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Our Boys
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THE FAIRIES' TEA.
Five little friends went out to take tea
Under the shade of a juniper tree;
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And a plate from the rind of a hickory nut.
And the table was spread with a cloth of all lace,
Which the spiders had woven the banquet to grace.
Oh, such good things as they all had to eat!
Slices of strawberry?my, what a treat!
Honey the sweetest the wild bee could hive,
And a hummingbird's egg for each of the five!
Then they pledged their host's health in their favorite
drink,
Which was?well, what was it? Can any one think?
Why, the dewdrops that come from the heart of the
rose
Is the drink of the fairies, as every one knows!?Ex.
THE QUEST OF THE GOLDEN HEART.
Ray sat on the floor, gloomily opening and
shutting his jack-knite. Uncle Teddy watched
him for a time over the top of his book. Then he
asked: "What in the world is the matter, RayT
You look as if you had lost your last friend."
"I guess I haven't got any friends to lose,"
was the unhappy answer.
"Dear me, what a terrible state of things,"
said Uncle Teddy. "Suppose you tell me what
the matter is."
"I don't know what's the matter?that's just
it?only the boys are all awful mean." And
Ray's knife made an angry chop at a piece of
string.
"All the boys," repeated Uncle Teddy?"are
they all mean T"
"Most of them. Richard and George don't
plague much, but they don't help me ever."
"Who does plague most?"
"Oh, Tom Morris and the Gordon boys, and
that old Sam Grover?he's the worst of all."
Uncle Teddy bent down to pick up a kite-stick;
and thereupon Victory, who had been curled up
on his knee, jumped down with a yawn and a
stretch, and was promptly gathered into Ray's
arms.
"Ray," said Uncle Ted, "tell me a little more
about it. I remember going over some pretty
rough places when I was about your age and
size; and, perhaps, I can help you a bit. Anyway,
let's hear what's wrong."
Ray was rubbing his nose against Vic's gray
fur. Suddenly he burst out: "They're all
against me, Uncle Ted, at school, you know; and
I don't do anything to 'em. It is worst in the
morning, and that's why I go so early. If they
get there first, they knock me off my wheel and
grab my things, and?and do everything!"
"And what do you do?" asked Uncle Teddy,
carefully measuring two sticks.
"I don't do anything at all!" cried Ray, hotly,
squeezing Vic so tight in his excitement that she
gave a remonstrating "me-ow!"
"Don't you get mad sometimes?"
""Why, yes, of course I do. I guess you
would." And Ray looked undeniably cross.
"Very likely," said Uncle Teddy, nodding;
and nothing was heard for a minute or two but
Vic's forgiving purr. Then Ray broke out
again:
'' I don't see why they don't go for some of
the other fellows sometimes, and give me a rest.
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can't fight them all at once. I think it's awful
mean, and I just wish I didn't have to go to
school any more." And, in spite of his eleven
years, a big tear rolled down Ray's cheek and
dropped on Vic's nose; much to her annoyance.
Uncle Teddy was looking straight before kirn;,
nd, when he sprtke again, he seemed to have
forgotten his nephew's troubles.
I
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SO
and Girls i
)
< >
"Ray," he asked, "did I ever tell you the
story of Sir Raymond de Merryvale and the
Golden Heart?" Ray shook his head. He was
too unhappw even to care much for a story.
"It's only a sort of fairy story," went on
Uncle Teddy; "but it's interesting in some ways;
and I think we'll have it now. It is about a
young knight who, according to the good old
fashion, set out to seek his fortune with only his
sword and shield to help him; and, in trying to
rescue a particularly lovely princess, he lost even
these, and, what is more, had to run away. As he
wandered along, very unhappy because he had
lost his sword, and still more unhappy because
he had not won the princess, he came to a little
cave in the mouth or which sat an old hermit eating
a simple supper of roots and berries. lie
politely invited Sir Raymond (it is odd the
knight should have had your name), to join him,
and before the meal was over had heard all about
the princess and the knight's failure to rescue
her.
" 'Ah, yes,' he said, 'I know all about her.
But don't be too downhearted, Sir Knight. You
are not the first who has met with defeat in this
very attempt. The truth is, that no one has a
ghost of a chance of winning that princess, who
does not bear with him a little charm called the
Golden Heart.'
" 'And where can one find it!' cried Raymond,
eagerly.
"The old man looked at him steadily for a
moment, then he helped himself to another berry,
and ate it, thoughtfully. At last he answered:
" 'The Golden Heart lies in the strong room
of a great castle, and the castle is well defended.
He who seeks this charm must go well armed.'
" 'Alas,' said Raymond; 'and I have neither
sword nor shield' And he rested his head sorrowfully
upon his hand.
