gth of our nails!
These big mortal tyrants even grudge us
A place on the mat.
Do they think we enjoy for our music
Staccatos of "scat?"
What in the world were we made for?
Man, do you know?
By you to be petted, tormented?
Are _you_ friend or foe?
To be treated now, just as you treat us,
The question is pat,
To take just our chances in living,
Would _you_ be a cat?

_LUCY LARCOM_.

[Illustration: "ARE YOU FRIEND OR FOE?"]

"SCRAMBLE."

Doctor Schroeder was a quaint old German physician, who lived in a fine
old-fashioned house near a public play-ground. Connected with the
doctor's premises was an extensive peach orchard, and, sad to say,
naughty boys would sometimes climb over the orchard wall and pilfer his
peaches. To guard against this practice the doctor had the top of his
wall adorned with a row of very ugly iron spikes. Not far from Doctor
Schroeder's place lived a family known as "the Jones's". One member of
the family was a small boy nicknamed "Scramble;" so named, I presume,
from the fact that he was all the time scrambling over other people's
fences and into other people's fruit trees.

One day "Scramble" got caught on the spikes on top of Doctor Schroeder's
wall, and in spite of all his efforts to get loose, the spikes held him
fast until he was discovered and taken down by the quaint old doctor,
almost frightened out of his wits. That is, "Scramble" was frightened,
not the doctor, But to "Scramble's" great surprise and greater relief,
the old German did not punish him with the terrible cane he held in his
hand, but took him into the orchard and told him to take his pick of the
finest fruit on the place.

"Scramble" felt greatly abashed over this unexpected kind treatment, and
never again had the heart to pilfer peaches from old Doctor Schroeder.

[Illustration: "SCRAMBLE" ON THE TOP OF THE WALL.]

CLEVER GOATS.

Goats sometimes do very clever tricks, which almost prove them to be
capable of reasoning.

A goat and her kids frequented a square in which I once lived, and were
often fed by the servants and myself. Now and again I heard a thumping
at the hall door, which arose from the buttings of the goat when the
food was not forthcoming, and the mother's example was followed by her
two little kids. After a while this grew monotonous, and no attention
was paid to their knocking! but one day the area bell--used by the
de