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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42162 ***
+
+[Illustration: Cover]
+
+
+
+
+The Jumble Book
+
+[Illustration: PETER PIPER     PUB. BY NAT. ART CO., N. Y.]
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+THE JUMBLE BOOK
+
+By David Cory
+
+    A JUMBLE
+    OF GOOD
+    THINGS
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    GEORGE SULLY & COMPANY
+    NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+    COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY
+    GEORGE SULLY AND COMPANY
+
+    _All Rights Reserved_
+
+    _Printed in the U. S. A._
+
+
+
+
+"HELLO CENTRAL!"
+
+
+"_Hello Central!_"
+
+"Give me all the little boys and girls in the World. I want to tell them
+about the JUMBLE BOOK!"
+
+"_Hello! Is that you, Jimmy?_"
+
+"Well, this is David Cory, the JUMBLE BOOKman. Do you like Indian
+stories? You do, eh? Well, you'll find some in the JUMBLE BOOK.
+Good-by!"
+
+"_Hello, Polly!_"
+
+"This is the man who wrote the JUMBLE BOOK. Do you like Fairy Stories? I
+thought you did. Well, you'll find lots of them in the JUMBLE BOOK.
+Good-by."
+
+"_Hello, Billy._"
+
+"This is the JUMBLE BOOKman. Do you like stories about animals? Well,
+I'm glad you do, for I've written a lot of them for you in the JUMBLE
+BOOK. Good-by."
+
+"_Hello, Mary!_"
+
+"This is your friend David Cory. What kind of stories do you like? All
+kinds, eh? Well, the JUMBLE BOOK'S the book for you, then. You'll find
+all kinds of stories all jumbled together between its covers!
+Good-by!"
+
+
+
+
+The Jumble Book
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat Takes a Farewell Look at the Castle
+
+
+Once upon a time I promised to tell a little boy how Little Sir Cat
+caught the Knave of Hearts who had run away with the Queen's tarts.
+
+Well, Sir! That Knave had run only about half way across the courtyard
+when Little Sir Cat pounced on him as if he were a mouse, and his
+Highness, the Knave of Hearts, stopped right then and there, but he
+spilt the tarts all over the ground. Wasn't that a shame?
+
+This made the King dreadfully angry, and he "beat the Knave full sore,"
+as the rhyme goes in dear "Old Mother Goose," and if you don't believe
+me, just get the book and see for yourself. "Now ask me a favor, and it
+shall be granted," said the Queen who had asked Little Sir Cat to come
+into the castle and sit on the throne by her side.
+
+"Tell me where I may find my fortune," answered Little Sir Cat.
+
+"Ah!" cried the Queen, "that is not so easy. For each of us must make
+his own fortune. But I will help you," and she called for her old
+seneschal.
+
+"He will not find it on Tart Island," said the old retainer. "Mayhap in
+Mother Goose Island he will find it."
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT TAKES A FAREWELL LOOK AT THE CASTLE]
+
+So pretty soon, not so very long, Little Sir Cat left the big castle,
+and by-and-by he came to an old willow tree by a pond. And who do you
+think he saw? Why, little Mrs. Oriole sitting close beside her nest that
+hung like a big white stocking from the branch. As soon as she saw
+Little Sir Cat she began to sing, and all her little birds peeped out of
+the nest, but they didn't say anything, for they had never met him
+before. "Children, this is Sir Cat. I knew him when he lived in a
+castle," said Mrs. Oriole.
+
+Well, after that, he went in to the farmyard, for it was noontime, and
+he was hungry, and knocked on the kitchen door. Just then the Cuckoo
+Clock in the kitchen sounded the hour of noon, and the farmer's wife
+looked out of the window to see if her man was coming through the gate,
+when, of course, she spied Little Sir Cat.
+
+"Dinner is ready. Come in, Kitten!" So he stepped into the neat, clean
+kitchen, and as soon as the good woman had put on a clean apron, they
+sat down to supper. By-and-by the cuckoo came out of her little clock
+and said: "Time for kittens to be in bed," and the twinkle, twinkle star
+shone through the window, and sang a little lullaby:
+
+    "_Sleep, little pussy cat, sleep.
+       The little white clouds are like sheep
+     That play all the night while the moon's shining bright.
+       Sleep, little pussy cat, sleep._"
+
+And in the next story you will find what Little Sir Cat did when he woke
+up in the morning.
+
+
+
+
+Little Stories of Famous Animals
+
+How a Dog Discovered a Hot Spring
+
+
+Tradition reports that Charles IV. discovered the Carlsbad Spring, but
+after you have read this little history perhaps you will agree with me
+that if it hadn't been for his dog he never would have even seen the
+spring.
+
+It happened this way: More than four hundred years ago Charles IV. was
+hunting in the neighborhood. In the exciting chase and pursuit of a stag
+he suddenly lost all trace of it. As he paused, undecided which course
+to take, he heard the yelping of one of his hounds, and following the
+sound, he found it lying scalded in the waters of the spring, which, as
+you know, is a stream of water probably escaping from a smoldering
+volcano way down deep in the earth. The faithful animal had followed the
+stag's leap into the valley, and had missed a sure footing on the rocks
+near by.
+
+On the top of the hill, which is now called the Hirschensprung (stag's
+leap), a cross has been erected, and a little lower down a lookout house
+has been built. Still farther down, on a high pointed rock, a citizen of
+Carlsbad has had erected an iron figure of a chamois.
+
+After chance had made known the hot waters of the spring to Charles IV.,
+he had a bath and a hunting lodge built there, which were called after
+him, Karlsbad.
+
+The real discoverer of the spring, the faithful hound, has no mention
+made of him by name or monument, although the crest of the hill is named
+for a stag and the spring after a king.
+
+
+
+
+TESSIE, TOTTIE AND TEDDY
+
+Or the Three Tiny T's
+
+[Illustration: _The Three Tiny T's All in a Row._]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+
+"Listen," whispered Tessie, "I've got a secret to tell you; snuggle up
+so nobody'll hear!"
+
+Tottie squeezed up close to her little sister, and Teddy shoved himself
+along the piazza seat until all three were packed as tight as little
+sardines.
+
+"What is it?" asked Tottie.
+
+"Hurry up and tell," whispered Teddy, hugging Tessie's arm, while
+Tottie squeezed her hand with her little fat fingers.
+
+"S-s-sh!" replied Tessie, "s-s-sh!"
+
+"Tessie!" called mother's voice, "Tessie, come here, I want you to run
+down to the grocer."
+
+"Oh, dear!" sighed the three tiny T's.
+
+Tessie jumped up quickly and ran inside the house, closely followed by
+Tottie and Teddy.
+
+"You can wear your roller skates," said mother, "and Teddy can put on
+his and go with you, if he wishes."
+
+In a few minutes the skates were strapped on each impatient little foot,
+and mother's darling messengers were gliding down the front walk.
+
+"Be very careful not to break the eggs," said mother, as she stood in
+the doorway watching them go out of the gate. "Hold the bag tight and
+don't go fast on the way home."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+
+Tessie and Teddy skated along smoothly on their errand for mother. The
+roller skates behaved very well, and did not try to race with each
+other, so that neither little messenger had a fall, or even a bump
+against anybody on the sidewalk who did not get out of the way in time.
+
+The fat grocer man said good morning very pleasantly, and gave them each
+a little animal cracker. Tessie told him what she wanted, and while he
+was counting out the eggs and putting them in the bag, she stroked his
+big tiger cat, who lay half asleep on the top of the sugar barrel.
+
+"Here you are, Miss," said the grocer man, handing the package to
+Tessie, "and be careful, little man," he added, turning to Teddy, "that
+you don't run into sister and upset her--you won't have any eggs if you
+do!"
+
+"Of course not," replied Teddy, biting off the hind legs of his buffalo
+cracker. "I'll take care," and both children wabbled over the floor and
+through the doorway out onto the sidewalk.
+
+[Illustration: _Crash! There Were Scrambled Eggs All Over the Walk._]
+
+Everything went along beautifully. Teddy kept well behind so that
+Tessie would have plenty of room, and the distance was half over, when
+something happened. About a block from the house, the sidewalk ran down
+a small hill. Although Tessie had time and again coasted down without
+the slightest trouble, today it seemed as if she were going very much
+faster than usual. Perhaps she was a little worried over the bag of
+eggs. At any rate, all of a sudden her feet behaved very badly, and
+before she could help it, one foot went off to one side and Tessie did,
+too. Down she went in a heap. Crash! smash! mash! there were scrambled
+eggs all over the walk!
+
+Tessie turned a frightened glance towards Teddy who just came up.
+
+"O dear me! How shall I ever explain to mother?" cried poor little
+Tessie.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+
+After Tessie and Teddy arrived home they hunted around for mother to
+tell her the awful news, and how sorry they were that the bag of eggs
+was lying out on the sidewalk in funny yellow patches, with bits of
+broken shell strewn all around.
+
+About half an hour later Tessie was telling her little kitten what
+mother had said. "And, Pussy dear," confided Tessie, "don't you ever try
+to carry any robin's eggs down from the nest. If you do, you'll find you
+get sliding faster and faster, and before you reach the ground your foot
+will slip and down you'll come with a crash!"
+
+Pussy looked up out of the corners of her blinky green eyes but said
+nothing.
+
+"And maybe your mother won't be so nice about it," added Tessie. "My
+mother didn't scold me 'cause when I 'splained how my skate nearly came
+off and tripped me up she just wiped my eyes, 'cause I felt awful sorry,
+and told me not to cry about it any more, and by and by she gave us all
+a lump of sugar."
+
+[Illustration: _Tess Was Telling Her Little Kitten What Mother Had
+Said._]
+
+Just then puss jumped through the low open window and skipped over the
+lawn. Tessie stepped out on the piazza to see what she was about. At
+the foot of the old apple tree pussy stopped and then ran up the trunk
+and out on a limb.
+
+"I do believe," exclaimed Tessie, "that she is going to try to bring
+down some eggs from the robin's nest."
+
+"What did my little girl say?" asked mother, who came out on the porch
+at that moment. When Tessie explained it all, mother laughed and said,
+"Why, there aren't any eggs now in that nest, little girl--don't you
+know all the little robins were hatched long ago?"
+
+"Well, I don't believe pussy knows it," answered Tessie, "for there she
+is now looking into the nest--how disappointed she'll be!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+
+"Goodness me, Tottie, why don't you fasten the button!" cried Tessie to
+her little sister. But Tottie was too frightened to answer; she just
+stood still while sister fastened the little white pants which had
+slipped down on the tops of her pink slippers.
+
+"Let's go out in the garden now," said Tessie, and the two little
+sisters ran out on the piazza and down the walk. They found brother
+Teddy already there filling his wagon with grass, for the lawn had just
+been cut and was covered with the loose grass.
+
+"We'll make a big hay mow!" cried the children, and very soon they had
+piled up the fragment grass as high as their heads. It was great fun
+rolling over it, or covering each other up until nothing but a little
+toe stuck out at one end, or the tip of a little pug nose showed at the
+other.
+
+[Illustration: "_Goodness Me, Tottie, Why Don't You Fasten the
+Button!_"]
+
+After a while pussy came by, but when she had been covered up deep with
+the ticklish grass, she escaped by jumping over the green haymow, and
+ran off to the barn. She most likely thought it was more fun in the hay
+loft hunting for mice than being covered up in a big green grass hay-mow
+out on the lawn. Perhaps, too, she was afraid some one might step on her
+when under the grass. At any rate, she didn't come back, and by and by
+it was time for the children to go in for luncheon. I don't know whether
+pussy heard the bell or not, but she came in from the barn in time to
+get her saucer of milk before the children had finished.
+
+"Pussy never has to bother with buttons," said Tessie, looking over at
+Tottie, and smiling.
+
+"No," answered Tottie, "'cause she has only fur."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+
+Tottie never liked to take a bath until one day Mother said: "Let's make
+believe you are in the big ocean wading and there are lots of little
+silver fishes swimming all around."
+
+[Illustration: _It Was Lots of Fun in the Big Round Tin Tub._]
+
+After this Tottie wanted to take a bath all the time, for Mother bought
+some toy fishes and Tottie didn't have to make believe very hard.
+
+It was lots of fun in the big round tin tub. It was painted green on the
+outside and yellow on the inside, which looked just like the sand on the
+seashore. And then, too, it had a nice wide, flat edge all around, so
+that it seemed almost like a beach to Tottie.
+
+Sometimes Mother would put a little red bathing cap on Tottie's head and
+let her wade for a while before her bath. Tottie then kept her little
+shirt on, making believe it was a lovely silk bathing suit. Perhaps the
+little fishes thought she was a big fat giantess. At any rate they
+slipped through her soapy little fingers as if they were swimming away
+for their very lives. This made Tottie laugh very much, and she would
+soap them well so that they would even slip through the water for quite
+a distance when she squeezed them real hard.
+
+Tottie's sister Tessie often wanted to play like her little sister, but
+Mother said, "You are too big a girl, Tessie, not to take your bath
+without making a play of it." Brother Teddy, too, wanted to get the
+fishes to play with when he took his bath, but Mother said to him,
+"These are Tottie's fish. You and sister Tessie are big enough to be
+good while in the tub without toys," so Tottie was the only one in the
+house who made believe that the bathtub was the big ocean and her little
+toy silver fishes real live ones!
+
+
+
+
+MR. BIG TOE
+
+    Mr. Big Toe
+    Is a rogue, do you know
+    He tries to poke through
+    The tip of Ted's shoe?
+    And always, it's shocking.
+    He's half through his stocking!
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+TOO-WIT, TOO-WOO AND HIS OWL FAMILY
+
+
+Too-Wit, Too-Woo lived in a big hollow tree with his family. There was
+Mrs. Too-Wit, and their two little sons, T'wit and T'woo. In one of the
+biggest holes in the old hollow tree they had a very comfortable home.
+
+Every night as the shadows began to creep through the Great Forest,
+T'wit would sing a little song. He was very proud of it, for he had made
+it up himself. He would look over at T'woo as much as to say, "You never
+could make up such a lovely song," and then he would toot across to his
+brother:
+
+    "_How happy I am
+       In the forest so deep;
+     I sing and I play
+       While other folks sleep!_"
+
+T'woo was quite provoked to think that his brother had made up such a
+pretty song, and he tried very hard to think up one for himself.
+Finally, one evening just as T'wit was about to sing his evening verse,
+T'woo opened his beak very wide, and before T'wit could commence, he
+tooted across:
+
+    "_All thro' the night
+       I sing and I play,
+     While other folk do
+       Just the opposite way!_"
+
+T'wit was so surprised that he almost fell off the limb on which he sat,
+winking and blinking in the early twilight.
+
+Mr. and Mrs. Too-Wit, Too-Woo looked at each other as much as to say,
+"Did you ever see such bright children as ours?"
+
+Presently Mr. Too-Wit flew off for his evening flutter, and both his
+small sons followed, while Mrs. Too-Wit went inside the house.
+
+"Where are you going, father?" asked T'wit as they flew along silently;
+but his parent did not vouchsafe a reply until they neared the edge of
+the forest. Then he turned and said, "You two boys sit here while I fly
+over to tell my little friend some news," and with these words, off he
+flew straight for the Indian camp, leaving the two small owls perched on
+a limb of a tree. When he reached a tent near a big tree, he fluttered
+down to the ground, and gave a low hoot. The little Indian boy pushed
+his head out: "What is it, Too-Wit?" he asked.
+
+"There's a flock of wild turkeys roosting in the clump of trees by the
+lake. Bring your bow and arrows before it gets too dark. I'll wait at
+the edge of the wood for you. T'wit and T'woo are keeping a look-out
+while I'm here."
+
+Little Indian hastily picked up his bow and arrows, and started off for
+the lake. As he drew near the clump of trees, he crept stealthily along,
+so as not to frighten the wild turkeys. When he was near enough, he
+fitted a bow to his arrow, and taking careful aim, shot one of the
+birds. The flock became frightened as soon as they saw one of their
+comrades fall, and taking wing, they flew off in all directions, not
+before, however, the little Indian boy had shot off his bow the second
+time. This time, his aim was not so true; the turkey must have been only
+slightly wounded, because there was no trace of him, save a few
+feathers, when little Indian ran up to the spot where he had last seen
+him.
+
+Picking up the bird which he had killed with his first arrow, he turned
+back to the camp. "Thank you," he said to Too-Wit, as he passed the tree
+on which his feathered friend sat, "You see, I've got my dinner for
+tomorrow."
+
+Too-Wit spread his wings, and his two small sons followed after, and
+presently they were all three back at the big hollow tree, where Mrs.
+Too-wit had a nice supper all ready for them.
+
+The next afternoon Little Indian and Too-Wit went to see two funny
+little Frogs who lived in the lake.
+
+"Look," said Little Indian to Too-Wit. "Aren't they cunning?"
+
+"Yes," answered the Owl; "that's Freddie and Fannie Frog. Wait a minute
+and I'll fly over and tell them how kind you are, for the Forest Folk
+are quick to trust a friend."
+
+So Too-Wit flew over to where Freddie and Fannie Frog were contentedly
+sitting on their lily-pad under the long grass on the edge of the lake.
+
+"Hello, hullo, Too-woo!" cried Too-Wit.
+
+Freddie jumped up so quickly that the lily-pad tilted to one side, and
+overboard went Fannie Frog with a splash.
+
+But Fannie knew how to swim, as every well-trained Lady Frog does, and
+after shaking the water from her eyes, she scrambled back upon the
+lily-pad, none the worse for her ducking.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+But, dear me, I forgot to say she had lost her pretty parasol! Little
+Indian saw it floating away from the spot--a pretty little lily, the
+petals of which Fannie had bent downward until they had made a very nice
+umbrella top, indeed, and by holding it up by the stem, she was able to
+keep the hot sun from freckling her funny little face.
+
+"Oh, where's my parasol?" screamed Fannie. "Oh, dear! oh, dear! there it
+is, 'way out of my reach!"
+
+Little Indian leaned over the bank and picked up the lily.
+
+"Oh, thank you!" said Fannie, now smiling again; "thank you so much!"
+
+"Oh, that's nothing!" answered Little Indian. "I'm glad to be able to
+get it for you. It certainly would be a shame to lose such a pretty
+thing!"
+
+Just then a breeze sprang up, and away drifted the lily-pad with Freddie
+and Fannie.
+
+Little Indian watched them as they sailed away, for Fannie was now
+holding up for a sail the little pink parasol, which helped to pull
+their boat along at a good pace.
+
+Then Too-Wit, Too-Woo said good-by, and flew back to his home in the
+forest.
+
+The big, round sun was now going down behind the purple hills, the
+shadows were slowly filling all the nooks and corners of the big forest,
+and the lake, in the gathering darkness, looked dim and gloomy.
+
+Little Indian could no longer see the lily-pad boat. "They must have
+landed on the other side of the lake by this time," he thought, as he
+started for home, and when he came out of the forest he was glad to see
+in the distance the cheerful glow of his camp fire.
+
+
+
+
+COME, LITTLE PUSSY CAT!
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    "Come, little Pussy Cat, let us go
+     To see a pussy cat movie show.
+     Shaggy Angoras and kittens white,
+     Big Tom Cats as black as night,
+     And nice old Tabby Cats drinking tea,
+     Oh, the Pussy Cat Show is the one to see."
+
+
+
+
+JIMMY SAVES HIS TEDDY BEAR
+
+
+"Clang, clang!" went the bell on the fire engine, and the whistle blew
+fiercely as the wheels rumbled along over the pavement.
+
+Tommy ran across to the nursery window and pressed his face against the
+pane.
+
+"Nurse, nurse!" he called out. "The engine has stopped just across the
+way. Why, it's at Jimmy Watson's."
+
+Margaret, the nurse, looked out. "Why, so it is, dearie me!" she cried.
+"Just see the smoke."
+
+Ladders were being placed against the house, and firemen in big red
+helmets ran up and down, dragging the hose after them and squirting
+water through the windows. It was very exciting and Tommy danced up and
+down on his toes. Just then a mass of flame shot up through the roof,
+and smoke poured out of the upper windows in big black clouds.
+
+"I guess Jimmy's room is all burning up," said Tommy. "Just see the
+smoke going out of his window."
+
+As he finished speaking he saw Jimmy himself coming down the front
+steps, holding tightly in his hands his favorite Teddy bear. After him
+came his mother and the servants, each carrying something.
+
+"Dearie me!" said Nurse Margaret, "I'm afraid the house will be all
+burned up."
+
+"Well," replied Tommy, "there's one thing to be thankful for, Jimmy has
+saved his Teddy bear."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+    "_Will you come into my auto?"
+      Said the spider to the fly.
+    "There is room in my Web-tonneau
+      And I'll join you by and by._"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+"DO UNTO OTHERS"
+
+
+Phil and Marjorie had been very selfish. When baby brother had toddled
+up to them after dinner and asked them for a little bite of their candy
+they had run away and hidden behind the bureau, where they greedily ate
+it all. Soon after, while they were looking out of the nursery window,
+they saw a little boy earn a nickel by carrying several packages for a
+lady up to the front doorstep of her house. To their great surprise he
+ran down the street and gave it to a poor blind man on the corner.
+
+This made the children think how mean they had been to their little
+brother. So Phil said, "Let's go to the candy shop and buy a peppermint
+stick for baby brother. We'll take our very own money."
+
+"Let's give the poor blind man something, too," added Marjorie, as she
+turned her bank upside down to get out the money.
+
+"And I'll give my other five-cent piece to the little boy who was so
+kind to the blind man!" cried Phil.
+
+When they returned both children were smiling happily. "Did you see how
+glad the poor boy was to get the five cents?" asked Phil.
+
+"Yes," answered Marjorie, "and did you hear how gratefully the blind man
+thanked me?"
+
+But all that baby brother said was "Yum! Yum!" as he sucked away on his
+pink and white peppermint stick!
+
+
+
+
+THE JOLLY JUNGLE FOLK
+
+Mikey Monk Plays Naughty Pranks
+
+
+    All The Jungle Folk were mad, every one was wild,
+    Everybody wore a scowl, not a creature smiled.
+    What was all this row about? Listen to what had
+    Happened in the Jungle to make them all so mad.
+
+    Mikey Monk had climbed a tree. Who was Mikey Monk?
+    Mikey was a monkey and full of life and spunk;
+    Also full of naughty tricks, I am sad to say,
+    That is why the Jungle Folks are so mad to-day.
+
+    Up a tree had Mikey climbed, clear up to the top,
+    Then he threw some cocoanuts, threw them down ker-flop.
+    Charlie Crocodile got mad, so did George Giraffe,
+    And they both grew angrier when they heard his laugh.
+
+    Harry Hippopotamus happened to come near;
+    Suddenly a cocoanut whistled by his ear.
+    He had hardly time to wink when another shot
+    Made him think he'd better not linger in that spot.
+
+    Tommy Tiger came along on his stealthy toes;
+    Suddenly a cocoa ball barely grazed his nose.
+    Oscar Ostrich sauntered by as a nut came down;
+    "Goodness, what was that?" he squawked, with an angry frown.
+
+    Harry Hippopotamus looked around and said,
+    "Don't you think there's something queer happening overhead?
+    It is rather difficult," he added, with a sigh,
+    "Finding out why cocoanuts are raining from the sky!
+
+    "Say, why don't you fellows ascertain the cause?
+    Where is a Policeman to enforce the laws?
+    Oscar Ostrich, won't you go--for you are so fleet--
+    See if you can run across a Copper on his beat?"
+
+    Sure enough, in half a wink back again he came
+    With a big Policeman, Eddie Elephant by name.
+    "What is this disturbance? Move along!" he said.
+    Suddenly his helmet tumbled off his head.
+
+    "Who did that?" he shouted, when another nut
+    Whistled by his ivories, hit him on the foot.
