"Our bright queen she must be forever; 



The birds must all sing in her praise," 

 But the songsters were silent, not daring 



To offer their roundelays. 



Only one — the gay peacock — said proudly, 



"Why cease from your singing so sweet. 

 What beauty find you in this flower 



With no name? Why fall at her feet?" 



So scolding and fretting, the peacock 



Grew hoarse in his jealous tirade; 

 And spreading his feathers out proudly. 



Cried, *'See, these fine colors won't fade !" 



When at last, evening came in the garden, 



There was heard such a song on the air. 

 That the birds in their nests woke to hear it 



While trembled the rose sweet and fair. 



And Adam and Eve paused to listen 



While naming their flowers o'er and o'er, 

 They thought that the bird sang of * 'Rosebud," 



So that name should be hers evermore. 



i 

 Thus the Nightingale sang his first love song 



To the flower that was given birth. 

 That Adam might have a love token 

 For his loveliest flower of the earth.. 



— Edith Drury Lenington. 



CRABBING IN FLORIDA 



There is no sport so interesting to me feeding them on corn-meal. After they 



as catching crabs in the St. John's River are boiled in salted water they are a 



in Florida. The way to catch them best, beautiful brilliant red. 



is by tying pieces of beef or raw fish to Once at Pablo Beach, one of the boys 



long strings and throwing them far out brought some crabs out of the sea, and 



in the deep water by the docks. The put one down on the floor of the pavil- 



crabs are very greedy and bite easily, ion. It ran all over the place in the 



several catching on and scrambling after most comical manner, and even . started 



the same piece of meat. Then there is toward a little puppy that ran whining 



nothing to do but pull the string gently under the seats. Everyone laughed, and 



up, slip the crab scoop under them, and we had quite a chase before Mr. Crab 



turn them into a bag. One day last was safely quartered in an old shoe box. 



summer, two little companions went with still looking saucy and defiant, 



me, and in three hours we caught sev- These are called blue crabs, and are 



enty-six. The crabs are full of fight, considered by many as a great delicacy, 



ready to bite everything in reach. I They are called soft shell when they 



broke off one of the claws accidentally have just cast aside their old shells. The 



and put my finger to the detached claw, best time for crabbing is in spring and 



and was severely bitten. Sometimes I summer. ^ 



keep them over night in shallow water Loring M. He wen. 



25 



