The room was quilted on all sides, as well as the floor and ceiling, to prevent any accident from the carelessness of those who carried me, and to break the force of a jolt when I went in a coach. I desired a lock for my door, to prevent rats and mice from coming in. The smith, after several attempts, made the smallest that ever was seen among them. I made shift to keep the key in a pocket of my own, thinking Glumdalditch might lose it. The queen likewise ordered the thinnest silks that could be gotten to make me clothes, not much thicker than an English blanket-very cumbersome till I was accustomed to them.

N

The Village Jun.

EAR yonder thorn, that lifts its head on high,
Where once the sign-post caught the passing eye,
Low lies that house where nut-brown draughts inspired,
Where greybeard mirth and smiling toil retired,
Where village statesmen talked with looks profound,
And news much older than their ale went round.

Imagination fondly stoops to trace

The parlour splendours of that festive place—
The whitewashed wall, the nicely-sanded floor,
The varnished clock that clicked behind the door;
The chest, contrived a double debt to pay-
A bed by night, a chest of drawers by day;
The pictures placed for ornament and use,
The twelve good rules, the royal game of goose,
The hearth, except when winter chilled the day,
With aspen boughs and flowers and fennel gay;
While broken tea-cups, wisely kept for show,
Ranged o'er the chimney, glistened in a row.

Vain, transitory splendour! could not all
Reprieve the tottering mansion from its fall!
Obscure it sinks, nor shall it more impart
An hour's importance to the poor man's heart.

OLIVER GOLDSMITH.

The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage.

NCE upon a time a mouse, a bird, and a sausage took it into their heads to keep house together; and to be sure they managed to live for a time very comfortably and happily; and beside that added a great deal to their store, so as to become very rich. It was the bird's business to fly every day into the forest and

bring wood; the mouse had to carry the water, and

make the fire; but the sausage was cook to the household. He who is too well off often begins to be lazy, and to long for something fresh. Now it happened one day that the bird met with one of his friends, to whom he boasted greatly of his good fortune. But the other bird laughed at him for a poor fool, who worked hard, whilst the two at home had an easy job of it; for when the mouse had made the fire and fetched the water, she went and laid down in her own little room till she was called to lay the cloth; and the sausage sat by the pot, and had nothing to do but to see that the food was well cooked; and, when it was meal-time, had only to butter, salt, and get it ready to eat, which it could do in a minute. The bird flew home, and having laid his burden on the ground, they sat down to table, and after they had made their meal slept soundly till next morning. Could any life be more glorious than this?

The next day the bird, who had been told what to do by his friend, would not go into the forest, saying he had waited on them, and been imposed upon long enough; they should change about, and take their turns at the work. Although the mouse and the sausage begged hard that things might go on as they were, the bird carried the day. So they managed that the sausage was to fetch the wood, while the mouse was to be cook, and the bird was to bring the water.

What happened from thus taking people from their proper work? The sausage set out towards the wood, the little bird made a fire, the mouse set on the pot, and only waited for the sausage to come home and bring wood for the next day. But the sausage kept away so long that they both thought something

must have happened to him, and the bird flew out a little way to look out for him. Not far off he found a dog on the road, who said he had met with a poor little sausage, and, taking him for a fair prey, had laid hold of him and knocked him down. The bird made a charge against the dog of open robbery and murder; but words were of no use, for the dog said he found the sausage out of its proper work, and under false colours; and so he was taken for a spy, and lost his life. The little bird took up the wood very sorrowfully, and went home, and told what he had seen and heard. The mouse and he were very much grieved, but agreed to do their best, and keep together.

.

The little bird undertook to spread the table, and the mouse got ready the dinner; but when she went to dish it up she fell into the pot and was drowned. When the bird came into the kitchen, and wanted the dinner to put on the table, no cook was to be seen; so he threw the wood about here, there, and everywhere, and called, and sought on all sides, but still could not find the cook. Meantime, the fire fell upon the wood, and set it on fire; the bird hastened away to get water, but his bucket fell into the well, and he after it. And so ends the story of this clever family.

The Frogs Desiring a King.

