LESSON LIII.
oc'cu pant, one who is in possession of a thing.
ac quired', gained.
mi'cro scope, a glass so formed as to make small objects appear large.
slug'gish, slow; stupid.
in spect'ing, looking at with attention.
com posed', made up.
se'ries, a number of things in order.
stub'bed, short and thick.
dis turbed', interfered with.
THE CATERPILLAR AND BUTTERFLY.
Last summer, when the trees were covered with green leaves, and when the little stream was sparkling and dancing in the sun, there appeared in the garden, a large caterpillar of many colors, and about as pretty as a caterpillar could be.
All day long it was nibbling the green leaves, and leaf after leaf disappeared before it with wonderful rapidity. It seemed to live only for eating.
As autumn came on, it quite lost its appetite; so much so, that even the tenderest and most juicy leaves could not tempt it to eat any more. It grew dull and stiff, and lost all interest in life.
Feeling that some change was about to happen, it crawled into a little hole in the old garden wall. It wrapped itself up in a cobweb, and fell into a long sleep, during which it became changed from a caterpillar into a dried-up, dead-looking grub or chrysalis.
It remained in this state through all the long winter, till the snow and frost had gone, and the cold March winds were over.
In April the trees burst forth with their bright green leaves, and the grass looked fresh under the power of the warm rains.