Various

“ But Tony did not go ahead. Neither did he discuss the matter, for argument of any kind was not at all in his way. He merely stopped and let go of Willie's hand. "It isn't safe," he persisted. "You can do as you like, but I am not going on it."
"Well, stay there," said Ned Marston, giving him a little shove—"stay where you are, General Washington, and cross the Delaware on dry land if you can."
"Three cheers for General Washington!" shouted Dick, derisively. "Hurrah for the bravest of the brave!" and then the three boys skated on, leaving Tony standing there upon the ice. ”

“ But although this lessened his troubles, it by no means ended them; for when a child has so many nicknames to choose from, everybody is apt to select a different one; and to confess the truth, he was not at all the right sort of a boy to be called George Washington.
There was nothing of the soldier, nothing of the patriot, nothing at all remarkable, about poor Tony in any way. He was a shy, homely little boy, who would have passed well enough as plain Sam, which, being his father's name, would also have been his had it not been for his unfortunate birthday. ”

“ I think Young People is the nicest paper published. Papa and auntie have read every number to me since the first. My dear mamma is in heaven, and I live at grandpa's with my auntie. Papa comes to see me three times a day, and every Friday he stays all night with me. Young People comes that night, and papa reads it to me. ”

“ Dear "Young People,"—Mamma gave us a year's subscription to your dear self for a birthday present, and when that expired, renewed it for a Christmas present. There are four of us boys, and our great favorite of all the papers we read, or get mamma to read to us, is Young People. ”

“ Any number can join in this game, which is begun by one of the players, who relates some real or fancied experience, or tells a story in which some proverb which he has in mind is expressed. The person who guesses the proverb thus indicated has to tell another story, which must be continued until it has also been guessed.
When played by a large company, it is well to divide into equal sides, arranged opposite each other in two lines. In this case the first player at the right upper side begins to tell the story, which must be guessed only on the opposite side. ”

“ One can fancy them on their village green clattering away to the quaint gay music, flinging their arms about, or beating time with their hands. But when the gavotte was introduced into the upper classes, and with it various other dances of the people, it became more refined, dignified, even more serious.
Bach wrote many gavottes, some singly, some in what are called suites, or sets of short pieces of music. Just now all who can play well at all are interested in this dance-music of the eighteenth century. ”

“ Our climate is so very mild that flowers, even geraniums, begonias, ice-plant, etc., grow out of doors all winter. Sometimes a frost comes and kills a few, but not often. Dear Young People, we all love you so! ”

“ Last week we had Valentine's Day, and this week brings us a holiday of a different kind. Americans celebrate Washington's Birthday because that great and good man was our leader in the war for our separate existence as a nation. Many of you study the history of your country at school, and so you have learned that George Washington was born February 22, 1732. His father died when he was only eleven, but he had a good mother, and he early learned to honor her in all things. ”

“ My little sister and I take Harper's Young People. She is nine, and I am twelve. My brother has a cat nine years old. He is gray, and striped with black. My aunt has a Maltese cat twenty-seven years old. I go to the Central School, and I am in the sixth class. There is a parlor game called capping rhymes. One person gives two or three lines of some piece of poetry, and some other person takes two or three lines of another piece, the first word beginning with the first letter of the last word of the preceding person's verse. ”

“ The sides before beginning to play choose a time-keeper, who decides the duration of each contest, which should be from half an hour to an hour, according to the number of players. He keeps his watch in his hand, and calls out "Stop!" the instant the time has expired, and then declares the side to have won on which the unguessed story was being told at that moment. This keeps all the players on the alert, as each one is eager to guess while he is inventing his own story, so there may be no delay if he succeeds in guessing. ”

“ When the little one was born she weighed one hundred and forty-five pounds; her trunk was seven inches long, and she was about as big as a full-grown Newfoundland dog. Mr. Barnum has named the new-comer Bridgeport. He is going to exhibit her with Chief and Queen, as "The Elephant Family," and of course we are all going to see them.
One of the most interesting things about these elephants is the intelligence they show, and the attachment they form for their keepers, and even for the other animals about them. An amusing incident was daily witnessed last season in the greenroom of the show. ”

“ In it she spoke of having found board with Miss Holsover, to whom she had intrusted her valuable jewels and all her money and her poor little child, Miss Holsover promising to take all to Boston when she was dead.
"There is the secret," exclaimed Mrs. Martin, looking up from the letter with streaming eyes. "The wretched woman kept the jewels and money, and made the child her drudge. Oh, my poor little Jesse, if I can only find you!"
Mr. North had a sumptuous dinner before he and Mrs. Martin started out for B——. Then some time was devoted to making purchases for Jesse's comfort and convenience. ”

“ He is a very high jumper. Every meal-time all the cats come around Mr. Tibbs, and then he cries for all of them. He is very large, and weighs sixteen pounds.
I go to school, and learn music, and I am very fond of it. When I grow older, I am going to take singing lessons and lessons on the organ. I also have my dolls. I have a large French doll, which has everything like a little girl. ”

“ Surprised at this novel attack, old Betsey darted off with the speed of an unbroken colt, and brought the old man home quicker than he had ever before gone over the road." "Money makes the mare go," guesses a player on the right, and begins the second story.
This example will show the method of playing, as the stories are as varied as the tastes of their authors, and old and young alike enjoy this game, which is adapted for the summer picnic as well as for the winter fireside. ”

“ If any of the children to whom I am speaking suffer very much now, as boys and girls often do, in a way their elders never know of, from this same shyness and timidity, let them learn from the story of Dean Stanley the best way to cure themselves, and be of good cheer. ”

