ing all over his study table!

S. C.

THE ALMOND AND THE RAISIN.

'Twas an Almond and a Raisin
In a dish all silver bright,
A Raisin dusky purple,
And an Almond creamy white.

Said the Raisin to the Almond,
'I was once as full of wine
As a dewdrop is of sunlight,
And a glossy skin was mine.'

Said the Almond to the Raisin,
'And I've a tale to tell--
I was born inside a flower,
And I lived within a shell.'

Said the Raisin to the Almond,
'We are both from Southern lands,
And we came once more together,
Having fallen in English hands.

'Don't you think we ought to marry?
I am sure 'twould be as well,
Though I have lost my juices
And you have lost your shell.'

Said the Almond to the Raisin,
'It is my dearest wish.'

* * * * *

That is why you always find them
Side by side within the dish.

F. W. H.

FAITHFUL TO DUTY.

A gatekeeper on one of the German railways kept a goat, and one day,
when his wife was ill, he went himself to milk it. But it would not
allow him to come near it, as it had not been accustomed to any one but
its mistress. At last he determined to put on his wife's clothes, and
this plan succeeded admirably. But he had not time to take off his
disguise before he heard a train approaching. He ran out at once, just
as he was, and opened the gate, but his appearance caused the passengers
to think that he was mad. The case was reported, and an inquiry was
made, but on the truth being known, the gatekeeper was praised for his
faithful discharge of duty.

H. B. S.

[Illustration: "He ran out just as he was."]

A HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

True Tales of the Year 1806.

III.--THE CAPTURE OF BUENOS AYRES.

The long sea voyage was over at last, and the Expedition which had set
sail from England in the previous autumn cast anchor in the bay outside
Buenos Ayres on the 26th of May, 1806.

[Illustration: "He seized one of the ladders."]

This city, the capture of which was the object of the Expedition, lay
very dimly outlined in the western horizon, for the sea was too shallow
to allow the larger vessels to approach within six or seven miles of the
shore, and even when the troops had landed, three miles or more of a
perfectly flat plain would have to be traversed before they could arrive
at the city itself.

'Will the Spaniards fight, do you think?' asked Gera