The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1919-09-19
DADDY',} EVENNG
QFAIRY TALE e
WnARY @AHAn ! BONNER
90 no AUTHOR -
THE LocUSTS' SONG.

Listen" said Mother Meadow Lo-
Gust to little Meadow Locust named
Millie. "and will tell you a story"
THAT is nice" said Mile politely,
and also because she did want to hear
q story.
II am going to tell you that your
song must always be soft and sweet,
very soft and sweet, and so l am going
to send you to the Meadow Locust
Family Music club. Singing is taught
there.
you see, Mile, dear" she contin-
ued, years ago when we sang just
like the Katydid family the Fairy
Queen was giving concert one night.
"Locusts.' she said to us. 4 want
some other singers to take parts which
are like the Katydids' parts, but a lit
tie softer That will help the whole
effect of the singing. 1t will make it
so lovely to have different voices, diff
ferent sounds. different tones. Then
1t will be such a beautiful concert,
such an exquisite concert. Do you
think you could help ME, LocustsT
Now. of course, we wanted to do
everything we could for the Fairy
Queen and for her concert. SO we had
a huge meeting that very afternoon Of
all the locusts. We put signs around
the meadow on all the tall blades of
grass and told all the locusts to come
TO the meeting.
"They arrived at all times, for as
soon as they saw notices they came.
but some of them had been taking maps
or had been off walking and hopping
and weren't on the lookout for signs
and notices.
But there was huge meeting. Oh
there were loads and loads of US.
What can we do?' we asked ourselves
and each other. TO help the Fairy
Queens concert we surely must, but
what will we do?
FINALLY one little Locust, named
Larry Locust, spoke up. L have an
idea he said.
I'VE all crowded around Larry and
asked him what his idea was.
"'Well,' he said, If we all practice
to sing quite a soft song and always
remember to keep down our voices so
they won't be too loud l think wen
have what the Fairy Queen wants
80 we practiced and practiced all
that afternoon. When evening came
we all took our places at the concert
that is-we had it in the early eve
ming.
I'VE sat in front of the Katydids
and all the other creatures sat around.
Well when the Fairy Queen heard us
singing softly and sweetly. and when
she heard our parts by ourselves she
was delighted.
always sing like that she cried;
yes, always sing those sweet, low
notes of yours
I'VE were so pleased and we have
always kept to that same kind of sing
ing. The Fairy Queen liked the Katy
dids-you mustn't for moment think
she didn't-but she thought it would
be nice if we had our own kind of
singing, our own little songs, so thered
be the music of the Meadow Locusts,
too.
wasn't that a good idea of Lar
rys?' Mrs. Locust asked.
"A most marvellous idea" said Mil
lie. rs that my Uncle Larry?'
THE very one" said Mother Locust.
81 must tell you. too. now that the
story time is over, little of che his.
tory of the insect family, for we must
have the history of our people and all
peoples. or rather, all insects. in our
lessons.
There is the flying grasshopper,
colored like the ground, that is, the
color of pebbles and stones. He is safe
that way, for enemies don't know, half
the time, that he is grasshopper!
There is a very distant relation
known as the scorpion. He's an old
terror. He goes with some of the in
sects where it is very, very warm. He
really is nearer relative of the Crab
family, I'm glad to say.
But l think We'll have our lesson
continued another day. Just now let
us sing and thank the Fairy Queen and
dear Larry Locust, who helped to give
us a song, like the song of the Katy
did family, but still a song all, all our
own"