those great bunches of common, fading flowers, in addition to all her bundles and bags." I was mistaken, Oh, thank you, my darlings! How kind you are! Poor, hot, tired little flowers-how thirsty they look! If they will only keep alive till we get home, we will make them very happy in some water, won't we? And you shall put one bunch by papa's plate and one by mine."

She took great trouble to get a string and tie up the flowers; and then the train came, and we were whirling along again. Soon it grew dark, and little Annie's head nodded. Then I heard the mother say to the oldest boy: "Dear, are you too tired to let little Annie put her head on your shoulder and take a nap? We shall get her home in much better case to see papa, if we can manage to give her a little sleep." How many boys of twelve hear such words as, these from tired, overburdened mothers? Soon came the city, the final station, with its bustle and noise. I lingered to watch my happy family, hoping to see the father. "Why, papa isn't here!" exclaimed one disappointed voice after another. "Never mind," said the mother, with a still deeper disappointment in her tone; "perhaps he had to go to see some poor body who is sick."

In the hurry of picking up all the parcels, the poor daisies and buttercups were left forgotten in a corner of the rack. I wondered if the mother had not intended this. May I be forgiven for the injustice! A few minutes after, I passed the little group, standing still, just outside the station, and heard the mother say: "Oh, my darlings, I have forgotten your pretty flowers. I am so sorry! I wonder if I could find them, if I went back. Will you all stand still and not stir from this spot, if I go?" "Oh, mamma, don't go, don't go. We will get you some more. Don't go," cried all the children. "Here are your flowers, madam," said I., I saw that you had forgotten them, and I took them as mementos of you and your sweet children." She blushed and looked disconcerted. She was evidently unused to people, and shy with all but her children. However, she thanked me sweetly, and said: "I was very sorry about them. The children took such trouble to get them; and I think they will revive in water. They cannot be quite dead." "They will never

die!" said I, with an emphasis which went from my heart to hers. Then all her shyness fled. She knew me; and we shook hands, and smiled into each other's eyes with the smile of kindred as we parted.

As I followed on, I heard the two children, who were walking behind, saying to each other: "Wouldn't that have been too bad? Mamma liked them so much, and we never could have got so many all at once again." "Yes, we could, too, next summer," said the boy, sturdily. They are sure of their "next summers," I think, all six of those souls-children, and mother, and father. They may never again gather so many daisies and buttercups "all at once." Perhaps some of the little hands have already picked their last flowers. Nevertheless, their summers are certain. Heaven bless them all, wherever they are!

VAS BENDER HENSHPECKED ?-VON BOYLE.

Any shentleman vot vill go round pehind your face, und talk in front of your back apout sometings, vas a shvindler. I heard dot Brown says veek pefore next apout me I vas a henshpecked huspand. Dot vas a lie! De proof of de eating vas in de puddings: I am married tventy year already, und I vas yet not pald-headed. I don't vas oonder some pettygoats gofernments; shtill I tinks it vas petter if a feller vill insult mit his vife und got her advises apout sometings or oder.

Dem American vomans don't know sometings nefer about his huspant's peesness, und vhen dem hart times comes, und not so much money comes in de house, dot makes not some tifference mit her. Shtill she moost have vone of dot pullpack-in-de-front hoop-skirt-pettygoats, mit every kind trimmings. Pooty soon dot huspant gets pankerupted all to pieces. Dey send for de doctor; und ven de doctor comes de man dies. Den dot vomans vas opliged to marry mit anoder mans vot she don't maype like, mit four or six shildrens on account of his first vife already, und possobably vone or two mudders-by-law-vone second-handed, und de oder a shtep-mudder-out-law. Den she says mit herself, “I efen vish dot I vas dead a little."

Now if a Chermans goes dead, dot don't make a pit of tifference. Nopody vould hardly know it, except maybe himself. His vife goes mit de peesness on shust like notings has happened to somepody.

American vomans and Cherman vomans vas a tifferent kind of peobles. For inshtinct, last year dot same feller, Mr. Brown, goes mit me in de putcher peesness togeder. He vas American man-so vas his vife. Vell, many time ven efery peobles has got de panic pooty bad, dot vomans comes to her huspant und says she moost have money. Den she goes out riding mit a carriages.

