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174 The Mother’s Choice. One evening sat around the fire, (A pleasant sight to see,) Two children at the mother's side, And one upon her knee, *■ Mother!” a dark-haired boy exclaimed, “ A sailor, let me roam To north, south, east and west, but yet, Come back to you and home.” “ No, Edward,” cried a blue-eyed child; “No treacherous sea for me ; A soldier hold, with plume and sword— A soldier will I be.” “Nay,” said the th:rd, “ but I would wear A surplice white and band — Would road the prayers, the sermon preach, And in the pulpit stand.” “ My children,” said the mother mild, “ I care not what you be — Or soldier, sailor, clergyman, It matters not to me, “ So you be good, and brave, and kind, Alike to rich and poor, For such find welcome here on earth, And open Heaven’s door.” Boston Post. Written for Burke’s Weekly. JACK DOBELL; Or, A Boy’s Adventures in Texas. A STORY FOR BOYS. CHAPTER XY. A BOW WITHOUT A BOW-STRING —THE MEX ICAN LION —SAVED BY A 110G —THE COL ORADO RIVER CROSSING A SWOLLEN STREAM SIGNS OF A SETTLEMENT COM FORTABLE AND WELL-FURNISHED QUAR TERS —A FEAST AFTER A LONG FAST. X the morning I gave the finishing touches to my bow, and then, for the first time, the idea crossed my **s(Qrr* mind that I had nothing that would answer for a string. I tried the bark of several shrubs, and also the leaves of the bear in grass, but although I exerted my ingenuity to the utmost, I entirely failed to make a cord sufficiently strong to string my bow, and I finally had to aban don the attempt altogether. This was a great disappointment, for I had calculated largely upon supplying myself with an abundance of small game by means of my bow. The day was so far gone when I finished my unsuccessful experiments at cord-twisting, that I thought it best to remain for the night where I was, and take an early start in the morning, but as I got but little rest, on account of a “Mexican lion” that kept me awake nearly the whole night, I was sorry that I had not gone on. . About two hours, I suppose, after I had laid down to sleep, I was roused by a very sudden and heavy shower of rain, which wet me to the skin and almost extinguish ed my fire. The darkness was so intense that I could not see my hand before me. I attempted to kindle my fire into a blaze BURKE’S WEEKLY. again, but the wood was so saturated with water I failed to do so, and laid down once more, intending to take things as easily as possible under such uncomfort able circumstances. Just then I thought I heard the stealthy but heavy tread of some animal near me. I listened atten tively, and was soon satisfied that I had not been mistaken. Now and then, the animal, whatever it was, appeared to stop, and then I could hear nothing ; but again and again the cracking of twigs, and its cat-like tread, were distinctly audible, and it was evidently approaching nearer and nearer the spot where I was lying. Every instant I expected it to spring up on me, and with no weapon excepting my broken drawing-knife, I knew that I stood but little chance of defending my self. At last, and just when I was on the qui vive of expectation, the lion, for such it proved to be, gave a loud, sharp roar. My hair stood on end, and for an instant I thought I was gone; but the next mo ment I heard a hog give one squeal, and then all was still. It seemed that while I was sleeping, a drove of wild hogs, un conscious of my proximity, had made.a bed close by me, and it was one of these that the lion was after, and not myself. After killing the hog, he laid down by it, and began devouring it. I could hear him craunching its bones, at the same time making a purring noise like that made by a cat when eating a mouse, only a great deal louder. I sincerely hoped he had got a hog big enough to satisfy his appetite, and no doubt such was the fact, for in the morning, when I examined the spot where he had caught and eaten his prey, there was nothing left of a large hog except one jowl. His tracks, which were plainly visible in the soft earth, were broader than the palm of my hand, and I felt truly thankful that he had had the good taste to prefer hog meat to my own carcase. As soon as the sun was up, I made haste to leave a locality where I had pass ed such an unpleasant and disagreeable night. Nothing worthy of note occurred during the day, and towards evening I came to a body of timber that had been visible for many miles back, looking like a low, dark cloud on the northern and eastern horizon. This I entered and con tinued on my course. About dusk I came to a large river, which I supposed to be, and which in reality was, the Colorado. At this point it was only about one bun dled and fifty yards wide, but it was very full and the current rapid, so I concluded it would be prudent to wait until morn ing before I attempted to swim it. I pitched my camp upon the bank, and went to bed supperless, as I had eaten my last piece of pork that day for dinner. ) slept soundly, however, and was not dis turbed by wolves, or other “varmints” As soon as it was fairly light. 1 went down to the edge of the water, where I collected three or four of the lightest and driest pieces of drift wood I could find which I bound securely together with a small grape vine. I then pulled off my boots and clothes, and placing them upon this raft, I set it afloat and pluiwed in after it, holding on to one end and push, ing it before me as 1 swam. In this way I finally made the opposite bank, but not until I had been carried a considerable distance down the river by the strength of the current. I then dressed myself, and, when I had rested a while to recover from my fatigue, I proceeded on my way through a heavily-timbered bottom, sev eral miles wide, from which I at length emerged into the open prairie. In passing through the bottom, I no ticed several piles of rails and a large tree cut down, a portion of which had been split into boards, which convinced me that there was a settlement near by, and in fact, as soon as I struck the prairie I discovered a house about a quarter of a mile above me on the edge of the timber. I approached it cautiously, keeping under cover of the woods, but seeing no sign to indicate that any one was about the prem ises, I ventured in. It was apparent that the Mexicans had not visited the place, for everything remained just as it was left by the inhabitants —furniture un touched, cases filled with books, cribs with corn, and meat house well stocked with bacon. I had some hope that possi bly a gun might have been forgotten in the hurried departure of the people who lived there, but though I searched every nook and corner, I could not find any thing in the shape of a weapon more for midable than a carving knife, which I was very glad to get, as my drawing knife was botli dull and unwieldy. Besides the knife, I found a good many other things in this house which I greatly needed, among them a tin cup, a knapsack, anew pair of shoes, several pairs of draweis, and two or three shirts, all of which 1 ielt no compunctions of conscience in app'o printing to my own use, as I knew tin) would be stolen or destroyed if found b) the Mexicans. In a closet in one of the rooms, 1 ; d'° found a part of a sack of coffee and a bai rel of sugar. The sight of all this stoic of provisions was a very agreeable one me, in my half-famished condition, and determined to remain at this house a 1 day for the purpose of recruiting my b