A Red Wallflower

cky heights and among the copsewood, searching everywhere for flowers, and finding a good variety of the dainty and delicate spring beauties. Columbine, most elegant, stood

ving and everlasting relations of things. To this teaching the little girl presently lent a very delighted ear, and brought, he could see, a quick wit and a keen power of discrimination. It was one thi

house for a minute, and become a little familiar with the place wh

ables, for summer occupation, when doors could be set open front and back and the wind play through. Nobody was there to-day, and Dallas turned to a door at the right and opened it. This let them into a large room where a fire was burning, and a soft genial warmth met them, along with a certain odour, which Esther noticed and felt without knowing what it was. It was very faint, yet unmistakeable; and was a compound probably made up from the old wood of the house, burning coals in the chimney, great cleanliness, and a distant, hidden, secret store of all manner of delicate good things, fruits and sweets and spices, of which Mrs. Dallas's store closet held undoubtedly a great stock and variety. The brass of the old-fashioned g

, superior air of confidence, which perhaps had more effect than all the other good properties mentioned. She was sitting in an easy-chair, with some

Gainsborough, mother; y

hand to the child, who touched it as somewhat embodying a conde

y well,' said Esther;

was a pity, of course, that her father did not feel well. 'Where h

ee our flowers! In imagination, over half the world. Do yo

d the lad

very fine

in coins that a

n it was current was worth only perhaps a farthing or two, now when its

very absu

altog

y n

coins are

for history. You have

lau

me and let me show you where you

ked the lady, before th

s from me,' he said, throwing hi

ns! In

We have been studying history and botany to-day. Com

all varnish, in the floor, covered, however, with a nice green cloth; two or three chairs were the table's contemporaries, to judge by their style, and nothing harder or less accommodating to the love of ease ever entered surely a cabinetmaker's brain. The wood of which they were made had, however, come to be of a soft brown colour, through the influence of time, and the form was not inelegant. The floor was bare and painted, and upon it lay here an old rug and there a great thick bearskin; and on the walls there were several heads of animals, which seemed to Esther very remarkable and extremely ornamental. One beautiful deer's head, with elegant horns; and one elk head, the horns of which in their sweep and extent were simply enormous; then there were one or two fox heads, and a raccoon

n't anything nice enough for you. I must look up a special chai

her slowly, turning her eyes fr

ut on the piazza, and up these stairs, with out asking anybody; and then you will turn the handle of the door and come in, without knocking. If I am here,

ou kil

ut that great el

g bird i

white-headed eagle-

come from

far from here, one

difficult

here were several of them about that day, so I lay in wait. They are not very

anding before them in great admiration. Slowly then she went from one thing in the room to another, pausin

. 'They are found far up in the regions around the North

aws!' sa

would carry off a r

cried Esthe

off many a one, as well as hosts of s

d Esther, with an abhorre

t he is no more crue

?' said Esther, t

-all the carnivorous

't look so. The eyes of pigeons,

re not fle

ey eat bread and grain; and canary birds eat s

some other part of creation-except that respectable number

sing; and Dallas, who was study

e carrying on an argument, 'why those that eat flesh look

allas. 'That is t

If you will think. There are sheep and

h-eaters as anybody, and as cruel about it, too. See t

they do; and they haven't nice eyes

urst out

ted. 'Think of horses' beautiful

t,' said

y is it

s, is all at your majesty's service; but

t it true,

nd will frankly admit, tha

ference, to make them look so different? and t

en carried into a system. Meanwhile, suppose we come from what

, and listened with grave attention

e to learn thes

ry preliminary t

ace; then put a sudden irrelevant question. 'Pitt, why di

somewhat amused, but not imme

like you to gi

d her,' he an

t him, inquirin

er I might take lessons

course n

t w

t want to do it if sh

o with it. It is I who am going to give you the

er various initiatory instruction by the way. It was a most delightful half hour to the little girl; and she went home after it, with her L