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Jtrijs nnb ®irh, BY RAY RICHMOND. “BEAUTIFUL HANDS.” Such beautiful, beautiful hands ! They’re neither white nor small; And you I know would scarcely think That they were fair at all. I’ve looked on hands whose form and hue A sculptor’s dream might be; Yet are these aged, wrinkled hands, Most beautiful to me. Such beautiful, beautiful hands! Though heart was weary and sad, These patient hands kept toiling on, That the children might be glad. I almost weep, as looking back To childnood’s distant day, I think how these hands rested not When mine were at their play. Such beautiful, beautiful hands! They’re growing feeble now, For time and pain have left their mark On hand and heart and brow, Alas, alas! the nearing time, And the sad, sad day to me, When ’neath the daises, out of sight. These hands will folded be. But Oh! beyond this shadow-land, Where all is bright and fair, I know full well these dear old hands Will palms of victory bear, Where crystal streams through endless years. Flow over golden sands And where the old grow young again, I’ll clasp my mother’s hands. —Selected. For Woman’s Work. A NEST OF MICE. BY ALISON. How many of my little read ers have a dear old Grandma and Grandpa, living in a little brown frame house in the country, almost hidden in a wilderness of rose bushes and trailing vines ? It is many years ago since wee toddler of a little brother and I, played around just such a little cottage and were at once the terror and delight of our dear old grandparent’s hearts. They lived close by my father’s farm and we children spent the happiest hours ot our lives there. Dio one else could make such delicious cookies as Grandma, and no one ever mended our broken toys or made us wooden whistles out of willow branches but Grandpa. It was always so quiet and peaceful at the cottage, never any hurry or bustle like there was at the big farm house. Even the cat and old dog •‘cap tain” seemed tc agree as no other cat and dog of my ac quaintance ever did. But I am drifting away back to old memories and for getting what I started to tell you about. Let me see. It was about mice, wasn’t it? Well, then, one evening brother Dade and I stole over to Grandmas, and were busily engaged play ing around some straw stacks when at the base of one, in a tiny little nook, we found what we supposed was a nest of funny looking little featherless birds. Nowwehadno thought of being rude or unkind, but the idea occurred to us that we might make them more comfortable in a nest under Grandma’s kitchen stoop. They would be sheltered there from the wind and rain. We were too young to notice that our supposed little birds had four feet, some thing not found with little birds, as you all know. Or if we did notice, we did not think it strange, so I gathered them up in my apron and as noiselessly as possible stole around to the back stoop and we re moved a loose board and carefully laid our “birds” on a bundle of clean fresh straw. We did not mention the circumstance to any one, fearing they might take our pets away from us, but every day for a week went to see them. No feathers began to appear but a fine coat of hair did, and were overjoyed to see our pets thriving so steadily. But, alas! for our benevolence, old Tabby, the cat, must have played the spy on our movements, and watching her op portunity crawled through the opening and found our pets, which she proceeded to carry outside and make a meal on. Grandpa saw her and went to see what she had, and what do you think? They were not birds at all, but young mice that we had taken su6h care of. He called to brother and I to come and see them, and then we told him the story of how we found them and thought they were birds. I don’t think finding out they were mice made our sorrow for their loss any less, for Tabby had not left a single one, and I sup pose she ate the old mamma mouse too. Some other time, if you care to hear, I will tell you ho v we once caught a little gray rabbit. For Woman’s Work. JACK’S BUSINESS. # A funny picture isn’t it? This little boy eating his dinner beside a donkey with a basket hanging on either side. But when I tell my young readers the circumstances which caused Jack Carter to thus eat his noontime meal by the lonely roadside, I am sure they will unite in saying that Jack is a noble boy and destined to make a useful man. Last winter after a lingering illness, Jack’s father died, and left Mrs. Carter to bear the trials and responsibilities of sup porting their four children. Jack, the eldest, is only thirteen, so the others are too small to accomplish much in the battle of life. Mrs. Carter is not a woman to be overcome by circumstances. She is brave hearted and energetic, but when confronted with the necessity of supporting her little II Wli m I W I > > 'wINirMII 111 .. 7 ; I Bpbl ■. 1-‘■i--. > <■ fpM ■ ran, wJ- Mi WWgWBwk.Jw.WO uiw ■ 1 I * ; I ll| K - " Mt • Z-—■ — ———- — —■"*. ZZZ*.Z~—"* «■■—»■- ...... "*TT—..- 1 —‘*'7*'—Z' : —A*,' 1 " |II .lili — ~" ||. ffl ; •-■ - ••• H]l I nil Illi '" —■■ zzx *- —— ■—_ --• r~ •: .■. - . 111 111 I I " ■ ■■" Z~_ . ||| family alone, it is not surprising that she felt unequal to the task. By long years of hard work Mr. Carter had succeeded in paying for their house and a few acres of ground, but had always rented a good part of the land on which he farmed, from a neighbor. But what could Mrs. Carter do ? Their own land was not sufficient from which to realize much in the usual way. She could still rent the neighbor’s ground, but what could she do farming? She felt that she could not undertake the risk of hiring labor and managing it; but it v ould be a small crop indeed that she and her children could cultivate. These undecided reflections were con tinually on her mind, and it was ever a relief for some one to call and divert her attention, even if it, did make a conclusion of an important matter still more remote. But the appearance of Mr. Johnson at her gate one day early in February was sur prising. He was a neighbor for whom all had a proper esteem, but he was not given to visiting, so that Mrs. Carter’s acquain tance with him had consisted mainly in seeing him pass their home on his way to the city, some miles distant. “Mrs. Carter, we’ve been consulting at my house about the schooling of the child ren, and