were loaded!The bright little Fairy said, "Isn't it grandTo rule o'er the kingdom of Buttercup Land?"
"Alas!" they cried, "it is late, so late, Home we must all be sailing!"Sorrowful they that they could not wait,But they were good darlings 'tis right to state, Duty was ever prevailing!And so they embarked in their paper boat,And soon on the sea were again afloat,A merry cheer rang from each childish throat, Tho' tears down their cheeks were trailing!The bright little Fairy cried, waving her hand,"Come soon again, darlings, to Buttercup Land!"
At last they came to their native shore, Nellie and Flo and Dan did,Noticing what they'd not noticed before,That beautiful too was their native shore, Better it is to be candid!Then one to the other remarked, "I sayI think that the sun must be hot to-day!I've been fast asleep, and sailed far away, Where I on an Island landed!"They laughed for they lay, gather'd flow'rs in each hand,Mid buttercups sweet as in Buttercup Land!
E. Oxenford.
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"TEASING NED."
Such a terrible tease was Ned! Mother's patience lasted longer than anyone else's, but even _she_ was perhaps not altogether sorry whenholidays were over and the boys were safely back at boarding-school. Heteased the cats and the dogs and the chickens, teased the servantsterribly with his mess and pranks; teased his bigger brother George, andmore than all teased his good little sister Lizzie. "Lizababuff," shecalled herself, which was as near as her wee mouth could get toElizabeth. George was something of a tease too, if the truth must beowned, only, beside Ned, people didn't notice him so much. Yet tease asthey might, by hanging her dolls high out of reach in the walnut-tree,setting her dear black kitty afloat on the pond in a box, or laughing ather when she failed to catch little birds by putting salt on theirtails, or any other way, and they had a great many, Lizzie never sulked;she forgave them directly, and wherever the boys played, in garden,orchard, or paddock, Lizzie's little fat face and white sun-bonnet couldalways be seen close by.
A very favorite place with the children was the paddock gate; here theywould often swing for hours or amuse themselves by watching anythingthat might come along the road. Not much traffic passed that way, to besure, but knowing every one in the village, they seemed to find enoughto interest them.
"Here comes Tom Crippy with two baskets," cried Ned, as they all leanedover the gate one sunny afternoon,--an afternoon on which even Lizzie'ssunny temper had almost given way, for both boys were in an especiallyteasing mood, and had brought tears very near her blue eyes more thanonce. "Don't they look heavy?" he went on. "My! He's got carrots andripe apples in one. All ours are as hard as wood."
"Going to take them up to the house, Tom?"
"Not to yours, Master Ned," Tom answered, setting down his baskets andresting on a low wall. "This one is for you; but this one, with theapples, is for Mrs. Veale."
George looked at the baskets. "It is very hot, and you look tired rightout," he said. "Suppose you leave Mrs. Veale's basket here while youtake ours."
Tom Crippy agreed at once, and gladly made his way up to the house withhis lightened load, Ned shouting after him, "I say, Tom, you may as wellspare us an apple when you come back!"
"Wouldn't it be fun to hide his basket?" Ned went on; but, havingoffered to take care of it, both boys dismissed the idea as _mean_.
"Now for the apple," they said, when he returned.
In vain Tom protested, "I never promised it. It isn't mine to give! noteven father's! Mrs. Veale has bought and paid for these apples."
George would have let him go after a bit; but Ned was somewhat greedy,and hankered after the apple, as well as after what he called a bit of_fun_.
"Well, it won't be more than a mouthful apiece," said Tom, at last."Who'll have first bite?" and he took a ripe, red apple from the basket.
"I," cried Ned at once.
"Well!" said Tom, "I should have thought you would have let the littlelady!"
He looked at George, who at once blinded Ned's eyes. Widely, eagerly, heopened his mouth, to close his teeth upon--a carrot.
People who tease can rarely stand being teased themselves. Frantic withrage, Ned struck out right and left, then dashing the basket over,trampled and smashed the delicious apples with his feet.
