on green leaves, while in the centre stood
Jack Horner's pie, a bowl of curds and whey that Miss Muffet brought,
and a plate of strawberry tarts sent by the Queen of Hearts; and Jack
and Jill were bringing a pail of nice cold water from the spring.

How hungry they all were, too, and how good everything tasted! while
they had such a laugh at little Miss Muffet, who screamed and ran away
when a great daddy-long-legs walked across the table.

They ended the feast with the plum pie, which the little Queen cut, and
gave every one a piece; and they all said it was so nice. Jack Horner
felt quite proud, and thought he was a bigger boy than ever.

After everything was eaten up, Margery Daw and Little Bo-peep washed the
dishes, while Little Boy Blue went fast asleep under the fence, and
Mother Goose told all the little ones a story, until the cobwebs began
to come over the sky, and the sun whispered to the little birds and
flowers it was time to shut their peepers for the night, when they
started for home, Goldilocks the Queen riding in the middle of the
procession on big John Stout's shoulder; and when they bade their
teacher a tired but happy good-night, all said they had had the nicest
kind of a day, and hoped next year Mother Goose would give them another
May party.

[Illustration: GOING HOME FROM THE PICNIC.--DRAWN BY JESSIE CURTIS.]

[Illustration: OUR POST-OFFICE BOX.]

SOUTH NORWALK, CONNECTICUT.

I have two large Maltese cats--one nine and the other three years
old--a dog, and a parrot. The oldest cat is named Meow, and the
other Maltie Beeswax. We called him that, because he sticks so. If
he gets in our laps, there is no getting rid of him. He will jump
through my hands held three feet high. The parrot does not talk
much, because it is tongue-tied. She calls "papa," and screams
when she wants to get out of her cage. The dog Spry is the
cunningest of all. His body and color are like a black and tan;
but his nose is shaggy, like a Scotch terrier, which makes him
look very funny. He will sit up, and clap his paws together, and
say patty-cake. The way he does it he growls, whines, and barks
while some one else says the words. If he don't like what is given
him to eat, we only have to say, "Give it to me," and he will eat
it all up rather than let any one else have it.

M. F. LE C.

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SAN