LITTLE BROWN THRUSHES.—LITTLE CHRISTEL.

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LITTLE BROWN THRUSHES.

Mrs, WHITON-STONE.

ITTLE brown thrushes at sunrise in summer
After the May-flowers have faded away,
Warble to show unto every new-comer
How to hush stars, yet to waken the Day:
Singing first, lullabies, then, jubilates,
Watching the blue sky where every bird’s heart is;
Then, as lamenting the day’s fading light,
Down through the twilight, when wearied with
flight,
Singing divinely, they breathe out, “good-night!”

Little brown thrushes with birds yellow-breasted
Bright as the sunshine that June roses bring.
Climb up and carol o’er hills silver-crested
Just as the bluebirds do in the spring,
Seeing the bees and the butterflies ranging,
Pointed-winged swallows their sharp shadows
changing ;
But while some sunset is flooding the sky,
Up through the glory the brown thrushes fly,

' Singing divinely, “ good-night and good-by!”

 

LITTLE CHRISTEL.

By Mrs. Mary E. BRapDLey.

 

RAULEIN, the young schoolmistress, to her
' pupils said one day,

“ Next week at Pfingster holiday King Ludwig rides
this way ;

And you will be wise, my little ones, to work with
a will at your tasks,

That so you may answer fearlessly iateves ques-
tion he asks. ~

It would be a shame too dreadful if the king should
have it to tell

That Hansel missed in his figures, and Peterkin
could not spell!”

“Oho! that never shall happen,” cried Hansel and
Peterkin too,

“We'll show King Ludwig when he comes, what
the boys in this school can do.”

* And we,” said Gretchen and Bertha, and all the
fair little maids

Who stood in a row before her, with their hair in
flaxen braids,

“We will pay such good attention to every word
you say

That you shall not be ashamed of us when King
Ludwig rides this way.”

She smiled, the young schoolmistress, to see that
they loved her so,

And with patient care she taught them the things
it was good to know.

Day after day she drilled them till the great day
came at last,

When the heralds going before him blew out their
sounding blast ;

And with music, and flying banners, and the clat-
ter of horses’ feet,

The king and his troops of soldiers rode down the
village street.

Oh the hearts of the eager children beat fast with
joy and fear,

And Fraulein trembled and grew pale, as the cav-
alcade drew near;

But she blushed with pride and pleasure when the
lessons came to be heard,

For in all the flock of her boys and girls not one of
them missed a word,

And King Ludwig turned to the teacher with a
smile and a gracious look ;

“Tt is plain,” said he, “that your scholars have
carefully conned their book.