There are other styles of lamp-shades that can be made with little difficulty, for instance: A very pretty shade is easily formed by cutting in thin drawing-board fine scalloped sections, which, tied together with narrow ribbon, take the form of a shade. Leaves are glued to the under side of these, and a lining of thin tissue-paper is pasted on to hold them in place. Still another is made in the same way, with doubled sections of card-board, between each pair of which is laid a steel engraving or wood-cut, or an unmounted photograph. The pictures are invisible till the lamp is lighted: then they gleam forth with something of the soft glow of a porcelain transparency.

A GLOVE-BOX.

In any of the fancy shops you can now buy the slender frames of silvered tin on which these boxes are made. Cut out double pieces of pale-tinted silk to fit the top, bottom, sides and ends, and quilt each separately with an interlining of cotton batting, on which sachet-powder has been lightly sprinkled. Slip the pieces between the double rods of the frame, sew over and over, and finish with a plaited satin ribbon all round, adding a neat little loop and bow to lift the lid.

The small tin boxes in which fancy biscuits are sold can be utilized for glove-boxes, covered as you choose on the outside, and lined with wadded silk.

ANOTHER GLOVE-BOX.

This box can be made in very stiff card-board, but tin is better if you have the pieces which form its shape cut by the tinman, and punched with holes in rows an inch and a half apart. If you use card-board, you must punch your own holes, measuring the places for them with rule and pencil. In either case, you will need the same number of pieces and of the same size, namely: two strips one foot long and five inches wide, two strips one foot long and three inches wide, and two strips five inches long and three inches wide. Cover each piece with a layer of cotton wadding, sprinkled with sachet powder, and a layer of silk or satin of any color you prefer. Then catch the silk firmly down through the holes in the tin, making long stitches on the wrong side, and small cross-stitches on the right, so as to form neat regular tufts. A very tiny button sewed in each depression has a neat effect. When the inside of the box is thus tufted, baste the pieces together, cover the outside with black or dark silk or satin, embroidered or ornamented in any way your fancy may dictate, overhand the edges daintily, and neatly finish with a small cord. Square boxes made in the same way are pretty for pocket-handkerchiefs.



A COAL-SCUTTLE PIN-CUSHION.

This droll little scuttle is made of black enamel cloth, cut according to the diagrams on next page. Fig. 1 is cut double and folded over at G. The two sides marked B and E in Fig. 1 are bound with black galloon; also the two sides marked with the same letters in Fig. 2.



Before binding over, cast a bit of wire around the top and one around the bottom of the scuttle, and bend each into its proper shape. Figs. 3 and 4 are bound all round, and sewed over and over to the places indicated. Wrap two bits of wire, one four inches long and the other an inch and a quarter, with black worsted, and insert them through little holes made for the purpose to serve as the handles of the scuttle; stuff the inside firmly with hair or cotton-wool, cover the top with flannel, cut after Fig. 4, and button-hole the edges down all round with worsted of the color of the flannel. If you like to add a needle-book you can do so by cutting three leaves of differently colored flannels, after the shape of Fig. 4, snipping the edges into points, or button-holing them, and fastening the leaves to the back of the scuttle above the pincushion.



A BIT OF PLAIN WORK.

There are notable little sempstresses even in these days of machines ("and I am thankful to know that there are," says Mother Santa Claus) who set their stitches as swiftly and as precisely as ever their grandmothers did before them, and have the same liking for what used to be called "white seam." To such we would suggest, what a nice and useful Christmas present would be a beautifully made under-garment. It need not of necessity be a shirt, though in old days no girl was considered educated who could not finish one all by herself, from cutting out to the last button-hole; but an apron or petticoat or dressing-jacket or night-gown, over which little fingers had labored deftly and lovingly, would, it seems to us, be a most wonderful and delightful novelty for mamma or grandmamma to find on the Christmas-tree this year. A set of handkerchiefs nicely hemmed and marked (girls used to cross-stitch the marks in their own hair!), or a soft flannel petticoat, cat-stitched at the seams, scalloped with coarse working cotton,—which grows whiter with washing, instead of yellowing like silk,—with three pretty initials on the waistband, would be other capital ideas. Try them.

WORK APRONS.

The great convenience of these aprons is that the work can be rolled up in them and laid aside for use. They are made of brown Holland trimmed with black or blue or crimson worsted braid. Little loops of doubled braid ornament the edge, and are held in place by a plain row of the braid stitched on above them. The lower and largest pocket should be made full and drawn up with a cord at top, so as to hold rolls of pieces, worsteds and patterns. The little pockets are for spools of silk and thread, tapes, buttons, and so on.



A LEAF NEEDLE-BOOK.

For this needle-book you will need the following materials: One-eighth of a yard of crimson or green velvet, one-eighth of a yard of lining silk to match, one-eighth of a yard of fine white flannel, two skeins of white silk floss, a bit of Bristol-board, and a half yard of narrow ribbon.

Cut in the Bristol-board a couple of leaf-shaped pieces like the illustration. Cover each with the velvet, turning in the edges neatly, line with the silk, and button-hole both together all round with white floss. Stitch the veins in the leaves with the floss, held tightly, so as to depress the lines a little. Cut three leaves of flannel in the same shape, button-hole the edges, lay them between the leaves, and fasten all together at top with a bow of ribbon. A tiny loop and button should be attached to the point to hold the needle-book together.



BOOK-MARK.

A large lace-like cross hanging from the end of a wide ribbon makes a handsome and appropriate mark for a big bible or prayer-book. The materials cost almost nothing, all that is required being a bit of perforated card-board, a sharp penknife, and—patience. Trace the form of the cross on the card-board, and outline the pattern on one side in pencil. You will observe that the one given as illustration is made up of small forms many times repeated, and this is the case with all patterns used for this purpose. The easiest way to outline it regularly is to do a square of eight holes at a time, marking the places to be cut, and leaving the uncut places white. When all is marked, place on a smooth board and cut, following the markings exactly with your knife. The work cannot be hurried: it must be done slowly and very carefully if you hope to succeed.

* * * * *

And now we will turn out the more difficult things from the bottom of the basket, and you big, clever boys and girls who can do what you like with your fingers and knives and needles and paint-brushes, can take your pick from them.

AUTUMN-LEAF WORK.

If you have an old work-box, or desk, or table-top, or screen, which has grown shabby, and which you would like to renew, we can tell you how to do so. First, you must take those generous friends, the woods, into your counsel. Gather and press every bright, perfect leaf and spray which comes in your way this autumn, and every graceful bit of vine, and a quantity of small brown and gold-colored ferns, and those white feathery ones which have blanched in the deep shadows. These ready, paint your box, or whatever it is, with solid black, let it dry, rub it smooth with fine sand-paper, and repeat the process three times. Then glue the leaves and ferns on, irregularly scattered, or in regular bouquets and wreaths, as suits your fancy. Apply a coat of isinglass, dissolved in water, to the whole surface, and when that is dry, three coats of copal varnish, allowing each to dry before the next is put on. The effect is very handsome. And, even without painting the objects black, this same style of leaf and fern-work can be applied to earthen vases, wooden boxes, trays and saucers, for card-receivers. For these, you may get some good hints from the illustrations on subsequent pages. The same illustrations will apply to the "novelties in fern-work" given further on.

A WINDOW TRANSPARENCY.

Another pretty use for autumn leaves is a transparency for a window. Arrange a group of the leaves upon a pane of glass, lay another pane of same size over these, and glue the edges together, first with a strip of stout muslin, and then with narrow red ribbon, leaving a loop at each upper corner to hang it up by. The deep leaf colors seen against the light are delightful.

SIDE-LIGHT TRANSPARENCIES.

Any of you who happen to live in a house which has, like many old houses, a narrow side-light on either side of its front-door, and a row of panes across the top, can make a pretty effect by preparing a series of these transparencies to fit the door-glasses, and fastening them on by driving a stout tack into the sashes so as to support the four corners of each pane. The transparencies could be prepared secretly and put into place overnight, or on Christmas morning, before any one is up, so as to give mother a pleasant surprise as she comes downstairs.

A FRAME OF AUTUMN LEAVES.

Procure an oblong bit of tin, eight inches by ten, or ten inches by twelve, and have a large oval cut out in the middle. Paint the tin with two coats of black, glue a small group of leaves in each corner, with a wire spray or tendril to connect them, varnish with two coats of copal, and put a small picture behind the oval.

A FRAME OF MAIDEN-HAIR.

Cut a pasteboard frame three inches wide of the size you need, and sew thickly all over it little sprays of maiden-hair ferns, pressed and dried. It is fastened to the wall with a pin at each corner, and of course does not support a glass. The effect of the light fern shapes against the wall is very delicate and graceful, and unsubstantial as it may seem, the frame lasts a long time, especially if, when the maiden-hair first begins to curl, the whole is taken down and re-pressed for two or three days under a heavy book.



NOVELTIES IN FERN-WORK.

We hope some of you have collected a good supply of ferns of the different colors,—deep brown, yellow, green and white,—for by means of a new process you can make something really beautiful with them. It requires deft fingers and good eyes, but with practice and patience any of you could manage it. Supposing it to be a table-top which you wish to ornament, you proceed as follows: Paint the wood all over with black or very dark brown; let it dry, and rub it smooth with pumice. Next varnish. And here comes the point of the process. While the varnish is wet, lay your ferns down upon it, following a design which you have arranged clearly in your head, or marked beforehand on a sheet of paper. A pin's point will aid you to move and place the fragile stems, which must not be much handled, and must lie perfectly flat, with no little projecting points to mar the effect, which when done should be like mosaic-work. As soon as the pattern is in place, varnish again immediately. The ferns, thus inclosed in a double wall of varnish, will keep their places perfectly. Next day, when all is dry, varnish once more. Small articles of white holly-wood decorated in this way are very pretty, and a thin china plate with an overlaying of these varnished ferns becomes a beautiful and ornamental card-receiver.



A SHOE-CHAIR.

An old cane-seated chair will answer perfectly to make this, provided the frame-work is strong and good. Cut away the cane and insert in its place a stout bag of twilled linen, the size of the seat and about ten inches deep. Around this bag sew eight pockets, each large enough for a pair of shoes. The round pocket left in the middle will serve to hold stockings. Have a bit of thin wood cut to fit the seat of the chair; fasten on this a cushion covered with cretonne, with a deep frill all around (or a narrow frill, provided you prefer to fasten the deep ruffle around the chair itself, as shown in the picture), and a little loop in front by which the seat can be raised like the lid of a box, when the shoes are wanted. This chair is really a most convenient piece of furniture for a bedroom.



