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THE SOUTHERN WORLD, SEPTEMBER 1, 1882.
“ The world, dear child, !■ as we take It, and
Life. be *ure, Id what we make It.”
JVMET’N <HT.STION.
A tiny girl with golden hair
Kneela down beside her mother's chair,
Asking Him who heareth prayer
To guide her little feet.
Then climbs she up on mammals knee
And cuddles close as close can be,
Wblle mamma sings a lullaby
In accents low and sweet.
dTlie bright head turns from side to side
The trip to Dreamland seems touted;
At last a fairy tale Is tried
Whose magic never fails.
And Juliet lifts her drowsy eyes
As blue and soft as summer skies
And asks a question wondrous wise,
“Do Jhlrfes all have Talul"
—Faith Wynne.
BIDDY.
. A Lesson or Neir Dependence.
Bess was out in the summer house, play-
with her dolls, when her brother Dick came
running in, very red in the face, talking
very fast. “Say, Bess, gramma’s come, an’
she’s brought yon tomefin.' Come an' see
what.”
Bess jumped up in such a hurry that she
upset the dolls' testable, and left the dolls
themselve lying in a state of pitiable help
lessness upon their faces, and scattered the
tea things about in dire confusion.
” I hope it’s that croquet set,” she said.
Now, Bess had all manner of playthings;
books, dolls, dishes, and the like, all more
or less soiled and broken, but she did not
have what she thought she most desired—a
croquet set.
It was her own fault too, for her mother
often said that the child should have it in a
moment, only she knew very well how it
would be. Bess was so careless thut before
the end of the first week she would get tired
of it, and then the mallets would get broken
and the balls lost; so she had to make the
best of it. Besides, if Bess had saved out of
her month's allowance of speuding money,
which she wasted on every occusion, she
would have had enough to have bought two
or three croquet sets.
Then Miss Bessie wrote to grandmother,
and told her how much she wunted it, confi
dently expecting that the kind old lady
would grutify her. But she was mistaken ;
grandmother had another plan.
She threw her arms around the dear old
lady’s neck and kissed Iter, After they had
talked awhile she said: ,
“Bessie, my dear, I have brought you
something. Go out on the porch, und lift
the lid of my willow basket and see what it
is. I know you will be pleased.”
Bess knew very well that wicket and mal
lets could hardly he carried in a willow bas
ket, and she went out rather laggingly. But
she lifted up the lid of the basket, and
there, in the cosiest, cunningest of nests,
was a plump, little snow-white ben, about
which cuddled twelve little, downy chick
ens. These were Bessie's present. She was
really pleased, and they were so pretty that
she forgot her disappointment. Pretty soon
grandmother came out, and said to her,
“Bessie, that is Mrs. Biddy and her family
I have brought them to you as a present,
although I knew you would rather have had
something else.” Bess blushed and looked
ashamed, but her grandmother, pretending
not to notice it, went on. “Listen to me,
Bessie; Biddy has here twelve chickens,
you will -probably raise eight or ten of
them. Against next year, then, these will
have broods of their own, to say nothing
of the eggs you will sell during the winter,
when they bring such a high price. Then,
when next summer comes, and you still
think you want the croquet set, you will
have money enough of your own to get it.
I could and would have brought it to you,
but I want you to learn to depend upon, and
get things yourself. It will do you good.
You will have to wait awhile, but you will
enjoy your pleasure all the more when it
does come.”
Bess swallowed a big lump in her throat,
and tried to squeeze back two stubborn tears
that would drop, and then went off very
cheerfully to get some bread crumbs for her
new pets.
After awhile Mrs. Biddy grew very tame;
her brood thrived and grew very ugly; first
the disagreeable-looking pin feathers came
out, then their necks grew long and their
legs grew long in proportion, and they prom
enaded the lawn, looking very pawky, as
Dick said, and very melancholy and hungry,
Bess was delighted with them, and thought
that they were the most beautiful things she
ever saw; grasshoppers end crickets seemed
to agree with them, for, wonderful to tell,
not one of the twelve died. And, finally,
when they grew up to be sedate hens and
roosters, her satisfaction was complete.
One Saturday Bess sent to the city a basket
of eggs, and that afternoon she dropped into
her savings bank the first dollar she ever
earned. Nothing she had ever had gave
her so much pleasure as that dollar, and that
was only the first.
