Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-08-02
The Little Button
Maker
BY Bertha Gerneaux Woods.


Fulvia was stringing her buttons on
a long thread. She had beautiful col
lection of them which she had been
saving ever since her mamma had
told her of button string she had had
when she was Fulvia's age.
Fulvias string had shiny red and
gold and blue buttons upon it. and
some that shone with all the colors of
the rainbow. Aunt Anne sat down on
the lounge beside her to admire the
different colors.
II wonder how buttons are made, =
Fulvia remarked. Some day papa
says he will take me to button fac
tory to see how they do it."
THAT would be very interesting
said Aunt Anne. by the way, Fulvia,
I saw very tiny little creature max
ing a silk button today, and preparing
to hang himself up by it,
"What, Aunt Anne?" Fulvia's eyes
grew as round as one Of her own but.
tons as she searched Aunt Anne's
face. ..... -
Its fact!" her aunt laughed back.
"He was very tiny button maker, not
more than half the size Of your small
est finger, Fulvia, and he made 1t with
his mouth, not'his hands! He was a lit
tie, green and black striped caterpil'
lar. Come to my room, and I'll show
some that l am keeping IN a glass
jar" ... ..
They went upstairs together. "These
caterpillars are Matched from eggs /
found on the milkweed leaves" Aunt
Anne explained. This kind feeds al
most entirely on milkweeds.
'But I thought caterpillars we're al
ways woolly," Fulvia said, as she
looked at the shiny, smooth little crea-
lures, neatly striped In yellowish green
and black bands.
mot all of them." said Aunt Anne.
whether they are woolly or smooth,
all the larvae of butterflies and moths
are called caterpillars. Now look at
this wee one, Fulvia. That Is only
three days old, this one is six, and
this other nine days old"
my, how fast they must grow!"
Eulvia's eyes again suggested buttons
Eyes, if you had grown at the same
rate, you would have been sixty feet
tall by the time you were ten days old
ten times as tall as your papa is"
t"Oh. my!"4 said Fulvia again.
SHOW am going to give this large
one to you," Aunt Anne continued
"He Is almost ready to make his little
silk button, and you must keep your
eye on him."
The striped caterpillar was placed
in jelly glass with metal top set
loosely upon It, Several times a day
you must raise this top gently to let
the air In, and don't forget what I told
you about keeping your eye on him.
Fulvia remembered. But the little
fellow evidently worked while she
slept, for in the morning she found
him hanging from the metal cover,
and he was attached at that end by a
tiny silken button" he had spun In
the night.
Now keep watching" Aunt Anne
urged her niece. almost any time he
may turn into chrysalis, and l should
like to have you see the process
This time Fulvia's watching was re-
warded. She was peerfng into the glass
when the great change came the
caterpillar's little striped coat split
the thin skin dropped away, leaving
fastened to the tin cover Of the jelly
glass smooth, beautiful green chry
sails, dotted with gold. Fulvia's eyes
could hardly believe what they saw.
Nov In about ten days more YOU
will see something just as wonderful
happen againH Aunt Anne told her.
Fulvia sighed at the thought Of the
ten days, but somehow they flew away
as summer days have way OF doing
Keep a sharp lookout. Aunt Anne
urged her. In the night, while Fulvia
dreamed of butterflies, in her little
swinging bed on the sleeping-porch
the great change came. Swiftly down
the back of the shiny green chrysalls
the skin split, for it. had grown toe
tight and small for the lovely thing
that had been growing It's wings" in
those days of waiting. From the cast
off skin great brown butterfly, the
kind we call the Monarch" came
slowly out. His beautiful red brown
wings were crumpled and moist, and
how bewildered he must have felt!
He was tanning his crumpled wings
softly, back and forth, back and forth
when Fulvia came downstairs and
called for Aunt Anne with a little
shout Of Joy.
Together they took the Monarch
out OF the glass, placed him on fern
In the window, and then stood by to
watch him. Soon the wings were
spread to their full size, and the but
terfly, poised on fern frond, was all
ready for flight.
"You know he has queer LONG
trunk, something like an elephants
don't you?" said Aunt Anne. "Only II
Is very long and slim, and tightly
coiled when he isn't using 1t to suck
honey from the flowers. Some day u
we find a dead one, we will look at Il
under microscope And that beauti
full soft shine Of the wings-that IL
made Of fine, fine dust See, l will lei
a. tiny bit Of it rub Oft ON my fingers
and we will put that under the micro
scope. Each bit Of dust is shining
scale, and they are put on his wings
as evenly and overlapping as shingles
on the roof"
Fufvia's eyes went from the Monarch
to the fresh June greenness outside
~. %<