y years since his eyes had been wet with
tears, but they were there and they softened the heart of "hard old
man" Moore, and he turned away at last with a strange resolution in
his mind.

Three days after he was in the sitting-room of that cottage; with him
was his son Philip, by Philip's side was Bessie, looking ever so much
younger and prettier, and _so_, _so_ happy, and standing by the side
of "hard old man" Moore was little Katie, wondering to see such an old
man wipe the tears from his eyes, wondering at the way in which he
held one arm close around her, and wondering still more why he should
keep saying, all the time, "You did it, little Katie, you did it all."

The Wilsons are comfortable and happy now. Bessie is Mrs. Philip
Moore; the mother has doctors and luxuries; Robbie is at school and
learning fast; Katie, _our_ Katie, is learning fast also, but she is
still the same Katie as of old; she did not have to sell bunches of
leaves another season; but there are always great bouquets of the
beauties in the house, and old Mr. Moore, "hard" no longer, calls her
nothing but his little "Autumn leaf."

[Illustration: {BIRDS ON A TWIG.}]

THE SPINNING LESSON.

MRS. S. J. BRIGHAM.

You will not mind, if I sit me down
And watch you spin, in your velvet gown?
You need not fear,
You can trust me here.
I think I can learn to spin, if I
Could watch you work. Will you let me try?

You spin and weave, but I cannot see
Just how 'tis done, and it puzzles me.
For you have no loom
In your little room.
No silken skein, no spinning-wheel,
No bobbin and no winding reel.

Please tell me what you use instead?
And where do you hide your shining thread,
As soft as silk
And as white as milk?
I think, Mrs. Spider, it must be
A secret, or you would answer me.

[Illustration: TREED.]

[Illustration: FOSTER PARENTS.]

FOSTER PARENTS.

Strolling down back of the barn, and seeing a fluttering of wings near
the ground, Fred and John discovered, upon coming closer, that a poor
little bird had fallen from its nest in the bough of a tree that stood
near them. The bird was young, too young to fly, and seemed more dead
than alive from the fall. The boys took the bird, fondly caressed it,
stroked its feathers, and were glad to see that it showed signs of
life and that it was only stunned by the fall i