Various

“ Tad said she was "as good as a boy," which was a very great compliment, I can tell you, and Gussie was better skilled in boys' sports than she was in girls', because she had no sisters to play with. Parties she had no fondness for; they were stupid affairs at best, and she never had been to one that she did not feel as if all her clothes were made of whalebone.
"I'd like a lawn party," she said to Vinnie. "They must be nice." ”

“ Frost came each year on a visit, and locked everything up in ice and snow that he could get hold of, which made it very bad for Sparrows, unless some kind people left bread-crumbs where hungry birds could get them.
The baby was not exactly satisfied with the explanation, because she could not understand how it was that food should be so scarce then, when it had been so plenty the day before; but she was naturally a good little sparrow, and therefore did not grumble at being obliged to remain in the house, even if she could not understand what her grandmother told her. ”

“ They used to bring oysters to school in their pockets, and eat them slyly, and some of the pupils had a perfect passion for pink and purple jelly-fish, though Miss Delphina always forbade them to eat sweetmeats; and others used to bring their pet sea-horses with them, and play with them in class, which kept Miss Delphina always scolding. The merboys, too, gave her trouble, for they hid among the rocks, and threw sting-rays and sea-eggs at the mermaids, making them jump and shriek and drop stitches. Then Miss Delphina would unchain Cephalopterus, and set him at the boys. ”

“ They were as industrious a family as ever lived in that alley, the children doing exactly what their parents desired without ever once crying to go out and play marbles, or to have a new doll, and they always minded their own business, instead of idling around to see what the neighbors were doing. ”

“ In August the bolls began to open, and the boys to pick cotton. It was not long before they discovered that they had grown more cotton than they could pick, and that they must either have help or lose a part of their crop. So one day Ned mounted the mule, and rode across the Yalabusha River, and out of the swamp into the poor hill country. There the scanty crops were easily picked, and as he was able to offer money wages, he easily secured some half-grown negro boys as pickers. Their wages amounted to comparatively little, and their help secured the whole of the boys' crop. ”

“ This was a surprise to Vinnie Dean and her mother, who sat beside Mrs. Turner on the porch, and for the time being the lawn tennis court was abandoned.
The six girls were in white; three of them had red fans, three blue. Gussie acted as Captain, and her fan was of both colors, her dress being also red and blue. The orders were given so nicely and obeyed with such precision that even Tad was surprised. He had no idea that girls could be so smart, or had so much knowledge of military affairs. ”

“ On the shore lived a very good fisherman named Pietro Monaldi, whose little boy, Leonardo, used to gather the fruit and flowers, and leave them for the mermaids. Leonardo had always longed to see a mermaid, though his father said they were invisible, and he had often watched on the shore at dawn, but had never been able to catch a glimpse of one until Halicora came up. ”

“ Tim was almost frantic with grief, believing his pet was perishing before his eyes, and he powerless to save him. It is quite possible that he would have obeyed his first impulse and leaped into the water to try to save Tip, if a passenger had not taken a firm hold of him.
"It's a wicked shame. I'd jest like to take that Captain an' do to him jest as he has done to Tip, an' he such a nice bear dog too," said Bobby, who stood by Tim's side watching Tip's battle for life. ”

“ The family mustn't be separated from its heads, and I want my boys, and I think my boys want me too when they are lonely down there in the swamp."
"Indeed we do," exclaimed both boys. "Hurrah for mother!"
Three years later, as I happen to know, the last dollar of debt on the plantation was paid. The boys have built [Pg 724] a good house there, which their mother has made a home for them. They have now, after a dozen years' work, a gin-house, a cotton-press, twelve mules, a good many cows, and Bob has a baby of his own, having found a wife on one of his business trips. ”

“ The white man has entered your camp and stolen your humpty-dumpty little pappoose. Come, let us prepare for revenge;" and Gussie slipped her arm tenderly round Vinnie's waist. "I ain't much of a fighter myself, but I have a brother who thinks he is equal to a whole tribe of Indians, and if there are any scalps to be taken, we'll send for Tad Turner." ”

