One day the step-mother got ready to go to church with her own daughter, but before she went she spitefully spread over the house a basketful of millet, and calling to her step-daughter said, in a rough voice, "Here, you Cinderella, if you don't gather up all this millet, and have the dinner all ready when we come back from church, I will kill you."

When they were gone, the poor girl sat down to weep, murmuring to herself, "It is easy enough to see after the dinner; I shall soon have that in forwardness, and in good time too, but who can gather up those heaps upon heaps of millet?" At that moment. she remembered what the cow had told her, that in case of need she had only to go to her grave, and find the help she required; so she ran quickly to the spot; and what do you suppose she sav there? On the grave stood a large box, quite full of valuable clothes, of various kinds, and on the top of the box sat two white doves, who said, "Mary, take out of this box the clothes you like best, and put them on; then go to church, and meanwhile we will pick up the millet seeds, and pat everything in the neatest order."

The girl was very much pleased, and she took the first set of clothes that came to hand, and made haste to put them on. They were of the finest silk, and fitted her perfectly; and, being dressed, she hurried away to church. In church every one, both men and women, looked and wondered at her beauty and her splendid array, which became her amazingly, but no one knew who she was, or whither she came. The king's son, who happened to be at mass that morning, looked at her all the time, and admired her greatly. Before the service came to an end, she stood up and quietly left the church, so that no one missed her. She then ran away home as fast as she could pelt, meeting no one by the way; and as soon as she got home she took off her fine clothes and laid them again in the box, which instantly shut of its own accord, and disappeared.

Then she hurried into the kitchen, and found the dinner ready to put upon the table, all the millet gathered up, and everything in good order. The step-mother and her daughter came back from church soon after, and they were extremely surprised, and not a little disappointed, to find all the millet picked up, the dinner beautifully cooked, and the table neatly spread.

When the next Sunday came, the step-mother and her daughter again dressed themselves in all their finery, to go to church; and before they left the house the step-mother threw much more millet than before all over the floor, saying to her step-daughter, "If you do not gather up every grain of this millet, prepare the dinner properly, and get everything, upstairs and down, into the very best

order, I will kill you;" The moment they were out of sight, the girl ran straight to her mother's grave, and there found the box open as before, and the two doves sitting on the lid. And the doves said to her, "Dress yourself, Mary, in the clothes you like best, and go to church; we will pick up all the millet, and arrange everything." Then she selected an elegant costume of silver, and having dressed herself, went off to church. In the church every one, as before, wondered and admired; the king's son could not take his eyes away from her, so splendid and beautiful was her appearance. Just before the end of the service Mary again got up very quietly and slipped away through the crowd, ran home with all possible speed, took off the silver clothes, laid them in the box, and hurried into the kitchen. All was just as it should be, and when the step-mother and her daughter came home from church, they were puzzled beyond expression, for the millet was all gathered up, the house in perfect order, the dinner well cooked, and the table beautifully spread. They wondered more and more how Cinderella could possibly have managed it all.

On the third Sunday the step-mother dressed herself as usual to go to church with her daughter, and again she scattered millet thickly on the ground, but this time far more than on the preceding Sundays. Once more calling her step-daughter before she left the house, she said to her, "Cinderella, if you do not gather up all this millet, even to the last grain, prepare the dinner, and have everything in the trimmest order, when I come back from church, I will kill you. And this time I mean what I say." The moment they were gone, the girl lost no time in running to her mother's grave, and found the box, unfastened as before, and the two doves sitting on the lid. The doves told her as she expected, to choose her attire, dress herself, and go to church, having no care about the millet or the dinner.

This time she took clothes of pure shining gold out of the marvellous box, and having put them on-astonished at her own splendid appearance-went away to the church. In the church all the congregation looked at her, and could hardly forbear asking each other who this dazzling young lady could be, so resplendently attired. But the king's son, being head over ears in love, had resolved not to let her slip away as before, but to watch which way she went. So when the service drew near its conclusion the king's son was on the alert, and as she stood up to leave the church he followed her, but was not able to reach her. In pushing through the crowd, however-for it was later than usual-Mary, somehow in her hurry lost the slipper from her right foot, and had no time to look for it; and the king's son found it, and took all care of it. The moment the girl got home she took off her golden raiment

and laid it with the one golden slipper in the box, and then hurried into the kitchen, where everything was in readiness and order, as on the two preceding Sundays.

