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the scholars their choice of a blow on the hand, or a seat on the punishment bench; and usually they preferred the blow.

The scholars were allowed at certain times to study aloud. But at other times they were obliged to keep still, and a boy or girl was put up as a "watcher" to write down the names of those who talked in this time for quiet.

The old school-master of Skippack wrote for his scholars a hundred rules for good behavior, and this is said to be the first work on etiquette written in America. But rules of behavior for simple people living in houses of one or two rooms only were very different from those needed in our day.

"When you comb your hair, do not go out into the middle of the room," says the school-master. And this shows that families were accustomed to eat and sleep in one room.

"Do not eat your morning bread upon the road or in school," he tells them, "but ask your parents to give it you at home."

So the table manners of that time were very good, but very curious to us. He says: "Do not wobble with your stool"; because rough, homemade stools were the common chairs of the time; and the puncheon floors were so uneven that a noisy child could easily rock to and fro.

"Put your knife and fork upon the right, and your bread on the left side," he says; and he also tells them not to throw bones under the table. And when the child has finished eating, he is not

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JINGLES.

BY A. R. WELLS.

THE GOOD GIRL.

SHE 's a good little girl,-"Good for what?" did you say?
Why, good as a kitten to purr and to play ;
And good as a brooklet to sing on its way;

And good as the sunshine to brighten the day.

To what shall I liken the dear little elf?

She 's as good as- as good as -- as good as - herself!

THE AMBITIOUS ANT.

THE ambitious ant would a-travelling go,
To see the pyramid's wonderful show.
He crossed a brook and a field of rye,
And came to the foot of a haystack high.
"Ah! wonderful pyramid!" then cried he;
"How glad I am that I crossed the sea!"

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"OH, DEAR!"

BY LAURA E. RICHARDS.

FOTO was very disconsolate. He never staid indoors for an ordinary rain, but this was a real deluge; so he stood by the window and said, "Oh, dear! Oh, dear!! Oh, DEAR!!!" as if he did not know how to say anything else. His good grandmother bore this quietly for some time; but at length she said:

"Toto, do you know what happened to the boy who said 'Oh, dear!' too many times?"

"No!" said Toto, brightening up at the prospect of a story. "What did happen to him? Tell me, Gran'ma, please!"

"Come and hold this skein of yarn for me, then!" replied the grandmother, "and I shall tell you as I wind it."

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"Once upon a time there was a boy "What was his name?" interrupted Toto. "Chimborazo!" replied the grandmother. "I should have told you his real name in a moment, if you had not interrupted me, but now I shall call him Chimborazo, and that will be something for you to remember."

Toto blushed and hung his head.

"This boy," continued the grandmother, "invariably put the wrong foot out of bed first when he rose up in the morning, and consequently he was always unhappy."

Here Toto held up his hand without speaking. "Yes, you may speak," said the old lady. "What is it?"

"Please, Gran'ma," said Toto, "Which is the wrong foot?"

66 Do you know which your right foot is?" asked the grandmother. "And do you know the difference between right and wrong?"

"Why, yes, of course!" said Toto. "Then," said the grandmother, "you know which the wrong foot is.

"As I was saying," she went on, "Chimborazo was a very unhappy boy. He pouted and sulked, and he said 'Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!' until everybody was tired of hearing it.

'Chimborazo,' his mother would say; 'please don't say "Oh, dear!" any more. It is very annoying. Say something else.' But the boy would answer, 'Oh, dear! I can't! I don't know anything else to say!' At last his mother could bear it no longer, so, one day, she sent for his fairy godmother and told her all about it.

'I

"Humph!' said the fairy godmother. shall see to it. Send the boy to me.' So Chimborazo was sent for, and came, hanging his head as usual. When he saw his fairy godmother, he said, 'Oh, dear!' for he was rather afraid of her.

"Oh, dear, it is!' said the fairy godmother sharply; and she put on her spectacles and looked at him. Do you know what a bell-punch is?' "Oh, dear!' said Chimborazo. 'No, ma'am, I don't.'

"Well,' said the godmother, I am going to give you one.'

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Ting! ting! the bell-punch rang twice sharply; and, looking at it in dismay, he saw two little round holes punched in a long slip of pasteboard which was fastened to the instrument.

"Exactly!' said the fairy. That is the way it works, and a very pretty way, too! Now, my boy, I am going to give you a very liberal allowance. You may say 'Oh, dear," forty-five times a day! There's liberality for you!'

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""Oh, dear!' cried Chimborazo. 'I'Ting! said the bell-punch.

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the allowance'- here she paused, and glowered through her spectacles in a very dreadful manner. "Oh, dear!' cried Chimborazo - and then he heard another ting! 'what will happen then?'

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"""You will see!' said the fairy godmother with a nod. Something will happen; you may be very sure of that! Good-bye,- remember, only fortyfive!' and away she flew out of the window.

