“Mamma, I know how things in this world are ordered,” said little Bertha, who had just administered a severe rebuke to her doll. “The doll must mind me; I must mind the nurse; the nurse must mind you; you must mind papa; papa must mind the Emperor; the Emperor must mind God; and God——” here she stopped, thought a moment, and then said decidedly—“and God must mind Bismarck.” A Large Hood “The dear Lord must wear a very large hood, mamma!” “Why so, child?” “Because at school we always pray: “‘Make us, dear Lord, pious and good, And take us all beneath Thy hood!’” Not to Her Liking A pretty little girl was often hurt by the way the neighbors and servants talked about her red hair. One day her grandmother tried to comfort her, saying: “Dear child, God made your hair, and everything He does is well done.” “Oh, but then I would rather He would not make anything more for me,” declared the little one. Her Fears Little Elsie was at a children’s party with her nurse. In the evening there were fireworks set off. When the first sky-rocket went up, the child began to cry bitterly, calling to her nurse in a voice full of fear, “They are shooting the dear Lord!” Only the Repair Angel Lieschen, on Christmas day with her new doll:—“See, Hannchen, what a beautiful new doll the Christ-child has brought me!” Hannchen (with an old, but repaired doll):—“My mamma said that only the repair angel came to us this year.” A Question of Belief At the examination the children were to say the creed before the superintendent. It was practiced so that three children were each to say one article. The first began: “I believe in God the Father——” The superintendent skipped the second, and asked the third: “Go on, child!” “I believe in the Holy Ghost!” “No; I believe in Jesus Christ!” “No I don’t believe in Him. He believes in Him,” said the boy, pointing towards his overlooked neighbor. CHAPTER XV _Miscellaneous_ A Rope Without End Two sailors were winding up a rope, and did not finish as quickly as they expected. “Where in the world,” cried one of them impatiently, “is that end?” “I bet,” returned the other, “they have cut it off.” The Long Dressing-gown The wife of a well-known Berliner presented him on his birthday with a dressing-gown. Agreeably surprised, he tried it on, but found that it was about six inches too long. In the night a violent storm occurred. The anxious wife arose and, to pass the time, took the dressing-gown and shortened it. Then she retired again.