are barren and trite to the last degree. Their charm is in their delicacy of thought and beauty of sentiment-the qualities that pervade the two dainty little stories which we have selected.

"The Daisy" tells of a humble flower that was happy amid the green grass, thankful for sunlight and dew, and filled with joy at the singing of the lark; how the gorgeous garden flowers, which it had envied, were cut down and borne away, because of the brilliancy, while the humble daisy was unnoticed, because of its insignificance; and how, finally, the bit of turf in which it grew was lifted and placed in the cage where the lark, now made captive, was confined; how the flower comforted the bird; and how both died together.

II. THE FIR TREE: BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN.
The story of "The Fir Tree" tells how all the
other trees in the forest were happy and found
pleasure in their lives. The fir tree, alone, was
filled with envy. He wished to grow great; he
heard from the storks and the cranes stories of
the world, of fir trees that became the masts of
ships and sailed across the seas. The little birds
told him of Christmas revels and how fir trees,
blazing with wax tapers and laden with beautiful
things, held the place of honor in the great hall
at the castle; and he murmured because he was
left in his place. But finally he felt the axe; he
was to become a Christmas tree, and for the first
time he felt chill and dread. When he was
adorned with lights and held the place of honor,
surrounded by a gay throng, he became arrogant,
thinking that at last his ambition was to be grati-
fied. Finally, stripped of his lights and orna-
ments, tossed contemptuously into the darkness
of the garret, to become dry and withered, and
then chopped into firewood and fed to the flames,
he learned the fate of over-weening ambition.
THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN: BY ROBERT BROWNING.
This famous ballad tells how the people of the
town of Hamelin, in Brunswick, suffered from a
horde of rats; how a strolling wizard engaged to

deliver the townspeople from their pest; how he played a magical tune upon his pipes; how the rats followed the sound of the magic music in droves and were led thereby to plunge into the river, where all were drowned save one; how the sorcerer then demanded payment, which was refused; and how he piped a tune, which drew after him, dancing and singing in glee, all the children of the town, despite the frantic pleas of their parents; and how the rocky front of the Koppelberg opened wide and the conjurer and the train of children entered and were nevermore seen. THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: BY LEWIS CARROLL

There are two famous nonsense books called "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass." In these books everything impossible happens. They embody the genius of absurdity. They tell how Alice went through the lookingglass, what she found there, and what she saw and did in Wonderland. The judicious reader who desires a synopsis is referred to the story. In the words of Sir Lucius O'Trigger, “explaining it would only spoil it." EDITOR.

BIOGRAPHICAL

DICTIONARY OF AUTHORS

BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY

OF AUTHORS

ALLINGHAM, WILLIAM: An Irish poet, born 1828; died 1889. His charming little lyric, "The Fairies," is universally known, and has place in every anthology. His numerous other poems have had less currency. They are comprised in the several volumes, "Poems" (1850); "Day and Night" (1854),

etc.

ANDERSEN, HANS CHRISTIAN: This noted Danish novelist and poet was born at Odense, Denmark, 1805; died at Copenhagen, 1875. He is best known to English readers through his "Fairy Tales," published in 1836-a series of beautiful apologues, which have been translated into many languages. In his early years he was an actor and dramatist. His principal novels are "The Improvisator" (1830), followed by "Only a Fiddler.'

BROWNING, ROBERT: (For Biographical Note see Vol. II., "Famous Tales of Heroism.")

on

CARROLL, LEWIS: This is a pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, an English clergyman, who wrote several serious and abstruse works mathematical science, and two famous nonsense books for children, which have also delighted a great audience of mature and critical readers. They are remarkable for their ingenious absurdity and sparkling wit. Mr. Dodgson was born 1832, and died 1899.

CRAIK, DINAH MARIA MULOCK (Mrs): An English authoress of prominence, more commonly known as Miss Mulock. She was born at Stoke-uponTrent, 1826; died in Kent, 1887. Her most notable novels were written before her marriage to George Lillie Craik, in 1865. The best-known of these is