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6 (115# tHE I
Our Boys
A BAD DREAM
Mv foot's asleep! My foot's asieepO.
dear! What shall 1 do?
It's dreaming of a hundred pins
That prick me through and through
ii o uiruuiiu^ ui a uuruci s
With forty thousand string?;
It's dreaming of a million sparks?
The fiery, burning things
O. dear! O. dear! I'm punished well.
Twas very wrong. I know,
To sit so long upon the floor.
And dilly-dally so.
Qrlmm's Fairy Tales" were in my hand.
The duster in my lap;
And so. my foot improved the time
To take a little nap. ?Ex
A STORY FOR THE GIRLS.
BY ESLEN.
The Old Gr<fre Academy wan what is now
'ailed co-educational?but in the old days was
called a mixed school. The girls and boys were
in the same classes, but had desks in different
parts of the hall, and had separate playgrounds.
Every term there was sharp rivalry between
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me am onions ooys ana gins in regard to class
standing. This sometimes amounting to real
jealousy between the sexes; and often gave rise
to complaints by one or the other that the
teacher was partial. Professor Moore would often
read the 12tb chapter of Romans as the scripture
lesson at the opening of the school. He
said he wanted us to make that chapter a "Vade
Mecwn."
Before school hours and often at recess there
were general mix-ups of girls and boys in the
school room, which were generally very pleasant,
but sometimes quite the contrary. One day
Mary Pike made a remark about one of the boys
and his sister took it up. Then began a genuine
quarrel and the female side of the house was
divided against itself. Rube Johnson on seeing
this cried out:4*You all's forgot your Vade
Mecum.". .*4Rube Johnson" said, Nellie Sullivan,
its not fair o' yourself to be buttin in; you
and all the likes of you had better be after getting
ont of here, we can attend to our own business."
441 second the motion," said Alary
McCoy and grabbed a broom. 44 Here's for it
boys," said Tom Powers, "she has a Vade Mecurn
with a wooden handle," and he shot out of the
door, followed by the other boys in a perfect
scamper. The laugh that followed ended the
quarrel and peace was within?but Mary did
not hear the last of her Vade Mecum for many
days. Dust, bits of paper or trash of any kind,
seen on the floor, after this, would call for the
use of the Vade Mecum, with a wooden handle.
About a month after the opening of one session
a new scholar was entered. She was large
enough to be sixteen, but in fact was only fourteen.
The sensation of a new scholar was intensified
this time by the fact that this girl was
unusually pretty, as to her face, hair, and eyes.
A a ahn urM shnwn tr? a rlocV t Vinrn woo o ruTiAnnl
" wv M v " ?* ? u gvucioi
turning of eyes toward the girls' side of the room
by the boys, while smile* played over their faces
along with the glances to sec if the other fellers
saw her. Just before recess Jennie Reed?for
that was her name?was called up to read with
her class. As she took her seat and opened her
book there was a general gasp, and clapping of
handkerchiefs to their mouths, by members of
the class, for their sharp eyes saw that she had
six finger* in each hand. The first one called on
to read made quite a bungling effort at it, and
those who immediately followed did not mnch
fKKSBHlHlAN OF THE SO
and Girls
better. When Jennie was called on. she read with
ease. distinctness and sweetness of voice that took
the class by spell. At receess the school gathered
in ercuips to discuss the new scholar; her desk
mate. Carrie Love, however, remained with her,
and overheard parts of sentences, such as:
**Why don't her father have them cut off;"
"such a pretty face;" "they are funny little
things;*' all showing that the girls were talking
about the deformity of the new scholar's hands.
Carrie saw a flush on Jennie's face, so turned
her eyes from her. but continued to talk to her
until the silence bell rang. By this time tears
had gathered in Jennie's eyes, and with her face
in her hands she bowed her head to the desk
Without a word Carrie put her arm around the
girl, while giving attention to the studies before
her.
Carrie s kind attentions to this stranger had
an exiect upon me oxner scnoiars. but still there
were remarks made, which sent pain to Jennie's
heart.
One day a boy was heard to say: "I wish I
could see her foot, if it has six toes." Jennie
heard this, but so did Professor Moore, and he
attracted the attention of the pupils by taking
the boy by the arm. and seating him with face to
the wall in rear of the teacher's desk, which we
understood to mean. "Ill attend to you after
attending to more important matters." Day by
day Carrie Love's influence spread and the new
scholar began to feel more at home. A sudden
snow storm, the first of the winter, caused a
flutter among us. As soon as it was recess every
boy rushed out with a yell, and so did most of
the girls. It was not long until a crowd of girls
was gathered around the stove with tingling
fingers and aching toes, but the fire was so low
tnat they found very little comfort. In the
midst of what we used to call a "blackbird chatter."
