42 



The Oriole s Prayer. 



"There is no other," said the shadow. 

 "I'm the Pig, and that's only roast pork 

 before the fire. Make haste and get the 

 stuffing ready, for I'm starving with cold 

 and hunger." 



"I'm all right again now," said the Pig 

 as soon as he had swallowed the roast pork, 

 "and if you like we'll go home. Which 

 way did you come?" 



" I fell down," said Charley. 



"I never tried that," said the Pig, "but 

 why don't you fall up again?" 



" I don't know how," said Charley. 



"Well, can't you fly?" said the Pig. 



"I can fly across a river," said Charley, 

 "if I get a good start, but I can't fly up." 



"Then you had better ask the Bluejay," 

 said the Pig. 



"If you can't fly," said the Bluejay, 

 "the only way that 1 know is to climb up 

 the bean-stalk tree." 



" If you please to tell me where the bean- 

 stalk tree is," said Charley. 



"Why, there isn't any bean-stalk tree," 

 said the Bluejay; "you must plant the seed 

 first, and then the tree will grow up." 



As soon as the tree was as high as a man 

 Charley laid hold and stepped on one of 

 the side branches, and the tree kept on 

 growing up, up, until Charley was not able 

 to see the Pig any more. Then he forgot 

 all about him. 



When the bean-stalk tree grew so high 

 that it couldn't grow any higher, Charley 

 went for a walk on the side branch; and 

 after he had gone a little way, he saw that 

 the leaves were all grass, and he was in the 

 home meadow. So he walked on until he 

 came to his own house, and feeling tired 

 after his long journey, he went to bed and 

 soon fell asleep, and never heard another 

 sound until his mother called him to break- 

 fast. 



Then Charley got up and told his mother 

 where he had been, and what the Goose 

 and the Donkey and the Pig and the Blue- 

 jay said, and what they did, and how they 

 helped him, and how he got home by the 

 bean-stalk tree. 



"And did you eat any roast pork ?" asked 

 his mother. 



"I never thought of it," said Charley, 

 "when it was ready. I was wondering how 

 the Pig ate himself until he had it all 

 down." 



Then his mother kissed him and laughed, 

 and told him he had only been dreaming, 

 and gave him his nice bread and milk for 

 his breakfast; but Charley thought about 

 it for a long time, and always wanted to go 

 again, because that was the only place 

 he was ever in, where the geese and the 

 donkeys and the pigs and the birds talked 

 like other people. C. Y. Amerv. 



THE ORIOLE'S PRAYER, 



FORMERLY the Oriole was one of the 

 most abundant of our Eastern birds, 

 but its very beauty has led to its destruction. 

 * * * It is often the case that all the 



male birds in a district are exterminated 

 within a short time after their arrival from 

 the South. — From the Audubon Magazine 

 for February. 



In plaintive tone the Oriole trills his song, 



And pleads that I but raise a hand in time 

 To stay his foes, that Fashion may ere long 



Give o'er for aye her deeds of thoughtless crime. 



Will S. Monroe. 



