"Goodness gracious! what's all this?" he shouted; and he banged and kicked with all his wings and legs. Such a commotion! "He will smash my web and get away, after all," cried Spinny, and she was out to him in a moment. Quickly she spun a few threads and bound them round him to hold him. Then she unsheathed two sharp claws in her feelers. She drove these into the fly, holding them still for a second while a drop of poison from her poison bag ran down each claw into the wound. Very soon Blue-bottle was dead. "This is a splendid tea!" said Spinny. "The wings are too hard and dry, but the body is just what I like." "You savage creature!" cried the Red Butterfly, who had seen the death of the fly. "How can you bear to be so cruel?" "Again we look at things from different standpoints," said Spinny. "I cannot eat honey like you, but am made to live on flesh and blood. What seems cruelty to you is only my nature, and I cannot help my nature. I must get my food in this way, or I should die." SPINNY SPIDER'S CHILDREN "What are you making now?" asked the Red Butterfly of Spinny Spider. "A round cradle for my babies," said Spinny Spider. "Really! And where are the babies?" "They are not here yet. Don't talk to me. I am busy." She went on working, spinning fine silk threads and weaving them carefully into a ball-shaped cradle. Then she put her little white eggs in it, and picked it up and carried it about with her. "Well, you are a silly!" cried the Butterfly. "Fancy carrying that weight about with you wherever you go. Why don't you do as I do?" "What do you do?" asked Spinny Spider. "I leave my eggs on a stalk or a leaf," said the Butterfly. "The sun hatches them, and I have no further trouble." "And do you mean to say you do nothing more for them?" "Nothing at all." "Don't you even go to see how they are? Why, something might eat them!" "I lay them as far out of sight as I can," said the Butterfly. "That is all I can do." "That way would never suit me," said Spinny Spider. "You call me cruel, but I say you are heartless." "It is my nature. I cannot help it," said the Butterfly. "As you yourself said, we look at things from different standpoints." Spinny Spider said nothing, but hugged her precious burden more closely to her. By and by, however, a wasp was caught in her nest, so she hid the cradle for safety in the darkest corner of her little house near by, while she attended to Mr. Wasp. After a few days the children came out of their shells. What a crowd! They ran all over the little house and peeped into everything. "Come out and see the world," said Spinny Spider. She led them out into the sunshine. Wicked Mr. Striped Spider was passing the door. "Good day, Spinny Spider!" he said. "That is a fine family of yours. May I look at the little dears?" "No, indeed!" cried Spinny Spider, for she knew he only wanted to eat them.