Page:The grandmother; a story of country life in Bohemia.pdf/148

142 "I have a lady-bug," said Adelka, showing her closed hand to the Countess, who had dismounted and approached her.

"Let me see it?"

Adelka opened her hand, but it was empty. "Oh, my! it ran away," said the child frowning.

"Wait, it isn't gone yet," said the Countess; and she carefully picked up the lady-bug from the little girl's bare shoulder. "What will you do with it?"

"I will let it fly away. Now watch, how it will go!" Adelka placed the lady-bug upon her palm, raised her hand, and said: "Pinko linko, pinko linko, fly away into God's window."

"Go, go, not so slow!" added Willie, giving Adelka a slight stroke upon the hand. At that instant the lady-bug raised its red-spotted cloak, spread out the delicate wings that had been folded under it, and flew away into the sky.

"Why did you push it?" scolded Adelka.

"So it should go the sooner," laughed the boy, and turning. to Hortense, he took her by the hand saying: "Come, Miss Hortense, come to see the ants. I gave them a bit of bread, and there are swarms of them around it!"

The Countess put her hand into the pocket of her black plush jacket, and brought out a piece of sugar; handing it to Willie she said: "Place this in the grass and you will see how, in an instant, they will surround it. They like sweet things."

Willie obeyed, and when he saw how in a very short time the ants, running from all sides, surrounded the sugar, carrying away the tiniest bits, he was greatly surprised and asked the Countess: "Tell me, Miss Hortense, how do these ants know