ALICE AND THE BLUEBIRD

Once there was a little girl named Alice.

She lived in a big white house.

Near the house was a pretty garden where Alice played.

Alice liked to see the birds and the bees.

She liked to see the butterflies, too.

A bluebird came to the garden.

He sang and sang to Alice.

One day he told her an old, old story.

This is the story he told:

Once there was a little brown worm who lived in a big garden.

He crawled from flower to flower.

The little worm was not happy.

“I don't want to be a brown worm,” he said.“I want to be a flower.

How can I turn into a flower? I will ask the bees.”

Just then the little worm saw a bee.

The bee was flying from flower to flower.

The worm said to the bee, “I don't want to be a worm.

I want to be a pretty flower.

Will you tell me how I can turn into a flower?”

The bee said, “I can not tell you, Little Worm, because I do not know.

Why don't you ask the flowers?

Buzz, buzz. Good-bye.”

The little worm crawled away.

At the other side of the garden the worm found a big, yellow rose.

He crawled up the stem of the rose.

Then he said, “Pretty rose, I want to be a flower.

Can you tell me how to turn into a flower?”

The rose could not tell him, and so he went right down again.

He crawled up the stem of a lily, but she could not tell him.

He went right down again.

Then the worm crawled up the stem of a dandelion and asked her, too.

She could not tell him how to turn into a flower.

“Oh, dear, oh, dear, what shall I do?” cried the little worm.

Just then the little worm saw a fairy.

“Oh, Fairy.” he said, “I want to be a flower.

Can you tell me how to turn into a pretty flower?”

The fairy said, “I can not tell you.

Go to the fairy of the clovers.

She dances in the meadow all day long.

I think she can tell you how to turn into a pretty flower.”

The little worm said, “Oh, thank you, kind Fairy.”

Then he crawled away to the meadow.

In the meadow the little worm found the clover fairy.

He told her what he wanted.

She said, “I will help you to turn into a pretty flower.

First, find a four-leaf clover.

Then bring it to me, and I will tell you how to get your wish.”

The worm looked and looked.

At last he found a four-leaf clover in a corner of the meadow.

He took it to the fairy.

She said, “Little Worm, you must make a bed to sleep in.

When it is made, you must go to sleep and dream that you are a flower.

Then my color fairies will dance around you three times and make some wishes.”

The little worm worked and worked.

At last his bed was ready, and he went to sleep in it.

The color fairies danced around him three times and made their wishes.

One wished the worm would turn into a flower.

One wished he would be a yellow flower.

Another wished he would be blue.

The last fairy wished he would be brown.

Then the fairies danced away.

The little brown worm slept in his bed for a long time.

At last he waked up.

He was not a worm now.

He was not a flower, but he was as pretty as a flower.

He was yellow and blue and brown.

He flew in the sunshine.

How beautiful he was!

He was a butterfly.

“That is all of my story,” said the blue-bird to Alice.

“It was a good story,” she said.

“Will you tell me another one?”

The bluebird said, “Not today, Alice.

I must fly home now.”

As he flew away, Alice called to him, “Good-bye, Bluebird. Come again soon.”

The bluebird liked Alice.

He came to see her again soon.

——Patten Beard