"Oh, mamma, that is my engagement ring," cried Gertrude, and as mamma looked very much puzzled, she hastened to explain. Mamma seemed to think it was a dream, but Gertrude likes to think it was not, and nights when the moon is full, she stands at the window, and waves her hand,--the hand with the ring on it, and she believes the Crown Prince sees her and waves back, even though she cannot see him. B. O. E. JANE AND THE BEARS Jane loved to read, and above all, to read fairy tales. She had a great number of books, of every kind, but the one she liked best was "The Three Bears." Her copy of the book had very large, bright pictures of Silverlocks, the Bears and the little house. The story was printed in nice, big, plain letters, so that Jane had no trouble in reading it to herself when Mamma was too busy to read it for her. Jane lived on the outskirts of a wood, and it was her great pleasure to go into it a little way, and sit down at the foot of an oak-tree, read about the Bears, and fancy they were alive, and talking to her. One day she had been dreaming thus for a long time, when suddenly she felt that the Bears were real, and that by going into the woods a long way, she could find them just as Silverlocks had found them. So she shut up the book, tucked it under her arm, and ran down a little narrow path just ahead of her. After she had been running quite a while, she became very much out of breath, for Jane was a fat little girl, so she stopped and looked about her. It seemed rather dark, the trees grew so thickly and she felt a little bit frightened, but one look at the beloved book, still tucked firmly under her arm, spurred her to venture further before giving up hope altogether. But the further she went, the darker it grew, and Jane suddenly realized that it must be getting night, and then,--she tried to go home, and couldn't find the way. Finally after trying for some time, she sat down by a big tree, and burst into tears. While she was crying very bitterly, she thought she heard a noise, a sort of scrunchy sound, like a heaving body walking. She put out her hand and felt something furry. She gave a scream and started to run away, when a big voice, quite kind, but oh, so big and gruff, said: "Little girl, why do you cry?" Jane answered very timidly, "I cry because I am lost." "Lost," echoed the big voice, "where were you going"? "To find the Three bears," sobbed Jane, "and I can't find them." "The Three Bears," roared the voice, "why, I am Mr. Bear, what do you want with us?" Jane came quite close to him, and peered at him through the darkness. Mr. Bear, sure enough, big, hairy, and brown, just like the pictures! Jane quite forgot her manners in the excitement of the minute, and clasping her two little, fat hands together, cried, "Oh, are you truly real bears?"