MISS KATY-DID AND MISS CRICKET. 47 



these dissipated Katy-dids, which ran on, night after night, 

 till the celebrated Jack Frost epidemic, which occurred 

 somewhere about the first of September. 



Poor Miss Katy, with her flimsy green satin and point- 

 lace, was one of the first victims, and fell from the bough 

 in company with a sad shower of last year's leaves. The 

 worthy Cricket family, however, avoided Jack Frost by 

 emigrating in time to the chimney-corner of a nice little 

 cottage that had been built in the wood that summer. 



There good old Mr. and Mrs. Cricket, with sprightly 

 Miss Keziah and her brothers and sisters, found a warm 

 and welcome home ; and when the storm howled without, 

 and lashed the poor naked trees, the Crickets on the warm 

 hearth would chirp out cheery welcome to papa as he 

 came in from the snowy path, or mamma as she sat at 

 her work-basket. 



" Cheep, cheep, cheep ! " little Freddy would say. " Mam- 

 ma, who is it says ' cheep ' ? " 



"Dear Freddy, it 's our own dear little cricket, who 

 loves us and comes to sing to us when the snow is on 

 the ground." 



So when poor Miss Katy-did's satin and lace were all 

 swept away, the warm home-talents of the Crickets made 

 for them a welcome refuge. 



