d not encourage his talking more about the subject. She
meant to go, she meant the child to enjoy herself for once in a way, and
there was nothing in Jack's objections which could reasonably interfere
with their intentions.

(_Continued on page 262._)

[Illustration: "'What! You here, my little patient!'"]

[Illustration: 'CHORUS, PLEASE!']

[Illustration: "'You have found me out!' said the captain."]

THE CAPTAIN'S PUDDING.

The following story is told of an American captain and his mate.
Whenever a plum-pudding was made, most of the plums, by the captain's
orders, were put into one end of it, and that end was placed next the
captain, who was rather a greedy and selfish man. The captain, after
helping himself, passed it to the mate, who never found many plums in
his portion.

After this trick had been played for some time, the mate coaxed the
steward beforehand, and got him to place the plumless end next the
captain. But the captain no sooner saw the pudding than he discovered
that he had the wrong end of it.

Picking up the dish, he turned it about in his hands, as if examining
the china.

'This dish,' he said, in a casual manner, 'cost me three shillings in
Liverpool.' With these words he put down the dish, with the 'plummy' end
of the pudding turned towards himself.

'Really,' said the mate, in his turn lifting the dish, 'I should not
have thought it worth more than a shilling.'

Then, with apparent carelessness, he put down the pudding, with the
plums towards himself.

The two men looked at one another. The captain laughed. The mate
laughed.

'You have found me out!' said the captain. 'Well, we will cut the
pudding lengthwise, and in future the plums shall be fairly
distributed.'

FIRE PICTURES.

Watch the pictures in the fire;
How they gleam and come and go,
Making trees and birds and cows,
And red houses in a row.

Did the fairies put them there
When the coal was underground,
So that we, at eventide,
All their hidden treasures found?

ROUND THE CAMP-FIRE.

By HAROLD ERICSON.

VI.--HOW WE LEARNT SKI-RUNNING.

'I don't know whether any of you fellows have tried snowshoeing,' began
Bobby on the following evening, when it was his turn to spin a yarn,
'_ski_-running, as they call it in Norway?'

'Yes,' said Ralph, 'I have. Why?'

'Well, I was thinking of telling you how I and another fellow, Billy
Onslow, took it up one winter when I was in Rus