otherday."
"THERE WAS ... A SMASH"]
Trot laughed. "That isn't the kind of circus I mean," she said; "we'reto be the circus!"
Toddles looked more astonished than ever.
"We shall ask the party to sit in a circle," said Trot; "and then weshall do things. Perhaps we may as well settle now what to do."
"We must jump through hoops, of course," said Toddles.
"And walk about with things on our heads," said Trot; "balancing, theycall it."
"I do wish we could walk on a rope like the man did the other day," saidToddles.
"We will," said Trot, writing busily.
The spelling was rather a trouble to her; but Toddles quiteapproved of it, and both children were satisfied with the programme whenit was finished, though perhaps any one else might have found difficultyin understanding it. It looked something like this:
"4 TEA AFTER TEA JUMPING THREW HOOPS BALLUNCING TITE ROPES."
"Won't they be surprised?" said Toddles.
"Now we will practise," said Trot. "As we can't have any horses, I willhold the hoop, and you shall jump through it."
"That is much too easy," said Toddles. "Couldn't you stand on a chair,and let me jump off another chair through the hoop?"
Trot looked doubtful--"Nurse doesn't like us to stand on the chairs,"she said.
She fetched her big wooden hoop and held it up.
"Higher!" shouted Toddles, getting ready to make a spring.
Trot raised the hoop and Toddles jumped; then somehow Toddles and thehoop got mixed up together, and Toddles fell down on the ground.
"Oh dear!" said Trot. "I am sorry; we must try again."
Toddles picked himself up, and rubbed his elbows.
"Don't you think it will look stupid to jump through hoops when we can'tride on horses?" he said. "Of course if we had horses it would be easyenough. I think we had better leave that part out."
"'LET US TRY WALKING THE ROPE.'"]
"Perhaps we had," said Trot; and she slowly drew her pencil through"JUMPING THREW HOOPS."
"We can both balance things," said Toddles, "I know;" and he jumped upquickly and ran across the room. "I will lie on my back, and put thefootstool on my feet--"
"And throw it up in the air, and catch it," cried Trot. "Like the manwith the tub the other day. That will be fine!--What shall I do?"
"Walk about with that pot on your head," suggested Toddles.
"That old thing," said Trot; "that will be very easy."
Toddles lay down on his back, and stuck the footstool on his feet, andTrot put the jar upon her head.
"It is quite easy," said Toddles, "and I am sure the party will likeit."
"Quite easy," said Trot.
There was a sound of something falling, a cry, a little scream, and asmash.
"Oh!" cried Toddles.
"E--ee--eh!" cried Trot.
"THERE WAS A VERY LOUD SCREAM THIS TIME."]
"It came right on my nose," said Toddles. "I believe it's broken."
"I'm sure my toe is," said Trot.
There was no doubt at all about the pot, it was very much broken.
"Hush!" said Trot, "there's nurse!"
Toddles stopped in the middle of a scream, and the two children crept ontheir hands and knees to the door, and listened eagerly--but it was afalse alarm.
"Let us try walking the rope," said Trot.
"I suppose you will do that," said Toddles, rubbing his nose; "though wehaven't any rope."
"Then we must find something else," said Trot cheerfully, determined notto be beaten. "I think a walking-stick would do beautifully to practiseon, and we'll get nurse to give us a rope to-morrow."
"It looked very easy the other day," said Toddles, as Trot began toarrange one end of the stick on a chair, and the other on a stool; "butI don't expect it is."
"We'll be more careful this time," said Trot. "You hold thewalking-stick so that it sha'n't slip, and I'll hold this long stick sothat I sha'n't slip."
"All right," said Toddles, in a tone of voice which meant that hethought it was all wrong.
There was a loud scream this time--a scream that brought nurse up-stairsvery quickly, so that she might see what was the matter.
Both the children were on the floor, and sticks, chair, and stool wereflying in every direction.
For a minute nurse was doubtful which was Trot, which was Toddles, andwhich were sticks and chair.
"What are you doing?" said nurse.
But neither of the children answered. Toddles's head felt as if it hadsuddenly become twice its usual size, and Trot did not feel quite surewhere she was, or whether she was standing on her head or her heels.
"TODDLES AND TROT WERE SITTING SIDE BY SIDE."]
Nurse picked them up, and kissed them and comforted them, but quiteforgot to scold the two miserable little pickles.
They didn't say anything about the circus, and somehow or other Toddlesthought he would like to go to bed early; and of course there was no usein Trot staying up by herself, so she went to bed early too.
Next morning the children slept late, and did not seem very eager to getup when they did wake.
"Trot," said Toddles, sighing deeply, "it is the party day. What shallwe do about the circus?"
Trot only answered with something between a groan and a growl.
"Children," said mother, coming into the nursery after breakfast, "shallwe write to the boys and girls, and tell them to come another day?"
And though you will probably be astonished to hear it, Toddles and Trotnodded their heads and smiled.
"You wouldn't like it not to be a success," said mother.
"Trot," said Toddles, when mother had left the room, "you won't write aprogramme next time."
"If I do, Toddles," said Trot, "you may carry it out--out of the room, Imean."
But after all there was one part of the programme carried out.
At four o'clock that same afternoon Toddles and Trot were sitting sideby side on the nursery floor, looking and feeling very unhappy andmiserable.
"If only we hadn't hurt ourselves," said Trot, "we might have beenhaving the party now."
"And the two kinds of jam," said Toddles. "Oh dear! oh dear!"
"Oh dear! oh dear!" said Trot.
The door opened, and nurse came into the room.
"Miss Trot, Master Toddles," said she, "you are to have tea down-stairswith mistress to-day."
Toddles and Trot looked surprised; but they jumped up quickly from thefloor, forgetting for the moment all their aches and pains.
"Do you think," whispered Toddles to Trot, as they walked slowlydown-stairs, "that there will be two kinds?"
Trot nodded her head. "I hope so," she said.
And there were.
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A SILENT FRIEND.
I who live in a house with a roof, And the cow who lives out of doors,The cow who walks with a cloven hoof And I who have shoes like yours,
We two have been friends for many a day Though we never have shaken hands,It is true she has little or nothing to say, But I'm certain she understands.
She was browsing the grass by the brink of the brook, When I went down the garden to seeShe lifted her head with an earnest look, And slowly came over to me.
I stood by the fence which stretches about Twixt garden and pasture-land,I pulled up a lettuce and held it out, And she munched it out of my hand.
Since then we are very good friends indeed, But she never has spoken a word:But whatever I tell her she seems to give heed, I can see by her eyes she has heard.
F. W. Home.
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BUTTERCUP LAND.
They sailed away in a paper boat, Nellie and Flo and Dan did,Wondering how they managed to float,For rather unsafe is a paper boat, Better it is to be candid!And after a voyage across t
he seasThey came to an island of flowers and trees.And, wishing to feel rather more at ease, They anchored their craft and landed!A bright little Fairy cried out from the strand,"You're welcome my darlings, to Buttercup Land!"
They gazed around on a lovely scene, Nellie and Dan and Flo did,Golden the leaves of the trees, not green,No wonder they thought it a lovely scene, Happiness surely it boded!And buttercups grew on each inch of ground,No room for a pin could between be found,They gathered, and gathered, you may be bound, Till pinafores all