THE GOSSIPS.
[OUR POST-OFFICE BOX.]
A little Breeze crept slyly out the other day from under the wing of his mother, the great North Wind. To his surprise he found a crowd of Breezes and Zephyrs who had wakened an hour or two earlier than he. They were rushing here and there, and frolicking with everything they saw. A very pompous old gentleman with a gold-headed cane was walking down the street, and a naughty Breeze whisked off his hat and wig. "Take care of yourself!" said the Wind to the Breeze; "such behavior is very wrong." A boy was carrying a kitten in a basket. He was taking it away to give it to his aunt Mary. Presto! a Breeze whirled away his cap, and another one peered into the basket, and out flew Miss Kittykins, and ran home as fast as four velvet paws could carry her. The Breezes blew against the shutters and broke the windows, and dashed around the corners, and had the merriest time; and they are having it still. The Postmistress says she is glad of it, for March is a jolly month, and all the while that he is tearing about with his troop of whistling Winds and his crew of rioting Gales he is preparing the way for the gentle maiden Spring to come in earnest.
And kite-time's here too, isn't it, boys?
Chelsea, Massachusetts.
We live on the bank of the Mystic River, and have a view of Bunker Hill Monument, which is just opposite to us, on the Charlestown side of the river. There is also on Bunker Hill a beautiful bronze statue of Colonel Prescott. Our home is very pretty, and in the summer we row in our boat on the river. The tide rises and falls twice a day five or six feet. When it is low, and the rocks and beach are bare, we find a great many star-fish. They have five points, just like a star. The eye is in the middle. We dry them on a board, and keep them as curiosities.
We have a pair of goats. When the weather is good, they draw us in a wagon, but now they draw a sled, which they do not like as well. Our cow has a great deal of sense; the goats stay in the stable with her, and when we take them out, she misses them, and moos until they go back. Papa takes an apple to the goats, cow, and horse nearly every morning. Sometimes when he has only one, he gives it to the horse, for we all love that best; then you ought to hear the old cow scold. When the weather was warm, she learned to know that she always got an apple when she came to the library window, so she came for one every day. When it got too cold for the window to be raised, she stood rubbing her nose on the window glass, and would not leave until she received her apple. One day she came with five other cows; I think she wanted all of them to get an apple. She would not go away until mamma threw some to a distance, and then the procession went after them. Nelly, our horse, eats out of our hands, and we are sure no other horse was ever so gentle.
We have twelve canaries. Mamma raised them all, besides a great many others she has given away. Some are light, some dark; some have crests, or top-knots. One of them looks as if her feathers were "banged" like a little girl's hair, they fall so prettily over her eyes. She flies to us to eat sugar from our fingers. There are five females, who live together in one cage. We also have on the place four dogs; two of them belong to us, the others to the farmer. One of ours is a setter named Ring. He is very fond of the farmer's dogs, especially of the puppy. A few days ago we called him to the house. He brought all the other dogs with him. The older ones followed him up the stairs, but the little pup did not know what to make of the steps; he stood in the lower hall whining. Ring went back to him, licked him on the face, ran up the steps again, the little pup still whining. Ring went back to him several times. At last he got out of patience; he made mamma open the door and let the puppy out. The way he tells mamma he wants the door opened is by biting the toes of her slippers, and he will not stop until she lets him out.
There is a very high hill back of our house, where we have a fine coasting place. We have also built a snow fort, with port-holes through which we can see our enemies coming, and pelt them with snow-balls.
Willie H.