The Nursery, No. 107, November, 1875, Vol. XVIII. | Page 8

his dear mother smile as she gave
him his supper; but, just as he was going to eat, some sudden noise
awoke him.
He was frightened to find it was daylight, and that the sun was high in
the sky. In the doorway stood a kind gentleman looking at him. Pedro
sprang up, and took his fiddle; but the gentleman stopped him as he
was going out, and asked if that pile of shavings was all the bed he had.
He spoke so kindly, that Pedro told him his story.
The gentleman felt so sorry for him, and was so pleased with his sweet,
sad face, that he took him to his own home, and gave him a nice warm
breakfast; and, being in want of an errand-boy, he concluded to let
Pedro have the place.
Pedro has lived happily in his new home ever since; and, though he still
likes to play on his fiddle, he has no wish to return to his old wandering
mode of life.
COUSIN EMILY.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]
THE PARROT'S LAMENT.
Swinging in a gilded cage, Petted like a baby's doll, Thus I spend my
dull old age, And you call me "Poll." But in youth I roved at will
Through the wild woods of Brazil.
When you ask me, "What's o'clock?" Or repeat some foolish rhyme,
And I try your speech to mock, I recall the time When I raised my
voice so shrill In the wild woods of Brazil.
Sporting with my comrades there, How I flew from bough to bough!
Then I was as free as air: I'm a captive now. Oh that I were roaming
still Through the wild woods of Brazil!
JANE OLIVER.

[Illustration]
WHAT THE DOVE LOST.
Uncle Tom was walking slowly down the street, one sunny day, when
he saw a boy put his hand into a paper bag, take out a lemon, and throw
it at a plump gray pigeon that was trying to pick up some crumbs which
had been thrown out.
Poor little pigeon! He had been fluttering, off and on, over the
crumbs,--now scared away by a fast trotting-horse, now flying to a
door-post to get rid of some rapid walker,--and had only just alighted to
pick up his breakfast, when he was struck right in the back by the
bullet-like lemon.
Uncle Tom ran as quickly as he could, and took the panting little thing

up in his hand very gently. Just then the horse-car came along; and
uncle jumped into it, saying to himself, "I'll take this pigeon out to little
Emily. How she will dance and skip when she sees it!"
The car went on and on, ever so far away from Boston, and by and by
was half-way across a bridge. The pigeon had lain nestled under Uncle
Tom's coat; and the warmth seemed to make it feel better. First it put
one round bright eye out, then the other, and took a peep at the people
sitting near it.
Then, I think, its back must have ceased aching; for it grew lively, and
stirred around. Uncle Tom felt it moving, and was afraid that it would
presently try to get away: so he held it as close as he could without
hurting it.
But just as he thought how safe he had it, and how tame it would be
when it had lived with its little mistress a while, it popped its head out
again.
It popped so far out this time, that there was nothing to take hold of but
its tail-feathers. Uncle Tom clutched those firmly; but, to his great
astonishment, the pigeon gave another spring, and pulled itself away,
leaving all its beautiful tail-feathers behind it.
Away it flew, down the car, over the heads of the people, out of the
door, past the head of the conductor (who did not know that he had
such a strange passenger), and out over the water, back to Boston.
Uncle Tom was left with only a handful of dark-gray feathers to take
home with him; and little Emily had no pet pigeon, after all.
AUNT EMMIE.

THE CHICKEN AND THE DOG.
Tantalus, as the old Greek fable tells us, was King of Lydia. Being
invited by Jupiter to his table, he heard secrets which he afterwards

divulged. To divulge a secret is to make it vulgar, or common, by
telling it.
Poor Tantalus was punished rather severely for his offence; but he had
sinned in betraying confidence. Sent to the lower world, he was placed
in the middle of a lake, the waters of which rolled away from him as
often as he tried to drink of them.
Over his head, moreover, hung branches of fruit, which drew away, in
like manner, from his grasp, whenever he put