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"Pooh!" said Jack; 66 so have I. There aren't any fairies here. I used to bleeve there were when I was as small as you, but I don't bleeve it now."

"When you were as small as I!' echoed Nan, scornfully. "You're only just two summers and a part of a winter older than I; and I guess I know as much as you do, and more, too, perhaps. Girls always know more than boys, boys are so full of mischief. Pat is very old, as much as twenty, and can hardly 'member when he was a little boy, it was so long ago; and he's see fairies himself!"

Jack opened his eyes very wide at this, for he believed in Pat above every other earthly being. What was there that Pat could not do? Nobody could use a gun as Pat could; he could make violins out of a bit of wood, and draw the finest music ever heard from their strings, according to Jack's idea; and such bows and arrows as he fashioned were never known before. The wildest horse grew tame under his magic influence, and the hens would go to sleep at his mysterious bidding. Seth, the other hired man on the farm, was great, in his way, but nobody at all compared to Pat.

"Did Pat say that he had seen fairies, Nan?" queried he, with a little look of conviction.

"Course he did," said Nan; "and a bogtrotter, too, when he was coming through the swamp one night-a funny little fellow with a light."

Jack examined the foxglove with a sort of awe.

"Don't pick any more of them," said she; "the fairies don't like it, if you pick them, 'coz they have to go without their caps, you know. Pat says so. He said he would have got more of them for me, if it hadn't been for that."

Jack had never interviewed Pat on the subject of fairies, having usually been engaged on more important topics. Once he had been considerably exercised about fairies, but obtaining no satisfaction in his research of fairy knowledge, he had given it up, and believed Hannah when she declared that there was no such tribe on the face of the earth. But Hannah was not infallible, by any means, and was dreadfully ignorant on the subject of jam tarts, when she herself had just locked them into the dark closet, to save for company. Pat's

word was to be believed before Hannah's, Jack thought, after pondering these things. And, after all, would people make so many books about fairies, if there were no such things?

"Are they people, or birds, or what do you think, Nan ?" said he; wonderfully condescending, Nan thought, for be seldom deigned to apply to her for information.

"Well," said she, her dignity greatly flattered, "I don't s'pose they're either, edzactly-something like people, and something like birds. They can talk, you know, and birds can't; and they can fly, and people can't."

Jack looked greatly enlightened.

"Well, I tell you what, Nan," said he, "if there are any fairies, I am going to see They're little, and they can't hurt any one, and-0, you don't know what I am going to do!"

one.

"They are good, and they wont hurt any one," corrected Nan. "If anybody's very bad, though, they punish them. Don't you 'member 'bout their putting thorns into the bad boy's bed in my story book?".

Jack grew a little less enthusiastic about what he was going to do.

"Pooh! I aint afraid of 'em, anyway," said he, after a little reflection, “I'm going to set my trap, anyway!"

"I wouldn't," said Nan, thinking of woodchucks. "They always punish cruel people, and it's cruel to catch woodchucks. Come to think of it, Jack, I wouldn't set it for anything"""

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Nan had always protested against Jack's catching these poor little animals, and she hoped she had a little hold upon him now. What a goose you are, Nan!" said he, impatiently. "I'm going to set it for fairies, right here in the midst of this clump of foxgloves-my bird-trap, I mean. 'Twont hurt 'em, you know; 'twill only shut 'em up till a fellow gets a chance to see one."

Nan looked perfectly aghast. She could not have been more shocked if he had talked about setting a trap to catch angels. You don't mean it, Jack?" she uttered, in a terrified whisper.

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"Course I mean it," said he; "and if you wait here long enough, you'll see me do it."

And Nan saw that he did mean to do it, and that all she could say against the pro

ceeding would be utterly in vain; so she was silent, but her small mind was torn with misgivings.

"What are you going to use for bait ?" she found the courage to ask, after her first terror was over. "I don't suppose fairies will eat worms, or cabbages, like birds and woodchucks."

This question was a poser.

"What do they eat?" he questioned. "I shan't tell you, because I don't want you to be so wicked!" said Nan, airily,

But she was finally induced to withdraw her objections, and give him the full benefit of her knowledge.

"My book says they live on honey and dew; but Pat says he bleeves they eat nuts and berries."

"Well, it's of no use to put dew inthough I suppose we could find some in the tall grass-'coz 'twould all dry up so soon; then, besides, if they wanted dew, they could find plenty of it anywhere. What can I put in, so's to be sure of 'em ?" "There's strawberries," said Nan," and there's honey at the house; only I don't bleeve Hannah would give you any."

"She would give you some," said Jack; "you go and bring it."

But Nan refused to have anything to do with trapping the fairies in the most decided manner.

"Papa told you not to set any traps in this field," said she, "for fear the chickens and little turkeys would get into it."

