, papa. how wonderful! had nc
idea caterpillar could turn into butter
flv. Do you think it remembered while
it was flying about, that it once was q
caterpillar, only able to crawlY'
"No, don't suppose it did, dear; il
could not think, you know, either about
the past or future; it only enjoyed the
sunshine of It's little hour. But now look
the wings. What are they made of ?''
Katie looked, and gently touched the
wing. "How soft and d0wny it feels
what is il, papas''
q Feathers. We will look at it under
my microscope, and then you will see that
the wings are covered with very small but
quite perfect scales. Come into the IL
brary, we have just time to inspect It be.
fore dlinner.'
Katie followed her father into the
house and watched while he put the but.
terfiy under the microscope, and ther
eagerly looked through the glass. How
beautiful" she cried :" they are real LITTLE
scales! Papa, she added, turning round
:. how wonderfully wise and kind Coz
must be to take 90 much trouble over
little butterflyr'
Ali my child, am gIad You hav'
found that out. You speak very differ
emily from the careless way in which yos
said just now: God made It, Of course
He made everything. : The earth is full o
His wonders. II you keep your eyes open
Won will find HIS wisdom and love dis
PLAYED in everything thatlf Butther'
Il the dipner-bell, 20 you. will. have m,
text without the sermon. .
"Well, papa, sid Katie, earnestly
az never viii III or hurt any livinl
hing again, at least, not on purpose
and I shall never zee 3 butterfly with0u
shinking about how il was made. '-Eari1