we’ve decided that you might get a number of pupils from around the neigh borhood, which, though not large, will pay you for the trouble, and enable you to teach your’ own little ones at the same time. I’ve called by to ascertain if you will take a school and if so I will see all the neighbors for you myself.” Mr. Johnson left, promising to return in two days for Mrs. Carter’s answer. That night Mrs. Carter held a consulta tion with the children ; for what true parent will not seek an expression of ideas, even from the little ones, where family interests are concerned? The drift of opinion was in favor of the school, and Mrs. Carter thought it a happy part—solution of the question of support. “If we could only manage our little ground to advantage,” she said. “ But a patch of cotton or corn will not yield much profit. Our garden spot will give all the vegetables we need, and I hardly know what we can do with the patches.” It was here that Jack exhibited those rare qualities for which he will ever be ad mired. “Mother, let me make something on the patches?” “ What can you do, my child?” “ Why, I can work that much ground, and make vegetables and various things for market. Then I can carry them to town on Don and make enough to help a good deal on our expenses. Besides, I can soon have something ready to sell and it will keep us from going in debt for provis ions, as we must do if we plant the usual crops.” “Well, my son, it is a big undertaking for one so young, but I am willing, if you want to try it.” So it was decided that Mrs. Carter Would take the school, and .Jack was to be quite a business manager in his undertaking. His mother wanted him to be in school, but he insisted that he would make something to ward helping her first. He worked faith fully in preparing the ground, planting and cultivating a variety of vegetables, and in a few weeks after the first seeds were in the earth, some of his early crops were ready for marketing. Then Jack secured his baskets and arranged for carry ing his products to the city. Every morn ing Jack and Don were ready bright and early, with baskets of fresh, tempting things which the city people were glad to get at good prices. On their homeward journeys they would stop by the roadside and partake of the lunch provided for each. And on reaching home Jack would enter with smiles brighter even than the new coins which he had received for the con tents of his baskets. Jack is happy in helping his mother, and it is surprising how successfully he has managed. While his crops were growing in the early spring, he planted a variety of fruits; so by another season he can add to his nice vegetables a rich outlay of luscious berries, grapes, etc., thus increasing both his income and popu larity among his city friends, who manifest great interest in this noble young helper. Can you blame Mrs. Carter for being proud of such, a son? The world cannot have too many of such boys. x For Woman’s Work. WHERE BESS AND PUSS LIVED. One day Bess asked mamma if she could take Puss, her dolly, to visit her friend Bell and her dolly, Pet. Getting mamma’s consent, she set gaily off after putting on Puss’ best “bib and tucker.” She found Bell living in a brand new house of her own which her brother Will had kindly made her from rough boards, with a pane of glass on one side for a window and a door hung with leather hinges. Right cozy it was with here and there a box to serve for a chair, table or cupboard. There was even a bed lor Pet. Bess went home that afternoon with head full of plans for a play-house too, all her own, re membering he unused to chick en coop out under the friendly, spreading branches ot the old apple tree. She set diligently to work and soon had it bright and clean. It was built against the fence, giving one side board ed up, while three sides were slatted and a nice hingedjdoor was in front. While the slats afforded plenty of light and air, • the rain would persist in "bio wing between, ana often put the little house-keeper to serious trouble to protect lurnitiire and clothing, but soon she had morning glories growing all about, peeping in here and there, nodding their inquisitive little heads at her, and playing hide and seek, as the wind gent ly stirred them, which, besides the pretty green foliage, and bright flowers, kept many a mischievous rain drop from in truding—but we are wandering. Well, after the house-clean ing was thoroughly done, Bess brought out Puss’ little bed stead, with its nice little mat tress and sheet carefully spread over it, with a reaLpieced quilt over all, and nice little pillows in neat, white slips; over all a white mosquito bar, so Puss could take her afternoon nap undisturbed by saucy flies, which at times trouble the most careful housekeeper. This was set in „one corner opposite the door. Next to that was Puss’ ward robe which Bess easily.in vented by setting endways a box with hinged lid, that had been divi ded into compartments which now served for shelves for the newly ironed linen, while the large space jvas used for hang ing room. Then a box for a ta ble, and another for a cup-board filled with tiny bits of broken dishes—for Bess did not own a set of china or stove as she much desired. Then placed at one end • was the little chair given her when a tot of a baby, with here and there a seat of some kind. This comprised the furnishing, outside of a few little curi osities in the way of stones, patiently gathered, or little odd bits of a broken button, or tiny shell, which made Bess quite a collection, to say nothing of a neck lace of rare stones, that she had found one by one with natural holes in them and strung on a stout cord—some large, some small, many colors, all shapes. One day Bess was made proud as a queen by a kind neighbor offering a rag carpet to cover the floor of her wee house. While cutting it off for her Mrs. R. cut a great snip in her apron, but only laughed good naturedly. When Bess reached home she soon carefully removed all the furniture, neatly laid the carpet, and replacing every thing as before, Bess was the happiest girl you could imagine. Many were the hearty meals enjoyed by Bess and friends off the little box table, and the happy hours spent within the tiny walls of that dear little play house will never be forgotten by Bess, although Puss forgot them long ago. V.