Various

“ One of them carried a large club, while another had something which grandma, who could not see very well, took to be a stone.
"Oh, what cruel boys!" thought the old lady. "It's bad enough to tie things to a cat's tail; but to beat her with a club and to throw stones at her is still worse." [40]
"I'll be pitcher," shouted one of the boys. "There!" said grandma, "he says he'll pitch her. Who would believe that boys in red stockings and blue suits could be so cruel?" ”

“ His home is in the country. He has an uncle Frank. Uncle Frank lives in the city. Bertie has come to uncle Frank's house to stay two weeks.
He has never until now been away from his papa and mamma for a day. But he thinks he shall not mind it, because uncle Frank is such a funny man. He can make you believe that there is a big bumble-bee on your hair, or flying and buzzing about the room. ”

“ WHY WOULDN'T THE KITE FLY?
ACK and Fred sat on the steps, trying to think of something to do. They had spent their morning in digging wells and ditches in the sand; for it was vacation-time, and they were living down by the sea. ”

“ But when uncle Frank tells Bertie that the dog, and the wagon, and the pretty harness, and the whip, are all his own to keep, he is so glad that he jumps up and down like a young monkey.
He says, "Thank you, thank you, uncle Frank! When I am a man, I shall try and be just like you." Then his uncle lifts him into the express-wagon, gives him the reins and the whip, and away they go, down the area-walk, to the stable.
M. J. TAYLOR.
[54]
[56]
RICH AND POOR.
Here is a young girl taking a walk on a cold day. ”

“ All is bustle, but there is no confusion. Every man knows what to do, and does his work with a will.
After the calking is done, the painters will take their turn. They will put on two or three coats of paint; then the carvers and gilders will make a handsome figure-head; every thing will look as neat as a new pin ”

“ Then Dora comes in, and finds uncle Frank gone. She tells Bertie she has something to show him. He follows her [51] out through the kitchen, and up a long pair of stairs, to an attic. There is a large box in the attic. Dora calls it a chest. It is painted blue, and has a lid to it. The lid is made of woven wire.
Dora goes on tiptoe and looks over into the box. Then she softly raises the lid, and lifts Bertie up so that he can see into it. "Oh, what funny cats!" cries little Bertie.
"Indeed they are not cats," Dora says, smiling. ”

“ At last, Jack thought it would be fine fun to make a large kite, much larger than any they had ever seen. Fred [46] said he would help; and off they ran to get sticks, tacks, paper, paste, and string, so as to have every thing ready.
When they could think of nothing else that was needed, they set to work. Jack cut and tacked the sticks together, just as the smaller ones were in his little old kite; while Fred cut the papers, and made the tail. ”

“ For this purpose, slivers of oakum, rolled up in the hand, are driven into the seams between the planks. When the seams are filled, they are covered with melted pitch or rosin to preserve the oakum from decay. This process is called calking.
Most of the men seen in the picture are doing this work, but not all of them. Some are driving in the oakum with a tool called a calking-iron. Some are putting on the pitch. ”

“ ERE we have a picture of a ship on the stocks, with a gang of men hard at work giving her the finishing touches. There are full twenty-six men in sight.
What are they doing? Well, most of them, I think, are calkers. Do you know what that means? I will tell you.
After the frame of a ship is set up, the timbers firmly bolted and braced, and the planking put on and fastened, inside and out, the next thing to be done is to make the seams water-tight. ”

“ Chapin is a good customer. She bought two pounds of raisins and a pound of citron only last week, and to-day as much more. I guess they are expecting company. Shouldn't at all wonder if John's folks were coming.'
"My uncle John did come, and brought his pretty new wife, aunt Dorothy. Mother made lovely frosted pound-cake with plums in it, and mince-pies filled with fruit; but what I remember best of all is that she made for me a little plain cake, and left out all the raisins and currants."
"I think it was real mean for your mother to do so," said Fred, excited, and almost tearful. ”

“ All summer Louis took pride in showing them. Although they grew so finely, many persons prophesied that they would never bear nuts. But, in the latter part of September, Louis dug from one of his plants a nut which was perfect in form, though not yet divided into shell and meat. ”

“ There they staid all the afternoon doing the same thing.
"Why," said grandma, putting on her glasses, and looking more closely. "I declare! they're only playing ball, after all. Well, I'm glad they're not so cruel as I thought them. They are such pretty little boys, and have such pretty red stockings too!"
"But," said she, after a long pause, "there is still one thing that troubles me. Where is the 'old cat'?"
MATTIE B. BANKS.
WHAT IS THE HORSE DOING? ”

“ Some boys had placed in a field a snare by which they hoped to catch a rabbit. It was a sort of noose made of coarse, twisted grass. Fido, the dog, put one of his forefeet [41] in the noose, and in trying to get away his leg was doubled up by it. ”