“ Rabbit stroked his whiskers sagely while Mr. Sparrow was speaking, and after the baby was hushed, he said, kindly:
"I'm very sorry for you, neighbor, very sorry, and I will take especial pains to have grain enough for your wants pushed out through the cracks of our dining-room when we have our meals. I have always thought that you Sparrows were not treated exactly as you deserved. In the summer the children watch your funny ways, and think you're very nice, while some, I am sorry to say, even steal the eggs from your nest. ”

“ Captain Pratt was standing near them, but he was so much engaged in giving orders for the proper landing of the boat that he did not notice his cabin-boy, who was breaking one of the rules of the steamer by loitering on that deck.
The boat was still quite a distance from the shore, and Bobby was pointing out his father's house, when they heard a furious barking, and before they could turn, Tip was jumping up around them. He had found no difficulty in escaping from the half-tied rope, and after that was done it was an easy matter for him to find his young master. ”

“ When she went home she wrote notes to all her relations, the Cetaceans and the Sirenidians, telling them to be particularly careful of Pietro Monaldi, as he was a good man and a friend of hers; and as Halicora was dearly loved by every one, all her relations promised to look out for Pietro Monaldi, and send him plenty of fish. After that, Halicora and 'Nardo became very well acquainted, and told each other a great deal about the land and sea, and Halicora became quite certain that no merboy ever could be so pleasant and good as 'Nardo. ”

“ I wish very much indeed to visit New York, and I mean to beg papa to let me go next year with my teacher.
The story that I like best of all that I have read in Young People was "Aunt Ruth's Temptation."
This is the rainy season, and we have rain every day. We are very desirous to see the dry weather come back.
We have a large farm in the country, and there we have a fine croquet ground, where we play very often. We speak only English in the school-room and with our teacher.
Sirena C.
Providence, Rhode Island. ”

“ Rabbit says that when the cold weather comes this year he firmly believes his friend the Editor of Young People will do all in his power to induce his young acquaintances to see that their bird friends, who have done so much for their amusement during the summer, are provided with a liberal supply of crumbs during the cold winter months. ”

“ One grown man would have accomplished more than this; but the boys were satisfied. They had brought a grindstone and some iron wedges with them, and there was no reason to doubt that they could maintain their average of a cord a day. The mule kept in good condition on swamp grass and young cane.
Bob laid out, next the river, the little field which he hoped to get ready for cultivation, and before attacking the timber land he took care to cut into cord-wood all the trees in that little patch which were big enough for the purpose. ”

“ War is threatened between Greece and Turkey. The Greeks have gathered an army of seventy thousand men at Athens to take possession of the part of Epirus and Thessaly given them under the Berlin Treaty. They are resolved to march to the frontier and defend their countrymen. It is feared that the Turks will resist their claims, and war must yet break out. The Greeks can defend themselves by land, but on the sea the Turks have a powerful fleet that may ravage all the coasts of Greece. The Turks are savage and brutal. They may attack Athens, and batter down its palace and its ruins. ”

“ Bob made a journey to the nearest plantation, and brought back a cart-load of cotton seed, together with the seeds of a variety of vegetables, for which beds were made around the hut.
The summer's work was very hard and very hot. The rich land produced weeds as well as cotton, and Ned remarked that "weeds never go to picnics or take Saturday afternoons off."
In this the boys imitated the weeds, working early and late in their crop, barely giving themselves time to hoe out their kitchen-garden occasionally. ”

“ Halicora had helped him to swim, had lifted him out of the waves, and brought him a piece of the wrecked boat to hold upon. Pietro thought the piece of board came by a lucky accident; but Halicora was holding it, and she brought him safely to land just at dawn. 'Nardo was on the shore, waiting in great anxiety for the boat to come back. When he saw Halicora helping his father, he forgot her warning, and exclaimed: "Thanks, dear Halicora! See, father, the good mermaid has helped you."
But his father saw nothing—only those who are young and truly good can see the mermaids ”

