uld it sing about?
For it is empty, it is cold:
The fire is all gone out.

Go, bring to me, to fill it up,
Fresh water from the spring;
And I will build a rousing fire,
And that will make it sing!

Bring white bark from the silver birch,
And pitch-knots from the pine;
And here are shavings, long and white,
That look as ribbons fine.

The little match burns faint and blue,
But serves the fire to light;
And all around my kettle, soon,
The flames are rising bright.

Crack, crack! begins the hemlock-branch,
Snap, snap! the chestnut stick;
And up the wide old chimney now
The sparks are flying thick.

Like fire-flies on a summer night,
They go on shining wings;
And, hark! above the roaring blaze
My little kettle sings!

The robin carols in the spring;
In summer hums the bee:
But, in the dreary winter, give
The kettle's song to me.

MARIAN DOUGLAS.

[Illustration]

CLARENCE'S KITTENS.

CLARENCE is a little boy who loves to read "The Nursery," and often
laughs at the funny stories in it.

Where Clarence lives, there are two kittens. He calls them kittens; but
they are both _grown-up_ kittens, and the elder of the two is a
full-grown cat. One is named Ring, because she has such a pretty white
ring about her neck; and the other is named Daisy.

Now, Daisy is Ring's aunt, and is sometimes very cross to her niece.
Being a sedate cat herself, she tries to stop Ring's fun; but Ring is a
happy kitten, and always tries to have a good time.

One day, after coming from church, Clarence's aunt was reading, when the
dinner-bell rang. So she left her book on the window-sill, and laid her
spectacles upon it.

Pretty soon old Daisy seated herself in a very dignified way right in
front of the book. In a few minutes, little Ring came frisking along,
and, without paying the least regard to Madam Daisy, up she jumped, and
whisked the spectacles down on the carpet.

She was just ready to send them flying across the room, when down came
Madam Daisy as stern as a police-officer. She looked at Ring a moment,
in a crushing way, then lifted her paw, and boxed the naughty kitten's
ears till she mewed for mercy.

Ring ran away as soon as sh