they were large enough to follow her
about, I used to give them warm milk from the
pail that was brought in from milking; but one
morning, when the pail was set on the floor,
the kittens were too hungry to wait for the
milk to be dipped out for them, and, putting
their paws on the side of the pail, began to
lap from the top

Becky sat quietly washing her face; but she saw
what the kittens were doing, and thought it was
her duty to give them a lesson in good manners:
so she walked up to them, and boxed their ears
till they ran away mewing piteously. They never
again tried to lap milk from the pail.

"Tell me something else about Becky," Willy always says when I get to
this point. So I go on:--

Becky was not so strict about her own manners.
She would often surprise us by walking into our
rooms without stopping to rap, or even to say
_mew_; for she could open any door in the house
by raising the latch with her paw.

She had several families of kittens. Once her
whole family was one poor little thing, which
lived only a few days. Becky was grieved sadly
at its death; but, after mourning for some
time, she went into the field and caught a
mouse, which she adopted, and treated like a
kitten.

[Illustration]

After Becky had been with us a long time, my
brother was taken sick; and, as he reclined in
an easy-chair, she used to lie for hours beside
him.

One day, a short time after he died, she
entered the room, and, jumping up in the chair,
examined it all over. Then she jumped down and
sat on the floor, looking at the chair, and
mewing sorrowfully. Then she went away; and we
never saw poor Becky again, or knew what became
of her.

"What do you _suppose_ became of her?" is Willy's question here. "Ah,
little boy! you can _suppose_ as well as I."

WILLY'S MOTHER.

[Illustration]

ROBERT'S PROMISE TO SANTA CLAUS.

ROBERT'S hope was that he should have a sled. "O Santa Claus!" said he,
"if you will only bring me a sled, I will promise to give all your other
presents away to those who need them most."

Uncle Charles heard this speech, and said, "May I send word to Sant