SCRAP-BAGS IN TURKISH TOWELING.

These are convenient little affairs. Hung on the gas-fixture beside a looking-glass, or on a hook above the work-table, they will be found just the things to catch odds and ends, such as hair, burnt matches, ravelings and shreds of cloth, which are always accumulating, and for which many city bedrooms afford no receptacle. The materials needed are three-quarters of a yard of pale-brown Turkish toweling, six yards of red worsted braid, four steel rings (to hold the strings), one-eighth of a yard each of blue, white, and scarlet cashmere, a skein each of blue, red, green, yellow, and black worsted, and a small red tassel in chenille or silk.

Cut four pieces of the toweling, twelve inches long and six and a half wide, and shape them according to diagram.

Bind each around with braid. Cut out a shape in cashmere of the three colors laid one over the other, and button-hole it on with worsted, contrasting the shades in as gay and marked a manner as possible. In the design given, A is white cashmere, B red, and C blue. A is button-holed with green, B with black, and C with yellow. B is chain-stitched in blue and white lines, C feather-stitched in white and yellow. The daisy-like flower above is white, with a yellow center and a green stem, and the long lines of stitching on either side are in red and black. Some of these bags are very pretty.

This bag could be simplified by using no cashmere, and feather-stitching each quarter diagonally across with alternate black, red, and yellow lines.



ANOTHER SCRAP-BAG.

The upper part of this bag is made of silver perforated paper. Buy a strip a foot long and six inches wide, and embroider it all over in alternate lines of cross and single stitching, using single zephyr worsted, blue or rose-colored. Cut a piece of stiff card-board of exactly the same size, and line it with pink or blue silk to match the worsted. Sew the two ends together to form a circle, lay the silver paper smoothly over it, stitch down, and trim both edges with plaited satin ribbon three-quarters of an inch wide.

This is the top of your bag. The bottom is crocheted in worsted by the ordinary long stitch, and sewed to the silver-paper top piece under the satin ribbon. A worsted tassel finishes the lower end.

ARTISTIC EMBROIDERY.

Just here a word to the girls about embroidery. In old days, when embroidery was the chief occupation of noble dames and demoiselles, the needle was used as a paint-brush might be, to make a picture of some real thing or some ideal occurrence. For instance: the Bayeux tapestry, worked in the eleventh century by Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror, and her ladies, is a continuous series of pictures, two hundred and fourteen feet long by about two feet wide, which represent scenes in the invasion and conquest of England. Old as it is, the colors are still undimmed and brilliant. Even so lately as the last century, ladies designed their own patterns, and embroidered court dresses and trimmings with flowers and birds copied from nature. But for many years back fancy-work has degenerated into the following of set models, without exercising any "fancy" of one's own at all. Now the old method is come into fashion again, and it means so much more, and is so vastly more interesting than copying a cut-and-dried pattern from a shop, that we long to set you all to trying your hands at it. For example, if you want a cushion with a group of daisies, gather a handful of fresh ones,—take a bit of linen or china crape, or fine crash or pongee, and, with green and white and gray and gold-colored silks, make a picture of the daisies as they look to you, not using any particular kind of stitch, but employing long ones or short ones, or loose or tight ones, just as comes most easily in giving the effect you want to get. This is much nicer than counting the stitches on a paper pattern and a bit of canvas, and when done, produces a much better effect. Even in winter, a real flower or a fern-spray, by way of model, can always be found in the flower-shops or greenhouses. Practice will stimulate invention and suggest all sorts of devices and ideas. Bits of pretty stuffs will catch your eye as adaptable for use, and oddly tinted silks (the old, faded colors often work in better than fresh ones), patterns on fans, on rice paper, on Japanese pictures—all sorts of things—will serve as material for your fancy. And when your work is done it will be original, and, as such, more valuable and interesting than any shop model, however beautiful in itself, can possibly be.



ORIENTAL WORK.

Very gay and quaint effects are produced with this work, which is an adaptation of the well-known Eastern embroideries. Its ground-work is plain cashmere or flannel, red, black or blue, on which small fantastically shaped figures in variously colored velvets or cashmeres are laid and button-holed down with floss silks. All sorts of forms are employed for these figures—stars, crescents, circles, trefoils, shields, palm-leaves, griffins, imps; and little wheels and comets in feather-stitch and cat-stitch are inserted between, to add to the oddity of the whole. These forms can be bought at a low price in almost any fancy shop. A good deal of ingenuity and taste can be shown in arranging and blending the figures richly and brilliantly, without making them too bright and glaring. Table-covers in this work should have falls of deep points, pinked on the edges. Smaller points of white cashmere are sometimes inserted between the deep ones, and similarly decorated. Bright little tassels are swung between the points by twisted silk cords. The tassels are made of strips of scarlet and white flannel, cut almost across, in narrow fringes, rolled into shape, and confined by a tiny heading of flannel embroidered with silk. Sofa-pillows in this Oriental work are bright and effective, also wall-pockets and brackets—in fact, it can be applied in many ways. The bracket shapes must be cut in wood, and topped with flannel, the embroidered piece hanging across the front like a miniature drapery.

BEDSIDE RUGS.

The prettiest bedside rug which we ever saw was made in part of a snow-white lamb's-wool mat. This was laid in the center of a stout burlap, which projected six inches beyond the fleece all around, and was bordered with a band of embroidery on canvas six inches wide, the whole being lined with flannel and finished with a cord and a heavy tassel at each corner. A simpler rug is made of brown burlap, with a pattern in cross-stitch, worked in double zephyr worsteds of gay colors. Initials, or a motto, can be embroidered in the middle. The burlap can be fringed out around the edges for a finish.



A RAG RUG.

An effective rug can be made in this way: Cut long inch-wide strips of cloths, flannels, and various kinds of material (widening the strip, however, in proportion as the fabric is thinner). Sew the ends together so as to make one very long strip, which, for convenience' sake, can be loosely wound up in a ball. Then, with a very large wooden crochet-needle, you crochet a circle, a square, or oblong mat of this rag-strip, just as with cotton or worsted. It makes a strong, durable, and, with bright and tasteful colors, a very pretty rug.

A SCREEN.

A folding clothes-horse with two leaves, such as is used in laundries, makes the foundation for this screen. The wood is painted solid black, and covered inside and out with very yellow unbleached cotton, stretched tightly over the frame, and held down by black upholstery braid fastened on with gilt nails. A design in flowers, leaves, birds, double circles, crescents, and parallel bars, to imitate the Japanese style of decoration, is painted in oil colors on the cotton, and a motto on the wood along the top. If the motto is arranged to read backward, the foreign effect of the whole will be enhanced. We have seen a striking screen of this sort made by a little girl who, as she could not paint in oil colors, decorated the surface with figures of various kinds cut from Japanese picture-papers, such as are now sold for from ten to twenty cents in the Japanese goods shops. Her figures were so well pasted and arranged, that the screen was one of the prettiest things in the bedroom.

Screens covered with pictures cut from magazines and illustrated newspapers are very much liked by boys and girls, and by some of their elders.

A COUVRE-PIED.

This is a large oblong in loosely knitted double zephyr wools, and is made double, dark brown on one side, for instance, and pale blue on the other. The two are united with a border in open crochet of the brown, laced through with light blue ribbon, which is finished at each corner with a loosely tied bow and ends. The couvre-pied, as the name indicates, is meant to cover the feet of a person who lies on a sofa, and is an excellent present to make to an elderly or invalid friend.

TILE OR CHINA PAINTING.

Don't be frightened at the word, dears. China-painting is high art sometimes, and intricate and difficult work often, but it is quite possible to produce pretty effects without knowing a great deal about either china or painting. Neither are the materials of necessity expensive. All that you need, to begin with, are a few half tubes of china or mineral paints, which cost about as much as oil colors, four or five camel's-hair brushes, a palette-knife, a small phial of oil-of-lavender, and another of oil-of-turpentine, a plain glazed china cup or plate or tile to work on, and either a china palette or another plate on which to rub the paints. For colors, black, capuchine red, rose-pink, yellow, blue, green and brown are an ample assortment for a novice and for purposes of practice. We would advise only two tubes, one of black and one of rose pink, which are colors that do not betray your confidence when it comes to baking. For the chief difficulty in china-painting is that to be permanent the work must be "fired,"—that is, fused by a great heat in a furnace,—and it requires a great deal of experience to learn what the different tints are likely to do under this test. Some colors—yellow, for instance—eat up, so to speak, the colors laid over them. Others change tint. Pinks and some of the greens grow more intense; white cannot be trusted, and mixing one paint with another, as in oils, can only be done safely by experts. It is well, therefore, to begin with two simple colors, and you will be surprised to see how much may be done with them. (See "Hollenberry Cup," in ST. NICHOLAS for May, 1877, page 458.) A cup of transparent white china, the handle painted black, a Japanese-looking bough with black foliage and pink blossoms thrown over it, and a little motto, has a really charming effect. But be sure to put on the pink very pale, and the black, not in a hard, solid streak, but delicately, to suggest shading from dark to light, or the result of the baking will be disappointment.



The method of preparing the colors is to squeeze a very little paint from each tube upon your palette or plate; take a tiny drop of oil-of-lavender on the palette-knife, and with it rub the paint smooth. It should be thinned just enough to work smoothly; every drop of oil added after that is a disadvantage. Use a separate brush for each color, and wash them thoroughly with soap and hot water before putting them aside. The painting should be set away where no dust can come to it, and it will dry rapidly in forty-eight hours or less. Elaborate work often requires repainting after baking, the process being repeated several times; but for simpler designs one baking is usually enough. There are bakeries in Boston, New York, and others of our large cities, to which china can be sent, the price of baking being about ten cents for each article.



OTHER MODES OF DECORATING CHINA.

The picture-books which are to be found at the Japanese stores nowadays suggest numberless excellent designs for china decorating. So do the "Walter Crane Fairy-tales." A plain olive or cream-colored tile with a pattern in bamboo-boughs and little birds, a milk-jug in gray with leaves and a motto in black, a set of tiny butter-plates with initials and a flower-spray on each, are easy things to attempt and very effective when done. Pie-dishes can be ornamented with a long, sketchy branch of blossoms or a flight of swallows across the bottom, and we have seen those small dishes of Nancy ware, in which eggs are first poached and then served on table, made very pretty by a painting on each of a chicken, done in soft browns and reds, with a little line to frame it in and run down along the handle. What we have mentioned here are only suggestions; a little patience and practice will soon help you to other patterns of your own, and we can't help hoping that some of you will be tempted to try your hands at this delightful art.

