he corner down by the smoke-house,
These wonderful dolls could see!
Rachel's doll had a round head whittled
From a bit of soft pine wood;
And Polly's was only a corn-cob,
With a calico slip and hood.
My doll was a lovely rag-baby,
With badly-inked eyes and nose;
Her cheeks were painted with cherry-juice;
And I made every stitch of her clothes.

"Nathan's bow was a pliant whalebone,
And his arrow a white-pine stick;
Such a life as his archery practice
Led the cats and each wretched chick!
Our tea-sets were bits of dishes
That mother had thrown away,
With chincapin saucers and acorn-cups;
And our dolls slept on moss and hay.
With a May-apple leaf for a parasol
We played 'Lady-come-to-see,'
Polly's house was the kitchen door-step,
And mine was the apple-tree.

"We never saw 'Germans' and 'Matinees,'
And we played good romping plays;
And, somehow, I think we were happier far
Than the children are nowadays.
Our swing was an old, wild grape-vine;
We waded and climbed and ran,
And never were weary, nor sick, nor 'bored'
From the minute that day began.
Well, well, well!" said grandmamma,
"In spite of their wonderful toys,
I do believe we had merrier times
Than these little girls and boys!"

ALICE WILLIAMS BROTHERTON.

[Illustration]

[Illustration: DRAWING-LESSON.]

THE FISHERMAN'S DAUGHTER.

Amy Cooper lived in a little fishing-village, not far from the cliffs of
Dover, in England. She was the daughter of a poor fisherman, who worked
hard for his family. Mr. Cooper was such a good, kind man, that no one
could help loving him. His children loved him dearly; and no one loved
him quite so dearly as his daughter Amy.

She was a thoughtful little girl, and at the time of my story was twelve
years old. She saw that her father's health was failing through hard
work; and the one great thought in her mind was, "How can I help my dear
father to earn money for us all?"

This was a hard question, and it was long before Amy could find an
answer. But one day, with her aunt, she took a long walk to Dover. Here
she saw a large hotel, and many well-clad persons in a pleasant park
near by. It was on this visit to Dover that Amy formed a plan about
which I am going to tell you.

Now it had happened three years before, that a poor young man of the
name of Simpson had been saved from drowning by Amy's father. I fe