188 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
IMay, 
great danger of being run over by the 
big hobby-horse. A train of cars had 
been stopped half-way in its journey 
from the bed to the table, by running 
over Mr. Punch, who lay helpless 
and wounded on the floor. A small 
man-of-war, with the American flag 
flying from, her top-mast, had been 
wrecked on the foot-stool, and her 
crew were in great danger, though 
Robbie seemed to care little for that, 
lie sat in the midst of the disorder, 
drumming on a drum with all his 
might, making so much noise that his 
mamma could hardly make herself 
heard when she came to the door. 
“ Robbie ! Robbie I ” she cried, 
“stop that dreadful noise this 
minute, and oh ! look at this dis¬ 
orderly room ! It’s this way every 
day you stay in-doors. Now, Rob¬ 
bie, you shall not Have one bit of 
supper to-night, until this room is 
put in order. I have often told you I 
should punish you if you would be 
so careless,”—and so saying, his 
mother left the room_Robbie flew 
into a terrible passion, he flung his 
drum into a corner, and the drum¬ 
sticks after it, Mr. Punch was not far 
behind, and the train of cars soon 
followed. In a few minutes the beau¬ 
tiful toys lay heaped one upon an¬ 
other, and Robbie threw himself on 
the sofa to nurse his angry thoughts. 
“Ma always spoils my fun. As if 
I can’t do as I like with my own 
things 1 I guess I will 1 ” ho said 
aloud ; but there was no one to an¬ 
swer him, and he soon grew tired 
of talking to himself, and lay very 
still, looking into the fire. For a 
long time nothing was heard but the 
pouring rain outside, and the crying 
of the wind in the chimney, and the 
fire was growing misty and dim be¬ 
fore Robbie’s eyes.—Suddenly a 
strange noise came from the pile of 
toys. Robbie raised himself on his 
elbow, and looked over toward the 
dim corner. He could scarcely be¬ 
lieve his eyes. Mr. Punch was stand¬ 
ing up and beckoning to the ani¬ 
mals, as though he were alive! 
“Come,” he said, “come on, all 
of you! It's time this thing was 
stopped. I, for one, am not going 
to be a slave any longer. Let's 
have a meeting, and see what 
is the best thing to be done! ” 
At this the elephant, who had 
been lying on his back with his 
legs in the air, turned suddenly over 
on his feet, and walked out of the 
corner, followed gravely by all the 
animals. The soldiers too, formed into a company, and 
marched forth to the sound of the drum and the fife. The 
engineer of the railway train started off with his passen¬ 
gers, and the crew of the man-of-war, which was now a 
perfect wreck. Even Jack came out of his box and 
joined the procession, followed by a tin expressman lead¬ 
ing his tin horse, still lame from a kick Robbie had given 
him. Noah and his three sons ran hastily out from under 
the bed, where they had been hiding, and a red monkey 
jumped down from the mantel. They all gathered round 
Mr. Punch, who stood on the stool to make his speech.' 
"Friends, ’ he said, “you all know the cruel tyrant 
who owns us. Not one of us but bears the mark of some 
wound lie has given us. I’m sure I shall never get over 
this last injury to my back, and many of you have been 
more badly treated than I. What shall we do ? Shall 
we be slaves any longer « 
“ Never ! never! ” shouted the soldiers, cocking their 
guns. “Death to the tyrantTread on him!” 
snorted the elephant.—“ Squeeze him to death !” growled 
the bear.—“Tear him to pieces!” roared the lion.— 
“ Leave him out of the Ark ! ” cried Noah.—“ Hurrah! ” 
screamed Mr. Punch, jumping from the foot-stool with a 
grin, “follow me ! ” At this the whole company rushed 
toward the lounge where Robbie lay helpless with fear. 
Just then there was a loud rap at the door, and Robbie 
started up, trembling, and covered with perspiration, 
“ Oil, Pa, how glad I am to see you! ” lie cried, as his 
father entered, “ Something dreadful is going to happen, 
jnst look at my animals.” 
“ Well,” said his father, “I see them, they are in a very 
disorderly heap in the corner.” 
Sure enough, there they lay, just as Rob had left them; 
the monkey was on the mantel, and Noah and his three 
sons still under the bed. 
“ I must have been dreaming,” he said, “ but I’ll never 
do so again.” 
“ Do what ? ” asked his father, but Robbie did not care 
to answer, he only put his toys carefuily away, and went 
down to supper with a very sober face. 
May E>ay. 
The first day of this month is called May Day, and it 
has been celebrated from very early times. The rude 
people who once inhabited England had priests who were 
called Druids, and these used on May day to light large 
fires on the tops of the hills to show that they were glad 
that spring had come. Then the ancient Romans, who 
had gods and goddesses of various kinds, had a goddess 
of flowers, named Flora. Those old people had so many 
gods and goddesses, whose particular days must be cele¬ 
brated, that it is not easy to sec how they found time to 
do much else; people complain that we, nowadays, do 
not have holidays enough, but the ancients had altogeth¬ 
er too many, and if the boys and girls of old Rome got as 
tired as those of new America do on the 4th of July, the 
poor youngsters must have had a hard time. Flora re¬ 
quired a great deal of celebrating, as her holidays wore 
from April 2Sth to May 2d, and these days were called 
Floralia. When the Romans went to England they took 
their holidays with them, and the present custom of cele¬ 
brating May Day, comes from the old Romans. Two or 
three hundred years ago, the first of May was a great day 
in England ; it was held as a holiday by all classes; even 
king and qneen, and all the court, going out to the; 
AY DAY. 
fields to bring home fresh flowers. For a long while it 
was the custom in every village to put up a May pole on 
the green, strung with flowers, for the people to dance 
about. The favorite girl of the village was crowned with 
flowers, as the May Queen, and there was much feasting 
and frolic. When our ancestors from England and other 
parts of Europe came to this country, they tried to make it 
seem homelike, so they gave the new plants they saw here 
the names they had known at home, and they tried to cele¬ 
brate the holidays they had observed at home. Those who 
settled in Virginia, and the warmer parts of the country, 
could keep up the May Day frolic, but those who came to 
New England had a hard time in keeping May day. In 
our northern States there are very few flowers on May 
day, and the weather is often quite cold, and though 
some persons, even now, try to keep up the custom, it is 
nearly forgotten. Even in England the day is less no¬ 
ticed than formerly, and the custom of celebrating it will 
no doubt die out in time. But you need not go back to 
heathen Rome for an excuse for celebrating the return of 
spring. If the first day of May does not bring- flowers, 
then you can take the last, or any other day; and if you 
are few or many, you can have a happy day in the woods 
and fields, where you can gather the flowers and make 
wreaths and garlands, and enjoy all the beauty that na¬ 
ture provides. We can keep one part of the old May Day 
custom, just as the children in the picture are doing, by 
having a day in the open air when the winds are softest, 
the birds sing their sweetest, and the flowers have a deli¬ 
cate beauty that belongs to the flowers of no other sea¬ 
son. Yes—let us have a “ May Day,” but it need not be 
on the first., or on any other special day in May, and you 
yan be quite as happy in June. 
