piggy from eating her; cook got the broom; baby screamed; and Clara
laughed aloud.

Mother took the baby, and sat still. Where was piggy? and where was Bob?

Down came the broom where piggy had been; but piggy was scampering down
the path, with Bob at his heels, and in a few minutes piggy was in his
pen in the far corner of the lot, grunting with fear and weariness.

[Illustration]

Bob came up, and closed the door of the pen, "Piggy," said Bob, "naughty
piggy, to come where you are not wanted! I should think you would like
to stay in your own house, so neat and comfortable."

"Ugh, ugh!" said piggy.

"Oh! you were lonesome, were you?" said Bob. "You thought it was no more
than civil to call on your neighbors. You wanted to show us that you
were not too proud to be sociable. Next time please to send in your card
first."

"Ugh, ugh!" said piggy.

That was more than a week ago; and piggy has staid at home since then.
Perhaps he is waiting for us to return his call.

Now, how many persons have I told you about?

FANNIE.

[Illustration: THE JOHNNY CAKE.]

THIS is the seed,
So yellow and round,
That little John Homer hid in the ground.

These are the leaves,
So graceful and tall,
That grew from the seed so yellow and small.

This is the stalk,
That came up between
The leaves so pretty and graceful and green.

These are the tassels,
So flowery, that crowned
The stalk, so smooth, so strong, and so round.

These are the husks,
With satin inlaid,
That grew 'neath the tassels that drooped and swayed.

This is the silk,
In shining threads spun:
A treasure it hides from the frost and the sun.

This is the treasure,--
Corn yellow as gold,--
That satin and silk so softly unfold.

This is the cake,
For Johnny to eat,
Made from the corn so yellow and sweet.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

STOPPING THE EXPRESS.

[Illustration]

CHARLES had a small flag which his father gave him. It was fine fun for
a while to march about and wave it; but it did not seem to be of much
use. So at last Charles hit upon a plan of making his flag do some good.
This was the plan: When his father