DRAWING AND PAINTING ON WOOD.

Articles in plain white wood can be bought almost anywhere nowadays. Pen-trays, letter-racks, easels, paper-knives, photograph-frames, watch-cases, needle-books, portfolios, glove-boxes, fans, silk-winders—there is no end to the variety which can be had, and had at a very moderate price. Now, any girl or boy among you with a paint-box and a little taste for drawing, can make a really pretty gift by decorating some one of these wooden things, either in color or with pen drawings in brown or black. The pattern need by no means be elaborate. A wreath of ivy simply out-lined in sepia or india-ink, or a group of figures sketched with the same, produces a very pleasing and harmonious effect. "Prout's Brown," a sort of fluent ink of a burnt-umber tint, will be found excellent for drawing purposes. For designs, our own ST. NICHOLAS will furnish excellent examples. Scarcely a number but holds something which a clever artist can adapt to his purpose. The "Miss Muffett" series, for example, or the silhouettes, or the sea-side sketches, or the ornamental borders and leaf-and-flower headings. Look over your back numbers, and you will see how rich they are in subjects for copies.

Here is a suggestion for such of you as live by the sea, and who know something about drawing. Search for clam-shells on the beach, and select the whitest and most perfectly formed. Separate the two shells, cleanse them thoroughly, and make on the smooth pearly lining of each a little drawing in sepia. It will serve as a receiver to stand on a lady's toilet and hold rings and trinkets, or it can be used as an ash-holder by a smoking gentleman, or to contain pens on a writing-table.

A SHOE-CHAIR MADE OF A BARREL.

Another shoe-chair as nice as that pictured on page 56 can be made out of a barrel by any girl who has a father or big brother to help her a little with the carpentering. The barrel is cut as in Fig. 1 below, so as to form a back and a low front. The back is stuffed a little, and covered with chintz nearly down to the floor. The front has a deep frill tacked on all around the chair. Four blocks are nailed inside the barrel to support a round of wood, stuffed and cushioned with the same chintz, to serve as a seat.

A straight shoe-bag, with eight pockets, is made in the same chintz, and tacked firmly all around the inside. A loop of the chintz serves to raise the seat. Four castors screwed to the bottom of the barrel will be an improvement, as the chair without them cannot easily be moved about. About five yards of chintz will be required for the covering; or you might use the merino of an old dress.



A MUSLIN TIDY.

Three-quarters of a yard of clear French muslin will be needed for this. Lay a large dinner-plate down on the muslin, draw the circle made by its edge with a pencil, cut out, and lightly whip it round, pulling the thread a little to keep the circle perfect. Measure the circle, and cut a straight muslin ruffle, five inches wide and a little less than twice as long as the measure. Roll one edge finely, and overhand on a plain lace footing an inch and a half wide. Whip the other edge, and sew it round the circle, graduating the fullness equally.



Baste a bit of lace footing three-quarters of an inch wide in the middle of the circle, giving it the form of a bow-knot with two ends. The lace must be bent and folded into the form, but not cut. Run the edges with embroidery cotton, and button-hole all round. Then, with sharp scissors, cut away the muslin underneath, leaving the bow-knot transparent on a thicker ground. Dry-flute the ruffle. This little affair is very dainty and odd, one of the prettiest things which we have seen lately.

AN ILLUMINATED BORDER FOR A PHOTOGRAPH.

St. Nicholas has given us of late such precise directions for the process of illuminating in color,[2] that it is not needful to repeat them; but we should like to suggest an idea to those of you who have begun to practice the art. This is to illuminate a border or "mount" around a favorite photograph. The picture must first be pasted on a large sheet of tinted card-board, pale cream or gray being the best tints to select. You then measure the spaces for your frame, which should be square if the picture is oval or round, and outline them lightly in lead-pencil. Next you sketch and paint your pattern,—flowers, leaves, birds, butterflies, or a set pattern, as you prefer,—putting the designs thickly together; and, lastly, you fill all the blank spaces in with gold paint, leaving the pattern in colors on a gilded ground. The outer edge of the frame should be broken into little scallops or trefoils in gold, and the card-board should be large enough to leave a space of at least three inches between the illuminated border and the frame, which should be a wide band of dull gilding or pale-colored wood, with a tiny line of black to relieve it. The ornament should, if possible, chord in some way with the picture. Thus a photograph of a Madonna might have the annunciation-lilies and passion-flowers on the gold ground.

[Footnote 2: SEE ST. NICHOLAS, Vol. IV., page 379.]

A BOOK OF TEXTS.

Another choice thing which can be done by a skillful illuminator is a small book, containing a few favorite texts, chosen by some friend. Half-a-dozen will be enough. Each text occupies a separate page, and is carefully lettered in red or black, with decorated initials, and a border in colors. A great deal of taste can be shown in the arrangement of these borders, which should be appropriate to the text they surround. A title-page is added, and the book is bound in some quaint way. A cover of parchment or white vellum, illuminated also, can be made very beautiful.

A CARTE-DE-VISITE RECEIVER.

For this you must procure from the tin-man a strip of tin three times as long as it is wide—say six inches by eighteen—with each end shaped to a point, as indicated in the picture. Measure off two bits of card-board of exactly the same size and shape; cover one with silk or muslin for a back, and the other with Java canvas, cloth, or velvet, embroidered with a monogram in the upper point, and a little pattern or motto in the lower. Lay the double coverings one on each side of the tin, and cross the outside one with narrow ribbons, arranged as in the picture. Overhand firmly all around; finish the top with a plaited ribbon and a little bow and loop to hang it by, and the bottom with a bullion fringe of the color of the ribbon.



A PAIR OF BELLOWS.

There seems no end to the pretty devices which proficients in painting can accomplish. We saw not long since a pair of wooden bellows which had been decorated with a painting of a tiny owl sitting on a bough, and the motto "Blow, blow, thou bitter wind." Why should not some of you try your hands at something similar? Wood fires, thank heaven, are much more common than they used to be, and most of you must know a cozy chimney corner where a pretty pair of bellows would be valued.

A DOOR-PANEL.

A great bunch of field-flowers, or fruit-boughs, or Virginia-creeper, painted in water-paints on the panel of an ordinary door, is another nice thing for you young artists to attempt. Perhaps you will object that a picture on a door can hardly be called a Christmas present; but we don't know.

Anything which loving fingers can make, and loving hearts enjoy, is a gift worthy of Christmas or any other time.

A SACHET IN WATER-COLORS.

Another dainty idea for you who can paint is a small perfume-case of white or pale-colored silk or satin, on which is painted a bunch of flowers or a little motto. The flowers must be small ones, such as forget-me-nots or purple and white violets. A great deal of white paint—body color, as it is called—should be mixed with the color, to make it thick enough not to soak and stain the silk along the edges of the pattern. Some people paint the whole design in solid white, let it dry, and then put on the color over the white. Others mix a little ox-gall with the paint.

DECORATED CANDLES.

The large wax or composition candles, of a firm texture, are best for purposes of decoration. Water-color paints can be used, or those powders which come for coloring wax flowers. In either case it will be necessary to use a little ox-gall to give the paint consistency. A band of solid tint—crimson, black, blue or gold—is usually put around the middle of the candle, with a pattern in flowers or small bright points above and below. Spirals of blue forget-me-nots all over the candle are pretty, or sprays of leaves and berries set in a regular pattern. These gay candles are considered ornamental for a writing-table, and look well in the brass candlesticks which are so much used just now, though we confess to a preference for unornamented candles of one solid tint.

A RUSTIC JARDINIERE.

Boys and girls who live in the country hardly know how lucky they are, or what mines of materials for clever handiwork lie close by them in the fruitful, generous woods. What with cones and leaves and moss and lichens and bark and fungi and twigs and ferns, these great green store-houses beat all the fancy shops for variety and beauty, and their "stock" is given away without money or price to all who choose to take. Most of you know something of the infinite variety of things which can be made out of these wood treasures, though nobody knows, or can know, all. Now, we want to tell you of a new thing, not at all difficult to make, and which would be a lovely surprise for some one this coming Christmas.

It is a rustic jardiniere, or flower-pot. The first step toward making it is to find a small stump about ten inches high, and as odd and twisted in shape as possible. It should have a base broader than its top, and three or four little branches projecting from its sides. Carry this treasure home, brush off any dirt which may cling to it, and ornament it with mosses and lichens, glued on to look as natural as possible. Make three small cornucopias of pasteboard; cover them also with mosses and lichens, and fasten them to the stump between the forks of the branches, using small brads or tacks to keep them firm. Stuff the cornucopias with dry moss, and arrange in each a bouquet of grasses, autumn leaves, and dried ferns, dipping the end of each stem in flour paste, to make it secure in its place. Sprays of blackberry-vine or michella, and the satin-white pods of the old-fashioned "honesty," make an effective addition. When done, we have a delightful winter-garden, which will keep its beauty through the months of snow and sleet, and brighten any room it stands in. Nor is its use over when winter ends, for, inserting small glass phials in the cornucopias, fresh flowers can be kept in them as in a vase, and the grays and browns of the lichened wood set off their hues far better than any gay vase could.

ANOTHER JARDINIERE.

Another rustic flower-holder can be made by selecting three knotty twigs, two and a half feet long and about an inch in diameter, and nailing them together in the form of a tripod, one half serving as a base, the other to hold a small flower-pot or a goblet whose foot has been broken off. The lower half should be strengthened with cross pieces nailed on, and both halves with twists of wild grape-vine or green briar, wired at their crossings to hold them firmly in place. When the frame is ready, melt together half a pound of bees'-wax, a quarter of a pound of rosin, and enough powdered burnt-umber to give a dark brown color; and pour the mixture on boiling hot. It will give the wood a rich tint. Fill the pot with sand, place over the sand a layer of green moss well pulled apart, and in that arrange a bouquet of dried leaves, ferns and grasses, or, if it is summer-time, wild flowers and vines.

