The Nursery, March 1873, Vol. XIII.

HOW THE WIND FILLS THE SAILS

"What makes the vessel move on the river?" asked little Anna one day of her brother Harry.

"Why," said Harry, "it's the wind, of course, that fills the sails, and that pushes the vessel on. Come out on the bank, and I will show you how it is done."

So Anna, Harry, and Bravo, all ran out on the lawn. Bravo was a dog; but he was always curious to see what was going on.

When they were on the lawn, Harry took out his handkerchief, and told Anna to hold it by two of the corners while he held the other two.

As soon as they had done this, the wind made it swell out, and look just like a sail.

"Now you see how the wind fills the sails," said Harry.

"Yes; but how does it make the ship go?" asked Anna.

"Well, now let go of the handkerchief, and see what becomes of it," said Harry.

So they both let go of it; and off the wind bore it up among the bushes by the side of the house.

In order to explain the matter still further to his sister, Harry made a little flat boat out of a shingle, and put in it a mast, and on the mast a paper sail.

Then they went down to the river and launched it; and, much to Anna's delight, the wind bore it far out towards the middle of the stream.

Bravo swam out, took it in his mouth, and brought it back; and Anna was at last quite satisfied that she knew how it is that the wind makes the vessel go on the river.

Dora Burnside.

MOLLY TO HER DOLLY

 
Well, dolly, here I am again,
Just home from school, you see:
Let's come down to our cubby-house
Beneath the willow-tree.
 
 
There, dolly, now we're snug and safe,
Away from horrid boys;
Oh! don't we hate their teasing tricks,
Their rudeness and their noise!
 
 
Come, let me press your little cheek,
So rosy and so cool;
And I will tell you all about
The times I had at school.
 
 
I said my tables pretty well,
But missed on five times seven:
In spelling I went to the head
(The word, dear, was e-lev-en).
 
 
At recess, Nelly Fay and I
A splendid "teter" made:
O dolly! we went up so high,
You would have been afraid.
 
 
And Nelly promised she would come
And spend this afternoon:
So, dolly, I must change your dress,
For she will be here soon.
 
 
She'll bring with her her stylish doll,
(Miss Maud May Rosalie)
Who wears real ear-rings and a watch
(As vain as she can be)!
 
 
Ah, dolly! by her Paris dress
Yours will look plain, I fear;
But you have twice as sweet a face,
My ownty darling dear!
 

IDA'S MOUSE

One morning when Ida went to the closet for the birdseed to feed her canary, she found a wee brown mouse in the bottom of the bottle where the seed was kept. Instead of screaming and running away, Ida clapped her fat little hand over the mouth of the bottle, and mousie was a prisoner.

Mamma said mousie should be drowned; but Ida begged so hard to keep him, that mamma got a glass jar, put mousie into it, with a bit of bread and cheese to keep him company, tied a piece of tin, all pricked with little holes, over the mouth of the jar, and set it on the shelf.

Ida spent half the day in watching the mouse.

When papa came home at night, he brought a funny little tin house for mousie's cage. Mousie was put into it; and he soon began to make the wire-wheel go round. He turned the wheel so fast and so long, that he soon made his nose sore. Ida thought he was very tame; but I think he only wanted to get out and run away.

One day mousie managed to get his door open and scamper off. Then Ida cried and cried, and was afraid her dear mousie would starve. But after a day or two, as grandma was going up stairs, she saw little mousie hopping up ahead of her.

He ran into Ida's closet. Ida brought the cage; and mamma and grandma made mousie run into it.

"Perhaps it is not the same mouse," said grandma.

"Oh, yes, it is!" said Ida. "I know him by his sore nose."

Ida took good care of mousie till warm weather came, and it was time to go into the country for the summer. Then she took the cage outside the back-gate, and opened mousie's door. Mousie was very quiet at first; but soon he peeped out, and, seeing nothing to hinder, he ran away as fast as his little legs could carry him.

I am glad that he was set free; for I do not think he was happy in the cage. I hope he will keep away from traps and cats, and live to a good old age.

Auntie May.