olds at night,
By watching 'neath her casement:
He did what I have done, I know,
And you, I do not doubt it,--
Instead of bottling up his woe,
He bored his friends about it!

In brooding on the ways of Fate
Long hours he daily wasted,
His food remained upon his plate,
'Twas scarcely touched or tasted:
He said the bitter things of love,
All lovers, save a few, say,
And learned by heart the verses of
Swinburne, and A. de Musset!

[Illustration]

This attitude his wished-for bride
To silent laughter goaded,
Until he talked of suicide,
And then the girl exploded!
"You make me laugh, and so," she said,
"I'll marry you next season."
(Not half the people who are wed
Have half so good a reason!)

_The Moral_: The deliberate clown
Can never beat love's barriers down:
'Tis better to be like the owl,
Comic because so grave a fowl.
From him we well may take our cue--
By him be taught, to wit, to woo!

_How a Girl was too Reckless of Grammar by Far_

Matilda Maud Mackenzie frankly hadn't any chin,
Her hands were rough, her feet she turned invariably in;
Her general form was German,
By which I mean that you
Her waist could not determine
To within a foot or two:
And not only did she stammer,
But she used the kind of grammar
That is called, for sake of euphony, askew.

From what I say about her, don't imagine I desire
A prejudice against this worthy creature to inspire.
She was willing, she was active,
She was sober, she was kind,
But she _never_ looked attractive
And she _hadn't_ any mind!
I knew her more than slightly,
And I treated her politely
When I met her, but of course I wasn't blind!

Matilda Maud Mackenzie had a habit that was droll,
She spent her morning seated on a rock or on a knoll,
And threw with much composure
A smallish rubber ball
At an inoffensive osier
By a little waterfall;
But Matilda's way of throwing
Was like other people's mowing,
And she never hit the willow-tree at all!

[Illustration: _This serves in the easiest way to explain
What is meant by taking an aim in vain._]

One day as Miss Mackenzie with uncommon ardor tried
To hit the mark, the missile flew exceptionally wide,
And, before her eyes astounded,
On a fallen maple's t