. Little Tom . crowd and welcomed him with a touching speech. Prince Tom, be welcomed to our Lady-bird Kingdom. Long have we waited foryou and now respectfully beg you to be our king, rule over our land and take foryour wife the true comrade of your youth, who, at the time of the flood, was visitingus and so was saved.« As soon as Seven Spot stopped speaking, the water lily opened and out steppeda golden haired girl in a violet dress. »Chrysomela« cried Tom and ran to her withopen arms. ><Long live our King, Little Tom!« was shouted on all sides in a loud chorus,while a great crowd of go
. Little Tom . crowd and welcomed him with a touching speech. Prince Tom, be welcomed to our Lady-bird Kingdom. Long have we waited foryou and now respectfully beg you to be our king, rule over our land and take foryour wife the true comrade of your youth, who, at the time of the flood, was visitingus and so was saved.« As soon as Seven Spot stopped speaking, the water lily opened and out steppeda golden haired girl in a violet dress. »Chrysomela« cried Tom and ran to her withopen arms. ><Long live our King, Little Tom!« was shouted on all sides in a loud chorus,while a great crowd of golden flies flew around and around the pool and a merrychoir sang to celebrate the fete. Tom was quite beside himself with happiness. The sad past faded away and hesaw only before him the goldenhaired girl, who smiled at him from her blue held each others hands and talked and talked, until Seven Spot interruptedthem to ask them to sit down to the banquet and accept the homage of their subjects. 82. The banquet was magnificent. Stuffed tiny snails, salad of flower tendrils, a giantwhitebait born by four cooks on a dog-rose leaf, mint candies, and, for drinking, black-berry wine drawn directly from a great berry standing on the edge of the leaf. When they began to feast, beautiful music sounded. It was the famous GnatQuartette, two gnats playing violins, a small cicada, the cello and a wood-bee, thebass viol. Joyous strains rang through the warm summer air. Presently, a swarm ofgnats hovered over the water close by, dancing a graceful ballet; and, when they hadfinished, there came a dragonfly who gave an acrobatic performance with giddy jumpsand dizzy whirling. The rest of the kingdom of the lady-birds were sitting all around the shore ofthe pool on mint and ferns, cheering and shouting with joy. On a fallen trunk by thewater, sat a sedate group of water-bugs chewing young tendrils and nodding appro-val with their beards. By the time the celebration was finished, eve
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookidlittletom00t, bookyear1922