HE frogs, living an easy free life, everywhere among the lakes and ponds, assembled together one day in, a very tumultuous manner, and petitioned Jupiter to let them have a king, who might look after their morals, and make them live a little honester. Jupiter, being at that time in pretty good humour, was pleased to laugh heartily at their ridiculous request, and, throwing a little log into the pool, cried, "There is a king for you." The sudden splash which this made, by its fall into the water at first terrified them so exceedingly that they were afraid to come near it. But in a little time, seeing it lay still without moving, they ventured by degrees to

approach it; and, at last, finding there was no danger, they leaped upon it, and, in short, treated it as familiarly as they pleased. But, not contented with so insipid a king as this was, they sent their deputies to petition again for another sort of one, for this they neither did nor could like. Upon that, he sent them a stork, who, without any ceremony, fell devouring and eating them up, one after another, as fast as he could. They then applied themselves privately to Mercury, and got him to speak to Jupiter in their behalf, that he would be so good as to bless them again with another king, or restore them again to their former state. "No," says he, "since it was their own choice, let the obstinate wretches suffer the punishment due to their folly."

SOP.

W

The Wandering Boy.

HEN the winter wind whistles along the wild moor,
And the cottager shuts on the beggar his door,
When the chilling tear stands in my comfortless eye,
Oh! how hard is the lot of the wandering boy.

The winter is cold, and I have no vest,
And my heart it is cold as it beats in my breast;
No father, no mother, no kindred have Ï,
For I am a parentless, wandering boy.

Yet I had a home, and I once had a sire,
A mother who granted each infant desire;
Our cottage it stood in a wood-embowered vale,
Where the ring-dove would warble its sorrowful tale.

But my father and mother were summoned away,
And they left me to hard-hearted strangers a prey;
I fled from their rigour with many a sigh,
And now I'm a poor little wandering boy,

The wind it is keen, and the snow loads the gale,
And no one will list to my innocent tale :
I'll go to the grave where my parents both lie,
And death shall befriend the poor wandering boy.
HENRY KIRKE WHITE.

Young Scholars' Compositious.

ALLENSHEADS SCHOOL TEA PARTY.

On Friday, February 14th, 1873, was held a tea party at Allenshead School. A little before this-about the 16th November, 1872-was held an entertainment, in order to raise money to get a tea for the scholars, and the children were all wishing for the tea-party day. However, it came at last, when the school was very nicely decorated by the first class boys. On Friday afternoon, about four o'clock, the bell was rung, and the children all went into the school and got their tea. They were kindly waited upon by teachers and scholars (11 girls and 6 boys). After they had all got their tea, they went into the other school to play till we (the waiters) got our tea, and the tables were put right. Then we, along with Mr. and Mrs. Bates, Miss Selkirk, and Mr. Charlton, got our tea. About six o'clock the bell was again rung, when a balloon was set off, which was eagerly watched by all. After this all went into the school where we had got tea, when fruit, &c., was dispensed at intervals, and games were also played during the evening till about nine o'clock, when Mr. Bates sent all home except the first class teachers, and a few others who lived near. We then played till about ten o'clock, when we all parted, after a very jolly afternoon.

The tea party has been entirely got up by our worthy master (Mr. Bates), pupil teachers, and first class scholars.

JOHN CURRY PEARS, aged 13.

Allensheads School, Northumberland.—I hereby certify that this is the real work of the boy whose name it bears.

WHEELOCK, CHESHIRE.

THOMAS STOBBS.

WHEELOCK, in the neighbourhood of Sandbach, stands on the River Wheelock, from which it derives its name, and is situated about a mile from the town. It is one of the principal seats of the Cheshire salt trade, and iron is also worked there. There are about sixty pans employed in the manufacture of salt. This salt is made from brine, which is pumped up out of the earth, and conveyed by pipes to the reservoir; other pipes are constructed from the reservoir to the pans. These are square and shallow, with fires under, in which the brine is boiled into salt. The salt is then got out of the pans and taken into the hothouse and dried. To form the square lump salt, the salt, when got out of the pans, is put into tubs of the same shape as the lumps; then it is turned out of the tubs and taken into the hothouse to dry. The process of the manufacture of salt is very interesting. In the neighbourhood of Sandbach there are five lots of salt works, viz., the Whitehall Works, Wheelock Works, Malkinsbank, the New Works, and the Old Works. The New Salt Works were built in 1861. The Grand Trunk, or Middlewich Branch Canal, runs past all these works, also past the Wheelock Iron Works; and a railway runs past