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| Our Boys
A BAD DREAM.
My foot's asleep! My foot's asleepO,
dear! What shall 1 do?
It's dreaming of a hundred pins
That prick me through and through
It's dreaming of a hornet's nest.
With forty thousand strings;
i t'o H vnti tit iff tr nf 't m i 1 11 otto rlrc
The fiery, burning things.
O. dear! O. dear! I'm punished well.
'Twas very wrong, I know,
To alt ao long upon the floor.
And dilly-dally so.
Grimm's Fairy Tales" were ill my hand.
The duster in my lap:
And so. my foot Unproved the time
To tnke a little nap. -Ex
A STORY FOR THE GIRLS.
BY ESLEN.
The Old Grttve Academy was what is now
ailed co-educational?but in the old days was
called a mixed school. The rirls and boys were
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parts of the hall, and had separate playgrounds.
Every term there was sharp rivalry between
the ambitious boys and girls in regard to class
standing. This sometimes amounting to real
jealousy between the sexes; and often gave rise
to complaints by one or tho other that the
teacher was partial. Professor Moore would often
read the 12th chapter of Romans as the scripture
lesson at the opening of the school. Tie
said he wanted us to make that chapter a " Vade
1 tecum."
Before school hours ;uid ofteu at recess there
were general mix-ups of girls anil 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 hi? sisfpr tenlr it Thon hoiran o <r,
quarrel and the female side of the house was
divided against itself. Rube Johnson on seeing
this cried out:"You all's forgot your Vade
Mecum.". ."Rube 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
out of here, we can attend to our own business."
"1 second the motion." said Mary
McCoy and grabbed a broom. "Here's for it
boys," said Tom Powers, "she has a Vadc Mecum
with a wooden handle," and he shot out. of the
door, followed bv the other boys in a perfect
scamper. The laugh that followed ended the
quarrel and peace was within?but Mary did
I 1 x ~ P I 1 * _ -J - l f
uui jit*iir uif i?Lsi <u ner k ane iticcum ior many
days. Dust, bits of paper or trash of any kind,
seen on the floor, alter this, would call for the
use of the Vade Mccum with a wooden handle.
About a month after the opening of one session
a new seholar was entered. She was large
enough to be sixteen, but in fact was only fourteen.
The sensation of a new seholar was intensified
this time by the fact that this girl was
unusually pretty, as to her face, hair, and eyes.
As she was shown to a desk, there was a general
turning of eyes toward the girls' side of the room
by the boys, while smiles played over their faces
along with the glances to see if the other fellers
saw her. Just before recess Jennie Reed?for
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mai' nao ?' " 1111
her class. As she took her seat and opened her
book there was a general gasp, and clapping of
handkerchiefs to their months, hv members of
the class, for their sharp eyes saw that she had
six fingers in each hand. The first one called on
to road made quite a bungling effort at it, and
those who immediately followed did not much
rKfcSBYT BRIAN UK I H E 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 groups to discuss the new scholar; her deskmate,
Carrie Love, however, remained with her,
and overheard nnvts nf epiiteneps viirlt ji.<
"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, hut continued to talk to her
until the silenee hell 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 effect upon the other scholars, but still there
were remarKs maae. wmcn sent psun to .Jennie's
heart.
One day a hoy was heard to say: "I wish 1
eould 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 liim with face to
the wall in rear of the teacher's desk, which we
understood to mean, "I'll 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. Tt was not long until a crowd of girls
il 1 _ i .? . -
Miis gamerea arouna tne stove with tingling
fingers and aching toes, but the fire was so low
that they found very little comfort. Tn 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
gin in scnool, but tins 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 comer." But, "While the lamp
holds out to bum, the vilest sinner may return."
Why don't you rejoice with them that do
rejoice. See your Vade Mccum, Rom. 12:15.
You are putting yourself in another comer."
"Yes." said Marv MeCnv ,lcm hnViinU t??
, ?/ ?i r?w *-*v' ?***-* im* 1 Hi*
feasor'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 "Tt shall
be so." Tt is a declaration of faith; not a word
of supplication.?Dr. A. T. Pierson
1
u T H I Dtwauaber ti, 191]
FORTY BEARS A YEAR
UY WILLIAM RITTENHOUSE.
The high and wild mountains of Norway
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 tryto
kill tlie cattle on the mountain farms. When
tliev do that, the farmers soon hunt thorn nut
and kill them. The average number of bean
shot, every year in Norway between 1840 and
18G0 was two hundred and thirty bears a year
But nowadays only about forty bears a year
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 poniet
which bring up the rear (laden with necessary
roods and chattels for the one-story huts where
the milkmaids are to live), do not mind the
climbing at all. They long for the sweet upland
pasture and the bracing air and pure. cold
streams. The only thing they object to is the
bears.
V\ hen the cows smell a bear anywhere near?
and Uiey seeiu to know instinctively wnenevei
there is one for miles around?they hurry tc
the saeter hut, lowing with all their might. Tht
girls and women in the huts sound their alpint
call to the hunters. The "lur," 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 tires, and keep them
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augui mrougn me night. Bears are afraid ol
tire and also of the hunters' horn, so usually
t.hey dare not venture near the Baeter, where
the cows huddle close in fear. Besides, by thh
time, the hunters are usually out after them
Some of the peasants are mighty hunters. One
old farmer, up in Suphelledal, has shot thirty
hears 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, rifile in hand. lie tracked the
bear and lay in wait for a long time. Sud
denly, from behind a rock, n 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
1 ? _ ** ?
ne leu nat on the earth. Fortunately for hiru
his face was buried in the soft turf, and the
bear, standing over bim her hot breath blowing
on his neck, evidently though she had kill
od him outright.
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
ITis gun lay close beside him. The bear looked
up from her work now and then, to see if the
victim was still ejuiet, and then went to digging
again with renewed energy. The hunter, sum
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
Whereupon the plucky peasant went on, secur
ed the young cub and somehow managed to get
home. His head still shows the scars of his
scalping, hut otherwise he was not injured a1
all. and is quite ready for his next bear.
One fifth of the whole of Norway is covered