y," shouted Willie, "the clock has struck four; so put
down your sewing, and tell us about Panama. We've finished our work
beautifully, grandma says." So I began.

* * * * *

When we reached Panama, about nine o'clock, it was very warm and sultry.
The soil is sandy. Though the present city of Panama is not more than
two hundred years old, it has an ancient and dilapidated appearance. The
climate is such that even the stones decay, and worms destroy the wood.
The houses are all tiled and look oddly enough. The tiles resemble the
half of an earthen water-pipe, and are of a light brick-color. We had
quite a laugh on the wharf at our grotesque appearance, likening
ourselves to emigrants; for our bags, chairs, shawls, and umbrellas were
all laid in a heap, and grandma and I sat on them, while grandpa went
off to make arrangements for going on board the steamer, or spending the
day in the city. The natives bowed before us with their baskets of
fruit, which they offered for sale.

"What fruit was it, aunty?" asked little Alice.

Mangoes, pineapples, limes, oranges, and bananas. They had also rolls,
cakes, and pies. Then some came with the native wine, and with milk and
lemonade, which the man said was "nice lomonard!"

We decided to stay in Panama until afternoon, when a small boat would
take us off to our noble steamship, the Constitution. We left our
baggage at the station, and took the railway omnibus, drawn by mules,
which were driven by a negro, up to the "first-class hotel,--the
Aspinwall House." He took us a distance of half a mile, perhaps, at the
moderate charge of fifty cents apiece! The streets of Panama are very
narrow, and the driver had to call out every once in a while to clear
the road, so that we might pass. The hotel is built round a court. The
parlor is in the third story, and is quite comfortably furnished, while
from the walls hang oil paintings, which, with their frames, might in
New York be worth two dollars and a half apiece. Two long windows opened
out on a balcony, and commanded a view of the hoary tiled roofs of the
city. There was a center-table in the room, which interested me much. It
had pictures pasted under the varnish, some colored, some not. There was
a pair of scissors, a pen, a needle-case, wafers,--all looking just as
if you could pick them up. What a nice breakfast we had there! every
thing tasted so good on shore.

"Aunty," said Harry, "tell us what y