There was a little fairy in the moon, Came down to earth one lovely afternoon, To wander And to ponder On the mountains and the lakes, On the meadows and the brakes, And to see what he could find To sort of occupy his mind. And as he wandered, As he pondered, This little fairy heard a roar Like none he'd ever heard before; And there, on either side, right by the shore, Two lilies stood: Great Tiger lilies thirsting for his blood! And did he run? Indeed not he! He simply stood likewise and smiled with glee, And after much ado He captured them--the two! "I'll take 'em home," said he, "and put 'em in my Zoo." And with them soon. In fact that very afternoon, Back to the moon He flew, And now he's rich, for all the moon-boys 'twixt us two Just throng about the cages of that Fairy's Floral Zoo! * * * * * FOND MOTHER. "And was my little boy smart at school to-day?" LITTLE BOY (_sadly_). "My teacher didn't say I was, mamma, but he took pains to make me smart later." * * * * * MOTHER. "I wonder if my little boy is so afraid of work that he does not study his lessons?" LITTLE BOY. "Me afraid of work! not much. Why, mamma, I can fall asleep alongside of it." * * * * * BOBBY. "What's the matter with your brother, Jack?" JACK. "I guess he smelt of ma's new bottle of ammonia, 'cause now he's got the pneumonia." * * * * * FIRST BOY. "I's smaller than you." SECOND BOY. "No, you're not." THIRD BOY. "What's the matter with you fellows; I's smaller than both of you put together." * * * * * HOWARD. "Papa, I think baby plays with a knife." PAPA. "I hope not, Howard." HOWARD. "Well, when he was crying so this morning nurse said he was cutting his teeth." * * * * * TEDDY. "Papa, that's what you call a fruit-knife for fruit, isn't it?" PAPA. "Yes, Teddy, that's right." TEDDY. "Well, the gardener has what he calls a pruning-knife. Does he use that for prunes?" * * * * * ANECDOTE OF KIPLING. A great many stories are told of famous authors, and it is probably not to be denied that a good half of them have no basis in truth. We have received, however, a story told of Mr. Rudyard Kipling which, whether it is true or not, is sufficiently amusing to be repeated; and as it comes from England, and is not the product of a Yankee brain, it may be told with perfect propriety, Mr. Kipling being one of her Majesty's subjects.