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She went and opened the door; the frog hopped in, and then hopped along after her to her chair. Then he stopped and cried, "Take me up."

She did not like to, but at last the king said she must. As soon as the frog was on the chair, he jumped upon the table and said, "Now push your little golden plate nearer to me, so that we may both eat from it."

She did So, but anyone could see that she did not like it. The young frog ate as if he liked it, but every mouthful seemed to stick in the girl's throat. "I have eaten all I want," said the frog at last. "I am tired. Take me to your little room and make your little silken bed for me to sleep in."

Then the king's daughter began to weep, for she was afraid of the cold frog. She did not like to touch him, and now he must sleep in her pretty clean bed.

The king grew angry and said, "You should not treat in this way one who helped you when you were in trouble."

So she took the frog in her two fingers, carried him up-stairs, and put him in the corner of the room. When she was in bed, he came hopping up and said," "I am tired. I want to sleep as well as you. Take me up, or I will tell your father."

Then she was very angry; and she took him up

and threw him with all her might against the wall. "Now will you keep still, you ugly frog?" she cried.

But as he fell he was no frog but a prince with beautiful and kind eyes. Then he told her how he had been changed to a frog by a wicked witch, and no one but herself could set him free, and that to-morrow they would go into his kingdom.

GRIMM.

THOUGH.

The sun is hid,

The skies are gray.
Let hearts be light
And spirits gay,
Though sun be hid
And skies be gray.

The task is hard,
And small the pay.

Let hearts be light
And spirits gay,

Though tasks be hard

And small the pay.

LITTLE KITTY.

Once there was a little kitty,
Whiter than snow;

In the barn she used to frolic,
Long time ago.

In the barn a little mousie
Ran to and fro;

For she heard the kitty coming,
Long time ago.

Two black eyes had little kitty,

Black as a crow;

And they spied the little mousie, Long time ago.

Nine pearl teeth had little kitty,

All in a row;

And they bit the little mousie,

Long time ago.

When the teeth bit little mousie,
Little mouse cried, "Oh!"
But she got away from kitty,

Long time ago.

-ELIZABETH PRENTISS

THE BIRD AND THE CATS.

A lady had a tame bird of which she was very fond. She used to let it out of its cage for a little while every day.

One morning, as it was running about on the floor

[graphic]

picking up crumbs, the cat

jumped upon a table.

seized it in her mouth and

The lady thought that she had lost her bird and that the cat had killed it. But as she rose, she saw a strange cat just inside the door which had been left open. Then she knew why her cat had seized the bird.

She drove the strange cat out, and then her own cat jumped down from the table and dropped the bird unhurt.

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Birds are everywhere, and every one may see them and study them. There are few living things more wonderful, and yet many people live all their lives among them and know but little about them.

Why are the birds of so many different colors? Does the color of a bird mean anything, or help the bird in any way? Why are most ground-birds brown or brownish?

The vireos live among the leaves, eating the caterpillars and worms, they find upon them. Why are the vireos greenish?

Flocks of snow-birds often come after a great snow-storm and feed upon the seed they find in weeds sticking above the snow. Why are these snow-birds white, with little touches of brown?

Owls, that hide during the day by sitting perfectly still on large limbs of trees, are brownish. Why is the owl, that comes with the snow-storm or after it, and that lives in the open, snow-covered fields, white?

The colors of birds hide them-a brown bird cannot be easily seen on the brownish sand or dirt, nor a greenish bird among the leaves, nor a white bird upon the snow.

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