I doubt whether the child, whoever he was, would have done it before me--a stranger--and here the parrot had told me all about it! PANSY. - - - - - - - AUNT ESTHER was trying very hard to persuade little Eddy to retire at sunset, using as an argument that the little chickens always went to roost at that time. "Yes," replied the wide awake little Eddy, "but the old hens always goes with them, auntie." MY BRAINLESS ACQUAINTANCE. BY PARANETE. IV.--MY BRAINLESS ACQUAINTANCE SWALLOWED. "WHEN the box was opened," the pin continued, "all the papers were taken out, and carried to a large dry goods store in what seemed to me a very large city. We were put just behind one of the large glass windows, where everybody could see us, and we felt quite proud, and much enjoyed looking at all the strange things, and at people who passed. "One by one the papers were sold, until finally ours was the only one left, and we remained so long in the window that we began to think we should never get out. By that time we were tired of staring out at the street all the time, and wanted a change. One day a lady came into the store and asked the clerk for some pins. "So he came over to the window and took us out. How delighted we were! The lady put us in her little satchel, and soon we felt ourselves rolling along the street in a carriage. Pretty soon we were taken out and laid in the bureau drawer of the lady's room, where we remained a long while. Then she laid us on the little shelf belonging to the bureau, where we could see everything that went on in the room. "One evening I was put in the lady's collar, and went to a great room, brightly lighted, where my mistress danced with gentlemen all the evening. I enjoyed it very much, because it was so strange, and because I have no feelings; but my mistress grew very tired and sleepy as soon as the ball, for that is what she called it, was over. "At night, or rather early in the morning, when we reached home, she put me on the pin-cushion, where I found many of my former acquaintances. "Now our life grew rather dull. I think winter-time came, and my mistress removed to a warmer room. After a long, long while, during which we saw no one, when the birds returned, and the buds came on the trees, she moved back again, but now there was somebody with her--a little bit of a baby! How cute it was! We pins discussed it a great deal, and grew to loving it very much. [Illustration: THE BABY THAT SWALLOWED THE PIN.]