THE JOLLY DOG'S PRACTICAL JOKE.
'Twas near dinner-time, and the pudding was hot,
Nelly, her cheeks all aglow
(The master liked icy-cold pudding), ran out,
And popped the dish into the snow.
For though on that morn smiling April was born,
A snow-heap that March left behind,
When he hastened away, in a dark corner lay
Of the garden, blown there by the wind.
Singing merrily, back to the kitchen went Nell,
When a jolly dog came up the lane.
"Aha! something good!" and he stopped and he sniffed,
Looked around, cocked his ears, sniffed again.
Then, the gate being open, he boldly walked in,
Going straight to the snowy spot where
The dish sat a-cooling—three great gulps he gave,
And a pudding no longer was there.
Down the stoop flew the maid. "I must now take it in,
For I'm sure by this time it is cool."
Said the dog, running off, "Pray don't trouble yourself;
I have taken it in—April-fool!"
Chattanooga, Tennessee.
I wonder if the readers of Young People know how delightful the climate and surroundings of Chattanooga are. Near the base of Lookout Mountain, which has grown historical since the war, the views in all directions are magnificent, that from the point on the mountain being the grandest, where one can see places in seven different States. Chattanooga is an Indian word, meaning eagle's nest.
Paul Dwight Moross.
Traverse City, Michigan.