Chapter I: Front Matter

THE

NURSERY

_A Monthly Magazine_

FOR YOUNGEST READERS.

VOLUME XXX.--No. 4.

BOSTON:
THE NURSERY PUBLISHING COMPANY,
NO. 36 BROMFIELD STREET.
1881.

Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1881, by
THE NURSERY PUBLISHING COMPANY,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.

IN PROSE.

PAGE
Edith and the Chickens 291
How the Old Sparrow helped the Young One 293
Home, Sweet Home 294
The little Sailor 297
So Tired 301
Drawing-Lesson 305
The Doll that Fanny Found 306
All True 308
The Strange Man 310
A Knowing Dog 311
The Starling 313
Daisies and Clover 314
Helping Mother 316

IN VERSE.

Popping Corn 290
In School and Out 296
The Crickets' Sociable 299
Lessons 302
On the Way to Slumberland 309
Mother's Caller 312
Curly-Head and Inquisitive Ned 315
The Squirrel 318
Roly-Poly (_with music_) 320

VOL. XXX.--NO. 4.]

POPPING CORN.

POUR the nice corn
Out of the bowl,
Into the popper,
Over the coal,--
The bright glowing coal.

Shake now, for your life,
The fine golden grain;
Now listen! what strife
Goes on there amain!

Hear it! Pop, pop!
Pop, pop! Pop, pop!
Now the popper is full,
The shaking must stop.

Bring the dish, little Rosie,
Come, Jamie and Josie,
And out we will pour
Our nice puffy store.

So crisp and so light,
So tender and white!
What were beads of gold
When put in the hopper,
Into flowers unfold,--
O magical popper!

CAROLINE DEE.

EDITH AND THE CHICKENS.

"OH, tie on my hat quick, dear mamma, please," called Edith Gray, running up stairs as fast as her little feet would carry her; "for grandma says I may go with her to see the chickens."

Edith was four years old, and had come the day before, for the first time in her life, to stay on a large farm. She had never seen young chickens, except in picture-books: so you can imagine how pleased she was at the thought of seeing real live ones.

She was soon in the farmyard, and after feeding the little things with meal and water,--hasty-pudding she called it,--she seemed to long so to pet them, that her kind grandmother said, "Well, dear, hold up your apron, and I will put some of the chickens in; but you must handle them very gently."

Edith was delighted, and begged to carry them into the house for mamma to see. Old mother-hen, who was busy scratching for the rest of her brood, did not at first notice what was going on. But, when she saw Edith walking off with some of her darlings, she began to spread her wings, and puff out her feathers, and scold in hen fashion.

Then the tall old rooster straightened himself up and looked down at her, as much as to say, "What a goose you are to make such a fuss! The little girl will bring your chicks back all safe."

And so she did; and the next day, when she picked them up and petted them again, Mrs. Hen did not say a word, but seemed quite pleased and proud.

AUNT SUSAN.

HOW THE OLD SPARROW HELPED THE YOUNG ONE.

AN unfledged sparrow, not strong enough to fly far, had fallen into the area of a city basement.

The poor little bird was wasting its strength in vain attempts to get out of its prison, while its mother looked down in alarm, and tried her best to cheer and aid her child.

At last the old bird flew away. "Can it be," I thought, "that she is going to desert her little one?" No indeed! She had only hit upon a new plan.

Back she soon came with a stout straw in her beak. Perching on an iron bar which crossed the area about a foot below the level of the street, she passed one end of the straw to the little captive below.

The nestling took the offered straw in its beak and clung to it, while the mother, holding fast to the other end, flew up to the street. Thus, with some aid from its own wings, the little bird was able to gain a foothold on the iron bar.

From this point, one more pull by the old bird helped it to reach the pavement, where it fluttered away with its delighted mother.

UNCLE CHARLES.

HOME, SWEET HOME.

"HOW real jolly it seems to be back in our own parlor again!" said Willie Morton, making a flying leap over an ottoman as he spoke.

With his elder brother he had been away at school for a year, while his mother and sisters were travelling abroad. This was the first evening that they were all together again.

"Come, sister Annie," Willie continued, "sing 'Home, sweet home!' Charlie can play it on the flute."

So Annie took her place at the piano; their mother seated herself to listen, with little Amy on her lap; and Charlie produced his flute. They were soon singing the old familiar song with all their hearts, Willie's voice loudest of all.

When this song was ended, he proposed singing "The star-spangled banner," "because," as he said to his sister, "you ought to rejoice to be under the old flag again."

The singing over, the excited boy roused up his little sister, who had almost fallen asleep in her mother's lap, and whirled her round in what he called a waltz, till his mother said it was quite time to dance off to bed.

The last sound heard as he ran up stairs was, "Hurrah! there's no place like home!"

IDA FAY.

IN SCHOOL AND OUT.

SCHOOL-TIME is coming again;
"So much the better!" says Jane,
And off, with her satchel and slate,
She starts, for she scorns to be late.

But ragged and barefooted Meg
Does nothing but wander and beg.
Oh, why does she not go to school?
Poor child! She's by no means a fool.