ill in an instant, but the entire
shore of the little pond was covered with rushing, springing, jumping
frogs. Pell-mell they tumbled over each other in headlong race for the
water, to escape their cruel enemy, which now appeared, and showed
himself to be a slender little weasel. He darted here and there among
the helpless frogs, which made no attempts to 'pull him in,' but bent
their whole efforts toward self-preservation. At length, seizing a fat
frog in his mouth, the weasel turned and disappeared noiselessly among
the bushes. Peace reigned once more, but the little frog people had all
jumped into the water, and not a voice was heard protesting or uttering
farther threats."

"And did the weasel get more than one poor little frog, mamma?" asked
Harry.

"No, he carried off only one frog," replied mamma; "but he killed
several more, which he left lying dead in the grass. I dug a hole in the
mud with a sharp stick and buried them, so that their companions should
not find them when they ventured on shore again."

"Well," said Harry, after thinking a few moments, "now I guess I'll go
and bury my poor dead rabbit."

[Begun in No. 5 of HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE, Dec. 2.]

THE HISTORY OF PHOTOGEN AND NYCTERIS.

A Day and Night Maehrchen.

BY GEORGE MACDONALD.

XI.--THE SUNSET.

[Illustration: "LIKE A SWIFT SHADOW IT SPED OVER THE GRASS."]

Knowing nothing of darkness, or stars, or moon, Photogen spent his days
in hunting. On a great white horse he swept over the grassy plains,
glorying in the sun, fighting the wind, and killing the buffaloes. One
morning, when he happened to be on the ground a little earlier than
usual, and before his attendants, he caught sight of an animal unknown
to him, stealing from a hollow into which the sun rays had not yet
reached. Like a swift shadow it sped over the grass, slinking southward
to the forest. He gave chase, noted the body of a buffalo it had half
eaten, and pursued it the harder. But with great leaps and bounds the
creature shot farther and farther ahead of him, and vanished. Turning,
therefore, defeated, he met Fargu, who had been following him as fast as
his horse could carry him.

"What animal was that, Fargu?" he asked. "How he did run!"

Fargu answered he might be a leopard, but he rather thought, from his
pace and look, that he was a young lion.

"What a coward he must be!" said Photogen.

"Don't be too sure of that," rejoined Fargu. "He is one of the creat