which, after vainly attempting to continue the
struggle, fell helplessly into the abyss.

Relieved of his antagonist, Walter felt completely exhausted, and was
obliged to lie down at full length for several minutes until he regained
his breath and self-possession. He then made the best of his way along
till he reached the steep road leading to the glacier, and had got about
half way down, when just in the most dangerous part he heard the ominous
scream again, and saw with a shrinking horror that the male vulture,
attracted, like its mate, by the continued cries of the young birds, had
discovered him. In a fury of rage the angry bird darted downward, and
sweeping past with outstretched talons, tried to hurl him headlong from
the crag.

[TO BE CONTINUED.]

[Illustration: OUR POST-OFFICE BOX.]

My uncle has brought me a little alligator from Florida, and mamma
says I may keep it if I can take care of it. It is in a big tin pan
of water now, and every day it jumps out and hides in some corner.
I have given it crumbs of bread and cake, but it does not eat them.
Please tell me how I can keep it, and what it will eat.

WILLIE J. H.

A small aquarium would serve as a comfortable home for your alligator,
only you must provide a board on to which he can crawl to dry himself,
for he does not like to spend all his time in the water. To feed him,
take very tiny pieces of raw beef, and hold them toward him. If he is
lively, he will dart after them with wide-open mouth. If you are afraid
he will nip your finger--if he is very young he can not bite you--put
the bits of meat on the end of a wire. If you do not wish to have a hunt
for him every morning, you must cover your aquarium with coarse wire
netting, for young alligators are always eager to escape from
confinement.

* * * * *

Are you going to give a work-box department for little girls? I and
five others are going to have a fair to raise money to make a
Christmas-tree for a little sick school-mate whose mother is very
poor, and we want to make everything for the fair ourselves. One of
us has a lot of pretty cards with pressed sea-weed she arranged
last summer, and we thought they would be prettier if we could make
them into little books or baskets. Could you tell us how to do it?

LULU W.

We shall not give a special department to fancy-work, but we shall now
and then