+    With his trunk he grabbed the tree, gave some mighty heaves,
+    My! what a commotion up amongst the leaves.
+
+    Then he butted all his might with his great big head.
+    "Break it up in kindling wood!" Tommy Tiger said.
+    Back and forth the tall tree swayed with a swishing sound,
+    Then a little scream was heard, something bumped to the ground.
+
+    Mikey Monk had lost his grip; on the ground he lay.
+    All the animals rushed in, pounced upon their prey.
+    "Break away!" the Copper said, "I arrest him now.
+    I will lock him up at once; we will show him how
+
+    "To obey the Jungle Laws. He won't sleep a wink
+    After he has been to Court. He'll have time to think
+    In the Jungle Jail how bad he has been to-day.
+    After he gets out again he won't disobey."
+
+    Over Tommy Tiger's head then he thrust his trunk;
+    By the ear he grabbed a hold of naughty Mikey Monk.
+    All the jungle populace joined in the parade.
+    Mikey Monk was crying--he was now afraid.
+
+    "Let me go!" he cried and sobbed, "and I'll promise you
+    Never more a naughty thing will I ever do."
+    But the big Policeman just kept straight ahead.
+    Did not even answer him; only shook his head.
+
+    At King Lion's Court at last stopped the big parade,
+    And before the King of Beasts Mikey was arrayed.
+    Very stern the Lion looked at the grave complaint,
+    Though of course he must have known Mikey was no saint.
+
+    When the Cop had finished Mikey held his breath,
+    He was all a-tremble; almost scared to death.
+    All the angry animals shouted, "Do not fail
+    To commit this Monkey to the Jungle Jail!"
+
+    "As you wish," King Lion answered with a roar.
+    Then they slipped the handcuffs over Mikey's paw
+    And Policeman Elephant took poor Mike away
+    To the Jungle Lockup, where he had to stay.
+
+    Till the Jungle Animals thought that just about
+    Punishment enough he'd had! then they let him go;
+    And no better monkey after this than he
+    In the Jolly Jungle ever climbed a tree
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE BOY BLUE
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    Little Boy Blue, where have you gone?
+    The cows are eating the tall green corn.
+    Drive them away or Farmer Lane
+    Will give you a beating with his cane.
+
+
+
+
+MASTER SPARROW'S BREAKFAST
+
+
+"Oh, my! what a snowstorm!" Little Dorothy looked out of the window at
+the fast falling flakes, which covered up so quietly and softly the
+shivering brown grass on the lawn and the trembling rose bushes in the
+garden. "How warm they'll be," said Dorothy to herself, "with their
+eiderdown covers."
+
+Just then a little sparrow flew down on the walk and looked up at the
+window. "Hello!" said Dorothy, "what do you want?" The little bird
+turned his head first to one side and then the other, as if he didn't
+quite hear what Dorothy was saying behind the pane of glass. "Don't you
+hear me?" she called out, but he turned his head, as if to say, "No!"
+Dorothy pushed up the window and called out, "What do you want, birdie?"
+but he flew away just across the walk to the maple tree, where he sat
+looking at her with his queer little eyes. Every now and then he would
+turn his head this way and that way, as if, so Dorothy thought, trying
+to hear what she was saying. But Dorothy wasn't saying anything now. She
+was so disappointed that her little friend had flown off and that he
+should be afraid of her, just because she had opened the window, that
+she turned to Mother, who came into the room at that moment, and said:
+"Mother, just look at that cute little bird; only just a minute ago he
+was hopping on the walk right down here, but when I opened the window to
+say 'How-de-doo!' he flew over to the maple tree. See him over there?"
+
+"I think he is waiting for you to give him some crumbs for breakfast,"
+Mother answered with a smile. "Run into the dining-room and ask Mary for
+a piece of bread and we will see if Master Sparrow won't come back
+again."
+
+"Oh, goody!" cried the little girl, and in a few minutes she was back at
+the window with enough crumbs for an army of sparrows.
+
+"Open the window gently," said Mother, "and throw out the crumbs, and we
+will see what Master Sparrow will do."
+
+Mr. Sparrow did exactly what Mother thought, and Dorothy hoped he would
+do. He looked at them with his little bright eyes and turned his head
+first this way and then that way, and after that, to Dorothy's delight,
+flew over to the crumbs and ate them up as if he had a great, big,
+healthy appetite. And when all the crumbs were gone he turned his head
+this way and that way (and I think he winked one of his little black
+eyes at Dorothy, only I'm not quite sure about this) and flew away.
+
+"Oh, Mother!" cried Dorothy, "I think that's his way of talking--wagging
+his little head--something like the way Bijou wags his stubby tail!" And
+Mother said she thought so, too.
+
+
+
+
+TRANSPLANTING THE FLOWERS
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+"Oh, see that wagon full of flowers. I wish we could get some," cried
+Bertie to sister Phillis.
+
+"I'll ask Mother," replied Phillis; "she said the other day that we
+might buy flowers for our garden."
+
+"Good," said Bertie, "where's my bank?"
+
+And when Phillis found hers, both children ran down the stairs and out
+into the street. As soon as they had bought the flowers they hurried to
+the yard at the back of the house where each had a little garden.
+
+"Look, Mother," said Phillis, "Bertie has two geraniums and one lily,
+and I have three tulips."
+
+"They are very pretty," said Mother; "be careful how you handle these
+frail little plants. By-and-by they will be stronger."
+
+Then she helped take them out of the pots and place them carefully in
+the earth.
+
+"Now you must water them. But remember never to water plants if the sun
+is shining on them." After everything was cleaned up nice and neat, the
+children felt just a little bit tired, so Mother told them they might go
+over to the drug store and get an ice cream soda, at which Bertie and
+Phillis both gave Mother a great big kiss.
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat Helps Piggie
+
+
+The next morning as Mrs. Oriole was singing her pretty song, all of a
+sudden, a big tramp cat ran up the tree. And he would have caught Mrs.
+Oriole right then and there if Little Sir Cat hadn't shouted: "Don't
+touch that little bird!" And would you believe it? That tramp cat said,
+"I won't!" and began to purr:
+
+    "_Last Saturday night a week ago
+     I went to the city to see a fine show.
+     And Sunday morning, just for a lark,
+     I chased a gray squirrel all over the Park!_"
+
+and then he grinned like a cousin of his from Cheshire, and climbed down
+the tree.
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT HELPS PIGGIE]
+
+Well, all of a sudden, Little Sir Cat said "Phist!" which so frightened
+that naughty cat that he ran away, and I guess he's running yet, for
+nobody ever saw him again. And this made the little Orioles so happy
+that they began to sing:
+
+    "_Oh, how brave is Little Sir Cat!
+     We like the feather in his hat,
+     But more than that we like the way
+     He saved our Mother Bird to-day!_"
+
+which so pleased Little Sir Cat that he took a cracker out of his pocket
+and gave it to them. And after that he said good-by and went upon his
+way, and by and by he met a big Turkey Gobbler who was being fattened
+for Thanksgiving. But he didn't know it. Oh, my no! He just thought the
+farmer fed him nice things because he loved him.
+
+"Helloa!" said Little Sir Cat, "how is Mrs. Turkey?" But the old Turkey
+Gobbler never answered. He just gobbled, gobbled, not food, you know,
+but air, for that is the way a turkey talks.
+
+"I can't understand you. You had better go home and talk to Mrs.
+Turkey," said Little Sir Cat, and away he went, hoping next time to meet
+a more sociable person.
+
+Well, pretty soon he saw a little pig caught in the fence. So he helped
+him out and then they set off together, and after a while, not so very
+far, they came to a big pond where some boys were sailing toy boats. And
+they were the funniest, queerest little toy boats you ever saw. In fact,
+they weren't boats at all, but big wooden letters. And just then a
+little bird began to sing:
+
+    "_Big 'A' and little 'B'
+     Went a-sailing on the 'C.'_"
+
+"They're Alphabet Boats," cried Little Sir Cat. "I once read about
+Alphabet Town where all the letters were alive,--'A' was an Ant, and 'B'
+was a Bee, and if you weren't an artist you couldn't write letters to
+your friends."
+
+"He, he!" laughed little Piggie Porker, "that _was_ a queer place."
+
+Well, after that Little Sir Cat and Piggie Porker went into the wood to
+see Goggle Woggle, a little dwarf who knew just where the fairies and
+Giant Oatencake lived. And as soon as Goggle Woggle saw Little Sir Cat
+and Piggie, he said: "Let's go up the hill to Giant Oatencake. I've got
+a wooden sword and if he comes out of his castle, I'll cut off his
+head!" So off they went, Little Sir Cat, Piggie and Goggle Woggle, and
+by and by, not so very long, they came to the top of the hill.
+
+"Wait a minute till I get my sword ready," said Goggle Woggle, and maybe
+it took him quite a long time, for he was just a little bit afraid, you
+know. And so would you and so would I if we were going to fight Giant
+Oatencake.
+
+But Little Sir Cat said: "Don't be afraid. I'm with you!" and this made
+Goggle Woggle feel lots braver. And after that he shouted:
+
+"Come out of your castle!"
+
+Now Giant Oatencake was only a great big tremendous cornstalk, and as
+soon as Goggle Woggle struck him with his sword, a big ripe ear of corn
+fell to the ground.
+
+"Here is his head," cried Goggle Woggle, as he put it under his arm.
+"I'll make pop-corn balls out of it," and he ran back to his big tree in
+the wood. And in the next story you shall hear what happened after that,
+_unless_
+
+    _The little mouse in the pantry
+     Catches my Tabby Cat,
+     And my little yellow canary
+     Runs away with a high silk hat._
+
+
+
+
+AS I WAS GOING UP MURRAY HILL
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    As I was going up Murray Hill,
+      Murray Hill was dirty;
+    There I met a pretty Miss,
+      Very trim and perty.
+
+    "Little Miss, pretty Miss,
+      If I had a trillion
+    I would wed you, but, alas!
+      I only have a million!"
+
+
+
+
+SANTA'S LETTER FROM DOT
+
+
+    Dear Santa Claus, I hope that you
+    Will find it easy to get through
+    Our chimney, 'cause if you should stick
+    Up there where all the smoke is thick,
+
+    What would we do, and what would you,
+    For goodness sakes, what would you do?
+    So if you find it is not wise
+    Enough for you to safely slide
+
+    Down to our room without mistake,
+    The attic window you must take.
+    It's quite close to the chimney, too,
+    And big enough, I know, for you.
+
+    I'll creep up there the day before
+    And leave unlocked the attic door;
+    And if I can I'll open, too,
+    The window so you can get through
+
+    Without the leastest bit of fuss
+    With all the presents you've for us.
+    I don't see how you'll tell apart
+    Our stockings, so you'd better start
+
+    With mine; it's close up to the clock;
+    The next is father's silken sock;
+    The others all are just like mine,
+    'Cept Jimmy's--his is tied with twine.
+
+    I want a doll with violet eyes
+    Who, when you squeeze her, "Mamma!" cries;
+    And little baby carriage, too,
+    With pillows and a cover blue;
+
+    Some candy and a china set
+    Of teacups for my dolly pet.
+    Jim wants a ball, a mask and bat,
+    A soldier suit, a gun and hat,
+
+    Some candy and a picture book
+    For rainy days at which to look.
+    Mother says she'll write to you,
+    And father says that he will, too.
+
+    Now, please remember what I've said
+    About the attic overhead;
+    The window which I'll leave for you
+    Wide open so you can get through;
+
+    And whose each stocking is, and where,
+    When you come creeping down the stair,
+    Good-by, dear Santa Claus, I've wrote
+    All I can think of in this note.
+
+
+
+
+THE ANGELS' SONG
+
+
+    "Hark!" the herald angels cry
+    Leaning from the starry sky,
+    "In a manger Christmas morn
+    Christ the baby King is born!"
+
+    Near Him stand the lowly kine,
+    O'er her little babe divine
+    Mother Mary bends her face
+    Full of wonder, tender grace.
+
+    Kneeling are the Wise Men Three,
+    Silent in humility.
+    In the humble wooden stall
+    Sleeps the baby King of all.
+
+    On the straw that warms His bed
+    Shines the halo 'round His head,
+    Like a little candle's light
+    Making all the stable bright.
+
+    Hark! the dewy Heavens ring
+    With the song the Angels sing,
+    "In a manger Christmas morn
+    Christ the baby King is born!"
+
+
+
+
+THE LITTLE RAG-A-MUFFINS
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+"I wish I could do something for those poor little Brown children," said
+Susan one morning as she and brother Billy sat by the nursery window
+reading. "Their father is out of work, and I'm afraid they won't get any
+Thanksgiving dinner this year."
+
+"I tell you what," suggested Billy, "as we have spent all our money,
+let's dress up in some of mother's old clothes and make believe we are
+rag-a-muffins. We'll slip out carefully tomorrow morning, without making
+any noise."
+
+"That's a fine idea," said Susan. "We can use your water colors to paint
+our faces."
+
+About 10 o'clock Thanksgiving morning the children went quietly upstairs
+to their playroom and painted their faces. Then, after dressing, they
+crept downstairs and out of the house. Their queer costumes attracted
+much attention, and their pretty, wistful ways gained for them many
+friends. In an hour, when they had counted their pennies, they found to
+their delight that they had over three dollars.
+
+"Now we had better hurry to the store and buy the things," said Susan.
+The kind-hearted butcher let them have a chicken for half price, in
+order that there should be no disappointed little hearts over the lack
+of sufficient funds. The basket was soon filled to overflowing and on
+the top of the vegetables was placed with great care a mince pie.
+
+The Browns were very grateful and Bobby, Billy and Susan were very happy
+to think that they had done it all themselves.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration: HICKORY, DICKORY, DOCK PUB. BY NAT. ART CO., N. Y.]
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat Visits Mrs. Porker
+
+
+As Little Sir Cat and Piggie Porker traveled on they met Sir Launcelot,
+the noble Knight of good King Arthur's round table, riding a great horse
+with Miss Muffet in the saddle. Well, by-and-by, along came old Dame
+Trot with a basket of eggs on her arm. She was singing in a high cracked
+voice a funny song that went like this:
+
+    "_Who wants to buy some nice fresh eggs
+     Laid by a hen with yellow legs,
+     Yellow legs and a bright red comb,
+     In a little round nest in my own dear home?_"
+
+"How much are they?" asked Sir Launcelot, taking a gold piece from his
+purse. And of course, she didn't answer but handed the basket to him
+with a curtsy. "They are yours, Sir Knight," and, taking the gold piece,
+she wrapped it up in her handkerchief and put it away in the pocket of
+her short green skirt.
+
+Sir Launcelot laughed, for he knew that a gold piece was too much to pay
+for the eggs, but he was such a generous knight he didn't care.
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT VISITS MRS. PORKER]
+
+Then Piggie took Little Sir Kitten home with him to meet Mrs. Porker and
+the little Porkers. And after a while Little Sir Cat set out again to
+find his fortune.
+
+Well, by-and-by, he came to a tall flag-pole at the top of which floated
+a beautiful flag with red stripes and silver stars. But Little Sir Cat
+didn't know what flag this was, for he had never crossed the ocean blue,
+and Mother Goose Land is not on this side of the water, you know. And
+then a big bird said, "Three cheers for the Red, White and Blue!" He was
+the big American Eagle, only, of course, Little Sir Cat didn't know that
+either; he only knew Mother Goose people, you see.
+
+"Why, I didn't think you could cheer so well," said Little Sir Cat, and
+he opened his knapsack and took out a red, white and blue lollypop and
+gave it to him, and wasn't that eagle pleased? Well, I should say he
+was. He flapped his wings and began to sing:
+
+    "_Oh, I'm the bird as you all have heard
+     Who fights for the U. S. A.
+     I love the stars on our beautiful flag
+     As I watch it wave from my lonely crag,
+     And I give a screech that is heard afar,
+     Three cheers for every silver star,
+     And the bands of red and white and blue,
+     And the soldier boys who are brave and true,
+     And the sailor lads on the deep wide sea,
+     Oh, the U. S. A. is the land for me!_"
+
+And when he finished he said to Little Sir Cat, "Climb on my back and
+we'll fly away, far away, across the water wild with spray, way, way off
+to the U. S. A."
+
+Isn't it wonderful how an eagle could say things like this in rhyme? It
+must have been because he was in Mother Goose Land where everybody talks
+in poetry.
+
+"I'm afraid I can't," replied Little Sir Cat. "My mother would worry if
+I went so far away." So the big eagle said good-by, but before he left,
+he pinned a tiny red, white and blue flag on the little Kitten's coat.
+
+    _On another page of this jolly book,
+     If you just turn over the pages and look,
+     You'll find a story about Sir Cat
+     And the Cow that jumped over the Moon Man's Hat._
+
+
+
+
+Dobbin
+
+    Dobbin has an iron shoe
+      On each of his feet, so you
+    Can see it's hard for him to go
+      Anything but very slow.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+Ten Little Boy Scouts
+
+
+    One little Boy Scout beating a tat-too;
+    A little comrade heard the call--then there were two.
+
+    Two little Boy Scouts climbing up a tree;
+    Along came another one--then there were three.
+
+    Three little Boy Scouts standing by the door;
+    Running out they met a Scout--then there were four.
+
+    Four little Boy Scouts in the water dive;
+    Another one swam up to them--then there were five.
+
+    Five little Boy Scouts doing lots of tricks;
+    Their captain called out, "Shoulder arms!"--then there were six.
+
+    Six little Boy Scouts looking up to heaven;
+    An airship brought another down--then there were seven.
+
+    Seven little Boy Scouts got to school quite late;
+    They found a scholar in the room--then there were eight.
+
+    Eight little Boy Scouts dressed up very fine;
+    They caught a little ragged one--then there were nine.
+
+    Nine little Boy Scouts chased a speckled hen;
+    They bumped into another Scout--then there were ten.
+
+    Ten little Boy Scouts yelling "Hip, hurrah!"
+    This is all there is to tell--these are all there are!
+
+
+
+
+THE LITTLE GREEN LADY FROG
+
+
+Billy Bull Frog had a deep bass voice, and every night he would sit on a
+big flat rock amid tall sedge grass and sing. There was a little green
+lady frog that sang a beautiful soprano, but, you see, his voice was so
+loud and strong and deep that hardly any one could hear her when she
+sang. She could hardly ever hear herself, for the louder she sang the
+more noise Billy would make, till finally the little green lady frog
+wouldn't sing at all.
+
+But this did not make Billy feel badly, because he loved to hear his own
+voice so much. The little green lady frog would sit very still on her
+lily pad, and would not even look at Billy when he sang. But, oh, dear
+me! he was so conceited about his own voice that he thought the little
+green lady frog was jealous of him.
+
+She wasn't at all, and Billy was wrong, and was acting very, very
+foolishly. The real truth of the matter was that the little green lady
+frog had heard a tree toad singing in a tree quite close to the lake,
+and she thought his voice very beautiful, because it was a high tenor,
+and it sounded much better when she sang with him than it did when she
+sang with Billy Bull Frog.
+
+At first she hardly dared sing with Tommy Tree Toad, because she was
+afraid of Billy Bull Frog, and then, too, she didn't know Tommy Tree
+Toad very well.
+
+But after a while she became bolder and one night, when the moon was
+shining brightly in the sky and throwing a silver path from the water
+right up to Tommy Tree Toad's tree, she climbed up the bank and stood on
+the silver path of the moon and listened while Tommy sang his most
+beautiful song.
+
+And the longer she waited the more she wanted to go close up to the big
+tree and sing with Tommy. He kept singing in his beautiful tenor voice,
+"Kum-kum, kum-kum!" and at last she hopped along the silver way up to
+the big tree. And then they sang a lovely duet together and all the
+frogs in the lake held their breath because it was so sweet.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE PRINCESS LIL
+
+
+The Princess Lil stood on the edge of the lake waiting for her
+turtlemobile to take her to her lily castle, which rested on the bright
+waters in the center of the lily pond.
+
+Presently she heard the honk, honk of chauffeur Billy Bullfrog's horn,
+and in another moment the turtlemobile swung around the tall sedge
+grass.
+
+"You're late," she said, as she took her seat.
+
+"I'm sorry, your Royal Highness," said chauffeur Billy Bullfrog, "but
+the turtlemobile was tired, and I couldn't make him put on more speed."
+
+The princess made no reply, but sat gazing at the setting sun's
+reflection in the bright waters of the lake. The sky was all fairy
+colors, and just above the green tree tops the evening star was shining.
+
+The turtlemobile glided swiftly in and out among the lily pads and
+hummocks of grass until it came to the open water. In the center of the
+lake was a beautiful white lily. Here the turtlemobile stopped, and the
+Princess Lil stepped out on the smooth green lily pad. Quickly running
+across, she tripped lightly down the golden stairway inside the stem of
+the beautiful white pond lily. When she reached the bottom of the golden
+flight, she opened a little door, and entered her pink and white
+chamber. Throwing herself down on a silken couch, she rang a bell, and
+presently a pretty little fairy appeared.
+
+"Lorelei," said the princess, "I am weary; bring me my gossamer kimono,
+and do you loosen my hair. Afterwards you may coil it again and fasten
+it with a single firefly, as I wish to sit out in the garden after
+supper."
+
+The moon was shining brightly as the Princess Lil ran up the golden
+staircase and out upon the big flat lily pad, which was arranged like a
+beautiful garden. There were small pink flowers growing in little beds
+of moist earth, and winding in and out was a narrow path of tiny shiny
+pebbles. Over this the princess tripped until she came to the end of the
+path, where she sat down, and began to sing softly, oh, so softly, a
+fairy lullaby.
+
+    "_Gently the wind of the dewy night blows,
+     Over the quivering stream;
+     While children are sleeping, the fairies are peeping,
+     Singing to them a dream._
+
+    "_Over and over, from daisy and clover,
+     From all of the sweet flower throng,
+     The fairies are swinging and drowsily singing,
+     A sweet little hush-a-by song._"
+
+"Ah!" said the little princess as she finished; "I think all the little
+boys and girls are asleep by this time. Indeed, I'm sure they are, for
+there goes the blue-bell tinkling 'Nine o'clock!'
+
+"Good night, sweet moon!" she cried, as she paused before the portal of
+her lily castle, "good night, sweet moon!"
+
+And then the little fairy princess ran down the golden staircase and
+disappeared in her pink and white chamber.
+
+
+
+
+Pussy
+
+    See the Papa Pussy go
+    Softly on his tippie-toe.
+    I don t think it's very nice
+    To catch the cunning little mice.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+DOROTHY'S NEW ROLLER SKATES
+
+
+Little Dorothy always begged her mother to loop up one of her window
+curtains when she went to bed, that she might go to sleep watching the
+stars twinkle, and in the morning see the sun rise, and after he had
+risen, see if his goldy locks were all on end, as her own often were.
+
+One morning she woke up, not quite as early as usual, and found her room
+full of light, which seemed to dance about some bright object on a chair
+by her bedside. For a moment she lay quite still, thinking that perhaps
+it was some fairy's wand which caused such a glitter, and that presently
+a real, live fairy, with beautiful gold wings, would perch on her thumb,
+and offer to grant her three wishes like other obliging fairies she had
+read about. And the very first wish that came into her head was for a
+pair of roller skates; and having got fairly awake at last, she saw that
+this bright something by her bedside was indeed a beautiful new pair of
+skates, so bright that she could see her own happy face reflected in
+them!
+
+"Mother, mother!" she called out, "come quick! Did you or the fairies
+bring me these lovely new skates?"
+
+Mother smiled. "Who do you think?" she asked, cuddling her little
+daughter up close.
+
+"I guess it was you, dear mother," answered the little girl, with a
+grateful hug; "you're better than any fairy."
