The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-07-26
A WONDERFUL CHANGE.

One bright day In early juno, when
the robins were carrying the first choice
morsels TO their hungry yellow moulhed
fledglings, l came out through the
woods to beautiful little meadow,
covered with bllowy grass that sway ed
TO and fro In the breeze, and dotted
here and there in the moist spots with
clumps of yellow cowslips. In this
meadow the brook widcned into small
pond, and Us | was tired Of tramping
along the brook, threw down my bas-
ket and pole and stretched myself out
under thorn-tree on q soft bed of
moss.
How pleasant il was TO lie there in
the shade, and listen TO the breeze rs IL
stole across the meadow, and made u
murmuring sound among the leaves
overhead, which was fast blending into
dream, for ! was growing sleepy,
when my attention was attracted to a
king-bird swaying on a branch above
me. His eye presently caught sight of
bright green-and-black dragon-hy,
and away he went In full cha after It.
After he had gone away, back came
the dragon-By and settled on an arrow.
head leaf close to the edge OF the pond.
! took my net, and going quietly up,
made catch at him, but too late. lie
was up and of, glancing back and
forth over the pond, and / did not feel
very sorry for my failure, as soon for
got about him in examining something
found on the leaf he had left.
1t was u little, greenish, almost trans
parent egg, nearly round and not much
larger than the head Of pin.
One day went to look at the egg
again. It was broken, and nothing but
the shell left; but beneath it in the
water saw tiny stranger.
At first he was so small could scarce
ly keep track OF him as, lie darted
like flash through the water; but as
he grew larger noticed that he was al
ways active and hungry, ever ready to
dart up under some unsuspectin2,
clumsy tad-pole aud seize him IN his ra-
pacious jaws. None OF the little ami
mails, that had lived SO quietly before
he came, were now safe moment from
the attack of this little tyrant.
One thing puzzled me, however. l
could not tell how he managed to glide
80 rapidly through the water, for he
could crawl but slowly, and had no fins
and fiat tail like the fish, nor broad feet
like the turtles; but one day / noticed
three little foot-like projections sur
rounding a hole in the end of his tail,
and that explained it,
He had tube running almost the en-
tire length of his tody. The insd OF
this tube was lined with hair-like pro-
jections, with which he could draw the
water in in front, and force it out be-
hind, thus sending him through the
water.
Here lie lived some months; but at
last a change came over him. He lost
his ravenous appetite and was tired OF
life in the water. He longed for the
sunlight and air, so he crawled up q
lily leaf, but he could not go far, for his
legs began to grow stiff, and his eyes to
grow glazed and dim. He struggled
and gasped for breath.
Was he dyingp
No; for 10. his skin burst open down
the back, and out came his head, then
one leg. and another. till he was all out.
Yes! right out of his skin, which he left
sticking To the leaf, like a shell. He
was no longer Of dirty gray color but
"a y UIikuu SICCu dhel Jidch "ust tV
had four soft wings folded over his
back. He went up higher into the sun
light, stretched himself and expanded
his wings, which soon became light and
strong enough to bear him up and away
out of the window.
He was no longer the little water
monster, but as bright and gay dandy
as you could wish to see. Nor did he
ever entirely regain his old appetite ;
and though he would occasionally catch
and devour a fly or moth, yet he did
not really seem to do it because he
wanted them. but only because he was
SO full OF life and energy that he did
not know what else to do.
AS l said, he left his she'll fastened to
the lily leaf, SO ] took Il off and put
a pin through it and stuck it up in a
glass case, to remember him by.
You may often find such shells along
the edge Of ponds about the middle Of
summer il you look carefully and il
you hunt snlang the weeds IN the water