"He didn't say not to set traps in the field at all," said Jack; "he said not near the house. And Nan, you're the stupidest girl I ever saw, and would spoil all a fellow's fun, if you could. I'm going back to the house now, to get some honey, and I guess I shall go to the store, too, and get some nuts. I've got five cents. Nuts and honey both'll bring 'em. As for you, you can go where you like. I don't want to play with you any longer."

Anxiety on Jack's account softened Nan's resentment. Was there ever such a hazardous undertaking? and would Jack escape with any less punishment than being changed into a toad, or snake, or some such dreadful thing, if he really should catch a fairy?

Jack procured his bait, and came back triumphant. He placed a great blotch of yellow honey on an oak leaf, which he fancied was the fairy fashion of taking re

freshment, and cracking the nuts, disposed them in the most tempting manner; then he arranged the trap, and left it to its fate. Nan was afraid to play in the field any more that afternoon, and Jack went fishing with Tom Jones, and came near forgetting it altogether.

"I shan't look at it till Monday," he announced to Nan at bedtime.

Nan could hardly sleep for fear that night, and Jack gave rather anxious glances toward the field himself before he was safe in bed; and dreamed that a dreadful fairy took the form of a great bird, and came and pecked his eyes out! That trap interfered with Nan's Sunday school lesson dreadfully; she said it all wrong; and Jack kept awake all through the service, thinking about it. Jack was not a coward, not a bit of it; he could have faced a bear with calmness, and thought very complacently of robbers; but there was something uncanny about fairies, and to tell the truth, he was afraid to go and look at the trap, for fear it might have captured a fairy. Nan watched him breathlessly, expecting every moment to see him suddenly vanish from her sight, or be changed into something terrible; but confiding her fears to Pat, who was made to declare solemnly that he would never tell about Jack, she felt her burden lighten. He was sure the fairies wouldn't do anything very bad to him, just for trying to get a sight at one; though it wasn't safe to meddle with them in any way. But she felt a little disappointed, nevertheless, because Pat was so sure Jack wouldn't catch one.

"Why, bless me soul!"' said he; "a fairy could turn into a fly while I was winking me eye, and be off in a second; or into somethin' stranger than anythin', and burst the trap open! There's no trapping a fairy, belave me."

But Nan wasn't sure. Books were even better authority than Pat, and with her wide knowledge of fairy lore she remembered cases where fairies had languished in prisons. And Jack, who spent the afternoon studying up fairy history, instead of reading his Sunday school book, as he was supposed to be doing, wasn't quite so sure, either. But just before sunset he took courage, and asked permission to walk in the field. Nan had a great desire to go, too, for fear made the fairy-trap additionally fascinating.

"I aint afraid," said Jack, stoutly. "There are Seth and Hannah walking on the hill. If anything should happen, we could call them."

"I shall only go a little ways," said Nan; "and O Jack, I'm afraid to have you go! You mustn't go!"

"Pooh!" said Jack, growing more and more brave every moment, out under the blue sky, among the matter-of-fact daisies and buttercups; "I don't bleeve in fairies, anyway. I wish I'd been sensible, and set my trap for crows!''

By this time they were quite near the fateful foxgloves, and Nan was afraid to go any further. But she climbed on a small knoll, and strained her eyes in the direction of the trap. Jack paused to take a survey, also. But the wind was tossing the grass in its old unconcerned way, and there was nothing unusual to be seen. The trap was hidden in the leaves and grass of a little hollow, however. Everything was as still as still could be while they waited, until, all of a sudden, the most unearthly sound that ever reached mortal ears rang out in that direction, mingled with a noise like the flapping of wings. It seemed to be a human cry, but unlike any voice they ever heard before, so harsh and shrill. And it said, "Come here! come here! Let me out! let me out!" and then went off into a perfect string of gibberish, that was Greek to the ears of Nan and Jack, who had both taken to their heels, and were scrambling through the buttercups at a speed amazing to behold.

Breathless with haste and fear, they flew to wise and sympathetic Pat, who volunteered to go and find out the mystery at once; and under his protection, Jack found courage to go, too, or, at least, to within a few yards of the place, while Nan hung behind, in an agony of suspense. Well, and what do you suppose they found in the fairy trap? what but a great staring-eyed, chattering parrot, which, delighted at the prospect of release, hailed her deliverers with shouts of welcome more hearty than musical!

"Howly St. Pathrick!" exclaimed Pat; "what a stunner for talking! I never heard the likes! A fairy, indade, Masther Jack. It's the circus Poll, that was lost."

And sure enough, it was the circus Poll.

There had been a circus and menagerie on the village green a short time previous, and one of the famous family of talkingparrots had been advertised as lost.

"Come here Nan, and see the fairy!" shouted Jack at the top of his voice, and he held up the screaming parrot to her view.

