od from no one
else and the presence of his eight-year-old master in the long grass
was sufficient to bring him erect on his tail, where he would wag his
fins and make strange noises in cordial welcome. In many respects he
was the most superior pet John has ever had. He could affect boredom
and his exhibition of the glad eye was considered by John's eldest
sister to be positively deadly. It is, in fact, true to say that his
keen desire to adopt as many human habits as possible often led us to
mistake him for one of ourselves.

John, however, was not quite satisfied with his pupil until one bright
morning last week when Alfred displayed the first signs of having
acquired the Directional Wriggle. Strange as it may sound, this very
human trout actually wriggled after John for a distance of five yards.
Three days later he pursued his master to the village post-office and
beat him by a short gill.

Yesterday, however, Alfred excelled himself. John had left early for
the stream, and being in a hurry took advantage of the thin plank
crossing. Now the plank is very slippery and had been placed over the
spot where the stream is deepest. John crossed it carefully enough,
but looking back for a second he suddenly noticed that Alfred was
following him. Before he could raise his voice in protest the trout
had mounted the plank and was wriggling across it. Then, horror
of horrors! in the middle of the plank the wretched fish suddenly
lurched, lost its footing, plunged into the water and was drowned.

* * * * *

FLOWERS' NAMES.

WHAT THE FAIRIES WEAR.

If only you walk with an open ear
And watch with an open eye,
There's wonderful magic to see and hear
By silently passing by;
In meadows and ditches, here and there,
You'll find the clothes that the fairies wear.

You can see each golden and silvery frock
In Lady's Mantle and Ladysmock;
There's Lady's Garter (which, I suppose,
They wear with the cowslips called Hose-in-hose);
The solemn fairies who ride on owls
Shroud their faces with Monkswood cowls;
And there's other things besides fairy dresses--
There's Lady's Mirror and Lady's Tresses.

Bachelors' Buttons must be for elves
Who have to do up their clothes themselves;
And the tailor fairies use Fairy Shears,
Long cutting-grasses that grow by meres;
And they mend their things with the Spider-stitches,
Faint white flowers that you find in ditche