mouse and put it close by its side. The mouse began to nibble, and soon
finished it. Agnes then put down two or three more, and left the mouse
to eat its Christmas dinner. I think you would have enjoyed seeing the
mouse eating the almonds. I hope you will always be kind to poor dumb
animals. I have seen children who were cruel to dumb animals. This is
very wrong, and such children will never be respected, nor can they
expect to be befriended.




THE TWO ROBINS.


A few summers ago I was sitting on a garden seat, beneath a fruit tree,
where the works of nature look very beautiful. Very soon I heard a
strange noise among the highest branches of the tree over my head. The
sound was very curious, and I began to look for the cause. I shook one
of the lower branches within my reach, and very soon I discovered two
birds engaged in fighting; and they seemed to gradually descend towards
the ground. They came down lower and lower, tumbling over one another,
and fighting with each other. They soon reached the lowest branch, and
at last came to the ground very near me. It was with some difficulty
that I parted them; and when I held one of them in each of my hands,
they tried to get away, not because they were afraid of me but because
they would resume the conflict. They were two young robins, and I never
before thought that the robin had such a bad spirit in its breast. Lest
they should get to fighting again, I let one go, and kept the other
housed up for several days, so that they would not have much chance of
coming together again.