e the good-luck plant came up. Then she told about a child
that had found one, and of all the pleasant things that happened to her.
The little princesses listened with wide open eyes, and hoped they, too,
would find a leaf of that marvelous plant some day.

The next morning Myrtle and Violet were out in the garden early.

"I'm going outside of the gate," said Myrtle. "I mean to find the
good-luck plant to-day."

"But we haven't permission to go out," said Violet.

"I'm not going to ask," said Myrtle. "They'll all be glad when I come
back with the plant. You'd better come with me."

"But I must get my lessons, and finish the hemming mother gave me to do,
and afterward I promised to weed one of the flower beds for mother. I
must do those things first."

"Oh, well, I can find it by myself," said Myrtle, and out she ran.

She didn't have as fine a time as she expected. She got tired and cross.
She looked for the plant by the roadside, and in the park, and on the
lawns. Whenever anyone spoke to her she answered crossly. When the sun
set, and warned her that it was time to go home, she hadn't seen a thing
that looked like the good-luck plant. She shed a few tears as she ran
home.

At the castle gate she heard a pleasant noise of laughter and happy
voices in the garden. "Could they have had a party without me?" she
cried.

She darted in. "Oh, Myrtle!" called her little brothers and sisters.
"What do you think! Violet has found the good-luck plant, and she let us
all hold it awhile, and we've had such a lovely time since lessons are
done."

Myrtle's face flushed. "You are a deceitful girl," she said to her twin.
"You said you meant to stay home."

"So I did," said Violet. She looked so happy and sweet that even cross
Myrtle stopped frowning. "I found it while I was weeding mother's flower
bed. There it was among the pansies. I knew it at once by the horseshoe
shape on the leaves."

THE QUEER BLACK CALF.

BY MATTIE W. BAKER.

"Please tell us a story, grandpa," said Arthur.

"A story about papa when he was a boy," added Willie.

"Well, I'll tell you what your papa did, right over there, when he was
only four years old."

"We had a very gentle old horse that we called Jenny. When I came home
from any place, and was going to turn her into the pasture, your papa
always wanted to do it himself, so I would give him the end of the
halter, and let him lead her through the lane to the bars. He could drop
do