eerly, as well they might, to see such a procession come to
ask for a light all at once. However, they said nothing, but signed to
them to lay their coats on the ground, and served out two shovelfuls of
burning wood to each; and away went the roguish villagers, chuckling at
the thought of getting rich so easily, and thinking what they would do
with their money.

"But they had hardly gone a quarter of the way home, when the foremost
suddenly gave a terrible howl and let fall his load; and in another
moment all the rest joined in, till there was a chorus that you might
have heard a mile off. And they had good reason; for, although the fire
had lain in Stepka's coat, it wouldn't lie in theirs--it had burned
right through, and their holiday clothes were spoiled, and their hands
famously blistered, and all that was left of their riches was a smoke
and smell like the burning of fifty tar-barrels. And when they turned
to abuse the charcoal-burners, the charcoal-burners were gone; fires,
camp and men had all vanished like a dream!

"But as for Stepka, _his_ gold stuck by him, and he used it well. And
always, on the day of his visit to the charcoal-burners, he gave a good
dinner to as many poor folk as he could get together, saying that he
must be good to others, even as God had been good to _him_. And that's
the end of my story."

[Footnote A: The three great dainties of the Russian peasant.]

[Footnote B: One third of a penny; one hundred kopecks equal one
rouble.]

[Footnote C: The Easter greeting, and reply.]

[Footnote D: The Russian word is "tchervontzi"--gold pieces worth five
dollars each.]

PARLOR BALLOONING.

BY L. HOPKINS.

[Illustration]

There goes the toy balloon man!

Here, take this ten-cent piece; run after him as hard as ever you can,
and bring me one of those over-grown ripe-cherry-looking things, and I
will show you a few queer tricks the toy balloon can do, which, I'll
venture to say, the inventor of toy balloons himself never thought of.

Ah! I see you have picked out a fine plump one. Now for a bit of
paper--any kind will do. This, torn from an old newspaper at random,
will serve the purpose admirably.

Now, I crumple it up at one corner, and tie it to Mr. Balloon's half
yard or so of tail, and turn him loose in the room. He rises slowly for
a little, and then as slowly settles down to the floor. That won't do.
I want to see him exactly balanced between floor and ceiling; so, o