search was renewed. The owner and his groom went some
ten miles, and were told that the mare had crossed the railway the
morning before. At this point the trail was easy. The mare had taken the
high road to her old home at Malton.

Six men had tried, but in vain, to stop her. At a place called
Pickering, she jumped a load of wood and the railway gates, and then,
finding herself in her old hunting country, made a bee-line for home. In
doing this, she had to swim two rivers, and cross a railway.

She was found at her old home, rather lame, and with one shoe off, but
otherwise no worse for her gallop of nearly sixty miles across the
country,--all done in one day; for her old owner found her on Wednesday
night, standing at the gate of the field where she had grazed for two
previous years. Was she not a pretty clever horse?

UNCLE CHARLES.

PHANTOM.

WE have a little white dog whose name is Phantom. This is his portrait.
I hope you are glad to meet him. Ask him to shake hands. He would do so
at once if you could only see him in reality.

When he was only a few months old, he followed us all to church without
our knowing it; nor did we see him, till, in the most solemn part of the
service, we heard a patter, patter, patter, coming up the aisle, and
there stood Phantom at the door of our pew. In his mouth was a
long-handled feather duster, which he had found in some obscure corner
of the building, and where it had been put (as it was supposed)
carefully out of everybody's way.

Phantom is very intelligent, and has learned a number of tricks. He can
understand what is said to him better than any dog I ever knew; but he
is best known among the children here for his love of music and singing.

He has only learned one song yet; but he knows that as soon as he hears
it. Wherever he may be,--up stairs, or down stairs, or out of doors,--if
he hears that song, he will sit up, throw his head back, and you will
hear his voice taking part in the music.

[Illustration]

You may sing a dozen songs, all in about the same tone; but he will take
no notice till he hears the tune he has learned, and then he will sing
with you--not in a bark or a yelp, but in a pure, clear voice, as if he
enjoyed it.

If you could see him sitting up, with his nose in the air, his mouth
open, and his fore-paws moving as if playing the piano, and could hear
his music, I am sure you would laugh ti