Reading f'oi[ the i|oimg. 
THE FAIRIES’ BEST GIRL. 
1JY AMANDA T. JONES. 
“ Young people will have their own way, 
in spite of their elders,” said the dear fairy 
grumbler, Mrs. Banpettk. “There’s my 
daughter, now—who ought to be dancing, at 
her own gaj r will, under the morning glory 
vines and among the great red nasturtiums, 
this rich, sunshiny dawn — flying off to her 
dressing-room to get ready for a grand ex¬ 
cursion with her lover, the pretty young 
Prince. They’ve heard of a great celebra¬ 
tion of Sunday Schools, where ten millions 
of children will bo seen, all dressed in white, 
with red ribbons in their hair, or, if they 
arc boys, in braided blue jackets, with 
cockades in their hats. Tt may be ten thou¬ 
sand instead, or possibly ten hundred — I 
never could be quite sure about liguros—but 
it is an awful number! If Gettelin hadn't 
wings, I'm sure she would be crushed to 
death; but she has promised me she will tly 
high, and never once alight, except upon the 
head of the best girl there, it is most sur¬ 
prising how much she thinks of good girls.” 
Here tho little lady, who could never scold 
long, broke off suddenly, and burst into a 
merry warble— 
“ Oha fairy's life is sweet, 
Aud a fairy’s heart, is gay; 
Come, open your winas so fleet. 
And away to the dance, away 1 
•• On the edge of a Illy red 
Their lanes tho pipers blow. 
And the woven an>*s is spread 
Cor the dancers Just below. 
•* Hurry and hurry away, 
Light he vgtir dancing feet; 
Oh. a fairy’s heart is gay. 
And a fairy's life is sweet!” 
“Good-by, darling mamma,” said rosy 
Getteun, Hashing it look up at her mother 
from the face of a blue pansy, where she 
had alighted to plume her wings. When 
1 come back i’ll briug you a picture of my 
best girl, for the Prince has learned to get 
photographs. We’ll have her taken in a 
whole drift of sunbeams, so that she will 
look as much like a fairy as possible." At 
this the happy little lady nodded, laughed, 
aud flew off, lightly, courtesying to her 
friend. Prince Fanfaneuo, who met her on 
tile wing. 
“How are we to know which Is the beat 
of all tho good girls wo shall see?” asked 
Faneaxero. “ I shall be sure to pick out the 
prettiest, 1 am afraid.” 
“ PcHiaps,” said Getteun, tossing her 
head. “ you would never have picked me out, 
if I hadn’t been pretty.” 
“ A b, but I did not know how you looked 
when I selected you,” said tho fairy lover; 
“ i chanced to bo Hying hastily over a field, 
in order to reach your mother’s before mid¬ 
night, the time 1 was first invited to her 
palace, when I heard the softest voice in 
elf-land, singing bird-songs to a row of sleep¬ 
ing childreninalittle, new, wtuduwloss hut. 
‘There is the lady I mean to win for my 
bride,' said 1; ‘for ber voice issweeter than 
the tinkling of dew drops upon a silver 
wav*-, and her heart must be as rich with 
love as a grape with red wine.' I cortaiuly 
thought you the loveliest of all the elves 
when you fluttered in so bashfully, through 
the Cobweb curtains, and brought me a plate 
of new honey cakes and a goblet of moun¬ 
tain dew; but I did not know you were the 
singer I loved, until you sat down to your 
harp, afterward, and sang me that chorus 
about fairies aud fountains.” 
And the Prince began to hum the melody 
over and over, as if he could never remem¬ 
ber well enough the hour he first met Get- 
TELIN: 
“ Rise, waters, rise ! 
Creep from the,heart of a diamond cave, 
Glide through tho rocks in a voiceless wave, 
Break into sunlight—ulUUjr and lave 
The d.ilfodll's bed and the violet's grave, 
Till they rise, all rise. 
“ Itisc, fairies, rise, 
The fountains are luughing aloud in the sun. 
The flowers are bh ssomiuk, every one, 
The shadows are lied and the day is begun, 
Sleeping is over and dreaming is done. 
So we rise, all rise. 
“Hush!” said Gettelin; “I hear the 
hum of voices—and look, O, look! There 
they come, hundreds upon hundreds, walk¬ 
ing two and two. Oh, the beautiful, beau¬ 
tiful children! Howl love them!” 
The Prince laughed. ‘‘ And how you 
would fly away fi'om them, if they should 
once begin to quarrel!” 
