on the snow, and more snow comes every day, and not so much sunshine. One night the sky was beautiful. It was green and purple and red, and all sorts of colors that are pretty.

I like to look at the sky when it begins to be night. After a little a star peeps out; then it comes clear out. After a little another star comes out, and then another until all are out, and the sky looks perfectly charming. Then the moon comes out and shines on the snow, and there are not so many stars. It seems to be a queer thing that when the moon shines so bright you can't see so many stars. And I said so. And one of the gentlemen said, Whoop-la! Sometimes the more light you have the more you can't see!" "Why?" And he only said, "Whoop-la!"

If you were here you would tell me, wouldn't you?

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And I said,

RAE.

JANUARY 4th.

When the jointed doll came to me, the head was off. I am going to have it put on again. I have named it Johnny. Do you think Johnny is a pretty name? Miss Edith is my best girl. She has bangs and lovely eyes that open and shut. Mr. Goodman gave her to me for Christmas. My dolls live in the kitchen in the corner. They never get sick although it is so cold now we cannot walk on the piazza. Jack Frost walks there, and spends his time making pretty leaves and flowers and ferns all over the windows. Jack Frost is like Santa Claus; if you should see him he wouldn't be there. That's a queer thing, but when I said so Mr. Charles said, "This world is full of queer things." And I said, “What things?" and he said, "Well, your spelling for one.' And I said, "Yes, when you tell me which way the letters go!" And then I was afraid I had been impudent. I despise being impudent. It isn't polite, and sometimes I have to go to bed for it. And I despise going to bed in the daytime! But Mr. Charles only said, "Whoop-la! This is a sad world!" And I said. Why?" and he said, "Sometimes a ray of hope comes to me, and sometimes a(r)ray of questions." And I asked him to explain. And then mamma. called me, and we made gingerbread nuts. I am progressing in cooking. I have helped to make tarts, and I have assisted in making cake. I have not improved my mind much. Mr. Frederick thinks it is because I have not any mind to improve. Mr. Frederick hears my lessons sometimes when I ask him to. I have been studying out of my geography. I think it is very interesting, but I cannot remember it. I like to read. I can remember that well enough, but my geography I cannot remember. It is harder to get right than spelling. This is what I do every day I dust and keep things neat, and I help make beds and wash dishes.

:

Mr. Charles is a nice boy when he wants to be, but sometimes he leaves his things around. We We very often stumble over his boots.

We had two pigs once. It runs about.

We had one pig killed, so we have only one pig now.

An English gentleman came here to spend two days. He keeps his mind well improved, but he keeps his hat on in the house, and his coat needs to be

mended badly. He is somewhat pious, but not so pious as Mr. Goodman. Mr. Goodman has a great many Bibles in his room, and he prays by himself sometimes. I think he is very kind. He gave me Miss Edith. Sunday we had prayer time, and we had singing and reading out of the Bible. People came here to service, and they had to be fed. There is not a church for twenty miles away.

RAE.

JANUARY 21st.

I must tell you about our dear little black puss. He runs up on top of the shed and sits there in a way that looks very affecting, with his paws hanging down in front, and looking at me out of his big, green eyes. The gray cat does not seem to be so bright and frolicsome as she used to be.

Mr. Charles shot a mag

pie. It was black and white. A lady came up here on Sunday. She told us that she had twenty-four pink birds. She said she was going to make a twentyfour pink birds baked in a pie. She gave me six of the wings.

One night mamma was reading, and I asked her what she was laughing about. She told me she was reading about Miss Knag. She had charge of the dressmaking for a lady whose husband was not superior. Miss Knag was gaudy,

but not neat. I've no doubt she was not made to mend when she was young. Gaudy means fussing, and frizzing hair, and wearing ribbons, and putting earrings on, and bracelets, and finger rings. Miss Knag had a girl to help her sew. She was very shy and quiet, not grinning, nor lolling on windows and doors to get people to look at her, but she kept her eyes on her work. When young men were silly, she tried to think of something she had read, so as not to smile. Miss Knag dressed as gay when she had wrinkles as if she were rosy and plump. It would have been better to have improved her mind, and attended to poor folks.

