The Nursery, No. 107, November, 1875, Vol. XVIII. | Page 2

To save you the trouble of writing a letter, we
annex a blank form that may be used in making the remittance.
_JOHN L. SHOREY, 36 Bromfield St., Boston, Mass._
_Enclosed please find $1.60 for renewal of subscription to "THE
NURSERY," to begin with the number for, ................... 1876, to be
sent to the following address_:--
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[Illustration: FLORA'S LOOKING-GLASS.]

FLORA'S LOOKING-GLASS.
On the edge of a thick wood dwelt a little girl whose name was Flora.
She was an orphan, and lived with an old woman who got her living by
gathering herbs.

Every morning, Flora had to go almost a quarter of a mile to a clear
spring in the wood, and fill the kettles with fresh water. She had a sort
of yoke, on which the kettles were hung as she carried them.
The pool formed by the spring was so smooth and clear, that Flora
could see herself in it; and some one who found her looking in it, one
bright morning, called the pool "Flora's Looking-Glass."
As Flora grew up, some of the neighbors tried to make her leave the old
woman, and come and live with them; but Flora said, "No: she has been
kind to me when there was no one to care for me, and I will not forsake
her now."
So she kept on in her humble lot; and the old woman taught her the
names of all the herbs and wild flowers that grew in the wood; and
Flora became quite skilful in the art of selecting herbs, and extracting
their essences.
There was one scarce herb that grew on the border of "Flora's
Looking-Glass." It was used in a famous mixture prepared by the old
woman; and, when the latter was about to die, she said to Flora, "Here
is a recipe for a medicine which will, some day, have a great sale. Take
it, and do with it as I have done."
Flora took the recipe, and the old woman died. But poor Flora was so
kind and generous a girl, that she gave the medicine away freely to all
the sick people; nor did she try to keep the recipe a secret.
So, though she was not made rich by it, she was made happy; and, as
weeks passed on, a man who was a doctor, and had known her father,
came to her, and said, "Come and live with me and my wife and
daughters, and I will send you to school, and see that you are well
taught."
"But how can I pay you for it all?" asked Flora.
"The recipe will more than pay me," said the good doctor. "You shall
have a share in what I earn from it; and you shall help me make the

extract."
Flora now goes to school in winter; but in midsummer she pays
frequent visits to "Flora's Looking-Glass," and thinks of the kind old
lady who taught her so much about herbs and flowers.
ANNA LIVINGSTON.
[Illustration: A SHOT AT AN EAGLE.]

CHINESE SCENES.
I have two little girls here in China, who are constant readers of "The
Nursery." They think I can tell you little readers at home of some pretty
sights they see here. They have asked me so often to do so, that, now
they are tucked away for the night, I will try to please them.
In landing at Hong Kong, after a long voyage, it looks very odd to see
the water covered with small boats, or sampans, as the Chinese call
them. In each boat lives a family. It is their house and home; and they
seldom go off of it.
They get their living by carrying people to the ships, and by fishing.
They have a place in the bottom of the boat, where they sleep at night;
and, in cold weather, they shut themselves up in it to keep from
freezing. I went out in one of these boats a few days ago. The water
was very rough; and I was quite astonished, after being out some time,
to see a pair of bright eyes shining from below, through a small crack,
nearly under my feet.
Coming back, it was not quite so rough; and the owner of the bright
eyes--a little girl four years old, with a baby strapped on her
back--came "up topside," as they call up above. When the baby was
fussy, the girl would dance a little; and so the baby was put to sleep in
this peculiar fashion.
It is a very common sight to see a boatwoman rowing the boat, with her

baby strapped on her back. The child likes the motion, and is very quiet.
It must be very hard