Weren't The Mothers Surprised?

Some time ago tbere was a dance in a Canadiau settlemeut tor the benefit of the settlers aud their wives. Most of the married ladies had babies with them, whose noisy perversity required too niuch atteution to allow the ladies the fnll swing of their souls' pleasure in the dance. So a number of young men present gallantly voluuteered to watch over the refractory iiifauts, sothat their mothera could indulge without let or hindrance in the sweets of the "light fautastic" exercise. The gallant otïer was readily and confidingly acoepted, but no sooner had the women left their dear charges to the care of those inisehievous young rascáis than they commenced stuffing the infants, ohanging the clothing and giving one the apparel of another, till all were transinogrified. The dance and the ïuusic continued into the "we sma' hours, " and then it was time to go home The lights were lowered, aud each mother hurriedly took a baby, in the dress of her own, and started for home, which, in many instances, was 10 or 15 miles away. The followiug morning there was a prodigious row in the settlement. Mothers discovered what had occurred, and then commenced soine of the tallest female pedestrianisni on record. Living as they did miles apart, it required two fnll days to nnniix the babies and as many months to restore the mothers to their naturally sweet dispositions. Those young men never venture into that settlement now. It wouldn't h safe. -