it was easter morning and the happy bells from belfry and steeple were ringing out the glad easter tidings. sunday school was just over and marjorie walked through the park on her way home. in her arms she carried a large pot of lilies and a little fluffy yellow chick,—a tiny fuzzy yellow chicken,—which she had received from the sunday school for easter. the flower pot was rather heavy, and after a while, marjorie became tired, so she sat down on a bench to rest. crossing one little fat leg over the other she carefully balanced the lily on her knee, and tucked the small chicken under her arm for safe keeping. it was quite windy, and the ribbons on her hat stretched out behind like the tail of a kite, but marjorie didn't care nearly as much about her pretty easter hat being blown off her head as she did about the lilies being broken by the mischievous breeze. it made so much noise rustling the dried leaves and branches, that she didn't hear a big white bunny creep up softly behind the bench. he looked cautiously around with his bright pink eyes, but there was nobody near. the big policeman, who had passed but a moment before with a smile and a nod to marjorie, was far down the path. the nurse in gray uniform with the pink and white baby in the smart english carriage, had disappeared in the distance, and, best of all, marjorie's face was turned the other way. so up jumped mr. white bunny on the back of the bench, and creeping along the narrow top rail, commenced very softly to nibble the beautiful green leaves of the easter lily.

the little yellow chicken saw him, but he didn't say a word to marjorie; he just snuggled up under her arm.

perhaps the bunny looked as big as a polar bear to the fuzzy yellow chicken. at any rate, the little chicken never peeped! he wasn't going to take any chances with a big animal like that!

a sparrow close by tried his best to tell marjorie that her lovely lily was being devoured, but she only laughed when he fluttered his wings and twittered.

"isn't he pretty?" she thought. "he's a funny little fellow," and she watched him hop about, not understanding that he was trying his best to save her easter flower.

even the mischievous breeze began to feel sorry for the little girl and tried to blow away the leaves from the bunny's mouth, but mr. bunny crept up closer and quietly kept on nibbling. this was too much for the mischievous little breeze. he gave another hard puff, almost overturning the flower pot.

marjorie gave a little scream when she saw what mr. bunny had done, and then of course he scampered away.

"you naughty little rabbit," she cried, lifting up the half-eaten leaf, "just see what you've done to my lily."

"if you had paid attention to me it wouldn't have happened," twittered the little sparrow. but of course marjorie didn't understand him.

"i saved the lily for you," whispered the mischievous breeze, as she started for home. and i think she understood him, for she laughed as she pushed back her curls, as much as to say, "you needn't muss my hair all up telling me so, mr. breeze!"

"mary, mary, quite contrary,

how does your garden grow?"

"oh, now that i have a car," she said,

"it grows twice as fast, you know."