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IS S she coming to-night, mamma?" asked Marion.

"Yes, dear, I think so. We shall know very soon now. Papa will be here in about ten minutes."

Marion and Elvie Reade ran to the window. They were very anxious to see this little cousin who was coming home with papa.

"Rebie'll be our new sister; won't she?" said Elvie.

"Yes. And papa said we must be real kind to her, for she hasn't any papa or mamma now."

"Yes, we will. I guess—Oh! there's papa, now. And—oh! Marion! Rebie's crying. Let's go kiss her."

Out ran the two little girls, while mamma stood in the doorway with little Ernest, and aunt Maria stood on the steps.

Little Rebie couldn't help crying, yet she liked her new home for all that. But her cousins kissed her so lovingly, that Rebie soon smiled through her tears.

And when baby Ernest said, "Ernie love oo, tousin Rebie," she laughed a soft little laugh. Then they thought Rebie wouldn't feel lonely any more.

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H ARRY and little Violet thought it the very best play-house in the world. And I don't think Gyp would have enjoyed any other half so well. It was papa's big boat.

They could sit in it and see mamma when she came to the door of the little house near by, where they lived. And they could watch papa as he went out in his small boat, or dory, as he called it. Harry could see him far out on the water by standing up on the side of the boat. Little Violet was afraid to climb up so high.

Sometimes Harry and Violet took their dinner and ate it in the boat. Then Gyp always shared it with them. He would sit beside them in the boat, or perhaps lie on the sand and wait for Harry to throw him his share bit by bit.

The children liked to make Gyp speak for his dinner. But best of all, they liked to toss it up, and see Gyp spring and catch it in his mouth.

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P OOR little Carlos stood thinking. He did not know what to do. He wanted to tell the truth, yet he didn't like to have mamma blame him for breaking Sylvia's doll. And he didn't think he was all to blame either. The butterfly and Dandy both helped, he thought.

This was the way it happened. A beautiful large butterfly came through the open window into the dining-room, then flitted out into the hall. Carlos and his dog Dandy gave chase. Once, in his eagerness, he stumbled over Dandy. And in trying to escape a fall he knocked the doll to the floor. There was the body in one place, the head in another. Why did Sylvia leave it right in his way?

At last Carlos decided to do the best thing—go and tell mamma all about it.

Mamma listened patiently. Then she told Carlos that it would have been better not to try to catch the butterfly. The pretty thing would die if he caught it and shut it up.

Mamma told Carlos that Sylvia was partly to blame for leaving her doll in such a place. But Carlos must be more careful next time.

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C AN you see the old man behind his rows of cages? In them are many poor little birds. They cannot fly about in the pure sweet air. The old man sells them. That is the way he earns his money.

Then why does he look so displeased? The young man, with the empty cage in his hand, has just bought a bird and laid the money on the counter.

The young man loves birds so well that he bought one on purpose to set it free.

The old man is wishing he could get the bird and sell it again. He thinks it foolish to throw away money. And he tells the young man so.

"Not thrown away, my friend," says the young man. "It is well spent if it gives pleasure even to the smallest creature."

"'Twas only a bird," insists the old man.

"But God made the birds. And not one falls to the ground without his notice. I think we shall have to give an account of the way we treat his birds."

"Well, I wish I had that one again."

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B ABY Bell thought she could do just as she pleased everywhere, and with everybody. And she generally did. She even trotted into Mrs. Burnett's, a sad, lonely woman, who lived all alone by herself in the next house.

One day she came pattering into the room where Mrs. Burnett sat. She clung to her dress. She looked up lovingly into the sad face. Then she lisped forth,—

"Miss Nett, Baby Bell tiss you."

Then she put up her sweet lips to give a kiss. Who could resist such a baby? Not even Mrs. Burnett. She took the child on her lap, and covered her face with kisses and tears. Baby Bell looked on wonderingly.

When papa came for her she said, "Miss Nett tryin', Baby Bell tiss her lots."

Mrs. Burnett explained. "I lost a baby just her age. I felt since that I had no one to love me. But Baby Bell loves me, I am sure. I hope she will come often."

"As often as you and she wish," said papa.

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U NCLE SOL was going to take a party of boys out in his boat. All had scrambled in but one little fellow, the smallest of the party.

"Tumble in, Frankie," said Uncle Sol. But still Frankie hesitated.

"Don't you want to go?" asked the old sailor.

"Yes, sir," answered Frankie, slowly, "but mamma doesn't like to have me go on the water."

"Why?"

"She's afraid since papa was drowned."

"Don't go, then, my boy. Don't worry your mother. She's had trouble enough already;" and Uncle Sol began to push the boat out into the water.

"Pooh! Come on!" shouted Horace, the tallest boy in the boat. "Your mother'll never know. We'll keep dark."

"Don't you go to learnin' Frankie any bad ways," said Uncle Sol, sternly. "Boys never come to much in the world unless they mind their mother. I've always noticed that."

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Y OU may put on your coat now, Hugh, and take these things to Mrs. Larry. You have barely time before school, you must hurry."

"Must I go this morning, mother, why can't I go to-night, or this noon?"

"There'll not be time at noon. And before night Joe may want some of these things. You may do, however, just as you think you would like to have Joe do, if he was in your place and you in his. Poor Joe needs better food than his mother is able to buy. You wouldn't have him suffer for the sake of skating, would you?"

Hugh thought a minute. At last he said, "I know if I was in Joe's place, I should want somebody to bring me a heap of things. Guess I'll go, mother."

His mother smiled to hear him whistle as he ran from the yard. Just before school he rushed in.

"Say, mother, can I buy Joe some oranges? He's white—he's white as your ruffled apron. I've fifty cents. I'll spend half for Joe."

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G UESS I'll hurry home," said the rough miner when some of his mates urged him to go to the saloon, "Molly'll miss me."

Nothing seemed so pleasant at night as to see his little Molly standing in the doorway to greet him when he came home. But to-night she was not in her usual place.

"Where's Molly?" he quickly asked, entering the kitchen. Before his wife could speak, he saw Molly in her mother's arms with her eyes closed.

"What is it?" he asked, in a hushed voice.

"I—don't—know," sobbed the poor mother. "She complained—of being tired. And she wanted—me to hold her. I've held her—nearly all day. I'm so glad—you've come, Jake. Do run for the doctor."

"Yes, I will;" and without another word he hurried to the village.

"Will she live?" were his first words after the doctor entered the house.

"I hope so," was the cheery answer. "Put her feet in warm water as soon as possible. And here is a powder for her. I'll come over in the morning. Think she'll be better then."

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G OLDEN-HAIRED, blue-eyed, sweet-mouthed Baby Ralph lay, a cunning little white heap, in his willow cradle.

While he slept, papa and mamma came softly into the room—dropped the lightest and sweetest of kisses on the dear baby face, then stole quietly out and away to the big city. Did Baby Ralph like this? You will hardly think so when you read his letter. Here it is:

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N EARER and nearer the sitting-room door came the patter of little feet. And this queer song was heard over and over:

"Herbie—is—organ-hand man!"

Then in pranced our little three-year-old Herbie, his eyes bright, his right hand going round and round to imitate the hand-organ man. Under his left arm was a cricket.