BY MARY D. BRINE.
Out in the orchard dwell wee little fairies,
Busy with bud and with blossom at last.
See how they work with their palettes and brushes,
Tinting the apple-trees brightly and fast.
Pink and white blossoms, so dainty and fragrant,
Laden with promise of good things to come,
Softly the breezes are stealing their perfume,
While o'er their beauty the busy bees hum.
Fair are the treasures which come with the spring-time,
Fields full of daisies, and grasses so green,
Sweet are the zephyrs from rose gardens blowing,
Lovely the earth in the sun's golden sheen.
But out in the orchard amid the white blossoms,
The pink and white blossoms that garland the trees,
We find the best charm of the beautiful spring-time,
And welcome the touch of the sweet-scented breeze.
[THE BOYS' TEA PARTY.]
BY S. C. MORRISON.
When ten boys and girls live in one house, they can have a great deal of fun. This was the case at Mr. Stanley's, where there were six girls and four boys; only the boys sometimes felt a little injured that the girls should have the majority.
But next door, at Mr. Fleming's, there were seven boys and only one girl; so when the Stanley boys wanted a refuge from feminine oppression, they had only to climb the fence, and join forces with the Flemings, and at once they had a majority in their favor.
Not that they had any real cause of complaint. Everything that could make them comfortable and happy was provided for them by their father and Aunt Sue. Aunt Sue!—that name suggests their grievances. For two years before Aunt Sue came to take charge of the Stanley boys and girls they had had a housekeeper who let them do pretty much as they pleased. She allowed them to eat pies, puddings, cakes, and sweetmeats until they cared for nothing else.
Aunt Sue instituted a new state of affairs. They must learn to eat vegetables for the sake of their health.
Now don't suppose that they never had cake, or that Aunt Sue was at all unreasonable. But when boys make no distinction between cake and bread except to give the former the preference, it is difficult to fill their orders.