GOOD OLD ROSE.

Rose is our old dog. Her hair is as curly as dandelion stems. Her tail waves like a great feather duster.

When we say "Good dog," it thumps like grandpa's cane when he walks up-stairs. Now I will tell you why we call her "Good old Rose."

One day papa sent Lily to the store. Lily is six years old. The store is just beyond the railroad track.

"Rose, take care of Lily!" said papa. Rose wagged her tail for "yes, sir!" and off they went. She trotted along by Lily's side. Lily felt very grand to go to the store all alone. She didn't know that Rose was taking care of her.

All at once Rose caught Lily's dress in her teeth. They were just going to cross the track.

"Let me go!" said Lily. But Rose pulled her back hard. Lily looked up and down the track. There was no train in sight. But Rose _heard_ it shake the ground. "You shall let me go!" cried Lily. "Bad Rose!" and she jerked the dress, and tore it out of Rose's teeth, and ran. Then Rose jumped right at Lily and threw her down on the ground, and dragged her back again.

Just that instant the train thundered round the curve. But Lily was safe. How the men in the train cheered! how the ladies waved their handkerchiefs! Rose hadn't any handkerchief, but she waved her tail, and that is all a dog can do.

Wouldn't you pat her big head too, and call her "good old Rose?"

[Ill.u.s.tration: GOOD OLD ROSE.]

AUNT PATTY'S PETS.

Aunt Patty lives in a little bit of a house. It has only two rooms. In summer it is covered with vines--grapevines, morning glories and flowering beans. It is cosey as a bird's nest and it is brimful of pets.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PANSY AND PICKWICK PAY A VISIT TO THE BIRDS.]

If you should call on aunt Patty, just as soon as you stepped into the yard, out would fly Gypsy, barking furiously. But he would not bite you. O, no! He only barks to let aunt Patty know you are coming.

Then, when you opened the door, a sharp little voice would say "Good-morning! walk in." That is the gray parrot, Nick. As you walked into the kitchen, Pansy and Pickwick would come up to you and purr, and put up their heads to be rubbed.

In one window you would see two canaries in a cage. In the other would be a cage full of gay little African birds.

If it were winter there would be a cage of big birds. But in summer aunt Patty keeps these big birds in the garden near the woodhouse.

[Ill.u.s.tration: GYPSY.]

Where did aunt Patty get so many pets? They were given to her.

Everybody knows that she likes pets. A sailor cousin once brought her a turtle. It is quite big enough for you to ride on. This turtle lives in the cellar in the winter, and in the garden in the summer.

Somebody sent her a small alligator once, but she did not keep it. She likes pretty pets.

"Do your pets ever quarrel?" I asked aunt Patty once.

"Never," said aunt Patty. "Pansy and Pickwick, and the birds and Gypsy, and Methusaleh are all good friends."

Methusaleh is the turtle.

TOMMY AND THE GANDER.

Tommy sometimes visits his old nurse. Nurse lives in a tiny house and keeps geese. Tommy is afraid of the geese. The gander hisses at him and Tommy does not like that.

One day Nurse went into the goose-house and brought out ten little goslings. Tommy took one of them in his hands. How pretty they were with their pink feet and fluffy white feathers!

"To-morrow, they will go out and eat the tender gra.s.s," said Nurse.

"Then I shall catch them," said Tommy.

"The old gander won't let you," said Nurse.

"Pooh! who's afraid?" said Tommy very bravely.

So the next day Tommy tried to catch a gosling. Nurse had gone down cellar and the gander was in the goose-house. But the mother-goose hissed and the gander heard her and flew out of the goose-house after Tommy.

Tommy ran, but the gander caught hold of his clothes and began to beat Tommy's legs with his wings. The old goose screamed, and Tommy ran and screamed, and the gander ran and screamed and whipped. What a noise they made! and Nurse ran up from the cellar to see what the matter was.

Just as Tommy went up the steps the gander bit both his red stockings.

Nurse picked Tommy up and shut the door so the gander could not get in. Then she kissed Tommy, and cuddled him, and laughed, and said, "Who's afraid?"

"I am," sobbed Tommy. "And I want that old gander shut up in the barn. He isn't good for anything."

"Oh, yes, he is," said Nurse, "he takes care of the goslings."

The next day Tommy saw something very pretty. He was looking over the gate. He did not dare to go out for fear the gander would bite him again. He heard a gosling cry "peep, peep." The goose and gander heard it too, and ran and looked down into a deep hole.

Tommy used to play this hole was his "well." Tommy saw the gander stretch his long neck down into the hole and lift out a little gosling, and put it carefully on the gra.s.s. Then the mother goose was so pleased that she screamed outright.

[Ill.u.s.tration: TOMMY'S NURSE.]

And Tommy screamed too. "O Nurse, Nurse, that gander is good for something. He lifted a gosling right out of my well. I saw him!"

[Ill.u.s.tration: TOMMY DOES NOT DARE TO GO OUT.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: A VAMPIRE BAT.]

A NIGHT VISITOR.