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DOTTY (in tears). Oh, dear! Oh, dear! And all for me! Oh, why did I begin it?

DICKY (consolingly). Now, Dotty, darling! don't you fret! I'll — O-0-0-0! I'll try to bear it. DOTTY. Poor Dicky! let me wrap it up (stripping the afghan off the carriage and surveying it critically). Oh dear! I'll have to tear it. DICKY (putting it back). No, no, your handker

chief will do.

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DOTTY (wrapping Dicky's hand up in her handker chief).

Oh, what a brave boy, Dicky Dot! You 're
General no longer.

If I'm the Queen, then you be King: you're
nobler, sir, and stronger.

And Arabella,- she shall be the fairy who shall lead us

To where our golden palace stands, with lords to serve and feed us.

DICKY. But we've not got our king-clothes on— 't will set the folks a-staring.

DOTTY. I think I'd rather see my King his brand new ulster wearing.

DICKY (utterly captivated). Oh, are n't you nice!
DOTTY (sweetly). And so are you.

DICKY (thoughtfully). My papa said, this morning,

'T was manlier to rule yourself, than be a throne adorning.

DOTTY (puzzled). What did he mean?

DICKY (still thoughtful). I s'pose he meant a coward's mean-and-sniffy!

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I'd rather be hurt awful bad than be a coward-baby.

How's Arabella?

DOTTY (examining Arabella carefully). She's all right. DICKY. No stings on hand or footy?

DOTTY. Oh, no; she's just mussed up a bit; I'll fix her nice and pretty.

[Shakes Arabella out, and re-arranges her in the carriage. DICKY. Let's play the bee was monstrous big and had a dragon's head on;

And you two be the princesses, such as

they're always fed on.

I'll be the prince who 's galloped up, at just the lucky minute,

And killed the dragon dead-and left my sword a-sticking in it.

DOTTY (enthusiastically).

Oh yes. Well, I'm the Princess, then

just like the fairy story,—

And we'll live happy all our days, with lots of gold and glory.

DICKY. All right. And, as the dragon's dead, let's play there 'd come to meet us

A big procession, with the King and all his court to greet us.

DOTTY (grasping the doll-carriage). Then let Prince Dicky lead the way.

DICKY (shouldering the umbrella).

Let Princess Dotty follow

With Arabella, off of whom the dragon took a
swallow.

DOTTY. She's in the chariot - O, so ill!
DICKY. Move on now to the palace.

Guns boom, flags wave, because we've all
escaped the dragon's malice.

DOTTY (stopping him and taking his hand).

But, 'fore we go, we ought to thank these friends who 've listened to us.

[Both face the audience. DICKY. If you are pleased, then we are glad; such good your smiles can do us.

And if, some time, you come to court, just

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THE REAL KING.

BY JOHN R. CORYELL.

THE lion is called the king of beasts; but after all, he is rather a sneaking sort of fellow, and not what we have a right to expect a monarch to be. He is very strong, and when he must fight, does so fiercely; but as he is not any more powerful than the tiger, and is not even as good a fighter, he ought to take rank next to that first cousin of his.

But even the tiger is not entitled to the first place, for he is not by any means the master of the brute creation. If any animal can be said to hold that place, it is certainly the elephant. Only, the elephant, not being a flesh-eater, very seldom has trouble with his comrades of the forests, and consequently has no reputation as a fighter. And yet he can fight, even in captivity, as was seen only a few weeks ago, when in the winter quarters of a menagerie at Philadelphia,— according to the newspapers,- an enraged lion, escaping from his broken cage, dashed madly upon a great elephant, only to be instantly crushed to death by the powerful beast which he had dared to attack.

All animals, indeed, respect the elephant and give him a wide berth. Once in a while, a rhinoceros will lose his wits and go tearing through the jungle, regardless of consequences, and he might then attack even an elephant. As a rule, the result is very disastrous to the rhinoceros, which is quite likely to discover that his horn is no match for the two shining white tusks of the elephant.

When used by man for hunting the tiger, the elephant will frequently display the most abject fear, should the tiger suddenly spring up in his path; and this fact has led to the belief that the elephant has a natural fear of the tiger. The truth is, the tamed elephant has been taught to so bend his will to his human master's that he has lost his ability to act upon his own impulse, and, moreover, is so hampered by his crowded howdah, and his other trappings, that he has not full liberty of action.

Stories without number are told by hunters of combats witnessed in the jungle between elephants and other animals, and all go to show the prodigious strength and activity of the huge creatures. Strength, of course, the elephant would be expected to have, but it is hard to comprehend how so ungainly-looking a creature can be so active and agile as he really is. That he can outrun a fleet

horse seems incredible enough, but it is even more wonderful that he can vie in quickness of movement with the muscular tiger.

One of a party of hunters in India left camp one evening, intending to shoot one of the peacocks which were heard screaming in their discordant way not very far from camp. He knew from experience that he might find a tiger in the neighborhood, though up to that time no traces of that animal had been seen. But the tiger is so fond of peacock that experienced hunters always go cautiously to shoot the birds.

In this case the caution was wise, for when near the spot where the birds were, the hunter just saved himself from stumbling on a large tiger, which fortunately was so much taken up with stealing upon the birds that it did not notice the man. The latter, anticipating some interesting sport, watched the tiger move stealthily through the underbrush and come upon the noisy birds. Whoever has seen an ordinary cat crouch and spring can comprehend what the hunter saw. The spring was unsuccessful, however; and, as is its custom, the tiger, as if ashamed of its failure, was slinking away, when there came the noise of crashing underbrush, and the graceful creature crouched closely to the ground.

