going to spend your nights on the railroad tracks, signalling the
trains."

Well, Freddie Firefly rather liked Mrs. Ladybug's idea. And though he
knew that she was mistaken about some things, he began to think that
perhaps she was quite wise, after all.

"Aren't you afraid I might set fire to the trains?" he inquired slyly.

"No, indeed!" she answered. "You'd stop them, you know, before they ran
over you."

"But I don't know how to make a train stop," he objected. "I've never
worked on a railroad in all my life."

"Why, it's simple enough," said little Mrs. Ladybug. "When a train came
along you would stand on the track right in front of it and wave your
light." And while she smiled at Freddie Firefly as if to say, "You see
how easy it is," she dropped six more stitches out of her knitting--and
never found them, either.

Freddie Firefly, however, did not smile at all. On the contrary, he
looked somewhat worried.

"Are you sure it's safe?" he asked her. "If the train failed to stop,
with me on the track in front of it--"

"Don't worry about that!" cried little Mrs. Ladybug. "You'll never
amount to anything if you worry. And if you don't wish to fritter away
your time dancing in this meadow, you'll take my advice and begin to