"No you didn't either," said Tom. "You just thought so, because you're so scared. But it is a snake, sure enough and it's asleep. Guess we'd better not arouse it." "Somebody ought to kill it," Hetty whispered, her teeth chattering. "One of yon boys'd better get Uncle Pomp; have him bring his hoe or something." "I'll go," said Charlie quickly. "Let's all go," suggested Mabel. Tom hesitated a little. He was the bravest of the lot, though the youngest. "Say, somebody ought to stay and watch that snake; if it crawls down, we want to know where he goes to. I'll stay--only get Uncle Pomp soon's you can." But the children couldn't find the old darkey. So the children came trooping back to the house. But when they peeped into mamma's room again, there was no snake on the bed! Nor was there any Tom to be seen! "Shucks! I knew he wasn't as brave as he pretended to be--you see he's deserted!" growled Charlie. [Illustration: "You see, he's deserted."] Just then there was a chuckle from the other side of the bed and up popped Tommy who had been crouching on the floor there. And if you'll believe it, there was the reptile that had so scared the children around his neck! "It wasn't a snake at all!" Tom cried, grinning. "See, it's only little Hal's necktie, that old blue and green, bias-cut silk thing that sort of twists up. Weren't we silly geese though!" RAINDROPS. Little Pit and Little Pat Come out in stormy weather; They chase each other down the pane And then run off together. TOODLES' MISHAP. BY ASTON MOORE. Toodles was dreadfully meddlesome. He could not leave things alone. If you took the slippers away from him, he tried to eat the mat. If you put the mat outside the door, he tore the corner of the tablecloth. And when the cloth was folded up, he sharpened his teeth on the legs of the table. One evening he learned a lesson which made him a better dog. He was shut in the kitchen, to keep him out of mischief. The plates and dishes were on the shelves out of reach. There was no carpet on the floor. And his sharp teeth could not do much harm to the plain deal legs of the chairs and table. But there was a lighted candle in a tall brass candlestick upon the table. Toodles scrambled onto a chair, jumped to the table, and tried to bite the candlestick. He could not break or tear it, but he soon knocked it over, and the candle rolled to the floor, where it lay burning in a pool of grease. Toodles ran to play with the candle. Next moment, he was racing round the room, screaming with pain and fright. He had burned his paw. [Illustration: Toodles.] If he is mischievous now, you have only to show him a lighted candle. It makes him quiet and good at once. THE DOOR OF SPRING. BY HELEN M. RICHARDSON.