right.

And the rain continued to fall upon the burdock leaves solely to
entertain them with its drumming, and the sun shone to light the forest
for their especial benefit, and very happy they were--they and the whole
snail family--inexpressibly happy!

[Illustration]

THE GREENIES

A ROSE TREE stood in the window. But a little while ago it had been
green and fresh, and now it looked sickly--it was in poor health, no
doubt. A whole regiment was quartered on it and was eating it up; yet,
notwithstanding this seeming greediness, the regiment was a very decent
and respectable one. It wore bright-green uniforms. I spoke to one of
the "Greenies." He was but three days old, and yet he was already a
grandfather. What do you think he said? It is all true--he spoke of
himself and of the rest of the regiment. Listen!

"We are the most wonderful creatures in the world. At a very early age
we are engaged, and immediately we have the wedding. When the cold
weather comes we lay our eggs, but the little ones lie sunny and warm.
The wisest of the creatures, the ant,--we have the greatest respect for
him!--understands us well. He appreciates us, you may be sure. He does
not eat us up at once; he takes our eggs, lays them in the family ant
hill on the ground floor--lays them, labeled and numbered, side by side,
layer on layer, so that each day a new one may creep out of the egg.
Then he puts us in a stable, pinches our hind legs, and milks us till we
die. He has given us the prettiest of names--'little milch cow.'

"All creatures who, like the ant, are gifted with common sense call us
by this pretty name. It is only human beings who do not. They give us
another name, one that we feel to be a great affront--great enough to
embitter our whole life. Could you not write a protest against it for
us? Could you not rouse these human beings to a sense of the wrong they
do us? They look at us so stupidly or, at times, with such envious eyes,
just because we eat a rose leaf, while they themselves eat every created
thing--whatever grows and is green. And oh, they give us the most
humiliating of names! I will not even mention it. Ugh! I feel it to my
very stomach. I cannot even pronounce it--at least not when I have my
uniform on, and that I always wear.

"I was born on a rose leaf. I and all the regiment live on the rose
tree. We live off it, in fact. But then it lives again in us, who belong
to the higher order of created bei