THE NIGHT WATCH
LITTLE Mrs. Ladybug stopped everybody she met in the meadow and relatedhow Betsy Butterfly was taking Farmer Green's butter--and his eggs,too--without asking his permission.
"She's going to get some of us into trouble," Mrs. Ladybug informed herneighbors. "Just as likely as not Farmer Green and his wife will thinkothers are stealing from them. Why, I went to the farmhouse to-day andasked for a bit of butter. And what do you think? Mrs. Green pretendednot to hear me! I thought it was queer, at the time. But now I knowthat she's angry with me. She must have missed some of her butter; andshe thinks I'm the guilty party." Mrs. Ladybug shook her finger at herneighbors. "We'll have to do something to put a stop to BetsyButterfly's thieving," she declared.
Jealous Mrs. Ladybug's story amazed all the field people. They couldscarcely believe that anyone so beautiful and dainty as Betsy Butterflywould bemean herself by robbing Farmer Green--or anybody else. But Mrs.Ladybug said that Daddy Longlegs had seen Betsy with her face buriedin Farmer Green's butter. And no one could doubt the word of sorespectable a person as Daddy Longlegs.
"What steps do you think we ought to take to prevent Betsy from eatingany more butter and eggs that don't belong to her?" asked the queen ofthe Bumblebee family.
"I think we ought to set a careful watch on her," said Mrs. Ladybug."I'm sure I don't see when she gets her stolen goods, because I'vewatched her very closely myself for some time. And I've seen her dine onnothing but flowers."
"Perhaps she goes to the farmhouse at night," Jennie Junebug suggested.
"That's a happy thought!" said Mrs. Ladybug approvingly. "We'll have toget Freddie Firefly to follow her about after dark."
So Mrs. Ladybug and her neighbors made arrangements with Freddie Fireflyto have Betsy Butterfly spied upon that very night.
"I'll watch her till sunset," Mrs. Ladybug agreed. "And then you mustrelieve me," she told Freddie. "Don't let her out of your sight untilsunrise!" she warned him.
Freddie Firefly promised that he would be faithful to his trust. Andlater that afternoon, when the sun began to drop behind the mountains,he relieved Mrs. Ladybug, who had been spying upon Betsy ever sincetheir talk earlier in the day.
"She's behaved herself fairly well so far," Mrs. Ladybug whispered toFreddie, as she prepared to fly home to her children. "But there's noknowing when she may start for the farmhouse. So you mustn't take youreyes off her all night long!"
"You can trust me," Freddie assured her. And then Mrs. Ladybug said goodevening.
* * * * * * *
Freddie Firefly always claimed that that was the longest night he everspent. And he said that if he had realized that he would have to stay inone place from sunset to dawn he never would have agreed to watch BetsyButterfly.
For Betsy Butterfly went to sleep the moment the sun went down. Freddiehad to remain for hours and hours where he could flash his light uponher. And all the while he knew that his whole family was having adelightful time dancing in the hollow over towards the swamp.
It was especially hard for Freddie because he could see the gay lightsof the Fireflies twinkling through the dark.
But Betsy Butterfly knew nothing of his long vigil. She slept and sleptthe whole night long. And Freddie Firefly had to admit to himself, as hewatched her, that she didn't act like a robber in the least.