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Entered according to Act of Congress, in J une, 1869, by J. W. Burke k Cos., in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the So. District of Georgia. Vol. Ill— No. 21. Written for Burke’s Weekly. HARRY COOPER'S BIRTHDAY PARTY. MS _ T was Harry Cooper’s birth- Wch as avor^e cock crowed loud and clear, he rubbed his eyes, jumped up, and ran to the window, to see if day was breaking. Yes, the day was at hand, for the sky was red in the east, showing that the sun would soon be up from his rosy bed; and again his cock crowed loud and clear, as if he were calling Harry to come down and unfasten the door and give him his breakfast. So Harry dressed as quickly as he could, and he dressed himself nicely, too, for his mo ther had taught him to be neat, and he ran down stairs, full of joy, because this was his birthday, and his Cousin Mari anne and her brother Willie would be there soon to help him make wreaths and nosegays, for his mother gave him a large party on each of his birthdays. And when he thought of all this, and of the candies, fruits, and nice cakes, he gave a whistle and went leaping and jumping into the yard. But his whistle had called up two Newfoundland dogs, who came running to him and leaped on him. But the sight of the dogs, instead of making Harry more gay, seemed to make him sad, for he sat down on the ground and began to crj\ The dogs came up to him and rubbed their heads against him, and put their paws on his neck, but he said, “Go away, Jock; begone, Dragon!” and he cried more than ever, for he knew that one of the dogs belonged to him, and he loved him very dearly, but he knew that the other dog had belonged to his brother Fred, and he knew that Fred was dead, for he often went with his mother to carry flowers to the grave. And Harry cried more than ever when he remembered that this would have been Freddy’s birthday, too, and if liv ing he would be there that very minute playing with Jock and Dragon, and helping him to feed the chickens. But his cock crowed again, louder MACON, GEORGIA, NOVEMBER 20, 1869. than ever before, and Harry stopped crying, and ran and filled his basket with corn, and opened the fowl-house door. And, 0, what a sight! There were turkeys and chickens, ducks and guineas, but there were none so pretty as Harry’s favorite cock and hen, both entirely white, with such red combs. The hen he called “ White Bess” and the cock was “ Peter Pindar, and when Harry opened the door they flew out and perched one on each shoulder, and began to eat the corn from his basket. But lie did not stay long with them this morning, for he heard the gate shut, and looking round saw his cousin Ma rianne and little Willie coming into the yard with a basket full of such lovely flowers. So Harry scattered his corn, and ran to put up his basket, and he welcomed his cousins with a kiss, and carried them into the garden, and help ed them to gather more flowers, and they sat down in an arbor, shaded with roses, and Marianne began to make wreaths and nosegays, and Harry and Willie picked out the prettiest flowers and held them for her, and watched her as she twined them in and out. Harry laughed and talked, but now and then his eyes would fill with tears as he thought that this would have been Fred dy’s birthday too. When Marianne had finished the nose gays, she made a cross of evergreens, and filled it in with white flowers. She did not put any colored ones in, all were pure white, and it made you think of the angels in their robes of light. And when Harry saw the cross, he laid his head on Marianne’s lap and cried. Wil lie and Marianne cried too, for they the children playing games knew it was to be placed on Freddy’s grave, and they bad loved him while living, and mourned him when dead. But Marianne wiped the tears from Harry’s face, smoothed his hair, and taking up her flowers went with him to the breakfast table. It seemed a long time to Harry from breakfast until afternoon, but four o'clock came at last, and the little boys and girls came with it. Harry greeted them with a smile, and looked so happy it made them happy, too. There was a lame boy, drawn in a nice little buggy by two of his companions, and Harry could not do too much for him. He Whole No. 125. helped him out of the buggy, gave him his crutches, and led him into the house, for you must know that this little boy used to be Freddy’s friend. Before he died, his mother gave a party to Harry and himself on every birthday, and on the table were placed two purses, with a bright new gold piece in each purse, and they could spend that money as they pleased. Fred gave his to the lame boy. He sent him to school, bought him books and new clothes and the nice buggy he rode in. And when he was dying, he asked his father please to place his purse on the table, as he had always done at the birthday par ties, and to put his gold piece in it, and to spend it for the lame boy. This is why Harry loved him so much. When all the children had come, the supper room was thrown open, and the tables were more beautiful than I can tell you. Harry’s table was filled with beautiful cakes iced over, and some had figures of boys and girls dancing, on them, and some had bird's nests, and the eggs were large sweet sugar plums. On one of them was Cupid shooting his arrows, and on another was a company of sugar men marching away with fife and drum. And there were candy dogs, cats and birds, apples, nuts, and every thing good. And Harry had a cake for each of his guests, some with flowers painted on them, and some with verses written. But there was nothing to eat on Fred dy’s table. It was filled with flowers, and the nosegays and wreaths that Mari anne had made. And the two purses were there, with bright gold money in them. And Harry’s Sabbath School teacher gave the wreaths to the girls and the nosegsys to the boys, and they carried them to Freddy's grave in the church yard, and Marianne covered it with the wreaths, and put the nosegays in the marble urn ; but the cross of white flowers was placed against the stone cross that marked the grave, by the lame boy, and he put a white wreath over the tw r o crosses to bind them to gether. Then the children sang, “ Around the throne of God in Heaven,”