“ Among the leopards there is a full-grown animal called Pet. It is so tame that the keeper will enter its cage, take it in his arms, and handle it as familiarly as if it were a house cat. Yet this is dangerous business. The men whose profession is the training of wild animals had sad stories to tell of their own and others' experience. ”

“ It is played by sides, each choosing a champion, and they in turn selecting their players alternately, according to their merits. The ground on which they play in summer is near the village; and is a clay-covered space which from constant use has become hard like pavement.
The scene of the accompanying sketch is laid in winter, when the game is played on the ice or frozen snow. It is begun by two of the players, one from each side, running abreast of one another, and rolling in advance a ring, which is cut out of stone, and is from two to four inches in diameter. ”

“ Many Bears was a chief of great experience, but it had never occurred to him that it would cost him all his horses if he should be beaten in a fight with a river behind him. The blunder was to be remedied now with a rapidity which astonished even Murray, for he had not known how good a ford there was right there.
"Hope the Lipans won't find that out," he said to himself. "They'll think twice before they try to swim their horses. I've given these fellows good advice. May prevent [Pg 262] a battle. But if one should come, how could I fight the Lipans? ”

“ THE MILKMAIDS OF DORT.
Girls often declare that boys have all the fun. Well, they certainly do seem to get the larger share of it in a good many ways. Then, when they grow up, they are very apt, too, to carry off all the honors, the literary fame, the military glory, the professional success, while the girls are left at home to do worsted-work. ”

“ So in view of our "to-be-continued" lonely condition, the landlady kindly offered to introduce us to "three young gentlemen" who were attending school in the town, and who boarded with her sister.
They all came of noble families, she informed me, adding that it would be a great honor for me to know them. ”

“ It is always well, even for beginners, to understand the principle on which any kind of music is written. You will find your practicing much more interesting if you look deeper than the mere sounds. Suppose we take some simple gavotte, and examine into the way it is written. Here, for instance, is the first strain in one of Bach's most popular gavottes ”

“ They get oil out of the holes, and send it to the 'finery, and they make it into 'finery oil for the stores, and they sell it to the people to burn in lamps. They get thick par'fine out of the wells too, and the men come with pails and kegs, and sell it to the factory, and they make candy and chewing-gum out of it for stores to sell to boys and girls. ”

“ Here is a design of a chair-sleigh, which can easily be constructed, and which will enable some of the ladies who do not skate to have a very pleasant time on the ice. The runners (see Fig. 1) are thirty-nine inches long, and are shod with iron for their whole length. They are about thirteen inches apart, and are braced in three places, namely, at the back, at the front, and in the middle (directly under the front legs of the seat) . The foot-boards are two inches wide by five-eighths of an inch thick. The seat is about fifteen inches square, and strengthened underneath before and behind. ”

“ At a late period, and even in the Middle Ages, it was a popular belief that the engraved gems found in digging the ground of ancient sites were natural objects, and that the representations on them were a mere natural indication of the special power or quality each possessed. ”

“ A rhinoceros is not supposed to be a playful animal, but there is one in the show that has a decided taste for playing with a ball. He will roll it up and down the wall of the cage with his absurdly shaped nose, and apparently finds great enjoyment in the sport. He expresses his delight in what may be called deep grunts of satisfaction.
The circus business demands a small army of performers and attendants. ”

“ It had been the chief's order that the lodges should be set up on the safe side of the ford, and so there was work enough before the squaws. Even some of the younger braves were called upon to lend a hand, and in less than an hour's time there was a very respectable Indian village. Lodges, ponies, fires, dogs, everything belonging to an Apache hunting camp was there, and between them and any probable danger the river was rolling now, and the Lipans did not know where to look for the ford. ”

“ This effort to do two things at once is very good for the mental powers, as well as very amusing, as the players often become nervous and confused. The best stories are those which suggest several proverbs, as they may be guessed incorrectly at first, and thus give more time to the side on which the narrator is. To make this game clear to the youngest readers, who often play as well as their elders, a specimen of a simple story is given, as follows:
"An old farmer had lived very frugally on his farm for many years, until he had acquired a small competence. ”

“ How nice it is for you to be able to ride, drive, and swim, as well as to sing and play! Each of these accomplishments will have its use, and give you pleasure all your lives. We are glad your dear mother is better, and if you come to New York, we will be much pleased to see you. ”

“ We have them bound at the end of the year, and we think the two volumes of Harper's Young People the very nicest books we have. I have two sisters and one brother, and we have several pets—a white pony, a canary-bird, a black cat, and some mice. ”

“ The farmer continued his blows until the whip-lash was worn out, and then tried the whip-stock, which soon broke also, and the old man was in despair, as the mare only jumped up and down, without increasing her forward progress." At this point "More haste the worse speed," is incorrectly guessed by one of the players, and the narrator proceeds: "The mare shook her head angrily, and leered at her master, showing the whites of her eyes as if in scorn, and this action reminded the farmer that she was very sensitive about the head, being always annoyed when her bridle was put on. ”

“ When Valentine's Day left each solus,
So they picked off the flowers and hung themselves there,
On the stalk of a tall gladiolus.
FUN AND FACTS FOR LITTLE FOLKS.
"How does a hardware dealer differ from a bootmaker?" asked a bright boy of one of his playmates. The latter, somewhat puzzled, gave it up. "Why," said the other, "because the one sold the nails, and the other nailed the soles." ”