ed he, "still in bed!
Quick, fetch me out what cheese you have,
And all your scraps of bread."

"Spit-t-t!" with her claws and gleaming eyes
The cat sprang out of bed.
The robber gave one dreadful squeak,
And then away he fled.

[Illustration]

The old cat caught him by the tail
Just as he reached the door,
But snap! it broke, and out he ran,
And ne'er was heard of more.

But for the little kitten,
He danced about with glee;
"The wicked rat has fled, has fled;
Meow, meow!" sang he.

GRANDFATHER STORK

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

A very naughty boy was John;
He quarreled with his food,
And would not eat his bread and milk,
As all good children should.
It grieved his kind mamma to see
How thin and thinner grew
Her little John, in spite of all
That she could say or do.

[Illustration]

Above the chimney Father Stork
Heard all that Johnny said,
And how each day he pushed away
The bowl of milk and bread.
And so it was, when kind mamma
Had left the house one day,
In through the kitchen door he came
And carried John away.

[Illustration]

Upon the roof the little storks
Live high up in the sky,
And far below them in the street
They hear the folks go by.
The old stork brings them, in his beak,
The eels and frogs for food;
But these he will not let them have
Unless they're very good.

[Illustration]

Such things poor Johnny could not eat;
And as he sat and cried,
He thought of all the bread and milk
He used to push aside.
"If I were only home again,
I would be good," he said,
"And never, never turn away
From wholesome milk and bread."

[Illustration]

If little John was thin before,
Now thinner every day
He grew, until you'd think the wind
Would carry him away.
So, when at last he was so lean
His bones seemed poking through,
There came a sudden gust of wind,
And, puff! away he blew.

[Illustration]

And when it blew him to the street,
How fast he hurried home!
And, oh, how glad his mother was
To see her Johnny come!
But gladder still she was to find
That he had grown so good,
And never now would turn away
From wholesome simple food.

OLD MOTHER WEBTOES

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

"Oh please mamma," said little Jane,
"May I go out to play?"
"No, no," her mother answered her;
"I fear 'twill rain to-day."

[Illustrati