Bluster-The Wind. Bright-The Sun. Sprinkle-The Rain. Once there were three great giants who helped the tiny flowers, the great trees, the brooks, all the little woodland inhabitants. Neither the blue violets nor the delicate white snow-drops could ever have waked up in the spring, nor the great red roses and yellow sunflowers could have opened their eyes in the summer, nor the trees have put on their green dresses, nor the pussy-willows have thrown off their fur caps, if Bright had not been ready to warm the big, brown house where their winter's bed was found. Nor could they ever have crawled into such cozy places if Bluster had not run with them, and with his great hand gathered up dried leaves and earth to make warm comforts for them. Tightly wrapped in their beds, they lay waiting for Spring to call them; gentle, loving Spring, who always needs and calls upon her three great giant friends to help her bring the birds back home, and to wake up the flower babies, and set them to work. She had sent Bright to touch, with his warm fingers, their brown house, and had asked Sprinkle to tap at their doors and tell the little flower-people to get up. Bluster was ready to welcome them as they peeped out, and blew his warm breath on their little hands. The violets by the thousand were nodding their tiny purple caps; the snow-drops had peeped up, finished their work, and gone to sleep again; the robins, who had gone off for their winter's trip, had come back, and the little brooks had been filled with water, and were dancing merrily among the stones, thanking old Sprinkle for the quantities of water he brought them, while would you believe it? -Pussy Willow, with her little brown fur cap closely tied on, was still asleep. The violets called to her that it was time to get up, and Robin Redbreast, as he flew by, called to her, saying," Oh, you lazy Pussy! How can you stay asleep so long, when everybody else has waked up and gone to work?" Pussy heard, but her mother told her to wait, for Jack Frost was still lurking around, and might come back. Bluster, Bright and Sprinkle talked about her and wondered why she had not awakened. Sprinkle said, "I believe she is thirsty; I will give her a cool drink, and maybe she will rouse up." Bluster said, "No, she is lazy; I will shake her and make her get up." Bright said nothing, but quietly waited. Sprinkle sent down a shower of cold water, which made Pussy draw her cap all the more closely. Bluster shook her, at first gently, then harder and harder, and at last very roughly, but Pussy did not stir. They then went back and told Bright what they had done and how Pussy still kept on her fur cap. Bright smiled and said, "I will see what I can do." Calling all his little sunbeam sons and daughters to him, he told them Pussy Willow's story, and asked if they would like to go and help her wake up and enjoy the springtime. Joyfully they started off to work. Joining hands they danced around Pussy, making her feel warm and comfortable. Softly and lovingly they tapped. Pussy Willow heard them, felt the warmth, and gentle, tender touch of those dear little helpers; and, while they worked, out she peeped and saw her good friends and playfellows helping her. She threw off her brown fur cap, and, shaking her silky, gold hair, nodded and smiled at the violets and dandelions around her. Bluster and Sprinkle shook their heads and wondered how Bright had waked her up. Bright said nothing, yet still kept on working. The next time Robin flew by he stopped to speak to Pussy, and to sit and sing to her, telling her, in his song, how sorry he was that he laughed at her, and how glad that she had at last come out to enjoy the springtime. She thanked Sprinkle whenever he sent her cool, fresh water to drink-as he always did when the days were hot. The last we saw of Pussy and her neighbors, she was merrily laughing, surrounded by the violets, dandelions, and spring beauties, the centre of a circle around which her three giant friends were dancing hand in hand, Sprinkle throwing drops of crystal water over her golden-yellow hair, out of which Bluster was trying to shake the drops as he blew the silky threads, and Bright smiling on her, until each tiny hair looked like gold, and every drop of water a real diamond. -The Kindergarten. NOTE. Owing to serious illness of the editor the exercises intended for Memorial Day are not in shape to be used. We announce this with regret and trust our subscribers will bear with us under the circumstances. "I thought, Mr. Allen, when I gave my Bennie to his country, that not a father in all this broad land made so precious a gift, no, not one. The dear boy only slept a minute, just one little minute at his post. I know that was all, for Bennie never dozed over a duty. How prompt and reliable he was! He only slept one little second; he was so young, that boy of mine! Why, he was as tall as I, and only eighteen! And now they shoot him, because he was found asleep when doing sentinel-duty. Twenty-four hours, the telegram said. Only twenty-four hours! Where is Bennie now?" "We will hope, with his Heavenly Father," said Mr. Allen soothingly. "Yes, yes; let us hope. God is very merciful!" "I should be ashamed, father,' Bennie said, 'when I am a man, to think I never used this great right arm for my country, when it needed it. Palsy it, rather than keep it at the plow.' 'Go, then-go, my boy,' I said, 'and God keep you!' God has kept him, I think, Mr. Allen." Little Blossom sat near them, listening, with blanched cheek. She had not shed a tear. Her anxiety had been so concealed that no one had noticed it. Now she answered a gentle tap at the kitchen door, opening it to receive a letter from a neighbor's hand. "It is from him," was all she said. It was like a message from the dead. Mr. Owen took the letter, but could not break the envelope on account of his trembling fingers, and held it toward Mr. Allen, with the helplessness of a child. The minister opened it, and read as follows:-"Dear Father: When this reaches you I shall be in eternity. At first it seemed awful to me, but I have thought about it so much now, that it has no terror. They say they will not bind me nor blind me, but that I may meet my death like a man. I thought, father, it might have been on the battle-field for my country, and, that, when I fell, it would be fighting gloriously; but to be shot down like a dog for nearly 'betraying it, to die for neglect of duty; oh, father, I wonder the very thought does not kill me! But I shall not disgrace you. I am going to write you all about it; and when I am gone, you may tell my comrades. I can not now. You know I promised Jimmie Carr's mother I would look after her boy; and when he fell sick, I did all I could for him. He was not strong when ordered back into the ranks, and the day before that night I carried all his luggage, besides my own, on our march. Toward night we went in on double-quick, and though |