hour there was a change in Pete. He told Wee Janet's mother
that he never knew anything about birds before; whereupon he was invited
to come every day to visit all of Wee Janet's birds' nests and to read
her bird books.

[Illustration: _The Robin's Nest_]

Before the end of the year even the little girls in the Primer Class
forgot, or appeared to forget, that Pete was ever a bad boy. He is in
high school now, in town, and his mother never looks discouraged when
she speaks of her eldest son, Peter.

As for Wee Janet, to this day she sometimes wonders how it all came
about.

[Illustration]

BERTHA'S GRANDMOTHER

Bertha Gilbert was fourteen years of age, and had just come home from
boarding school, where she had finished her first year--a very nice,
pleasant school, of about thirty girls, besides the day-scholars; and
Mrs. Howard made it, as she promised, a kind of social family, giving
each one her personal attention and care. Bertha had improved a great
deal in her studies and deportment, and was a very lady-like, agreeable
girl.

But as no little boys and girls are perfect, or large ones either, for
that matter, I am going to tell you what a mistake Bertha made, and how
she was cured of a feeling that might have settled into a very
disagreeable habit. Indeed, I have met some grown people who have fallen
into the way of treating elderly members of the family with a disregard
that bordered on contempt.

[Illustration: "_There was one handsome house which Bertha had often
admired._"]

Bertha was delighted to be at home once more, to be clasped to her dear
mother's heart, to find her father quite improved in health, and her two
little brothers as merry as ever; and to meet her dear old
grandmother, an old lady who was nearly eighty years of age, yet bright
and active, with a fair, sweet face, and silvery hair, which was nearly
all covered with a fine muslin cap, the border being crimped in the
daintiest fashion you ever saw.

I used to think she looked just like a picture, of a summer afternoon,
when she put on a fresh cap and kerchief,--as she used to call the white
half square of lawn that she wore round her shoulders,--and her clean,
checked apron. In spite of her years, she did a great deal of work
around the house, and I do not believe George and Willie would have
known how to live without her.

The Gilberts were in very moderate circumstances, for Mr. Gilbert had
been compelled to leave his bus