Now the king's son was determined to find the beautiful princess, who had made such an impression on his heart. He went all over the kingdom-north, south, east and west-and tried the slipper on every girl-whether she was good-looking or the reverse, but not one maiden would it fit. In some cases it was too long, and in others too short; then it was too broad; in short, not a girl of any rank or condition could wear the lovely golden slipper.

As he was thus going about from house to house, and almost in despair at his continued disappointment, he came at last to the very house in which this girl lived, and the step-mother, who had heard the report of the search that was being made, and seeing the king's son coming, hid her step-daughter in a wash-trough before the house, not wishing her to be seen by so exalted a personage. Presently the king's son came in, with the golden slipper in his hand, and politely inquired whether there was any maiden in the house, to which the woman civilly answered "Yes," and immediately produced her own ungainly daughter. But when the slipper was tried on it was found that it would not even go over the girl's toes, and the king's son asked if no other girl was there, and the step-mother said "No; there is no other girl in the house. I have only one daughter." At that moment the cock sprang upon the wash-trough, and crowed away, with all his might and main"Cock-a-doodle-do, cock-a-doodle-do! here she is under the washtrough!"

The step-mother shouted in dismay, "Get away, you liar! May the eagles and the hawks fly away with you!" But the king's son, hearing what the bird said, ran straight to the wash-trough, and, before anyone could interfere, had lifted it up. And what did he find there? Why, the very same girl whom he had seen in the church, more beautiful than ever, and in the same rich golden robes in which she had made her appearance on the third Sunday. But she was lying under the trough, and had only one slipper on. When the king's son saw her he almost lost his senses for very joy, and he had scarcely courage to try the slipper on her right foot. It fitted, however, exactly, besides perfectly matching with the other gold slipper on her left foot, and the king's son, snatching her up, carried her away from her cruel and wicked step-mother to the palace, where his own mother, the queen, was ready to receive him and his fair young bride with open arms. Mary and her lover were married without delay, and lived long and happily. In due time they ascended the throne, and

reigned over the land, much esteemed and truly beloved, and their children's children reigned after them.

As for the malicious step-mother and her daughter, who was no better than herself, and the father, who had failed in a father's duty, they all disappeared, and were never heard of more.

MORAL.-Do the plain duty that lies exactly before you, and wait patiently for better days.

Whispering winds, that breathe from heaven,

Murmur music down the dells;

All the listening land lies dim,-
Nests are rocking to the hymn.

Here and there, where branches shiver,

Little birds with beating breast

Faint amid the snows, and quiver

While the bells ring, into rest;
Softly through the sobbing rain
Floats the blessèd Christmas strain.

Into happy hearts it poureth
Deepened love and holy cheer,
And the children's dreams it storeth
With most golden hopes and dear;
Long-lost friends remembrance claim
Round the laughing, trembling flame.

Here and there, where lights are glowing,
Where the Yule-log flashes start,
Where friends smile around, unknowing,

Dwells alone a silent heart;

Here and there some soul is fain

For the wonted dark again.

Here and there, 'mid Christmas gladness.
All unseen by mortal eye,
Hopeless in the wintry sadness,

Some have laid them down to die;
Oh, sweet bells, through anguish wild,
Breathe ye of the Manger-Child!

Jesus Christ, Thou Star of dawning!
Everlasting Lord of love,

Bring Thy glory to the mourning,
Tell them of the Heart above;
Secret crosses Thou canst see-
Friend and God and Brother be.

Now unseal each tender fountain,
Charity's all sacred store;
Weary feet that trod the mountain
Cross the rich man's open door :
To Thy poor, oh, Saviour sweet,
Let the waves of pity beat.

Happy chime, afar that moveth!

Lift aloud thy triumph-voice;
Every soul that Jesus loveth

May take comfort and rejoice:
Though around are snow-drifts laid-
"It is I; be not afraid."

OUR CROATIAN ANCESTOR.

TRANSLATED AND ADAPTED FROM THE GERMAN OF WILDERMUTT.

THERE was a certain old picture in my father's house which from our earliest years attracted the reverential regard, not unmixed with a curious kind of unconfessed dread, of my brothers and sisters and myself. We were famous for our family portraits, carefully preserved through successive generations; and we knew who were supposed to be represented by most of the pictures, that were almost as familiar to us children as were the curious wood engra