“ During the remainder of that day, and all the night, Tim lay in his berth wondering why it was he did not die, since he was so sick, and expecting each moment that the steamer would go to the bottom. He almost forgot Tip, save once or twice when he asked Bobby to see whether the dog was feeling as badly as he was, and when he was told that Tip was apparently enjoying very good health, he felt a sense of injury because his pet did not share his sickness with him. ”

“ We are keeping back the best books and prettiest cards, for we want, if we can, to make a feast and have a tree for them at Christmas, and make them all supremely happy for one day. They have never seen a Christmas tree, and have never had any Christmas presents, except Pete's children, who always have a gift from us. ”

“ I think it mean to be born in the summer, when it's too hot to do anything, and lots of folks are away."
"Except mosquitoes," said Gussie, striking Vinnie a blow on the shoulder that would have killed a mosquito as large as a grasshopper. It had the effect of rousing Vinnie from her attack of the doldrums ”

“ In No. 93 of Harper's Young People Mr. Eggleston says the baby elephant cracks pea-nuts with its feet, and that it did not learn this from the grown-up elephants, "for they eat nuts without cracking them." This is a mistake, for I have seen the large elephants at the Zoological Garden in Philadelphia crack nuts with their feet, as Mr. Eggleston says the baby elephant did.
Samuel B.
Perhaps the elephants you saw learned their cute way of cracking nuts when they were baby elephants, and never forgot it. ”

“ Don't you want to hear about our little kitten? She can spring from the third-story window to the roof when she wants to chase the birds, and she stands on a chair by the window and plays with the flies. ”

“ We are sure you mean to take hold of school work heartily after having had the splendid summer holidays. What do you do mornings and evenings to help mother? What do you mean to be when you shall be grown up? ”

“ The eggs were empty ones, the contents having been previously extracted by being sucked through a small aperture; but to prevent the company from suspecting this, the operator should, as if by accident, let a full egg fall on the table, the breaking of which induces a belief that the others are also full.
THE INK AND FISH TRICK.
This is really a first-rate delusion. You bring before the spectators a glass vase full of ink. You dip a ladle into it, and pour out some of the ink upon a plate, in order to convince the audience that the substance in the vase is really ink. ”

“ State that you are about to cook an omelet; then you break four eggs in a hat, place the hat for a short time over the flame of a candle, and shortly after produce an omelet completely cooked and quite hot. Some persons will be credulous enough to believe that by the help of certain ingredients you have been enabled to cook the omelet without fire; but the secret of the trick is that the omelet had been previously cooked and placed in the hat, but could not be seen, because the operator, when breaking the eggs, placed it too high for the spectators to observe the contents. ”

“ Every mermaid shrieked, dropped her knitting, and hid behind the rocks. The diver was looking for a place to lay a submarine cable; he walked about, getting his feet entangled [Pg 732] in the knitting-work, mixing up every one's ball, and pulling out rows and rows of stitches. This was too much. Miss Delphina called to the oldest and bravest mermaids to come to the rescue, and told Halicora to unchain Cephalopterus. Then they all rushed at the diver, Halicora with the devil-fish first. ”

“ One brother, three years old, is named Sydney Francis, but we call him Captain Cook, and another, Arthur Cecil, we call Nipper. We lost one dear little girl soon after we came here; poor little Mabel took diphtheria and died. We have a little American baby to take home with us. Her name is Marion Ruby, and she is three months old. If you would like me to write to you from Ireland or England, please let me know. We are always going to take Harper's Young People, even after we are again at home in Australia.
Olympia R. B. C.
Yes, we will be glad to hear again from you. ”

“ We'll have steamboats here yet."
"Well, I hope they'll come soon," said Ned. "I've fried our last slice of bacon, and we have only a few pounds of meal left."
"We can eat the mule," said Bob, "rather than starve; but we'll wait on short rations and hope."
There had been a great crop of cotton grown on the Tallahatchee that year, and the dry fall had enabled the planters to pick it more thoroughly than usual. ”

“ A boy of sixteen, who is well and strong, and who has acquired a common-school education, ought to do better than remain in an office at $2 a week, with no prospect of advancement. You might learn a trade. ”