threshold." This was soon done, and they took up the stone and set off for the waterside. Then the ass said, "How shall we reach the box?"

"That is easily managed, my friend," said the bear, "I can swim very well, and do you, donkey, put your forefeet over my shoulders;-mind and hold fast, and take the stone in your mouth; as for you, mouse, you can sit in my ear."

It was all settled thus, and away they swam. After a time the bear began to brag and boast, "We are brave fellows, are not we, ass?" said he, "what do you think?" But the ass held his tongue and said not a word.

"Why don't you answer me" said the bear, “you must be an ill-mannered brute not to speak when you're spoken to."

When the ass heard this, he could hold no longer; so he opened his mouth and dropped the wonderful stone.

"I could not speak," said he; "did you not know I had the stone in my mouth? now 'tis lost and that's your fault."

"Do but hold your tongue and be easy," said the bear, "and let us think what's to be done."

Then a council was held; and at last they called together all the frogs, their wives and families, relations and friends, and said, "A great enemy is coming to eat you all up; but never mind, bring up plenty of stones, and we'll build a strong wall to guard you."

The frogs hearing this were dreadfully frightened, and set to work, bringing up all the stones they could find. At last came a large, fat frog pulling along the wonderful stone by the silken string; and when the bear saw it, he jumped for joy, and said, "Now we have found what we wanted." So he released the old frog from his load, and told him to tell his friends they might go about their business as soon as they pleased.

Then the three friends swam off again for the box, and the lid flew open, and they found that they were but just in time, for the bread was all eaten, and the jug almost empty. But as soon as the good man had the stone in his hand, he wished himself safe and sound in his palace again; and in a moment there he was, with his garden and his stables and his horses; and his three faithful friends dwelt with him, and they all spent their time happily and merrily as long as they lived.

For every evil under the sun
There is a remedy, or there is none;
If there is one, try and find it;
If there is none, never mind it.

THE STORY OF A STONE

D. B.

A great many thousands of years ago, a great part of North America was covered with water. In those far-off days there lived in this water a little animal which today we call a Polyp. He was a curious creature, very small, and something like a flower in appearance, so we might call him a plant-animal.

One day, the sun shone into the water and set this little fellow free from the egg in which he was confined. For a time he floated about near the bottom of the ocean, but at last settled down on a bit of shell, and fastened himself to it. Then he made an opening in his upper side, formed for himself a mouth and stomach, thrust out a whole row of feelers, and began catching whatever morsels of food came in his way.

The little Polyp had a great many strange ways, but the strangest of all was his gathering little bits of limestone from the water and building them up round him, as a person does who builds a well.

But this little animal became lonesome on the bottom of that old ocean; so one night, when he was fast asleep and dreaming as only a coral animal can dream, there sprouted out of his side another little creature exactly like him. This new member of the family very soon began to wall himself up with lime

stone as his parent had done. From these Polyps, many other little ocean children were formed, till at last there were so many of them, that they were crowded close together. After a while there was hardly enough limestone to go around, so they had to begin to make themselves six-sided like a honeycomb.

The family kept growing for a long time, and gathered together quite a lot of limestone. But at last a change came, a lot of muddy water came from the land, and covered up all the little creatures, so that they died. Only a stony skeleton was left to prove that they had ever lived there.

This skeleton remained here for thousands of years. At last the earth began to rise inch by inch out of the water. Then the home of our little Polyps rose above the deep, but the skeletons of the little animals remained buried in the soft mud.

About this time the first fishes made their appearance, great fierce-looking fellows like the pike of our lakes, but larger, and armed with scales as hard as the armor of a crocodile. Next came the sharks, as savage as they now are, with teeth like knives. But the time of these old fishes and of many more animals came and went, and still the home of the Polyps lay in the ground.

Then came the long, hot, damp time, when thick mists hung over the earth, and great ferns and rushes, as stout as an oak and as tall as a steeple, grew in our land. Huge reptiles, with great jaws and teeth like cross-cut saws, and smaller ones with wings like bats, next appeared and added to the strangeness of the scene.

But the reptiles died; the ferns and the rush-trees