* * * * *

Now, dear fancy-workers, little and big, surely Mother Santa Claus has furnished you with ideas enough to keep you busy for more Christmases than one. Just one thing more, and that is the manner in which the presents shall be given. Nothing can be droller than to hang up one's stockings, and nothing prettier or more full of meaning than a Christmas-tree. But for some of you who may like to make a novelty in these time-honored ways, we will just mention that it is good fun to make a "Christmas-pie" in an enormous tin dish-pan, with a make-believe crust of yellow cartridge paper, ornamented with twirls and flourishes of the same, held down with pins, and have it served on Christmas Eve, full of pretty things and sugar-plums, jokes and jolly little rhymes fastened to the parcels. The cutting should be done beforehand, and hidden by the twirls of paper; but the carver can pretend to use his knife and fork, and spooning out the packages will insure a merry time for all at table. And one more suggestion. Little articles, wrapped in white paper, can be put inside cakes, baked and iced, and thus furnish another amusing surprise for the "pie" or the Christmas-tree.

* * * * *

We are indebted to Mrs. L. B. Goodall, Mrs. M. E. Stockton, Mrs. Tolles, Miss Annie M. Phoebus, Miss M. Meeker, and Miss M. H. D., for designs and suggestions in aid of this article; and to the "Ladies' Floral Cabinet" for some valuable hints on "Leaf-work."

* * * * *



LITTLE TWEET.

There were once some nice little birds who lived together in a great big cage. This cage was not at all like the bird-cages we generally see. It was called an aviary, and it was as large as a room. It had small trees and bushes growing in it, so that the birds could fly about among the green leaves and settle on the branches. There were little houses where the birds might make their nests and bring up their young ones, and there was everything else that the people who owned this big cage thought their little birds would want. It had wires all around it to keep the birds from flying away.

One of the tamest and prettiest of the birds who lived in this place was called little Tweet, because, whenever she saw any of the family coming near the cage she would fly up close to the wires and say, "Tweet! Tweet!" which meant "Good-morning! how do you do?" But they thought it was only her pretty way of asking for something to eat; and as she said "Tweet" so much, they gave her that for a name.

One day there was a boy who came to visit the family who owned the birds, and very soon he went to see the big cage. He had never seen anything like it before. He had never been so close to birds that were sitting on trees or hopping about among the branches. If the birds at home were as tame as these, he could knock over lots of them, he thought.

There was one that seemed tamer than any of the rest. It came up close to him and said: "Tweet! Tweet!"

The boy got a little stick and pushed it through the wires at little Tweet, and struck her. Poor little Tweet was frightened and hurt. She flew up to a branch of the tree and sat there, feeling very badly. When the boy found he could not reach her any more with his stick, he went away.

Tweet sat on the branch a long time. The other birds saw she was sick, and came and asked how she felt. Some of them carried nice seeds to her in their bills. But little Tweet could not eat anything. She ached all over, and sat very quietly with her head down on her breast.



She sat on that branch nearly all day. She had a little baby-bird, who was in a nest in one of the small houses, but the other birds said she need not go and feed it if she did not wish to move about. They would take it something to eat.

But, toward night, she heard her baby cry, and then she thought she must go to it. So she slowly flew over to her house; and her baby, who was in a little nest against the wall, was very glad to see her.

In the morning, two of the birds came to the house to see how little Tweet was, and found her lying on the floor, dead. The little baby-bird was looking out of its nest, wondering what it all meant. How sorry those two birds were when they found that their good little friend Tweet was really dead!

"Poor Tweet!" said one of them, "She was the gentlest and best of us all. And that poor little dear in the nest there, what will become of it?"

"Become of it!" replied the other bird, who was sitting by poor Tweet, "Become of it! Why, it shall never want for anything. I shall take it for my own, and I will be a kind mother to it, for the sake of poor little Tweet."

Now, do you not think that there were good, kind birds in that big cage? But what do you think of the boy?



JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT.

Hurrah for the new volume!—Volume V., I believe it is to be called. That reminds me of the names of Japanese children, hundreds of years ago. Instead of being known by the Japanese for Tom, Henry, or John, it was No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and so on, through a whole family of little folks.

Once you had an article[1] on Japanese Games by a native of Japan, Ichy Zo Hattori. Well, this name, as you will all admit, is a fine-sounding appellative enough, but in English it means simply No. 1 Hattori.

[Footnote 1: See ST. NICHOLAS for January, 1874.]

So, welcome to the lovely new child, No. 5 St. Nicholas!—and that he may grow to be a brave, bright volume, beautiful to look at and useful to this and many a generation of little folks, is your Jack's earnest wish.

Of one thing the little fellow may be sure,—Jack and the Deacon, and the dear, blessed Little School-ma'am, will stand by him to the end. And so will you, my chicks, Jack verily believes. He'll be a good friend to you, bringing you any amount of fun, and telling you more good things every month than you'll remember in a thousand years.

Now we'll take up our next subject.

AN ARTIFICIAL HORSE THAT CAN GO.

Well, well! The birds must be joking, for who ever heard of a bird telling a deliberate lie? And yet it may be true. There have been artificial men,—manikins, automata, or whatever they are called,—so why shouldn't there be artificial horses?

Come to think of it, it was not the birds who told me about them. It was a letter; and "artificial horses" the letter said, as plainly as could be. It told how a fine specimen had just been exhibited in the capital of Prussia. The thing must look like a horse, too, for it is a hobby between two high wheels (the rider sits on the saddle), and it travels about as rapidly as a trotting horse. As I understand it, the rider moves his legs to make the machine go, and yet it isn't a bicycle. It goes over stony roads, turns corners, and, for aught Jack knows, rears and kicks like any ordinary charger—that is, when it's out of order.

I should like to see one among the boys of the red school-house. How they would make it go!

A LETTER FROM DEACON GREEN.

DEAR JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT: I wish some of the boys and girls who think they never have any chance to read could know a little fellow of my acquaintance, named George. He is fourteen years old and employed as errand boy in a business house in New York. All day long he runs, runs,—up-town, down-town, across town,—until you would suppose that his little legs would be worn out. But, always on the alert as he is, and ready to do his duty whether tired or not, he still keeps constantly before his mind the idea of self-improvement, in business and out. Through a friend he has of late been able to procure books from the Mercantile Library. Although his time during the day, as I have said, is wholly taken up with his duties, yet he managed, during the evenings of last fall and winter (in five months), to read twelve books, some of them quite long ones and some of them in two volumes, all selected with his friend's assistance. From the list, I fancy the little fellow had an eye to enjoyment as well as profit, for they are not all what are called instructive books, although every one of them is a good book for a boy to read, and George tells me he enjoyed them all heartily.

As many of your youngsters, friend Jack, may like to know just what books the little fellow has read, I will give you the list that he wrote out at my request. It does not seem a very long list, perhaps, but I think very few hard-working boys in New York have read more than George in the same space of time. Here is the list:

"Robinson Crusoe;" "Benjamin Franklin," 2 vols.; "Life of Napoleon," 2 vols.; "Schoolmaster Stories;" "Hans Brinker;" "Swiss Family Robinson;" "Dickens's Child's History of England;" "Kenilworth;" "The Scottish Chiefs;" "The Boy Emigrants;" "Sparks' Life of Washington;" "Glaisher's Aerial Navigation."

This letter, dear Jack, is sent, not by way of puffing George, but as a sort of spur to studious boys and girls who may follow his example, if somebody puts them up to it.—Yours truly,

SILAS GREEN.

* * * * *

"SEE HOW I HELP!"

One of Jack's good friends, L.W.J. sends you this new fable:

"See how I help!" said a little mouse To the reapers that reaped the grain, As he nibbled away, by the door of his house, With all of his might and main.

"See how I help!" he went on with his talk; But they laid all the wide field low Before he had finished a single stalk Of the golden, glittering row.

As the mouse ran into his hole, he said: "Indeed, I cannot deny, Although an idea I had in my head, Those fellows work better than I."

* * * * *

AMONG THE CRANBERRY BOGS.

New Jersey, 1877.

DEAR JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT: You would not think, from their names, that cranberry bogs are pleasant places, but I enjoyed very much a visit to one last year in the fall. Seen merely from the road, a bog doesn't show very well, for the leaves are small, and the vines are crowded in heavy masses; but, when you get near, the white and red berries look pretty among the dark-green leaves.

The meadow is checquered with little canals by means of which the whole surface is flooded in winter-time, so as to protect the vines from the ill effects of frosts and thaws. In the spring, the water is drawn off at low tide through the flood-gates.

When the cranberry-pickers are at work, they make a curious sight, for there are people of all ages, odd dresses, and both sexes among them, and often a tottering old man may be seen working beside a small child. The little ones can be trusted to gather cranberries, for the fruit is not easily crushed in handling. Where cranberries grow thickly, one can almost fill one's hand at a grasp.

The overseer's one-roomed shanty, where he cooks, eats and sleeps, is on a knoll, and near it are the barrels in which the berries are packed, after they have been sorted according to size and quality.

Picking cranberries may be pleasant enough in fine weather, but it must be miserable work on a cold, drizzly day.

I hope this short account will be news to some of your chicks, of whom I am one, dear Jack; and I remain yours truly,

H. S.

* * * * *

MORE CRYSTALLIZED HORSES.

Piermont, N. H.

DEAR JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT: You ask in the March number of the St. Nicholas if any of us have seen crystallized horses "with our own eyes." We (Willie and I) have seen them many times; so has everybody else who lives here; that is, we have seen something very much like it, though we do not call it the same. When the thermometer is from thirty to thirty-six degrees below zero, horses and oxen are all covered with a white frost, so you cannot tell a black horse or ox from a white one; nor can you tell young men from old ones. Their whiskers, eyebrows and eyelashes, are all perfectly white. I've often had my ears frost-bitten in going to the school-house, which is only about as far as two blocks in a city.

When we see these sights, Jack Frost cannot paint his delicate pictures on the windows, for a thick white frost covers them all over, or rubs them out.

We like the St. Nicholas very much, and even our little sister, Mary, likes to look at the pictures, and she said that she wished she could see Jack-in-the-Pulpit. We intend to introduce her next summer to some of your relations that live by the big brook. We live about one hundred miles north-west of Concord, in the Connecticut valley, about half a mile from the Connecticut River. I am thirteen years old.—Good-bye,

E. A. M.

* * * * *

A TURTLE CART.

DEAR JACK: Looking over the fence into my neighbor's yard last summer, I saw what seemed to be a Liliputian load of hay in a tiny cart, going along the path. Whatever power drew it, was hidden from my sight; but the motion of the cart made me half expect to see a yoke of tiny oxen turn the corner. In a few moments, a small turtle appeared in sight, plodding leisurely along and drawing behind him the cart I had seen, which was very small and light.

