jamie has been studying his alphabet all the morning, but somehow the letters got twisted and wouldn't follow each other in their regular order. by and by mother said: "let us wait awhile; perhaps the letters will come more easily to my little boy if he takes a rest now."

so jamie ran out to play and soon forgot all about the alphabet. but that night, after he had fallen asleep, he had a most wonderful time. all the alphabet letters came trooping into his little bed and said to him, "jamie, come with us to the circus!" and pretty soon he found himself in a big white tent. all of a sudden the letters ran together, and, jumping on top of one another, formed themselves into a lion.

jamie clapped his hands and laughed outright. at this, all the letters tumbled down, and, calling to him to follow, jumped into the ring and made a giant rooster.

"hurrah!" cried jamie, "you're the most wonderful alphabet i ever saw!"

"glad you think so!" cried the letters, and then they all tumbled apart and raced across the tanbark floor. he followed as fast as his legs would take him, when, all of a sudden, a funny little squeak made him turn his head. some of the alphabet letters had formed themselves into a queer little pig, who cried, "this little pig went to market," but when jamie ran up to play with him all the letters jumped apart and scampered away. "come, we'll show you the man who owns the circus!" after much scrambling and climbing on their part, the circus owner appeared, wearing a high silk hat.

jamie had hardly time to bow politely, when all the letters tumbled apart and there stood a great, big elephant. but, goodness me! in another minute the elephant fell apart and again the letters shouted, "follow us, jamie!" and away they raced, and before he could stop he bumped into a tall giraffe.

"oh, what fun!" cried jamie. "i wonder what will happen next?"

"hello, my little man!" cried a voice close at hand. jamie looked around and there stood the alphabet clown smiling at him.

"how do you do, sir!" answered jamie.

"here are the pictures of my two brothers," said the alphabet clown, showing jamie two photographs; "there weren't enough letters to go around, so when i'm acting, i just show their pictures, and when they are acting, they show mine." no sooner had he finished speaking than the alphabet letters tumbled apart, and the clown disappeared.

a big rhinoceros next came into view as the alphabet letters kept up their merry pranks. by this time, jamie was hardly surprised at anything, his friends, the alphabet letters, were doing so many funny things.

"tickets!" cried a voice at his side. a little alphabet man sitting on an alphabet chair looked at jamie as if expecting him to hand over his ticket at once. just as he was about to explain how the letters had brought him to the circus, the little man fell apart, and all the letters laughed and said, "never mind your ticket, jamie—follow us!"

"bow-wow!" said the little alphabet dog as jamie ran up to pat him. "don't turn into letters just yet," he begged, giving the little dog a hug, but with a merry laugh the letters jumped apart and jamie saw a pretty horse, who lifted his right fore leg to shake hands with him. but the alphabet horse lasted no longer than the other animals, and the next instant a funny man, with a big e for his eye and nose and a capital c for his mouth and chin, and a big d for his cap, stood before him. a big v made the front of his coat and vest, and a capital i his back, while a large w and x made a pair of funny legs.

"i wonder who he is?" thought jamie.

"i'm the lion tamer," answered the man, as if reading the little boy's thoughts.

"are you?" said jamie. "i saw your lion the first thing—just as i came into the tent. aren't you afraid you'll lose him?"

"i'm more afraid he'll lose me," replied the lion tamer. he was quite right, for at that instant the alphabet letters fell apart and a pretty girl stood in his place.

"i'm the circus queen, little jamie," she said with a smile, and then she gave him an alphabet kiss, which looked just like the letter o, i guess. and then the letters tumbled apart and the circus queen disappeared.

but they were not idle, these wonderful alphabet letters. they ran ahead for a little way and then, all of a sudden, arranged themselves into a beautiful white cow, which looked to jamie very much like the one in mr. jones' big pasture.

"where's mother?" cried a loud voice, and jamie saw a small elephant looking anxiously about. a big j made a most beautiful trunk, while a capital m served for two sturdy legs. an s made a nice tail, and the other letters finished his body very satisfactorily.

"you'd better hurry," advised jamie, "or the first thing you know the letters will get tired of making you an elephant, and turn into some other sort of animal."

and jamie was right, for the next instant there was no little elephant, but instead, a quiet looking camel, with two big humps.

in a few minutes, the camel, too, disappeared, and the wonderful alphabet letters ran over to the other side of the tent, and the next thing jamie saw was a funny little man whose make-up consisted of only a few big letters, but who nevertheless seemed a very important person. he stood just outside of a door over which was printed in big red letters,

"come to the 'alphabet moving pictures,'" he called out. "come and see 'alphabet movies'!" upon a big white screen the letters of the alphabet arranged themselves into a wonderful picture of washington crossing the delaware. jamie clapped his hands. then the next picture came along, as his friends, the alphabet letters, jumped down and without any confusion re-arranged themselves. the next picture was very wonderful—george washington planting the british flag at fort duquesne. jamie made up his mind to ask mother when he got home all about it. in a jiffy, the letters again fell apart, and a picture, which little jamie could understand much better, was shown. "hurray! mother goose!" shouted jamie, kicking up his feet so high that down fell the big white circus tent, and he awoke to find himself in his own little bed, with his feet up underneath the sheet, holding it up just like the tent where the alphabet letters had done all the funny things.

jamie rubbed his eyes, just as mother came in. "well, i guess i'll know my alphabet to-day," he said. after breakfast he told mother where he had been, and when she asked him to say his alphabet, he recited it without a miss.

"wasn't it lucky i went to the circus with the "'alphabet letters'?" he asked, and mother said it certainly was.