s to feel the greatest
enjoyment in tender love for others. See that you keep that love in
constant exercise, or, like others of our best gifts, it may grow dull
by disuse or abuse. The time may come when, deprived of your parents or
brothers and sisters, you will bitterly mourn the sorrow you have caused
by your evil temper or neglect.

THE CAT AND THE PUPPIES.

I have a longer story than the last to tell, of a cat which undertook
the nursing of some puppies while she already had some kittens of her
own. It happened that her mistress possessed a valuable little black
spaniel, which had a litter of five puppies. As these were too many for
the spaniel to bring up, and the mistress was anxious to have them all
preserved, it was proposed that they should be brought up by hand. The
cook, to whom the proposal was made, suggested that this would be a
difficult undertaking; but as the cat had lately kittened, some of the
puppies might be given to her to bring up. Two of the kittens were
accordingly taken away, and the same number of puppies substituted.
What Puss thought of the matter has not transpired, or whether even she
discovered the trick that had been played her; but be that as it may,
she immediately began to bestow the same care on the little changelings
that she had done on her own offspring, and in a fortnight they were as
forward and playful as kittens would have been, gambolling about, and
barking lustily--while the three puppies nursed by their own mother were
whining and rolling about in the most helpless fashion.

Puss had proved a better nurse than the little spaniel. She gave them
her tail to play with, and kept them always in motion and amused, so
that they ate meat, and were strong enough to be removed and to take
care of themselves, long before their brothers and sisters.

On their being taken away from her, their poor nurse showed her sorrow,
and went prowling about the house, looking for them in every direction.
At length she caught sight of the spaniel and the three remaining
puppies. Instantly up went her back; her bristles stood erect, and her
eyes glared fiercely at the little dog, which she supposed had carried
off her young charges.

"Ho, ho! you vile thief, who have ventured to rob me of my young ones; I
have found you at last!" she exclaimed--at least, she thought as much,
if she did not say it. The spaniel barked defiance, answering--"They
are my own puppies; you know they are as u