I was assured by my little neighbor that the turtle liked the business very much; but, belonging to the S. P. C. A., I felt obliged to know the facts. I found that the turtle had his liberty nearly all the time, and a pond of water specially for his use; and that, when the haying season should end, he would be turned out to pasture in his native bog for the rest of the year.

It was a very comical sight, and, knowing my little friend's tenderness of heart, I was sure the turtle would receive nothing but kindness at his hands. The shell was not pierced, but the queer trotter was attached to the cart by means of a harness made of tape, allowing him free movement of the head, legs, and tail. If any of your boys should decide to follow my little friend's example, I trust that they will be as gentle as he in the treatment of their turtles.—Yours truly,

E. F. L.

* * * * *

ANOTHER TURTLE STORY.

DEAR JACK: One day, Rob and I (he's my brother) heard sister Welthy screaming awfully. We were playing in the barn, but of course we rushed out as hard as we could to save her life, if possible. We did not know where she was, but the screams grew louder as we neared the house.

At last we found her near the side-door—and what do you think was the matter?

Why, she was screaming at a turtle!

A CORNER IN TURTLES.

You don't know how funny it did seem. But we captured the dreadful monster (?) and comforted her as well as we could.

Now, Jack, as you and the Little Schoolma'am can do everything, wont you please get ST. NICHOLAS to show us a picture of this scene? I do believe Sis would laugh as hard as any of us if she could see it.—Yours affectionately,

NED G. P.

* * * * *

HALF SWEET, HALF SOUR.

The birds tell me that in a certain country grows an apple one half of which is sweet and the other half sour. I don't think I should like that sort of apple. The sweet side might do very well, as far as it went; but if you happened to bite on the other side,—ugh!

I like things that are good all through, so that I can be sure how to take them. Don't you?

* * * * *



OUR MUSIC PAGE

CAN A LITTLE CHILD, LIKE ME?

A THANKSGIVING HYMN.

Words by MARY MAPES DODGE. Music by WM. K. BASSFORD.

[Music:

Key: Bb Major (Bb, Eb); Time: 2/4; Range: F - D (F, G, A, Bb, C, D)

['F', 'Bb', etc. indicate notes having a quarter-note value; '.' extends a note; '_' includes the notes in a quarter-note value; '0' indicates a rest.]

{F Bb Bb Bb Bb A A . A G A G G .FF . {F Bb Bb Bb Bb A A . C A F CBb A G F . {G G C Bb Bb .AA . Bb Bb D C Bb .AA . {Bb . F .F A . G . {C . G .G Bb . A .

{Bb . D D D . G C Bb . A . Bb . 0 . ]



1. Can a little child like me, Thank the Father fittingly? Yes, oh yes! be good and true. Patient, kind in all you do; Love the Lord and do your part, Learn to say with all your heart: Father, we thank Thee! Father, we thank Thee! Father in Heaven, we thank Thee!

2. For the fruit upon the tree, For the birds that sing of Thee, For the earth in beauty drest, Father, mother and the rest, For thy precious, loving care, For Thy bounty ev'rywhere, Father, we thank Thee! Father, we thank Thee! Father in Heaven, we thank Thee!



Music and words copyrighted, 1877, by Wm. K. Bassford

* * * * *



"THE BABY'S OPERA" AND WALTER CRANE.

Of the many great artists of England, Walter Crane is accounted among the ablest and most gifted. As a painter on the canvas he stands high with critics; and in this country he is most widely known by his designs of colored picture-books for children. This is what one critic says of him in this regard: "Walter Crane has every charm. His design is rich, original, and full of discovery. His drawing is at once manly and sweet, and his color is as delightful as a garden of roses in June. And with these accomplishments he comes full-handed to the children,—and to their parents and lovers too!—and makes us all rich with a pleasure none of us ever knew as children, and never could have looked to know."

After this, it is very discouraging to learn, from a letter of Mr. Crane's to the Editor of SCRIBNER'S MONTHLY, that one may be deceived in buying Mr. Crane's books. This is particularly the case with "The Baby's Opera." So now we tell the readers of ST. NICHOLAS that every true copy of "The Baby's Opera" bears on its title-page the name of Messrs. George Routledge & Sons, the publishers, as well as Mr. Crane's, and that of the engraver and printer, Mr. Edmund Evans. To a purchaser, it would matter little that there were two editions of a work as long as the unauthorized one was exactly like the original; but Mr. Crane says that "the pirated edition grossly misrepresents his drawings, both in style and coloring; that the arrangement of the pages is different; and that the full-page colored plates are complete travesties, and very coarse ones, of the originals." And it does not at all improve the false copy that it is to be bought for less than the true one costs. It would be bad enough merely to deprive Mr. Crane of the profits of selling an exact imitation of his book, but it is far worse to put a bad sham before the people as the work of a true artist. This not only lessens his gains, but also takes away from his good name, besides spoiling the taste of the youngsters.

* * * * *



THE LETTER-BOX.

GIRLS AND BOYS: You will all be very sorry, we know, to learn that the beginning of Miss Alcott's serial story, "Under the Lilacs," has been postponed to the December number; but in place of it, we print this month the capital short story of "Mollie's Boyhood," which, we feel sure, will go far toward repaying you for the disappointment. We must ask you to wait a month longer for the opening chapters of the serial, and we mean to give you then a much longer installment of it than could have been printed in the present issue.

Meanwhile, you will find that the splendid article on Christmas Gifts, which occupies twenty-two pages of this number, contains novelties, hints, plates, and directions enough to keep your minds so busy planning, and your hands so busily at work, during the next few weeks, that the December ST. NICHOLAS will come before you think of expecting it, and perhaps before you have half finished your pretty gifts.

* * * * *

DEAR LITTLE SCHOOLMA'AM: Please will you tell me if it is warm or cold, and if it is dark or light, in the places between the stars?—Yours affectionately,

CONSTANCE DURIVAGE.

The Little Schoolma'am respectfully hands over this question to other little schoolma'ams.

* * * * *

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I make so many of the "Thistle-Puffs" spoken of in the September number that I thought I would let you know how I fix mine. After I get the thistles I cut off all the green excepting a little at the bottom; then I pull out all the purple, and leave them out in the sun till they are perfectly round white balls. They are very pretty in hats. Please put me down as a Bird-defender.—Your constant reader,

ALICE GERTRUDE BENEDICT.

* * * * *

Exmouth, England, August 27th.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I have read the story of the "Blue-Coat Boy," and like it. I am in England, and almost every day see a Blue-Coat boy pass our house. I think he looks like the picture in the ST. NICHOLAS. I should not like to wear the long coat, because I couldn't run in it; and I should think he would get a sunstroke, without a hat, if he ever goes to the beach. Aunt Fanny is like my mamma; she never asks for the right thing at the shops. I like the ST. NICHOLAS, and wish another one would come. My aunty gave it to me for a Christmas present for a whole year.—Your friend,

BENEDICT CROWELL.

* * * * *

We are very glad to see the interest which our readers have taken in the subject of "School-luncheons." Many boys and girls have sent in letters, thanking us for the article in our September number, and filled with sage bits of experience. We should like to acknowledge these separately, and print some of them, but can do no more here than express our thanks to our young correspondents, one and all, for their kind and hearty words.

It will interest them all to know, however, that the article has attracted attention, and aroused enthusiasm among the older people too,—their fathers and mothers, and teachers, and even their favorite writers. For here, among the many letters it has brought us, is one that is peculiarly welcome. Our readers will have little difficulty in guessing who the writer is:

August 26th.

DEAR LITTLE SCHOOLMA'AM: Being much interested, as well as amused, by the luncheon article in ST. NICHOLAS for September, I should like to add one more to the list of odd luncheons.

A pretty little dish of boiled rice, with a cake of molasses, or preserve of some sort, in the middle. This, fitted into a basket, and covered with a plate, goes safely, and, with the addition of a napkin and two spoons, makes a simple meal for hungry children.

It may find favor in the eyes, or rather mouths, of the young readers of ST. NICHOLAS, not only because it is good, but because it was the favorite lunch once upon a time of two little girls who are now pretty well known as "Meg and Jo March." It may be well to add that these young persons never had dyspepsia in their lives,—pie and pickles, cake and candy being unknown "goodies" to them.

With best wishes for the success of this much-needed reform in school-children's diet, I am, yours truly,

L.M.A.

* * * * *

THE MOONS OF MARS.

Since Professor Proctor wrote the paper entitled "Mars, the Planet of War," published in this number, there has been made, in relation to its subject, a discovery that the scientists say will rank among the most brilliant achievements of astronomy.

A great difference once thought to exist between Mars and the other planets was that he had no moons; but during the night of the 16th of August, Professor Hall, of the U.S. Naval Observatory at Washington, D.C., actually saw through his telescope that Mars has a moon. On the 18th of August another was seen, smaller than the first and nearer to the planet. The larger satellite is believed to be not more than ten miles in diameter: it is less than 12,000 miles distant from its primary, and its period of revolution about it is 30 hours 14 minutes. The distance of the smaller moon is 3,300 miles, and its period 7 hours 38 minutes. There is no doubt that these newly found celestial bodies are the smallest known.

From measurements made by Professor Hall, it is found, with a near approach to certainty, that the mass of Mars is equal to 1-3,090,000th part of the mass of the sun. This result was arrived at after only ten minutes of calculation, and is believed to be more nearly accurate than that obtained by M. Le Verrier, the great French astronomer, from observations continued through a century and after several years of laborious calculation by a corps of computers. This wonderful difference in the expenditure of time and labor is due to the vigilance of Professor Hall and to the admirable qualities of his instrument, the great twenty-six inch refracting telescope made by Alvan Clark & Sons.

* * * * *

Oakland, Cal.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I do not wish to make you any trouble, but I would like it very much if you could find room in some number to give a good explanation of the great war in Europe. I can't understand it in the newspaper, but I am pretty sure you can make it plain and simple enough for all of your young readers.—Yours truly,

NEB.

The Turco-Russian war is partly a conflict of religions and partly one of politics. The Turks came into Europe as the religious emissaries of the Mohammedan religion. In all the provinces of Turkey in Europe which they conquered, the Christians of the Greek, Armenian and Catholic churches were the victims of a bitter persecution. The Czar of Russia is the head of the Greek church. He has made repeated wars in defense of the children of his faith. There have been many wars and long sieges which, like the present, were said to be only in defense of the faith of the Greek church—a crusade and a holy war,

But if "Neb" will only look at the map of Russia, he will see, if he will study climate a little, that the vast empire of Russia has one thing lacking. It has no good outlet to the Atlantic Ocean, no power upon the seas. The Baltic Sea is closed half the year by ice. The great wheat trade of Russia concentrates at Odessa, on the Black Sea, and to get her grain to market she must pass through the Turkish lanes of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. Russia is a prisoner as to access to the Mediterranean, and so to the Atlantic, and so to the world at large. If she is at war, she cannot float her fleets. If she is at peace, she cannot sell her grain without going roundabout through her neighbors' lots. Turkey stands the tollman at the turnpike-gate, controlling and usurping the highway of all nations.