"Oh, dear!' cried Chimborazo, bursting into tears. 'I don't want it! I wont have it! Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!!!' Ting! ting! ting-ting-ting-ting! rang the bell-punch; and now there were ten round holes in the strip of pasteboard. Chimborazo was now

"Well, Chimbo,' said his father, after tea; 'I hear you have had a visit from your fairy godmother. What did she say to you, eh?'

"Oh, dear!' said Chimborazo. 'She said. oh, dear! I've said it again!

666

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"She said: oh, dear! I've said it again!' repeated his father. What do you mean by that?' "Oh, dear! I did n't mean that!' cried Chimborazo, hastily; and again the inexorable bell rung, and he knew that another hole was punched in the fatal cardboard. He pressed his lips firmly together, and did not open them again, except to say good-night, until he was safe in his own room. There he hastily drew the hated bell-punch from

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really frightened.

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT A BELL-PUNCH IS?" ASKED THE FAIRY GODMOTHER.

He was silent for some time; and when his mother called him to his lessons, he tried very hard not to say the dangerous words. But the habit was so strong that he said them unconsciously. By dinner-time there were twentyfive holes in the cardboard strip; by tea-time there were forty. Poor Chimborazo! he was afraid to open his lips; for, whenever he did, the words would slip out in spite of him.

his pocket, and counted the holes in the strip of cardboard there were forty-three! Oh, dear!' cried the boy, forgetting himself again in his alarm. Only two more - Oh, DEAR! Oh, dear! I've done it again! Oh - Ting! TING! went the bell-punch; and the cardboard was punched to the end. 'Oh, dear!' cried Chimborazo, now beside himself with terror. 'Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!! what will become of me?'

"A strange, whirring noise was heard; then a loud clang, and the next moment the bell-punch, as if it were alive, flew out of his hand, straight through the open window, and was gone!

"THE STRIP OF CARDBOARD WAS PUNCHED TO THE END!"

"Chimborazo stood breathless with terror for a little while, momentarily expecting that the roof would fall in on his head, or the floor blow up under his feet, or that some appalling catastrophe would follow; but nothing happened. Everything

"The next morning, soon after Chimborazo came downstairs, his father said in a kind voice: 'My boy, I am going to drive over to your grandfather's farm this morning; would you like to go with me?'

"A drive to the farm was one of the greatest pleasures Chimborazo had, so he answered promptly, "Oh, dear!'

"Oh, very well!' said his father, looking much surprised, 'you need not go, my son, if you do not wish to. I shall take Robert instead.'

"Poor Chimborazo! he had opened his lips to say 'Thank you, Papa! I should like to go very much!' but, instead of those words, out had popped, in his most doleful tone, the now hated oh, dear!' He sat amazed, but was roused by his mother's calling him to breakfast. 'Come, Chimbo!' she said; 'here are sausages and scrambled eggs, and you are very fond of both; which will you have?' Chimborazo hastened to say, Sausages, please, Mamma!'—that is, he hastened to try to say it—but all his mother heard was 'Oh, dear!'

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"His father looked much displeased. 'Give the boy some bread and water!' he said, sternly. If he can not answer properly, he must be taught. We have had enough of these "oh, dear" replies.'

"Poor Chimborazo! he saw plainly enough now what his punishment was to be, and the thought

"THE BELL-PUNCH FLEW OUT OF HIS HAND AND THROUGH THE OPEN WINDOW!"

was quiet, and there seemed to be nothing to do but to go to bed; so to bed he went, and slept, only to dream that he was shot through the head with a bell-punch, and expired saying 'Oh, dear!'

of it made him tremble. He tried to ask for some more bread, but only brought out his 'oh, dear!' in such a lamentable tone that his father ordered him to leave the room. He went out into the gar

den, and there he met John, the gardener, carrying a basket of rosy apples. Oh! how delicious and tempting they looked!

"I am bringing some of the finest apples up to the house, little master,' said John. 'Will you have one to put in your pocket?'

“'Oh, dear!' was all the poor boy could say, though he really wanted an apple very much! And when John heard those fretful words, he put the apple back in his basket, muttering something about ungrateful lads.

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"Poor Chimborazo! I shall not give the whole history of that miserable day. A miserable day it was, from beginning to end. He fared no better at dinner than at breakfast; for at the second oh, dear!' his father sent him up to his room, to stay there until he knew how to take what was given him, and to be thankful for it.' He knew well enough by this time, but he could not tell his father how he suffered; and he went to his room and sat looking out of the window, a hungry and miserable boy. In the afternoon his Cousin Will came up to see him.

"Why, Chimbo!' he cried, 'why do you sit moping here in the house when all the boys are out? Come and play marbles with me on the piazza. Ned and Harry are out there waiting for you. Come on!'

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