At last she looked in the cradle, and there he was, lying snugly asleep. Without knowing what she had done, she had put him in the cradle, and had covered him up, and then, without undressing herself, had gone and lain down on the bed. "Oh, you darling, you darling!" cried Nellie; but the tears came to her eyes, and she could say no more.
Mary Atkinson.
ANNIE'S WISH.
"I wish I were a fairy,—
A fairy kind and good,
I'd have a splendid palace
Beside a waving wood.
And there my fairy minstrels
Their golden harps should play;
And little fairy birdies
Should carol all the day.
"A hundred fairy minions
On my commands should wait;
And want and pain should never
Be known on my estate.
I'd send my fairy heralds,
To solace, soothe, and aid;
And love and joy and pleasure
Each dwelling should pervade."
"But, ah! you're not a fairy,
Dear little Sister Ann;
So pray now be contented,
And do the best you can.
To parents, friends, and teachers,
Be docile, true, and fond,
And you will work more wonders
Than with a fairy's wand."
Geo. Bennett.