Maps are fascinating reading. "Neb" must not think that religious faith ever occasioned a war. Russia sincerely desires the protection of Greek Christians in Roumania and Bulgaria in Europe, and Armenia in Asia, but she wants also to send her ships free to the winds through from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. Look at the map once more, "Neb," and see how much of a great country, fertile, strong, and industrious, is closed and shut against the outer world by the absolute Turkish control of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles.

* * * * *

Indianapolis, 1877.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I have taken every number of your splendid magazine, and I will now try to do my share to entertain the others.

My papa was a soldier in the great civil war, and I was born in camp just after the close of the war, and am now nearly twelve years old.

General Sherman, who made the great "march to the sea," wrote me a letter, which is very much too good for one boy alone, so I send it to you to publish, so that other children may have the benefit of it too.—Your reader,

BERNIE M.

"Head-quarters Army of the United States, "Washington, D.C., April 21, 1877.

"MASTER BERNIE M. "Indianapolis:

"I have received the handsome photograph sent me, and recognize the features of a fine young lad, who has before him every opportunity to grow up a man of fine physique, with a mind cultivated to meet whatever vicissitudes and opportunities the future may present. Many boys in reading history have a feeling of regret that their lives had not fallen in some former period, replete with events of stirring interest, such as our Revolutionary War, or that in Mexico, or even the Civil War, wherein they feel that they might have played a conspicuous part.

"Don't you make this mistake. The next hundred years will present more opportunities for distinction than the past, for our country now contains only forty millions of people, which will probably double every thirty-three years, so that if you live to three score years and ten you will be a citizen of a republic of two hundred millions of people. Now, all changes are attended by conflict of mind or of arms, and you may rest easy that there will be plenty for you to do, and plenty of honor and fame if you want them. The true rule of life is to prepare in advance, so as to be ready for the opportunity when it presents itself.

"I surely hope you will grow in strength and knowledge, and do a full man's share in building up the future of this country, which your fathers have prepared for you.

"Truly your friend, "W.T. SHERMAN, General."

* * * * *

No doubt many of our readers have read some of the poems of Charles and Mary Lamb, and all who have will be interested in the following news concerning one of their books. In 1809 they published a little volume of "Poetry for Children," but only a few copies were printed, and these were soon out of print, so that the book has long been considered lost to the world. It was recently discovered, however, that the little book had been reprinted in Boston in 1812, and the only two copies of this edition known to exist in this country have lately come into possession of Messrs. Scribner, Armstrong & Co., who intend to republish the volume this fall. The book contains many delightful little poems for boys and girls, prettily rhymed, and full of the quaint humor and conceits which mark the other writings of the authors. We should like to print several of them, but have only room for these:

THE YOUNG LETTER-WRITER.

Dear Sir, Dear Madam, or Dear Friend, With ease are written at the top; When these two happy words are penn'd, A youthful writer oft will stop,

And bite his pen, and lift his eyes, As if he thinks to find in air The wish'd-for following words, or tries To fix his thoughts by fixed stare.

But haply all in vain—the next Two words may be so long before They'll come, the writer, sore perplext, Gives in despair the matter o'er;

And when maturer age he sees With ready pen so swift inditing, With envy he beholds the ease Of long-accustom'd letter-writing.

Courage, young friend, the time may be, When you attain maturer age, Some young as you are now may see You with like ease glide down a page.

Ev'n then, when you, to years a debtor, In varied phrase your meanings wrap, The welcom'st words in all your letter May be those two kind words at top.

CRUMBS TO THE BIRDS.

A bird appears a thoughtless thing, He's ever living on the wing, And keeps up such a carolling, That little else to do but sing A man would guess had he.

No doubt he has his little cares, And very hard he often fares; The which so patiently he bears, That, listening to those cheerful airs, Who knows but he may be

In want of his next meal of seeds? I think for that his sweet song pleads; If so, his pretty art succeeds. I'll scatter there among the weeds All the small crumbs I see.

* * * * *

We very seldom take up a book only to break the tenth commandment; but Bayard Taylor's recent volume, "The Boys of Other Countries," published by the Putnams, always has that effect upon us, for we wish that every one of the stories in it had been written for ST. NICHOLAS. The best thing we can say to our boys and girls, of a book so well described by its title, is that it contains "Jon of Iceland," which originally appeared in this magazine, and that each of the stories is as good in its way as "Jon" itself.

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THE RIDDLE-BOX.

DOUBLE ACROSTIC.

The initials name a noted philosopher, and the finals an eminent astronomer.

1. A narrow arm of the sea. 2. A beautiful flower. 3. A tree, usually growing in moist land. 4. A small marine animal. 5. A river in the United States. 6. A cone-bearing tree. 7. A tract of land, surrounded by water. 8. A metal.

ISOLA.

BROKEN WORDS.

Find a word to fill the single blank, and divide it into smaller words (without transposing any letters) to fill the other blanks. Thus: Such forages have gone on in that forest for ages.

1. You must not think the whole were —— because he —— ——. 2. One of this boy's minor —— is his constant climbing —— ——. 3. When I gave him a pledge, the toper said with a —— look, "You —— —— —— ——." 6. The alder was pictured against the ——, every branch, leaf, and —— —— standing out clearly.

B.

PICTORIAL NUMERICAL, REBUS.

Find the sum expressed in each horizontal row, and add together the four numbers thus found, to form the complete sum expressed by the rebus.



HOUR-GLASS PUZZLE.

1. Unceasing. 2. Of little worth. 3. Habitation. 4. Ancient. 5. A vowel. 6. Devoured. 7. To muse. 8. A maker of arms. 9. Small flat fish. The centrals read downward name the act of unfolding.

GEORGE CHINN.

BEHEADINGS AND CURTAILINGS.

1. Curtail a disgrace, and leave an imposture. Behead, and leave one of Noah's sons. Curtail, and leave an exclamation denoting surprise, joy, or grief. Behead again, and leave a vowel.

2. Curtail a color, and leave a very small part. Behead, and leave a verb signifying "to strike." Behead again, and leave a pronoun. Curtail, and leave a simple, personal pronoun.

3. Curtail a beautiful marine production, and leave a girl's name. Behead, and leave an ancient coin. Curtail, and leave a conjunction. Behead, and leave a consonant.

4. Behead a part of the body, and leave a kind of tree. Curtail, and leave an article used in toilets. Behead, and leave a preposition. Curtail, and leave a pronoun.

5. Curtail a sweet juice collected by bees, and leave a stone for sharpening razors. Behead, and leave a number. Curtail, and leave a preposition. Curtail, and leave an invocation.

N.T.M.

NUMERICAL ENIGMA.

After handing a mug of 9, 2, 3 to the man who was at the 7, 4, 5 of the 1, 6, 8, Frank resumed reading the life of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

ISOLA.

EASY DIAMOND PUZZLE.

1. In dwelling but not in house. 2. A Spanish poem. 3. A girl's name. 4. A precious stone. 5. A term in English law. 6. An insect. 7. In bird but not in beast.

O'B.

CHARADE.

I.

Out on the hill-side, bleak and bare, In winter's chill and summer's glare, Down by the ocean's rugged shore, Where the restless billows toss and roar, Deep in gloomy caves and mines, Where mists are foul and the sun ne'er shines, Man studies my first and second well, To learn what story they have to tell.

II.

Go to the depths of the fathomless sea, Go where the dew-drop shines on the lea, Go where are gathered in lands afar, The treasures of earth for the rich bazaar, Go to the crowded ball-room, where All that is lovely, and young, and fair, Charms the soul with beauty and grace, And my third shall meet you face to face.

III.

When war's red hand was raised to slay, And front to front great armies lay, Then, oft in the silent midnight camp, When naught was heard but the sentry's tramp, As he patiently paced his lonely round, My whole was sought, and yet when found, It sent full many a warrior brave To his last long rest, in a soldier's grave.

E.J.A.

PUZZLE BOUQUET.

1. A cunning animal and a covering for the hand. 2. A voracious bird of prey and a useless plant. 3. A pipe and a flower. 4. A sweetmeat and a bunch of hair. 5. A noun meaning a quick breaking and a winged serpent. 6. A stone fence and the blossom of a plant. 7. Fragrant and a vegetable. 8. An entertainment of dancing and a boy's nickname. 9. Vapor frozen in flakes, and to let fall. 10. To enter into the conjugal state, and a precious metal.

GEORGE CHINN.

TRANSPOSITIONS.

Fill the first blank with a certain word, and then, by transposing the final letter to the place of the initial, form a word to fill the second blank. Example: In the halls of her ancestors she shall tread without fear.

1. There is not on —— a person of larger ——. 2. On the banks of the —— the traveler —— alone. 3. As the thought of her kindness —— up in my heart, it causes it to —— with gratitude. 4. It was with no —— intent that —— destroyed his first will. 5. I noticed on the —— of the pond quantities of ——.

B.

LETTER ANAGRAMS.

Write a line in each case describing the position of the letters toward each other, and transpose the letters used in this description to make a word which will answer the definition given. Thus:

R. } A part of the day. Ans. R. on M. (transposed) Morn. M. }

1. { L. } A kind of bird. { P. } 2. S. R. Parts of a house. 3. S. T. A piece of furniture. 4. { L. } To pillage. { P. } 5. { Et. } Not rhythmical. { Ic. }

H.H.D.

HIDDEN DRESS GOODS.

1. Seizing the rascal I compelled him to give up the money. 2. Aunt Nell is fond of singing Hamburg. 3. Belle Prescott only failed once last year. 4. Eveline never learned to control herself. 5. Where is Towser, Gertie? 6. I met Homer in Oregon. 7. Where did you find such a queer fossil, Kenneth? 8. Tom Thumb is a tiny specimen of humanity. 9. Did Erasmus Lincoln lose all his property by the fire?



PICTORIAL, PROVERB-ACROSTIC.

Arrange the words represented by the numbered pictures in their order. The initials and finals (reading down the former and continuing down the latter) form a familiar proverb, the sentiment of which is suggested by the central picture.



