own blunder in allowing them to get such a start. The boys thought it might be well to get their opponents at a little nearer range. Without lowering their pieces, they advanced a dozen paces. While doing this, Fred made a discovery which greatly pleased him. "Ben, glance over to the right, but don't move your head an inch," he said in a low tone. Ben did as directed; and there, half-hid by the pier of an old aqueduct, only their heads and necks being visible, stood two fine Turkish horses; while, resting against a snowy capital, glittered two beautiful "THE BRIGANDS, THUS CONFRONTED, CAME TO A DEAD HALT." made almost at a bound, and with a shout the rifles. boys grasp their guns. "We have them now, Ben," exultantly cried Fred, as they wheeled, and each covered his man with a deadly aim. "Don't fire," he added, quickly, as the brigands, thus confronted, came to a dead halt. "We'll save our powder and shot." Events had taken a strange turn, and the astonished brigands were now the ones to discuss the situation. "We'll ride into Ayasalook on those horses," said Fred, in a determined manner. "Those fellows meant to capture us. We'll show them what we can do." But now came a rather difficult problem. The brigands stood in a direct line between our heroes and the horses. The slightest suspicion of what the boys meant to do would cause them to hazard the fire ready to open upon them any instant. Should the boys succeed in only wounding the brigands, when they recovered their rifles they could easily pick off the boys at a long range, while the middies had nothing but their shot-guns with which to return their fire. While they held the brigands directly under their guns and made no demonstration toward the horses, the boys knew they were safe. Now, the real generalship of the fight came in. It required but a moment. A bright idea flashed upon Fred. Directly to the left of where they held the brigands under cover of their guns was the pit where they had discovered the silver box. "Ben," said he, "we will fall back toward the pit. We'll make them think we are going after that box. In that way we shall flank them; then we 'll make another run and slip in between them and the horses. We'll keep them deceived until they are nearly out of range, and then we 'll make a jump to intercept them." The boys fell back about forty yards, the brigands plainly not discovering the ruse. The field of action now represented a triangle, with the horses at the apex and the boys and the brigands at the angles of the base. Suddenly down came the guns, and our heroes sprang for a point between the brigands and their horses. So completely had the robbers been deceived that the boys had full thirty seconds' start before the enemy saw through their maneuver. This time there were no pistolshots to risk. Though hindered by the weight of the guns, the boys ran better than before. No base-ball player ever made his home-run more grandly than did they win the advantage which was to bring them victory. At last they gained the desired position and again formed in line of battle. The sabers of the brigands flashed from their scabbards as though they were about to charge. "Fire kneeling! kneel! aim! fire! was the command from Fred, according to the military formula. Two barrels were emptied, and the left arm of one of the brigands fell powerless at his side. "Aim! fire!" was repeated, and another round sent the brigands scampering. It was an easy matter now to fall back to the horses. Their uplifted revolvers warned their antagonists that an advance from them would be dangerous. When the boys reached the aqueduct, they coolly placed their guns beside the rifles, and while Fred kept watch Ben went around the pier and led up the horses. They decided that it would be better to ride in all haste to Ayasalook and report the matter immediately to the governor of the place. Should they delay, the brigands might be reënforced. Gathering up their arms, they leaped into the saddle and, boy-like, could not refrain from giving the brigands a parting salute of two guns as they gave rein to their horses and dashed over the plains of Ephesus. They told their story in French, to the governor, at the same time informing him that they belonged to the United States Navy. He at once offered them a detachment of cavalry and the use of the captured horses; and that evening they rode back to their camp. When they reached the Temple of Diana, they once more dismounted and leaped eagerly into the pit to recover the silver box. But the brigands had been too sharp for them there, though. Nip" and "Tuck" were found where they had left them, and everything about the camp was undisturbed. 66 "Fred," solemnly observed Ben, as the donkeys were again loaded and they were about to start for Smyrna, "great was Diana of the Ephesians, no doubt, as the people in the Bible story declared; but if those fellows had once captured us, it would have been the eighth wonder of the world if we got away with whole skins." Or whole pockets," added Fred; and with a sigh of relief, the middies joined their vessel in Smyrna harbor, and abandoned all further digging and searching at the shrine of Diana. HOME-MADE CHRISTMAS GIFTS. BY ELLA S. WELCH. WHAT to make for a Christmas present, is the puzzling question for many a girl and many a boy at the holiday season. Every one knows that a gift that comes with the giver's own loving care and labor wrought into it, has more real significance, and is often more appreciated than the costly presents that any one with money can buy. Some years ago in November, 1877-ST. NICHOLAS printed an article describing more than seventy simple gifts that could be made at home; and that paper, with its useful suggestions, proved very popular. A large advance in artistic ideas and designs has been made within the last eight years, however, and a new red plush drawn smoothly over it and glued to the back of the star. Cut away one end of a small tin box, and cover the two sides and the cover with red plush; run a band