en a funny little girl;
wouldn't you? But don't hide the soldiers' mittens--for all the world!
They wouldn't like that at all, you know; and if any of them was as
cross as the old cat, they might ask General McClellan to give them
leave of absence, so that they could come and give you what Paddy gave
the drum.

"What was that?"

"Rat-a-tat-tat!
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Rat-a-tat-tat-_too_!"

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT.

One evening the little mother said: "Here is a sweet little story for
the 'darling kittens'; but first Aunt Fanny requested me to ask Clara to
repeat the fourth commandment to the little ones, slowly and
distinctly."

"Yes, mamma," said Clara, "I will; I know it perfectly. Gentleman and
ladies, come stand in a row before me."

So the little tots trotted and skipped up to their sister,--who was
quite a great girl in their eyes--and after hopping up and down, first
on one foot, then on the other, and puckering up their mouths like
little bags, to keep all the laugh in tight, they stood almost still.

Then Clara all at once grew grave; for she was about to repeat something
out of the Holy Bible, and although this was a great pleasure to her,
she did not dream of even smiling.

She began thus, in a clear, distinct voice:

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT.

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor
and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy
God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor the
stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven
and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day:
wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it."

The little ones had listened with great attention, and their mother now
said:

"My darlings, you know it is wrong to work on Sunday. You see me put
all my sewing out of the way on Saturday evenings, and on Sunday I go to
church; and when I am home, I either read the Holy Bible or a good book,
or talk to you. You are very little children, but if you saw any one
sewing or working on Sunday, what would you say to them?"

"'Member the Sabbath day," chimed the little ones.

"That's right! and you too must never forget to 'keep it holy.' This
little story is about keeping the _fourth commandment; and now I will
read it_:

"Once upon a time, a pretty little girl w