ed or beauty. But a great
change was about to take place; and early in this century people began
to say that before long ships would be able to sail without either the
aid of wind or oars, and in 1807 Robert Fulton built the first
steamboat. Twelve years later the first ocean steamer was built, and
made a successful voyage across the Atlantic. She was named the
_Savannah_, and our fourth picture shows what she looked like.
The last two pictures are those of a full-rigged clipper ship of to-day
under all sail, and one of the magnificent ocean steamers that ply so
swiftly between New York and Liverpool, making in eight or nine days the
voyage that it took the _Savannah_ thirty days to make.
THE RABBITS' FETE.
BY MRS. E. P. PERRIN.
"Good-night, little girl. Go to nurse, and ask her to pop you right into
bed."
The front door was shut, and Ellie hurried up stairs to the great hall
window, and looked out to see her mamma and pretty Aunt Janet get into
the sleigh and drive off. "Hark!" she says to herself, "how nice the
bells sound! They keep saying,
'Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!'
It's just as light as day out-doors. The moon makes the snow look like
frosted cake. I can see the croquet ground as plain as can be, and it
looks like a great square loaf. There's the arbor, and the seats in it
have white cushions on them. How funny it would be to play croquet on
the ice! Only the balls would go so fast we should have to put on skates
to catch them. I can see ever and ever so far--'way over to the woods
where Jack sets his traps. He says they are chock-full of rabbits; but I
don't believe him, for he never catches any. What's that moving on the
edge of the grove? What can it be? Oh, it's lots of them! They are
coming this way, and I can hear them laughing and talking."
Ellie watched, and soon saw a troop of rabbits hopping along toward the
lawn.
"Why, I do believe it is a rabbit party. How lucky it is I haven't gone
to bed!"
On they came, chattering in the funniest way, and dressed in the top of
the fashion. One who seemed to be the leader said: "Ladies and
gentlemen, this is the spot. You see how level it is for dancing, and we
can have a game at croquet if you choose. The band will now strike up;
and take partners, if you please, for a waltz."
Ellie wondered where the band was, but the strains of "Sweet Evelina,
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