ELFRIDA'S PRESENT.
LFRIDA is a little German girl who lives in Bonn. She has a brother in New York. He sent her, not long ago, a bound copy of "The Nursery." She was greatly pleased. She spent much time looking at the pictures. Then she said, "Oh, how I wish I could read the stories!"
"You have been saving up your money for some time," said her mother. "For what have you been saving it?"
"To buy one of those beautiful dolls that can walk without being touched: I do so long to have one!" said the little girl. "But why do you ask, mamma?"
"It was only a passing thought," said mamma.
"But I want to know your passing thought," said Elfrida.
"Well, dear, I thought that one-quarter of the money you will have to pay for a doll would buy you a nice English-German dictionary, by help of which you could learn to read those stories in 'The Nursery.'"
"Let me buy it at once, mamma!" cried Elfrida. "Dolls are nice; but I would rather have a dictionary. May I not go to the bookstore, and buy the book now?"
"Yes, dear: your choice is a wise one. You may go."
Elfrida ran up stairs, put on her cape and bonnet, ran out to the bookstore, and bought the book.
It was hard at first to find out the meaning of some of the words. But the stories were simple, and some of the words were so like the same words in German, that she did not have to look them out.
One day she came running home from school, and said, "O mamma! a little American girl named Clara now comes to our school. She says she will teach me to read."
The little American girl kept her promise. First she would give Elfrida a lesson in English, and then Elfrida would give her a lesson in German. And so they both grew to be nice little scholars. Elfrida would talk to Clara in English, and Clara would answer her in German. Soon they could each talk both languages quite well.
IDA FAY.
