It's just as well the old fellow can't meet his wife, for she's made of green cheese, and he'd be likely to slice her up and eat her." A tear glittered on Prudy's eyelashes.

Horace was the first to observe it, and he hastened to change the subject by saying his johnny-cake was so thin he could cut it with a pair of scissors.

By that time Prudy's tears had slyly dropped upon her napkin, and she would have recovered her spirits if Aunt Louise had not remarked carelessly,-- "Seems to me our little poetess is rather melancholy this morning." Prudy's heart was swollen so high with tears that there would have been a flood in about a minute; but Horace exclaimed suddenly,-- "O, mother, may I tell a story?
Once there were two old--two maiden ladies in Nantucket, and they earned their living by going round the island picking up the 'tag-locks' the sheep had left hanging to the bushes and rocks.

Now, you wouldn't believe, would you, mother, that those two women could get rich by selling tag-locks ?" "I certainly should not," replied Mrs.Clifford, smiling fondly on her young son; for she saw and approved of his kind little scheme for diverting his cousin's attention.
"Well, mother, they lived to be more than sixty years old; and when they made their wills, how much money do you suppose they had to leave?
I wish you'd try to guess." "Dear me," said Mrs.Clifford, "I'm sure I can't imagine: I shall have to give it up." "So must I," said grandmamma; "I make such poor work at guessing: I suppose they lived very frugally ?" "A thousand dollars ?" suggested Grace.
"A million ?" said Susy.
"A shilling ?" chimed in Aunt Louise.
"_Not one cent!_" replied Horace.
"Well, well," said grandmother, "you've caught us napping this time." But only she and Aunt Maria appreciated Horace's gallantry towards his sensitive cousin Prudy..