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...

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...

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...

AN OLD-TIME SCENE.   OOK at the picture, and see if you can tell what has roused all those children up so early in the morning. There is Mary in her stocking-feet. There is Ann in her night-dress. There is Tom, bare armed and bare legged. Why have they all left their beds, and run into the play-room in such haste? And why is little Ned, the baby, sitting up in the bed, as though he wanted to come too? It is plain enough that the children... more...

A TRUE STORY.   HEN I was in Boston about a year ago, I stopped one day at the corner of Washington Street and Franklin Street to witness a pretty sight. Here, just as you turn into Franklin Street, on the right, a poor peddler used to stand with a few baskets of oranges or apples or peanuts, which he offered for sale to the passers-by. The street-pigeons had found in him a good friend; for he used to feed them with bits of peanuts,... more...

ARTHUR'S NEW SLOOP.   OW, boys," said Uncle Martin, "if you were at sea in a vessel like this, what should you do when you saw a squall coming up?" "I should take in all sail, and scud under bare poles," said Arthur. "But what if you did not want to be blown ashore?" "Then I should leave out the first reef, so as to catch as much wind as I could risk, and steer for the sea, the sea, the open sea." "Well, that's pretty well said, though... more...

THE CHILDREN AT GRANDMOTHER'S.   HERE was once a grandmother who had fourteen little grandchildren. Some of them were cousins to one another; and some were brothers and sisters. This grandmother lived in an old, old cottage not far from the sea-beach. The cottage had a long sloping roof; and there was an elm-tree in front of it. One fair day in June, the boys went down to the sea-beach to bathe, and the girls went out on the lawn to play.... more...

THE WILD BEES' HOME. Wild bees of the wood are we;But our hive you must not see:Here behold our happy home,Where we labor, where we roam.Brooks that on their shining bosomsCatch the overhanging blossoms;Banks all bright with clustering flowers,—Here is where we pass our hours.Seldom on this solitudeDoes a girl or boy intrude;Few among you are awareWhat a home is ours, so fair!In the brook are little fish;You would like them on a dish:Keep... more...

LOOK OUT FOR THE ENGINE!   ALLY and Bob were making a bonfire in the woods. They had come to spend the whole day, and had brought their dinner in a basket; and Carlo, their little dog, kept watch of it while they gathered sticks and leaves. They soon had a large pile heaped up in the middle of the road which led through the forest. "For," said Bob, "we must make the fire where it won't do any mischief." When all was ready, Bob lighted a... more...

WORK AND PLAY.   O you want your sidewalk shovelled?" This was the question asked of Mr. Prim, as he sat reading his newspaper, one New Year's morning. The question came through a servant who had just answered the door-bell. Mr. Prim looked out of the window. The snow was still falling. So he sent out word, "No shovelling wanted till the storm's over," and went on with his reading. By and by there was another ring at the door; and in a... more...