village, consisting of several huts inhabited by a colony of black people.

"Now we shall have to go round," cried Toulouru, joyfully, perceiving that one house was so directly in their line of march that some crabs would have to surmount it if they did not swerve aside.

"Nothing of the kind," shouted Crusty, angrily. "Are not the people all asleep, you coward? and if they were awake three times over we should go all the same. We must walk straight on."

"I won't," said Toulouru, positively. "I value my life a little more than you seem to do, and I'll go to the other side of the column."

"Then be off with you!" cried her enraged

"but I don't admire your plan of getting across rivers, I must say."

"Better than going round, better than going round," mumbled Crusty, with great obstinacy, as she tried to scrape the mud off her back.

"I won't go any farther till I get something to eat," interrupted Slow-coach; this being the first observation she had made since they started. Her companions were all attention, and Toulouru cried, "I see some lovely fruit hanging from those trees in front of us; are they nice, Crusty?"

"Very nice," replied the old lady, glancing up; "they are the apples of the manchineel tree, and we cannot do better than eat some of them."

As most of the crabs seemed to have come to the same conclusion, the marching order was broken up, and the troop dispersed in all directions.

When they again started in procession, they had not gone far before they saw before them a negro

companion. "You ought not to be received into crab-society at all."

"I'll go with you," drawled Slow-coach, lazily; and in company with numbers of crabs as foolish as themselves they began to mount the mud walls of the dwelling.

Steadily and slowly, up they went, their claws rattling against the dry clay, and rustling in the thatch of the roof. Across it they climbed in safety, all but Slow-coach, who, always last happened, unfortunately for herself, to go too near the hole which did duty for a chimney, and through the aperture she tumbled, and alighted with rather a crash on the face of a chubby little black boy who was reposing on the floor, in happy uncon sciousness of what his rude awakening would be!

Cuffy opened his mouth, and gave vent to a yell which caused his family simultaneously to spring to their feet, and his mother, clasping him in her

arms, inquired what was the matter; but she speedily discovered the cause of the commotion herself, for Slow-coach, having no time to collect her ideas, had seized Cuffy's nose in her pincers, and held on to him like a vice.

The child shrieked and screamed with fear and pain; neighbours soon rushed in from the other cabins, and the crab, leaving her claw behind, was

soon plucked from her prey, and, to make matters secure, thrown into a pot of water, in order that she might not do any further mischief. Then the negroes, one and all, sallied forth in pursuit of her companions: for the

natives full well knew that one solitary landcrab would not

ever appear in their village unless the whole of the army were marching to the

sea.

Away rushed the colony, men, women, and alsc children,after the disappearing crabs. Hither and thither they hurried, some carrying torches, some

with pain. Some of his family at once rushed off to a neighbouring white doctor, and entreated the kind "massa" to come and see the child, which the young Englishman did, and at once pronounced that Cuffy was suffering from the effects of poison. "He eat noting but crab, massa," protested Sambo, Cuffy's father, solemnly.

"But what had the crab been eating?" inquired

with baskets, some with aprons, all bent on the capture of their spoil. The poor crabs vainly clattered their nippers to intimidate their enemies ; the most dexterous men caught the crustaceans by the hind legs in order to escape their pincers, and in a short time they had collected a goodly number of crabs, with which they retired to their huts, and prepared to secure their captives, and to take as much more repose as they conveniently could.

But when morning dawned sounds of weeping and lamentation arose from the same cabin whence the disturbance had issued on the previous night. Cuffy, inside, was rolling on the floor and moaning

Dr. Brown, as a bright idea struck him. "If any of you have got more crabs, bring me one, and let me examine it."

A dozen eager black men rushed off, and soon supplied the young man with specimens enough for inspection, and

the result of his researches was that he discovered the poison proceeded from the manchineel fruit on which the landcrabs had been regaling themselves; and then while he cautioned the ne

groes not to touch any more of the crus

taceans, he ap plied such remedies to Cuffy,

and a few other black piccaninnies who had also indulged in an early breakfast, that presently they began to get better, and all their thoughts were bent on revenging their sufferings.

