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12 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