Various

“ I determined to throw her the finest bunch of grapes on our vine by way of consolation.
Some days after, when I was giving my large family of dolls an airing in the garden, I saw a small face staring at me just over the top of the fence. Being familiar with the position myself, I was not alarmed, but hastened to mount to the same level on my side, and offer some grapes.
After a long stare on the part of both of us, I timidly broke the silence by asking, "What is your name?"
"Rebecca," was the reply.
"Why," I said, "I was pitying you all this time, thinking you were called Tobacco." ”

“ How shall I make such little folks understand that the sun and the stars really stand still, when they seem to take a journey across the sky every day? Perhaps the best way will be to make a little game of it. We will explain it with boys. ”

“ Kitty grew very fast; and one morning, after she had got [136] to be a good-sized kitten, she came to Alice, and mewed quite piteously. Alice gave her some milk; but Kitty Bell was not hungry, and mewed still more. Alice could not think what was the matter.
At last Kitty Bell gave her head a shake, and put one paw up to the ribbon on her neck, as if trying to pull it over her head. Alice untied the ribbon, and away ran Kitty Bell quite out of sight. In a short time she came back with a mouse in her mouth, which she laid at Alice's feet. ”

“ But wise old Ponto! Did he, after so much pondering, take the note to his master? Not a bit of it! He went straight to the butcher's, and presented the billet, wagging his tail at the same time, as much as to say, "Here's an order for my dinner!"
The butcher, understanding the situation, rolled up a nice piece of meat in a paper, gave it to Ponto, and then himself delivered the note to the gentleman. ”

“ BIRDIE AND BABY.
Birdie is a canary-bird of pale gold color. Tiny as he is, he is quite old compared with baby.
He was the sole pet of the house long before baby came into the world, and he did as much as any bird could to fill a baby's place.
All the bright hours of the day, the door of his cage stood open. He would fly to Aunt Minnie's shoulder while she sat sewing, and sing his sweetest notes for her, or perch on her finger and take the bit of fresh lettuce she brought for him from the table. ”

“ She carried the kitten into the kitchen, and soon got from the cook a nice pan of milk. Her little brother Harry came running in to see the new kitten eat its dinner, and with him came the old family cat, Mouser, who rubbed and purred against Alice, as if he wanted her to pet him too. ”

“ LEARNING TO IRON.
"Now I've had my lesson in my 'Nursery Primer,'" said little five-year-old Ellen, "and I want to learn to iron clothes."
"You are rather too young to be trusted with a flat-iron," said her mother: "you might burn your fingers." [152]
"I'll promise not to cry if I do," said Ellen. "Please let me go out and help Patience iron, mamma."
Mamma at last gave her consent; and our picture of Ellen and Patience at work at the ironing-board gives about as good likenesses of the two as their reflections in a mirror could have given. ”

“ Sometimes there would be great brush-heaps to burn, made of bushes and branches of trees that had been cleared off from the land. They made glorious bonfires.
There was an old yellow horse on the farm, that used to run the wood-sawing machine. He was blind in one eye, but was the very gentlest horse in the world. Dick and I would both get on him at the same time, with only the halter to guide the horse, and go all over the farm. ”

“ The ducks, now having ceased to fear the boughs, hardly moved till the fox was in the midst of them, when, making rapid snaps right and left, he seized two fine young ducks as his prey, and floated forward in triumph on his raft. The ducks flew off in fright, and did not come back.
That fox must have had a fine dinner that day, I think. The gentleman who saw the trick pitied the poor ducks, but could not help laughing at the fox's cunning.
Uncle Charles.
HOW PONTO GOT HIS DINNER.
Ponto in his youth had been a very wise and active dog. ”

“ The two boys are just the same age. They are twin brothers. Their names are Paul and John.
The girl who stands near them is their sister Jane. She is quite a little girl, as you see; but she is full three years older than the boys: so she takes great care of them.
You would laugh to see Paul and John try to lift their rabbits by the ears. The rabbits look most as large as the boys. But [157] the boys are growing larger and stronger every day.
A. B. C.
[158]
TOBACCO AND EGG.
Our house had a long back piazza, covered all over with grape-vines, with steps going down to the yard. ”