and as he was going by Blunder's house, · he took Blunder home, laughing to himself all the way.

When Blunder got into the house, everybody cried, "Where is the wishinggate? Did you find it?"

"I don't know where it is," said Blunder; "I could n't find it," and then he told the story of his troubles.

Poor boy," said his mother, kissing him, while his sister ran to get him some bread and milk.

"Yes, that's all very fine," said the fairy godmother, sitting by the fire, "but now listen to my story.

"There was once a once a little boy who wanted to go to the wishing-gate, and his fairy godmother showed him the road as far as the first turn, and told him to ask the first owl he met what to do then.

his

"But this little boy, who seldom uses eyes, passed the first owl and waked up the wrong owl. owl. He passed the waterfairy and found only a frog. So he sat under the pine tree and never saw the crow. So he passed the dream-man and

ran after Jack-o'lantern.

And so he

sat right under the wishing-gate and never saw it.

"There is no use in trying to help a boy who will not help himself. Every boy who tries has his own wishing-gate at hand." And away she flew up the chimney, leaving Blunder to think his own thoughts.

-Louise Challet.

Spell: shutting, glories, geography, naughty, chimney, witch, delicate, watch, diamond.

Did you ever see Jack-o'lantern? How did he look? What kind of a place does he live in? What other name does he have? Is there really such a thing as a wishing - gate? What bad habit had the little boy in this story?

Review Soft Tone Drill, page 21.

Read, if accessible, "The Land of Short Memories."- St. Nicholas. "Daffydowndilly."- Hawthorne.

Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever.

- Horace Mann.

I take the liberty to write to you that you may know that Columbine and I are very well.

There was no dinner yesterday to speak of. I had for my part only a piece of biscuit that might have been round the world, and if Columbine got anything at all I did n't see it.

This is a fine day for a run, and I hope I may be taken to see the dogs at Mrs. Lindsay's. They are both well-bred dogs and always glad to see me.

The parrot there is great fun when I spring at her, and Mrs. Lindsay has always a fine lot of bones and does n't mind if her dogs and I eat them on the carpet.

*Thomas Carlyle was a famous Scotchman, and his wife, Jeannie Carlyle, was a very witty woman. Once when Mr. Carlyle was away from home, Mrs. Carlyle wrote him a letter as though it were from his dog Nero. You should know that Columbine is the cat. This is the letter.

To-day an old gentleman looked at me a long time, and then turned to my mistress and said, "Sharp, is n't he?" My mistress was so good as to say, "O, yes," and then the old gentleman said again, "I knew it! Easy to see that."

At that he put his hand into his pocket and took out a whole biscuit, a sweet one, and gave it to me in bits. I was sorry to part from him, for he was a good judge of dogs.

Mr. Brown and his wife called while we were out. Columbine saw them through the window and said they seemed nice people.

Columbine and I are happy to hear that you will come home soon, for then there will be dinners again.

Your obedient little dog,

Spell piece, biscuit, through, Chelsea, judge.
Write a letter from Columbine to her master.

NERO.

LOUD TONE DRILL.

Strike! till the last armed foe expires;
Strike! for your altars and your fires;
Strike! for the green graves of your sires,
God, and your native land.

DONKEY IN THE LION'S SKIN.

A long-eared donkey once found a lion's skin hung up to dry. "Now," said he, "I'll dress myself up in this lion's hide and frighten all the cattle, and horses, and sheep, and dogs, in the woods."

He started out, and away fled the sheep and other animals, almost scared out of their wits.

But he soon met an old fox, who stood still and stared at him. Then the donkey gave what he meant to sound like the terrible roar of the lion.

But the fox coolly walked up to him and said, "Do you think to frighten me? I know by your long ears that you are only a donkey, even if your noisy bray did not betray you."

THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING.

Once a wolf dressed himself in the skin of a sheep. In this way he was able to get among the sheep and kill them.