very still I'll keep;
There's nothing like a hearty romp,
To put a child to sleep!

JOSEPHINE POLLARD.

BOYS AND RABBITS.

HERE are two little boys and two little rabbits, all down on the ground.

The two boys are just the same age. They are twin brothers. Their names
are Paul and John.

The girl who stands near them is their sister Jane. She is quite a
little girl, as you see; but she is full three years older than the
boys: so she takes great care of them.

You would laugh to see Paul and John try to lift their rabbits by the
ears. The rabbits look most as large as the boys. But the boys are
growing larger and stronger every day.

[Illustration]

A. B. C.

TOBACCO AND EGG.

OUR house had a long back piazza, covered all over with grape-vines,
with steps going down to the yard.

[Illustration]

I discovered that by standing on my tip-toes, half way up the steps, I
could see into the next yard, where there grew such different flowers
from ours, and where there often came a little girl of six or
seven--about my own age--to gather bouquets.

She did not see me at first: so, for many days, I quietly watched the
stout little figure. During one of my observations, her mother called
her, and such a name as she had! The call, as I heard it, was "Tobacco,
my daughter!"

I felt deeply for the girl who was afflicted by such a name. I
determined to throw her the finest bunch of grapes on our vine by way of
consolation.

Some days after, when I was giving my large family of dolls an airing in
the garden, I saw a small face staring at me just over the top of the
fence. Being familiar with the position myself, I was not alarmed, but
hastened to mount to the same level on my side, and offer some grapes.

After a long stare on the part of both of us, I timidly broke the
silence by asking, "What is your name?"

"Rebecca," was the reply.

"Why," I said, "I was pitying you all this time, thinking you were
called Tobacco."

"Oh, no!" she cried, "it is not so bad as that. You have a funny name,
though. I have often wondered how you came to have such a name. Perhaps
you were born on Easter-Monday, or were very fond of eggs."

"What can you mean?" I replied. "I don't see any thing funny about my
name: I am told it is pretty."

"Well, I should not call it pretty exactly," she giggle