Both the children were delighted as if it had been a real fairy, and Jack gave it as his private opinion that Poll was as good a fairy as any there were. Nan hardly agreed with him in that part, however.

"How do you 'spose she happened to get in to the trap ?" said Nan. "O, I 'spose she was hungry wandering round in the woods so long, and spying the nuts, thought she'd like to see how they tasted."

They bore the bird home in triumph, and she is a great source of amusement in the house to this day; for when Jack's father wrote to the proprietor of the menagerie to tell him that she was found and he could have her by sending to Greenville, he wrote back that he would make him a present of her, if he would accept such a present, it would be so much trouble to trausport the lady. Jack bought a fine cage for her, and they call her fairy, and every day almost, he sets more traps in the field hoping to catch another prize. But he never does, nothing more marvellous than a frightened crow, or a trembling little woodchuck, never the least thing that resembles a fairy. I know some children who set different traps for fairies, and with far better success; perhaps I will tell you about them sometime.

A LARGE BIRD.-Fossil bones of a gigantic bird of prey have been discovered in New Zealand, exceeding in size any yet known. Dr Haast, F.R.S. the government geologist, says, in describing these bones, that the phalanges are nearly as large as those of the lions and tigers in the present day, and that the bird to which they belonged must have been of prodigious strength. And after having seen its curved talons, he adds, the fable of the bird roc no longer seems so very extravagant and strange. A human being would have stood a very poor chance against so formidable a foe. It is believed that this gigantic bird hunted down and ate that other big bird known as the Moa.

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CURIOUS MATTERS.

RENEWAL OF OIL PAINTINGS.-The linseed oil used by artists has in it a principle which extracts oxygen from the air, forms a varnish, and dries, enclosing the particles of color: in lapse of time the varnish contracts and changes, according to the action of damp or heat that may assail it. Pettenkofer suggests a plan for restoring altered pictures which is so simple as to be capable of application by any one. The picture is fastened face downwards to a lid of a box lined with a layer of glue, and the bottom covered with flannel; this must be soaked with alcohol of 80 per cent, and allowed to remain until the oil is affected and rendered transparent. Another method is to apply copaiba balsam to the back of the picture, though this can only be done to canvas bodies.

A MILK-PRODUCING PLANT.-M. GilletDamitte has addressed a paper to the Academy of Sciences, to announce the nutritive and lactigenous properties of the plant called Galega officinals. As fodder, its value is thirty-three per cent higher than the best meadow hay. Cattle easily take to it, and chemical analysis shows that it is a milk-producer. From experiments made on cows exclusively fed on galega, it appears that in twenty-four hours they yielded thirty-three per cent more milk than others fed on other kinds of fodder; some gave as much as fifty per cent.

INK-PLANT.-The botanists of Europe are endeavoring to acclimatize a plant growing in New Granada, which is valuable for the manufacture of ink. The juice, called "chanhi," is reddish, but changes after a few hours into a deep black, and is then ready for use. The "Chanhi " has less destructive influence on steel pens than common ink. Experiments made in Spain demonstrated that the ink was not even spoiled by sea-water, which is invariably deleterious to ordinary ink.

TURKISH PORTERS.-The strength and dexterity of the "hamals" of Constantinople in carrying enormous burdens are proverbial; and it is surprising to see one

of these poor Eastern porters quietly plodding his way up or down some hilly street with a perfect mountain of material piled upon his back. The loads they carry are most miscellaneous; but even old residents were lately astonished to see a "hamal" staggering along the Grande Rue de Pera with a large four-wheeled carriage-all complete except the horses-lashed on to his porter's knot.

THE STARS OF HEAVEN.-The number of stars visible to the naked eye in the entire circuit of the heavens has been usually estimated at about 6000. An ordinary opera-glass will exhibit something like ten times that number. A comparatively small telescope easily shows 200,000; while there are telescopes in existence with which, there is reason to believe, not fewer than 25,000,000 stars are visible. And yet, when all these are seen and numbered, the eye will have visited but a mere speck in the illimitable bounds of space.

AN ODD CUSTOM.-A curious contribution to the literature of that excellent but dolorous root, the onion, comes (says the Garden) from a little French village. The inhabitants of this place regularly perform a ceremony without which they hold the general well-being of the said vegetable could not be secured. This ceremony consists in the gorgeously-attired people of the village dancing in a circle, holding hands, and is said not only to make the onion healthy, but to impart to it a fascinating roundness and perfection of form. The festival continues eight days, and is accounted generally pleasant.

ELECTRICAL GAS LIGHTING.-A novel device for lighting gas by electricity, lately patented, is made as follows:-A glass cup is immersed in liquid, and when the gas is turned on it enters under the cup and lifts the same, thereby establishing connection with a battery which heats a platinum wire placed over the burner, and thus ignites the gas. Mueller and Meier of Hanover, Germany, are the inventors.

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