“Never fear to-day,” answered Gette- 
lin, cheerfully; “I asked fairy Swekt- 
Temtuu last night if she would just fly 
across the crowd, with her silver bowl and 
evergreen bough, and sprinkle dew drops 
upon the children's heads, so they would 
never dream of getting angry alL day long. 
See! there she flies down the lines! It 
seems to me the farthest ones look just a 
trifle cross, but those she lias passed over 
are smiling, and sho’ll soou sprinkle them 
all.” 
On along the road marched the children, 
as lightly stepping as if they could fly if 
they chose, but found walking pleasanter; 
and on over their heads flew the two fairies, 
so near they might have touched them if 
they had lifted their hands. Marching, 
singing, nodding and smiling—all their curia 
blown about by a frolicsome wind, and their 
ribbons and cockade tassels fluttering like 
red birds: so went the children. 
“There never was a prettier sight,” said 
the fairy friends, “ and there never will be.” 
But there was just one little girl who had 
not had a sprinkle from the evergreen 
bough, aud Gettelin had no sooner caught 
sight of her than she shrieked out like a 
frightened sparrow. 
“ What is tho matter, dear?” asked her 
wondering companion. “1 have been so 
busily admiring that little lady with the 
gold chain about her throat, that I did not 
seo where you were looking.” 
“She is the very one that scared me,” 
cried Gettelin. "Can’t you see that lino 
drawn above her eyebrows, and bow she 
shuts her rosy lips tightly over her teeth. 
Why, she is just full of bad thoughts.” 
” Perhaps the sun hurts her eyes,” suid 
the kind Prince, who could not bear to think 
a little girl could be bail; “ and these mortal 
children often have to hide their teeth, they 
spoil them.so, eating hot bread and sugar 
candy.” 
But the beautiful child turned her head 
just then and said, in a loud whisper, to a 
small lady behind her, “I think it’s awful 
mean that I've had to walk with Lettie. 
She's brown and homely, and her dress isn’t 
nice at all—just white drilling, or something 
else, course and common.” 
“Oli, tliut don't matter!” whispered 
sweet Ella, “I’ll change, places with you 
if you like, for I love Lettie best of all the 
girls.” So the sunny-faced child slipped 
into the little scowler’s place, and caught 
hold of Lettik’s hand with such a glad look 
that her tears went away like dew before 
the sun ; for Lettie, you must know, could 
not help hearing every word. 
“ Whore can Sweet-temper be," sighed 
Gettelin; “for it needs a great shower 
from her silver bowl to soften that pretty 
child's angry heart.” 
“ Never mind.” said the Prince. “ Lot us_ 
see if Lettie and Elia cannot do it of 
themselves, without the help of fairies.” 
All, how the sun shone that golden day! 
aud what flowery sweetness the light wind 
breathed across the white ranks and tho 
blue ranks. Yet It w r us a little tiresome— 
all that, marching and countermarching, 
though the bugles played sweetly, and the 
rich drum-music beat like waves against a 
beach of shells. 
“Oh, dear!" murmured Alta, “I’m so 
warm, and tired, and hungry — what shall 1 
do?” 
Lettie heard the complaint, and put her 
hand in her pocket where was a groat, gold¬ 
en peach that her teacher bad given her be¬ 
fore the marching had begun. Poor Lettie 
did not often get peaches, and she loved 
them dearly; but a great drop out of the 
fairy’s cup had fallen on her, or something 
in.her own heart kept her glad and good; so 
sbo dropped her fruit into Alta’s hand 
with such a pleasant smile that that tired 
child caught her breath with wonder. 
“ Wliat made her do that?” whispered 
Alta ; “ 1 wouldn't have given away all tho 
peach I had. Oh, how good this is! It 
makes me feel better right off.” 
“Halt!” cried a strong man at the head 
of the ranks, aud halt they did, right by a 
row of long tables being laden with good 
bread and meat, fresh apples, white cakes 
aud wonderful tarts, that looked us if they 
were longing to be eaten. Then such pitch¬ 
ers of lemouade! Alta found waiting very 
hard work, and almost burst iuto tears as 
she saw Ella and Lettie led iuto the last 
places at the only table that was quite ready. 
Looking back, Lettie saw her, and left her 
seat. 
“You are more tired than I," said the 
dear child; “ 1 will take your place, and do 
you take mine.” So in half a minute Alta 
was refreshed by a goblet of cool lemonade, 
and began her dinner cheerily enough. It 
so happened that there was some delay in 
arranging the next table, so that Lettie 
stood some time in the warm sun waiting; 
and not being a very strong child she sud¬ 
denly grew pale and weak, and presently 
sank down in a faint, pale as a water-lily, 
for all her brown skin. 
