"Well," answered Gertie, "I'm glad she didn't eat them all." Here Sallie came in, triumphant. "I showed her the thimble, girls, and told her all about everything, and she says we five and the other five and Miss Coningham--Elsie, she called her--can come up here right after prayers, and stay till ten o'clock." "Could anything be jollier?" "She says Elsie was our age when she first came here, and was as full of fun as we are." Then I found your note, saying there were _A_pples for Anna, _E_ggs for Enid, _G_rapes for Gertie, _I_nglish walnuts for Ida, and _S_ardines for Sallie. We saw how hard up you were for I's, but we'd rather have the nuts than anything. We had just got everything in order when the study bell rang. You can scarcely mention a "goody" that was not in one of those boxes. Gertie had a birthday cake with fifteen tapers on it, which we lighted. I can't begin to tell you what a jolly time we had when we came back up stairs. All our invitations were accepted. Miss Coningham was charmed with the thimble. We "toasted" all you good people at home who were the cause of our joy, and sent the flowers to Madame when our revelry was o'er. By-the-way, the boots are exactly right. Now, with the love and thanks of all the Aegises, I must close, for I haven't touched a lesson for to-morrow. Lovingly, gratefully, and thankfully yours, ANNA I. CLIFFORD. THE BABY ELEPHANT. On the 10th of this month an event occurred in Philadelphia that has aroused universal curiosity and interest. It was the birth of a baby elephant, which immediately became famous as being the first of his kind, so far as is known, ever born in captivity. All other elephants brought to this country for exhibition, or used in Eastern countries as beasts of burden, have been captured and tamed, and it has heretofore been regarded as an unquestioned fact that they would not breed in captivity. The mother of the cunning little fellow who is attracting so much attention is a large black Asiatic elephant named Hebe, and belongs to the Great London Circus. She is acknowledged by all the other elephants of the circus as their queen, and they are all loyally devoted to her. She and six other large elephants have been spending the winter in a stable at the corner of Twenty-third Street and Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia. Here the elephants stand in a large room, each with their hind-legs chained to posts. [Illustration: THE EXCITED ELEPHANTS.]