is harp and sang, the song
sounded like the wind blowing, the sea roaring, and the trees
creaking; then it grew very soft, and sounded like a trickling brook
dripping on stones and running over little pebbles; and while the king
and queen and all the court listened in surprise, Harmonius' song grew
sweeter, sweeter, sweeter. It was as if you heard all the birds in
Spring. And then the song was ended.

The queen clapped her hands, and the ladies waved their handkerchiefs,
and the king came down from his throne to ask Harmonius if he came from
fairyland with such a wonderful song. But Harmonius answered:--

"_Three singers sang along our way, And I learned the song from them
to-day_."

Now, all the other minstrels looked up in surprise when Harmonius said
this; and the oldest minstrel said to the king: "Harmonius is dreaming!
We heard no music on our way to-day."

And the youngest minstrel said: "Harmonius is surely mad! We met nobody
on our way to-day."

But the queen said: "That is an old, old song. I heard it when I was a
little child; and I can name the singers three." And so she did. Can
you?

_DUST UNDER THE RUG_

Motto for the Mother

_Well for the child, well for the man, to whom
throughout life the voice of conscience is the prophecy
and pledge of an abiding union with God_!

FROEBEL.

There was once a mother, who had two little daughters; and, as her
husband was dead and she was very poor, she worked diligently all the
time that they might be well fed and clothed. She was a skilled worker,
and found work to do away from home, but her two little girls were so
good and so helpful that they kept her house as neat and as bright as a
new pin.

One of the little girls was lame, and could not run about the house; so
she sat still in her chair and sewed, while Minnie, the sister, washed
the dishes, swept the floor, and made the home beautiful.

Their home was on the edge of a great forest; and after their tasks were
finished the little girls would sit at the window and watch the tall
trees as they bent in the wind, until it would seem as though the trees
were real persons, nodding and bending and bowing to each other.

In the Spring there were the birds, in the Summer the wild flowers, in
Autumn the bright leaves, and in Winter the great drifts of white snow;
so that the whole year was a round of delight to the two happy children.
But one day the dear mother came home si