So Dobbin and Brindle, and fat Mrs. Ewe,
  And the duckling and duck, and the Biddy-hen too,
  All eager for knowledge, went down the wide road
  To the kennel where Tray had his pleasant abode.

  Now Tray was a dog with a gift for detecting,
  He never would bark without briefly reflecting;
  He snuffed at the treasure and turned it about,
  And soon would have uttered his sentence, no doubt,—­

  But just then our Tommy ran up to the crowd. 
  “Where did you get those, sir?” he cried out aloud. 
  “They’re my new Sunday gloves!  They fell out of my hat! 
  I took them to school to show them to Matt!

  “And, you see, Matt and I had some liquorice candy,
  Our fingers were sticky, the gloves were just handy;
  And then, when the teacher said, ‘Tom, wash your slate,’
  My sponge was all lost, and the class couldn’t wait.

  “And ’cause I was hurrying, what do you think? 
  That bothersome ink-bottle slopped out the ink! 
  You can’t expect gloves to look nobby and new
  When they have to be used for a slate and ink too.

  Now, that’s reasons enough!” said poor Tommy, “I guess!”
  And the company bowed a unanimous “Yes,”
  And the horse, cow and sheep, duck, duckling and hen,
  Complacently turned themselves homeward again.

UNDER THE LILACS.

By Louisa M. Alcott.

CHAPTER VII.

New friends trot in.

Next day Ben ran off to his work with Quackenbos’s “Elementary History of the United States” in his pocket, and the Squire’s cows had ample time to breakfast on wayside grass before they were put into their pasture.  Even then the pleasant lesson was not ended, for Ben had an errand to town, and all the way he read busily, tumbling over the hard words, and leaving bits which he did not understand to be explained at night by Bab.

At “The First Settlements” he had to stop, for the school-house was reached and the book must be returned.  The maple-tree closet was easily found, and a little surprise hidden under the flat stone; for Ben paid two sticks of red and white candy for the privilege of taking books from the new library.

When recess came great was the rejoicing of the children over their unexpected treat, for Mrs. Moss had few pennies to spare for sweets, and, somehow, this candy tasted particularly nice, bought out of grateful Ben’s solitary dime.  The little girls shared their goodies with their favorite mates, but said nothing about the new arrangement, fearing it would be spoilt if generally known.  They told their mother, however, and she gave them leave to lend their books and encourage Ben to love learning all they could.  She also proposed that they should drop patch-work and help her make some blue shirts for Ben.  Mrs. Barton had given her the materials, and she thought it would be an excellent lesson in needle-work as well as a useful gift to Ben—­who, boy-like, never troubled himself as to what he should wear when his one suit of clothes gave out.