1. THERE dwelt a miller hale and bold
Beside the river Dee;

He worked and sang from morn till night,
No lark more blithe than he;
And this the burden of his song
Forever used to be,-

"I envy nobody; no, not I,

And nobody envies me!"

2. "Thou'rt wrong, my friend," said old King Hal,

"Thou'rt wrong as wrong can be;
For could my heart be light as thine,
I'd gladly change with thee.

And tell me now what makes thee sing,
With voice so loud and free,

While I am sad, though I'm the king,
Beside the river Dee?"

3. The miller smiled and doffed his cap.
"I earn my bread," quoth he;
"I love my wife, I love my friend,
I love my children three;

I owe no penny

I cannot pay,

I thank the river Dee,

That turns the mill, that grinds the corn,
To feed my babes and me."

4. "Good friend," said Hal, and sighed the while,

"Farewell, and happy be;

But say no more, if thou'dst be true,

That no one envies thee.

Thy mealy cap is worth my crown,
Thy mill my kingdom's fee;

Such men as thou are England's boast,
O miller of the Dee!"

C. Mackay.

THE BULL-FIGHT.

I. ONE Saturday afternoon, as a party of boys went out to play, Tommy said, "Let's go down to the river and cut a lot of new fish-poles."

"Take Toby along to drag them back, and one of us can ride him down," proposed Stuffy, who hated to walk.

"That means you, I suppose; well, hurry up, lazy-bones," said Dan.

2. Away they went, and having got the poles, were about to go home, when Demi unluckily said to Tommy, who was on Toby with a long rod in his hand:

"You look like the picture of the man in the bull-fight, only you haven't got a red cloth or pretty clothes on."

"I'd like to see one; wouldn't you?" said Tommy, shaking his lance.

"Let's have one; there's old Buttercup in the big meadow; ride at her, Tom, and see her run," proposed Dan, bent on mischief.

3. "No, you mustn't," began Demi, who was learning to distrust Dan's propositions.

"Why not, little fuss-button?" demanded Dan. "I don't think Uncle Fritz would like it."

"Did he ever say we must not have a bullfight?"

"No, I don't think he ever did," admitted Demi.

4. "Then hold your tongue. Drive on, Tom, and here's a red flag to flap at the old thing. I'll help you stir her up," and over the wall went Dan, full of the new game, and the rest followed like a flock of sheep; even Demi, who sat upon the bars, and watched the fun with interest.

5. Poor Buttercup was not in a very good mood, for she had been lately bereft of her calf, and mourned for the little thing most dismally. Just now she regarded all mankind as her enemies (and I do not blame her), so when the matadore came prancing toward her with the red handkerchief flying at the end of his long lance, she threw up her head, and gave a most appropriate "Moo!" Tommy rode gallantly at her, and Toby, recognizing an old friend, was quite willing to approach; but when the lance came down on her back, with a loud whack, both cow and donkey were surprised and disgusted. Toby backed with a bray of remonstrance, and Buttercup lowered her horns angrily.

"At her again, Tom; she's jolly cross, and will do it capitally," called Dan, coming up behind with another rod, while Jack and Ned followed his example.

6. Seeing herself thus beset and treated with such disrespect, Buttercup trotted round the field, getting more and more bewildered and excited every moment, for, whichever way she turned, there was a dreadful boy, yelling and brandishing

a new and very disagreeable sort of whip. It was great fun for them, but real misery for her, till she lost her patience and turned the tables in a most unexpected manner. All at once she wheeled short around, and charged full at her old friend Toby, whose conduct cut her to the heart. Poor slow Toby backed so precipitately that he tripped over a stone, and down went horse, matadore, and all, in one ignominious heap, while distracted Buttercup took a surprising leap over the wall, and trotted wildly out of sight down the road.

7. “Catch her, stop her, head her off! run, boys, run!" shouted Dan, tearing after her at his best speed, for she was Mr. Bhaer's pet Alderney, and if anything happened to her, Dan feared it would be all over with him. Such a running and racing and bawling and puffing as there was before she was caught! The fish-poles were left behind; Toby was trotted nearly off his legs in the chase; and every boy was red, breathless, and scared. They found poor Buttercup at last in a flowergarden, where she had taken refuge, worn out with the long run. Borrowing a rope for a halter, Dan led her home, followed by a party of very sober young gentlemen, for the cow was in a sad state, having sprained her shoulder in jumping so that she limped, her eyes looked wild, and her glossy coat was wet and muddy.

Louisa M. Alcott.