Well, the apples had to be paid for, and the boys had to be punished;even mother couldn't overlook such an afternoon's work as _this_.
The boys' pocket-money would be stopped till the two shillings were madeup. Threepence a week each, and a month seemed long to look forward to.Gloomily they leaned over the gate in the evening. Patter, patter,nearer and nearer came little feet. "Lizababuff has opened hermoney-box, and here is sixpence for George and sixpence for Ned."
How they hugged the sun-bonnet! "Lizzie, you are a brick! But we won'ttake your money, nor tease you any more!"
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"DAISY."
Far in the Highlands of Scotland, nestling amid their rugged mountains,lay a beautiful farm. Here one of our boys lived with the good oldfarmer for two or three years, to be taught sheep-farming. Every summerhe came to see us; and one year, as we were staying at a country house,he brought us a dear little pet lamb, which he had carried on hisshoulder for many a mile across the country. It was a poor littleorphan, its mother having died; but Willie had brought her up on warmnew milk, which the farmer had given him. We at once named her Daisy,she was so white and fluffy, just like a snowball; and twice a day weused to feed her with warm milk out of a bottle. She very quickly gottame, roaming about and following us in our walks. She knew Sunday quitewell, and never attempted to go to church with us but once; when we werehalf way there who should come panting after us but Daisy, so she had tobe taken home, and very sulkily lay down beside Hero, the watch-dog,perhaps for a little sympathy. Of course she grew into a very big lamb,and as we had to go back to town for the winter a farmer offered to takeDaisy and put her amongst his own flock of sheep. Next summer when wereturned the first thing we did was to go and see Daisy. The flock wasfeeding in a meadow, and as we opened the gate a sheep darted from amongthem, came straight to us, and bleating out her welcome, trotted homewith us. She went back to live with the farmer, and died at a good oldage.
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CHARLIE'S WORD.
"Well, children, I'll let you go and have this picnic by yourselves ifyou'll give me your word that you'll behave just as you would do if Iwere with you. Will you promise?"
"Yes, Nurse, we do promise; and we'll keep our word," said Algy Parker,"won't we?" and he turned round to Charlie, Basil, and little Ivy, as ifto ask them to confirm his words.
"Yes, we promise," they repeated eagerly, full of delight to think thatthey might actually picnic by themselves for a whole day.
"Don't leave the Home Fields, mind," said Nurse. "You can't come to muchharm there, I should think; and I should be glad of a free day, so as toget the nurseries cleaned out before your mother comes to-morrow; somind your promise, and take good care of little Miss Ivy."
In a very short time all was ready. Cook had packed a most temptinglunch of ham sandwiches, plum-cake, and gooseberry turnovers, and thiswas placed in a basket on Algy's mail-cart; and then off he started, andCharlie and Basil, with little Ivy between them, ran after him down thelong avenue, laughing and singing as joyfully as young birds.
The Home Fields lay at the bottom of the avenue, and the children wereno sooner in them than Ivy gave a scream of delight. "The roses, Algy!The wild roses are out; oh, do pick me some!"
Ivy always got her own way with her brothers; and Algy obedientlystopped, threw off his hat, pulled out his clasp-knife, and gathered agood bunch of the delicate blossoms for the little queen.
Charlie did not care for roses; he was better amused with the duck-pond,and began building a little pier for himself with some stones that layn
ear, much to the disgust of a pair of respectable old ducks, whoconsidered the pond their private property, and very much resentedCharlie's operations.
"Just listen to old Mrs. Quack preaching to me," cried Charlie, smilingto himself as he stood some little way in the pond. As he spoke,however, one of the stones of the pier slipped, and Charlie stumbledright into the water!
What of that?--it is a fine sunny day, and his boots will soon dryagain, and he will not be a jot the worse.
Yes, quite true; but Nurse strictly forbade wet boots, and Charlie wellknew that had she been there he would at once be sent back to the houseto change them, and might