brown-and-black butterflies say that they
were the handsomest creatures in the garden. I should outshine them
all."

Mr. Peacock stood up and strutted about, and all the time little Miss
Butterfly flew close to him and flattered him.

"Oh, how jealous they would be if I had a dress like your beautiful
tail, for there are no colors in the world so gorgeous, and they would
call me the Peacock Butterfly! Think of that! You would have the most
beautiful butterfly in the world named for you, Mr. Peacock!"

Mr. Peacock could not resist this flattery. He told her she could
choose the two tips she best liked and have some one to pull them out.

It did not take Miss Butterfly a minute to fly to the tree near by
where Mr. Woodpecker was at work and ask his help, for she knew he did
not bother butterflies. His work was to find small insects.

Before the end of the summer the garden folk saw Miss Butterfly, but
not plain little Butterfly now, for she wore the most gorgeous gown in
the garden, of blue and black, and the next year all the other
butterflies were jealous of the Peacock Butterflies, who wore the
handsomest gowns in the world.

Mr. Peacock struts more than ever every time he sees one of the
handsome creatures he helped to dress, but no one knows that it was due
to the flattery of plain little Miss Butterfly that the family name was
created.

THE REVENGE OF THE GNOMES

[Illustration: Revenge of the Gnomes]

The Fairies decided to give a party one night, and invited the Goblins,
but they did not ask the Gnomes, because they did not think of them.

The Gnomes live so deep in the earth that the Fairies seldom meet them,
and so they really forgot and did not in the least intend to slight
them. But the Gnomes heard the Goblins talking about the party one
night and they were very angry because they were not asked also.

The woods were very beautiful, and some of the trees were wearing their
red and yellow leaves, for it was late in the summer. When the moon
came out the green and red and yellow made a pretty picture, and the
Fairies were delighted with the setting for their party.

The Fairy Queen had a new carriage made from a petal of a white lily
and drawn by two butterflies. The Fairies all had new dresses of pink
rose petals and they had the fireflies in all the bushes and trees
where they looked like so many tiny electric lights.

Their table was spread on a big rock; the rabbits were to wait