Jennie Reed pressed her way up to the
stove, carrying a large armful of wood. She had
not been out of doors, so was neither wet nor
very cold. She did this for the others. As soon
as she had put in the wood and closed the stove,
there was a general clapping of hands, and many
of the girls rushed up and gave her loving kisses.
This ended the ill-mannered conduct of the
pupils towards the twelve-fingered girl, and
Rube Johnston said: "She heaped coals of fire
on our heads, according to the vade mecum. See
Rom. 12:20.
Carrie Love had long been esteemed the finest
girl in school, but this taking the part of defender
and comforter of Jennie Reid, greatly increased
her influence and popularity. And as
time rolled on Jennie proved to be one of the
brightest jewels of the school.
One day while the other scholars were congratulating
Jennie upon her taking a prize in
a spelling contest, Jack Pardue sat grumpily at
his desk. Rube Johnston noticed this, and called
out to him, "Ah! you are the Jack Horner
that sat in the corner." But, ""While the lamp
holds out to burn, the vilest sinner may return."
Why don't you rejoice with them that do
rejoice. See your Vade Mecum, Rom. 12:15.
You are putting yourself in another corner."
"Yes," said Mary McCoy, "go behind the Professor's
desk and do your sniffling."
The word "Amen" does not mean "Let it be
so." In that case the word would simply bo
an additional prayer. "Amen" means "It shall
be so." It is a declaration of faith; not a word
of supplication.?Dr. A. T. Pierson
U T H [JDhewmber 6, I9U
FORTY BEARS A YEAR.
BY WILLIAM RITTENHOUSB.
The high and wild mountains of Norwaj
are a favorite haunt of bears. In the almost inaccessible
cliffs around the great fiords, or bays
they can live quite safely, if they do not try
to kill the cattle on the mountain farms. When
thev do that, the farmers annn hunt thom /?-.4
and kill them. The average number of heart
shot every year in Norway between 1840 and
1860 was two hundred and thirty bears a year
But nowadays only about forty bears a yoat
are shot by the hunters.
On the saeters, or cattle pastures, up among
the mountains, the cows graze all summer. It
is a great occasion when, as soon as the snow
has left the highlands, the herds are driven up
by the peasants. The saeter may be fifteen or
twenty miles away from the home farm, up
through steep valleys and over trackless rocks
through the forests of stunted evergreens. But
the cows and sheep and the sturdy little poniee
which bring up the rear (laden with necessary
goods and chattels for the one-story huts where
the milkmaids are to live), do not mind the
nlimKinr* o 4- oil A^* -A 1
w.uuiug a?, cm. iijcj i?r me sweet upiano
pasture and the bracing air and pure. cold
streams. The only thing they object to is the
bears.
Vv hen the cows smell a bear anywhere near?
and they seem to know instinctively wnenevei
there is one i'or miles around?they hurry tc
the saeter hut, lowmg with all their might. The
girls and women in the huts sound their alpine
call to the hunters. The 44lur," or birch horn
is used for this call, and gives a clear, sweet
far-carrying, note, not unlike that of a cornet.
The girls also build fires, and keep them
alight through the night. Bears are afraid ol
fire and also of the hunters' horn, so usually
they dare not venture near the saeter, where
the cows huddle close in fear. Besides, by thit
time, the hunters are usually out after them
Some of the peasants are mighty hunters. One
old farmer, up in Suphelledal, has shot thirty
bears during his lifetime. A. Heaten Coopei
tells of this old hunter's last exploit. A beai
having been scented by the cattle, the peasanl
set out after it, riflle in hand. He tracked the
bear and lay in wait for a long time. Sud
denly, from behind a rock, a big she-bear, with
a young cub behind her, rushed out at him.
Before he had time to aim and fire, she struck
him fairly over the head with her mightly
forefoot. So dreadful was the blow that it tore
the scalp down from his head over his face, and
he fell flat on the earth. Fortunately for him
his face was buried in the soft turf, and the
bear, standing over him her hot breath blowing
on his neck, evidently though she had kill
ed him outrisrht.
She went to work at once, with her power
ful claws, to scrape out a hole in the earth tc
bury her prey?at least, that was what the
peasant thought, and the prospect of being
buried then and there nerved him to action
His gun lay close beside him. The bear looked
up from her work now and then, to see if th*
victim was still quiet, and then went to digging
again with renewed energy. The hunter, sum I
moning all his forces, jumped up suddenly
seized the gun and fired it breathlessly bul
coolly at a vital spot. His aim was so true
in spite of his wound, that the bear fell dead
Tin - ~
w nereupon the plucky peasant Vent on, secured
the young cub and somehow managed to get
home. His head still shows the scars of hit
scalping, but otherwise he was not injured a1
all, and is quite ready for his next bear.
One fifth of the whole of Norway is sovered
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