ghtened and distressed at the state of
things. Then more carefully surveying the ruins, apparently consulting
together as to what is best to be done, until, a plan of action having
been devised and settled upon, if you wait long enough, you will see a
band of workers in an orderly, systematic manner begin to repair the
damage. All this happens every time you tread on an ant-hill. If a
passing animal breaks down the embankment,--a horse or a cow,--of course
the injury done is much greater. In such a case every worker in the city
is put to hard labor till the streets are cleared, the houses rebuilt,
and all traces of the disaster removed.

"I am sure you will be interested to know what goes on from morning till
night in one of these ant-cities, and I have written out on purpose to
read to you this afternoon an account of one day's proceedings. I call
my paper

LIFE IN AN ANT-HILL; OR, ONE DAY IN A MODEL CITY.

"At sunrise the doors and gates were opened, and every body was awake
and stirring, from the queen in her palace to the servants who brought
in the meals and kept things tidy about the houses; and then, in
accordance with a good old custom handed down from generation to
generation, the first thing every body did on getting out of bed was to
take a bath. Such a washing and scrubbing and sponging off and rubbing
down as went on in every house, you can imagine. It made no difference
what kind of work one was going about,--plastering, brick-laying, or
digging of ditches,--like a sensible fellow, he went fresh and clean to
it every day.

"Of course the queen-mother and the little princes and princesses, with
a palace full of servants to wait on them, had all these offices of the
toilet performed for them; but what do you think of common working
folks going about from house to house to help each other wash up for the
day? Fancy having a neighbor step in bright and early to wash your face
and hands for you, or give you a sponge-bath, or a nice dry rub!

"After the wash came milking-time. Now, all the cows were pastured
outside the city, and the servants who had the care of them hurried off
as fast as they could, because the milk was needed for breakfast,
especially for the babies. A beautiful road led to the milking-ground,
broad and level, and so clean and well kept that not a stick or stone or
rut or mud-hole was to be found in it from beginning to end. And this
was true of all the streets and avenues, lanes and a