his master, Toadie Todson, with whom he at least had a lazy time, was
killed in a sand slide. And now he spent all his days at work for
Stingy, who was a very exacting master. If he so much as stopped to
nibble a little from a tender green birch leaf, Stingy would fly at him
and bid him go to work at once.

But one day Greenie discovered something about him which he intended to
use to good advantage. Stingy was in love. Every day at certain hours
Stingy went quietly off, and one day Greenie followed him. There down in
the meadow under a big apple tree he found Stingy together with five
other spiders. They were arranged in a row before Silken Web, more often
called Silkie, whom they were courting, and Silkie was waiting, ready to
accept the spider who did best. Out danced the first spider. The shining
hairs all over his body glistened in the sun, now he seemed silver, now
jet black, now crimson as he whirled, jumping lightly into the air.
Silkie looked for a second and then turned her head away. It was plain
she would have none of him. Off dejectedly crawled the first spider.

Greenie watched, fascinated by this bright colored little spectacle
under the blossoming apple tree. Then his eyes grew dark and angry. He
had to work when he was hungry. He had not had a single holiday for over
a month, he had been spoken to crossly, his Family Tree had been scoffed
at, he--well, he had had enough of this!

The last fine cobweb Stingy spun it was Greenie's business to fold and
put away carefully in the centre of a buttercup. He would get it and be
back before it was time for Stingy to dance. He measured his way quickly
over to the buttercup, his little back fairly popped into the air every
other half second as he went furiously humping himself along. He found
the cobweb covered with the gold dust of the buttercup, and taking it up