"For ornament, of course," said Dandy. "This ring was a gift from a man who was once my partner. He was so fond of me, and so pleased with my dancing, that he never tired of serving me. He brought me all my food. In fact I had him at my beck and call." "My friends," said the young bear, "he tells a fib. That ring was put in his nose to be fastened to a chain. He was held a slave by the man who, he says, treated him so finely. He was made to dance through fear of being touched up with a red-hot iron. In short, he is what men call a 'humbug.'" "Yes, he is a humbug," cried the others, though they did not know what the word meant. "We will have no more of his fine airs."--"I never liked him."--"Drive him off."--"Send him back to his dancing-master!"--"Kick him!"--"Stone him!"--"Beat him!"--"We'll have no humbug here." And so poor Dandy was driven out from the woods, and forced to get his living by himself; while the knowing young bear that had exposed him, looked on and laughed at his misfortune. If Dandy had not been so boastful; if he had spoken the truth, and been modest,--he might have been respected by his fellow-bears to the end of his days. ALFRED SELWYN. [Illustration: DRAWING-LESSON BY HARRISON WEIR. VOL. XXI.--NO. 1.] A SQUEAK! I'M only a little brown mouse That lives in somebody's house, And in that same house there's a cat; But oh, ho! what care I for that? She sits in the sunshine, And licks her white paws, With one eye on me, And one on her claws. How she watches the crack Where she sees my brown back! But she'll never catch me! For oh, ho! don't you see That I'm just the smartest young mouse That lives anywhere in the house? I'm only a little brown mouse That lives in somebody's house, And in that same house there is Rover: He has chased me the whole house over. And there, too, is fat Baby Tim; But oh, ho! what care I for him? When he sprawls on the carpet, And bumps his pink nose, I scamper around him, And tickle his toes. How he kicks and he crows! For he knows, oh, he knows, That I'm only a little brown mouse That lives in his grandmother's house. [Illustration]