A dear little maid, with sun-bonnet red Tied carefully over her little brown head, With two little bare feet, so active and brown, Has started to travel to Strawberry town. "And pray where is that?" Oh dear! don't you know? It's out in the field where the strawberries grow; Where papa, and Henry, and Sue, in the sun, Pick the sweet, big, red berries so fast, one by one. [Illustration: {THE MAID AND HER KITTENS.}] "It's a very great ways," says the dear little maid, "To Strawberry town, and I'm so afraid." And so as companions, to keep her from harm, She takes two fat kittens, one under each arm. She trudges along with brown eyes opened wide, The kittens hugged sociably up to each side; With ears sticking up and tails hanging down, She carries them bravely to Strawberry town. MARY A. ALLEN, M.D. [Illustration: {FLOSSIE AND HER SHOE-BOAT.}] FLOSSIE AND HER SHOE-BOAT. Flossie took to the sea very early. She did not like to be bathed, but she was very fond of playing in the water. One day, when she was at her bath, her mother's back was turned, and little Miss Flossie turned her slipper into a boat and set it afloat in her little bath-tub. Then she pushed it about and made believe it was sailing. By and by it got full of water and sank, crew and all. This made her cry, and that made her mother look round. Flossie's shoe-boat was taken from her, and then she cried more. Her mother knew best, and was very firm. Miss Flossie had to give up being a sailor, and put on her pink dress and go downstairs. R. W. L. NELLIE'S LUNCH. Little Nellie lived in California. Her papa was going on a visit to his old home in Maine, but Nellie was to stay at home with her mamma. Just before her father left, her mother took his great-coat, brushed it, and said, "I have put some handkerchiefs in this pocket, and in the other one is a nice lunch of cake and fruit." The father and mother were so busy that they took no notice of Nellie. But she had heard what mamma said. Her first thought was that she must put something in papa's pocket, too. [Illustration: {NELLIE MAKES LUNCH FOR HER FATHER.}] Her mother had been changing Nellie's clothes, and a soiled little stocking lay on the floor. The child had a small cake of maple sugar in her hand that she was eating. She took up the stocking and crammed the sugar down into the toe. She then rolled it up tight and tucked it down in one corner of her papa's pocket. No one saw her do it. The first that was known of what she had done was one day after her papa had reached his old home. He was searching his pocket for something when he felt the little stocking. He took it out, and when he saw what it was, what a good laugh he had! And how it made him think of his little Nellie, who was so far away!