* * * * *



ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN OCTOBER NUMBER.

DOUBLE DIAMOND PUZZLE.—M G A S M A P L E S L Y E S N U T S U G A R T A R R

SQUARE-WORD.—Midas, Ivory, Donor, Arose, Syten. CHARADE.—Dilapidated. NUMERICAL ENIGMA.—Handsome. DOUBLE ACROSTIC—Centennial Exposition.—ClovE, EsseX, NaP, TallyhO, EpiglottiS, NerolI, NahanT, IttaI, ArnO, LemoN.

RIDDLE.—Linest, Inlets, Enlist, Tinsel, Silent, Listen.

DIAGONAL PUZZLE.—Grand, Prate.

G L A R E C R A T E P L A T E C R A N E P L A I D

COMBINATION PUZZLE.—P—rive—T E—pod—E A—lid—A C—ape—S E—lop—E

EASY DIAMOND PUZZLE.—I, Asa, Isola, Ale, A.

PUZZLE.—Gondola.

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN SEPTEMBER NUMBER were received previous to September 18, from—Emma Elliott, Brainerd P. Emery, Allie Bertram, Sarah D. Oakley, "Camille and Leonie," "Tip," "Yankee," J.W. Myers, George G. Champlin, Alice M. Mason, Maria Peckham, Florence E. Hyde, Minnie Warner, B. O'Hara, "Green Mountain Boy," John Hinkley, Florence Wilcox, "Bessie and Sue," Julia Kirene Ladd, Grace Austin Smith, Arthur C. Smith, George Herbert White, William A. Crocker, Jr, Georgiana Mead, A.G.D., James Iredell, Lizzie and Anna, Agnes E. Kennedy, Anna E. Mathewson, C.S. Riche, Edith McKeever, Nessie E. Stevens, Carrie Lawson, Charles G. Todd, Ella and Kittie Blanke, W. Creighton Spencer, W. Irving Spencer, Edith Heard, M.W.C., Mary C. Warren, Lena and Annie, Annie Streckewald, Hattie Peck, Jennie Passmore, George J. Fiske.

* * * * *



CONTENTS VOLUME V.

[Transcriber's note: Some entries were missing from this index. For completeness they have been added and marked with an asterisk. Some parts of the Table of Contents were illegible, and a few missing page numbers have been replaced with '?'s.]

