The Beetle Who Went on His Travels

								
There was once an Emperor who had a horse shod with gold.  He had a
golden shoe on each foot, and why was this?  He was a beautiful
creature, with slender legs, bright, intelligent eyes, and a mane that
hung down over his neck like a veil.  He had carried his master through
fire and smoke in the battle-field, with the bullets whistling round
him; he had kicked and bitten, and taken part in the fight, when the
enemy advanced; and, with his master on his back, he had dashed over
the fallen foe, and saved the golden crown and the Emperor's life,
which was of more value than the brightest gold.  This is the reason of
the Emperor's horse wearing golden shoes.

A beetle came creeping forth from the stable, where the farrier
had been shoeing the horse.  "Great ones, first, of course," said he,
"and then the little ones; but size is not always a proof of
greatness."  He stretched out his thin leg as he spoke.

"And pray what do you want?" asked the farrier.

"Golden shoes," replied the beetle.

"Why, you must be out of your senses," cried the farrier.
"Golden shoes for you, indeed!"

"Yes, certainly; golden shoes," replied the beetle.  "Am I not just
as good as that great creature yonder, who is waited upon and brushed,
and has food and drink placed before him?  And don't I belong to the
royal stables?"

"But why does the horse have golden shoes?" asked the farrier; "of
course you understand the reason?"

"Understand!  Well, I understand that it is a personal slight to
me," cried the beetle.  "It is done to annoy me, so I intend to go
out into the world and seek my fortune."

"Go along with you," said the farrier.

"You're a rude fellow," cried the beetle, as he walked out of
the stable; and then he flew for a short distance, till he found
himself in a beautiful flower-garden, all fragrant with roses and
lavender.  The lady-birds, with red and black shells on their backs,
and delicate wings, were flying about, and one of them said, "Is it
not sweet and lovely here?  Oh, how beautiful everything is."

"I am accustomed to better things," said the beetle.  "Do you
call this beautiful?  Why, there is not even a dung-heap."  Then he went
on, and under the shadow of a large haystack he found a caterpillar
crawling along.  "How beautiful this world is!" said the caterpillar.
"The sun is so warm, I quite enjoy it.  And soon I shall go to sleep,
and die as they call it, but I shall wake up with beautiful wings to
fly with, like a butterfly."

"How conceited you are!" exclaimed the beetle.  "Fly about as a
butterfly, indeed!  what of that.  I have come out of the Emperor's
stable, and no one there, not even the Emperor's horse, who, in
fact, wears my cast-off golden shoes, has any idea of flying,
excepting myself.  To have wings and fly!  why, I can do that
already;" and so saying, he spread his wings and flew away.  "I don't
want to be disgusted," he said to himself, "and yet I can't help
it."  Soon after, he fell down upon an extensive lawn, and for a time
pretended to sleep, but at last fell asleep in earnest.  Suddenly a
heavy shower of rain came falling from the clouds.  The beetle woke
up with the noise and would have been glad to creep into the earth for
shelter, but he could not.  He was tumbled over and over with the rain,
sometimes swimming on his stomach and sometimes on his back; and as
for flying, that was out of the question.  He began to doubt whether he
should escape with his life, so he remained, quietly lying where he
was.  After a while the weather cleared up a little, and the beetle was
able to rub the water from his eyes, and look about him.  He saw
something gleaming, and he managed to make his way up to it.  It was
linen which had been laid to bleach on the grass.  He crept into a fold
of the damp linen, which certainly was not so comfortable a place to
lie in as the warm stable, but there was nothing better, so he
remained lying there for a whole day and night, and the rain kept on
all the time.  Towards morning he crept out of his hiding-place,
feeling in a very bad temper with the climate.  Two frogs were
sitting on the linen, and their bright eyes actually glistened with
pleasure.

"Wonderful weather this," cried one of them, "and so refreshing.
This linen holds the water together so beautifully, that my hind
legs quiver as if I were going to swim."

"I should like to know," said another, "If the swallow who flies
so far in her many journeys to foreign lands, ever met with a better
climate than this.  What delicious moisture!  It is as pleasant as lying
in a wet ditch.  I am sure any one who does not enjoy this has no
love for his fatherland."

"Have you ever been in the Emperor's stable?" asked the beetle.
"There the moisture is warm and refreshing; that's the climate for me,
but I could not take it with me on my travels.  Is there not even a
dunghill here in this garden, where a person of rank, like myself,
could take up his abode and feel at home?" But the frogs either did
not or would not understand him.

"I never ask a question twice," said the beetle, after he had
asked this one three times, and received no answer.  Then he went on
a little farther and stumbled against a piece of broken crockery-ware,
which certainly ought not to have been lying there.  But as it was
there, it formed a good shelter against wind and weather to several
families of earwigs who dwelt in it.  Their requirements were not many,
they were very sociable, and full of affection for their children,
so much so that each mother considered her own child the most
beautiful and clever of them all.

"Our dear son has engaged himself," said one mother, "dear
innocent boy; his greatest ambition is that he may one day creep
into a clergyman's ear.  That is a very artless and loveable wish;
and being engaged will keep him steady.  What happiness for a mother!"

"Our son," said another, "had scarcely crept out of the egg,
when he was off on his travels.  He is all life and spirits, I expect
he will wear out his horns with running.  How charming this is for a

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