Down went the slate on the floor, and away went cat, bird, and Dora. There was a wild chase on the lawn. "In a minute" Dora came back weeping, with the poor bird in her hand, but, oh! the life had all been shaken out of him.
How Dora cried! Mamma was sorry for her, but said, "A great many things may happen 'in a minute,' Dora. I hope the next time you are told to do a thing, you will do it at once."
MARY ADDISON.
Spring and Summer and russet Fall
Come and go with a varied cheer;
Each has something, and none has all,
Of the good things of the year.
Winter laughs, though the trees are bare,
With a kindly laugh that is good to see;
For of all the forest is none so rare
As his merry Christmas-tree.
It blooms with many a taper's flame;
And hidden under the leaves of green
Are fruits of every shape and name,
The funniest ever seen,—