Early the next spring Mrs. Biddy came off
with another brood, and six of the other
hens did the same, these grew rapidly, and
were readily sold.
One day grandmother came to visit them
again, and Bess concluded that it was time
to count her money. Dick got behind her
chair, grandmother put on her spectacles to
help, and her mother listened while Bess
counted:
“One. two, three, five, seven, twelve dol
lars and fifty cents. Why, grandmother, the
croquet set won’t cost half of that—I’ll have
six dollars over for seed, as papa always says.
And I earned it all inyself, too, 1 never was
10 pleased.”
Grandmother smiled, and skid in a kind
voice, “You’ll find, my dear child, if you
live very long, that few things you get will
give you as much real pleasure as that which
you get yourself. Learn to depend upon
yourself and others will help you. You see,
now, how it has been. I should have
brought you the set at once, but your moth-
Appearances are Deceitful.
“ What a beautiful light that lamp gives!"
said a moth, as he stood brushing bis wings
on the sideboard.
"Yes it does,” said a fly, who fluttered
with great difficulty toward the moth ; “but
you had better not go near it, for it is any
thing but safe.”
“ Surely, there can be no danger there,”
said the moth, “the flames look so cheer
ful and bright.”
“ Yes, but it burns,” said the fly, “I am
suffering from it now; I ventured too near,
and it so injured my wing that it is almost
useless.”
“ I really think you must be mistaken,”
answered the moth. “I don’t see how that
beautiful light could injure any one. 1
shall fly and see.”
“ Take care! ” buzzed the fly; “ for ap
pearances are sometimes deceitful.”
“All right," said the moth, and he flew off
to see the flame; and, going too near, fell
fluttering on the table severely burned and
nearly dead.
“There's folly now,” said the fly. “Some
people will trust appearances rather than
heed the kind warnings of those who have
suffered through their deceitfulness.”
A Toad Undressing.
Audubon relates that he once saw a toad
undress himself. He commenced by press-
TWO WAYS OF APPLYING THE BRUSH.
er wrote and told me not to do so, as it
would be money thrown away, you were
getting so careless and wasteful. I thought
it would be a good chance to teach you a
lesson, and I see that you have learned it;
you are more tidy, and more careful. Now,
kiss me, and we’ll write a letter und order
the croquet set."
They went into the library and wrote a
very dignified letter, which Bess scaled,
backed, and carried to the post office herself.
Two days afterward came the box, marked
in big, black letters,
Miss Bessie Obey,
Cleverdale.
It was the happiest day of Bessie’s life,
and she kissed Biddy’s smooth, white feath
ers with unaffected gratitude.
Papa put the wickets up, and that evening
there was a tea party—a surprise for Bess.
They played all the afternoon; when even
ing came they were ready with keen appe
tites to appreciate the dainty supper Mrs.
Grey prepared.
1 am certain that of all things she ever
possessed, except Biddy, Bess ntver enjoyed
anything as much as she did the croquet
set—simply because it took an effort to get
it, and she made the effort herself.
I must not forget to say that Biddy’s chil
dren and grand-children grew up and were
sold, while the plump little hen grew
plumper and tamer every day. She would
follow Bess about like a dog, and would fly
upon the back of her chair for her dinner.
And far os can be seen, she seems to promise
to reach a dignified and happy old age.
ing his elbows hard against his sides, and
rubbing downwards. After a few smart
rubs his hide began to burst open along his
back. He kept rubbing until he rubbed all
his skin into folds on bis sides and hips and
then grasping one hind leg with his hands,
he hauled off one leg of bis pants the same
as anybody would; he then stripped off the
other hind leg in the same way. He then
took his cast off skin forward between his
fore legs into his mouth and swallowed it
then by raising and lowering his head, swal
lowing as his head came down, he stripped
off his skin underneath, until it came to his
fore legs, then grasping one of those with
the opposite hand, by a single motion of the
head, and while swallowing, he drew it from
the neck and swallowed the whole.
Applying the Brush.
The cut on this page, forcibly presents two
modes of applying the brush. Both are
“laying it on” well.
Treasure Worth Having.
“Harry, not right yet, try again,” said
grandmother, as she handed back the book.
