t wasn't
half as cold as it is to-day," said Mr. Skratdj.

"My dear William! Why, the children were shivering the whole day, and
the wind was in the north."

"Due east, Mrs. Skratdj."

"I know by the smoke," said Mrs. Skratdj, softly but decidedly.

"I fancy I can tell an east wind when I feel it," said Mr. Skratdj,
jocosely, to the company.

"I told Jemima to look at the weathercock," murmured Mrs. Skratdj.

"I don't care a fig for Jemima," said her husband.

On another occasion Mrs. Skratdj and a lady friend were conversing.

... "We met him at the Smiths'--a gentleman-like agreeable man, about
forty," said Mrs. Skratdj, in reference to some matter interesting to
both ladies.

"Not a day over thirty-five," said Mr. Skratdj, from behind his
newspaper.

"Why, my dear William, his hair's grey," said Mrs. Skratdj.

"Plenty of men are grey at thirty," said Mr. Skratdj. "I knew a man
who was grey at twenty-five."

"Well, forty or thirty-five, it doesn't much matter," said Mrs.
Skratdj, about to resume her narration.

"Five years matter a good deal to most people at thirty-five," said
Mr. Skratdj, as he walked towards the door. "They would make a
remarkable difference to me, I know;" and with a jocular air Mr.
Skratdj departed, and Mrs. Skratdj had the rest of the anecdote her
own way.

THE LITTLE SKRATDJS.

The Spirit of Contradiction finds a place in most nurseries, though to
a varying degree in different ones. Children snap and snarl by nature,
like young puppies; and most of us can remember taking part in some
such spirited dialogues as the following:--

{"I will." {"You daren't."
{"You can't." {"I dare."

{"You shall." {"I'll tell Mamma."
{"I won't." {"I don't care if you do."

It is the part of wise parents to repress these squibs and crackers of
juvenile contention, and to enforce that slowly-learned lesson, that
in this world one must often "pass over" and "put up with" things in
other people, being oneself by no means perfect. Also that it is a
kindness, and almost a duty, to let people think and say and do things
in their own way occasionally.

But even if Mr. and Mrs. Skratdj had ever thought of teaching all this
to their children, it must be confessed that the lesson would not have
come with a good grace from either of them, since they snapped and
snarled between themselves as much or more than their children in the
nursery.

The two eldest were the leaders