of fancy ribbon diagonally across its face. Paste a piece of sandpaper on the lower end, and attach this box to the star by strong thread passed through holes in the back of the box, and corresponding holes in the star. Ten cents will purchase half a foot of the light wire used as a seed protector around birdcages; cut and fold this in boat form of the required length; overhand the ends with red silk, and attach it by this to the star. 2. A CUTTING-BOARD can be made by any bright boy handy with tools, from a strip of halfinch pine, thirty 3. JOCKEY-CAP TWINE-HOLDER. I. THE STAR MATCH-RECEIVER. collection of hints for Christmas presents is of fered in the following pages. All of the articles here named can be made by industrious young folk possessing taste and discrimination; and gifts, both useful and ornamental, may thus be prepared, at a very moderate expense for material, but in a way that will well express affectionate good-will. I. THE STAR MATCH-RECEIVER is an attractive and useful wall decoration combining a match-holder, burnt-match receiver and striking-surface. Cut from heavy pasteboard a star measuring six inches in diameter; cover with 2. A CUTTING-BOARD. six inches long and twenty-three inches wide. Saw out a curved piece on one side, and plane the whole board nicely. Outline with a lead pencil the checkersquares, backgammon points, and yard-measure; get a small quantity of black-walnut stain from any paint or drug store, and with a small brush go over the board, tracing the outline and making each alternate square or point in solid color, as shown in the diagram. 4. ALLIGATOR POCKET-BOOK. 3. JOCKEY-CAP TWINE-AND-SCISSORS HOLDER. Cut out six wedge-shaped pieces of paste-board for the crown of the cap, a small perforated piece for the top and a larger piece of proper shape and dimensions for the visor bottom. Cover the six wedge-shaped pieces with plush on one side and silesia on the other, making three in dark colors and three in light-say red and yellow, dark red and light blue, or purple and white. Overhand them together, leaving a small hole where they join at top; cover the perforated round piece for the button, and sew it on at the top. Cover the visor with two pieces of plush, lapped in the middle, so as to form a pocket for the scissors; cover the entire under part 5. WINDOW-SHADE. with plush also. Sew the bottom piece on at the back only; fasten at the front with a loop and button. Place the ball of twine inside, passing the end through the hole at the top. 4. POCKET-BOOK OF ALLIGATOR SKIN. A few cents will purchase two pieces of "scrap," at any shoe factory where goods of alligator skin are made. Cut one piece to measure five and a half inches long by three and a half wide, and another three and a half by three inches. Round off the lower corners of each piece; line both with the soft kid used in facing the tops of ladies' shoes. (This may 6. UMBRELLA-STAND. be done on the machine at home or at the nearest shoe factory.) Lay the smaller piece and lining togeth er, and stitch them around the top; then place the lining on the larger piece, and join the back and front by stitching them all around, as nearly to 5. WINDOW-SHADE. Purchase a sufficient quantity of holland of desired tint,-"aqua marine" or "cream" are pretty colors, and run a 7. A FAN BOOKMARK. hem 134 inches deep across the lower part of the shade. With an ordinary-sized tea-cup, outline as many dotted circles as you desire the pattern to include; then with a thimble outline smaller dotted circles in the center of the larger ones; draw lead-pencil lines from the center to the circumference. With a long needleful of silk, work these outlined circles on both sides of the holland, securing the ends so that they will not be seen. The linen fringe to match the holland may be purchased at any shade store; stitch it by machine, across the bottom of the shade, slip the curtain stick through the hem, and screw in a couple of curtainrings with cords to match the fringe attached. A more elaborate shade may be made by using one of the many "transfer patterns," to be found at any fancy store. This may be transferred to the cur like a cap. Outline the lines and figures with a lead-pencil, then go carefully over them with ink. For variety, draw on some bright little flowers or vines, a monogram, Christmas greeting, or such other ornament as taste may suggest. 8. SCRAP-BASKET. Get or make two pasteboard boxes of the desired height, one of them two inches smaller in diameter than the other. Place one within the other, fastening the bases together, and join at the top with a two-inch strip of pasteboard sewed strongly around the tops. Sew a neat cretonne panel on each side, with a band of plush at top and bottom and a plush ball and tassel at each corner. Line with silesia to match the plush. Or, the panels may be of satin with flowers painted in. 9. LETTER-RACK. IO. A PAPER-RACK. Get a wooden box -a starch or soap boxfrom your grocer. Take it apart, and plane and smooth it carefully. Use the bottom of the box for the back of the rack. Cut one of the end pieces to a width of six inches, for the shelf; saw the brackets for the sides of the shelf from the side-pieces of the box, and cut the lid down to the right dimensions for the slanting front of the rack. Ebonize all the parts with the "ebony liquid" used by cabinet-makers; nail shelf, brackets, and slanting front securely; putty the nail-holes and blacken them, so that they will not be noticed. Cover the front of the rack with some neat border design in Lincrusta Walton, gluing it on, and gilding it, or leaving it the natural color, as desired. Put strong cord or fancy wire through the back of the rack to hang it up by. II. FLAT-IRON PAPER-WEIGHT. Cover the face of a common flat-iron with plush, cut an inch larger all around than the size of the iron. Fasten on the thermometer-(which can be bought at a slight expense) — as indicated in the engraving; stitch a narrow piece of plush at the lower end of the iron, turning down the upper |