g in the west, and his rays fell with dazzling
splendor upon the castle of gems. When Blanche saw the silent, closed
castle and its golden gates she remembered the words of Queen Fontana,
who had said that her lily should have power to "open the strongest
locks, and swing back the heaviest doors."

Like one walking in a dream, she led Victor toward the resplendent
castle. She touched with her lily the lock which fastened one of the
gates.

"Gates of gold could not withstand
One touch of that magic wand."

In an instant, the hinges trembled; and the massive door swung open so
far that forty people could walk in side by side. Then it slowly closed,
and locked itself without noise.

One of the people who passed in was the King, whose heart was no longer
proud. The others, who had entered unwittingly, could not speak for
wonder. Some of them were poor, and some were lame or blind; but all
were good and true.

At the rising of the moon a wonderful thing came to pass. The people
entered the castle of gems and became beautiful. This was through the
power of the magic lily.

Now there were no more crooked backs, and lame feet, and sightless eyes;
and the King looked at these people, who were beautiful as well as good,
and declared he would have them live in the castle; and the gentlemen
should be knights; and the ladies maids of honor.

To this day Victor and Blanche rule the kingdom; and such is the charm
of the lily--so like the pure heart of the Queen--that the people are
becoming gentle and good.

Until Queen Fontana shall call for the magic spectacles and the lily of
pearl, it is believed that Victor and Blanche will live in the castle of
gems, though the time should be a hundred years.

THE HEN THAT HATCHED DUCKS

BY HARRIET BEECHER STOWE

Once there was a nice young hen that we will call Mrs. Feathertop. She
was a hen of most excellent family, being a direct descendant of the
Bolton Grays, and as pretty a young fowl as you wish to see of a
summer's day. She was, moreover, as fortunately situated in life as it
was possible for a hen to be. She was bought by young Master Fred Little
John, with four or five family connections of hers, and a lively young
cock, who was held to be as brisk a scratcher and as capable a head of a
family as any half-dozen sensible hens could desire.

I can't say that at first Mrs. Feathertop was a very sensible hen. She
was very pretty and lively, to be sure, and