THE MERMAID.

HE Mermaid sat upon the rocks

THE

All day long,

Admiring her beauty and combing her locks

And singing a Mermaid song.

And hear the Mermaid's song you may,
As sure as sure can be,

If you will but follow the sun all day,

And souse with him into the sea.

W. S. Landor.

April 7th.

THE SNAIL.

HE snail, how he creeps slowly over the wall,

THE

He seems not to make any progress at all,

Almost where you leave him you find him ;
His long shining body he stretches out well,
And drags along with him his round hollow shell,
And leaves a bright pathway behind him.

SIGH

APRIL'S WALK.

IGHING, storming, singing, smiling, With her many moods beguiling, April walks the wakening earth. Wheresoe'er she looks and lingers, Wheresoe'er she lays her fingers,

Some new charm starts into birth.

J. C. Prince

April 10th.

THE SOWERS.

WOW hands to seed-sheet, boys,

NOW

We step and we cast; old time's on wing;

And would ye partake of harvest joys,

The corn must be sown in spring.

Fall gently and still good corn,
Lie warm in thy earthy bed;
And stand so yellow some morn,
For beast and man must be fed.

F

THE COMING STORM.

HE tree-tops rustle, the tree-tops wave,

TH

They hustle, they bustle; and, down in a cave,

The winds are murmuring, ready to rave.

The skies are dimming; the birds fly low,
Skimming and swimming, their wings are slow.
The dead leaves hurry; the waters, too,
Flurry and scurry; as if they knew

A storm was at hand; the smoke is blue.

Matthew Browne.

April 13th.

JOHNNY'S PICTURE.

OHNNY drew a picture, but Johnny couldn't spell;

Jo

What he wrote under it I'm ashamed to tell;

All in large capitals Johnny wrote PECTURE,

Stuck it up upon the wall, and said that he would lecture,
What a funny lecture, though, Johnny will deliver;
While with aches at his mistakes, all the people shiver !
Matthew Browne.

April 14th.

WE LOVE YOU.

SUNNY curls! O eyes of blue!
The hardest natures known,
Baby, would softly speak to you,

With strangely tender tone;
What marvel, Mary, if from such

Your sweetness love would call?
We love you baby, O how much!

Most dear of all things small.

Bennett.