“Now for it!  Over with you!” he shouted, a moment afterwards.

We leaped out, and carried the boat by main strength high upon the land.

[Illustration:  “Now for it!  Over with you!”]

FRITZ.

Fritz is a beautiful light-blue grey cat.  He is the especial pet of his master’s little daughter, and therefore has many privileges about the house not usually accorded to cats.  Among these special privileges is that of having his food in the dining-room.  Fritz has many peculiarities, the chief being that he thinks that he is covering up the food that remains after he has eaten all he wishes, a habit of wild cats which is well known.

He stands over the plate which contains the remains of his repast and scratches perfectly imaginary dust or mould over it.

This he does all round the plate, and after a curious look at it to see that it is all right, and it is covered up, he walks leisurely away.  How strange it is that these traces of a wild state are so often to be seen in animals which have been domesticated for long generations!  Fritz had no need to cover up his food, even if the dirt or mould were there for the purpose, for he is sure of getting plenty more when he wants it.  It was simply from the force of habit, a habit not his own, but his ancestors, that he went through the motions.

What a forcible illustration of the power of habit!

[Illustration:  Fritz covering up his food.]

NAUGHTY WILLIE.

    Willie got punished at school to-day! 
      What did he do? 
    Why, he drew on his slate, in a comical way,
    Pictures of horses and oxen, and they
    Seemed to be dancing a real Irish jig! 
    Yes, and he, too, had a little wee pig
    Down in the corner, as cute as could be;
    All of us laughed such a picture to see!

    That was the morning before recess,
    When he threw paper balls at sly little Bess;
    And one hit her plump on her fat little nose,
    And made us all laugh, as you may well suppose;
    And he pulled some one’s hair as they went out to spell,
    But who cried out nobody would tell.

    And then, let me see; why he stepped on my toes,
    And balanced his book on the tip of his nose
    When the teacher wasn’t looking, and then, O, dear me,
    He made some whiskers as black as could be
    With the cork of the ink-bottle rubbed on his cheek,
    And we all laughed till we hardly could speak.

    The teacher caught him, and punished him well;
    Not half the words that were his could he spell;
    And in the arithmetic he had to guess
    Half of the answers and wished they were less. 
    All he has gained by his actions to-day,
    Is a black mark and his ill-timed play.