120 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET 
quality of velveteen, as it looks like plush. It took 
about a yard and a quarter: of the fringe to finish the 
top and the valance it took tliree yards. It is only 
worsted cheuille, and cost thirty-seven cents a yard.” 
Next Mary displayed the other wash-stand, which 
was to be a birthday present for her brother-in-law, and 
had been converted into a dictionary stand. It was 
covered with maroon cloth, with a fringe of maroon 
and old gold. With Worcester’s Unabridged on the top, 
and his newspapers on the shelf underneath, nothing 
could have been more to Mr. Hardy’s mind for his little 
library. The valance went all around the back, as he 
did not need the drawer, and it was to stand in the cen¬ 
ter of the room beside the writing-table. Various were 
the tables Mary manufactured that summer. One was 
for a wedding present, and was covered, legs and all, 
with olive plush, with fringe to match. Another was 
for an invalid, and was ebonized only. Across tho lop 
she threw a scarf of fine crash with embroidered ends 
and ornamented the drawer with brass handles—pretty, 
and yet costing only twelve cents apiece. As the table 
stood by the bed, with glasses and a vase of flowers, 
books on the under shelf, writing materials all handy in 
the drawer, the invalid pronounced it a real treasure. 
Her last achievement was of unpainted pine—she got it 
at the manufactory—sand-papered by herself, and then 
shellacked instead of ebonized. She covered it with a 
delicate Morris cretonne of pink and blue, with a fringo 
that matched. It »vas for her own little bedroom, and 
all her girl friends said, “"Where did you buy that 
lovely work-table?” till she told them the secret, as I 
have told you.— Harper’s Bazar. 
HOW THE PIGS WERE SOLD. 
“ MjliY.” said old Mr. Ford, to his seven-year-old 
granddaughter, “ there is the prettiest sight out in the 
barn that you ever saw.” 
“ Oh ! what is it: ” exclaimed Milly. 
“ Kgs.” replied grandpa concisely. 
“ Can I go and see them, and can I have one for my 
own, and how many are there?” asked Milly all in a 
breath. 
“There are nine little pigs, and you may pick out one 
for yourself as soon as your very lively boots can take 
you to the barn,” for Milly, who could never be still a 
minute, was holding on to the back of her father’s 
cliah-, and hopping first on one foot and then on the 
other. 
Mr. Ford started for the barn with a pail of sour milk 
in each hand, and Milly, without stopping to get her 
hat, raced on before him to the bars, and then back to 
meet him, coming with such force, that she could not 
check herself, but ran against one of the pails, upsetting 
it and receiving its contents all over her clothes. Mr. 
Ford laughed heartily, and said: 
“ I’ve more pigs to feed than I counted on. it seems. 
You had better take it in the trough with the others 
next time.” 
Meantime, Milly was shaking herself vigorously and 
turning up her city-bred nose at the sour smell that en¬ 
veloped her, while her father and mother and Aunt 
Mary, had come to the door to look and laugh, and Bar¬ 
bara, Milly’s younger sister, was walking gravely towards 
them, half hidden in her Aunt Mary’s sun-bonnet. So 
Milly had to go to the house and have her dress changed, 
and Barbara saw the pigs first after all. 
Judge Ford, with his wife and two little daughters, 
had come to his father's Vermont farm to spend the 
Summer. They had arrived the night before our story 
opens; so the children had found no opportunity to ex¬ 
plore the premises, and there is so much on a farm to 
amuse, instruct, and entertain children. Milly, who 
was lively and mischievous, was her grandfather’s 
favorite. Barbara, who was a year younger than 
Milly, never did any mischief, never ran out without 
her hat or bonnet, but did everything properly and 
leisurely. Milly’s mother washed and dressed her luck¬ 
less little girl, and away she ran to join Barbara and 
her grandfather at the barn. Barbara was looking at 
the pigs with a pleased and contented smile, but Milly 
shouted with joy at sight of the pretty while things, 
and begged grandpa to give her oue to hold. 
“ Don't, Milly,” said pretty Barbara, “you’ll be getting 
into trouble again.” But Mr. Ford was always ready to 
help spoil Milly, so he climbed into the pen and picked 
up the cleanest of them, and reached it up to Milly, 
saying, “Take it in your apron for it would slip out of 
your hands.” 
Milly held out her apron and received the little pig 
squealing and wriggling and trying to get away, but 
Milly gathered the apron tightly in her hands, and be¬ 
fore her grandfather could remonstrate, ran to the 
house, and crying out, “See, Mamma, isn't this a 
beauty?” dropped the small porker into her mother’s 
lap. Poor Mrs. Ford, who had never in her life touched 
such a thing before, jumped from her chair with a 
piercing scream, while the pig, equally frightened, 
dropped on the floor and wriggled about, not knowing 
enough to go out at the open door. Judge Ford 
spoke sternly to Milly, and ordered her to pick up 
the pig and cany it out instantly. Milly attempted 
to obey, but found that a pig was not to be picked 
up in an instant. Every time she succeeded in 
getting hold of him he slipped and wormed himself out 
of her hands, and around the room, under chairs and 
tables went Milly and the pig, until at last as they 
reached the door, and Milly tripped over the pig and 
sprawled on the floor, the slippery quadruped darted 
through the door-way, only to find liimself caught 
firmly in Barbara’s apron. Barbara had in her own 
slow way left the pen a minute later than Milly, and 
walking slowly up to the house and towards the sitting- 
room, had seen Milly trying to catch the pig, and knelt 
by the door and held out her apron, still slowly, but 
just at the right moment. 
Mr. Ford’s pigs were noted throughout the town as 
an exceptionally fine breed, and many farmers came to 
buy them, and Milly, who was always at her grand¬ 
father’s heels, would come in and gravely announce 
that she and grandpa had sold another pig, until there 
were but two more, and those Mr. Ford had reserved 
for himself. Milly did not know this, however, but 
