ters, all now gone to the better
world. But Nelly's merry look soon drove away his sad mood.

"Well done, Nelly!" said he. "You will make a dancer; for you follow the
music well, and step out lightly and easily. Now let me see you rise a
little on your left foot, and whirl round once."

Nelly did it, and grandpa said, "Bravely done, little girl! Here ends
your first lesson in dancing. To-morrow we will have another. Now get
your new 'Nursery,' and let me hear one of the stories; for we must take
care of the head, as well as the heels."

Nelly laughed; but, when she began to read, the tune she had just heard
came back to her, and she could hardly keep from dancing up and down.

"One thing at a time, darling," said grandpa. "If we would do one thing
well, we must not let our thoughts wander to something else. Tell me
when you think you can give your thoughts to reading. I can wait."

Nelly took a few more dancing-steps, whirled around twice, made a
courtesy, then came, and read so well, that grandpa said, "You deserve a
good mark for reading, my dear. Now, whether you read, or whether you
dance, mind this:--

"What you do, if well you would do it,
Rule your thoughts, and give them all to it."

IDA FAY.

[Illustration]

OLD JIM.

JIM is a fine large horse. He lives in the engine-house, and draws the
hose-carriage. His stall is so made that, when the alarm-bell strikes,
it opens in front of him, leaving the way clear for him to rush out and
take his place in front of the hose-carriage.

One night, the hoseman (who sleeps upstairs in the engine-house, so as
to be all ready if there is an alarm of fire) heard a great noise down
below,--a stamping and jumping, as if the horses were getting ready to
go to a fire, when there was no alarm at all. He went softly to the
stairway, and looked down; and there was Jim, jumping over the shafts of
the hose-carriage, first one way, then another, just to amuse himself.

One day old Jim was in the yard behind the engine-house, and a man went
out to catch him, and lead him in. But he rushed and pranced around the
yard, and would not be caught. Then the man set out to drive him in; and
what do you think Jim did?

Instead of going in at the open door, he made a leap, and went in at the
open window, without breaking a glass, or hurting himself in the least.
No one who saw the window would believe th