our window-panes,
The casements rattled and creaked;
Then up he climbed to the chimney tops,
And down through the flues he shrieked.

He found Jack's sled by the garden fence,
And tumbled it down in his spite;
And heaped the snow till he covered it up,
And hid it from poor Jack's sight.

He tore down the lattice and broke the house
Ned built for the birds last week;
And he bent the branches and bowed the trees,
Then rushed off fresh wrath to wreak.

And oh! how he frightened poor little Nell,
And made her tremble and weep,
Till mother came up and soothed the wee maid,
And lulled her with songs to sleep!

Her tiny hand nestled, content and still,
In her mother's, so soft and warm;
While with magical power of low, sweet tones
The mother-love hushed the storm.

THE MAGICIAN AND HIS BEE.

BY P.F.

It was a spelling bee. The magician had never had one, but he thought
it was better late than never, and so he sent word around that he would
have his bee just outside of the town, on the green grass. Everybody
came, because they had to. When the magician said they must do a thing,
there was no help for it. So they all marched in a long procession, the
magician at the head with his dictionary open at the "bee" page. Every
now and then he turned around and waved his wand, so as to keep the
musicians in good time. The cock-of-the-walk led the band and he played
on his own bill, which had holes in it, like a flute. The rabbit beat
the drum, and the pig blew the horn, while old Mother Clink, who was
mustered in to make up the quartette, was obliged to play on the
coffee-mill, because she understood no other instrument.

[Illustration]

The king came, with his three body-guards marching in front. The first
guard was a wild savage with bare legs, and a gnat stung him on the
knee, which made the second guard laugh so much that the third one who
carried the candles had a chance to eat a penny-dip, without any person
seeing him. The king rode in his chariot, drawn by two wasps. He was a
very warm gentleman, and not only carried a parasol to keep off the
sun, but the head ninny-hammer squirted water on the small of his back
to keep him cool.

[Illustration]

The court tailor rode on a goat, and he carried his shears and the
goose he ironed with. He balanced himself pretty well until a bird sat
on his queue, and that bent him over backward so that he nearl