+
+After breakfast Dorothy hurried off to the park. She strapped her skates
+on as fast as she could and was just about to glide away on the smooth
+pavement when she noticed a poor little girl standing near, watching her
+with almost a hungry expression in her sad brown eyes. "Do you like to
+skate?" asked Dorothy.
+
+"Do I! I just love it; but father had to sell my skates because he had
+no money to buy food with." Dorothy sat down again on the bench and
+undid the straps, letting one of the skates fall on the ground in her
+hurry.
+
+"You put these skates on just as fast as you can, and then you take as
+long a skate as you want to; I'll sit here and watch you."
+
+When the little girl came back, flushed and smiling, Dorothy said:
+"Would you like my old skates? They're not very nice, because one of the
+straps is gone, and they are dingy and rusty, but perhaps your father
+could put on a new strap."
+
+The little girl smiled such a glad little smile. "Well, I just guess I
+would!" she answered quickly. "You're awfully good to me," and she
+looked at Dorothy with such a grateful little face that Dorothy
+answered, "Let's go home right away and get them."
+
+
+
+
+RAT-A-TAT-TAT, RAT-A-TAT-TAT
+
+
+"Look! there go the soldiers," cried Mazie, leaning out of the nursery
+window. "Jamie, come quick and see the real soldiers."
+
+Her little brother left his toy warriors and ran to the window.
+"Rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat!" went the drums as the troops swung
+forward in a long line, the gay flags flying in the breeze.
+
+"Why, there's Harold Gray's papa!" said Mazie. "There he is, Jamie, on
+that beautiful black horse."
+
+The little boy clapped his hands. "Hurray!" he shouted; "I wish my papa
+was a soldier."
+
+"So do I," cried Mazie; "wouldn't father look fine on a big horse?"
+
+"I'm very glad he's not," said Mother, coming into the nursery. "War is
+cruel, and many of those brave men may never come back."
+
+Just then in the crowd Mazie saw little Harold Gray holding tightly to
+his mother's hand. The little boy's eyes were filled with tears as he
+watched his father ride away.
+
+"Oh, mother!" cried Mazie and Jamie together, catching hold of her hand,
+"I'm so glad father isn't a soldier. How we'd miss him if he didn't come
+home tonight."
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat Sees the Cow Jump Over the Moon
+
+
+One day as Little Sir Cat was riding along on his pony, Dapple Gray, he
+met the Cow that jumped over the moon.
+
+    "_Come here to-night
+     When the moon is bright.
+     You'll hear a fine tune
+     When I jump o'er the moon._"
+
+"All right," he answered, and then he went on his way, and by-and-by he
+met Little Dog Muff, who spilt his master's snuff. And, goodness me! How
+he did bark! But this didn't frighten Little Sir Cat. No, Siree. He knew
+that Muff was only barking for joy. So he put out his paw and said:
+
+"Helloa, Muff. Have you spilt any snuff lately?"
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT SEES THE COW JUMP OVER THE MOON]
+
+"No. I haven't," he answered. "I don't live with my master any more. He
+wasn't a kind man; so Old Dog Tray got me a good job, and I've been a
+watch dog ever since." And then Little Sir Cat rode down the street
+until he came to a Pat-a-Cake Baker Shop, outside of which stood a
+little boy.
+
+    _Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake,
+     Baker's man,
+     Bake me a doughnut
+     As fast as you can._
+
+And goodness me! that little boy stuffed a whole doughnut into his
+mouth, he was in such a hurry. "Hold on!" cried Little Sir Cat, "don't
+choke yourself!" And pretty soon the Baker Man came out of his little
+shop and gave Dapple Gray a lump of sugar. "You have a fine horse, Sir
+Cat. How much do you want for him?"
+
+"Nothing."
+
+"What!" cried the Baker Man, in astonishment.
+
+"He's not for sale," said Little Sir Cat. And just then the school bell
+rang and off went the little boy to his lessons.
+
+So Little Sir Cat said "Gid-ap!" and rode away with Muff at his heels,
+and by-and-by they came to a thick wood. "Don't let us go in," said
+Dapple Gray, "for, there may be robbers hidden among the trees." And
+just then a fierce-looking man ran out and, seizing Dapple Gray by the
+bridle, shouted: "Give me your purse, or I'll make you my prisoner!"
+
+But Dapple Gray rose on his hind legs and with his front feet knocked
+the robber heels over head, and then off he went on a gallop. And after
+a while, not so very long, Little Sir Cat saw a great white bird sitting
+on a gold egg. "Did you lay that golden egg, Mr. Big Bird?" he asked.
+But the great white bird didn't answer. Maybe she was frightened, or
+maybe she was waiting for the golden egg to hatch, for just then, all of
+a sudden, the shell broke open and out hopped twenty-one little white
+birds armed with swords. And one of them was dressed like a captain,
+with gold epaulets on his shoulder wings, and one had a drum, like a
+regular little drummer boy. And then they all began to sing:
+
+    _We are the soldier birds of the air,
+     And we need no aeroplane,
+     For we can fly across the sky
+     In sunshine and in rain.
+     And if an enemy comes in view
+     With our bright sharp swords we'll cut him in two._
+
+"Hurrah!" cried Little Sir Cat, and the great white mother bird flapped
+her wings, for she was mighty proud to think that she had raised a
+little sky army for Mother Goose Land.
+
+
+
+
+    _Jack, be nimble!
+     Jack be quick!
+     Jack, jump over the candlestick!
+     Jack jumped when something
+     struck his wheel,
+     For his candlestick
+     was an automobile!_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+ROCK-A-BYE BABY
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    Some might call Tommy naughty
+    Because he sleeps too long,
+    But when you're fast asleep, I'm sure
+    You can't be doing wrong.
+
+    Besides he's dreaming such good dreams
+    Of boys on time each day,
+    That never miss a day at school
+    Or straggle on the way.
+
+
+
+
+A LITTLE STORY ABOUT THE ROSES
+
+
+The flowers in the big garden were all talking about the new rose that
+had just come to stay with them. "Moss Rose is very beautiful," remarked
+Peony to the Hollyhock; "you know she was just an ordinary kind of a
+rose until one evening, when the Queen of the Fairies didn't know just
+where to go for the night, she leaned over and said to her, 'Will you
+sleep in the heart of a rose?' and the Queen said of course she would,
+and in the morning the Fairy Queen in return for the hospitality gave
+her a delicate veil of moss, and from that time she was called the 'Moss
+Rose.'"
+
+"Indeed!" replied the Hollyhock. "How lovely; I wish a fairy would come
+through our garden."
+
+"Perhaps one will," said the Peony. "At any rate the Rose has always
+been the queen of flowers, and now that we have a new rose perhaps the
+Queen of the Fairies may visit our garden."
+
+The Hollyhock smiled. "Tell me more," she said. "Do you know any more
+stories about red roses, or white roses, or pink roses, or yellow
+roses?"
+
+"Yes, indeed," replied the Peony, "for I love roses; everybody does. You
+know the old Romans loved them just as much as we, and they somehow
+managed to make them bloom in the winter time. When they wanted to talk
+over matters that they did not want repeated abroad they hung a rose
+from the ceiling over the table, and all the conversation was called
+'sub rosa,' 'under the rose.' The reason for this was because Cupid once
+gave a rose to Harpocrates, the God of Silence, and that was what the
+old Romans were thinking about when they hung the rose over the table
+and talked secrets."
+
+"How interesting!" said the Hollyhock. "Where did you learn all of these
+wonderful things?"
+
+"Oh," replied the Peony. "I learned it from a poet who used to walk
+among the flowers. The daughter of the owner of this garden would sit
+and listen to him while he told her stories and legends about roses;
+always roses, for her name was Rose, you know."
+
+"Tell me more," said the Hollyhock, and all the other flowers bent near,
+too, for they had heard a little of what the Peony had told and were
+anxious to hear more of what the poet knew.
+
+"He said, I remember," continued the Peony, "that the old name of Syria
+meant the 'land of roses' and many varieties came from there, and one,
+the 'Rose of Jericho,' was the most wonderful, for there is an old
+legend that it grew in the desert in places where the Virgin Mary
+touched her feet when flying into Egypt with the infant Jesus; and they
+say, too, it will always blossom at Christmas time."
+
+"How beautiful!" cried all the flowers. "Poets are like us--for their
+poetry is the perfume of their souls."
+
+
+
+
+   _Little Bo Peep had lost her sheep,
+      And didn't know where to find them;
+    But she turned them all to automobiles,
+      And now she rides behind them._
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+A LITTLE BOY'S DREAM
+
+
+    If dreams were only real, just think
+      How happy I would be,
+    'Cause mostly all the heroes come
+      And have a talk with me
+    When I'm asleep; if only they
+      Would come when I'm awake,
+    I'd like to have my father give
+      Their famous hands a shake.
+    I know I'll think that last night's dream
+      Was best of all I've had,
+    For such a great, big gentleman
+      Called out to me, "My lad,
+    Remember that to fight is brave,
+      But braver yet to be
+    A defender of the weak ones,
+      To set the captives free,
+    To preserve your country's honor,
+      And strive all wrongs to right."
+    I liked him best of all the men
+      Who visit me at night.
+    His name is Abraham Lincoln,
+      The kindest of them all.
+    I only hope some other night
+      He'll make a longer call.
+
+
+
+
+RUTH'S THANKSGIVING DINNER
+
+
+"I wish I could dress up like those Rag-a-muffins!" exclaimed Ruth,
+looking out of the nursery window on Thanksgiving Day, "I think it would
+be such fun!"
+
+"Do you, dear?" said Mother, standing behind her little daughter who was
+watching a number of children dressed grotesquely in grown-ups' clothes
+parade up and down the avenue.
+
+"Yes, indeed," replied Ruth, "just see the fun they are having."
+
+"But think how poor they are and how few pleasures they really have;
+they are not looking forward to a lovely Thanksgiving dinner," said
+Mother, noticing the discontented look on Ruth's face.
+
+"Don't they get any dinner?" she asked, turning to Mother in surprise.
+
+"Yes, but only a very poor one; no turkey, no nuts and raisins."
+
+"Mother," cried Ruth, "could I give my dinner to one of these poor
+little children?"
+
+"How do you mean?" Mother asked, delighted at the generosity of her
+little daughter.
+
+"Well," answered Ruth, suddenly realizing what she was about to give up.
+"I mean, Mother dear, could I give _some_ of my dinner to that poor
+little boy over there by the lamp post?"
+
+"Yes, you may," Mother answered, and, touching the bell, she told
+Wiggins to bring in the little boy. "Give him a piece of mince pie and
+some candy for dessert, Wiggins," she added, "and don't pass the mince
+pie nor candy to Miss Ruth at dinner."
+
+Then Mother came over to where Ruth was standing and, placing her arms
+around her little daughter, said, "You know, dear, you are giving up
+some of your dinner to make a little boy happy."
+
+"Yes, Mother," answered Ruth with a smile, "some of my very own
+dinner."
+
+
+
+
+A WELL-GROOMED PUSSY
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    Puss, come sit you on a chair
+    And I will brush your silken hair;
+    I'll so enhance its satin sheen
+    That of all cats you'll be the queen.
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat Kills the Wolf
+
+
+"Hello!" exclaimed Little Sir Cat, "if that isn't Little Red Riding
+Hood." Sure enough it was. Just in front of him, tripping along the
+path, was a little girl dressed in a red cape and hood.
+
+"May I help you carry your basket?" he asked politely.
+
+"Oh, dear!" screamed Little Red Riding Hood.
+
+But when she saw Little Sir Cat, she said, with a sigh of relief, "I
+thought you were the Big Gray Wolf!"
+
+Well, pretty soon they reached her Grandmother's house, and, knowing
+that old women usually like cats, Little Sir Kitten made up his mind to
+be very nice indeed to Little Red Riding Hood's Grandmother.
+
+So he wiped his boots carefully on the doormat, and, with his cap held
+politely in his paw, waited in the hall while Little Red Riding Hood ran
+upstairs.
+
+"Come up, Kitten," she called down in a few minutes; "Grandma, wants to
+see you. Hang your cap on the hat-rack."
+
+Then Little Red Riding Hood took hold of his paw, and led him into a
+sunny room, where in a big easy-chair by the window her Grandmother sat
+knitting.
+
+"Come here, Sir Kitten, and let me see your nice red top boots," said
+her Grandmother. "I always did like cats." And just then the little
+canary bird began to sing:
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT KILLS THE WOLF]
+
+    "_Look out for the Big Gray Wolf, my dears.
+     He has long sharp teeth and pointed ears,
+     And he roams through the forest dark and dim.
+     Be careful you don't get caught by him!_"
+
+So Little Red Riding Hood kissed her Grandma good-by and with Little Sir
+Cat started for home. But, oh, dear me! They had gone only a little way
+when they heard a noise.
+
+"Look," whispered Little Sir Cat, "there's the wolf."
+
+"What shall we do?" sobbed Little Red Riding Hood.
+
+"Trust to me," replied Sir Cat, "I have my trusty staff. But let's
+hurry," and taking hold of her hand they started off on a brisk run.
+
+Nearer and nearer came a dark shadow, and all of a sudden, with a dismal
+howl, the Big Gray Wolf leaped on the path just in front of them. His
+cruel jaws were wide open and his long, white teeth snapped with a
+dreadful sound. But Little Sir Cat wasn't afraid. He swung his staff and
+hit the Big Gray Wolf a tremendous blow on the head.
+
+"Oh, you brave kitten!" she cried, "you have saved my life!" But Sir Cat
+merely smiled and said: "That's nothing, my dear; my father once killed
+an ogre!"
+
+And then Little Sir Cat once more set off to find his fortune, and
+pretty soon you will hear something more about him, if
+
+    _A little dog doesn't tie a can
+     On the tip of his waggy tail,
+     And a tiny minnow in the brook
+     Swallow a great big whale._
+
+
+
+
+TED FINDS THE RING
+
+
+Jimmy was looking out of the nursery window, watching the big steam
+shovel lift the rocks and earth out of the lot opposite, to make room
+for the cellar of the house which was to be built there. First the
+shovel would scoop down into the earth and then carry the stones and
+soil to the wagon into which it dumped its contents.
+
+Jimmy was kept indoors on account of the mumps, and therefore spent much
+of his time at the nursery window watching what was going on outside. He
+was very glad, however, when he was able once more to run and watch the
+builders lay the bricks and stones, for the work of excavating was over
+by this time. When the house was completed, a family moved in. There
+were a boy and girl, and the boy was just about Jimmy's age. Very soon
+Jimmy made his acquaintance, and soon all three were going out into the
+park every afternoon; Ted went too, and also the little dog that
+belonged to Jimmy's new friends. This little dog's name was Flip.
+
+On his birthday Jimmy had a party, and invited his two new friends,
+Herbert and Helen, with a number of other children, to come and help him
+eat his birthday cake. In this beautiful cake was hidden a little ring,
+and the lucky person in whose piece was found the prize, was entitled to
+keep it. Every one was very much excited, and each little boy and girl
+looked anxiously through his piece in the hope of finding the ring. But
+it was not to be found. Suddenly Jimmy, who had given Ted a small bit of
+cake, looked down on the floor and there beside Ted's little white foot
+was the ring.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Where Does the Water Go?
+
+    When Nursie puts me in my tub
+      To make me clean and fit,
+    I wonder where the water goes
+      When I sit down on it.
+
+
+
+
+TOBY'S FRIEND
+
+
+Toby was a little French bulldog. He was a very happy little animal, as
+his small mistress was extremely fond of him. He had a big armchair with
+a fat cushion to sleep on. He also had a collar with his name and
+address engraved on it, and a little license tag fastened to it. In
+winter he wore a sweater, which he found very comfortable, although not
+so becoming. Toby's only regret in life was that he had no playmate. Of
+course his small mistress played with him, but he could not answer her
+when she spoke to him, except by wagging his tail or by barking.
+
+One day, while looking out of the window in the nursery he saw a little
+dog, with a tin can tied to his tail, running down the street. After him
+ran a crowd of boys. Toby barked, as he always did when he saw a dog. In
+a minute his little mistress ran up to the window. "Oh, Toby!" she
+cried. "Look at the poor little dog. I'll ask mother if I can't bring
+him in." In a minute she was in the bright sitting-room, where mother
+was sewing.
+
+"What is it, little girl?"
+
+"Oh, mother!" she cried. "There is a poor dog with a tin can tied to his
+tail, just outside the house, and a lot of boys are tormenting the poor
+animal. They are all around him so that he can't get away."
+
+"Poor dog!" said mother. "Call James and tell him to send the boys away
+and bring the dog inside."
+
+Toby's mistress sped away on her errand of mercy and in a short while
+James had ordered the boys off and was carrying the little dog upstairs.
+He was very cunning, and Toby made a friend of him at once, but he was
+very dirty and had to have a bath as soon as mother looked him over. The
+decoration to his tail was removed, much to the frightened animal's
+relief, and after his bath he was duly christened Rover. From that time
+Toby was never lonely and he and Rover became great friends. Rover was
+given a collar and a cushion, of which he was very proud, and he lived
+happily ever afterwards in his new home with the little girl and Toby,
+the French bulldog.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE LAZY PINK HEN
+
+
+Once, a long time ago, there was a little girl who lived in a country
+where they had all sorts of hens. There was a Green Hen and a Yellow Hen
+and a Pink Hen; but the Rooster was Sky Blue. They all sang a different
+song. The Yellow Hen said: "Hoop-de-dooden-do! Hoop-de-dooden-doo!" and
+the Green Hen said: "Chick-a-chick-chee! Chick-a-chick-chee!" But the
+Pink Hen only said "Tra la la! Tra la la!" for she was very lazy.
+
+Now the Green Hen laid red eggs and the Yellow Hen laid blue ones; but
+the Pink Hen never laid any, she was such a lazy thing.
+
+Well, this little girl thought this would never do, and so did the
+Sky-blue Rooster. So, one day, she went to the Pink Hen and said to her:
+
+"Snail, snail, come out of your hole, or else I'll beat you as black as
+a coal!"
+
+And the Sky-blue Rooster said to her:
+
+"Twinkle, twinkle, little star!"
+
+I don't know what they meant by it, but the Pink Hen knew, for she went
+straight to her nest and laid a little white egg. The Sky-blue Rooster
+was so tickled that he turned fourteen somersaults right off in
+succession, and sung "The Star-Spangled Banner" all through three times,
+standing on the tip of his longest tail feathers. But the Pink Hen only
+said "Tra la la!" she was such a lazy thing.
+
+
+
+
+THE PROFITEER
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    I took some eggs to market
+    All on a summer's day.
+    I couldn't get high prices,
+    So I threw them all away.
+
+    And then, my dears, how awful,
+    (Exactly as I feared)
+    The neighbors ran me out of town
+    Because I profiteered.
+
+
+
+
+The First Thanksgiving
+
+
+"Come let us sit by the window," said mother, "and I will tell you about
+the first Thanksgiving Day of all. Think how many years ago it was that
+our Pilgrim Fathers held Thanksgiving Day in America.
+
+"You will remember that they landed from the Mayflower in the middle of
+winter on the cold bleak shores of Massachusetts. During that winter
+more than half their number perished from cold and hunger. Nevertheless,
+when spring came they set out bravely to work to clear the land and
+plant their corn.
+
+"A friendly Indian named Squanto showed them the Indian way of making
+sure of rich soil by putting small fish into each hill, and he taught
+them many other things that helped them to live in their new country.
+
+"When the first autumn came they were so happy at having a good harvest,
+thanks to Squanto's help, that when Governor Bradford appointed a day
+for Thanksgiving they invited Massasoit, chief of the tribe to which
+their friend Squanto belonged, and ninety of his men to a three days'
+feast.
+
+"So you see our Thanksgiving is very American, for the first one was
+attended by the Indians, who were here in America long before Columbus
+discovered it."
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat Sees Cinderella
+
+
+One evening Little Sir Cat came to a small cottage, through the window
+of which he saw sitting by the fireside, a ragged girl and a queer
+little old woman dressed in a green gown and a high-peaked hat.
+
+"I do believe that's her Fairy Godmother," he whispered, when, all of a
+sudden, the old woman waved her wand, and the next moment the ragged
+girl was clothed in a beautiful ball dress, and two cunning little glass
+slippers, just like those in the fairy story book, appeared on the
+hearth.
+
+Then a big pumpkin rolled out through the door and turned into a
+splendid coach, followed by six little mice, who at once changed into
+six beautiful white horses.
+
+"I'd like to have eaten one of those mice," thought Little Sir Cat, "but
+it's too late now."
+
+Pretty soon the girl walked out in her little glass slippers and stepped
+into the coach, the powdered footman jumping up behind as it rattled
+down the street and away into the darkness.
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT SEES CINDERELLA]
+
+Little Sir Cat was about to turn away disappointed and hungry, when the
+Fairy Godmother opened the window and looked out: "Why, kitten, what
+are you doing here?" she exclaimed.
+
+"Looking for a place to sleep."
+
+"Come right in," she answered, in a kind voice, and, leaning out, helped
+tired little Puss over the windowsill.
+
+"Take off your boots and make yourself comfortable, while I get you a
+nice supper of cake and cream."
+
+Standing his boots up in a corner of the room, he warmed his tired toes
+by the open fire. After he had eaten his supper the Fairy Godmother
+said, "You can stay here all night if you wish," and he was so tired and
+sleepy that he didn't hear her add, "but you'd better get away early
+before Cinderella's two big cross sisters come down for breakfast," for
+when he woke up it was morning and somebody was coming downstairs.
+
+But, oh, dear me! He had hardly pulled on his boots when the door
+opened, and in came Cinderella's two cross and very ugly sisters.
+
+"Good morning!" said Little Sir Cat.
+
+"Mercy! What's that?" they both screamed, while one of them seized a
+long-handled broom, pushed him down the dark cellar steps and bolted the
+door. It was very damp and dark, just like a dungeon, and he was just
+about to give up all hope when the door at the head of the stairs
+opened, and there stood Cinderella.
+
+"How you startled me!" she exclaimed, with a laugh, looking at his
+pretty red top boots. "But after what happened last night I ought not to
+be surprised at anything."
+
+"Of course you shouldn't," he answered.
+
+"Why, what do you know?" asked Cinderella.
+
+"I saw you, but I won't tell," he added, as a frightened look came over
+her pretty face. "Please give me some breakfast."
+
+And when he had finished he said good-by, but Cinderella hardly heard
+him, for she was still dreaming of the handsome prince whom she had met
+the night before.
+
+And pretty soon--I'll tell you another story--unless--
+
+    _Tomorrow it rains dogs and cats
+     And ruins all the children's hats._
+
+
+
+
+A LITTLE GIRL'S DIARY
+
+Monday
+
+    _I love her on a Monday
+       When hanging out the clothes,
+     And I'm gunning for the blackbird
+       That dares trespass on her nose._
+
+
+Monday morning after breakfast I start for school. Jack and I go the
+same way, and he leaves me at the door, so Mother knows I'm safe. When
+school is over, lots of us girls go home together. Quite often some of
+my schoolmates come home with me for lunch, and then we play in the
+house for a little while before we go to the park. Of course, Monday is
+Dolly's wash day, so I usually wash her clothes very carefully and hang
+them up to dry in the little garden on top of my doll's house. This just
+came for Christmas, and I like it so much that I am going to keep it in
+order just the way Mother does our house, so that is why I try to do
+every day just what they are doing in the big grown-up house. It doesn't
+take very long for Dolly's little things to dry, and then I fold them up
+and put them in a cunning little clothes basket until the next day, when
+I start my ironing.
+
+
+
+
+THE JOLLY JUNGLE FOLK
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    'Tis July Fourth in Jungle Land,
+    And down the Forest's Emerald Strand
+    The animals in gay parade
+    March 'neath the big trees' leafy shade.
