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38 The .Robber Kitten. I, A kitten once to its mother said : I’ll never more be good ; But I’ll go and be a robber fierce, And live in a dreary wood, Wood, wood, wood, And live in a dreary wood,” ii. It climbed a tree to rob a nest Os young and tender owls. But the branch broke off, and the kitten fell, With six tremendous howls ! Howls, howls, howls, With six tremendous howls ! hi. Then up it rose, and scratched its nose, And went home very sad : “ Oh ! mother, dear, behold me here, I’ll'never more be bad, Bad, bad, bad, I'll never more be bad.” THE LITTLE FLOWER GOODNESS. A FAIRY TALE. BY FANNY FIELDING. IGNONETTE will fetch water,” said Grand mamma Goodenough, lii “ she is always ready to * accommodate us.” The little girls were spending a holiday at “ Goodenough Home,” Inpj the kin children and a few other ff companions, who belonged to the village school. They were very happy and bright in their white cambric dresses, their flower-garlands, their pleasant play, and beside, there were plenty of straw berries and cream to come. The group looked as if they didn’t want to be hindered, though, to go on the errand down to the spring-house under the hill. Quick as thought, little Mignonette stepped out of the circle, she always was, caught up the cedar pail with its burnished hoops, and went laugh ing away. I can almost see her now, with her meek brown eyes and cherry cheeks, her feet looking like pink wax, beneath her short dress, as she tripped along. Down she went, over the sloping green, sprinkled with dandelion and but tercups till it looked as if a shower of gold had fallen there. The children went on playing at “ Thread the Needle” and “Hunt my Lady’s Slipper. ” When Mignonette came back they were to have the garden gates and the strawberry beds opened to them ; but they little thought what was going on with their absent playmate all that time. The spring bubbled up beautiful and clear, and there was a grey stone house built over it. Here “Grandmamma,” as all the vil lage children used to call her, kept her BTJRKE’S WEEKLY. milk and butter cool and sweet. There was green velvet moss on the rocks that lay around and in the stream that flowed from the spring, and there was an honey suckle twined on an oak that grew be side the door ; so, altogether you may see it was a very enchanting place. The children knew the spot well, in deed they had been there once to-day to play, but now that it looked like work, and those pleasant games were going on in the yard, it was another thing to leave them and go. That’s the reason they didn’t look will ing (they didn’t refuse,) when “ Grand mamma” wished the water brought. How do you think the old lady knew Mignonette would go cheerfully to do her bidding? Just because Mignonette had never been known to refuse any kindness to anybody, when only her own personal convenience was to be consulted. Well, in that pretty retreat I have told you about, the little girl had filled her pail with crystal water and was just go ing to take it on her head, w~hen an invis ible voice said softly, “Stop!” Mignonette stopped sure enough, and she looked up and down to see where the sound came from, but could discover no thing. “Maybe they weren’t speaking to me,” she said to herself; so she placed the bucket of w r ater on her head and came out from under the rock roof. Moving off a step, she heard again, “Stop child.” The tones were like music on little sil ver bells, rung by the wind. “ I called you just now,” the voice con tinued, “to see if you would be obedient to the last. I was more than pleased to see you so prompt. I am the fairy w r ho has attended you from your birth. You have learned the right way, and now I, having other work to do, must take my leave of you. I shall give you a little keepsake, w T hich, if you always wear in your bosom, you will never depart from the work begun in you.” While she had been saying these words Mignonette caught sight of a tiny figure of a woman, (no larger sized, indeed, than a large doll,) clad all in green, so that Mignonette could, at first, scarce distin guish her from the moss-covered stone on which she sat. As tho little figure rose up, however, there was an air of majesty about it, and the lovely face was surrounded with sunny curls that looked like rays of light. Beautifully serene was the countenance, and on the fairy head gleamed a crown of minute diamonds that sparkled and glowed as she now stood fanning herselt with a honeysuckle blos som. “Bend down,” she said, for she had beckoned Mignonette to her. The child knelt while the fairy lifted a spray, (it was as much as she could lift, but only an ordinary sized cluster of flowers, such as one would wear,) and clasped them fast on her bosom. “It is the little flower Goodness,” she said, “cherish and guard it well,” and she disappeared. Mignonette looked around a little and almost thought she had been dreaming, but she bore in mind that the water was being waited for and now hurried along with her “good-luck” piece in her bosom. What was her surprise, and that of the other children, and all who saw her as she w T ent back up the hill and to the house, to see the birds come down off the bushes to meet her and sing their blithest songs along her path ! More than this, the flowers all bowed and nodded on their stalks, and gave out sweeter and sweeter perfume at every motion. And for pretty Mignonette, there was a brighter lustre still on her face, and she looked so lovely and calm the children all cried out — “ Some day Mignonette will have a pair of wings grow out and fly clear away from us, up to the land of the sun and blue sky.” All this came of wearing the little flower that wasn’t showy at all, but which gave out a great deal of fragrance and beauty, too, indeed. Its blossoms were the purest, fadeless white, and its leaves evergreen, but at times, when the wearer was much animated, planning or performing some kind or merciful work, the delicate petals glowed like some hon est living face all a-flame with deep feel ing. Mignonette grew to womanhood, and never ceased to wear the fairy gift in her bosom, so that I wouldn’t w T onder if the childrens’ prophecy had been fulfilled, and a pair of wings had taken her up to the far-away land of blue sky and sun shine before now. Will not tho readers of this story seek to gather (for they can) and adorn them selves with the little flower Good ness ? Norfolk, Va. ♦#«- Contraries.— People say they shell peas when they unshell them; that they husk corn when they unhusk it; that they dust furniture when they undust it, or take the dust from it; that they skin a calf when they unskin it; and that they scale fishes when they unscale them. — Many men say they are going to weed their gardens, when thoir gardens are weedy enough already.