Alta saw her friend fall, and all through 
her selfish little heart there rushed a great 
flood of shame. She leaped to her feet, and 
running, took LETTIE in her arms. “ O she 
will die! she is dead!” cried the sobbing 
child. “ Do speak, Lettie, once more, aud 
say you forgive me. Lettie, dear, dear 
Lettie, come back to life again!” 
1 think a stone would almost have heard 
the prayer of little Alta just then. Surely 
Lettie heard it, and opened her eyes with 
a smile like such as angels wear. “ Come to 
my place,” said Alta, “ I’ll carry you there 
myself;” and she would have done it if the 
sick girl hud not been lifted up by the strong 
man and taken there. 
It was some time before Alta finished 
her dinner, for she darted in aud out among 
the tables like a humming bird, in search of 
ldoe tilings for her friend ; and though 
Lettie did not eat all she brought, she took 
everything with a loving grace that showed 
how anxious she was to please her sorrow¬ 
ful little friend. 
“Oh, dear!” sighed Alta, as she went 
searching about the tables, “I’d give all 
the world for some peaches! ” 
“ Would you, little girl?” said a tall man, 
who heard her. “ Well, here are three 
great Rareripes that you may have for 
nothing;” and they were all on Lettie’s 
plate in a moment. 
Just then, while the faint rose color had 
begun to flit over Lettie’s face, and the 
dewy light to sparkle in her great gray 
eyes, there came a sudden wind and swept 
all tho beech boughs aside under which she 
sat, so that a golden flood of sunshine rolled 
across her. At her feet knelt Alta, the 
tears yel dripping down her red cheeks, 
but a smile of joy and love curving her soft 
lips and showing all that daintiness of snow- 
white teeth and pretty dimple. With one 
rich peach poised in hor left hand, her right 
lying upon Alta’s golden curls, and a soft, 
glory of love like a crown—nay more beauti¬ 
ful t han any crown — upon hor brow, so sat 
Lettie. 
“ Like a fairy,” said Prince Fanfanero, 
as he held the picture up for Gettelin to 
look at. 
“ More beautiful than any fairy,” said 
Gettelin, with a raptured face, sweeping 
down to leave a tender kiss upon Lettie’s 
forehead. 
“Oh, I saw-” said Alta, with a great 
wonder in her eyes; “l saw- What 
could it have been ?” But whatever it was, 
it was gone before she could speak, and 
Lettie looked wonderingly over her shoul¬ 
der. “ Who kissed me V ” she said; but she 
pever found out. 
“What do you think of this, mamma?” 
said Fairy Gettelin. showing her precious 
photograph, that glittered as none ever 
glittered before. 
“I think,” said Mrs. Bandette, “that 
you have selected t he prettiest instead of 
the best." Hut the Prince ami her daughter 
only laughed, and flew away singing— 
What shall wo jrivo the fairies' Kiri ? 
Flowers, nnrl fruit, and honey to eat ? 
Satin robe, and glhntnerbiK jmnrl t 
Or fairy lovo and kisses sweet? 
This wc Rive ;—Her soul shall keep 
The brown face hlooudiiR and bright as day ; 
Fairy music shall charm her sleep, 
And fairies love her forever and aye ! 
ILLUSTRATED REBUS.-No. 9. 
ZST Answer in two weeks. 
-»♦«-- 
RIDDLE.-No. 2. 
A marble wall as white as milk. 
Lined with a skin as soft as silk; 
Within a fountain crystal-clear— 
A golden applo doth appear. 
There Is no door to this stronghold. 
Yet thieves break in and steal the gold. 
Frank L. Fitts. 
CST” Answer in two weeks. 
PROBLEM.—No. 4. 
A perpendicular pole,’ 100 feet high, stands 
on a side hill, which stands at an angle of thirty 
degrees from the level, being broken off by the 
wind, the top strikes the ground forty feet 
down the hill from the foot of the slump. What 
is the length of the part broken off ? - J. M. B., 
Pike, N.Y. 
fWr ~ Answer in two weeks, when wc will pub¬ 
lish the first five answers received. 
PUZZLER ANSWERS.-Feb. 17. 
iu.rsTRATEn Rebus No. 7. —13 
good philosophy. 
Biblical Square Word, No. 2. 
E D A R 
DOVE 
A Y E N 
REND 
- Bear and forbear is 
Junlip)' fJoi{t-<Jolio. 
