he
thought of it first. And it was good of her to help me; for she knew
that I went away so as not to play with her." It was not pleasant to
him to know that a girl had shown herself superior to him in anything
he considered his province; but he magnanimously forgave her for this,
and he said to Martin, after they were in bed that night:

"I've pretty much made up my mind to give my schooner to Greta. I
believe she thinks it the prettiest thing ever made."

"If you do that," said Martin, "I'll give my sloop to Minchen."

This plan was carried out, and the girls were more delighted than if
they had had presents of diamonds. But they insisted that the boys
should accept their canal-boats in exchange, the result of which
was that the Chesters, on their return to America, produced quite a
sensation among their schoolmates. For American-built vessels could be
bought in many stores in New York, but a Dutch canal-boat, with a red
sail, and a mast that was raised and lowered by a windlass, was not to
be found in all the city.

THE BUTTERFLY CHASE.

BY ELLIS GRAY.

Dear little butterfly,
Lightly you flutter by,
On golden wing.
Drops of sweet honey sip,
Deep from the clover tip,
Then upward spring.

Over the meadow grass
Swift as a fairy pass,
Blithesome and gay;
Toy with the golden-rod,
Make the blue asters nod--
Off and away!

Butterfly's dozing now,
Golden wings closing now,--
Softly he swings.
Tiny hands fold him fast,
Gently unclose at last,--
Fly, golden wings!

Quick! for he's after you,
With joyous laughter new,--
Mischievous boy!
Swift you must flutter by;
He wants you, butterfly,
For a new toy!

[Illustration]

HOW TO MAKE A TELEPHONE.

BY M.F.

What is a telephone?

Up go a hundred hands of the brightest and sharpest of the readers of
ST. NICHOLAS, and a hundred confident voices reply:

"An instrument to convey sounds by means of electricity."

Good. That shows you have some definite idea of it; but, after all,
that answer is not the right one. The telephone does not convey sound.

"What does its name mean, then?" do you ask?

Simply, that it is a far-sounder; but that does not necessarily imply
that it _carries_ sounds afar. Strictly speaking, the telephone only
changes sound-waves into waves of electricity and back again. When
two telephones are connected by means of a wir