So for years the little bird and the little girl lived happily together. One November day, when Helen was almost eleven years old, she had been out making a call, and, on her return, Chirp was missing. Helen saw that a window had been left open, and knew that he must have flown out. "Oh, dear!" said she, in great distress, "my poor little Chirp is gone, and I shall never see him again." Her mother tried to comfort her by saying that he had not been gone long, and could not be far away. "But," said Helen, "it is cold weather, and is snowing too, and he must be chilled to death." However, without wasting time in talk, she snatched up a handful of canary-seed, and ran out of doors at once in search of her little pet. She looked up into the vine that grew on the side of the house, and called, "Chirp, Chirp!" She could see nothing of him; but Chirp saw her, and in a moment came fluttering down among the snowflakes, and perched upon her hand. Oh, how delighted Helen was to see him! The first thing she did was to give him some seeds to eat; for she knew he must be half starved. "You dear little venturesome thing," she said. "You wanted to see the world, didn't you? But why couldn't you wait for warmer weather? You have given me a dreadful fright. Come into the house now and be contented, and next summer you shall go out with me." JANE OLIVER. [Illustration] THREE LITTLE CHICKS BORN IN A SHOE. THREE little chickens, Born in a shoe, When the freshet came, Didn't know what to do: One went on deck, Just to watch the weather, While down below The others sat together. "Oh, what shall we do! Mother is not here: Captain there on deck! Oh, what cheer? what cheer?" "Water everywhere, Far as I can see! But the wind is fair; Let us easy be." "Oh, we want our mother," Cried the other two: "Stop that!" said the captain,-- Captain of the shoe: "We are lucky chickens In our little boat; Water-tight it is, And it keeps afloat. "I hear mother calling From the barn-yard wall: Courage, little sisters! Don't you hear her call?" Yes, they heard it plainly; Oh, how glad they were! "Now blow fair, thou gentle wind, Bear us all to her!" And the wind kept blowing, Fair and fair it blew, Bearing to the barn-yard wall All that little crew. When their mother saw them, She flew down apace; On her back she bore them To a nice dry place. EMILY CARTER. THE GEESE AND THE HAWK.