MILADY'S CAST-OFFS.

I found a garment yesterday A-lying on the hills; 'Twas rare with radiant coloring And rich with gleaming frills: A skirt of crinkled golden-rod And purple-aster sleeves, A belt of burning cardinals, A mantle of brown leaves, And a bodice of the laces That the dandelion weaves. A bonnet trimmed with thistle-blooms Was lying not far off, And sandals made of birchen bark Were satin—brown and buff; And dainty, dainty mittens Were lying here and there, Grown by the loving sumach-tree For hands both small and fair, With other witching trinkets that A woodsy nymph might wear. I touched the garments tenderly As they were lying there, And longed to see the maiden who Such finery did wear; So roaming through the woodland dale, And searching every nook, I paused at last to listen To the prattle of the brook, And all the pretty tale he knew Just like a little book: These were the gorgeous autumn robes Of Nature not long since, But now she'll dress in gems and white, For she's to wed a prince— The wondrous, jolly Winter Prince, Fast coming from the north, His heralds speeding on the wind, Their trumpets shouting mirth; And soon a snow-white wedding-feast Will spread all o'er the earth. Sarah Stirling McEnery.