'I suppose I shall have to give you a chance, sonny,
as the missus has set her heart on it. But I must see this uncle of
yours. Perhaps he may object.'

'He will be glad to get rid of me,' Tim said.

His words proved true, and before a week had passed Tim was settled in
his new home. He worked with a will, and liked his work, because he felt
he was at last of some use in the world instead of being a burden to
others.

And the pig that had led him to such a happy position received such a
special share of attention that he grew fatter and bigger than any of
his fellows.

'One good turn deserves another,' Tim would think. 'The pig got me this
job, and sure and I am paying him back for it.'

THE FOX'S SERENADE.

Little Goose, I love thee, little Goose.
All the stars are flinging
Bright blue beams above me,
As I'm sweetly singing
How I dearly love thee.
Here I'm waiting; is it any use?
Little Goose,
More than words can tell I love thee dearly,
More than tongue can tell--or very nearly.

Little Goose, I love thee, little Goose.
The shadows cling together,
The moonbeams give sweet kisses;
How I wonder whether
We shall know such blisses.
To my mother you I'll introduce,
Little Goose.
She will greet you with a smile so cheery,
Like a mother kind--or very nearly.

Little Goose, I love thee, little Goose.
Hark, the farmer's coming
With his ugly rifle;
So I must be roaming,
For I dare not trifle:
And the watch-dog he will now unloose,
Little Goose.
Some night in the future I'll come really,
Make you all my own--or very nearly.

THE COW-TREE.

One of the very remarkable trees of South America--a region notable for
its natural-history wonders--is that called the cow-tree. It receives
that name, not because in its shape it is at all like a cow, but
because, at certain seasons, it yields an abundant supply of milk. It
grows in hilly districts, usually where very little moisture is to be
had for several months of the year. This makes it more singular that a
plentiful flow of milky fluid will come from the trunk, on boring into
it deeply, though the branches look dried. It is believed that most milk
is got when the tree is tapped about sunrise, or when the moon is nearly
full. If the milk is put aside for a time, a thick cake forms upon it,
under which is a cle