Our Boys | Page 8

his adjusting the weight of the hamper of Christmas presents to his own so nicely that he could not fall. The Prince liked the talk and the admiration well enough, but he could not help, also, being a little glum; for he got no Christmas presents that year.
MARY E. WILKINS.

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TEDDY AND THE ECHO.
Teddy is out upon the lake; His oars a softened click-clack make; On all that water bright and blue, His boat is the only one in view; So, when he hears another oar Click-clack along the farthest shore, "Heigh-ho," he cries, "out for a row! Echo is out! heigh-ho--heigh-ho!" "Heigh-ho, heigh-ho!" Sounds from the distance, faint and low.
Then Teddy whistles that he may hear Her answering whistle, soft and clear; Out of the greenwood, leafy, mute, Pipes her mimicking, silver flute, And, though her mellow measures are Always behind him half a bar, 'Tis sweet to hear her falter so; And Ted calls back, "Bravo, bravo!" "Bravo, bravo!" Comes from the distance, faint and low.
She laughs at trifles loud and long; Splashes the water, sings a song; Tells him everything she is told, Saucy or tender, rough or bold; One might think from the merry noise That the quiet wood was full of boys, Till Ted, grown tired, cries out, "Oh, no! 'Tis dinner time and I must go!" "Must go? must go?" Sighs from the distance, sad and low.
When Ted and his clatter are away, Where does the little Echo stay? Perched on a rock to watch for him? Or keeping a lookout from some limb? If he were to push his boat to land, Would he find her footprint on the sand? Or would she come to his blithe "hello," Red as a rose, or white as snow? Ah no, ah no! Never can Teddy see Echo!
MRS. CLARA DOTY BATES.

SONG OF THE CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS.
Six merry stockings in the firelight, Hanging by the chimney snug and tight: Jolly, jolly red, That belongs to Ted; Daintiest blue, That belongs to Sue; Old brown fellow Hanging long, That belongs to Joe, Big and strong; Little, wee, pink mite Covers Baby's toes-- Won't she pull it open With funny little crows! Sober, dark gray, Quiet little mouse, That belongs to Sybil Of all the house; One stocking left, Whose should it be? Why, that I'm sure Must belong to me! Well, so they hang, packed to the brim, Swing, swing, swing, in the firelight dim.
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'Twas the middle of the night. Open flew my eyes; I started up in bed, And stared in surprise; I rubbed my eyes, I rubbed my ears, I saw the stockings swing, I heard the stockings sing; Out in the firelight Merry and bright, Snug and tight, Six were swinging, Six were singing, Like everything! And the red, and the blue, and the brown, and the gray, And the pink one, and mine, had it all their own way, And no one could stop them--because, don't you see, Nobody heard 'em--but just poor me!
"All day we carry toes, To-night we carry candy; Christmas comes once a year Very nice and handy. Run, run, race all day, Mother mends us after play, We don't care, life is gay, Sing and swing, away, away!
"Boots and little tired shoes, We kick 'em off in glee; It's fun to hang up here And Santa Claus to see. Run, run, race all day, Mother mends us after play, We don't care, life is gay, Sing and swing, away, away!
"To-morrow down we come, The sweet things tumble out, Then carrying toes again We'll have to trot about. Run, run, race all day, Mother'll mend us after play, We don't care, we'll swing so gay While we can--away, away!"
MARGARET SIDNEY.

JOE LAMBERT'S FERRY.
It was a thoroughly disagreeable March morning. The wind blew in sharp gusts from every quarter of the compass by turns. It seemed to take especial delight in rushing suddenly around corners and taking away the breath of anybody it could catch there coming from the opposite direction. The dust, too, filled people's eyes and noses and mouths, while the damp raw March air easily found its way through the best clothing, and turned boys' skins into pimply goose-flesh.
It was about as disagreeable a morning for going out as can be imagined; and yet everybody in the little Western river town who could get out went out and stayed out.
Men and women, boys and girls, and even little children, ran to the river-bank: and, once there, they stayed, with no thought, it seemed, of going back to their homes or their work.
The people of the town were wild with excitement, and everybody told everybody else what had happened, although everybody knew all about it already. Everybody, I mean, except Joe Lambert, and he had been so busy ever since daylight, sawing wood