Now you have all seen the soft, white pussy-willows. Well, the pussies are the willow flowers; and the balm-of-Gilead-tree has pussies too. But they are not soft and white; they are brown. They look like brown caterpillars. After the blossoms wither the seeds come. These seeds are covered with wool like that on the dandelion's ball. The wind blows this wool from off the trees, and there it was that morning. The ground was white with it. "There is the lint," said aunt Mary, and she gave Clara a bag to put it in. It took a great many bits of wool to fill the bag. But Clara was patient, and worked diligently, and when the bag was full, she went with aunt Mary to carry it to the soldiers' camp. Clara gave it to the surgeon. He said the balm-of-Gilead lint was much better than the linen lint. So "Grandpa's cane" and little Clara helped the sick soldiers to get well again. MISS LOLLIPOP'S FANCIES. Down by the seashore Miss Lollipop sat, Dropping the little white shells in her hat; "See!" cried the darling, and shouted with glee, "These pretty things were all waiting for me; Waiting for me!" Creeping and curving across the gray sand, The wavelets came dancing to kiss the fair land, Wooing with murmurs the flower-gemmed lea; "Ah," cried Miss Pops, "they are whispering to me, Whispering to me!" Darting and flashing the gay sunbeams flew Down from a heaven of midsummer blue, Smiling and dimpling all over the sea; "There," cried Miss Pops, "they are laughing at me, Laughing at me!" In the green meadows the tall grass stood fair, Waving and tossing in sweet summer air, Dipping and bending around her white knee; "Look," cried Miss Pops, "it is bowing to me, Bowing to me!" [Illustration: HAPPY MISS LOLLIPOP.] Over the hills the sweet flower bells rang, High in the tree tops the little birds sang. --Tipsy-top bobolinks bent on a spree; "Hark!" cried Miss Pops. "They are singing to me, Singing to me!" Deep in the roses the bumblebees flew, Sipping their rations of honey and dew, With jewel-necked humming-birds gorgeous to see; "Now," cried Miss Pops, "they are shining for me, Shining for me!" Sweet little Happy Heart! Pure little soul! Earth would be robbed of its darkness and dole If with the faith of thy heart I could see How much of God's world is fashioned for me! TOMMY'S TEMPTATION. Mr. Allen's early apples were almost ripe. They were uncommonly pretty apples--yellow, streaked with red. How tempting they looked! Ripe apples in August are always tempting. Mr. Allen knew that, so he had put up a sign to warn the boys off. For boys were very apt to help themselves to ripe apples. Somehow they think that taking a few apples is not stealing.