I knew

Mr. B. So he ought, but he is n't. of the family, but had never seen any of them except the mother, and determined to do well by Tom if he should prove worthy. But I have discovered that he is an idle, worthless fellow, and I cannot carry out my designs with regard to him I am only his mother's uncle by marriage, so you are as much my nephew as Tom, and you may call me uncle.

Hen. I shall love dearly to do so; and perhaps you can do something to make Tom better.

Mr. B. I will do all I can; for he surely needs to improve his habits. He will become a drunkard if he keeps on as he has begun. I must leave you now. Good-morning.

Mrs. A. and Hen.

Good-morning, sir.

But

XXXIV.—THE CRICKET AND THE ANTS.

A

I.

SILLY young Cricket, accustomed to sing.
Through the warm, sunny months of gay sum-
mer and spring,

Began to complain, when he found that at home
His cupboard was empty, and winter had come.
Not a crumb to be found

On the snow-covered ground;

Not a flower could be seen;

Not a leaf on the tree.

"Oh, what will become "-says the Cricket-" of me?"

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II.

At last, by despair and by famine made bold,
All dripping with wet and all trembling with cold,
Away he set off to a miserly Ant,

To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant
Him shelter from rain,

Or a mouthful of grain:

He wished only to borrow,
He'd repay it to-morrow;

If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow.

III.

Says the Ant to the Cricket, "I'm your servant and friend,

But we Ants never borrow, we Ants never lend.

Yet tell me, dear sir, did you lay nothing by

When the weather was warm?" Says the Cricket, "Not I!

My heart was so light

That I sang day and night,

For all nature looked gay-"

"You sang, sir, you say?

Go, then," says the Ant, "and dance winter away."

IV.

Thus ending, he hastily lifted the wicket,

And out of the door turned the poor little Cricket.

Though this is a fable, the moral is good:

If you live without work, you must go without food.

PERO

XXXV. PERO.

ERO was a splendid large Newfoundland dog, with a white spot under his neck, and white paws. He had a beautiful head, and large brown eyes full of tenderness and courage. liked everybody, and everybody liked him.

He

Pero

2. He was intimate with all the other animals on the place, and especially fond of a beautiful gray horse named Charlie, with which he used to run races and frolic in the orchard. would jump up and pretend to bite Charlie's nose; then Charlie would run after him in turn, and make believe to trample on him. They really almost laughed.

3. His other especial friend was a tiny white

kitten that liked to sit on his back as he lay in the sun or before the fire. It was very funny to see her trying patiently to dry her huge friend with her little bit of a tongue when he came in dripping wet from a bath in the river.

4. His only fault was a disposition to come into the house in this state and lie down wherever he found a warm place, without respect for parlor carpets or clean kitchen floors.

5. In summer he was often scrubbed in a large tub in the barn, and his curly black hair combed out, till he looked as nice as any dandy; but if he could possibly escape after his bath, he would roll over and over in the dirty street, until he looked like a brown dog instead of a black one.

6. Several times the door-bell rang, and no one could be seen when the door was opened except Pero standing gravely on the upper step and ready to come in. This was supposed to be the trick of some boy, until one of the children undertook to watch for the rogue, and caught Pero himself pulling the bell-handle with his teeth.

7. He had a very keen scent, and took great pride in displaying his powers. Sometimes the children would leave him in the parlor while they hid a glove among the hay in the barn, but he never failed to find it.

8. If George lost a mitten, he had only to show

the mate of it to Pero, who would bring it, though it might have been dropped a mile from home. He would come in with his tail wagging and his eyes glistening with delight at his success; and when he had been praised, as he knew he deserved to be, would stretch himself on the rug, with his head on his master's feet, and take a good nap to rest himself. レ

9. His good nature was unbounded, and his friends could take any liberties with him. But this was the good nature of conscious strength. "It is the gentle heart that makes the hero" in dogs and men, and Pero was a faithful and fierce watch-dog, and a tremendous fighter in a good

cause.

10. At one time when George was from home, his rabbits escaped and ran wild around the garden. They were a great temptation to the dogs that passed by, and would soon have been eaten up if Pero had not taken them under his protection and driven away everybody who meddled with them.

11. One day, after chasing a dog a long distance, he came quietly into the nursery and gently dropped in the mother's lap a little white rabbit which had lain entirely concealed in his great mouth. He had saved its life, and brought it entirely unhurt, though rather damp, to his

mistress.