Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-02
The Dragon That Wanted
to Be a Fairy.
BIZ BERTHA L. CoLBURN.


Down in the bottom OF the pond lived an
ugly-looking dragon (odonata). He spent his
time pursuing and devouring tiny fishes, not
because he wanted to kill them; he needed
to eat them, Tor he had an enormous appe-
lite.
The strangest thing about this savage
dragon was that he wanted to be fairy.
To be sure, he had never seen fairy, but
he had heard the speckled tortoise tell about
''the lovely beings with gauzy wings who
dart through the air as swiftly as fishes
through water"
What are gauzy wings?" asked the
dragon. and the tortoise replied:
They are like nshes' fins. thin and trans-
parent; only the fairies have wings which
are larger than their bodies. They shine
with brilliant colors, more beautiful than
the spots on tho trout or Hight shining
through the water"
II wish I could see one.'' sighed the
dragon.
They often ny close to the surface Of
the WATER" said. the tortoise, perhaps you
can see one Il you watch"
But the dragon could never catch q
glimpse Of one, try as hard as he might
Yet constantly he thought and wondered
He asked little green frog one day IL he
said he couldn't see anything beautiful
about the fairies: They'll had bodies as long
and thin as needles, and horrible big eyes,"
Are their eyes as big az yours?" asked
The frog opened his mouth with quick
movement, as II he would gobble up his Inn
polite little Questioner. and the dragon sour
ried out Of sight under a water weed.
The next time the speckled tortoise came
along the dragon asked more questions
about the fairies.
DO they ever eat anything?' he asked.
And what do they eat? Where do they get
it? How do they catch it? And do they have
any masksT'
Il was trying to think said the tortoise,
what question you asked first"
"BotherT' said the dragon, ANSWER the
last one IL you don't remember the first"
Just then grub came crawling along,
and the watchful dragon let down his hid
snatching his unfortunate prey hastily swal-
lowed him. The tortoise watched him in
silence and then said slowly:
mo fairy has such a horrible mask as
came a fairy
ut is very convenient" sighed the dragon.
and don't know what I would do without
it. but would willingly give it up for the
well. really, I never saw them cat any
thing" confessed the tortoise.
when you take your sunbath, just watch
them carefully instead of going to sleep"
urged the dragon.
So when the tortoise climbed out on the
log, he watched the winged fairies
darting swiftly about Sure enough, when
he observed carefully. he saw one seize a
fly with his feet and devour 1t without
stopping to alght. Soon she caught a
smaller fly in her mouth. In a few minutes
she had devoured a half dozen insects
without once alighting.
The tortoise lost sight Of her, but he
watched other fairies, and was amazed that
beings with slender bodies could have such
enormous appetites. He dropped OF the
log into the water, but, though he searched
for some time. the little dragon was no
where to be found.
To tell the truth, the dragon had climbed
water-pepper plant and was waiting to
catch glimpse OF the fairies when they
should fly near the water. He forgot to be
hungry, and waited quietly long time. At
last he grew impatient; with some fear he
came out Of the water.
He was seized with queer suffocating
feeling; his clothes seemed distressingly
tight; he felt that he should burst them
Crack! His coat had split open in the back;
he crawled feebly out Of it and lay notion
less-too weak to move.
After an hour in the sunshine he felt
stronger; but he Seemed to have no desire
to crawl. He had forgotten all about his
life In the water, forgotten that he was q
dragon, or that he wished to be a fairy
He only knew he felt strangely light; he
lessened his grasp on the pepper-p plant and
Off he foated, up into the clear air!
He had big gauzy wings himself now!
He had attained his hearts desire, for he
was fairy.
Have you ever seen a dragon fairy?
Watch for them this summer, near the
water.