IF this little world to-night
Suddenly should fall through space
In a hissing, headlong flight,
Shrivelling from off its face,
As it falls into the sun,

In an instant every trace
Of the little crawling things-
Ants, philosophers, and lice,
Cattle, cockroaches, and kings,
Beggars, millionaires, and mice,
Men and maggots, -all as one
As it falls into the sun,
Who can say but at the same

Instant from some planet far A child may watch us and exclaim: "See the pretty shooting star!"

A BELATED VIOLET

VERY dark the autumn sky,
Dark the clouds that hurried by;
Very rough the autumn breeze
Shouting rudely to the trees.

Listening, frightened, pale, and cold,
Through the withered leaves and mould
Peered a violet all in dread —
"Where, oh, where is spring?" she said.

Sighed the trees," Poor little thing!
She may call in vain for spring.'
And the grasses whispered low,
"We must never let her know."

"What's this whispering?" roared the

breeze;

"Hush! a violet," sobbed the trees, "Thinks it's spring,

fear

-

poor child, we

She will die if she should hear!"

Softly stole the wind away,

Tenderly he murmured, "Stay !" To a late thrush on the wing,

"Stay with her one day and sing!"

Sang the thrush so sweet and clear
That the sun came out to hear,
And, in answer to her song,

Beamed on violet all day long;

And the last leaves here and there
Fluttered with a spring-like air.
Then the violet raised her head,
"Spring has come at last!" she said.

Happy dreams had violet

All that night - but happier yet, When the dawn came dark with snow, Violet never woke to know.

WHY YE BLOSSOME COMETH BEFORE YE LEAFE

ONCE hoary Winter chanced - alas !
Alas! hys waye mistaking-

A leafless apple-tree to pass

Where Spring lay dreaming. "Fie, ye lass!

Ye lass had best be waking,"
Quoth he, and shook hys robe, and, lo !
Lo! forth didde flye a cloud of snowe.

Now in ye bough an elfe there dwelte,
An elfe of wondrous powere,

That when ye chillye snowe didde pelte, With magic charm each flake didde melte,

Didde melte into a flowere;

And Spring didde wake and marvelle how,

How blossomed so ye leafless bough.

THE ELF AND THE DORMOUSE

UNDER a toadstool
Crept a wee Elf,
Out of the rain,

To shelter himself.

Under the toadstool,
Sound asleep,
Sat a big Dormouse
All in a heap.

Trembled the wee Elf, Frightened, and yet Fearing to fly away Lest he get wet.

To the next shelterMaybe a mile!

A MOOD1

Sudden the wee Elf

Smiled a wee smile,

Tugged till the toadstool
Toppled in two.
Holding it over him,
Gayly he flew.

Soon he was safe home,
Dry as could be.

Soon woke the Dormouse "Good gracious me !

"Where is my toadstool?" Loud he lamented.

- And that's how umbrellas First were invented.

THE MON-GOOS

THIS, Children, is the famed Mon-goos. He has an ap-pe-tite ab-struse:

Strange to re-late, this crea-ture takes
A cu-ri-ous joy in eat-ing snakes —
All kinds though, it must be con-fessed,
He likes the poi-son-ous ones the best.
From him we learn how ve-ry small
A thing can bring a-bout a Fall.

O Mon-goos, where were you that day
When Mistress Eve was led a-stray?
If you'd but seen the ser-pent first,
Our parents would not have been cursed,
And so there would be no ex-cuse

For MILTON, but for you - Mon-goos!

It is good to strive against wind and rain In the keen, sweet weather that autumn brings.

The wild horse shakes not the drops from his mane,

The wild bird flicks not the wet from her wings,

In gladder fashion than I toss free

The mist-dulled gold of my bright hair's flag,

What time the winds on their heel-wings lag,

And all the tempest is friends with me.