+
+    With horn and trumpet, rattlers loud,
+    Which Rattle Snake has lent the crowd,
+    They make a noise that would compare
+    With a tornado anywhere.
+
+    Our old friend Tommy Tiger grins,
+    As Mikey Monk some trick begins,
+    While Harry Hippopotamus
+    Says, "Don't you dare to make a fuss!"
+
+    Then Oscar Ostrich says "How do!"
+    As Buster Bear comes into view;
+    "I hope you have recovered quite--
+    Those Bumble Bees know how to bite!"
+
+    "Forget it!" Buster growls with pluck,
+    "I haven't yet paid Doctor Duck!"
+    But seeing then their Lion Lord,
+    They all bow down with one accord.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    King Leo, with his tawny mane,
+    Is sauntering down the Forest Lane,
+    In all his majesty and pride
+    His Ladyship close by his side.
+
+    "It must be almost midnight now,"
+    Cries Mikey with a lowly bow;
+    "Will not your Royal Highness stay
+    And see the rockets glittering spray?"
+
+    The Roman Candles shoot forth stars,
+    The rockets circle Jupe and Mars,
+    When suddenly across the sky
+    A big black cloud goes drifting by.
+
+    It hides from view the silver moon,
+    The Jolly Junglers cease their tune;
+    A hush falls over leaf and root--
+    And then the Owl begins to hoot.
+
+    Twelve times he toots his horn--
+    "Let's go to bed before the morn,"
+    King Leo cries, "This awful din
+    Has made my noodle fairly spin!"
+
+    So all the Jolly Jungle Band
+    Go home to sleep at his command,
+    And all is quiet as a mouse
+    Within each Jolly Jungler's house.
+
+
+
+
+DUCKEY DADDLES
+
+
+Duckey Daddles loved to swim. Every day he begged Mrs. Duck to take him
+down to the Old Mill Pond. But she couldn't take him there every day,
+for there were lots of things to attend to at home. Besides, it was
+quite a long way, and she wasn't fond of walking.
+
+So one day Duckey Daddles made up his mind to go alone. Off he went on
+his floppy yellow feet, wabbly, wabbly down the road, under the Old
+Snake Fence and then across the Pleasant Meadow till he reached the Old
+Mill Pond.
+
+Sitting very still on his log was Old Uncle Bullfrog. He was half
+asleep, with his hands folded across his white and yellow waistcoat. He
+had just eaten a lot of nice green flies and was feeling very contented.
+
+"Quack! quack! hip! hurray!" cried Duckey Daddles, flapping his wings.
+Then he jumped in, spattering water all over Old Uncle Bullfrog.
+
+"Take care, there!" said Old Uncle Bullfrog, waking up and wiping his
+yellow-rimmed spectacles. But Duckey Daddles didn't hear him. He was
+standing on his head in the water, gobbling up little fish.
+
+"What's the use of going home for lunch? I've had mine already!" he
+cried. And off he swam around the Old Mill Pond. Suddenly there was a
+loud splash. Duckey Daddles turned to see what was the matter. On the
+bank stood a number of boys. Duckey Daddles ducked just in time to get
+out of the way of a stone that splashed in the water close beside him.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Swim, you little side-wheeler!" shouted the boys, and another stone
+fell uncomfortably near him.
+
+"Any port in a storm," he said to himself, remembering a story he had
+once heard about his great-great-grandfather, Admiral Drake. And Duckey
+Daddles paddled straight for a little cove behind a clump of trees.
+
+It was nearly dark when he finally reached home, for he had to wait a
+long time before the boys left the Old Mill Pond.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Duckey Daddles, where have you been?" asked Mamma Duck.
+
+"Come over here!" cried his father, laying down the Duckville "Evening
+Quack." "What has kept you out so late?"
+
+Duckey Daddles told the truth, and when he had finished, Daddy Duck
+said, "Duckey Daddles, I won't punish you because you've told the truth.
+But next time look out! I shan't ask any questions."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE COASTING PARTY
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    The hill was fine for coasting,
+      The snow was well packed down,
+    And Sammy Black and Margie White,
+      And little Billy Brown,
+
+    And also pretty Winnie Green
+      And graceful Gertie Gray--
+    Now, please, my little readers,
+      Don't imagine what I say
+
+    Means really that these boys and girls
+      Were painted all this way;
+    If so, such colored children
+      Would be a bit too gay!
+
+    Their fathers' names were Mr. Black,
+      Or Mr. White, or Mr. Brown;
+    And, funny, too, it was Greenville
+      The name they called the town.
+
+    Well, just as I was saying,
+      The coasting was immense,
+    And after school the boys and girls
+      Were ready to commence.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    The sleds were in a big, long row,
+      All tied together, too,
+    As Sammy Black lay down to steer
+      The merry-making crew.
+
+    He didn't seem to mind the wind
+      That o'er the snowdrifts blew,
+    That made his cheeks so bright and red,
+      His stubby nose so blue!
+
+    "Come on, you fellers; hurry up!
+      Quick, girls, get on your sled!
+    And push against the other ones,
+      I'm fixed to go ahead!"
+
+    The last sled little Billy Brown
+      Then pushed with all his might,
+    And down the hill the train of sleds
+      Began its snowy flight.
+
+    Such yells and cries! and "Hold on tight!
+      Don't drag your feet! Keep still!
+    Don't lean so far upon the right,
+      Or else we'll have a spill!"
+
+    Each face was beaming with delight,
+      Each voice was loud and shrill,
+    The train was going all its might
+      And nearly down the hill.
+
+    Just as they reached the bottom,
+      The front sled gave a swing,
+    And plump into a big snowdrift
+      They went like anything!
+
+    The Blacks were mixed up with the Whites,
+      The Browns on top of Green,
+    A sort of coast kaleidoscope,
+      With sleds stuck in between.
+
+    And when they all were sorted out,
+      No easy thing to do,
+    They found that almost every boy
+      And girl was black and blue!
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration: PETER, PETER, PUMPKIN EATER PUB. BY NAT. ART CO.,
+N. Y.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    A frog he would a-wooing go
+      In a very stylish way,
+    So he bought a frogmobile, you know,
+      And the lady frog said "Yea!"
+
+
+
+
+THE HOBBY HORSE
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat on a fine horse
+    Is galloping off for Raspberry Cross.
+    When he gets there if he says "Please, Ma'am,"
+    A lady will give him some raspberry jam.
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat Meets "The Maiden All Forlorn"
+
+
+After leaving Cinderella's house Little Sir Cat continued his journey
+with a happy heart, for had he not had a fine night's rest and a good
+breakfast, and for a traveler that is a good beginning. The road now led
+through the country, with well-kept farm lands on either side.
+
+"That looks like the House That Jack Built!" he exclaimed, as he neared
+a big farm house. Sure enough it was, for there in the meadow close by
+was the Cow With the Crumpled Horn, and leaning against the turnstile at
+the corner of the fence was the Maiden All Forlorn.
+
+"Good morning, Miss," said Little Sir Cat, but for an answer the maiden
+began to cry.
+
+"Don't cry," he said, wiping the tears from her eyes, for he was a very
+tender-hearted puss. "Don't cry."
+
+"I can't help it," whimpered the Maiden All Forlorn. "You'd cry, too, if
+you'd been kissed by the Man All Tattered and Torn."
+
+"Did it tickle?" inquired Little Sir Cat.
+
+"Tickle!" exclaimed the Maiden All Forlorn. "It scratched! But where are
+you going?"
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT MEETS "THE MAIDEN ALL FORLORN"]
+
+"Where am I going?" he repeated. "Why, I'm seeking my fortune." And then
+Piggie Porker began to cry. I guess he felt that nobody cared much about
+him for the Maiden All Forlorn hadn't noticed him at all.
+
+    "_Nobody, nobody cares for me,
+     I feel as lonely as can be.
+     I'm a character in Mother Goose,
+     So I consider you've no excuse
+     Not to speak a word to me,
+     Piggie Porker, diddle dum dee._"
+
+"You naughty pig," said the Maiden All Forlorn, "how did you get out of
+your sty?" So he told her how Georgy Porgy had teased him until he had
+run-away. Well, after that she invited Little Sir Cat to visit the House
+that Jack Built, which was just a little ways off on the green hill. So
+the three went through the stile and by-and-by they found Jack himself
+making a garage in which to keep his new automobile, for in Mother Goose
+Land, now-a-days, automobiles are quite the thing, you know.
+
+But, oh, dear me! As soon as the Dog that Worried the Cat saw Little Sir
+Kitten, he commenced to growl. But pretty soon he stopped, and, wagging
+his tail, asked about Old Mother Hubbard's dog. After that all the
+people who lived in the House that Jack Built came out to say "How do
+you do," even the Man All Tattered and Torn, and the nice old Priest All
+Shaven and Shorn, and the Rooster Who Crowed in the Early Morn. And, let
+me see! Who else greeted Little Sir Cat? Why, Little Boy Blue with his
+bright tin horn, and the Sheep that Trampled the Waving Corn, and, oh,
+dear me again, I can't go on like this any longer, unless I can find a
+word to rhyme with corn.
+
+"I must be going, my pretty maid," said Little Sir Cat, gallantly taking
+off his hat with the long feather and bowing. Then away he went to find
+his fortune.
+
+And maybe he will in the next story, unless--
+
+    _The big high church steeple
+     Falls down on the people._
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Little Jack Horner
+
+
+    Little Jack Horner sat in the corner
+      Of his father's candy shop.
+    He held in his thumb, not a sugarplum.
+      But a licious lolly-pop!
+
+
+
+
+How Mister Breeze Saved Marjorie's Easter Lily
+
+
+It was Easter morning and the happy bells from belfry and steeple were
+ringing out the glad Easter tidings. Sunday School was just over and
+Marjorie walked through the Park on her way home. In her arms she
+carried a large pot of lilies and a little fluffy yellow chick,--a tiny
+fuzzy yellow chicken,--which she had received from the Sunday School for
+Easter. The flower pot was rather heavy, and after a while, Marjorie
+became tired, so she sat down on a bench to rest. Crossing one little
+fat leg over the other she carefully balanced the lily on her knee, and
+tucked the small chicken under her arm for safe keeping. It was quite
+windy, and the ribbons on her hat stretched out behind like the tail of
+a kite, but Marjorie didn't care nearly as much about her pretty Easter
+hat being blown off her head as she did about the lilies being broken by
+the mischievous breeze. It made so much noise rustling the dried leaves
+and branches, that she didn't hear a big white bunny creep up softly
+behind the bench. He looked cautiously around with his bright pink eyes,
+but there was nobody near. The big policeman, who had passed but a
+moment before with a smile and a nod to Marjorie, was far down the
+path. The nurse in gray uniform with the pink and white baby in the
+smart English carriage, had disappeared in the distance, and, best of
+all, Marjorie's face was turned the other way. So up jumped Mr. White
+Bunny on the back of the bench, and creeping along the narrow top rail,
+commenced very softly to nibble the beautiful green leaves of the Easter
+Lily.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The little yellow chicken saw him, but he didn't say a word to Marjorie;
+he just snuggled up under her arm.
+
+Perhaps the bunny looked as big as a polar bear to the fuzzy yellow
+chicken. At any rate, the little chicken never peeped! He wasn't going
+to take any chances with a big animal like that!
+
+A sparrow close by tried his best to tell Marjorie that her lovely lily
+was being devoured, but she only laughed when he fluttered his wings and
+twittered.
+
+"Isn't he pretty?" she thought. "He's a funny little fellow," and she
+watched him hop about, not understanding that he was trying his best to
+save her Easter flower.
+
+Even the mischievous breeze began to feel sorry for the little girl and
+tried to blow away the leaves from the bunny's mouth, but Mr. Bunny
+crept up closer and quietly kept on nibbling. This was too much for the
+mischievous little breeze. He gave another hard puff, almost overturning
+the flower pot.
+
+Marjorie gave a little scream when she saw what Mr. Bunny had done, and
+then of course he scampered away.
+
+"You naughty little rabbit," she cried, lifting up the half-eaten leaf,
+"just see what you've done to my lily."
+
+"If you had paid attention to me it wouldn't have happened," twittered
+the little sparrow. But of course Marjorie didn't understand him.
+
+"I saved the lily for you," whispered the mischievous breeze, as she
+started for home. And I think she understood him, for she laughed as she
+pushed back her curls, as much as to say, "You needn't muss my hair all
+up telling me so, Mr. Breeze!"
+
+
+
+
+    "_Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
+      How does your garden grow?"
+    "Oh, now that I have a car," she said,
+      "It grows twice as fast, you know._"
+
+[Illustration: _Harvey Peake_]
+
+
+
+
+WHAT TO DO AT NIGHT
+
+
+    Outside my window in the tree
+      The owl toots on his horn.
+    (It will be dark until the lark
+      Comes singing in the dawn.)
+
+    Above the sky one little star
+      Looks down with friendly eye.
+    (Thro' all the night it won't be light
+      Until the sun's on high.)
+
+    It seems so long to wait to play
+      I've 'most forgotten how.
+    I guess I'll go to sleep and dream
+      About the fairies now!
+
+
+
+
+A JOKE ON UNCLE JIMMY
+
+
+"Hurrah!" cried Jack, "here comes the snow!" Sister May came to the
+window and looked out. "If it keeps on like this, Jack, we'll be able to
+build a snowman today. We'll take that old silk hat of father's to put
+on his head and he will look so jolly."
+
+"I'll tell you what we'll do," said Jack laughing at the idea that
+suddenly came into his head. "Uncle Jimmy is expected late this evening.
+Now, we'll make Mr. Snowman close to the walk--we might almost put him
+on the walk, and then we'll dress him up in some old clothes, so he will
+look very natural. Perhaps we can fool Uncle Jimmy."
+
+"I don't see just how," remarked May thoughtfully, "unless it is so dark
+that Uncle Jimmy will almost run into him."
+
+"That's just it," answered Jack. "If it keeps on snowing all day, and
+doesn't stop even when it's dark, our snowman will have a good chance to
+fool almost anybody."
+
+In an hour or so there was enough snow on the ground for the children to
+commence. "May," said Jack, as he finished rolling the ball which was to
+be Mr. Snowman's head, "I'm going to build this snowman close to the
+walk so he will look just like a man standing by the tree, and perhaps
+we can think up something to make Uncle Jimmy imagine he is being
+attacked by a highwayman."
+
+"You goose," said his sister, laughing; "how will you manage that?"
+
+"You just wait," said Jack, "I'll work out some sort of a plan."
+
+The snowman grew bigger every minute. It was getting dark, and at a
+little distance the snowman looked as natural as life. But how to make
+him scare Uncle Jimmy was the question. All the afternoon Jack had
+cudgeled his brains for an idea, but in vain, and here it was almost
+time for the climax.
+
+Suddenly Jack gave a whoop of delight. "I've got it! I've got it!" In a
+moment he was rushing inside the house, and in a few minutes returned
+with a long rope. "May, stuff the right coatsleeve with snow, while I
+climb up the tree." In a few minutes Jack had the rope over an
+overhanging limb, and having tied one end to the wrist of Mr. Snowman's
+right arm, he led the other end around the side of the piazza.
+
+"Come on, May," he cried excitedly, "I see Uncle Jimmy coming!" Both
+children darted behind the house as the front gate clicked. Up the walk
+came Uncle Jimmy and just as he got abreast of the tree Jack let go the
+rope and the right arm of Mr. Snowman hit Uncle Jimmy on the shoulder.
+There was a smothered exclamation, and then Mr. Snowman's hat flew off
+his head like a cannon ball.
+
+A hearty laugh followed and before the children could escape Uncle
+Jimmy, guided by the long rope, darted around the side of the house and
+Mr. Jack Joker was being treated to a face massage of cold snow. Uncle
+Jimmy was not any too particular about some getting down Jack's collar,
+either. When his nephew finally begged for mercy Uncle Jimmy let him up
+and gave chase to May. What a scramble! And what a lot of screams! May
+had seen Jack's good-natured punishment, but nevertheless she didn't
+want any of Uncle Jimmy's facial treatment. Just then, kind fate
+intervened, and mother opened the door. "What are you children doing?"
+she called, peering into the darkness. "Come in at once!"
+
+"All right," answered Uncle Jimmy, and with a rush they all ran for the
+open door.
+
+After kissing him mother turned to Jack and said: "Goodness, what makes
+your face so red? Why, it's all wet!"
+
+"I'll run up stairs and fix up," answered Jack hurriedly, and off he
+went. Uncle Jimmy smiled. "That snowman of yours, Jack, tackled the
+wrong fellow, don't you think so?" But Jack kept right along going
+upstairs, so good-natured Uncle Jimmy didn't say another word.
+
+
+
+
+    Goosey, goosey gander
+    Whither do you wander?
+    Of your winged motor car
+    Are you growing fonder?
+
+[Illustration: _Harvey Peake_]
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat Saves the Pussy from the Well
+
+    "_Ding, dong bell,
+    Pussy's in the well!_"
+
+
+When Little Sir Cat heard that he whipped up Dapple Gray and pretty soon
+he came to a crowd of people standing around an old well. Just then a
+crooked-nosed man let down the water bucket and pussy crawled in and was
+lifted up dripping wet, but still alive.
+
+"Where is the naughty boy who put her in?" asked Little Sir Cat. But
+nobody knew. I guess he had run away, as bad boys generally do after
+they have done something they know is wrong.
+
+"Give her to me," said Little Sir Cat, and he started to ride away when
+Little Polly Flinders who sat among the cinders said, "I'll take her
+home and warm her by my fire!"
+
+All of a sudden, a regiment of soldiers came by. And when the Lord High
+General saw Little Sir Cat, he came forward and said, "Will you play the
+little drum for us?" And what do you think this little kitten replied?
+You know already, I'm sure, but I'll tell you just the same.
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT SAVES THE PUSSY FROM THE WELL]
+
+"Yes, my Lord," he answered, and then the leader of the fife and drum
+corps handed him a little drum, and Little Sir Cat started right in to
+play just like a regular drummer boy. And the way he made that little
+drum sound was just wonderful. The whole regiment began to cheer, and
+one big captain said, "Three cheers and two tigers for Little Sir Cat!"
+
+And, goodness me, the cheers that went up from that regiment were heard
+all over Mother Goose Land and everybody asked everybody else what was
+the matter, and the little yellow bird, whose name I'm going to tell you
+some day, told them it was for Little Sir Cat. Then all the Mother Goose
+People began to cheer and when the regiment heard them, they asked what
+was the matter, and the little yellow bird told them who were cheering.
+
+Wasn't that a wonderful little bird?
+
+    _Diddle Dum! Diddle Dum!
+     Went the little drum,
+     As Little Sir Cat marched off to war
+     Beating the drum sticks o'er and o'er._
+
+Pretty soon they came in sight of the enemy, and all the big guns were
+rushed to the high places and the infantry spread out in long, thin
+lines, with the cavalry in the rear. All of a sudden the bullets
+sputtered and the big shells screamed, and, oh, dear me, the little drum
+couldn't be heard at all, although Little Sir Cat beat on it with all
+his might. By and by the enemy ran away. Then the tents were set up and
+the field where they had been fighting looked like a tented city, only
+it didn't have any little church or school house.
+
+At last, when everything was quiet, the general pinned a gold medal on
+Little Sir Cat, who felt very proud, and told his little drummer not to
+be afraid for he would never let the enemy get him.
+
+And pretty soon you will find another story--unless--
+
+    _The postman in the morning
+     Gives me a candy pill,
+     And the doctor sends me a valentine
+     Instead of a great big bill._
+
+
+
+
+A LITTLE GIRL'S DIARY
+
+Tuesday
+
+    _I love her on Tuesday
+       As she irons smooth and clean
+     Her little dolly's dresses
+       With the tucks and frills between._
+
+
+Tuesday, directly after lunch, I play with my doll's house. You see, I
+have all the work to do for Dolly, and so I take out the clothes from
+the basket in the doll's house kitchen, and smooth them out, ready for
+ironing. There is a cunning little ironing board, besides two small
+irons, for "Ironing Day." There are lots of things to iron, all Dolly's
+table linen and the cute little sheets and pillow cases and towels, too.
+Oh, dear me! Sometimes I feel that Mother has a pretty hard time with
+our big house when I see how it bothers me to keep Dolly's house in
+perfect order.
+
+Sometimes, before I have finished, my little friend Eleanor Gray will
+come in, and want me to go out with her. Then we both take our hoops and
+go to the park and play all afternoon. As soon as I get home I put Dolly
+to bed, before I have my own supper, because if I don't, very often I
+haven't time to attend to her afterwards and she has to sit up all
+night, which must be very tiresome even for a doll.
+
+
+
+
+BILLY LOVES CANDY
+
+
+Billy was only five years old, but he had learned to like candy! You
+small boys who are hearing this read to you needn't look surprised. It
+probably was very natural to you to like candy, but that is no reason
+why Billy didn't have to learn. He first began on a peppermint stick;
+one of those lovely sticks with red lines running curly upwards, and
+white inside, with hollow tubes running through, so that you can suck an
+orange with it--well, it was just this sort of a stick that Billy first
+tasted, and at first he didn't like it, but as he got a taste almost
+every day, he finally was just as fond of it as was his little master.
+There, I have let the cat out of the bag, or the dog--and there is no
+use in my telling any more of this story, for you know all about it now.
+That is, you know who Billy is, and that's all there really is to this
+tale of a little dog.
+
+
+
+
+DICK'S VALENTINE
+
+
+The front doorbell rang furiously and Mary, knowing that it was snowing
+and blowing a gale outside, answered the ring as fast as she was able.
+
+Two shivering little figures stood upon the doorstep, one a small boy,
+10 or 12 years of age, who surveyed her a moment quite as coolly as she
+surveyed him. Deliberately stepping into the lighted hallway, he dragged
+with him his little companion, a shivering mite of a girl, almost hidden
+in the folds of a ragged coat. This coat he suddenly jerked from her
+shoulders, saying:
+
+"Here's a valentine for the lady wot lives here!" Then, turning, he ran
+rapidly down the steps and disappeared around the corner into the snowy
+darkness.
+
+Aunt Dorothy at that moment entered the hall, but, before she had time
+to speak the little waif thrust a piece of paper into, her hand, with
+the simple explanation, "Dick writ it."
+
+Aunt Dorothy took the crumpled note and unfolded it carefully. After a
+few minutes she managed to read the scrawling letters:
+
+     "This little girl ain't got no folks and no place to stay; so
+     she's been staying in a box with straw in it with me nights.
+     I've fetched her to be your valentine. She's hungry.
+
+    "DICK."
+
+Aunt Dorothy's eyes filled with tears. "Mary, take the child into the
+kitchen and give her something to eat. I will come presently and perhaps
+I can find out what is the best thing to do."
+
+Mary led her down the hall.
+
+"A valentine!" she ejaculated. "Blest if I don't think this is the
+queerest piece of business I ever seen!" Her manner softened a little as
+she watched the greediness with which the child devoured the big slice
+of bread and butter, and when Aunt Dorothy came down she found her
+"valentine" seated in Mary's own rocking chair before the fire, while
+Mary herself, down on the floor, had the almost frozen feet in her lap.
+
+Aunt Dorothy sat down near them and watched Mary for a few minutes in
+silence. "Now that you feel better, my child, tell me where you live?"
+
+"I don't live nowhere," answered the child, "'cept with Dick--he's got a
+big box with straw in it. I crawled in one night after they took father
+away--the police, you know."
+
+Aunt Dorothy sighed, "Give her a warm bath, Mary, and make a bed on the
+lounge in my room. I will try to find something which will do for a
+nightdress."
+
+The poor little, wondering child was soon wrapped in a warm shawl and
+curled down on the lounge. Suddenly she raised herself on her elbow:
+
+"Dick said there was angels that lived somewhere and took care of folks.
+Are you one of them?"
