NOBODY'S DOG.   NLY a dirty black-and-white dog!You can see him any day,Trotting meekly from street to street:He almost seems to say,As he looks in your face with wistful eyes,"I don't mean to be in your way."His tail hangs drooping between his legs;His body is thin and spare:How he envies the sleek and well-fed dogs,That thrive on their masters' care!And he wonders what they must think of him,And grieves at his own hard fare.Sometimes he... more...

MABEL'S COW.   HE cow nearest to you in the picture is Mabel's cow; and Mabel Brittan is the taller of the two girls on the bridge. I will tell you why the cow is called Mabel's cow. Her family live in a wild but beautiful part of New Hampshire, where it is very cold in winter, and pretty warm in summer. There are only two small houses within a mile of her father's. He keeps cows, and makes nice butter from the cream. Not long ago he... more...

THE YOUNG LAMPLIGHTER.   ALLACE is a boy about ten years old, who lives in a town near Boston. He has a brother Charles, eighteen years of age. These two brothers are the town lamplighters. There are at least fifty lamps to be lighted every night; and some of them are a good deal farther apart than the street-lamps in large cities. Charles takes the more distant ones for his part of the work, and drives from post to post in a gig.... more...

EDITOR'S PORTFOLIO. The present number begins the eighteenth half-yearly volume of "The Nursery;" and we are happy to inform our friends that the magazine was never so successful as it is to-day. Thus far, we have entered upon every new volume with an increased circulation. We look for a still larger increase in the future; for there are thousands and thousands of children not yet supplied with the work, for whom no other magazine can take its... more...

THE DELIGHTS OF THE SEASIDE.   H merry, merry sports had we, last summer on the beach,—  Lucy and Oliver and I, with Uncle Sam to teach!  At times, clad in our bathing-suits, we'd join our hands, all four,  And rush into the water, or run along the shore. The wet sand, how it glistened on the sunny summer day!And how the waves would chase us back, as if they were in play!And when, on the horizon blue,... more...

FLORA'S LOOKING-GLASS.   N the edge of a thick wood dwelt a little girl whose name was Flora. She was an orphan, and lived with an old woman who got her living by gathering herbs. Every morning, Flora had to go almost a quarter of a mile to a clear spring in the wood, and fill the kettles with fresh water. She had a sort of yoke, on which the kettles were hung as she carried them. The pool formed by the spring was so smooth and clear,... more...

The Nursery. PREMIUM-LIST FOR 1876. For three new subscribers, at $1.60 each, we will give any one of the following articles: a heavily gold-plated pencil-case, a rubber pencil-case with gold tips, silver fruit-knife, a pen-knife, a beautiful wallet, any book worth $1.50. For five, at $1.60 each, any one of the following: globe microscope, silver fruit-knife, silver napkin-ring, book or books worth $2.50. For six, at $1.60 each, we will give... more...

IF I WERE A FAIRY. If I were a fairy slight and small,Say, about as tallAs a span-worm forming the letter O,What do you think I would do? I know!In the bell of the lily I'd rock and swing,Twitter and sing;And, taking the gold-dust under me,I'd splash the hips of the buzzing bee, That he might have meal to make his bread,With honey spread,For his thousand babies all in rows,Each in a bandbox up to his nose. I'd count the curls of the... more...

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY OF IT. If you would teach your child to read in the easiest, quickest, and most practicable way, easiest both to the child and the teacher, put "The Nursery" in its hands every month. Our word for it, you will be surprised at the result. "The Nursery" will be found a primer, a reading-book, drawing-book, story-book, and lesson-book, all in one.—Boston Transcript. "The Nursery" is as great a favorite as ever; and all... more...

THE AUNT AND THE NIECE.   UNT RUTH was only nine years old, while her niece Mary was nineteen. But Ruth, being an aunt, felt she must keep up the dignity of one; and so she used to treat Mary as if Mary were a little girl. They had not seen each other for nearly a year; and, when they met, Mary, who was fond of mischief, acted as if she were really younger than Ruth, though she well knew she was nine years older. "Aunt Ruth," said Mary,... more...