“Well, here I am!” said the silvery voice; and, sitting on a moonbeam beside him, there she was.  “Tired of being king, Jim?” she asked.

“Yes, your majesty, indeed I am,” he replied.

“Want any more melons, Jim?” said she, laughing.

“No, no, no!” groaned Jim.  “No more!”

“How is your mother, Jim?” asked her majesty.

“Alas!  I don’t know,”—­and he hung his head in shame.

“Are you ready to go and see her, Jim?” she asked, gently.  “And will you be contented now?”

“Yes, yes!” was his eager reply.

Now, the old king had been mending shoes all day, and was at this moment resting in the cottage porch, when, suddenly, he was whisked away on a cloud and landed in his palace again.  His crown was popped on his head, and the scepter thrust in his hand, while his old chamberlain tenderly tucked him up in bed.

At the same instant, another cloud brought back Nimble Jim to his bench and his faithful mother, who at once made him some oat-meal porridge without a murmur or word of reproach.

“There!” said the elfin queen to herself.  “That boy is cured of his silly notions.”

“Mother, I think I don’t care much for melons.  I wont plant any more,” said Jim next morning.

“I don’t like ’em myself, lad,” said the mother.  “I’d a deal rather you’d stick to the bench, like your auld father.”

“I will, mother dear,” answered Nimble Jim.  And he is mending shoes there to this day, as happy as happy can be.

* * * * *

[Illustration]

  “Oh!  I’m my mamma’s lady-girl
  And I must sit quite still;
  It would not do to jump and whirl,
  And get my hair all out of curl,
  And rumple up my frill. 
  No, I’m my mamma’s lady-girl,
  So I must sit quite still.”

* * * * *

A BUDGET OF HOME-MADE CHRISTMAS GIFTS.

HINTS FOR GIRLS AND BOYS, LITTLE AND BIG.[1]

[Footnote 1:  The present paper will enable our young friends to make over seventy different articles for Christmas gifts.  While a few familiar things may be found among them, a great majority of the objects are entirely novel, and are here described for the first time.  All who may wish for still further hints in regard to home-made Christmas presents will find very many useful suggestions in the paper “One Hundred Christmas Presents, and How to Make Them,” published in ST. NICHOLAS for December, 1875—­Vol.  III.]

[Illustration:  W]