+
+"No, no, child," said Aunt Dorothy gently, "I am only Aunt Dorothy. Go
+to sleep."
+
+"Yes'm; but I do wish Dick was a valentine, too! It's very cold in his
+box."
+
+Aunt Dorothy and Mary sat up late that night hastily making warm
+garments for the small mite; but they considered themselves well repaid
+by the delight with which they were put on in the morning. While the
+happy little waif was taking her breakfast in the kitchen the bell rang,
+and when Mary answered the ring she found Dick standing in the doorstep.
+He shambled bashfully in, and in a moment the child's arms were around
+his neck and her face pressed close against his cold and grimy one.
+
+When Aunt Dorothy came down she found her "valentine"-bringer refreshed
+by a breakfast the like of which he had never before tasted, sitting by
+the fire with the "valentine" at his side. Dick rose as she entered,
+still holding both of the little hands of his small companion.
+
+"I ain't got much to tell you, ma'am. I'm Dick the boot-black, an' this
+here little girl I found one night last week. Me and Joe Rafferty had
+been to a movin' picture show, and when I comes out it was late an'
+pretty cold, so I runs all the way to the box. The box is a big box down
+by Higley's warehouse, an' I sleep in it. An' I finds this little girl
+a-curled up in it asleep. I felt kinder sorry for so small a mite, so I
+covered her up with some old carpet rags.
+
+"I seen folks sendin' valentines for presents an' thought some one ought
+to like a little girl better than a picture. I seen you one day, ma'am,
+give a lame man some money, an' I followed and seen where you lived. An'
+I says to myself if you was so kind to a man you'd be kind to a little
+girl that had no one but me to look after her."
+
+"I think I'll keep my valentine, Dick," she answered, looking into the
+fire with a smile. "I never heard of sending one back, I believe. And I
+think I'll send one myself too. I will give you a letter to a man who I
+think will give you a position as an errand boy." And so Dick had a good
+job as a messenger boy in a big dry goods house, where he grew up to be
+a very useful man.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+THE ALPHABET ANIMAL CIRCUS
+
+
+Jamie has been studying his alphabet all the morning, but somehow the
+letters got twisted and wouldn't follow each other in their regular
+order. By and by mother said: "Let us wait awhile; perhaps the letters
+will come more easily to my little boy if he takes a rest now."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+So Jamie ran out to play and soon forgot all about the alphabet. But
+that night, after he had fallen asleep, he had a most wonderful time.
+All the alphabet letters came trooping into his little bed and said to
+him, "Jamie, come with us to the Circus!" And pretty soon he found
+himself in a big white tent. All of a sudden the Letters ran together,
+and, jumping on top of one another, formed themselves into a lion.
+
+Jamie clapped his hands and laughed outright. At this, all the letters
+tumbled down, and, calling to him to follow, jumped into the ring and
+made a giant rooster.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Hurrah!" cried Jamie, "you're the most wonderful alphabet I ever saw!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Glad you think so!" cried the Letters, and then they all tumbled apart
+and raced across the tanbark floor. He followed as fast as his legs
+would take him, when, all of a sudden, a funny little squeak made him
+turn his head. Some of the alphabet letters had formed themselves into a
+queer little pig, who cried, "This little pig went to market," but when
+Jamie ran up to play with him all the letters jumped apart and scampered
+away. "Come, we'll show you the man who owns the circus!" After much
+scrambling and climbing on their part, the circus owner appeared,
+wearing a high silk hat.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Jamie had hardly time to bow politely, when all the letters tumbled
+apart and there stood a great, big elephant. But, goodness me! In
+another minute the elephant fell apart and again the Letters shouted,
+"Follow us, Jamie!" and away they raced, and before he could stop he
+bumped into a tall giraffe.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Oh, what fun!" cried Jamie. "I wonder what will happen next?"
+
+"Hello, my little man!" cried a voice close at hand. Jamie looked
+around and there stood the Alphabet Clown smiling at him.
+
+"How do you do, Sir!" answered Jamie.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Here are the pictures of my two brothers," said the Alphabet Clown,
+showing Jamie two photographs; "there weren't enough letters to go
+around, so when I'm acting, I just show their pictures, and when they
+are acting, they show mine." No sooner had he finished speaking than the
+Alphabet Letters tumbled apart, and the clown disappeared.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+A big rhinoceros next came into view as the Alphabet Letters kept up
+their merry pranks. By this time, Jamie was hardly surprised at
+anything, his friends, the Alphabet Letters, were doing so many funny
+things.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Tickets!" cried a voice at his side. A little Alphabet Man sitting on
+an Alphabet Chair looked at Jamie as if expecting him to hand over his
+ticket at once. Just as he was about to explain how the Letters had
+brought him to the circus, the little man fell apart, and all the
+Letters laughed and said, "Never mind your ticket, Jamie--follow us!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Bow-wow!" said the little Alphabet Dog as Jamie ran up to pat him.
+"Don't turn into letters just yet," he begged, giving the little dog a
+hug, but with a merry laugh the Letters jumped apart and Jamie saw a
+pretty horse, who lifted his right fore leg to shake hands with him. But
+the Alphabet Horse lasted no longer than the other animals, and the next
+instant a funny man, with a big E for his eye and nose and a capital C
+for his mouth and chin, and a big D for his cap, stood before him. A big
+V made the front of his coat and vest, and a capital I his back, while a
+large W and X made a pair of funny legs.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"I wonder who he is?" thought Jamie.
+
+"I'm the Lion Tamer," answered the man, as if reading the little boy's
+thoughts.
+
+"Are you?" said Jamie. "I saw your lion the first thing--just as I came
+into the tent. Aren't you afraid you'll lose him?"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"I'm more afraid he'll lose me," replied the Lion Tamer. He was quite
+right, for at that instant the Alphabet Letters fell apart and a pretty
+girl stood in his place.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"I'm the Circus Queen, little Jamie," she said with a smile, and then
+she gave him an alphabet kiss, which looked just like the letter O, I
+guess. And then the Letters tumbled apart and the Circus Queen
+disappeared.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+But they were not idle, these wonderful Alphabet Letters. They ran ahead
+for a little way and then, all of a sudden, arranged themselves into a
+beautiful white cow, which looked to Jamie very much like the one in Mr.
+Jones' big pasture.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Where's Mother?" cried a loud voice, and Jamie saw a small elephant
+looking anxiously about. A big J made a most beautiful trunk, while a
+capital M served for two sturdy legs. An S made a nice tail, and the
+other letters finished his body very satisfactorily.
+
+"You'd better hurry," advised Jamie, "or the first thing you know the
+Letters will get tired of making you an elephant, and turn into some
+other sort of animal."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+And Jamie was right, for the next instant there was no little elephant,
+but instead, a quiet looking camel, with two big humps.
+
+In a few minutes, the camel, too, disappeared, and the wonderful
+Alphabet Letters ran over to the other side of the tent, and the next
+thing Jamie saw was a funny little man whose make-up consisted of only a
+few big letters, but who nevertheless seemed a very important person.
+He stood just outside of a door over which was printed in big red
+letters,
+
+     "ALPHABET
+       MOVING
+      PICTURE
+       SHOW"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Come to the 'Alphabet Moving Pictures,'" he called out. "Come and see
+'Alphabet Movies'!" Upon a big white screen the letters of the alphabet
+arranged themselves into a wonderful picture of Washington Crossing the
+Delaware. Jamie clapped his hands. Then the next picture came along, as
+his friends, the Alphabet Letters, jumped down and without any confusion
+re-arranged themselves. The next picture was very wonderful--George
+Washington planting the British Flag at Fort Duquesne. Jamie made up his
+mind to ask Mother when he got home all about it. In a jiffy, the
+Letters again fell apart, and a picture, which little Jamie could
+understand much better, was shown. "Hurray! Mother Goose!" shouted
+Jamie, kicking up his feet so high that down fell the big white circus
+tent, and he awoke to find himself in his own little bed, with his feet
+up underneath the sheet, holding it up just like the tent where the
+Alphabet Letters had done all the funny things.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Jamie rubbed his eyes, just as Mother came in. "Well, I guess I'll know
+my alphabet to-day," he said. After breakfast he told Mother where he
+had been, and when she asked him to say his alphabet, he recited it
+without a miss.
+
+"Wasn't it lucky I went to the circus with the "'Alphabet Letters'?" he
+asked, and Mother said it certainly was.
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat Tries to Comfort Bo-Peep
+
+
+Often while with the soldiers Little Sir Cat thought of his dear home at
+the castle and the quiet silver moat full of silver fish that darted
+here and there in the sparkling water, and maybe he wished he was back
+at the castle, but he was too brave a kitten to say so, you may be sure.
+
+Day after day they drilled and marched, and at last they came up with
+the enemy again and there was a dreadful battle and, when it was all
+over, Little Sir Cat found himself at the edge of a wood with a bullet
+wound in his leg. He couldn't march any more, so they left him alone
+with his little drum, and when night came down he was faint and hungry
+and very miserable.
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT TRIES TO COMFORT BO-PEEP]
+
+Well, by and by, when the big moon was high in the sky, and all was
+quiet, except for a little breeze that wouldn't go to sleep, but played
+hide and seek among the leaves on the tall dark trees, a little owl said
+to him:
+
+    "_Cheer up, little comrade,
+     And beat your little drum,
+     For nothing now shall hurt you
+     Since I to you have come,
+     For I will bring you comfort,
+     So never, never fear.
+     Cheer up, little comrade,
+     For help is very near._"
+
+And when morning came Little Jenny Wren gave him a wonderful herb that
+cured his leg in less than five hundred short seconds. So he started off
+again on his journey and pretty soon he met Little Bo Peep. "I've lost
+my sheep and cannot tell where to find them."
+
+"Leave them alone and they'll come home, bringing their tails behind
+them," shouted Little Boy Blue, as he passed by with his bright yellow
+horn hung over his shoulder. "My sheep get into the meadow every day and
+my cows get in the corn, but they always come home at night, bringing
+their tails behind them."
+
+"That's because you wake up in time to blow your horn," answered Bo Peep
+between her sobs; "but I've no horn and--boo, hoo--no more sheep and
+little lambs--boo, hoo"----
+
+"Don't cry, I'll help you find them," said Little Sir Cat.
+
+Well, they hadn't gone very far when they saw little pieces of wool
+clinging to the bramble bushes.
+
+"Here are their little tails!" shouted Bo Peep. "They can't be far
+away!" And sure enough, in a few minutes they saw the sheep and the
+little lambs in a meadow.
+
+    _Oh, Little Bo Peep
+     Has found her sheep
+     And now she'll take care to mind them.
+     No more will they roam,
+     For she'll lead them home
+     Bringing their tails behind them._
+
+And pretty soon you will find another story about Little Sir Cat--
+
+    _Unless you lose this pretty book
+       And cannot find it tho' you look
+     Inside the silver sugar bowl
+       And down the cellar in the coal._
+
+[Illustration: TOM, TOM, THE PIPER'S SON Pub. by Nat. Art Co., N. Y.]
+
+
+
+
+THE LITTLE WHITE HOUSE ON THE HILL
+
+
+It was the night before Christmas. Outside a cold wind blew the snow
+about in clouds, penetrating the cracks and chinks of the little old
+white house on the hill. Before the small fire of driftwood, which tried
+its best to warm the little bare room, sat Mrs. Whitcomb, wondering
+sadly where the money was to come from to buy the turkey for the dinner
+the next day.
+
+Mrs. Whitcomb's eyes filled with tears as she remembered the happy
+Christmas of a few years previous, when the children's father was alive.
+Just then an excited ejaculation from Madge in the doorway startled her.
+
+"Mother, dear!" she cried, running in, followed by Billy, "I've just
+been thinking of that story you read to us last year about the money
+that was stored away behind the old family portrait over the
+mantelpiece. Don't you remember how it fell down when the little boy,
+who was locked in the closet for being naughty, kicked the closet door
+till everything shook and shook; and then down fell the portrait, and
+the bags of money just emptied themselves all over the floor?"
+
+"I'll be the bad boy if you want to put me in the closet," offered
+Billy. Mrs. Whitcomb looked up with a sad smile, as she took Madge in
+her lap and placed an arm around him.
+
+"Suppose we make believe the old mirror is a portrait," she said.
+
+"And I'll make believe I'm naughty," added Billy. "It will be the first
+time I've ever had to make believe!"
+
+Madge jumped off her lap and ran to the closet. "Come, mother," she
+called, "make Billy go inside!" In a moment he was shut in, and even
+Mrs. Whitcomb began to laugh, for Billy's acting was almost as real as
+if he had indeed been a bad boy and was undergoing a just punishment.
+One of the candlesticks tumbled over on top of the tiny mahogany box,
+knocking it off upon the floor. It broke open on the hearthstone, and as
+Mrs. Whitcomb stooped to pick up the broken pieces she uttered a cry of
+joy.
+
+"Come here!" she called, "come, see what I've found," and she held up a
+five-dollar gold piece before Madge's delighted eyes.
+
+"Oh, mother, darling!" screamed Madge, "where did it come from?"
+
+"What's the matter? Let me out!" yelled Billy from the depths of the
+closet; "let me out! What's the matter?"
+
+Madge rushed over to the closet, but in her excitement found it
+difficult to turn the key.
+
+"What's it all about?" cried Billy.
+
+"Oh, Billy," gasped Madge, as she twisted and turned the handle, "what
+do you think? Mother has found a five-dollar gold piece!"
+
+"Goodness me!" exclaimed Mrs. Whitcomb, after the noise and excitement
+had subsided, "how in the world I ever forgot that I put that money away
+for safe keeping in that little box years ago is beyond me. But I did,
+and it isn't a dream!"
+
+"No, indeed, mother!" cried Madge, pinching the gold piece, "it's as
+real as can be!"
+
+"Let's all go down to the village and get the dinner things," suggested
+Billy.
+
+By the time the celery and vegetables, the nuts and raisins, together
+with the big, fat turkey, were safely packed, the basket was fairly
+bulging over.
+
+"Oh, what a feast we'll have tomorrow," gasped Madge. They set the heavy
+basket down before the mantel-piece, as mother closed the outer door and
+came in. "What a jolly dinner! I'm so glad Billy and I got to talking
+before going to bed. Wasn't it lucky I remembered that story?"
+
+"Yes, indeed," answered mother, smiling away, as she unpacked the basket
+and stowed away all the good things in safe places until the next day.
+
+"Just like a play," volunteered Billy, "with me as the hero!"
+
+"With Madge as the author," said mother.
+
+"Right you are, mother dear," answered Billy, "only without the great
+acting on the hero's part there would never have been any success to the
+play. That closet wasn't such a joke after all!"
+
+"No, indeed," laughed Madge, "you shall have the wishbone for your
+reward, Mr. Hero Actor."
+
+
+
+
+A LITTLE GIRL'S DIARY
+
+Wednesday
+
+    _I love her on a Wednesday
+       When she kneads the snowy dough,
+     For the dimples in her elbows
+       Make such a pretty show._
+
+
+Wednesday, as soon as I get back from school, if cook is making bread I
+beg her to let me have some of the dough, and then Dolly sits by me
+while I make it into all sorts of pretty little cakes and things, and
+put it in the oven in the stove--I mean, of course, the doll house
+stove, for the kitchen is all fitted up with everything just like a real
+kitchen. There is a big dresser, and shelves full of tin pans, and
+crockery. There is a cunning, little towel on a wooden roller, and a
+sink with faucets, and real water. The range is heated by electricity
+and really cooks the cakes, only Dolly and I don't eat them, for mother
+says our cook's are better, so we eat little pieces of cookies instead.
+
+Of course, if it is a nice day, I go out to the park on my roller
+skates, or take my hoop, but I usually get time before I go to help
+Dolly with her household duties.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: _Harvey Peake_]
+
+    _The Man in the Moon,
+     Came down too soon,
+     And asked his way to Norwich.
+     In his crescent machine,
+     Made of cheese so green,
+     He drove off after his porridge._
+
+
+
+
+HOW JAMIE PLAYED TROUBADOUR
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Jamie had received a violin for Christmas, much to his delight, for he
+was very fond of music and wanted to learn to play the violin more than
+any instrument he could think of--even his big drum, which sometimes he
+would beat with all his might after a long, long lesson on his violin.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+When New Year's Day came he made up his mind that he would make believe
+he was a little troubadour. So he tucked his beloved violin under his
+arm and set gaily forth. On the next block lived a little girl named
+Rosalie, of whom Jamie was very fond. When he reached the house in which
+she lived, he stopped before the big parlor window which was quite close
+to the sidewalk, and, taking his violin from under his arm, commenced to
+play. Very soon, who should come to the window but little Rosalie
+herself, and as soon as she saw Jamie she opened the window and leaned
+out.
+
+"Why, Jamie," she cried, "are you playing for money?"
+
+"No," replied Jamie, quite indignantly, "I'm playing for _you_."
+
+"How lovely," answered Rosalie, "and how beautifully you play!"
+
+Jamie's face became quite red when she said this, and he almost made a
+mistake in the music. But he kept on playing, and very soon there was
+quite a crowd around him. Just then an old gentleman said, "Look out,
+little Juliet--you may catch cold!"
+
+"Why, it's Grandpapa," cried Rosalie, and in another minute he and
+Rosalie were pulling the little musician and his beloved violin into the
+house, where they all had a merry New Year's afternoon, with cake and
+ice cream.
+
+
+
+
+FRIENDS OF OURS
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+When did human beings first begin to love dogs? So long ago that we have
+forgotten just when it all started, but some of the oldest writers and
+artists whose works have been preserved up to the present time have left
+us words or pictures which show that the dog is a very ancient friend of
+man.
+
+Little Egyptian boys and girls, playing on the banks of the Nile,
+probably loved their dogs as well as Brooklyn children love theirs. In
+that old country the dog was particularly well liked, and it is said
+that when a family dog died all the people of the household shaved
+themselves. This was an expression of mourning, and was a mark of
+respect for the dog.
+
+Egyptians had a special reason for honoring the animal which has always
+been used as a symbol of faithfulness. In lower Egypt the prosperity of
+the people depended upon the Nile River. Every year it overflowed its
+banks, giving the dry land a much needed drink and making possible the
+raising of different crops. The people watched for the overflow with
+great anxiety, fearing that it would not take place. At the time of year
+when the overflow was due a certain star appeared in the sky, which we
+know as Sirius. When they saw that the Egyptians drove their cattle to
+high pastures and left the lowland to be watered by the river. In time
+the people began to associate the constant appearance of the star with
+the overflow which meant so much to them, and they began to think that
+the star watched over them, as a good dog watches the home of its
+master. So they called the star the "Dog Star" and worshipped it, and
+also lavished a great deal of love on all.
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE STORIES OF FAMOUS ANIMALS
+
+How a Cow Set Fire to a Big City
+
+
+It is said that Nero, when he was Emperor of Rome, set fire to the city,
+and watched the flames from a high tower, while he sang to his lyre
+verses on the burning of Troy. He then laid the blame on the Christians,
+whom he persecuted with great cruelty. Afterwards he rebuilt the ruined
+portion of Rome with great magnificence, erecting a beautiful palace for
+himself on the Palatine Hill, which was called Nero's golden house.
+
+This was all very long ago, for he killed himself with a dagger in the
+year 68 when, after many cruel deeds, the Senate condemned him to death.
+
+In 1871 there lived in Chicago, Illinois, a woman named Annie O'Leary
+who has since become known throughout the country as the owner of the
+cow that set fire to Chicago. One evening this cow, while being milked,
+became unruly, and kicked over a kerosene lamp. Soon the whole city of
+Chicago was in flames and Mrs. O'Leary's cow probably rang her cowbell
+quite as frantically as did the Emperor Nero complacently fiddle while
+his beautiful city was burning.
+
+Though Chicago was destroyed by one of the most terrible fires in the
+world, the city was rebuilt in a year or two, even better than before.
+Prior to the fire, it was one of the newest cities in the country, for
+in 1830 there were only a few families there besides the soldiers in the
+fort which Uncle Sam had built in 1804.
+
+So you see the people were not discouraged, although Mrs. O'Leary's cow
+had burned up their beautiful city.
+
+
+
+
+THE MILKY WAY
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    When nursey bids me drink my milk
+    It gurgles down my throat
+    Just like the gurgle of the waves
+    Beneath a sailing boat.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+COASTING
+
+
+    Hip-hurrah! away they go
+    Gliding over the glittering snow,
+    Down the hill at a furious rate,
+    Over the lawn and out through the gate.
+    Jimmy in front is squeezed pretty tight,
+    But what does he care,--he's safe all right!
+    Billy, the motorman, guides the wheel
+    Which steers the sled on its runners of steel.
+    Flossie is cuddled up next to Bill,
+    And last on the sled is Sister Jill.
+    Hip-hurrah! as on they glide,
+    Isn't it lots of fun to slide?
+    Up again to the top of the hill
+    Dragging the sled for Motorman Bill.
+    Then once more they get into place,
+    All aboard! for another race.
+    What is more fun I'd like to know
+    Than coasting over the glittering snow.
+
+
+
+
+A LITTLE GIRL'S DIARY
+
+Thursday
+
+    _I love her on a Thursday
+       When she darns a gap that shows
+     In the sombre socks of Father
+       Or Brother's careless hose._
+
+
+Thursday, Mother teaches me how to mend. She says that every little girl
+should know these things. Father gives me a penny for every hole I mend
+in his socks, and brother Jack gives me little presents; once he gave me
+a whole set of furniture which he had cut out with his fretsaw.
+
+There is one nice thing about Dolly--she very seldom has a hole in her
+stocking. If she did, I hardly know what I would do, for Father and Jack
+keep me pretty busy--at least, Mother laughs and says they do. Learning
+all the accomplishments of a grown-up woman is pretty hard work, and,
+really, I often wonder how I'll ever get any time for play in the park.
+Mother, however, finishes lots of my duties so that I shan't miss my
+regular hours in the open air with my friends.
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat and Mary in the Garden
+
+    "_Mistress Mary, quite contrary,
+      How does your garden grow?"
+      Sang Little Sir Cat
+      As he doffed his hat
+      To the cockle-shells all in a row._
+
+
+It was a lovely garden, full of flowers and shrubs, and in one corner
+was a little girl playing with pretty shells on a pile of sand.
+
+"Come in and play with me," she said. So he jumped over the garden wall,
+but he didn't stay very long, for he wished to find his fortune, you
+know.
+
+Well, after a while, as he journeyed on he came to a bridge, and, all of
+a sudden, whom should he meet but Sir Launcelot of the Lake, that noble
+knight whom you remember he had met a long time ago. And when Sir
+Launcelot had reined in his great charger he cried out in a loud voice:
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT AND MARY IN THE GARDEN]
+
+"Come with me, Kitten!" So Little Sir Cat sprang up lightly behind the
+noble knight and together they rode across the bridge and out upon the
+King's Highway. And after they had gone for many miles, they came
+across Little Miss Muffet who sat on a tuffet. But this time she wasn't
+running away from the big cruel spider who had sat down beside her.
+
+"Whither are you bound, little maid?" asked the knight. And then without
+waiting for an answer he leaned over and lifted her up into the saddle
+beside Little Sir Kitten. And wasn't she glad to see our little traveler
+again? Well, if you had only been there you would have laughed with joy,
+for she was so happy that she hugged him again and again.
+
+After a while they came to an old mill where the rusty, dusty miller
+ground the corn for the farmers. "Please let me down here," said little
+Miss Muffet, "for mother asked me to bring home some meal." So the kind
+knight pulled in his great steed and Little Miss Muffet ran into the
+mill.
+
+But Sir Launcelot didn't wait, for he wasn't going back, you see, so he
+and Little Sir Cat called out good-by and went upon their way. And the
+sun shone down and glittered on the bright armor of the noble knight and
+pussy cat felt very proud to be riding with him.
