Brave Clematis, through sunny days and long, I watched thee toil to reach a leafy height, Proud of thy kirtle green, and bloom-hood white; And now when winds are riotous and strong, Thou flauntest silken plumes sere leaves among, To lead my glances from the Frost-King’s blight And as of old my longing eyes delight, Thou, fairest climber of the rustic throng; And I take courage by thy bravery, My much-plumed friend of tangled copse and vale, That fain would hide the mars of autumn’s hour, Henceforth I strive that others only see My higher self as outward graces fail, And see that self through love’s ennobling power. Jenny Terrill Ruprecht. TOPSY. Ethel Tyler has a tame crow for a pet. It is so black and such a mischievous creature that Ethel named her Topsy. Topsy was quite small when given to Ethel, and she has learned to say a number of words. There is a large orchard back of the house, and Topsy seems to think this her special playground. Here she can play about and “caw” to her heart’s content. She loves to hide among the branches of a tree, then call, “Ethel, Ethel,” expecting Ethel to come and hunt for her. Topsy is very amusing, for there is no end to her tricks and pranks, but she can also be very troublesome if she is so disposed. Her greatest fault is that of stealing. Small articles, as keys, thimbles, spools of thread and such things have to be kept where she cannot get at them or they will be missing. Her eyes are quick and she is so sly that she generally gets away with the things without being caught. When articles are missed, we know whom to blame, but it is quite another thing to find them, for she seldom uses a hiding place after it has once been discovered and her plunder removed. There is one member of the Tyler family that has not a high opinion of Topsy, and that is Tony, Ethel’s cat. Topsy does her part towards making the poor cat’s life miserable, and I guess Tony thinks she is quite successful. She tips over his saucer of milk, pecks at his tail, swoops down upon him when he is eating, seizes his meat and flies to a place of safety before Tony realizes that he has been robbed. Topsy then proceeds to eat her booty, chattering to herself as though she had done a brave deed. Tony stands in fear of Topsy, and she knows it, and is not slow in taking advantage of the knowledge whenever an opportunity presents itself. When Topsy calls, “Tony, Tony,” the cat lengthens the distance between himself and the artful crow, for he knows by experience that she only wants the tuft of fur at the tip of his tail or a piece of the rim of his ear. There is no trouble about feeding Topsy. As long as she has plenty to eat it does not matter what the food might be and she never stops to inquire whether it is fresh or not.