from getting up your nose and into your throat."

"Things in the bugs," said Betty, "are so like us."

"The world becomes more and more like one great whole as you grow
older," added Ben Gile. "Those are interesting elves I've been telling
you about, aren't they?"

"I didn't know bug elves could be so interesting."

"Now run and get us some of the fresh cake Lizzie has been baking," said
Mrs. Reece. "I hope it will taste as good as it smells."

IX

THE PRIZE

There were two canoes going up the little river which led out from the
pond. In the first were Ben Gile with Betty, Hope, and Jack. In the
second Jimmie and Peter paddled Mrs. Reece. They had trout rods,
although they did not plan to fish very much, and well-filled
luncheon-baskets, magnifying-glasses, cameras, boxes, and various other
things.

In two weeks they were to go on a camping expedition, and to-day's trip
was taken chiefly to find a good place for the first night's stop.

The children were all excitement about the camping, which was to be the
last jollity of their happy summer, and they asked so many questions
about what they were to take with them, and they asked the same
questions over so many times, that at last Mrs. Reece put her hands on
her ears and called to the guide, who was paddling vigorously ahead.

"Well," he called back, "a frying-pan and an axe, and perhaps a tent."
He allowed his canoe to drop nearer Mrs. Reece's. "What naughty children
you are," he continued, "to bother the life out of your poor mother! I
know of some other children, too, who are very naughty. I see one flying
now."

"That pretty little thing," exclaimed Betty, "with the gauzy wings?"

"Yes, that pretty little thing; its wings have many, many veins. When
Lace-Wing is a baby and is called a larva, it does not look like this,
for its jaws are strong and very sharp. After it has eaten and grown for
some time it makes a house for itself, where it rolls up for a nap.
While it is lying very still in this little house many things are
happening."

"What happens?" asked Jack.

"Well, it is changing from a baby to a grown-up, and while it is growing
up into an insect it is called a pupa. Don't mistake this for papa--it
does not look like your papa at all."

Betty thought this was very funny, because her father was a great big
man over six feet tall.

"After its wings are made and it looks just like its mamma, Lace-Wing
crawls out of its house and flies