The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-12-27
SYNOPSIS or PRECEDING PARTS.

SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING PARTS.
 Doris, disobedient little girl, goes through q big shell In her garden; she comes out on the real ocean, where she meets a kindly 1 mermaid. The mermaid takes her on a 1 Journey. under the sea. After seeing many vSSs 6 ss b6 they yn@S to nEn G m 1 a beautiful garden of sea flowers. Here they have narrow escape from huge fish and Sg n l they are chased by another monster and escape again by getting into giant shell. Doris rides on snail's back They meet band of mermaids, who dance around them. And finally the mermaid decides to go down still further under the sea.
 Doris was very sure she didn't want to meet any more monsters, but the Mermaid was already out of hearing, so Doris had to follow her as fast as she could. That Mer- maid was certainly the most impulsiye of creatures She took every thing she proposed to do as settled as soon as said. One didn't have time to say, No, don't let's" or I'd rather do something else," but must needs follow her.
 So off they both hurried down a long hill. Presently they came to very steep place that Doris thought would have been splendid for sleightng, only where could the snow come from? Just as Doris caught up With her guide they found themselves looking over another of those tall cliffs. Before the Mermaid could pull Doris over the edge, in her usual fashion, that young lady dodgeo behind a sponge and declared she woulon go down there until she knew what was at the bottom Why, there might be great shark down there, or a whale, or-or some thing dreadful without any name, she declared, resolutely.
 "Well, well. we shall go down In snell' then" decided the Mermaid.
 But that wouldn't help us any, pro tested Doris She was ready to go strai ght home If she only knew the way. The Mer- maid pulled away some dead grasses anu exposed a beautiful curled shell, very much like conucopia or horn of plenty. Rolling this to the edge she pulled Doris suddenly Into if and they tumbled over into the clear green water.
 That shell was heaviest at the top and at once turned topsy -turvy, nearly spiling Doris out But they soon got used to It ana enjoyed the trip very much. On the way they dropped right on top of huge )eliy- hsh, that indignantly drew up his tentacles and tried to capture the shell, but he was too slow and they were soon out Of reach.
 Their next adventure was with large crab. who hurried out of bis hole and grab bed hold of the shell. His claws just crumbled away the soft shell without stop ping its fall, and before any other mon sters" could appear the two in the shell reached bottom, landing plump on top or d sponge and sinking down gently to the muddy floor. Doris at once tried to escape from such a queer boat, put sne sanA up to her knees in the mud.
 "Goodness mer she cried, 'it's just pure mud. How are we ever.going to walk here r
 "Who asked you to walk hereT snapped the Mermaid. ''You can float, can't youY,
 II never thought of that" answered DOTS, meekly' she soon found this easy to do, and | tbey sta rted out on their way. From holes eyerywhere in this mud curious whiskered | worms poked out their heads, making the water swirl around in circles, Ike water running out of basin.
 i More wonderful than these, however, were the sea lilies Wherever there was stone | or she'll there grew a tall graceful stalk, with great ilylike head often as wide as ! Doris outstretched arms would measure. They were like other things under the sea- of many beautiful colors, purple, golden yellow and bright red. Some were nearly white, like an Easter lily. Doris, however, soon found out that these lilies had no petals like real lilies, but instead there were in each lily five beautiful plumes, like huge feathers, that opened and closed with a slow graceful motion. strong current of water was rushing Into the mouth of each of these flowers and Doris noticed several tiny baby fishes drawn into these mouths. "Oh, cruel, cruel lilies" she cried. You are not like the land kind for never saw them eat little fishes like that"
 The Mermaid laughed at this. She was, as usuel, combing that rose colored hair of hers and removing bits of sand from 1t.
 Isn't 1t curious" cried Doris, "and, oh, so pretty? But they all have mouths like animals and see those floating ones, like sunfowers without stalks"
 ''I don't see why they're curious-any more than that mermaids have one tail four Ans and two eyes," retorted the other
 Those floating ones bite" she added, mlschievously. "They are called feather stars"
 "Oh," cried Doris, that's just what they are. l wonder If they are those falling stars one sees at night, that have fallen Into the seaT'
 Before the Mermaid could answer unin- vited and altogether unwelcome guest came along He was pretty bit of lobster, just about as long as Doris herself, and he came along in a series of sudden backward jerks,