One day the princess decided to make for herself a dress as white as snow, trimmed with shining pearls and sparkling diamonds. If the queen had known her intention, she would have forbidden the princess to touch a needle. I will tell you why.

When the princess was a tiny baby, the king and queen had forgotten to ask one old fairy lady to the christening. As it happened, she wasn't a good old fairy lady. Perhaps that is why she was forgotten. She came to the christening without an invitation, which was very rude, and made herself most disagreeable while she was there. She told the king and queen that because they had forgotten her, the princess should one day p.r.i.c.k herself with a needle and immediately go to sleep, and that she should never awake unless the splendid prince should chance to find her.

Now the princess did not know of this, and she forgot to tell her mother that she intended to make the dress. That was the cause of all the trouble.

The princess cut and sewed, and sewed and cut, until the dress was finished. Then she laid aside her old gown, of red and brown, and dressed herself in the new one. She was just about to replace the needle in the workbasket, before showing herself to her mother, when, suddenly, she p.r.i.c.ked her finger.

Immediately she sank back on her bed fast asleep. At that very instant the king and queen fell asleep, too. So did the animals, but the birds flew away. Even the little flies, who had been buzzing on the walls, went fast asleep. Then it was very still everywhere, because no one was stirring to make a noise. Even the trees were quiet, for their leaves had all dropped off, and they seemed to be sleeping too.

They slept a long, long time.

Then, the most splendid prince in all the world approached the palace gate. This prince had wonderful golden hair, and he was clothed entirely in shining gold. He rode in a chariot so bright that it could be seen for many miles. His horses were swift and he travelled fast, on his journey throughout the world.

When at last he reached the princess's house, he regarded it with wonder.

"How very quiet," he murmured. "Can it be that anyone lives in this gloomy place?"

He stepped out of his chariot and tiptoed in, through the open door. He stepped so softly that no one could have heard him, but he shone so brightly that he made the whole house light.

The splendid prince saw that everybody and everything was fast asleep.

In their rooms he found the king and queen.

At last he came to the room where lying upon her bed was the princess.

Very lovely she was, in her dress as white as snow trimmed with pearls and diamonds. The prince leaned over to see her better, and he made the diamonds sparkle so brilliantly that if you had been there you would have needed to close your eyes.

"This is the most beautiful princess in all the world," said the prince.

"I wish she would waken."

Then he kissed her.

Immediately the beautiful princess opened her eyes and looked at the prince. At that same moment the king and queen awoke from their sleep.

So did the animals, and all the flowers, and the little buds on the trees. The flies began to buzz about on the walls, and the birds came flying back, singing their sweetest songs.

The princess was very happy to be awake again. She attired herself in a lovely dress, indeed the loveliest one that she possessed. It was bright green, with jewels as clear as the rain drops. Then the king and queen ordered a marriage feast, and the beautiful princess married the splendid prince.

Johnnie Jones and the b.u.t.terfly

"Be careful! Don't step on that caterpillar," said Mother.

"Why not?" asked Johnnie Jones. "It's such an ugly caterpillar."

"It can't help being ugly," Mother answered, "and besides some day it will be a beautiful b.u.t.terfly."

"Really?" Johnnie Jones asked, much surprised. Then Mother told him a story about a caterpillar and a b.u.t.terfly.

Once upon a time, a little caterpillar was crawling slowly up a tree.

"Oh! dear," he said to himself, "I wish I had wings like the birds, and could fly away to the top of a tree, instead of having to crawl slowly about."

A beautiful b.u.t.terfly was resting a moment near by and heard what the little caterpillar said, "How would you like to be a beautiful b.u.t.terfly such as I am," she asked him, "and go flying about all day, sipping honey from the flowers?"

"I should like it very much indeed," he answered, "but you see I am only an ugly little caterpillar who can do nothing but crawl, and I have to be very careful to avoid being stepped upon."

"I'll tell you a lovely secret,"

Whispered the b.u.t.terfly.

"Next summer you will surely be As beautiful as I,

"Because my gauzy wings you see, Are very, very new.

A caterpillar once was I And crawled about like you."

The ugly little caterpillar did not believe the beautiful b.u.t.terfly. He just laughed.

"Oh!" said the lovely b.u.t.terfly, "All that I say is true.

But you can't stay there very long, There's work for you to do.

"To the very top of this big tree You must begin to go, Because all little crawling things, They are so very slow.

"There you must even change your skin Till it becomes dark brown.

And you must spin a rope of silk To tie you tightly down.

"You will sleep through the long cold winter, When the icy winds do blow.

You will sleep through the long cold winter, When everywhere there's snow.

"But by and by, in the spring-time, How happy you will be!

For you will wake and find yourself A b.u.t.terfly like me!

"Then work on, crawling little thing,"

Whispered the b.u.t.terfly, "For winter's coming very fast, And so good-by, good-by."

The little caterpillar thought: "How could I possibly turn into a b.u.t.terfly? I have seen other caterpillars tie themselves to twigs, but they always seemed very foolish to me."

However, that little caterpillar wanted more than anything else in the world to become a b.u.t.terfly, so he decided to try. He crawled slowly up the tree until he found a branch that suited him exactly. Then he selected a twig and spun about it a soft resting place of silk. He spun a soft silken loop, too, with which he tied himself to the twig.

Very soon he lost all his bright color, and became as brown as the twig itself. If you had seen him, you would probably have thought he was nothing but a small brown leaf. When the cold, snowy days came, the little caterpillar knew nothing whatever about them, for he was fast asleep.

At last, after a long, long winter, there began to be signs of spring.

Soon, soft warm little rain drops began to fall on the chrysalis (for that is what we call the sleeping caterpillar), whispering: "Spring is coming and it's time to awake!" Soon, soft warm little sunbeams began to dance on the chrysalis, whispering: "Spring is almost here, it is time to awake!" Soon soft, warm little breezes began to blow the chrysalis about, whispering: "Spring is here, and it is time to awake!"

Then, at last, the little caterpillar did awake. He slowly broke away his old dried skin and the silk fastenings which he had spun so many months before, and he crawled out in the sunshine, wet and still drowsy after his long sleep. After a while he became warm and dry, and wide awake in the bright sunlight, and then, suddenly, he felt that he had wings! He looked in a rain-drop mirror, and there he saw himself a beautiful b.u.t.terfly.