Meantime the procession of crabs, all unconscious of the mischief their missing companions had wrought, first removed all traces of the rout they had sustained by devouring those of their wounded relations who had escaped, and then moved steadily on towards the goal, taking the loss of their friends in a most philosophic way, and with only one object in their stupid heads-that of getting to the sea as quickly as ever they could.

load of crabs than she could conveniently manage, had been unable to prevent Crusty's climbing over her shoulder and falling to the ground.

The old crab's conceit was a little taken down by all her trials, but still she maintained that her principle was right, only she had been unfortunate; and Toulouru generously forbearing to laugh at her, they were friends again.

At last they reached the end of all their journey, the sea, and there, on the yellow sands, they sported and frolicked-that is, any who were not engaged in the serious undertaking of laying their eggs.

One night Toulouru was wandering about among the prickly pears and pimento-trees, and watching the iguanas, whose acquaintance she had only lately made, when she came upon a strange object. An immense claw, something of the same shape as her own, but of much greater size, was apparently sticking out of the ground, and no body appeared behind it.

Toulouru cautiously approached, and after investigating it all round, ventured to touch the object of her curiosity; but she darted back the next moment, for out from the hole whose entrance had been stopped by the huge claw sprang a Calling Crab, who, on perceiving the intruder, immediately gave chase. Toulouru ran away as fast as she could, but her big pursuer skipped over the ground so lightly, waving his formidable arm, that he soon overtook her, and seizing her, demanded what her business was. "I didn't mean to disturb you, sir, I assure you," she cried, trembling; "I only just wanted to see what your claw belonged to."

back to our burrows."

"What!

so many of you!" echoed the other great crab in despair; "and

I have left my door open, and my precious Mrs. Crab inside quite unprotected. What shall I do?"

And releasing his captive, he ran away in such frantic haste, beckoning with his powerful right arm, that he overbalanced himself, and tumbled over a twisted vine-tendril which happened to obstruct his passage. Not heeding this mischance, however, he got up again and rushed on, till at last he reached his hole, and bouncing in, dis covered his unconscious mate, still happily asleep.

Toulouru thought all this performance very absurd, but she was too honourable a little creature to tell tales when her captor had released her, so Mr. Calling Crab was left undisturbed as long as his violet cousins remained near his domain.

This was not much longer, for as soon as the important business of spawning was finished, as many of the troop as felt fit for the journey prepared to return to their inland home, leaving their eggs to be hatched by the heat of the tropic sun. But their march back occupied even a longer time than their former pilgrimage, and misfortunes assailed them on all sides.

Poor Crusty now fell a victim, at last, to her obstinacy and headstrong ways. She and Toulouru were marching together, when the latter suddenly spied right in front of them a hideous creature it was of a dark colour, with six or eight eyes, and its widely-open jaws, and tail turned in a menacing attitude over its back, would have struck terror into the heart of any small crab.

Toulouru hastily pinched one of her friend's legs, and cried, "Oh, Crusty, Crusty, run! Just come a little wee bit out of the way for once; oh,

do! You will be killed! There is a frightful creature in front of you."

"Let me go," answered the determined leader. "I will-I must go on."

And on she went, till the scorpion darted upon her, and inserting his venomous tail into a vulnerable part of her body, stung her to death.

Toulouru was very sorry, but she had her own safety to consider, and she could not help her unfortunate friend, so she passed on slowly; and well it was for her that she had been delayed, for a trap was set for her companions.

The negroes who had been nearly poisoned by the crabs had determined-partly from motives of revenge, and partly from wishing to get a good dinner (for they knew that no manchineel-trees grew between the sea and their village)—to capture some of the crabs on their way home again, so scouts, consisting of Cuffy and his playfellows, had been constantly on the watch, and as they now reported that the crabs were coming, the whole population again turned out, and placed their baskets in a row on the ground, with their empty sides turned towards the advancing file, and, wonderful as it may seem, numbers of misguided

crabs walked straight into the prisons prepared for them; while the others went on their way, steadily climbing over all obstacles. Toulouru saw the black men and the traps, and, making a slight circuit, she avoided these dangers in a very easy manner.