+
+"You shall go with me to King Arthur's Court," said Sir Launcelot, "for
+little friend Tom Thumb is with my good king and he has told all the
+knights what a good comrade you are."
+
+Towards evening, they came to the Court of King Arthur where all the
+knights were eating their evening meal at the great round table. But
+when they heard the hoof beats of Sir Launcelot's great horse, they ran
+outside to greet him. Little Sir Kitten was taken into the great dining
+hall and placed on the right hand of King Arthur and merry was the
+feast that followed, for they had all heard of brave Little Sir Cat and
+loved him and Mother Goose, although they had grown up to be great
+strong knights.
+
+And pretty soon you will find another story--unless--
+
+    _The friendly clock upon the wall
+     Should strike out three times playing ball._
+
+
+
+
+LILY'S CIRCUS
+
+
+Captain Morton was an officer in the United States Army and for many
+years had lived in the far west--that wonderful country where the sun
+blazes down upon miles of grassy prairie, undulating to the horizon as
+if it were a great heaving sea, the little hillocks rising like dark
+waves upon its surface.
+
+Over those vast plains roved the Indians, hunting antelopes, wolves,
+etc. At these times the "red man" looks his best; mounted on his swift
+pony, his gaudy blanket and bright feathers gleaming in the sunshine,
+his long black hair streaming in the wind, he seems truly the "noble
+savage."
+
+To control these savages, soldiers were needed on the plains, to prevent
+war parties from dashing into little frontier villages, stealing horses
+and cattle, burning barns and houses and murdering the people who were
+trying to cultivate the prairies, to turn the great plains of dry, burnt
+grass into fields of wheat and beautiful green meadows.
+
+All Indians are not wicked; but the tribe near which Captain Morton was
+stationed was extremely wild and cruel, and refused to live on friendly
+terms with white people.
+
+All day and all night the "tom-tom," or big drum, was being beaten by
+the Indians; for the time I am telling you of was just after that
+dreadful battle, when the great Indian chief, Sitting Bull, killed brave
+General Custer and half of his noble regiment of cavalry. This success
+had made all the other Indians very fierce and restless, and the small
+garrison of which Captain Morton had command were kept busy day and
+night ready for attack.
+
+But Lily, Captain Morton's little daughter, did not trouble herself
+about danger. She was not allowed to go out of the garrison inclosure,
+but she played with her chickens and her little pony, which her father
+had bought and trained for her. Its name was Tecumseh Sherman, after the
+general of the army, but Lily called it Tic for short. It soon followed
+her in and out of the log house and wherever she went, and showed a most
+decided liking for anything of a red color. When Lily wore a red dress,
+Tic would take a fold in his mouth and pull her about, and even knock
+her down in his play, for he never meant to hurt her. In the evening
+Lily's little sidesaddle was put on Tic, and she would gallop over the
+prairie with her father.
+
+One morning Lily rushed into the house calling out:
+
+"Mama, mama, here's a circus! Come and see! It's right outside the
+door!"
+
+Sure enough, just outside the garrison was a great crowd of gayly
+dressed people, and near the front were six girls mounted on ponies, the
+saddles beautifully embroidered with beads, and fine large umbrellas
+over their heads made of red, white and blue cloth. These were
+princesses, daughters of the great chief of the tribe. Lily ever after
+talked of them as the "six Pocahontases."
+
+
+
+
+A LITTLE GIRL'S DIARY
+
+Friday
+
+    _I love her on a Friday
+       When the house is upside down
+     And her golden hair is muffled
+       In a twisted turban brown._
+
+
+Friday is the last of school for the week, and Saturday is coming. There
+are two reasons why I like Friday. One is that it is the last day of
+school week, and the other--because tomorrow is Saturday.
+
+I do just about the same things on Friday, that is, school as usual, and
+then a romp or walk in the park, rolling my hoop or skating on my
+rollers. But at home I'm very busy. It's doll's house cleaning day, and
+oh, dear me! I have to brush it out from attic to kitchen. It is a lot
+of work, for all the rooms have carpets or hardwood floors with little
+rugs, and everything must be dusted thoroughly. I do my hair up just as
+regular grown-up cleaners do, and by and by Dolly's house is all done.
+For a little girl it is hard work, and Mother says she thinks I will
+make a fine housekeeper when I grow up. I hope I won't get another
+doll's house next Christmas, for I don't see how I could run two houses
+at once.
+
+
+
+
+LILY AND THE PAPOOSE
+
+
+"This is 'Annuity Day,' Lily," said her father. "Get your hat and we
+will go and see the Indians get their clothes and provisions for the
+next year."
+
+"What is 'Annuity'?" asked Lily. "Is it Indian for birthday?"
+
+"Well, yes, it is sort of a birthday, for the United States Government
+gives a good many presents that day to the Indians--food and clothes for
+the men, women and children for a whole year."
+
+"Well, let's go," said Lily, "and I'll just touch one of those papooses
+with my own hand if I get near enough. I think they are just dolls. No
+real, live baby would stay quiet tied on a board and fastened up all in
+a bunch to its mother's back. They do wink their eyes, that's certain;
+but I can make my Rosy wink her eyes, too, only I have to pull a wire to
+get her to shut them."
+
+So off started Lily with her papa, and soon they came to an open space,
+in the center of which was a great pile of blankets, clothing, bacon,
+flour, corn, coffee, sugar, tobacco and many other things which good
+Uncle Sam gives once a year to his "wards," the Indians. Around this
+pile of things sat a large circle of Indians, men, women and children.
+The men were, as a general rule, well dressed in tight leggins, with
+strips of gay bead embroidery down the sides; deerskin or calico shirts
+fringed with tiny bells and tassels of colored worsted and bright
+feathers in their scalp locks. The women wore flannel pantaloons and a
+single calico slip, and a blanket drawn over their heads.
+
+Many of these wild people had never seen a little white girl before.
+They gazed at Lily's fair skin and long bright hair with great interest.
+One old man wrapped in a buffalo robe advanced waving his covering like
+some immense bird flapping its wings. When he got near Lily he stood
+still, saying:
+
+"Washta papoose! Washta papoose!" (Pretty child! Pretty child!) and held
+out his hand, saying: "Howe-howe?" (How do you do?)
+
+And now Lily found a good opportunity to decide whether the funny little
+objects on the Indian women's backs were dolls or "really babies."
+
+While the Indian agent and his clerks were busily distributing the
+"annuities," giving to the chief of each band the allowance for himself
+and his family, Lily went up very close to the squaw who had a
+black-eyed bundle tied upon her back, and stood for several minutes
+absorbed in contemplation.
+
+"Is that a real, live baby, ma'am, or a doll you keep for your little
+girl?" asked Lily very politely.
+
+The squaw, of course, did not understand a word she said, and only
+responded: "Ugh! Howe! Washta papoose!" as a general expression of her
+good will. So Lily presently put out her hand very softly and touched
+the bundle.
+
+What a scream! Even the dignified chiefs turned their plumed heads to
+find out what the cause of the noise could be.
+
+There was the papoose shrieking on its mother's back, proving most
+positively its claim to be considered a "real, live baby," and there was
+a drop of bright red blood on its little brown arm. Lily had stuck a pin
+in the Indian baby to find out if it was alive or not.
+
+Poor little girl! She stood frightened and trembling, crimson blushes on
+her cheeks, and two great tears just brimming over her eyes. Not until
+she had made a peace offering of candy to the baby, and left it
+contentedly sucking away at a peppermint stick, could she be consoled
+and interested once more in the strange scenes around her.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Harvey Peake]
+
+    _There was an old woman
+       Who lived in a shoe,
+     She had so many children
+       She didn't know what to do.
+     But she mounted the shoe
+       On a big motor car,
+     And now there is room
+       For them all without jar._
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat Meets Jack and Jill
+
+    _Jack and Jill
+     Went up the hill
+     To fetch a pail of water.
+     Jack fell down
+     And broke his crown,
+     And Jill came tumbling after._
+
+
+As Little Sir Cat came to a pretty cottage, a yellow bird sang this Old
+Mother Goose song. And just then a little girl and boy ran out of the
+front door, and said:
+
+"Mother, come see a cat with red top boots!"
+
+"Don't wait, children. Get me a pail of water, for father will be home
+soon for dinner."
+
+    _So Jack and Jill
+     Went up the hill
+     But, oh, dear me, I hate to tell
+     They spilt the water when they fell._
+
+And poor Little Sir Cat's boots were spattered all over. But he didn't
+care, for the big warm sun soon dried them, and he set off once again on
+his journey through Mother Goose Country, and by-and-by he came to a
+giant's castle on a big high mountain.
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT MEETS JACK AND JILL]
+
+"Come in," said the great big man. "You can sleep in my fur cap--it will
+make you a fine bed."
+
+When Little Sir Cat woke up in the morning the sun was shining through
+the window and it was time to get up. So he hurriedly dressed, for he
+didn't know what time the Giant had breakfast and he didn't dare be
+late, and ran down to the dining room, where the Giant was just about to
+eat his buckwheat cakes and maple syrup. After they had finished, the
+Giant took him out to the stables and showed him all his horses. "I have
+a very small horse which I will give you," he said, and he led Little
+Sir Cat into another stable. There stood Dapple Gray, only, of course,
+he seemed like a little toy to the Giant, for his other horses were all
+giant horses, you see. And wasn't Sir Cat glad to see the little pony?
+Well, I guess he was, for he was tired walking and one of his boots had
+a hole in the toe.
+
+"Oh, I'm so glad to see you, little master," whinnied Dapple Gray, as
+Little Sir Cat untied the halter and jumped on his back.
+
+Well, after a while as he rode down the mountain he came to a little
+cottage all covered with climbing rose vines. In this cottage lived a
+shepherd and his wife who tended the sheep in the big meadow close by.
+"Are they little Bo Peep's?" asked Little Sir Cat; but the kind-faced
+shepherd said no, so Little Sir Cat rode on, and pretty soon you will
+hear what happened to the poor Lady Bug, _unless_
+
+    _The Sun tomorrow morning
+     Should go upon a strike,
+     And want a penny extra
+     To do his daily hike!_
+
+
+
+
+A BELL TALE
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    There was an old sheep
+      With a bell on his tail.
+    It rang with a clatter
+      And clanged with a wail.
+
+    Whenever that poor little sheep
+      Hove in sight
+    The birds and the beasts
+      Disappeared in a fright.
+
+
+
+
+HOW A TORTOISE KILLED A GREAT POET
+
+
+There was once a boy in olden times who dreamed that he could write
+verses, and the dream came true, and he became a very famous writer. And
+the way it happened was that this boy, whose name was Æschylus, fell
+asleep one day while guarding the grapes in a vineyard. He dreamed that
+Bacchus, the god of the vine, came and told him that he could write
+poetry. Immediately he awoke and tried, and to his delight he found out
+that it was true.
+
+He kept on writing, and afterwards became very famous. In those days
+prizes were given for the best tragedies, and at the age of 41 he won
+his first prize. He wrote, also, many wonderful plays, and for many
+years was esteemed one of the greatest of tragic poets.
+
+When quite an old man, he was sitting in a field, plunged in deep
+thought. An eagle, which was flying overhead, mistook his bald head for
+a stone and dropped the tortoise which it was carrying in its claws to
+break its shell. The force of the blow killed the famous poet and
+warrior, who had fought in the Battle of Marathon and received great
+honors for his bravery as well as thirteen prizes for his tragedies. He
+might have written a great many more if the eagle had not dropped the
+tortoise.
+
+
+
+
+EASTER ON A FARM
+
+Finding Eggs Is Much Fun, but Hiding Them First Is More Fun
+
+
+Easter was coming in a week and Donald, Elizabeth and Ruth were going to
+invite their two cousins to an Easter Egg Hunt.
+
+Their mother had agreed to give them one egg out of every six which they
+brought in to Mary, their good-natured cook, and it was surprising how
+many egg nests these industrious little folks discovered in
+out-of-the-way places around the big barn and the farm buildings.
+
+In fact the family had never been so plentifully supplied with eggs
+before, and their mother laughingly remarked that she thought it would
+be a good plan to continue the arrangement indefinitely, to which the
+children gave their hearty consent.
+
+The day before Easter they had almost two dozen. With the help of their
+mother they dissolved the various colored powders which they had
+purchased at the drug store and poured the liquid into several tins. It
+was great fun boiling the eggs in green water, or yellow water, or blue
+water, as the case might be, and after they were all done, what a
+pretty pile of rainbow-colored eggs!
+
+"Old Speckle and Rosy Comb wouldn't know what to make of them now, would
+they?" remarked little Ruth.
+
+"No," answered Donald, "I wonder if we'd get a pink rooster if this one
+was hatched!" he added, jokingly, holding up a brilliant carmine egg.
+
+"Well, let's hide them; you hide yours first, Ruth, 'cause you're the
+youngest. Remember, for goodness sake, where you put them in case we
+can't find them."
+
+You see, the game was for each one to hide his share, and when all the
+eggs were hidden they were to invite their two cousins over and
+everybody was to hunt as fast as he could, except, of course, for his
+own eggs, so as to get as many as possible, for "findings were
+keepings."
+
+It took little Ruth quite a while to hide hers. She put a big red egg
+carefully in the oat bin and covered it over with oats. The next one she
+put deep down in the bran bin, and then she looked around for another
+safe place. There was father's old coat hanging on a nail by the harness
+room. In the pocket nearest her she slipped a green egg carefully lest
+it fall through a possible hole in the well-worn garment, but the lining
+was sound and the egg was safe out of sight.
+
+The door of the harness room was ajar. Ruth stepped inside and looked
+around. The very thing! An old tin can stood half-hidden in the corner
+behind a pile of rubbish. In went the purple egg, and now she had only
+two left.
+
+"What shall I do?" said Ruth to herself. Just then an old lantern
+hanging on the wall met her eyes, and in a moment she had carefully
+lifted the dingy shade and placed an egg inside. Only one egg was now
+left, and soon that was tucked away behind an old picture advertising
+harness, which rested on a beam running along the side of the wall.
+
+"No one must hunt for his own eggs," said Donald. "Then it will be fair
+for all. All ready!" and away they went.
+
+The two cousins had been told that the barn, the wagon house and the
+orchard were the places where the eggs were hidden, and in a few minutes
+a yell was heard in the barn. Dan had discovered Ruth's green egg in the
+overcoat pocket.
+
+"I've got one!" screamed Ruth from the wagon house, as she pulled out a
+yellow beauty from under the seat of the old buggy. Then a shout was
+heard from Donald, and the can in the corner of the harness room gave up
+its prize.
+
+"Who'll get the last one?" Here and there they ran, looking with the
+utmost care, but the little egg still defied the hunters. "Let's give up
+and let Donald have it," they at last agreed, and Donald, proudly
+marching up to a big cherry tree, from a crotch of a limb just above
+their reach picked out a red egg, the only one that had resisted
+successfully all efforts of capture.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+WHEN ROBIN RED-BREAST ARRIVES
+
+
+Everybody loves Robin Redbreast. Who of us in early spring is not
+gladdened by the sight of this red waistcoated little chap hopping about
+on the lawn? But few of us stop to think that our robin is totally
+unlike the English robin, the dear old Robin Redbreast of nursery days;
+he who covered with leaves the Babes in the Wood and was shot by the
+Sparrow with his little arrow!
+
+The Redbreast of Europe is only half the size of our robin, being about
+five inches and three-quarters from the tip of its bill to the end of
+its tail feathers. Its color is a yellowish olive-brown. The throat and
+breast are of a reddish orange color, and this gives to him the name of
+Redbreast.
+
+They remain all the year round, and when the fields and gardens are
+covered with snow, making it difficult for them to obtain food they come
+up to the door steps, picking up the crumbs which are thrown to them.
+When they are well treated they soon become very familiar and make
+themselves quite at home, entering the cottage door and often roosting
+confidently over night in the warm kitchens. Their trust and confidence
+have made friends for them everywhere and they become domestic pets in
+almost every country in Europe. Their song is sweet and plaintive and
+is heard from early spring until late in the autumn. In this respect
+they are very like our own bluebird.
+
+English books of natural history are full of interesting narratives of
+the beautiful confidence in man shown by the Redbreast in selecting a
+place for its nest.
+
+Our pair chose for their nest a shelf in a schoolroom in which there
+were seventy children and directly over the heads of a little class of
+girls, who never once disturbed them. One of the little birds died and
+the parents carried out its dead body during school hours. The other
+four little robins were fed and reared, day by day, in the presence of
+the seventy children. Do you wonder that the boys and girls of England
+are so fond of their Robin Redbreast?
+
+The robin of North America belongs to a very different family--that of
+the thrushes. It is nearly twice the length of the English bird and more
+than twice its size. Audubon calls it the Migratory Thrush, because it
+leaves us when winter comes on and does not return until the frost is
+out of the ground.
+
+Like the robin of Europe, our bird also has a confiding disposition. It
+builds its nest early in the spring, long before there are any leaves to
+hide it. It is a devoted parent and when taken sufficiently young is
+easily tamed and becomes strongly attached to its benefactor.
+
+With the coming of the first robin we feel sure that spring is here.
+Looking out of the window, we see our little friend with his red breast
+shining in the sunlight, singing his simple song of faith and hope.
+
+
+
+
+AFTER MOTHER'S SAID GOOD NIGHT
+
+
+    When I'm in bed I feel so small,
+    And all the shadows seem so tall.
+    The little light out in the hall
+    A thin bright line throws on the wall;
+        It squeezes thro' the crack between
+        The half-closed door and nursery screen.
+
+    And after I have said my prayer
+    And mother's footstep on the stair
+    Grows fainter, fainter, fainter, there
+    Creeps over me a sort of scare;
+        It prickles me from toe to head
+        And seems to wiggle all the bed.
+
+    But if I cuddle down and keep
+    Real quiet, and don't kick my feet,
+    And have the clothes all smooth and neat,
+    Why, pretty soon I fall asleep;
+        And then the fairies from their glen
+        Play with me till it's day again.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+The Fire-Engine
+
+    _Lady Bug, Lady Bug, fly away home;
+     Your house is on fire, your children are gone!_
+
+
+Sang the little yellow bird whose name I shall tell you some day when
+Little Sir Cat finishes his journey through Mother Goose Country.
+
+And just then the fire engine went by, so he jumped up behind and away
+they went over a bridge across the River Dee near which the Jolly Miller
+on his pillow found a flea.
+
+Well, pretty soon they came to a meadow in which a little bush was on
+fire. And right there close beside it, was the poor Lady Bug flapping
+her red wings wildly in fear and panic for hidden under the bush were
+all her little lady bugs.
+
+"Oh, save my children!" she cried.
+
+Little Sir Cat scrambled under the thicket but the brambles kept
+catching in his boot straps and pulling him back. So he kicked them off,
+taking care not to burn his bare toes on the hot stubbles, and carefully
+felt his way through the smoke until he finally reached the nest near
+the heart of the thicket. There lay all the Lady Bug's children,
+hundreds of them huddled together, frightened and smothered nearly to
+death.
+
+[Illustration: THE FIRE ENGINE]
+
+"Oh, I hope they are not quite dead," he said, tenderly picking up the
+smallest one. "But what shall I do now? How can I carry them all out?"
+
+Then, quick as a wink, before the fire reached him, he picked them all
+up and put them in his hat.
+
+"Hurry, my brave fireman!" called the Mother Lady Bug; "save my
+treasures."
+
+And in less time than I can take to tell it, he carried them out of
+danger.
+
+Just then up came Dapple Gray, so Little Sir Cat said good-by and rode
+away.
+
+By-and-by, he whispered to Dapple Gray, "Yonder stands the lady who rode
+you far away. Do you want to run right by her, or do you want to stay
+behind this clump of bushes until she walks away?"
+
+Dapple Gray made no reply. He stood perfectly still and didn't even peek
+around until the lady was out of sight. So that was answer enough for
+Little Sir Cat, and he rode off towards a little church, for it was
+vesper time and the bell was ringing for the people to come to worship.
+Pretty soon the organ began to play, so he stopped to listen, and so did
+the stars and the big moon up in the sky. They didn't move, but shone
+right down on the little white building. After a while he got down and
+led Dapple Gray into a grove of trees and lay down on some leaves for
+the night. And pretty soon you shall hear how he and his pony had
+another adventure,--unless--
+
+    _A giant goes down the street for a stroll,
+     And thinks a peppermint stick is a barber's pole._
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: _Harvey Peake_]
+
+    There was an old woman lived under a hill
+    On auto'bile wheels that wouldn't stand still.
+    So she drove around selling her cranberry pies,--
+    And she's the old woman who never told lies.
+
+
+
+
+The Little Goose-Girl
+
+
+Many years ago there lived a little goose-girl named Helena. Every
+morning at sunrise she left the hut where her mother lived, and trudged
+away in the midst of her flock of geese. All day long she stayed in the
+fields with them to see that they did not wander away, and in the
+evening she brought them back to the village.
+
+The hamlet she lived in was very small, and Helena had the care of all
+the geese in the place. Ten of the flock belonged to her mother, the
+rest belonged to the neighbors.
+
+Helena was almost as fat as the fattest goose in her flock. Over her
+plump, freckled face she wore a flat cap, and her flaxen hair in two
+long braids down her back. Her waist was black, without any sleeves and
+opened in the front, while the sleeves of her smock were full and long.
+Her skirt was very short and full, and plaited all around the waist. In
+summer she went barefooted, but in winter she wore thick stockings and
+wooden shoes.
+
+She carried in her hand a long stick, with which to manage her goose
+family, but she was kind-hearted and never struck them hard. Her little
+dog, Hero, helped her keep them in order. He was so well trained that
+when they wandered away, he would bark and snap at them until he
+frightened them back.
+
+[Illustration: THE GOOSE GIRL PUB. BY NAT. ART CO., N. Y.]
+
+Every morning at sunrise the geese waited in front of the huts for
+Helena. Amid a great squawking and hissing they were collected from door
+to door, and when the flock was all gathered, Helena drove them off to
+the feeding ground, a low flat marshy place, near the river, where they
+delighted to waddle in the greenish pools and coarse grasses.
+
+Helena had collected a pile of stones on a dry spot which was a little
+higher than the marshy ground around it, and here she would sit on her
+throne, like a queen looking over her goose kingdom.
+
+When dinner time came, she would take from a basket a slice of very
+coarse bread, almost black, a piece of cheese, or a slice of thick, raw
+sausage. When she had finished eating, she would take from the same
+basket her spinning, and with her distaff she twirled the thread around
+and drew it through her fingers. This was the old-fashioned way of
+spinning, and even now one often sees girls and women with their
+distaffs spinning in the fields while they watch their cows or sheep or
+geese.
+
+There were many beautiful flowers growing in the marshy land, and when
+Helena grew tired of spinning, she gathered violets and forget-me-nots.
+She would make a wreath of blue lilies and yellow dandelions and hang it
+about her neck. Sometimes she would make a collar for her dog, and once
+she made a wreath for a pet gander, but he twisted his long neck and ate
+up the flowers, at which Helena laughed, showing that she was a happy
+little girl, although she did have to tend the geese all day.
+
+
+
+
+RISING TIME
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    Pussy's asleep, and the little gray mouse
+    Is looking about the quiet house.
+    But oh, dear me! If Pussy should wake
+    The little mouse wouldn't get any cake.
+
+
+
+
+FEBRUARY
+
+
+Dear Boys and Girls--Did it ever occur to you that February is a famous
+month, for in it were born two of the greatest men that ever lived,
+George Washington and Abraham Lincoln?
+
+Perhaps the determination of Washington never to allow himself to be
+discouraged in the face of tremendous difficulties and treachery stands
+out as one of the biggest factors in his character.
