Year: 1871

MINNIE RICH and her brother Jump
had a merry Christmas and New Years,
and were as happy as two romping,
healthy coildren, without a care in the
world, could possibly be. Their long
stocking hung on the door knobs and in
the chimney corners, were stuffed with
toys, and a great many things were Civ.
en- them that no stocking was ever large
enough to hold.


Rocking horses with red blankets,
sleds with their names painted in blue
letters on the sides, an Overcoat of gray
cloth for Jump, and blue merino sack,
trimmed with swans down, for Minnie,
stood and hung without hiding place
to screen themselves from the bright
eyes of the two children who were up
bright and early on Christmas morning.


After the holidays were over and they
began to grow weary of enjoying so
many new things. Jump remembered
theiEpets, which had not had one pres
ent, and were still as patient and hap
py as ever.


Come, Min,' said Jump, it isn't fair
for us to have all the good things. Trip
and Fanny must have their holiday too.
They never will know it is February,
and if they do, they won't care.'


Minnie was delighted at the thought,
and went to work to prepare for the fes-
tival. Some scraps of red flannel were
sewed together to make kitty Fanny a
blanket to wear when she went out in
the snow, and it was trimmed tastefully
with piece of yellow fringe which she
had worn Oh a dress. A leather strap
was added to hold it fast around the
neck, and pink bow on the back finish
ed it.


While Minnie was doing this, Jump
was busy making a collar for Trip, the
little rat dog. A strip of red morocco,
which his mother had left of a needle
case, bound with blue braid and fasten-
ed with a brass button, made a very
pretty color. Jump was proud enough
when Trip came running toward him,
and wagged his tail and licked his mas
ter's hand, and looked into his face as
if he would say. Thank you, dear old
Jump, how fine 1 shall look when I 90
rat-hunting.'


But when the new collar was fastened
around his neck, and Fanny was taken
from the hearth rug, where she was tax
ing her afternoon nap, and covered with





and act very Grossly.


Kitty ran backward and tried to shake
off her gay covering, and Trip kept
shaking his head as he sometimes did
when trying to conquer large rat. AT
last, Fanny, very much ashamed, ran
out of doors, and hid under the wood
shed where no one could see her. When
she came out, her blanket was gone, and
she took her old place on the rug as con-
tented as ever.


Trip, after trying long time to shake
off the troublesome collar, hid behind
the door and refused to come out when
Jump whistled to him. Then Jump
cOaXed him with a nice bone, but all to
no purpose, until he unbuttOned the col
lar and took it off. Then he skipped
from room to room, kissed the children
over and over again until they cried for
joy.


Don't you think they are real foolish,
Jump% asked Minnie. 4 wouldn't run
away and hide when mother gets me a
new dress or a pretty coral necklace


Nor /, , said Jump, when I have a
new soldier cap or a pair of red-tOp
boots.'


But if your dress made you so uncom-
Portable that you could not walk, and so
shamed that you did not wish to see any
one, and your necklace prevented you
from running and playing as you did be-
fore, you would not like to wear them,
would you p


Then what can we do to give them a
nice holiday? {?


Cats and dogs have natural cover
ing that protects then from cold; any
thing more is troublesome to them. You
can give Fanny a saucer of new milk
every morning, and a nice bit of meat;
and Trip will be happier with a fresh
bone to gnaw than you are with new cap
or boOts.'


That's nice,' said Minnie, clapping
her hands; they shall have a merry
Christmas every day in the year.-Ly-
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