es;
wrong-side out and upside down (for he was not used to dressing
himself), and crept softly downstairs.

An hour or two later, Rob went slowly down, rubbing his eyes. He put on
his cap, and took up the pail to go for the milk; but it was very heavy.
What could be the matter with it? Why, somebody had got the milk
already. Just then, Jim appeared from behind the door, crying, "April
Fool! April Fool! You thought I couldn't fool you; but I did."

Rob looked a little foolish, but said nothing, and went out to feed his
hens. To his great surprise, the biddies were already enjoying
breakfast; and again he heard little Jim behind him, shouting, "April
Fool! April Fool!"

Poor Rob! He started to fill the kitchen wood-box; but Jim had filled
it. Jim had filled the water-pails: in fact, he had done all of Rob's
work; and at last, when he trudged in at breakfast-time, with the sugar
that Rob had been told to bring from the store the first thing after
breakfast, Rob said, "I give up, Jim. You have fooled me well. But such
tricks as yours are first-rate, and I don't care how many of them you
play."

AUNT SALLIE.

THE EIDER-DUCK.

DID you ever sleep under an eider-down quilt? If you have, you must have
noticed how light and soft it was. Would you like to hear where the
eider-down comes from? I will tell you.

[Illustration]

A long, long way from here, there is a country called Norway. It is a
very cold country, and very rocky; and there are a great many small
islands all around it. It is on these islands that the dear little
eider-ducks build their nests. They take a great deal of time and
trouble to make them, and they use fine seaweed, mosses, and dry sticks,
so as to make them as strong as they can.

When the mother-duck has laid four or five eggs, which are of a pretty,
green color, she plucks out some of the soft gray down that grows on her
breast, to cover them up, and keep them warm, while she goes off to find
some food.

And now what do you think happens? Why, when she comes back to sit on
her eggs, she finds that all her eggs and beautiful down have been taken
away! Oh! how she cries, and flaps her wings, to find her darling eggs
gone!

But, after a while, she lays five more, and again pulls the down out of
her dear little breast to cover them. She goes away again; and again the
people take the down away.

When she returns the second time, her cr