+
+Looking back through history every boy as he gazes on the face of
+Washington feels a thrill of pride; the Father of His Country, the man
+who never told a lie, the man who never admitted there was such a word
+as "fail."
+
+And when we turn to Lincoln, who in the crisis of our country's welfare
+stood like a rock and brought order out of chaos, preserved the Union,
+"now and forever," and, with "malice toward none," brought the men of
+the North and the men of the South under the Stars and Stripes again as
+brothers--we find the Savior of our Country.
+
+For the boy of to-day two such men as Washington and Lincoln are an
+inspiration. Human nature was just the same in those days as
+now--politics were just as corrupt and morals just as bad--but each of
+those men shone out with the attributes of greatness--courage, honesty
+and truth.
+
+And for the girl of to-day who realizes how the mothers of those two men
+gave to this country each a hero; how those mothers by early training
+and instruction brought their boys up to reverence courage and honesty
+and truth, there is an inspiration; for the sweetest word that is
+murmured in the nursery or whispered in prayer on the battlefield is
+Mother.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE STORIES OF FAMOUS ANIMALS
+
+How the Geese Saved Rome
+
+
+The Capitol in the city of Rome was built on a high, steep hill called
+the Tarpeian Rock. When in 390 B. C. the Gauls entered Rome, after
+having defeated the Roman Army, most of the citizens fled, except a few
+who had taken refuge on this steep hill. One very dark night, the Gauls
+attempted to climb the steepest part and capture the Capitol. The Roman
+sentinels were all fast asleep, and the enemy had nearly reached the
+top, when suddenly some geese began to cackle and raise a great hub-bub.
+The noise awakened a Roman soldier named Marcus Manlius, who rushed out
+to the spot just in time to throw down the Gauls and save the Capitol.
+
+After this, the Gauls agreed to leave the city for a thousand pounds of
+gold, but the Romans took so long to weigh it, that Camillus arrived
+with a big army just in time. "Rome buys her freedom with iron!" he
+cried, and attacking the Gauls, drove them out in great confusion. But
+if it hadn't been for the geese, who were wide awake and not sound
+asleep like the Roman sentinels, Rome would have been captured that dark
+night by the Gauls.
+
+
+
+
+THE CARNIVAL
+
+
+Let us make believe we are in Nice during Carnival time and are
+hastening to the Promenade du Cours, up and down which the procession is
+to pass.
+
+First, however, I shall buy for you each a little blue gauze mask; for
+you cannot even peep at Carnival unmasked. And if any of you can wear
+linen dusters with hoods attached, all the better. Don't leave a square
+inch of skin unprotected, I warn you.
+
+Besides the little masks, you may buy, each of you, a whole bushel of
+these "sugar plums," and have them sent to our balcony. Also for each a
+little tin scoop fastened on a flexible handle, which you are to fill
+with confetti but on no account to pull--at least, not yet.
+
+The crowds are gathering. Pretty peasant girls in their holiday attire
+of bright petticoats, laced bodices, and white frilled caps; stray
+dominoes; richly dressed ladies with mask in hand; carriages so
+decorated with flowers as to be artistically hidden--even the wheels
+covered with batiste--blue, pink, purple, green or buff. Even the
+sidewalk, as we pass, is fringed with chairs at a franc each.
+
+The "Cours" is gay with suspended banners, bright with festooned
+balconies and merry faces. Sidewalks and streets are filled with
+people; but the horses have the right of way, and the people are fined
+if they are run over.
+
+Let us hasten to our balcony, for here passes a band of musicians, in
+scarlet and gold, to open the procession.
+
+It is "the theater"--an open car of puppets--but the puppets are men;
+all attached to cords held in the hand of the giant, who sits in
+imposing state above them on the top of the car which is on a level with
+the third-story balconies.
+
+The giant lifts his hand and the puppets whirl and jump. But alas! his
+head is too high. His hat is swept off by the hanging festoons, and the
+giant must ride bare-headed, in danger of sunstroke.
+
+Next behind the car moves in military order a regiment of mounted
+grasshoppers. Their sleek, shining bodies of green satin, their gauzy
+wings and antennae, snub noses and big eyes, are all absolutely perfect
+to the eye; but--they are of the size of men.
+
+You lower your mask to see more clearly, you are lost in wonder at the
+perfect illusion, your mouth is wide open with "Ohs!" and "Ahs!" when
+pop! pop! slings a shower of confetti, and the little hailstones seem to
+cut off your ears and rush sifting down your neck.
+
+For, while you were watching the grasshoppers, a low open carriage,
+concealed under a pink and white cover, has stopped under our windows.
+Four merry masqueraders, cloaked and hooded in hue to match, have a
+bushel of confetti between them, and are piled with nosegays. We slink
+behind our masks, we pull the handles of our confetti scoops--then the
+battle begins and waxes fierce.
+
+But they are crowded on. A colossal stump follows, trailing with mosses
+and vines. Upon it a bird's nest filled with young, their mouths wide
+open for food; wonderful, because the artistic skill is so perfect that,
+although so immense, they seem living and not unnatural.
+
+Up and down the procession sweeps. Up one side the wide "Cours" and down
+the other; the space within filled with the merry surging crowd, under
+the feet of the horses it would seem. But no matter. Horses and men and
+women and children bear a charmed life to-day.
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE STORIES OF FAMOUS ANIMALS
+
+How A Spider Saved Scotland
+
+
+For several years, Robert Bruce, the hero King of Scotland, was an
+outlaw with but a few followers. He even had to leave his beloved
+Scotland at one time, and hide himself on a small island off the coast
+of Ireland.
+
+He had only a wretched hut to live in, although he was a king, but he
+was as patient as he was brave, and willing to suffer hardships if he
+could only free his native land.
+
+While lying on his bed one day, he noticed a spider who was spinning its
+web. Time after time it failed to run its slender thread from one beam
+to another. Six times it tried and as many times it failed. This was
+just the number of battles that Bruce had been defeated by the English.
+
+"If the spider tries again," he said to himself, sitting up on his bed
+and watching the determined little insect intently, "if the spider tries
+again, so will I!" Once more the spider tried, and this time with
+success. Bruce jumped from his bed, and in a few days was back in
+Scotland.
+
+It was indeed a happy omen, for from that time the tide turned in his
+favor, and gradually he won back all the cities and castles which the
+English had conquered. And so Bruce freed Scotland and won back his
+throne, but if it had not been for the little spider, perhaps he never
+would have had the heart to attempt it.
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Mother Hubbard finds Little Sir Cat at Home
+
+    "_Old Mother Hubbard
+     Went to the cupboard
+     To get her poor dog a bone,
+     But when she got there
+     The cupboard was bare,
+     And so the poor dog had none._"
+
+
+"Oh, dear me!" said Little Sir Cat, "that's too bad," and he pulled out
+a shilling and gave it to Mother Hubbard. And after that he went away
+and by and by he came to a big circus tent. And while he stood there, a
+woman came by and stopped to talk to him. For everybody was interested
+in Little Sir Cat. He rode Dapple Gray as well as a circus man, and
+there was nothing he couldn't do on horseback, except, perhaps, go to
+sleep. Well, the woman stopped and looked at him for a few minutes, and
+then she said:
+
+    "_I have a little husband
+     No bigger than my thumb,
+     So I put him in a bird cage
+     And keep him safe at home._"
+
+[Illustration: MOTHER HUBBARD FINDS LITTLE SIR CAT AT HOME]
+
+"Why don't you bring him to the circus?" said Little Sir Cat. "He'll
+make more money than in a bird cage."
+
+"So he might," said the woman. "I will bring him here this very day,"
+and away she went as fast as she could.
+
+Well, by and by, she returned carrying a leather bag, and when she
+opened it, who should jump out but Tom Thumb. Wasn't that strange? And,
+oh, how glad he was to see Little Sir Cat.
+
+"What! Are you old friends?" asked the woman, stretching out her hand to
+take Tom Thumb.
+
+"She is cruel, don't let her take me," cried the little fellow, and of
+course Sir Cat didn't, although the woman became very angry.
+
+Well, pretty soon Little Sir Cat turned to her and said with a fierce
+look, "Leave him with me. He shall be my comrade. You have no right to
+him," and then he took Tom Thumb into the tent, leaving the woman to do
+what she might. He didn't care, for he was in the right, and when that
+is the case, one can be brave even if he is a small cat. And as soon as
+he told the clown what had happened, he said: "We'll never let her have
+Tom Thumb. He shall stay with us as long as he likes," and then the
+lovely circus lady came up and shook hands with him, and everybody said,
+"Hurrah for Little Sir Cat!"
+
+And pretty soon I'll tell you another story unless
+
+    _The Big Red Barn gets frisky
+     And jumps across the road,
+     And the buzzy, wuzzy horsefly
+     Eats up the little toad._
+
+
+
+
+MR. TURKEY DECIDES TO TAKE A DAY OFF
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    Said the great big Turkey Gobbler
+      To the little Turkey Turk,
+    "I guess I'll stay at home today
+      And not go down to work;
+
+    "I have a sort of feeling
+      That it's wiser not to roam
+    And that it would be safer
+      For me to stay at home."
+
+
+
+
+A LITTLE GIRL'S DIARY
+
+Saturday
+
+    _I love her on a Saturday
+       When she and Mother go
+     Together to a matinee
+       Or moving picture show._
+
+
+Saturday is a holiday all the time. In the morning I take a run in the
+park to get the fresh air and exercise; and then after lunch, Mother and
+I--oh, it's such fun!--go to a matinee or a motion picture play. When we
+come out, we have a cup of hot chocolate somewhere, with little cakes or
+crackers, and it's just lovely! After that, it's time to go home. Dolly
+is waiting for me, and I tell her all about everything while I undress
+her and put her to bed, and she is so good she never cries or says: "Why
+didn't you take me, too?"
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE STORIES OF FAMOUS ANIMALS
+
+How A Horse Founded A City
+
+
+There was once a horse named Bucephalus whom nobody could ride except
+his master, the famous Alexander the Great; and the reason was because
+this horse was afraid of his own shadow. He wasn't afraid of anything
+else, for he would carry his master into the thickest of the fight
+without flinching.
+
+In those days every boy was trained to be a warrior, as well as to be
+proficient in all kinds of knowledge, and as Alexander was a very bright
+youth and loved reading as well as fighting his father sent for the
+famous Aristotle to be his teacher, under whose teaching he grew up to
+be a very fine young man. Every night when Alexander went to bed he
+placed his favorite book, Homer's "Iliad," under his pillow with his
+sword. Soon he became very expert in all manly sports and excelled every
+one at his father's court, especially in riding. But had he not been a
+very bright and observing youth he never would have been able to ride
+Bucephalus, notwithstanding his splendid horsemanship.
+
+The way it happened was that one day this horse was offered for sale to
+his father, the King, but none of the grooms or nobles could mount him.
+Alexander, who had been very carefully watching the beautiful white
+animal, noticed that Bucephalus was afraid of his own shadow. He
+therefore turned his head toward the sun and after patting the animal
+until he grew quiet mounted and rode him without any trouble. After that
+he was always his favorite charger.
+
+When Alexander set out to conquer the Persians Bucephalus was the first
+to swim across the River Granicus with Alexander, amid a shower of
+arrows and spears.
+
+On Bucephalus and at the head of his army of 40,000 foot soldiers
+Alexander defeated Darius, with over 1,000,000 men.
+
+For five years longer Bucephalus carried Alexander to victory, but
+finally in a battle in India against King Porus Bucephalus was so badly
+wounded that he died.
+
+Alexander gave his noble horse a splendid burial and founded a city on
+the battlefield, which he named in his honor Bucephala.
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat Meets Tom, the Piper's Son
+
+
+One can't stay with a circus and travel up high mountains and cross
+rivers and visit castles and dungeons, so Little Sir Cat said good-by to
+the kind circus people and little Tom Thumb, who was making so much
+money exhibiting himself that he wanted to remain with them until he had
+made a million dollars.
+
+So once more Little Sir Cat was traveling alone. Well, on he tramped
+till by-and-by he came to a village, and as he walked down the main
+street
+
+    _Little Johnny Curlytop
+     Sat in his father's shop.
+     In his thumb he held a plum
+     And a lollypop._
+
+But when he saw Little Sir Cat, he almost dropped his candy, for he had
+never seen a cat with boots and spurs riding on a pony. But Little Sir
+Cat only grinned and said: "Pick up your candy, Johnny Curlytop, for
+candy doesn't grow on trees, and you are a lucky boy to have a
+lollypop."
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT MEETS TOM, THE PIPER'S SON]
+
+Well, just then, all of a sudden, a boy ran down the street with a
+little pig under his arm.
+
+    "_Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son,
+     Stole a pig and away he run,_"
+
+screamed a green poll parrot from her cage.
+
+"Why, it's Piggie Porker," cried Little Sir Cat, "the little pig I
+helped through the fence. O, please let him go. It's Piggie Porker."
+
+"Piggie what?" asked Tom, scratching his head.
+
+"I want to go home to mother," squealed Piggie, and this so surprised
+Tom that he dropped Piggie, who, quick as a wink, darted between his
+legs and ran away. And, would you believe it? Little Sir Cat jumped on
+his back, and off they went down the street to the country. Pretty soon
+Piggie stopped to rest, and Little Sir Cat jumped down to the ground.
+"How did you ever get caught?" he asked.
+
+"I disobeyed mother," answered Piggie when able to speak, for he was all
+out of breath with running, you see. "I squeezed through the fence and
+ran out to the road, and then that bad boy caught me. Oh, dear, oh,
+dear!"
+
+Poor little Piggie's pink nose was very red and his cheeks wet with
+tears. "Don't cry," said Little Sir Cat kindly, "you can't be far from
+home." And then together they ran across the meadow to the wood to look
+for the path that led to Piggie's cabin. And pretty soon Piggie found
+it, so off he scampered.
+
+"I hope mother won't scold me for being away so long--I hope she won't."
+
+In the distance he could see the stout figure of his mother standing in
+the cabin door. At the sight of her Piggie began to cry, he was so glad
+to be home again.
+
+And his mother never punished him after all, but just hugged him until
+he squeaked, "Oh, mother, you're squeezing the breath out of me!"
+
+    _But just the same, dear children,
+     Remember to obey,
+     For you might be unlucky
+     And lose your homeward way._
+
+
+
+A NEW YEAR'S PRAYER
+
+
+    God grant that I the new year through
+    May strive with heart and soul to do
+    Those things which are most good and true.
+
+    God grant that I each morning start
+    My duties with a cheerful heart,
+    And faithfully perform my part.
+
+    To wear a smile all through the day,
+    To banish thoughts unkind away;
+    And when my bedtime comes, to pray.
+
+    To say my prayers with folded hands
+    As night comes softly o'er the lands,
+    To Him, who always understands.
+
+    And when the bells on New Year's dawn
+    Proclaim the bright New Year is born,
+    And I awake on New Year's morn,
+
+    I pray Him whisper, low and sweet,
+    To help me guide my wayward feet,
+    Lest I forget my prayer to meet.
+
+
+
+
+THE OLD WOMAN UNDER THE HILL
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    There was an old woman
+      Lived under the hill,
+    And if she's not married
+      She's living there still.
+
+
+
+
+The First Christmas
+
+
+Listen, dear littlest children, and you shall hear about the very first
+Christmas Day.
+
+In a country across the sea, far away from here, shepherds were watching
+their flocks one night. The sheep were resting on the grass, the little
+lambs were fast asleep beside their mothers, but the kind shepherds were
+not asleep. They were watching that no harm should happen to the sheep.
+
+Perhaps they were looking up at the stars and the beautiful moon above
+them, when suddenly there appeared a wonderful light in the sky,
+brighter than the moon or stars, as if the sky had opened and they saw
+the glory within.
+
+And while they stood there, looking up, wondering what was the cause of
+that strange light, a beautiful, shining angel came near to them and
+said:
+
+"Fear not. I bring you good tidings which shall be to all people. This
+day is born a Saviour, and ye shall find the babe lying in a manger."
+
+Suddenly a multitude of the heavenly host joined the angel in singing
+praises to God.
+
+    "_Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
+     Peace, good will toward men._"
+
+When the angels had gone back to heaven the shepherds said they would go
+to Bethlehem and see this Saviour of whom the angels sang. They went,
+and found Him, a little baby, in a stable, with no cradle to lie in;
+only a manger for His bed. That little baby was Jesus, who when He grew
+up said:
+
+"Let the little children come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such
+is the kingdom of heaven." His birthday was the first Christmas Day, and
+ever since that time we keep that day as a joyful and happy one.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+PLANTING A PUSSY
+
+
+Charlie was a little rogue, and Charlie's papa was a big rogue; and two
+rogues together get into all sorts of mischief.
+
+Charlie wanted a kitten, and one day when he was teasing papa said
+carelessly:
+
+"Plant old black Nig. I wouldn't wonder if she came up sort of
+kittenish!"
+
+Papa laughed behind his paper to see him march out to the garden with
+the big, sleepy black cat under one arm and a hoe under the other.
+
+But when Charlie began to dig, Pussy began to struggle out from under
+his arm, and, getting away, she ran for her life. Charlie dropped his
+hoe and ran too. Tears also would have run had there been less wisdom in
+that little curly head. But Charlie knew that Puss would not wait while
+he mourned her departure!
+
+What a race that was! Puss led him under fences, through bushes, over
+gates, up trees, and, at last, through the open window, Charlie of
+course followed, and what a fall was that!
+
+When Charlie rose, the black cat sat calmly upon the table. Charlie
+thought she actually laughed at his forlorn appearance. Well, he didn't
+look as well as when the race began, but his courage was still good; so
+he resolved to try again, if the Big Rogue would help.
+
+So Charlie asked papa to hold Puss while he dug. Papa was willing, and
+the digging began again. Soon papa said the hole was big enough, but he
+had no sooner said the word, when Puss thought it was time to run away
+again, and off she darted. She looked so funny, with her tail all
+swelled up, that Charlie forgot all about the planting and began to
+laugh, and then papa began to laugh too. "I don't believe she's the
+right kind of a cat to plant," he said, and then he and Charlie went
+into the house for lunch, as mama was at the window waiting for them.
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat and Little Boy Blue
+
+
+    "_Little Boy Blue,
+       Come blow your horn,
+     Your cows are eating
+       Farmer Green's corn,_"
+
+sang Robbie Redbreast as Little Sir Cat passed through a meadow in new
+Mother Goose Land. And just then a little boy dressed in blue jumped out
+from behind a haystack and began to blow on his silver horn.
+
+Goodness me! Dapple Gray was so startled that he stood up on his hind
+legs and nearly upset his small rider.
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT AND LITTLE BOY BLUE]
+
+"Don't blow it again till I get out of the meadow," said Little Sir Cat,
+and he rode away. By-and-by, after a while, he came to a neat-looking
+cottage with a red chimney and pink blinds. So he knocked on the door,
+and who do you suppose opened it? You'll never guess, so I'll tell you
+right away. Why, Old Mother Hubbard and her dog. Wasn't that strange?
+For the last time Little Sir Cat had seen them was in Old Mother Goose
+Country, and of course he was surprised to meet them. All of a sudden,
+the Dog began to sing:
+
+    "_Old Mother Hubbard never goes to the cupboard
+    To get me a bone any more;
+    For she has an excuse, so what is the use?
+    She remembers what happened before.
+    So now we both go to a nice movie show,
+    And then to a restaurant fine,
+    Where we order a stew of giblets for two,
+    And the orchestra plays while we dine._"
+
+"Hurray!" cried Little Sir Cat, "things are certainly very different in
+this country." And pretty soon he told them he must be on his way. So
+off he went through the woods, and by-and-by he came to a deep pool
+under a great oak tree. But he didn't know that a Frog Prince lived in
+it. No, Siree. And perhaps it was just as well that he didn't, for the
+Frog Prince didn't like cats at all.
+
+Well, as soon as he saw Little Sir Cat, he gave a dreadful loud croak
+and hopped out on the bank.
+
+"Shall I kick him?" asked Dapple Gray with a toss of his head, for he
+wasn't afraid of that croaky old frog, not the least little bit.
+
+"Of course not," answered Little Sir Cat. "Are you really a frog, or an
+enchanted prince?" he asked, turning to the Frog Prince.
+
+And, would you believe it, the tears came to that poor frog's eyes, as
+he answered:
+
+"A wicked witch has cast a spell over me. I was once a handsome prince."
+
+"I will help you," answered Little Sir Cat, and, jumping off Dapple
+Gray, he hunted through the grass until he found a tiny, little flower,
+blue as the summer sky.
+
+"Tomorrow morning when the cock crows eat this flower," he said, handing
+it to the Frog Prince, "and you will once more be your natural self."
+And before the happy frog could thank him he jumped on Dapple Gray and
+rode away to the next story.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,
+    Had a wife and couldn't keep her;
+    He made a car of the pumpkin shell,
+    And there he kept her very well.
+
+
+
+
+MAY DAY FROLICS IN MERRY OLD ENGLAND
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Suppose we "go a-Maying" among old traditions and see with what
+ceremonies our English ancestors welcomed the "merry month." We do not
+celebrate the first day of May to any extent in this country, but in
+England, where the season is much earlier than ours, and the earth is
+already covered with wild flowers, May-day is more fitly celebrated; but
+even in England the old customs have sadly fallen away.
+
+Once upon a time every village had its annual setting up of the
+May-pole, which was consecrated to the Goddess of Flowers, and early on
+May morning the young people went out to "gather the May." The first
+thing was to select the May-pole. The landed gentry allowed the
+villagers the choice of a suitable tree on their domains. A tall,
+straight sapling having been selected, it was speedily cut down and
+dragged to the village green by oxen gayly decorated with flowers and
+bright colored ribbons. Following after came the youths and maidens with
+wreaths of flowers, which they twined around cottage doorways on their
+way to the green, where they were to choose from among their number a
+Lord and Lady of May.
+
+After a bower was built for them and the May-pole set up, there were
+merry dances, the revellers donning mask and costume to represent Robin
+Hood, Friar Tuck, Maid Marian, Much the Miller's Son, Little John, Will
+Scarlet and all the other famous characters of merry Sherwood. Pantomime
+was also indulged in, for this was a simple age, when simple pleasures
+satisfied the country people. Into the ring would come a hobby-horse and
+a dragon, the former ambling and prancing about, while the latter hissed
+and shook his wings, to the great delight of the spectators. There were
+also morris-dancers, with bells attached to their knees and elbows, who
+danced and capered musically. After this came trials of skill in archery
+by Robin Hood and his fellows, and when all these amusements grew
+tiresome, the villagers thronged about the May-pole and spent the
+remainder of the day in dancing.
+
+But these May-day observances were not confined only to the country. In
+London at one time tall poles were erected on May morning, and green
+arbors and branches decorated the streets. It was a great day for the
+milkmaids and chimney-sweeps, who paraded the streets in companies,
+begging a trifle from their customers.
+
+The leader of the chimney-sweeps, called "Jack in the Green," was
+covered, with the exception of his legs, with green boughs, garlands and
+nosegays. He looked like a dancing bouquet, as he moved up and down the
+street. Many a penny the sweeps collected from the admiring bystanders.
+This was a custom up to about one hundred years ago, and will perhaps
+remind some of my little readers of the ragamuffins who parade the
+streets of New York on Thanksgiving Day, begging a penny from every
+passer-by.
+
+Finally, many abuses arose in the observance of the day. In 1644
+Parliament passed an act forbidding the erection of May-poles. Later,
+during the restoration of the gay Charles the Second, the May-poles came
+back and flourished for a long time. Gradually, however, as the ancient
+simplicity of manners departed from the lower orders of the people, who
+were its chief upholders, the May-day festival fell into disuse, and now
+there are neither May-poles nor morris-dancers nor Jacks in the Green.
