St. Nicholas Magazine for Boys and Girls, Vol. 5, September 1878, No. 11 | Page 9

foot by
foot, and before dawn a great stone castle, with its towers and
battlements, its portcullis, and its great gate, forty cubits high, stood in
the court-yard.
When King Dagobert saw this, he embraced Ranier, continued to him
the title of his father, whose ducal estates he restored to the son, and
sending for the Princess Isauré, who appeared radiant with joy and
beauty, he betrothed the young couple in the presence of the court.
So Ranier and Isauré were married, and lived long and happily; and, on
the death of Dagobert, Ranier reigned. As for the ax, that is lost,
somehow, and although I have made diligent inquiry, I have never been
able to find where it is. Some people think the fairy took it after King
Ranier died, and hid it again in a tree; and I recommend all
wood-choppers to look at the heart of every tree they fell, for this
wonderful ax. They cannot mistake it, since the word "Boldness" is cut
on the blade, and the word "Energy" is printed, in letters of gold, on the
handle.

THE PAINTER'S SCARE-CROW.
BY C.P. CRANCH.
Miss Arabella Vandyke Brown Had a small studio in the town, Where,
all the winter, blithe and gay, She drew and painted day by day. She
envied not the rich. Her art And work made sunshine in her heart. Upon
her canvas, many a scene Of summers past, in golden green Was
wrought again. The snow and rain Pelted upon her window-pane; But
she within her cozy room With joyous toil dispelled the gloom; And,
sometimes, in an undertone, Sang to herself there, all alone.
But, when the spring and summer came, Her studio grew so dull and
tame She sought the rural solitudes Of winding streams and shady
woods; For painters' works contract a taint Unless from Nature's self
they paint.
So out Miss Arabella went, To sketch from Nature fully bent. It was a
lovely summer's day; A lovely scene before her lay; Her folding-stool
and box she took, And, seated in a quiet nook, Her white umbrella o'er
her head (Like a tall giant mushroom spread), Began to paint; when, lo!
a noise She heard. A troop of idle boys Came flocking round her, rough
and rude. Some o'er her shoulders leaned; some stood In front of her,
and cried: "Paint me!-- My picter I should like to see." Some laughed,
some shouted. "What a set!" Said Arabella, in a pet: "And no
policeman within hail To send these ruffian imps to jail." In fine, she
could not work, so went Straight homeward in great discontent. She
had no brother to defend her, Nor country cousin to attend her.
[Illustration]
A plan occurred to her next day To keep these idle scamps away. An
easel by her side she placed, And over it she threw in haste A hat and
cloak:--and there it stood In bold and threatening attitude. The rabble at
a distance spied The scare-crow standing by her side; And, thinking 't
was the town-police, They left Miss A.V. Brown in peace.

MORAL.
Sometimes, an innocent pretense Is the best means of self-defense, And
if a scare-crow keeps the peace, What need to summon the police?

[Illustration: BY THE SAD SEA WAVES.]

UNDER THE LILACS.
BY LOUISA M. ALCOTT.
CHAPTER XXI.
CUPID'S LAST APPEARANCE.
A picnic supper on the grass followed the games, and then, as twilight
began to fall, the young people were marshaled to the coach-house,
now transformed into a rustic theater. One big door was open, and seats,
arranged lengthwise, faced the red table-cloths which formed the
curtain. A row of lamps made very good foot-lights, and an invisible
band performed a Wagner-like overture on combs, tin trumpets, drums,
and pipes, with an accompaniment of suppressed laughter.
Many of the children had never seen anything like it, and sat staring
about them in mute admiration and expectancy; but the older ones
criticised freely, and indulged in wild speculations as to the meaning of
various convulsions of nature going on behind the curtain.
While Teacher was dressing the actresses for the tragedy, Miss Celia
and Thorny, who were old hands at this sort of amusement, gave a
"Potato" pantomime as a side show.
Across an empty stall a green cloth was fastened, so high that the heads
of the operators were not seen. A little curtain flew up, disclosing the
front of a Chinese pagoda painted on pasteboard, with a door and

window which opened quite naturally. This stood on one side, several
green trees with paper lanterns hanging from the boughs were on the
other side, and the words "Tea Garden," printed over the top, showed
the nature of this charming spot.
Few of the children had ever seen the immortal Punch and Judy,