The Cross Caterpillar
The Cross Caterpillar
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| The Cross Caterpillar |
Once upon a time there was a little green and yellow Caterpillar who lived on a big green cabbage with his brothers and sisters. He hadn't been very long hatched out of an egg but he didn't know that. He was just a bit bigger than the others and he thought himself very grand indeed.
He ate all day long. He chose the tenderest and juiciest bit of cabbage for himself, and was very angry if another Caterpillar dared to share it. He would stand up on his tail end then and look very fierce indeed.
He grew bigger and bigger. He had a few hairs on him here and there, and as he grew bigger they grew longer. He was an artful caterpillar too. He knew quite well that if a shadow came across the cabbage it might be a bird hunting for caterpillars and then ha would huddle into a crinkle of the cabbage and keep as still as a stalk. Some of his brothers and sisters were eaten, but not the artful caterpillar. Oh, no he was far too clever. One, day, when he was quite big, a pretty fluttering creature came to the cabbage. It was a white butterfly with black spots it sat down on the cabbage and waved its feelers about. The caterpillar peered over the edge of the cabbage leaf and looked at it. When it was that it was a mild and harmless-looking creature, the cater pillar flew into a temper and cried, 'Get off my cabbage! I just going to eat this leaf!'
'Gently, gently!' said the butterfly, looking at the cross caterpillar. This is as much my cab-bage as yours, caterpillar.'
'It certainly isn't! Said the caterpillar, stand-ing up on his hind legs and waving himself about. But the butterfly was not at all frightened. It opened and closed its lovely white wings and laughed.
'You don't know what you are talking about,' said the butterfly. 'I have come to lay my eggs here. I shall lay them on the underneath of the leaf you are sitting on. It is, as you have found out, a tender, juicy leaf, fit for my eggs.'
The caterpillar was as angry as could be. The butterfly took no notice of it at all. She began to lay neat little rows of eggs in exactly the place where the caterpillar had planned to eat his dinner. It was too bad!
'Now don't you dare to touch my eggs!' said do, I'll tell the pixie who lives by the wall, and she will come and spank you!'
The caterpillar was so angry that he couldn't say a word. But after a while he found his voice and began to talk to the others about it.
'Brother and sister caterpillars,' he said. 'We cannot stand this. Why should those horrid, ugly, flapping butterflies come and steal our cabbage for their silly eggs? Why should they be allowed to laugh at us and do what they like? Is not this our cabbage? Let us eat all these eggs up.'
'Oh, no!' cried the listening caterpillars. 'If we do that the pixie will come along, as the butterfly said, and she might be very cross indeed.'
Just as the caterpillar was opening his mouth to talk again two more white butterflies came up, and when they saw thenice, juicy cabbage they at once began to lay eggs there. The caterpillar was so angry that he rushed at them and tried to push them off. But they flapped their big wings in his face and scared him. When they had gone he sat down and thought hard.
'I will go to the pixie who lives by the wall!' he said. 'Yes, I will. I will complain of these horrid, interfering butterflies, and I will ask the pixie to catch them all and keep in a cage. Then they can do no more mischief to our cabbage!'
'That is a fine idea!' said all the caterpillars, stopping their eating for a moment. 'Go now.'
So the green caterpillars left his cabbage and crawled down the path to the pixie who lived by the wall. She was most surprised to see him.
'I have come to complain of those hateful butterflies who interfere with our cabbage, ' said the caterpillar.
'Which butterflies?' asked the pixie in astonishment.
'The white ones with black spots,' said the caterpillar, fiercely. 'I want you to catch them all and keep them in a cage so that they can do no more harm to our cabbage. '
The pixie laughed and laughed, and the cater-pillar felt crosser and crosser as he watched her. Promis to do what you say if you will come to me in four weeks' time and ask me again. I will certainly do what you want then.'
The caterpillar went away, content. In four weeks' time all those horrid butterflies would be caught and put in a cage. Ah, that would teach them to come interfering with his cabbage! He was pleased, and proud of himself. He began to eat his cabbage again and in two days he had grown simply enormous.
Then a strange feeling came over him. He wanted to sleep. He was no longer hungry. He felt strange. Some of his brothers and sisters felt sleepy too, and one day they all fell asleep, having first hung themselves up neatly in silken hammocks. They all turned into chrysalides and kept as still as if they were dead.
After some time they woke up. Our cater-pillar awoke first, he was strong and big. He wanted to get out of the chrysalis bed he was in, so he bit a hole and crawled out. The sun was warm and he stretched himself. He seemed bigger and lighter. How strange!
He saw a white butterfly in the air and at once all his anger come back to him. He would go to the e would go to the pixie by the wall, for it must surely now be four weeks since he had seen her, and he would make her keep her promise! Ha set out to walk as he had done before _ but to his great amazement he found himself floating in the air. He screwed his head round and looked at him-self. He was flying! Yes, he had four lovely white wings, spotted with black. He was a butterfly!
'I am lovely!' he thought in delight. 'I am a beautiful creature! Look at my fine wings! Oh, how happy I am!'
He flew about in the air, enjoying the sun-shine. Suddenly he heard a small voice calling to him and he saw the pixie who lived by the wall.
She knew him even though he was no longer a caterpillar.
'Have you ask me to keep my promise?' she asked, with a little tinkling laugh. 'I am quite ready to keep it! And the butterfly I will catch first and keep in a cage be you!'
The butterfly was frightened. He flew high in the air. How foolish he had been! No wonder the pixie had laughed! But how in the world was he to know that one day he would change from a green caterpillar to a while butterfly?
'I am not so wise as I thought I was, 'said the butterfly to himself. 'I know nothing! I will be quiet and gentle in future, and I will never lose my temper again!'
Where is he now? In your garden and mine looking for a little butterfly wife to marry _ and you may be sure he will say to her, 'Lay your eggs on a cabbage leaf, my dear! It's the best thing to do _ and don't you mind what the rude and stupid caterpillars says to you _ they don't know anything at all'