+
+
+[Illustration: JACK BE NIMBLE, JACK BE QUICK PUB. BY NAT. ART CO., N.
+Y.]
+
+
+
+
+THE SPIDER AND THE FLY
+
+
+    A big Black Spider was spinning away,
+    Spinning her lacey web all day;
+    And when she had finished it, close to the wall
+    She curled herself up in a round black ball.
+
+    Lazily buzzing, buzzing away,
+    A little Blue Fly was buzzing all day.
+    Into the open window he flew
+    And close to the Spider's web he drew.
+
+    "Oh, what a pretty piece of lace
+    Swinging away in the window space!"
+    The little Blue Fly remarked to himself,
+    As he carefully crawled on the narrow shelf.
+
+    Then he brushed the dirt from his gauzy wing
+    And watched the spider web swing and swing.
+    Now this little Fly was a mischievous Fly,
+    And there wasn't a bit of green in his eye!
+
+    So, as he watched it swing and swing,
+    He thought 'twould be fun to cut the string.
+    Then Mrs. Spider's hammock would fall
+    Down with a somersault off the wall.
+
+    Creeping up to her hiding place,
+    He gave a pull on the flimsy lace.
+    Down one end of the hammock fell,
+    While the Big Black Spider gave a yell.
+
+    Out thro' the window the little Fly flew;
+    'Twas safer out there for him, he knew.
+    And he said, as he winked his little blue eye:
+    "Good-by, Mrs. Spider; good-by, good-by!"
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    I hate to go to bed at night,
+    Or get up when again it's light--
+    It's funny that I love to do
+    'Most anything between these two.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Bennie's Easter Dream
+
+
+Bennie woke up on Easter morning and saw a little rabbit with a big bow
+of blue ribbon around his neck standing in the doorway.
+
+"Come along!" he said. "I'm going to give you a ride on my back."
+
+In a few minutes Bennie had on his clothes and tiptoeing down the
+stairs, they slipped out of the front door.
+
+"Hold on to my ears!" said the rabbit, and away they went down the
+garden walk. When they reached the barnyard the rabbit stopped before
+the haystack, and pulling out a small basket and a big silver spoon,
+said to Bennie:
+
+"Take this basket and come with me to the hen-house. If we get there
+before the fairies we will find the pretty colored eggs which the hens
+lay for Easter. But hurry, for we must get there first."
+
+They opened the door quietly, just as the big Red Rooster began to crow.
+"Lift up the eggs with the silver spoon," said the rabbit, as they
+peeped into the nests; "don't touch one with your hand or it will lose
+its lovely color." Soon the basket was full. "Come on," cried the
+rabbit; "hurry up and get on my back; it's getting late." Bennie jumped
+on, but just as they started off four little chickens ran out of their
+coop and screamed:
+
+    _Cock-a-doodle doo!
+     You've got my egg of blue;
+     My yellow one, my purple one,
+     My little green one, too!_
+
+Suddenly he found himself in his own little bed, while outside the happy
+Easter bells were ringing. He wondered where his little friend the
+rabbit had disappeared to, and the four little chickens.
+
+Then he looked down at the counterpane, and what do you suppose he saw.
+A whole nest full of beautiful, painted Easter eggs with the funniest
+faces and the brightest colors. Bennie gave a squeal of delight and
+hopped out of bed to dress so that he could show his treasure to all the
+other children he knew, but in his excitement forgot all about the dear
+little bunny.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+A LITTLE GIRL'S DIARY
+
+Sunday
+
+    _I love her on a Sunday,
+       As she goes to church with me,
+     With her little gilt-edged Bible
+       Held close and reverently._
+
+
+Sunday morning Father and I start off for church before the rest of the
+family, because Father wants his early walk, and I love to go with him.
+Through the park we go, watching the pretty little squirrels who run up
+to us, for they seem to know that Father will let me wait a few minutes
+to give them some nuts or little pieces of cracker which I have almost
+always in my pocket. I call one squirrel the "Little Minister" because
+he looks so solemn, and walks up so quietly and slowly to me, and then
+holds his nut between his paws and looks it over, as if it were a book,
+before he starts to open the cover and eat the inside. After church we
+all come home and have early dinner. In the afternoon, brother and I go
+for a long walk in the park. After supper, the nicest part of all the
+day, we sing hymns and Brother Jack and I say a piece of poetry, which
+we learn for each Sunday. Then we kiss everybody good night.
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat and Dame Trot
+
+
+    "_Little fishy in the brook,
+     Papa catch him with a hook,
+     Mamma fry him in the pan,
+     Johnny eat him like a man,_"
+
+sang a sweet voice, and in came Dame Trot with a big platter of fish.
+"Did Mr. Trot catch them?" asked Little Sir Cat politely, sitting down
+to the table and tucking the napkin under his chin.
+
+"Of course," answered Dame Trot, "fish don't catch themselves, unless
+they're playing tag in the pool."
+
+Well, it didn't take Little Sir Cat long to finish his meal, and when
+Dapple Gray was saddled, he set out again on his journey through Mother
+Goose Land, and by-and-by, after a while, he came to a bridge, and when
+he looked over the railing, he saw a pretty silver fish swimming on the
+top of the water.
+
+"Helloa there, silver fish! If I had a hook and line I'd soon catch
+you," and Little Sir Cat grinned at his own reflection in the clear
+water. But if the fish had seen it I guess he would have darted away,
+for it looked just like a real cat in the water.
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT AND DAME TROT]
+
+"You can drop me a line," replied the fish with a swish of his tail,
+"but I won't promise to bite."
+
+"I don't care for any more fish to-day," answered Little Sir Cat, "I've
+just had a feast at Dame Trot's little Inn."
+
+    "_If that's the case," replied the fish,
+      Giving his tail a shimmery swish,
+    "I'll go right home to Mrs. Trout
+      And tell her it's safe for her to go out._"
+
+And away went that poetical old trout, and so did Little Sir Cat, and
+after he had ridden for maybe a mile or three, he met the Maiden All
+Forlorn Who Milked the Cow with the Crumpled Horn. But she wasn't
+miserable now at all. No, Siree. She wore a lovely smile and a pink
+sun-bonnet with a bit of ribbon on it. And as soon as she saw Little Sir
+Cat her smile broke into a laugh: "Here is my dear little puss. Where
+has he been this long time?"
+
+"Oh, just traveling," he answered. "What have you been doing?"
+
+    "_You remember the tramp all tattered and torn?
+     Well, he made lots of money in cotton and corn.
+     So he bought me an automobile and a ring,
+     And the minister married us both in the spring,_"
+
+she answered, taking the pink ribbon off her sun-bonnet and tying it
+around Little Sir Cat's neck.
+
+"There, you look like a prize winner," she laughed, and after that she
+ran back into the farm yard to see if the Little Black Hen had laid a
+white egg for breakfast.
+
+By-and-by Little Sir Cat met the Spider who frightened Miss Muffet. She
+was busy spinning a big web and said to him,
+
+    "_Please go 'way, don't bother me,
+     For I'm as busy as can be._"
+
+So you must wait for the next story to hear what happened to Tommy
+Green, unless
+
+    _That little Black Spider
+     Puts salt in her cider._
+
+
+
+
+THE LOST PUSSY CAT
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+    I've been waiting at the door
+    To see if pussy comes no more.
+    Yesterday he left the house
+    To go a-hunting for a mouse.
+
+
+
+
+ACROSS THE PRAIRIE!
+
+
+'Way back in the early days of this country, when there weren't any
+railroad trains crossing the great Western plains, only big herds of
+wild buffalo by day and fierce wolves by night; when the only way to
+reach one's destination was in a big, canvas-covered wagon drawn by
+oxen; when every man rode a horse and carried a gun, and when even the
+women knew how to handle a rifle--then there were lots of Indians.
+
+Those were dangerous times, and it needed a brave heart and a quick hand
+and a steady head to overcome the perils of crossing the great plains in
+search of a new home and a fortune.
+
+This was what Dick's father was doing, however, and Dick was the
+happiest boy on earth, he thought, when they started out on their
+journey. The big "prairie schooner" was their Pullman car, and the
+patient team of oxen the motive power. Dick was old enough to straddle a
+mustang, and so he rode by father and Uncle Billy. Mother and Aunt Mary,
+Sister Lou and Cousin Tommy all rode in the wagon, and when night came
+on they got the supper, all except Billy, of course; he just watched.
+
+Father and Uncle Billy made the fire and unhitched the oxen and tethered
+the ponies.
+
+Dick soon learned that the most important thing to do as the day came to
+a close was to find a good grazing place on which to pitch tent for the
+night, as the best grass for the animals must be selected with care,
+near water if possible. The animals must be looked out for first,
+otherwise how would they ever get anywhere if these faithful friends
+should become sick and die?
+
+The next thing Dick did was to collect for the fire the dry buffalo dung
+which covered the prairie, and after making a pile in the shape of a
+huge cone he lighted a few sticks of kindling, a supply of which was
+always carried in a sack hung from the bottom of the wagon, and soon the
+heap was a mass of dull, glowing coals; then the tin coffee pail and the
+frying pan, and then, thank goodness!--for Dick was always
+hungry--supper.
+
+After that they pulled down the big, long canvas back of the wagon
+cover, which was spread double over the top of the wagon during the day,
+and fastened it to the ground with pegs, and under this slanting roof,
+with their blankets between them and the earth, with their toes towards
+the fire, they slept quite comfortably through the night.
+
+The oxen and the ponies knew enough not to stray any great distance from
+the campfire, and if frightened at anything would come rushing back,
+helter-skelter, for protection. They know that on the prairie man is
+their best friend and protector.
+
+"What are those figures away over there to the westward?" said Dick's
+father. Uncle Billy shaded his eyes with his hand and looked in that
+direction for a few minutes without answering. "Don't know," he replied,
+uneasily. "They look like horses, but I don't see any riders." "Nor I,"
+replied Dick's father, "but those wily redskins have a way of hanging
+over the far-side of the animal so's to deceive any one who happens to
+catch sight of them. They don't act like wild horses."
+
+It was an anxious moment. Neither man spoke for some time, but rode
+along quietly, keeping a sharp look-out, however, in order to detect the
+slightest change in the appearance of the figures to the westward. "They
+seem to be following our way," suggested Uncle Billy about an hour
+later. "Supposing we pitch camp to-night a little earlier. That clump of
+trees yonder will give us some protection in case they turn out to be
+redskins."
+
+"Good plan," murmured Dick's father, turning in the direction of the
+trees. "We needn't let on we're worried to the women folks," he added,
+"we'll just wait and see how things turn out. Maybe nothing will
+happen."
+
+But something did happen. About midnight Dick's father awoke with a
+start. A shadow fell across the opening in the canvas. In another moment
+he was grappling with an Indian. Over and over he rolled, but the Indian
+had found his match. Dick's father was a powerful man, and, whipping out
+his revolver, shot him dead. None too soon, for Uncle Billy was being
+hard pressed by a number of redskins, two of whom he had already laid
+low with his rifle.
+
+"Get into the wagon, Mother!" yelled Dick's father, "and pick off a few
+with your rifle!" Mother and Aunt Mary were soon blazing away from the
+canvas fort, and after a short time the Indians retired, evidently to
+consider what was the next best move.
+
+"Where's Dick?" said his father, looking around anxiously.
+
+"Here I am!" came a voice, and sure enough, under the wagon, crouching
+down behind the bag of kindling wood, which he had used for a shield,
+was Dick. "I cracked two, dad!" he called out, "one Injun was sneaking
+up by the pole, when I dropped him; he's out there now, I can just see
+his outline."
+
+Just then, a number of arrows fell around the wagon, and Uncle Billy
+caught sight of half a dozen shadowy figures creeping along the grass in
+the shadows of the trees to the right. "Look out," he whispered, "let
+'em get pretty close and then give 'em hail Columbia."
+
+It was a fierce struggle, for the Indians outnumbered our brave
+defenders. Twice the redskins rushed up close to the wagon, only to be
+beaten off in time by courage and good marksmanship. Both Dick's father
+and Uncle Billy were "nipped" by arrows, but not seriously hurt, and
+Dick himself had a narrow escape from being captured by a daring enemy
+who sneaked up behind. But Dick turned and saw him just in time,
+otherwise our story would have had a sad ending. Mother and Aunt Mary
+bravely kept up the firing, and the Indians, thinking that there were
+more defenders than there were, finally withdrew, much to the relief of
+the besieged.
+
+There was no more sleep in the camp that night, and in the morning, at
+the first break of day, Dick's father went out to investigate. Two dead
+Indians close to the camp testified to the good aim of its defenders.
+"They took the other dead and wounded with them," said Dick's father,
+turning to his brave boy, "they didn't dare come in so close to get
+them. Here's the fellow you shot, sonny--I remember he was just about to
+tomahawk me as you shot him in the nick of time--guess you saved your
+dad's life," and Dick felt as proud as Punch when his father slapped him
+on the back like a man.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat and Tommy Green
+
+
+    "_Please, Mister Cat, go ring the bell,
+     I'm sure it won't be wrong.
+     Perhaps my Mary will come out,
+     I've waited here so long,_"
+
+said Mary's Little Lamb.
+
+"I can't do that," answered Little Sir Cat, "the teacher wouldn't like
+it." Just then all the children ran out of the little red school-house.
+But, oh, dear me! One of the boys pinched Little Sir Cat's tail.
+
+And I don't know what would have happened if the teacher hadn't looked
+out of the window at that moment. Well, it didn't take him long to run
+out and give that naughty boy a good shaking.
+
+"I know it was you, Tommy Green. You're the boy who drowned poor pussy
+cat, who never did you any harm but killed the mice in your father's
+barn!" And then that angry teacher pulled that naughty boy into the
+school-house.
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT AND TOMMY GREEN]
+
+"Tommy Green, I'm going to send you home with a letter to your father. I
+think he had better keep you away from school. We don't want boys who
+are unkind to animals."
+
+"Oh, please sir," sobbed Tommy Green, "don't do that. I got an awful
+whipping when I put pussy in the well; I didn't mean to drown her, I
+only wanted to see her swim. And I didn't pull this cat's tail hard. I
+just gave it a little pinch to see how thick the fur was."
+
+"Please, professor," said tender-hearted Little Sir Cat, holding up his
+paw as he had seen the children do in school, "if it's all the same to
+you, I'd like to give Tommy a chance to be good. I don't want him
+whipped. My tail doesn't hurt at all now, professor."
+
+Well, goodness me. You should have seen that teacher smile when Little
+Sir Cat called him "professor."
+
+"This is certainly a lesson to you children," he said; "a great lesson
+to be kind to all God's creatures."
+
+And then Tommy began to cry. You see, he wasn't a bad boy at heart, and
+Little Sir Cat's forgiveness made him feel dreadfully ashamed. I guess
+it did him more good than any number of whippings.
+
+    _Dear children, never be unkind
+     To small four-footed things.
+     Oh, never pinch a pussy's tail
+     Nor pull a poor fly's wings._
+
+    _And never tease your little dog,
+     With unkind act or word,
+     And never throw a cruel stone
+     At any little bird._
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+The Trees
+
+    I often think when Winter comes
+      How cold must be the trees;
+    More than in the Summer Time
+      They need their coats of leaves.
+
+
+
+
+THE CANARY
+
+
+    Canary Bird, Canary Bird,
+      In your golden jail,
+    On your trapeze balancing
+      With your yellow tail,
+
+    Don't you wish that you could fly
+      Through the window pane
+    To the Robin Redbreast gay
+      Singing in the lane?
+
+    Where the apple trees in bloom
+      Drop their petals white,
+    So you almost think it has
+      Snowed 'most all the night?
+
+    Would you love to see the nest
+      Mrs. Robin's made,
+    And the eggs of china blue
+      Which she just has laid?
+
+    Don't you want to leave your cage?
+      See, the door is wide
+    Open and the window, too--
+      You can fly outside.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    _See the turkey gobbler run.
+     Guess he doesn't call it fun.
+     Don't you hope he gets away
+     Before it is Thanksgiving Day?_
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    _Up and down the page he goes
+     On his long, thin pointed toes.
+     Now and then he gives a squawk--
+     That's the way a Turkey talks!_
+
+
+
+
+THE LAND OF NOWHERE
+
+
+Jack and Grace were in the nursery playing with their toys, when
+suddenly they were startled by a tiny voice calling out "Good-by!"
+
+They looked up quickly, and to their surprise their little tin airship
+was slowly rising from the floor. In another moment it sailed across the
+room and out of the top of the window, which was down a little to let in
+fresh air. The little man at the steering wheel waved his hand as the
+airship disappeared. Jack rushed to the window.
+
+"Grace, Grace!" he shouted, "did you ever hear of such a thing? Come on.
+I'm going to run outside and see where it goes." Both children hurried
+down stairs and out on the sidewalk. Sure enough, just over the top of
+the next house they could distinguish their Christmas present ascending
+higher and higher into the clear blue sky.
+
+Just then something fluttered at their feet. Jack stooped down and
+picked up a piece of paper on which was written:
+
+"Sorry I didn't have time to tell you as the airship was under way and I
+didn't dare make a turn inside the room, but if you both will come up
+on the roof, I will come back and tell you something lovely."
+
+"Let's!" exclaimed Grace, who had read the note over Jack's shoulder;
+and in another moment both children were running up to the attic. After
+some difficulty, they raised the little door in the ceiling and stood
+upon the roof. Sure enough, just overhead and about to descend was an
+airship. But, goodness me! it was a regular airship, just like the kind
+they had seen in pictures, and not the little toy machine which they had
+but a few minutes before seen sailing out of the window and up over the
+next house. Nor did the lovely fairy who now alighted from the airship
+look anything like the queer little painted man. "Hello!" she said, in a
+very friendly voice: "would you like to take a sail?"
+
+Jack helped Grace in, and before long they were flying above the clouds,
+which looked like huge snow banks below them, white and fluffy.
+Everything was blue about them, and the air seemed full of perfume.
+
+"Isn't it lovely, Jack!" exclaimed Grace. "I'm so glad I came!"
+
+"So am I," replied her brother, "but I wonder where we are going. I
+don't see the earth any more; we must be going somewhere. Where are you
+taking us, little Fairy Queen?" he called out, and he and Grace waited
+anxiously for the answer.
+
+"Nowhere!" she answered.
+
+"Don't you know where Nowhere is?"
+
+"Well, not exactly," replied Jack. "I've often heard of it, but I've
+never been there."
+
+Just then the airship swerved to the right and in a few seconds landed
+gracefully on the broad steps of a beautiful castle. Everything was
+blue, even the tall chimney was built of blue bricks. The fairy had
+hardly turned off the power, and the big airship was still quivering,
+when the castle door opened, and a beautiful princess, dressed all in
+blue, came graciously forward. The only thing about her that wasn't blue
+was her long flowing hair, which was of the most wonderful golden hue
+that Grace had ever seen. "How do you do?" she said in a sweet voice.
+"Come in. Have you come from very far away?"
+
+"We don't know, Princess," answered Jack, bowing politely, while Grace
+made a pretty courtesy; "we really don't know how far we have come, nor
+just where we are."
+
+"Well, I'll tell you then," answered the lovely blue Princess, taking
+them each by the hand and walking between them through the open castle
+door; "at least, I'll tell you where you are and then after that you can
+tell me where you came from, and then we'll know a little more about
+each other."
+
+"How beautiful you are," said Grace as they all three sat down on a big
+blue sofa in the big blue hall of the stately blue castle.
+
+"Am I, dear?" said the Princess, looking at Grace with a smile, "and why
+do you think so?"
+
+"I never saw such wonderfully beautiful gold hair," exclaimed Grace,
+admiringly, gradually getting over her bashfulness.
+
+The lovely Blue Princess laughed. "When I was a little girl," she said,
+taking hold of Jack's hand so as not to leave him out in the cold, "the
+Sun Man told me if I would comb my hair every morning for a whole year,
+at break of day, when he first got up, that it would turn gold. And so
+every morning for a whole year I got up at peep o' day and stood by the
+east window and combed my hair."
+
+"And it did?" said Jack, speaking for the first time since they had
+entered the Blue Castle. "Why don't you try it, Grace? You love gold
+hair so much," and he gave her braid a mischievous pull behind the back
+of the Blue Princess.
+
+Grace gave a little scream. "Don't, Jack"--and then, to her surprise,
+she found herself with her arms around her new dolly in the big armchair
+in their own room at home. She looked over to where Jack was busily
+engaged with his train of cars. "I must have been dreaming," Grace
+exclaimed, and as she looked at her golden-haired doll, with the
+beautiful blue dress, she laughed and said:
+
+"Oh, dolly, I guess it was you I dreamed was the beautiful Blue
+Princess!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+LITTLE SIR CAT
+
+Little Sir Cat Visits the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
+
+    _There was an Old Woman who lived in a shoe,
+      And it was a pity she didn't have two.
+      It was crowded so tight from the heel to the toe
+      The children were packed like sardines in a row._
+
+
+Well, as Little Sir Cat went on his way to find his fortune in Mother
+Goose Land, he came in sight of a queer-looking little house, and when
+he drew nearer he found it wasn't a house at all, but a big shoe, with a
+little chimney on top and a tiny door in the toe and two small windows
+above the heel.
+
+"I'd ask you to make us a visit," said the Old Woman, "but, dearie me! I
+haven't even a spare closet, and rents are so high I've not been able to
+hire another old shoe."
+
+"Thank you just the same," replied Little Sir Cat, and off he went, and
+by-and-by, after a while, not so very long, he saw a little bear dressed
+in a red cap and khaki trousers, but I don't think he wore anything on
+his feet because his claws were so sharp they made holes in his shoes
+and his mother wouldn't buy him any more.
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE SIR CAT VISITS THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE]
+
+"If you want to find your fortune?" said the little bear, "follow me,"
+and he led Little Sir Cat down a narrow path till they came to a cave in
+a great rock. And, oh my, it looked dark inside, but the little bear
+wasn't afraid, and by-and-by he found a candle. And when he had lighted
+it, they went farther into the big dark cave till they came to a little
+iron door. But before the little bear opened it, he said, "If anybody
+speaks to you, you mustn't say anything but 'Bumpty bump!'" Then the
+little bear opened the door and there sat twenty-one little dwarfs at a
+table filling little bags with gold.
+
+"What are you doing here?" they asked, all in one voice.
+
+"Bumpty bump!" replied the little bear.
+
+"And what are _you_ doing here?" And, oh, dear me! for a moment Little
+Sir Cat forgot what the little bear had told him. And if he hadn't
+remembered to say "Bumpty bump!" pretty quick I guess something dreadful
+might have happened.
+
+Then all the little dwarfs looked frightened to death, and they
+whispered together and tried to hide the bags of gold under the
+three-legged stools. But the little bear wouldn't go away, and of course
+Little Sir Cat did just what the little bear did, for he didn't know
+what else to do, you know.
+
+Well, after a while the dwarfs asked, "What do you want?" And Little Sir
+Cat replied, "Bumpty bump!" And then the little dwarfs looked at one
+another, and, oh, dear me! how they did scowl. But pretty soon one of
+them filled two small bags with gold and gave them to him.
+
+"Bumpty bump!" said Little Sir Cat with a bow, and then the little bear
+opened the door and led him back through the big cave till they came out
+into the sunlight again.
+
+And that's how Little Sir Cat found his fortune.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Transcriber's Notes:
+
+Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
+
+As this book had no page numbers, errata will be listed by story or
+rhyme instead.
+
+Little Sir Cat Helps Piggie,
+
+"Chesire" changed to "Cheshire" (his from Cheshire)
+
+What to Do at Night:
+
+The final line of the first stanza was not indented in the original.
+This was changed to match the form of the rest of the poem.
+
+Dick's Valentine:
+
+"litle" changed to "little" (speak the little waif)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Jumble Book, by David Cory
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42162 ***