Many of her older companions might with advantage have copied her, but they were so very conceited that nothing would persuade them that their own way was not the best of all. So the diminished party at length regained their homes; all dangers were forgotten; the one great undertaking for the year was over, and they inwardly thought themselves the most virtuous of crabs.

Not so Toulouru; she had returned a sadder and a wiser creature. When she shut herself up in her burrow in the next month, with an immense provision of grass and vegetables, preparatory to remaining in retirement while she was changing her shell, and growing a new suit of clothes, she thought with regret of the heavy losses her family had sustained, and resolved in future to try and coax her friends to avoid the dangers which were only too visible to her, instead of rushing into pitfalls which they could easily shun. Whether she succeeded or not in her attempt, time will tell. FRANCESCA.

LL

HREE wise heads o'er a paper bend, And each one tries to read the news :— "Young Jack is staying with a friend." "Tom's father's going for a cruise."

So wag the little tongues, and we

Might think such gossip of the town Scarce worthy print, did we not see They read the paper upside down.

N Mrs. Elliot's pretty country house there lived besides her own daughter Lily, two nieces -Florence Amyot and Katie Carew. The parents of the two latter were in India, and as all three cousins were about the same age (and that age was over eleven and under twelve years) they shared their studies under the care of an excellent governess. During the summer holidays the grandmother of the three children paid them a visit, and she was one of those dear old ladies who have always a patient word and a kindly smile for young people, and who therefore can win affection very soon.

All through the pleasant summer days their grandmamma watched the three girls much more than they imagined, and gathered from their little actions and careless words a very fair estimate of their different dispositions; and when the time for her departure drew near, she resolved on a plan which at first promised nothing but pleasure, and by which she intended to test the characters of her grandchildren.

The girls were busily working and drawing in the schoolroom when Lily Elliot heard her mother calling, and ran at once to the door to hear what was wanting.

"Lily, Florence, and Katie, grandmamma wishes to see you all in her room," said Mrs. Elliot, and then she passed on through the hall, and the three girls looked at each other with flushed and eager faces. A minute later, the deputation stood outside Mrs. Carew's door, at which Florence tapped gently.

"Come in," said grandmamma, and as they entered she looked kindly at them all, and then she took up her purse-a nice leather purse, apparently well filled-and said

"As I am going away very early to-morrow, my dears, and as I do not expect to see any of you again until Christmas, I intend to give you each a present."

All the children said, "Oh, thank you, grand

mamma!" and Katie now watched the big purse with such undisguised interest that Mrs. Carew said, with a smile

"You are quite right, Katie; I am going to give you each some money." And then the purse was opened, and grandmamma took out three very bright half-sovereigns.

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Now, dears, you are to make use of what I give you, and I shall be glad when I come at Christmas to hear what each little girl has done with her money."

And the bright gold pieces were placed in hands that shook with delight.

"Then you are all pleased, I see, and that pleases me," said the kind old lady; "and all I ask in return is that you will think well over the use ten shillings may be before you spend any."

They all promised obedience, and then kissed their grandmother, who dismissed them as her maid entered to complete the packing of trunks that stood open in the room, and the children ran downstairs and out on the lawn, where Mrs. Elliot was busily attending to the needs of a favourite rosebush. All showed their half-sovereigns, and were congratulated on getting such nice gifts; and then they were all thrown into momentary consternation, for Lily's little coin slipped from her fingers on to the loose mould that surrounded the rose-bush. Down went the three girls on their knees, pressing their anxious faces closely together as they searched under the green branches; and presently two pairs of eyes spied the little treasure, and one of the two children snatched it up.

"Mother dear, I was so frightened!" cried Lily breathlessly.

"So was I, dear. Take warning, all of you, and put the money in safety."

Then three small thin purses were found, and a gold coin put in each.

"I shall have mine changed into nine shillings, or eighteen sixpences, and twelve pennies," announced Florence as she replaced her purse in her pocket.

"I like gold much better," said Katie.

"What nonsense! Of course it can't stay gold for ever," laughed Florence.

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It can till I spend any," said Katie shortly, and she walked away.

Elwood Grange was in Somersetshire, and four miles from the nearest town, so there were not very frequent occasions for spending money. True, there was a village one mile distant, where there was a small general shop as well as a pastrycook's, but as a