word
"supercilious," which is derived from _supercilium_, the Latin for
"eyebrow," as I heard the Little Schoolma'am tell the children not long
ago.

When she had said this, one of the little girls, in a rather scornful,
superior way, said, "I don't see any sense in that." Whereat the Little
Schoolma'am and two or three of the bigger girls laughed, for the
little girl had raised her eyebrow in a most "supercilious" expression,
giving the best possible proof of the appropriateness of the word. For,
certainly, it is hard for one's face to express a supercilious feeling
without raising the eyebrow, or at least changing that part of the
countenance which is over the eyelid.

SINCERE.

Here's one more derivation, while we are about it. I heard the other
day that the bees, with the aid of Latin, have given us a beautiful
word: "Sincere"--which is made of the words _sine-cera_, meaning "honey
without wax."

Remember this, my chicks, and let your kind words and good actions be
truly sincere,--pure honey, _sine cera_.

THE AUTHOR OF "HOME, SWEET HOME."

Dear Jack: My grandfather knew a gentleman who was a very intimate
friend of the author of "Home, Sweet Home"--John Howard Payne. Mr.
Payne told this gentleman, Mr. C., how he came to write the song.
He said that a play or operetta called "The Maid of Milan," that he
had adapted from the French, was about to be played in London. In
this play was a very pretty scene for which he had an air in his
mind. He had to conjure up some words to suit the tune, and so he
wrote the verses of "Home, Sweet Home." He also said that the very
next day after the song had been brought out at the theater it was
all over London. Everybody was singing it. Grandfather says that
Mr. Payne got really very tired of hearing about this song, and at
length said he supposed he would hereafter be known only as the
author of "Home, Sweet Home." Mr. Robert S. Chilton wrote this
beautiful verse about Mr. Payne's death:

Sure, when thy gentle spirit fled
To realms beyond the azure dome,
With arms outstretched God's angels said:
"Welcome to heaven's 'Home, Sweet Home!'"

I believe this verse was inscribed on Mr. Payne's tomb-stone in
Tunis, Africa; but I am not sure. Can any one tell me?--Yours
truly,

KATIE T.M.

BABY-BO.

[Illustration]

How many toes has the tootsy