"The hermit rose slowly from his place. 'Follow
me, young man,' he said. Raymond obeyed,
and in a recess of the cave beheld hanging upon
the wall a suit of armour, a sword, and a shield.
His eyes glistened, and the hermit smiled.
" 'They shall be yours when you have earned
them,' he said. 'I am making a garden here in
the front. Serve me faithfully, and these shall be
your reward.'
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old man gave him plenty of hard work to do, but
he was a prompt paymaster; and, when the moon
was full, Raymond received the sword.
" 'It is a good one, too,' said the hermit. 'It
is the sword of courage.'
"Then the young man returned to his toil;
and, when the moon had again waned and waxed,
the armour was his also. 'And you will find it an
excellent defense,' and the hermit. 'It is the
armor of patience.'
"Now the knight was for setting off at once;
but the old man warned him that, if he went
without the shield, he went at his peril. 'For,'
said he, 'without such a sheld as this, I never
knew any one to gain the Golden Heart.'
"Sorely against his will, Raymond returned to
his labor; and, at last, for the third time, the
round moon looked down through the forest
branches, and the shield also became his. Then
the hermit no longer restrained him, but pointed
out his path; and the young knight set forth,
fully armed, and eager for the quest. When he
reached the castle of the Golden Heart, he found
the outer gate guarded by a dragon; but of him
the good award made short work. Hardly had he
V T H [Maroh It, 1912 1
passed within, however, when he met enemies
against which his sword would have been powerless.
For a great swarm of venomous creatures, \
like gigantic wasps, descended upon him, and i
but for his armour would have stung him to
death. As it was, he passed through them unharmed.
And now he annroaehed the cate nf tha
castlq, itself; and, as he did so, the draw-bridge
fell with a clang, and six knights rushed across
and bore down upon him all at once." I
"Six, did you say, Uncle Teddy?" asked Ray. '
"I think it was six, Ray. So the story came to
me. Certainly, the odds were greatly against our
hero. He stood firm and waived his sword valiantly
in the air; but they didn't care in the least
for his sword, and it looked as if this would be
the end of Sir Raymond de Merryvale and his
quest, when fortunately he raised his shield. Instantaneously
the six knights stood as if transfixed
; and, as the shield flashed in the sunshine,
they dropped their swords to clap their hands, ^
and capered with delight. Even when Raymond
sliDDed from amoner them and ernssed the drum.
bridge, they continued to dance about. Under
the portcullis stood a huge and scowling porter.
'Be off!' he shouted, as Raymond approached.
Remembering his recent experience, the young
knight raised, not his sword, but his shield. In
its shining depths the porter beheld an absurd
reflection of himself, and slowly his scowl disappeared
and a grin stole over his rough features.
And, even when Raymond had passed
through the great oaken doors into the castle, he
still stood motionless, gazing with a puzzled expression
at the dancing knights in the courtyard."?The
Christian Register.
THE FOX AND THE RABBIT.
Old Reynard, the red fox, was out hunting for
his breakfast, and he was not particular whether
he had chicken, duck or rabbit. From the tracks
in the snow, which he was intently studying, it
looked very much as if the latter was to tempt his
appetite. There were the unmistakable tracks of
a rabbit which led straight down to the meadows.
"I see," mused the fox to himself; "the orchard
has attracted some rabbit, and I will find
him far from his burrow. Well, I should advise
all rabbits not to venture far from their homes in
a snowstorm like this, or, if they must go far,
they should take their tracks with them."
There was something like a sly smile on the
fox's face at the thought of this joke. He was
cunning and tricky in his way, and he always
felt that whatever he did or thought was worthy
of attention. As he strutted along now, followhow
innocent rabbits were, and what delicious
dinners they made.
In a short time he came to a halt, for there before
him were double tracks. For a moment the
fox studied these carefully, and he was nearly
reauy 10 comess to nimsen tnat tne raDDit had
played him a trick. "He has doubled on his
track." he said to himself, 'and must have gone
off in this direction. Well, I'll take the freshest
track."
He turned to the right then, and followed the
new track, but with some misgivings as to his
breakfast. When a hundred yards further the
tracks were apparently doubled on ag^in, or at
least they were so blurred that old Reynard was
considerably puzzled. But foxes have the repu
tation for solving hard puzzles, and this one said
that he finally understood it all. "I'll go
straight to the orchard, and I'll find my rabbit
there. He thinks to play a trick on me by running
back and forth on his own tracks. What an
innocent game to attempt to play on an old fox 1
If rabbits were not so innocent and foxes so
wise I suppose there would be more rabbits in
the world."
Once more that sly smile on Reynard's face