MEMORIES. 
Into an Inner room I've looked to-day, 
Ami found strange relics hidden away; 
Relies which none hut I could prize. 
Hidden away from mortal eyes. 
A scrap of a song a breath of prayer; 
A sound of music on the still night air ; 
Thu memory of nn hour of bliss, 
Of a circling arm, ami u lover’s kiss. 
A broken promise numberless sighs ; 
A look was It loving ?—from out blue eyes ; 
The rustle of loaves by soft winds stirred. 
The clasp of a hand and a whispered word. 
A tap on the door—a face on the wall, 
The gleam of a light, and a darkened hall; 
There woro fragments of friendships —severed 
An age of pain and a baby's cries. [ties ; 
The thrill that run through the mother-breast, 
W hen lirst to it,« fountain warm lips were pressed; 
Half.sentences lisped by a voice so sweet, 
And the putter, putter of little feet. 
Tho Joy In tho flret-hurn-exquisite pain 
Of giving him hack to Heaven again, 
A mother's love and a father's pride, 
With anguish at parting lay sldo by side. 
Oh folded memories lie away 
ITutll the dawn of tho perfect day 
When changed shall ho these bodies of clay, 
And GOD shall wlpo all tears away. 
M. 8. G. 
WOMEN ADMITTED TO CORNELL UNI¬ 
VERSITY. 
The Trustees of Cornell University, at 
their late meeting in Albany, unanimously 
resolved to admit women to all the privi¬ 
leges aud. honors of the University, on tho 
same terms as men. 
The question was very carefully examined 
by a very intelligent Committee of the 
Board, at the head of which was Mr. W n ite, 
the President of the University, who visited 
tho most prominent institutions of learning 
where the sexes are educated together, and 
also several of our best female seminaries. 
Afterw careful analysis of the evidence ac¬ 
cumulated, and a free consultation with 
many of t he most experienced educators in 
America, they came to the unanimous con¬ 
clusion that the education of the two sexes 
in common would lead to the elevation of 
both. When young men are educated by 
themselves, it tends to produce coaiseqess 
of manners and slovenliness of habits, which 
could not exist in tho presence of refined 
aud cultivated women. On the other hand, 
when girls are educated wholly among their 
own sex they arc superficial In their studies, 
and do not acquire a thorough intellectual 
grip of their subjects; but their pride will 
not permit them to come to a recitation in 
the presence of young men without a thor¬ 
ough preparation and a complete mastery 
of their lessons. 
Mr. Henry W. Sage of Brooklyn has 
generously contributed a quarter of a mil¬ 
lion of dollars to endow the female depart¬ 
ment, which is also to include a botanic 
garden, and an arboretum,which will in¬ 
clude at least oue species of every genus 
known to botanists. This will bo of great 
importance to the agricultural college, and 
greatly facilitate the progress of its students. 
The plan of the building for the ladies is 
not quite determined, but it will probably 
consist of a series of neat cottages arranged 
around a large quadrangle, which will be 
laid out in lawns and flower gardens, and 
embellished with shrubbery. By this ar¬ 
rangement the young ladies will be enabled 
to distribute themselves in families, accord¬ 
ing to their elective affinities, and avoid the 
society of those that may be repulsive to 
them; and if anything occurs to make one 
house disagreeable, they have a wide range 
of choice in the selection of another. 
When the McGraw building is completed, 
the south college building will bo wholly 
surrendered to the Agricultural college, as 
its permanent home, where all its museums 
and collections of every land can bo assem¬ 
bled, aud where ail its lectures and recita¬ 
tions will be held. The students in this 
college are increasing, and sixty acres will 
be devoted during t he present year to an 
experimental and model farm, where all the 
practical exorcises of Mm farm will bo con¬ 
ducted under tho direction of the Professor 
of Agriculture. There is every indication 
that this college will soon meet all the ex¬ 
pectations of its most ardent, friends, and 
be a source? of Instruction and protit to all 
the farmers of the State. 
When the female department is comple¬ 
ted, it. is proposed to connect with it a mod¬ 
el dairy, to be managed, in all its depart¬ 
ments, by students; and it is hoped that 
poor girls, who desire an education, may in 
this way be enabled to maintain themselves 
during their entire course; and at tho 
same time contribute largely to the increase 
of dairy science? by the exactness of its pro¬ 
cesses and the accuracy of its records. Ev¬ 
ery case of difficulty will bo minutely exam¬ 
ined by the professors, until the cause is as 
certaiued and a remedy provided.—c. 
