g his new collection he didn't visit the
swimming hole once. When his father asked him to do a little work for
him--such as feeding the chickens, or leading the old horse Ebenezer
to water--Johnnie Green was not so pleasant as he might have been. He
complained that he was too busy to bother with the farm chores just
then.

But Farmer Green told him to run along and do his work.

"You'll have plenty of time to play," said Johnnie's father.

The Butterfly family was sorry that Farmer Green didn't keep his boy at
work from dawn till dark. They didn't like to have to watch out for fear
that horrid net might swoop down upon them and catch them. They wanted
to have a good time among the flowers without being in constant terror
of capture at the hands of Johnnie Green.

But, strange to say, Betsy Butterfly was not in the least uneasy. She
was so gentle herself that she couldn't believe anybody would harm her.

Little did Betsy realize that she was really in great danger. Her fatal
beauty was sure to catch Johnnie Green's eye. And though Betsy Butterfly
did not know it, only an accident could prevent her being added to
Johnnie Green's collection.

III

A MISHAP

EXCEPT for the work that his father made him do now and then, there was
only one thing that bothered Johnnie Green in making his collection of
butterflies. The weather was not so good as it might have been. He soon
found that there was no use hunting for butterflies except in the
sunshine. So when a three days' rain came, Johnnie began to wish he
had started a different sort of collection.

But the weather cleared at last. And the sun came out so bright that
Johnnie fairly pulled old Ebenezer away from the watering-trough and
hustled him back to his stall; for he was in a hurry to get to the
flower garden with his butterfly net. As for the chickens, they had
very little food that day.

Once in the garden, Johnnie Green found more butterflies than he had
ever noticed before. But as soon as he began chasing them, they flew
away to the meadow. That is, all but Betsy Butterfly. She said she was
sure Johnnie Green wouldn't annoy her.

And that was where she was wrong. The moment he caught sight of her,
with her mottled red-and-brown wings with the violet tips, Johnnie
cried: "There's a beauty!"

But Betsy Butterfly was so used to such remarks that she paid little
heed to him. Even when he crept nearer and nearer to her, with old dog
Spot at his heels,