remembers, too,
A kindly act, but ne'er forgets
The teasing of a foe.

{106}

_THE WIND_.

"What is the wind, Mamma?"
"Tis air in motion, child;"
"Why can I never see the wind
That blows so fierce and wild?"

"Because the Gases, dear,
Of which the air is made,
Are quite transparent, that is, we
See through, but see no shade."

"And what are Gases, Ma?"
"Fluids, which, if we squeeze
In space too small, will burst with force;"--
"And what are _fluids_, please?"

"Fluids are what will flow,
And gases are so light
That when we give them room enough,
They rush with eager flight."

{107}

"What gases, dear Mamma,
Make up the air or wind?"
"'Tis Oxygen and Nitrogen
That chiefly there we find;
And when the air is full
Of Oxygen we're gay,
But when there is not quite enough,
We're dull, or faint away."

_THE FOG_.

"What is the fog, Mamma?"
"Sometimes the air is light
And cannot bear up all the mists,
And then 'tis foggy, quite;

But when air heavier grows,
The fog is borne above,
And floated off, the cloudy stuff,--
Just see it, graceful, move."

{108}

THE RAIN.

"What makes the rain, Mamma?"
"The mists and vapors rise
From land and stream and rolling sea,
Up toward the distant skies;
And there they form the clouds,
Which, when they're watery, dear,
Pour all the water down to earth,
And rain afar or near."

_THE SNOW_.

"What makes the Snow, Mamma?"
"When very cold above,
The mists are frozen high in air,
And fall as snow, my love."

{109}

"And Hail?" "Tis formed the same;
Cold streams of air have come
And frozen all the water-drops,
And thus the hail-stones form.

"Now do not question more,
Dear child, but run and play,
I'll tell you of the Water, Fire,
And Light, another day."
"Oh yes, and dear Mamma,
Of Thunder, Lightning, too,
For I shall want to know it all,
So tell me, Mamma, do."

{110}

_TRUTH_.

Do not let "Mother Truth" find a falsehood all over,--
Amongst all her children, no, never a lie;
Stand for Truth, ye wee babies, for Truth, ye who're older,
For Truth while you live, and for Truth till you die.

All ye myriads of children this little book talks to,
Form now in each household a band for the Truth,
Do not let even a "white lie," and st