Then they went down to the river and launched it; and, much to Anna's delight, the wind bore it far out towards the middle of the stream. Bravo swam out, took it in his mouth, and brought it back; and Anna was at last quite satisfied that she knew how it is that the wind makes the vessel go on the river. DORA BURNSIDE. [Illustration] MOLLY TO HER DOLLY. WELL, dolly, here I am again, Just home from school, you see: Let's come down to our cubby-house Beneath the willow-tree. There, dolly, now we're snug and safe, Away from horrid boys; Oh! don't we hate their teasing tricks, Their rudeness and their noise! Come, let me press your little cheek, So rosy and so cool; And I will tell you all about The times I had at school. I said my tables pretty well, But missed on five times seven: In spelling I went to the head (The word, dear, was e-lev-en). At recess, Nelly Fay and I A splendid "teter" made: O dolly! we went up so high, _You_ would have been afraid. And Nelly promised she would come And spend this afternoon: So, dolly, I must change your dress, For she will be here soon. She'll bring with her her stylish doll, (Miss Maud May Rosalie) Who wears real ear-rings and a watch (As vain as she can be)! Ah, dolly! by her Paris dress Yours will look plain, I fear; But you have twice as sweet a face, My _ownty_ darling dear! [Illustration] IDA'S MOUSE. ONE morning when Ida went to the closet for the birdseed to feed her canary, she found a wee brown mouse in the bottom of the bottle where the seed was kept. Instead of screaming and running away, Ida clapped her fat little hand over the mouth of the bottle, and mousie was a prisoner. [Illustration] Mamma said mousie should be drowned; but Ida begged so hard to keep him, that mamma got a glass jar, put mousie into it, with a bit of bread and cheese to keep him company, tied a piece of tin, all pricked with little holes, over the mouth of the jar, and set it on the shelf. Ida spent half the day in watching the mouse. [Illustration] When papa came home at night, he brought a funny little tin house for mousie's cage. Mousie was put into it; and he soon began to make the wire-wheel go round. He turned the wheel so fast and so long, that he soon made his nose sore. Ida thought he was very tame; but I think he only wanted to get out and run away. [Illustration] One day mousie managed to get his door open and scamper off. Then Ida cried and cried, and was afraid her dear mousie would starve. But after a day or two, as grandma was going up stairs, she saw little mousie hopping up ahead of her.