d me "old maid,"--
And then we stwatched each others' eyes
Down in the darden shade.

And then my ma and Susy's ma
Both said the only way
Would be to teep us little dirls
Apart in all our play.

{257}

And so the bid, brown date was shut,
And that was such a bother,--
'Tause Susy's yard was on one side
And mine was on the other.

But we tould peet thwough all the twats,
And tiss us thwough the hole
Where the bid, udly knot tame out,
As bid as Susy's bowl,

For I love Susy awful much,
And Susy she loves me,
And so we told the dear, dood Dod
We'd twy dood dirls to be.

So now when we just feel the bad
A-tomin' in our heart,
We both wun home and shut the date
And teep ourselves apart.

And in a minute all the dood
Tomes bat,--and then our plays
Seem nicer yet, and we fordet
The naughty,--naughty--ways.

{258}

{259}

_GRANDMA'S LESSONS._

"Tis guilt to wear the garb of sin,
Though all be innocent within,"
These little girls heard grandma say,
And wondered if 'twere half in play.
But when they're wiser, older grown,
And when the world to them is known,
They'll learn to shun even seeming ill;
They'll learn with grace their lives to fill,
And thank dear grandma o'er and o'er,
For this, and many lessons more.
"'Tis guilt to wear the garb of sin,
Though all be innocent within."

"If you do well by others' ills,
You'll do right well," she said,
When we would come and tell about
The naughtiness of Ned.
"Now children, if you shun the bad
You may in others find,
And never let yourself be rude,
Or naughty, or unkind,
You'll learn to do by others' ills
Right well," dear grandma said,
"And in the way that's good and true,
Your youthful feet shall tread."

{260}

_MY LITTLE FOUR-YEARS-OLD_

Telling Dolly what she will say to her birthday friends

I'm four years old to-day, and I
Can talk enough for ten birth-days,
And I shan't rhyme it, neither;--
For little girls can't do it nice.
No matter what they think, and so
They needn't try, no, never.

I'm glad you all are here, and now,
With all our dollies in a row,
I'm sure we'll have good times;
And when we have our apples, grapes,
And nuts and figs and patty-cakes,
Who'll care for silly rhymes!

{261}

_HANDSOME DICK._

ELZIE'S kitty, white as snow,
Loves h