messenger of the Pharaoh hastened to the house of Seb-u, the image-maker.

Nita's trim little foot fitted the dainty sandal exactly. The mate to it was produced and worn; and in less than a month, with feasting and flowers and song, Nita, the daughter of Seb-u, the image-maker, became Nit-aker, queen of Egypt.

-ELBRIDGE S. BROOKS.

Pharaoh (fā'ro): the title by which the ancient rulers of Egypt were known.-al'abaster: a fine, soft, oriental stone, usually white or yellow, often made into vases or boxes for holding perfumes and ointments.bail'iff: a person put in charge of something.—o’men: a happening supposed to foretell the character of some future event, a "sign.”—orʼacle : the answer of a god to an inquiry about some future event.

THE KHAN'S POSTS AND RUNNERS

The following account was written by a famous Venetian traveler, Marco Polo, who lived about the time of Columbus. He and his father and uncle were the first people from Europe to travel in China.

Now you must know that from this city of Cambaluc proceed many roads and highways, leading to a variety of provinces, one to one province, another to another; and each road receives the name of the province to which it leads; and it is a very sensible plan. And the messengers of the Emperor in traveling from Cambaluc, be the road whichsoever they will, find at every twenty-five miles of the journey, a station.

And at each of those stations used by the messengers there is a large and handsome building for them, in which they find all the rooms furnished with fine beds and all other necessary articles in rich silk, and where they are provided with everything they can want. If even a king were to arrive at one of these, he would find himself well lodged.

At some of these stations, moreover, there are posted some four hundred horses standing ready for the use of the messengers; at others there are two hundred, according to the requirements, and to what the Emperor has established in each case. At every twenty-five miles, as I said, or anyhow at every thirty miles, you find one of these stations, on all the principal highways.

Even when the messengers have to pass through a roadless tract where no house exists, still there the station-houses have been established just the same, excepting that the intervals are somewhat greater, and the day's journey is fixed at thirty-five to forty-five miles, instead of twenty-five to thirty. But they are provided with horses and all the other nécessaries just like those we have described, so that the Emperor's messengers, come they from what region they may, find everything ready for them.

And, in sooth, this is a thing done on the greatest scale of magnificence that ever was seen. Never had emperor, king, or lord such wealth as this shows!

For it is a fact that on all these posts taken together there are more than three hundred thousand horses kept, specially for the use of the messengers. And the great buildings that I have mentioned are more than ten thousand in number, all richly furnished as I have told you. The thing is on a scale so costly and wonderful that it is hard to bring oneself to describe it.

But now I will tell you of another thing that I had forgotten, but which ought to be told while I am on this subject. You must know that by the Great Khan's orders there has been established between those posthouses at every interval of three miles a little fort with some forty houses round about it, in which live the people who act as the Emperor's foot-runners.

Every one of those runners wears a great wide belt, set all over with bells, so that as they run their bells are heard jingling a long way off. And, thus, on reaching the post the runner finds another man all ready to take his place, who instantly takes whatsoever he has in charge, and with it receives a slip of paper from the clerk who is always on hand for the purpose; and so the new man sets off and runs his three miles.

At the next station he finds his relief ready in like manner; and so the post proceeds, with a change at every three miles. And in this way the Emperor, who has an immense number of these runners, receives dispatches with news from places ten days' journey

off in one day and night; or, if need be, news from a hundred days' off in ten days and nights; and that is no small matter!

In fact, in the fruit season many a time fruit is gathered one morning in Cambaluc, and in the evening of the next day it reaches the Great Khan at Shang-tu, a distance of ten days' journey.

Moreover, there are also at those stations other men equipped similarly with girdles hung with bells, who are employed for expresses when there is call for great haste in sending dispatches to any governor of a province, or to give news when any baron has revolted, or in other such emergencies; and these men travel a good two hundred or three hundred miles in the day, and as much in the night.

I'll tell you how it stands. They take a horse from those at the station which are standing ready saddled, all fresh, and mount and go at full speed, as hard as they can ride, in fact. And when those at the next post hear the bells, they get ready another horse and a man equipped in the same way, and he takes the letter or whatever it be, and is off full speed to the third station, where again a fresh horse is found all ready, and so the dispatch speeds along from post to post, always at full gallop with regular change of horses.

And the speed at which they go is marvelous. By night, however, they cannot go as fast as by day, because they have to be accompanied by footmen

with torches, who could not keep up with them at full speed.

Those men are highly prized. And each of them carries with him a tablet, in sign that he is bound on an important errand; so that if, perchance, his horse break down, or he meet with other mishap, whomsoever he may fall in with on the road, he is empowered to make him dismount and give up his horse. Nobody dares refuse in such a case; so that the courier hath always a good fresh nag to carry him.

-MARCO POLO.

Cambaluc': name given by Marco Polo to Peking in China.-require'ments: needs.--Khan (kän): a king, a chief.-equipped (ē kwipt'): furnished, fitted out.-courier (kōo'ri-ěr): a messenger sent with haste.

A FOX TALE

When I ask children to tell me what they know about a fox, they almost always reply: "He is a little red beast, very cowardly and cunning: he kills hens, and has a very bushy tail."

This is all quite true; but Renard lives a very hard and extremely uncertain life; yet all the while is so dashing and gentlemanly, so quick and clever, that you must forgive him one or two faults.

He begins his life in a nice warm nest of hay, dry moss, and leaves, at the bottom of a deep burrow, generally in a sandy bank. His mother tends him, fondles