Letty and the Twins

Letty cheerfully,

to threaten to take away his liberty. For Thistledown prized his liberty dearly. Not from the high, noble motives of honor and self-respect that are the reasons why most people insist upon having their rig

assing tickle to the long nose of some serious old gnome bent over his work, when Thistledown's merry laugh at the g

would carry him on long, swift rides astride their backs, or float with him lazily along over sweet-smelling fields of flowers. Sometimes they would dip

at is not right in the world is sure to be punished some time or other. And so it happened-but I am going

much shinier and softer. Too lazy to wonder what the new kind of blossom could be, but thinking that it looked like a snug, silky place for a nap, he dropped down upon

e knew to be a person's hand and his little heart sank within him as he felt this new prison closing about him. The touch of the small hand was very gentle so

found himself being surveyed very s

ow that Thistledown's golden prison was a little girl's curls), 'Now,

r and that he simply had to do whatever she told him to, whether he wanted to or not, still sh

nners always do please every one-but his littl

story,' he replied, trying to

declared, with a grave little nod of her

. Besides, she knew very well what the word meant, because she had seen it so often

and wriggled and began

had any adventures-except once,' he ad

l me about it,' coa

rmly, that Thistledown saw that the sooner he told his

ark I was in a good deal of a hurry. Pretty soon, down at the edge of a field of tall grasses, I saw an old firefly poking about as if he were looking for s

pair of bellows to make them burn brighter and I supposed the firefly's lantern worked the same way. So I got behind the old fellow as he stooped to l

id old firefly thought that I had done it on purpose. He whirl

xclaimed, almost squeezing the breath out

refly on your hand you know how sticky their legs feel. Well, the old firefly held me by all his legs, squeezing

e used and I know they meant something disagreeable. He thought I had blown out his light, just for mischi

over fields I had never visited before. I have always been afraid in the dark' (here the little girl nodded her head understandingly and look

s inside this place, all with their lanterns brightly burning. On one side a great many flies were bunched together to light a kind of throne, and on this throne sat the King and Queen of the F

, but they all stopped and moved aside when they saw the old

ing in a surprised voice as the fly sank down,

unting for corn-flowers down in the big meadow, trying to find enough honey to finish my

have all felt very sorry about it. And I am greatly

e dreadful thing that was to happen, when this little creature"-he did not call me a vicious little vaga

at the firefly's light was dim because he was growing old. I had not meant any harm, but rather to help him. I tried to explain this to the fireflies but no one

a time I spent there. It seemed like years. At the back, very cold and dark indeed, was my bed. The front looked down on the open space which, I learned, was called the throne glade, and one could see everything that went on. But the two keepers always sat one

e dark and I did not like the things they gave me to eat. My wings were getting so

old fly, but that I must understand that almost as much harm and sorrow happened in the world through "not meaning to" as from real naughtiness. She said that i

p I had blown out, that I was sorry. I was hoping that the Queen would send some one to set me free, but she did n

June beetles, and all the fireflies were asked to go along to help light up the party. The June beetle's country was pretty far off and the fireflies

anyhow," I heard him say crossly.

every day, while the three guards sat in the doorway, busy watching what went on below and talking about the party, I stayed in the da

lly think the old fly was as unhappy to have me sit in the doorway as he had been to miss the party. But he could not fill up the whole doorway by himself, although he cro

must go to bed. I got up without saying anything and he turned around and started back toward my bed,

wings were so weak that I almost fell, but they soon got stronger as I skimmed through the fresh air. The old fly did not miss me at f

when presently I heard the blind old fly coming after me. He was oh, so cross! He could not see me at all and could only tell where I was by the rustle of my wings.

I had first seen the old fly. The noises and darkness of the grasses had frightened me then, but now they seemed like

ized that I was not in front of him any longer. Then, how angry he was! He knew that I must be hiding somewhere near by, and he went bumping back and forth over the field, hitting his poor head against stalks

of grasses at once. I waited until I was quite sure that he was out of sight and would not come back, then I sprang up and flew

ng, quite out of breath an

ou very much for telling it to me. And I'll remember, too, what the Quee

up, still holding Thistledow

she said. 'Get behind you and say pouf-like that,' and puffing out her rosy che

r story with a

stledown did, when he had finis

couldn't have blown out the old firefly's lamp. They're not made that way. They're a part of the firefly-th

-stairs window and a smiling

," called Mrs. Hartwell-Jones. "

all aglow, enlightened by Mr

he exclaimed, "you don't mea

te it ever so many years ago. How won

have believed it then if any one had told me that some

Hartwell-Jones. "And now wouldn't you children like to drive Punch and

They were always delighted to go