ALCOTT, Miss. (Illustrated from photograph) F. B. S. 129 ALPHABET FRANCAIS, Un. (Illustrated) Laura Caxton 816 ALWAYS BEHINDHAND. Talk with Girls M. D. K. 434 ANNIE AND THE BALLS. (Illustrated by the Author) H. E. H. 205 APRIL'S SUNBEAM. Verses Joy Allison 398 ARMS OF GREAT BRITAIN, The. (Illustrated by Alfred Kappes) Susan Archer Weiss 190 ATLANTIC CABLE, Secrets of the. (Illustrated by A.C. Warren) William H. Rideing 327 AX OF RANIER, The. (Illustrated by E.B. Bensell) Thomas Dunn English 709 "BABY'S OPERA" AND WALTER CRANE, The. 69 BARBECUE, The. (Illustrated by Walter Shirlaw) Sarah Winter Kellogg 602 BELINDA BLONDE. Verses. Laura E. Richards 272 BELL-RINGERS, The Stickleback. (Illustrated by James C. Beard) C.F. Holder 31 BIRDS AND THEIR FAMILIES. (Illustrated) Professor W. K. Brooks 606 BIRDS FLY, How. (Illustrated) Professor W. K. Brooks 734 BOGGS'S PHOTOGRAPH. Picture. 21 BORN IN PRISON. (Illustrated by Edwin L. Sheppard) Julia P. Ballard 730 BOY IN THE Box, The. (Illustrated by C. S. Reinhart) Helen C. Barnard 356 BOY'S EXPERIENCE WITH TAR MARBLES, A. (Illustrated by Jessie Curtis) C.S.N. 617 BOY WHO JUMPED ON TRAINS, The. Poem. (Illustrated by L. Hopkins) Mary Hartwell 132 BRUNO'S REVENGE (Illustrated) {Author of "Alice in Wonderland" 18? BUTTERFLY-CHASE, The. Poem. Ellis Gray 548 BUTTS, A Chapter of Five Pictures. 77 BY THE SAD SEA WAVES. Picture drawn by "Sphinx" 716 CAN A LITTLE CHILD LIKE ME? (Thanksgiving Hymn) Mary Mapes Dodge 68 CANARY THAT TALKED TOO MUCH, The. Margaret Eytinge 331 CARLYLE, Thomas. (Crumbs from Older Reading, III.) Julia E. Sargent 565 CAROL, The Minstrel's. A Christmas Colloquy. I. V. Blake 153 CHARADES, Four. Verses. C.P. Cranch 406 CHARCOAL-BURNERS' FIRE, The. (Illustrated by J. L. Dickinson) David Ker 490 CHASED BY WOLVES. George Dudley Lawson 3 CHILD-QUEEN, A. (Illustrated by Alfred Fredericks) Cecilia Cleveland 1 CHRISTMAS CARD. 91 CHRISTMAS-GIFTS, A Budget of Home-Made. (Illustrated) 42 CHURNING. Poem. (Illustrated by J. E. Kelly) Sara Keables Hunt 676 COCK AND THE SUN, The. Jingle. (Illustrated by F. S. Church) J. P. B 359 COMMON-SENSE IN THE HOUSEHOLD. Verses. (Illustrated by Jessie Curtis) Margaret Vandegrift 326 COOLEST MAN IN RUSSIA, The. (Illustrated by J. E. Kelly) David Ker 229 CRICKET ON THE HEARTH, The. Poem. (Illustrated) Clara Doty Bates 33 CRIP'S GARRET-DAY. Sarah J. Prichard 339 CROW THAT THE CROW CROWED, The. S. Conant Foster 694 CRUMBS FROM OLDER READING Julia E. Sargent I. EMERSON 262 II. IRVING 354 III. CARLYLE 565 DAB KINZER: A Story of a Growing Boy. (Illustrated by H. F. Farney, Geo. Inness, Jr., Sol. Eytinge and H. P. Smith) William O. Stoddard 553, 620, 679, 744, 798 DEBBY'S CHRISTMAS. (Illustrated by Jessie Curtis) Ella A. Drinkwater 223 DICK HARDIN AWAY AT SCHOOL. Lucy J. Rider 386 DIGGER-WASPS AT HOME, The. (Illustrated by R. Riordan) E. A. E. 667 DOG-SHOW, A Visit to a London. (Illustrated by J. F. Runge) Laura Sked Pomeroy 420 *DOMESTIC TRAGEDY, A. In Two Parts. Illustration. 31 DRIFTED INTO PORT. (Illustrated by Sol. Eytinge and Thomas Moran). Edwin Hodder 342, 425, 494 EASTER EGGS. Poem. Clara W. Raymond 419 EASTER IN GERMANY. (Illustrated) F.E. Corne 381 EASTER LILIES. Picture 399 EMERGENCY MISTRESS, The. (Illustrated) Frank R. Stockton 669 EMERSON, RALPH WALDO. (Crumbs from Older Reading, I.) Julia E. Sargent 262 EXCITING RIDE An. Picture drawn by Miss S. A. Rankin 652 FAIR EXCHANGE, A. Poem. M. F. Butts 820 FATHER CHIRP. Verses. (Illustrated by L. Hopkins) S. C. Stone 476 FERN-SEED. Poem. Celia Thaxter 705 FISHING-BIRDS OF FLORIDA, Some. (Illustrated) Mrs. Mary Treat 282 FORTY, Less One. Poem. (Illustrated by Sol. Eytinge) James Richardson 579 "FOUR LITTLE HOUSES BLUE AND ROUND." Jingle M. F. B. 465 FOX, THE MONKEY, AND THE PIG, The. (Illustrated by the Author) Howard Pyle 743 FOX AND THE TURKEYS, The. (Illustrated from Gustave Dore) Susan Coolidge 756 FULL STOP, A. Silhouette picture drawn by L. Hopkins 387 GERTY. (Illustrated by Frederick Dielman) Margaret W. Hamilton 690 GET UP! GOT DOWN! Silhouettes drawn by L. Hopkins 461 GIFTS FOR ST. NICHOLAS. Poem. Emma E. Brewster 294 GIRL WHO SAVED THE GENERAL, The. (Illustrated by H. F. Farney) Charles H. Woodman 577 GUEST, An Agreeable Susan A. Brown 180 HANSA, The Little Lapp Maiden. (Illustrated) Kate B. Horton 305 HAPPY FIELDS OF SUMMER. Poem. (Illustrated) Lucy Larcom 666 "HAPPY LITTLE FROGGY." Poem. (Illustrated by F. S. Church) E. Mueller 789 HORSE AT SEA, A. (Illustrated by J.E. Kelly) C. B. 367 HORSES OF VENICE, The Famous. (Illustrated) Mary Lloyd 89 HOW BIRDS FLY. (Illustrated) Professor W.K. Brooks 734 HOW HE CAUGHT HIM. Six Pictures. 740 HOW I WEIGHED THE THANKSGIVING TURKEY. G. M. Shaw 34 HOW KITTY GOT HER NEW HAT. (Illustrated by J. E. Kelly) E. P. W. 182 HOW KITTY WAS LOST IN A TURKISH BAZAAR. (Illustrated by Howard Pyle) Sara Keables Hunt 377 HOW LILY-TOES WAS CAUGHT IN A SHOWER. (Illustrated by Jessie Curtis) Emily H. Leland 731 HOW MANDY WENT ROWING WITH THE CAP'N. (Illustrated by the Author) Mary Hallock Foote 449 HOW MATCHES ARE MADE. (Illustrated by A.C. Warren) F. H. C 315 HOW SIR WILLIAM PHIPS FOUND THE TREASURE IN THE SEA. (Illustrated by J. O. Davidson) S. G. W. Benjamin 278 HOW TEDDY CUT THE PIE. Verses. (Illustrated) Rossiter Johnson 821 HOW THE PONY WAS TAKEN. (Illustrated) C. W. 174 HOW THE STONE-AGE CHILDREN PLAYED. (Illustrated) Charles C. Abbott 413 HOW THE WEATHER IS FORETOLD. (Illustrated by W.H. Gibson) James H. Flint 581 HOW TO KEEP A JOURNAL W. S. Jerome 789 HOW TO MAKE A TELEPHONE. (Illustrated) M. F. 549 HOW TO TRAVEL Susan Anna Brown 650 HOW WILLY WOLLY WENT A-FISHING. Verses. (Illustrated by Howard Pyle) S.C. Stone 562 HUCKLEBERRY. (Illustrated) Frank R. Stockton 274 ICE-BOAT, How to make an. (Diagrams by the Author) J. H. Hubbard 220 "I'M A LITTLE STORY." Poem. (Illustrated by Sol. Eytinge) Margaret Eytinge 380 IRVING, WASHINGTON. (Crumbs from Older Reading, III.) Julia E. Sargent 354 ITALIAN FLOWER-MERCHANT, The Little. Picture drawn by Miss E. M. S. Scannell 475 JACK'S CHRISTMAS. (Illustrated by Jennie Brownscombe) Emma K. Parrish 124 JAPANESE "HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT," The. Picture drawn by William McDougal 219 JINGLES. 6, 41, 359, 404, 412, 465 JOHN AND HIS VELOCIPEDE. Sketches drawn by B. D. 650 JOHNNY. (Illustrated by R. Sayre) Sargent Flint 361 JOHNNY'S LOST BALL Lloyd Wyman 500 JUNO'S WONDERFUL TROUBLES. (Illustrated by F. S. Church) E. Mueller 312 KEPT IN. Picture drawn by M. Woolf 424 KING AND THE HARD BREAD, The. (Illustrated) J. L. 503 KING AND THE THREE TRAVELERS, The. (Illustrated by John Lafarge) Arlo Bates 207 KING CHEESE. Poem. Versified from story by Maud Christiani. (Illustrated by L. Hopkins) J. T. Trowbridge 641 LADY-BIRD, Fly away Home. Picture drawn by M. Woolf 455 *LARGEST VOLCANO IN THE WORLD, The. (Illustrated.) Sarah Coan 13 LEFT OUT. Verse. A. G. W. 128 LETTER TO AMERICAN BOYS, A. George MacDonald 202 LINNET'S FEE, The. Poem. Mrs. Annie A. Preston 798 LION-KILLER, The. (Illustrated by Alfred Kappes). From the French. Mary Wager Fisher 78 LITTLE BEAR. Poem. (Illustrated by Addie Ledyard) Samuel W. Duffield 726 "LITTLE BO-PEEP, SHE WENT TO SLEEP." Picture drawn by Miss Jessie McDermot 268 LITTLE RED CANAL-BOAT, The. (Illustrated) M. A. Edwards 541 *LITTLE TWEET. Illustrated. 64 LIVING SILVER Mary H. Seymour 350 LONDON CHAIR-MENDER. (Illustrated) Alexander Wainwright 821 LONDON CHICK-WEED MAN, The. (Illustrated) Alexander Wainwright 361 LONDON DUST-MAN, The. (Illustrated) Alexander Wainwright 272 LONDON MILK-WOMAN, The. (Illustrated) Alexander Wainwright 694 LONG JOURNEY, A. Verses. Josephine Pollard 540 LORD MAYOR OF LONDON'S SHOW, The. (Illustrated) Jennie A. Owen 22 MACKEREL-FISHING. (Illustrated by H. P. Smith) Robert Arnold 706 MAGICIAN AND HIS BEE, The. (Illustrated) P. F. 143 MAKING IT SKIP. Verse. (Illustrated by Thomas Moran) M. M. D. 15 MAKING READY FOR A CRUISE. Picture. 561 MAN WHO DIDN'T KNOW WHEN TO STOP, The. Verse. M. M. D. 415 MARBLES, Some In-door Games of. (Illustrated) L. D. Snook 295 MARS, THE PLANET OF WAR. (Illustrated by the Author) Richard A. Proctor 26 MARSHAL DE SAXE AND THE DUTCH BLACKSMITH. David Ker 436 MASTER MONTEZUMA. (Illustrated) C. C. Haskins 535 MATCHES ARE MADE, How. (Illustrated by A. C. Warren) F. H. C. 315 MAY-DAY, The Story of. (Illustrated by Howard Pyle) Olive Thorne 486 MEADOW TALK. Verse. (Illustrated by Jessie Curtis) Caroline Leslie 617 MERRY MIKE. Poem. (Illustrated by Albert Shults) Fleta Forrester 176 MERRY RAIN. Poem. Fleta Forrester 425 MOCKING-BIRD AND THE DONKEY, The. Poem. William Cullen Bryant 88 MODERN WILLIAM TELL, A. Picture drawn by L. Hopkins 207 MOLLIE'S BOYHOOD. (Illustrated by George White) Sarah E. Chester 7 MONEY is MADE, Where. (Illustrated by Fred. B. Schell) M. W. 477 MONUMENT WITH A STORY, A. Fannie Roper Feudge 364 MOON, FROM A FROG'S POINT OF VIEW, The. (Illustrated by H.L. Stephens) Fleta Forrester 677 *MOONS OF MARS, The. 69 MOUSIE'S ADVENTURES FROM GARRET TO CELLAR. Picture drawn by "Sphinx" 405 MUSIC ON ALL FOURS. Poem. (Illustrated by Sol. Eytinge) Josephine Pollard 200 MUSTANG, The Wild. (Illustrated) Charles Barnard 396 MY GIRL. Poem. John S. Adams 25 MY ST. GEORGE. (Illustrated by Alfred Kappes) Alice Maude Eddy 726 NANCY CHIME. Poem. (Illustrated) S. Smith 739 NAN'S PEACE-OFFERING. (Illustrated by C. S. Reinhart) Kate W. Hamilton 284 NEWS-CARRIER, The. Poem. (Illustrated by Jessie Curtis) Catharine S. Boyd 349 NEW-YEAR CARD. 182 NIGHT WITH A BEAR, A. (Illustrated by W. L. Sheppard) Jane G. Austin 332 NIMBLE JIM AND THE MAGIC MELON. (Illustrated by E. B. Bensell) J.A. Judson 34 NO SCHOOL TO-DAY. Picture. Drawn by F. Opper 146 NOW, OR THEN? Talk with Girls. Gail Hamilton 123 "OH, I'M MY MAMMA'S LADY-GIRL." Verse. (Illustrated by Addie Ledyard) M. M. D. 41 OLD MAN AND THE NERVOUS COW, The. (Illustrated by E.B. Bensell) R. E. 264 OLD NICOLAI. (Illustrated) Paul Fort 399 OLD SOUP. (Illustrated by J. E. Kelly) Mrs. E. W. Latimer 463 "ONE DAY AN ANT WENT TO VISIT HIS NEIGHBOR." Jingle. M. F. B. 404 ONE SATURDAY. (Illustrated by Sol. Eytinge) Sarah Winter Kellogg 514 ONLY A DOLL. Poem. Sarah O. Jewell 552 ON THE ICE. Picture drawn by L. Hopkins 300 "OPEN THE SNOWY LITTLE BED." Jingle. M. F. B. 412 OUT FISHING. Picture drawn by J. Hopkins 759 PAINTER'S SCARE-CROW, The. (Illustrated by Sol. Eytinge) C.P. Cranch 714 PARISIAN CHILDREN. (Illustrated by K. Brown) Henry Bacon 456 PARLOR BALL. (Illustrated by the author) L. Hopkins 492 PARLOR MAGIC. (Illustrated) Professor Leo H. Grindon 811 PERSEUS, The Story of. Mary A. Robinson 630 PETERKINS ARE OBLIGED TO MOVE, The. Lucretia P. Hale 458 PETERKINS' CHARADES, The. Lucretia P. Hale 91 PETER PIPER'S PICKLES, Mrs. (Illustrated by F. S. Church) E. Mueller 519 POEMS BY TWO LITTLE AMERICAN GIRLS. Elaine and Dora Goodale 109 POLLY: A Before-Christmas Story. (Illustrated) Hope Ledyard 19 PORPOISES, About the. (Illustrated by J. O. Davidson) J. D. 142 POTTERY, A Chat about. (Illustrated from photographs) Edwin C. Taylor 104 PRIMKINS' SURPRISE, Mrs. (Illustrated by Sol. Eytinge) Olive Thorne 794 PRINCE CUCURBITA. (Illustrated by E. M. Richards) Edith A. Edwards 792 PROFESSOR, The. Clarence Cook 402 PUCK PARKER. (Illustrated by J. Wells Champney) Lizzie W. Champney 416 QUICKSILVER. Mary H. Seymour 359 RAID OF THE CAMANCHES, The. The Author of "We Boys" 267 RAIN. Poem. Edgar Fawcett 613 RAVENS AND THE ANGELS, The. (Illustrated by Sol. Eytinge) Author of "The Schonberg-Cotta Family" 169, 242 RIDDLE, A Double. Verses. J.G. Holland 94 RODS FOR FIVE. (Illustrated) Sarah Winter Kellogg 645 ROWING AGAINST TIDE. Theodore Winthrop 75 SAM'S BIRTHDAY. (Ilustrated by Sol. Eytinge) Irwin Russell 482 SATURDAY AFTERNOON. Picture drawn by Miss S. W. Smith 725 SCRUBBY'S BEAUTIFUL TREE. (Illustrated by F. A. Chapman and Sol. Eytinge) J. C. Purdy 147 SEEING HIMSELF AS OTHERS SEE HIM. Picture drawn by J. Wells Champney 431 SHEPHERD-BOY, The. Poem. Emily S. Oakey 241 SILLY GOOSE, The. Poem. (Illustrated by F. S. Church) E.A. Smuller 453 SIMPLE SIMON. Picture, drawn by E.B. Bensell 791 SING-A-SING. Poem. (Illustrated by Alfred Kappes) S. C. Stone 122 SING-AWAY BIRD, The. Poem. Lucy Larcom 462 SINGING PINS. (Illustrated by A. C. Warren) Harlan H. Ballard 14? SKATING. Poem. Theodore Winthrop 23? SNEEZE DODSON'S FIRST INDEPENDENCE DAY. (Illustrated by Sol. Eytinge) Mrs. M. H. W. Jaquith 61? SOLIMIN: A Ship of the Desert. (Illustrated) Susan Coolidge 26? SONG OF SPRING, A. Caroline A. Mason 48? SOMETHING IN THE OLD CLOTHES LINE. (Illustrated) Paul Fort 21? *STORY THAT WOULDN'T BE TOLD, The. (Illustrated.) Louise Stockton 18 *WILLOW WAND, The. Poem. Illustrated. A. E. W. 16