Last night Mr. Charles brought a paper from England for mamma to see. It was full of pictures. One page showed all about soldiers and their wives. One picture was sad and silly- a drunken soldier had to be dragged out of a saloon by his wife. I am not going to marry ever, because I do not know whether the man will be drunk or not. I hope my time will be better spent in teaching children than to do anything like that.

Mr. Charles has an English book with silly, funny pictures, and funny, silly reading under them. I was going to tell you about them, but mamma says to write something sensible instead of that bosh.

Mr. Charles is in such a hurry to go to the post-office that he sets everybody into fidgets. He goes on horseback. He has to ride a long ways, and then the stage comes along and he gives them the letters. Sometimes the snow is so deep that we cannot send any letters, and we cannot get any. The windows are so frozen up we cannot see out of them. It is very cold here.

RAE.

FEBRUARY 6th.

The snow is still on the ground. I go to walk when the sun is shining. It is so cold here that the cows are shivering. It is pitiful to look out and see the poor animals standing out in the snow. They get in the shed and drive the dog out in the cold. The little black cat is not well. I do wish there was some way to make him well. He does not seem to agree with his food. Mr. Frederick said that 'most two miles up in the sky was too near Heaven for cats to be very happy. And I said, Why? Wouldn't cats be happy in Heaven?” Mr. Frederick has a very improved mind. mind. Mr. Charles seems to be very fussy. He wants this and he wants that, and he don't want this and he don't want that. Mamma gets all out of patience with him. If I had fifty boys I would bring them up to want this and to want that. I would not allow them to grumble over things because things do not suit them. He comes out and says, What are you going to have for a pudding?" Mamma tells him. He says, "No sugar in it?" Mamma says, "No!" He asks her what else we are going to have for dinner. Mamma tells him, and he smiles at her enough to say, ..That is not much of a dinner!"

Mr. Charles is more industrious than Mr. Frederick.

He stays out of doors to make himself useful. Mr. Frederick and Mr. Charles have to be amused. When mamma sits down to write, they come out to talk. They say: "Put up that beastly pen, and talk to me!" and "O, but, I'd like to whack the cad who stuffed my dad that it wouldn't be bad to have a thousand cattle on some hills!" and "I'll be blowed for a duffer, if things are not going to smash like three o'clock!"

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Such talk is not nice in a young youth. I'm glad we do not speak the English language! Mos'tronary" is not right speaking, and oatmeal and molasses is not good eating, even if they call it "pawidge and trickle." Mamma cooked a rabbit for them, and they called it "jugged hare!" And when mamma made jelly-cake they said, "Give us some more of that jam sandwich!"

English gentlemen seem to be queer! They are not like American people.

THE

A

ROLLICKING MASTODON.

ROLLICKING Mastodon lived in Spain,
In the trunk of a Tranquil Tree.
His face was plain, but his jocular vein

Was a burst of the wildest glee.
His voice was strong and his laugh so long
That people came many a mile,

And offered to pay a guinea a day

For the fractional part of a smile.

The Rollicking Mastodon's laugh was wide-
Indeed, 'twas a matter of family pride;

And, oh! so proud of his jocular vein

Was the Rollicking Mastodon over in Spain.

The Rollicking Mastodon said one day :
"I feel that I need some air;

For a little ozone's a tonic for bones,
As well as a gloss for the hair."

So he skipped along and warbled a song
In his own triumphulant way.

His smile was bright and his skip was light
As he chirruped his roundelay.

The Rollicking Mastodon tripped along,
And sang what Mastodons call a song;
But every note of it seem to pain
The Rollicking Mastodon over in Spain.

A Little Peetookle came over the hill,
Dressed up in a bollitant coat;

And he said, "You need some harroway seed,
And a little advice for your throat.'
The Mastodon smiled, and said, "My child,
There's a chance for your taste to grow.
If you polish your mind, you'll certainly find
How little, how little you know!"

The Little Peetookle, his teeth he ground
At the Mastodon's singular sense of sound;
For he felt it a sort of a musical stain
On the Rollicking Mastodon over in Spain.