Vonce on a time, Brown says to me, "Bender, I vouldn't be henshpecked." So he vent off und got himself tight— shust pecause his vife tells him, blease don't do dot. Den he sits down on his pack mit de floor, und if I am not dere dot time he never vould got home.

Vell, dot night, me und my vife, ve had a little talk apout sometings; und de next tay I says to Brown, "Look here vonst! My vife she makes sausages, und vorks in dot shtore; also my taughter she vorks py de shtore und makes headsheeses; und your vife vas going out riding all de times mit de horses-car, und a patent-tied-pack cardinal shtriped shtockings. Now your vife moost go vork in de shtore und cut peefshteaks, und make sauer-kraut, or else ve divide not equally any more dot profits."

Vell, Brown goes home und he tells his vife apout dot. Den she comes pooty quick mit Brown around, und ve had a misundersthanding apout sometings, in vich eferypody took a part, including my leetle dog Kaiser. Pooty soon up comes a policemans und arrests us for breeches of promise to keep de pieces, und assaulting de battery, or sometings. Den de firm of Bender & Brown vas proke up. I go apout my peesness, und Brown goes mit his peesness. My vife she helps in de shtore. His vife goes riding mit de horsescars, und efery nights she vas py de theatre.

Vot's de gonsequences? Along comes dot Centennial panic. Dot knocks Brown more higher as two kites, py Chimminy! My income vas shtill more as my outcome. But Brown, he goes 'round dot shtreets mit his hands out of his pockets, und he don't got a cent to his back. -Scribner's Monthly.

MMMM

AT SET OF SUN.

If we sit down at set of sun,

And count the things that we have done,
And, counting find

One self-denying act, one word

That eased the heart of him who heard;
One glance most kind,

That fell like sunshine where it went,
Then we may count that a day well spent.

But if through all the live-long day
We've eased no heart by yea or nay;
If through it all

We've done no thing that we can trace,
That brought the sunshine to a face;
No act, most small,

That helped some soul, and nothing cost,
Then count that day as worse than lost.

WHY BIDDY AND PAT MARRIED.-R. H. STODDARD.

"Oh! why did you marry him, Biddy?
Why did you take Pat for your spouse?
Sure, he's neither purty nor witty,

And his hair is as red as a cow's!

You might had your pick had you waited,
You'd done a dale better with Tim;
And Phelim O'Toole was expectin'-
You couldn't do better nor him.
You talk of us young people courtin'-
Pray tell how your courtin' began,
When you were a widdy woman,
And he was a widdy man."

"Tim and Pat, miss, you see, was acquainted
Before they came over the sea,

When Pat was a-courtin' Norah,

And Tim was a-courtin' me.

She did not know much,the poor Norah,
Nor, for that matter, neither did Pat;

He had not the instinct of some one,
But no one had then told him that;
But he soon found it out for himself,-
For life at best's but a span-
When I was a widdy woman,
And he was a widdy man.

"I helped him to take care of Norah,
And when he compared her with me,
He saw, as he whispered one evening,

What a woman one woman could be.
She went out like the snuff of a candle;
Then the sickness seized upon Tim,
And we watched by his bedside together-
It was such a comfort to him."

I was not alone in my weeping,

Our tears in the same channel ranFor I was a widdy woman

And he was a widdy man.

"We had both had our troubles, mavourneen,
Though neither, perhaps, was to blame;
And we both knew by this what we wanted,
And were willing to pay for the same.
We knew what it was to be married,

And before the long twelvemonth had flown,
We had made up our minds it was better
Not to live any longer alone:

We wasted no time shilly-shally,

Like you, miss, and Master Dan

For I was a widdy woman

And he was a widdy man."

-Harper's Magazine.

A SIGN-BOARD.

I will paint you a sign, rum-seller,
And hang it over your door;
A truer and better sign-board,
Than ever you had before.

I will paint with the skill of a master,
And many shall pause to see

This wonderful piece of painting,
So like the reality.

I will paint yourself, rum-seller,
As you wait for that fair young boy,
Just in the morning of manhood,
A mother's pride and joy.
He has no thought of stopping,
But you greet him with a smile,
And you seem so blithe and friendly,
That he pauses to chat awhile.

I will paint you again, rum-seller,
I will paint you as you stand,