He has no thought of any wrong,

He scans me with a fearless eye;
Stanch friends are we, well tried and strong,
The little sandpiper and I.

Comrade, where wilt thou be to-night,
When the loosed storm breaks furiously?
My drift-wood fire will burn so bright!
To what warm shelter canst thou fly?
I do not fear for thee, though wroth
The tempest rushes through the sky;
For are we not God's children both,
Thou, little sandpiper, and I?

- Celia Thaxter.

THE SORROWFUL SEA-GULL.

THE sea-gull is so sorry!

She flings herself about,

And utters little, wailing cries,

And flutters in and out.

The fishes do not sympathize,

Fish are so very cool!

They make so many rules, you know ;
And who can feel by rule?

They have a rule for swimming,
A rule for taking food;

They have a rule for pleasure trips,

A rule for doing good.

And people who make rules like that

May drive, and work, and swim, But never know how sweet a thing It is to take a whim!

I'd like to be a sea-gull,

With lovely beak and claws; I would not like to be a fish, Subject to fishy laws.

And if they make more changes soon

By acts of Parliament,

I won't consent to be a fish,
I never will consent !

Why is the sea-gull sorry?

I'm not allowed to tell.

The fish, who will not sympathize,

Know what's the matter well!
And you who feel with all your hearts,

And give her love and tears,

Are not allowed to hear a word;

And such is life, my dears!

Child-World.

THE BROWN THRUSH.

THERE's a merry brown thrush sitting up in the tree,
"He's singing to me! He's singing to me !"
And what does he say, little girl, little boy?

Oh, the world's running over with joy!
Don't you hear? Don't you see?

Hush! Look! In my tree,

I'm as happy as happy can be!"

And the brown thrush keeps singing, "A nest do you see, And five eggs hid by me in the juniper-tree?

Don't meddle! don't touch! little girl, little boy,

Or the world will lose some of its joy!

Now I'm glad! now I'm free!

And I always shall be,

If you never bring sorrow to me."

So the merry brown thrush sings away in the tree,

Το

you and to me, to you and to me,

And he sings all the day, little girl, little boy, "Oh, the world's running over with joy ;

But long it won't be,

Don't you know? don't you see?

Unless we are as good as can be?"

Lucy Larcom.

WHO STOLE THE BIRD'S NEST.

"To-WHIT! to-whit! to-whee !

Will you listen to me?

Who stole four eggs I laid,

And the nice nest I made?"

I

gave hairs the nest to make,

But the nest I did not take.

Not I," said the dog, "Bow-wow!

I'm not so mean, any how."

"To-whit! to-whit! to-whee!
Will you listen to me?
Who stole four eggs I laid,
And the nice nest I made?"

"Bob-o'-link! Bob-o'-link!
Now what do you think?
Who stole a nest away
From the plum-tree, to-day?"

"Coo-coo! Coo-coo! Coo-coo!

Let me speak a word, too!
Who stole that pretty nest

From little yellow-breast?"

"Not I," said the sheep; "Oh, no! I would n't treat a poor bird so.

I

gave wool the nest to line,

But the nest was none of mine.

Baa Baa !" said the sheep, "Oh, no,

I would n't treat a poor bird so."

"To-whit! to-whit! to-whee!
Will you listen to me?
Who stole four eggs I laid,
And the nice nest I made?"

"Bob-o'-link! Bob-o'-link!
Now what do you think?
Who stole a nest away
From the plum-tree, to-day ?"

"Coo-coo! Coo-coo! Coo-coo!
Let me speak a word, too!
Who stole that pretty nest
From little yellow-breast?

"Caw! Caw!" cried the crow;

"I should like to know
What thief took away

A bird's nest, to-day?"

"Cluck! Cluck!" said the hen;

"Don't ask me again,

Why, I haven't a chick

Would do such a trick.

We all gave her a feather,

And she wove them together.

I'd scorn to intrude

On her and her brood.

Cluck! Cluck!" said the hen,

"Don't ask me again."