The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-12-08

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BLESS me, childr' said grandma, turn
ing around suddenly, II did not know
that you were there. Giving the whole
of your mind to anything is doing it just
as well as you possibly can, or trying to
do it if you are learning. The trouble is
that people (and especially children) are
not willing to work in this way; but it
saves them great deal of after trouble,
if they did but know it,
Gertie remembered every word of this,
although she seemed to be thinking only
of her picture book; somehow, she could
not forget it, although she really did not
see what she had to do with it, for people
need not expect little girls to do anything
but play.
In the picture-book there was very
old story, written years and years ago,
about butterfly and some ants The
butterfly played and sang and danced
all summer long, fitting about among
the flowers, where it found plenty to eat,
and making great fun of the industrious
little ants, who would not stop to play,
but went on dragging heavy loads up the
hill on which they lived, and getting
ready for winter. They told the thought
less butterfly that she had better lay by
something for winter too because she
would certainly need it; but the butter
fly laughed, and said that she did not
believe there was such thing as winter,
and if there was, she did not intend to
work in summer; when it came, she
could dance and keep herself warm.
How that poor, silly butterfly suffered in
the nipping, frosty air, when the flowers
were all dead And when she dragged
herself to the ant-hill and begged to be
taken in, the industrious but hard hearted
little insects told her that they had no
room and no food for idlers; she could
dance to keep herself warm After a
few miserable fappings of her heavy
wings, the careless butterfly sank down
on the cold ground and died
1t did not seem so nice to be butter
fly, after all, and Gertie was beginning to
think that she had been one long enough
for grandma told her, when she talked to
her about it, that all useless people were
butterflies, and great burden on the in
dustrious ants who did the work. Some
times, too, there was no one to take care
of them, and then they Jared miserably
enough.
II should like" continued grandma,
with loving kiss, to have my little
girl remember that she cannot always be
a little girl-just as the poor butterfly
found that it could not always be sum-
mer; almost before she knows it she will
grow up into a woman; and 1 hope that
she will try to be good and useful
woman"
Gertie resolved to begin that very af-
ternoon, without saying anything about
it, for she liked to " prise" people as
she called it; so, when grandma was
safely off taking her nap, and Aunt
Clara was busy over some preserves,
away went little midget into the sit
ting-room, and took out a pair of long
yarn stockings from grandmas work
basket ball of yarn, pair of shears,
and darning-needle. With these treas
ures she mounted up into the broad
windowseat and turned her back to the
window, with her short legs dangling
down
She did not dare to sit in any other
way, for it was a beautiful afternoon
early in September, and the butterflies
were so thick that if she looked at them
she could not keep from running out into
the garden and she was determined to
do something useful that afternoon. Tt
would be so nice for grandma to find her
stockings darned
What dreadful holes these stockings
had and how she did try not to draw.
them together She took great pains,
and worked patiently for two hours, and
hen thew were finished
But what do you think grandma said
when she saw them? Something very
much like this: Why, dearie, you got
hold of Aunt Claras old stockings that
I laid by to foot" (she meant knit new
feet on them when could get a
chance, for they were quite past mend
ing"
Grandma could not help laughing, and
so did Aunt Clara; but Gertie felt dread
fully disappointed, and not like laughing
at all, for this "s1prise" was of the wrong
kind. When grandma saw the serious
little face, she drew her close up to her
and said, "They were very nice to pfac-
tice on, dear, and I can foot them Just
as well afterward. The darning is really
very beautiful for little girl, and I am
going to give you your own stockings
every week now, and watch my butter
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