The Beautiful Garment [pp. 225]

THE CHILDREN'S REPOSITOR XY.
on every side, and all the spider had to do was
to sally forth at his door and seize the silly prey
that might chance to comne too near.
"Beware of the robins, my dear," he said at
parting, "the greedy creatures will eat a thousand spiders a day if they can catch them."
"What dangers beset us on every side,"
thought poor little Twinette as she hid under a
leaf, just as one of the bold redbreasts came
whistling into the garden. She slipped away
and ran down the bank of the little trout-pond,
and took a good view of her airy figure in the
water as she swung from a spray of tiger-lily.
With her keen eyes she noted a little'whlirlabout" spinning the surface of the pond, and
instantly he disappeared into the depths below.
A close investigation by means of her four sharp
peepers disclosed the fact that a number of her
family had constructed a sort of diving-bell and
lived here under the water, faring sumptuously
on aquatic insects.
"How many ways there are of getting a living,
to be sure," said little Twinette, but she had no
fancy for a closer acquaintance with this newfound cousin. On the whole, she was not pleased
with the water scenery, she had so many hairbreadth escapes while in its vicinity, so she returned to her old quarters in the house. By
means of much dodging and watching she managed to pick a scanty living in the dining-room,
but it was a lucky day for her when the housekeeper's broom did not brush away in a moment
the work of hours. She never knew when her
roof was safe except in darkness, and then the
flies too were asleep. Finally she made bold to
venture back to her old home. It took much
stratagem to accomplish this, but at length she
succeeded and skipped up the old roof-tree a
happier and wiser chick than when she left it.
Her old mother was hale and hearty in her den,
quite pleased to hear an account of her child's
travels, and much interested in the latest news
fi-om the regions below.
"Indeed, my dear, I never informed you that
a cozy nook behind the book-case was my birthplace.' There we lived on very happily for
weeks. The house was in the hands of an excellent lady then, who was very friendly to our
people. She did not mind if we spun our webs
in every window corner, and would leave us undisturbed for weeks together. But ah me, how
times are changed! Where will you find such
a persecuted race now? Till our fortunes mend,
my dear, I think you would do best to stay
where you are and eat your bread in quietness."
Twinette resolved to follow this good advice,
and to be henceforth a contented little spider in
her safe and comfortable home. Here she spun
VOL. XXVIII.-I 5*
her webs and picked her fly-bones at her ease,
and tried to be as good a little spider as she
knew how. So she grew in time quite old and
plump, and one morning as she was sunning
herself on the eaves an industrious swallow
espied her and took her off in a twinkling to her
nest. There she furnished a nice breakfast for
one of her hungry little nestlings, and little Twinette's cares and labors were all over forever.
Is it not a kind Providence that provides such
a quick and easy death for these little creatures,
instead of leaving them to die a lingering death
by starvation after they are too old to catch
their food?
THE BEAUTIFUL GARMENT.
"O GRANDMOTHER, see my beautiful
new dress!" exclaimed a gayly attired
little girl skipping into her grandmothIer's bedroom-"see how it sets, and how becoming
it is!"
She walked to and fro before her grandmother,
and turned around this side and that side.
"Very pretty," said her grandmother, faintly
smiling, "but it is not what I should choose
for you."
"0, father says pink is so becoming to my
complexion! What color should you choose,
grandmother?" and the little girl fingered the
trimmings on her pink robe as if no trimmings
equaled hers.
"I should choose white, pure, shining white,"
said her grandmother. "I know of such a
dress which I should be very glad to have you
wear."
"Mother says I tear white dresses so, I do
not deserve to have one," answered the little
girl.
"That which I speak of will never tear."
"O0, grandmother, think how awfully I look in
my out-grown white dress!" and the child seemed
to shrink from the very thought of another
white dress.
"This you could never outgrow."
"Always fit me! why, grandmother, you do n't
mean so!"
"Yes, my little girl, it will always fit you."
"Now, grandmother, you are making fun;"
and yet the little girl looked into her granclmother's face, and saw that it looked mild and serious
as it ever did.
"Could I burn it?" asked the little questioner;
for she remembered on a cold \Winter's day
what a hole the hot stove made in her new plaid
dress.
"No fire can burn it," answered the grandmother.
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