p?" said the children, as they were
all on their way home, after she had made her purchases. "Will you
promise not to tell anybody, if I tell you?" asked Elfrida. "We promise,
we promise!" cried all the children. "Now, then, why did you go to
sleep?"--"Hush! I went to sleep because--because--because I was sleepy,"
said Elfrida.

ARTHUR SELWYN.

[Illustration]

THE PRAIRIE-DOG

MY friend John lives in Colorado, not far from Denver; and he writes me,
that he and his sister, not long ago, walked out to see some
prairie-dogs.

The prairie-dog is about the size of a full-grown squirrel, and of a
like color. It makes a hole for itself in the ground. This hole is in
the shape of a tunnel, and as large round as a man's hat.

[Illustration]

Now, this little dog is so gentle, that he lets the owl and the
rattlesnake come and live with him, if they like. All three are often
found dwelling together. For my part, I should not much like such
neighbors.

The prairie-dogs live on the roots of grass. Scattered all around the
entrance to their homes, you may see remnants of the dry roots which
they have got for food. They are quick in their movements, and quite
playful.

Johnny writes me, that, when some of these little dogs saw him and his
sister approaching, they sat down on their hind-legs, and began barking.
Then they dropped into their holes backwards. As Johnny did not care to
wake up any of the other lodgers, he and his sister went home, well
content with their first sight of a prairie-dog.

AUNT ALICE.

[Illustration]

STRUT

STRUT was the name of a hen that lived on Father Nunn's farm, nine miles
from Norwalk, Ohio.

She was very vain; that is, she had a very good opinion of herself. She
always would strut when walking. Indeed, it was hard for her to pick up
grains of corn as other chickens did. I think she never saw her feet in
her life: certainly she never looked where she stepped.

Worse than all this, when she saw any person in the yard, instead of
dodging away, as a modest hen should, she would strut right up to such a
person, and look saucily in his face, as though asking, "Who are you?
Where are you going? What for?"

At last, however, Strut received a severe rebuke for her evil ways.
Cousin William Bird, who is soon to be a doctor, was visiting at Father
Nunn's. Having occasion to cli