The noise, as the hunter had at once suspected, was caused by the approach of a herd of elephants. Again he waited silently for further developments. The huge creatures made their way straight toward the clearing where the peacocks had been feeding on the grain which grew there. At the head of the herd gamboled a baby elephant. Unconscious of the presence of the tiger, the little creature was almost upon it, when the great cat, as if unable to resist the temptation, darted toward it. Like magic the whole herd responded to the shrill cry of the mother, and the leader of the herd charged to the rescue.

The tiger seemed willing to retreat, but that the leader would not permit; and then began a fierce combat, in which the tiger with all its agility strove to take the elephant anywhere but in front. To avoid this, the elephant moved about with astonishing celerity, and finally with a quick plunge caught the tiger under its ponderous foot, and with one terrible thrust pierced it with its tusks. Is not the elephant the real King?

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BADMINTON.

BY CHARLES LEDYARD NORTON.

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the "server," and the other is the "striker out." The "server must stand with both feet within his own right-hand court, and strike the shuttlecock so that it will, if it reaches the ground, fall within the boundaries of the court diagonally opposite.

If the shuttlecock is sent fairly over, touching neither net nor posts, and falls to the ground within the court specified, the "server" scores ace; that is, fifteen, as explained farther on. If the shuttlecock touches net or posts, it is a "fault," and the 'server" must serve again. Two consecutive "faults" put him "hand out," with no score for either side, and his opponent serves in turn.

RIGHT COURT.

HALF COURT LINE.

DIAGRAM OF A BADMINTON COURT.

It is, in effect, lawn-tennis with light, feathered shuttlecocks instead of balls. A court of the dimensions indicated in the diagram is the full size, as used for play in the spacious regimental armories of New York. It is far larger than is possible for most private establishments. The parlor or the garret, however, can be marked off into courts sufficiently large, and nothing can be finer for Badminton than a genuine country barn, with the net suspended between the hay-mows on either side. White tape may be pinned down to mark the courts on a carpeted floor, and probably no one will object if the chalk line is used in barn or garret.

Badminton can be played over a net or a cord. The regulation height of the net is five feet six inches at the ends, and five feet in the middle. The only use in giving it any width at all is, that the players may be sure that the shuttlecock goes over it instead of under it,‚—a requirement which may easily be in doubt where only a line is used.

The game consists in striking the shuttlecock back and forth over the net, until one of the players fails to return it.

Suppose that the game is to be single,—that is, that only two players are to be engaged,- choice of position and opening play should be decided by lot. The one who makes the first stroke is called

LEFT COURT.

10 FEET.

10 FEET.

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He is "hand-out," also, if he strikes the shuttlecock more than once; if he sends it out of bounds; if he touches it with any part of clothing or person, after having hit it with his racket; or if he fails altogether to send it over the net. These last are more serious than mere "faults," and no second trial is allowed.

15 FEET.

If the "server" scores,—that is, if his shuttlecock falls to the ground within the diagonally opposite court,- he serves again, standing this time in his own left court, and so on, changing courts until his opponent scores.

If the "server's" shuttlecock grazes the net or posts and the other player returns it, the game goes on; and in like manner, if the "striker-out" fails to make a clear return, but the "server" chooses to receive and send it back, the game continues. If the shuttlecock falls on a line, it counts for the striker.

After the shuttlecock is "in play," either player may aim to send it so that it will fall anywhere within either of the opposite courts, the purpose of each player being to make the return as difficult as possible for his opponent. The first stroke only is limited to the court diagonally opposite.

When either player wins his first stroke, the score is called fifteen for that player. When either wins his second stroke, his score becomes thirty. When either wins a third stroke, the score becomes forty, and the fourth stroke won scores "game." If both players win three strokes, scoring forty each, the score is called deuce, and the next

stroke won by either is called advantage for that player. If this same player wins the next stroke he wins the game, but if his opponent wins it, the score returns to deuce; and so on until one player wins two successive strokes immediately following deuce, when the game is scored for that player

A "set" consists of eleven games; therefore, the player who wins six games wins the set; but if both have won five games the score is called games all, and the next game won by either player is called advantage game for that player. If the same player wins the next game he wins the set, but if he loses it, the score returns to games all, and so on until one player or the other wins two games immediately following the score of games all, upon which he wins the set.

Tennis-players, of course, know all about this method of counting, and it is given here merely for the benefit of those who wish to play Badminton, and are not familiar with tennis.

Suitable rackets and shuttlecocks may be had of any dealer. The nets now furnished are usually tennis nets, and are wider than necessary. A strip

of white mosquito netting, with a tape run through one edge, will serve for a net, and a few split shot pinched in place along the lower selvedge will make it hang nicely. Half-a-dozen tassels will do equally well, and will make the whole affair quite ornamental.

The power of flight of the shuttlecocks may be regulated to suit the size of the court, by making a small hole in the center of each end of the cork and pushing in shot until the right weight is secured. It is a good plan to cover the cork with thin india-rubber, and a truer flight is secured for it by lacing a thread in and out around the feathers, about an inch and a half from the cork, drawing it tight enough to make the feathers perfectly even.

In three-handed games the single player serves in every alternate game, and the partners serve by turns. In four-handed, and so on up to eighthanded games, the service is taken alternately, and the partners on the opposing sides adopt a regular order in taking their turns as "servers." The scoring for these sets is governed by the same rules as in single-handed games.

I.M.D.

TOTTY'S BANJO.

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