“It's no use," replied the little boy, with
tears in his eyes. “I study ever so much
harder than George. He learns his lessons
in no time, while I am often sent bock to
study mine over.”
“Try again, dear,” said his mother, who
sat near; “and when the lesson is learned
have a story for you.”
That promise cleared the little boy’s brow,
The lesson was soon mastered, and he nes
tled down at his mother’s feet, while she be
gan:
Once upon a time two young men were
doomed to die. What their crime was I do
not know, or if they had really done a crime
worthy of death; but the king had said
they must die. They loved life, they feared
death, and prayed, ‘Grant us but three days,
and we will bring such rich gifts to our
lord that he will pardon and grant us our
life.' And so they started forth together.
From out a bush flew a bird. Its plumage
was of gold ; its song the sweetest melody.
Flinging away hat and cloak Pedro followed
it through bush and brier,, up hill and
down; but the bird wheeled in its flight
and alighted on his brother’s head. ‘It is a
gift fit for a king?' cried Percy, as he had it
in his bosom.
High on the rocks grew a flower pure as
the snow filling the air with perfume. ‘No
such flower ever grew in mortal garden,’
cried Pedro; and over the sharp rocks he
climbed and gathered it. Alas! it fell to
pieces in his grasp, and with only the stem
in his bleeding hands he joined his brother;
and in Percy’s hand was the flower's twin
blossom, fair and fresh, though not so frail.
While you climbed the rocks I found this by
the roadside. It is a gift fit for a king.’
Within the walls of a garden grew apples
of gold. But a dragon held the keys, and
with him must Pedro fight if he would pos
sess the fruit. But while exhausted and
bleeding he paused for breath, fairy hands
flung the golden fruit into his brother’s
hands, and his fight was all in vain.
The three days were over, and the broth
ers stood before the king. With eager haste
Percy brought forth his treasures—rare
birds, sweet flower, and priceless fruit,
while Pedro stood with downcast eyes and
bleeding hands. The king took the gifts,
but his glance was not upon them, but upon
the hands that bore them.
‘My son, you have won your treasure too
lightly,’ he said. ‘Where are your scars ?
Go earn your freedom by bringing me that
which has cost you toil, or tears, or blood.’
Then taking in his own the bleeding hands
of Pedro. ‘These hands, wounded for love
for me, are a thousand-fold more precious
than any treasure.’ ’’
My boys," added their mother, (for
George was at her feet beside his brother),
•true treasure is not lightly won. That
which costs you toil, or tears, or blood is a
treasure worth possessing.”
A IMcnsnut Surprise.
A young man of eighteen or twenty—a
student in a university—took a walk one
day with a professor, who was commonly
called the student’s friend, such was his
kindness to the young men whom it was his
office to instruct.
While they were now walking together,
and the professor was seeking to lead the
conversation to grave subjects, they saw a
pair of old shoes lying in the path, which
they supposed belonged to a poor man who
had nearly finished his day’s work. The
young student turned to the professor, say
ing : “Let us play the man a trick. We will
hide his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind
these bushes, and watch to see his perplexity
when he cannot find them.”
“My dear friend,” answered the professor,
“we must never amuse ourselves at the ex
pense of the poor. But you are rich, and
may give yourself a much greater pleasure
by means of this poor man. Put a crown
piece, if you have them, in each shoe, and
then we will hide ourselves."
The student, luckily having two crown-
pieces, did so, and then placed himself, with
the professor, behind the bushes hard by,
through which they could easily watch the
laborer, and see whatever wonder or joy he
might express.
The poor man soon finished his work, and
came across the field to the path where he
had left his coat and shoes. While he put
on his coat, he slipped one foot into one of
his shoes. Feeling something hard, he
stooped down and found the crown.
Astonishment and wonder were upon his
countenance. He gazed upon the crown,
turned it around, and looked again and
again; and then he looked around on all
sides, but could see no one. Now he put the
money in his pocket, and proceeded to put
on the other shoe; but what was his aston
ishment when he found the other crown I
His feelings overcame him. He fell upon
bis knees, looked up to heaven, and uttered
a loud and fervent thanksgiving, in which
he spoke of his wife, sick and helpless, and
bis children, who from some unknown hand
would be saved from perishing.
The young man stood there deeply affect
ed, and with tears in his eyes.
"Now," said the professor, “are you not