Among the many pets we kept years ago, when living in the country, were a beautiful but rather wild-natured cat and an aviary of doves.
Judge of the dismay with which we found one morning that Rosie had been shut up all night with these doves, and was even then lying in an inner cage fast asleep in the same nest with two unfledged little birds.
Of course the first impression was that Rosie had made a supper off some of the inmates of the aviary, but, on counting them, not one was missing, and the involuntary prisoner on being released was found to be ravenously hungry, which made her forbearance in the matter all the more extraordinary, and may well be noted as a wonderful piece of self-denial.
Austen, Texas.
This is the first year I have been taking your paper, and I like it very much. Our home is called Honeysuckle Glen, because we have so many honeysuckles; our yard is full of them. We have a great many different kinds of birds that are building nests all around in the trees and bushes in the yard. There is an old watering-pot hanging out in the yard in one of the trees, and a pretty little wren has built her nest in it. I am eleven years old, and I have a sweet little sister two years old, with soft golden curls, fair skin, and blue eyes. We have a sweet little canary, and it sings beautifully. I have not the first numbers of "Talking Leaves." I am saving my papers up, as I expect to have them bound some time. The new Capitol building is progressing; it is going to be a grand building. The old Capitol burned down last November, and I saw the fire; it was a beautiful yet sad sight.
Nellie B.
A USEFUL GANDER.
In a little village in Germany a gander used to lead a blind old woman to church every Sunday, dragging her along and holding her gown in its beak. As soon as she was seated in her pew the old fellow walked into the church-yard, where he staid until the service was over; then he appeared at the door, ready to lead his mistress home. One day a friend called on the old lady, and was surprised to find that she had gone out. "Oh," said her little grandchild, "there is nothing to fear; the gander will take care of her."