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202 turned to her grandmother with tears in her beautiful eyes, and said — “ How good you are to us, dear Grand ma !” “ Here, darling, take this crook to lilt the things down with,” said Grandma, as she seated herself in her large arm chair, with baby Leila on her knee. “Now each one must come for his or her present as I call the name,” said sis ter Maggie, as she began to lift the toys from the heavily-laden branches of the beautiful Christmas Tree. “A cannon on wheels for master Louis.” “A box of dominoes for master Fred.” “ A doll, with her hair chignon, for lady Addie.” “ A bat, ball, and microscope, for dear Walter.” “A coral rattle for baby Leila.” “A humming top for master Gus.” Thus the gifts were distributed. Again and again was each name called, and again and again merry voices exclaimed at the beaut}" and number of their presents. “0, Grandma!” exclaimed Walter, has tening to his Grandma’s chair; “ see how beautiful this microscope is! Just what I most wanted. I can examine flowers, seeds, shells, and everything almost; can’t I, Grandma ?” “ And you’ll let us look some, too, won’t you, bud Walter?” asked Fred, joining the group about Grandma’s chair. “ Indeed you may look whenever you want to. But just hear sister Maggie, how she’s rattling off* names. Going, go ing, gone!” laughed Walter merrily, as Gus ran to his sister’s side in time to take a beautiful rocking-horse from the end of her crook. “But what’s for you, sister Maggie?” exclaimed the delighted child, dropping his horse on the carpet and hastening back to the tree. “I think that beautiful hanging cush ion, and that little work-box away up on that limb, must be for you,” he said eager ly, pointing his little hand towards one of the topmost boughs, pendant from which was a beautiful crimson satin cush ion, also a rosewood work-box. While Maggie stood upon tip-toe to reach the beautiful presents, little Gus stood, with arm outstretched, watching her with great eagerness. Louis was drawing his cannon over the carpet. Addie, with her doll in her hand, stood leaning against her grandmother’s chair, looking alternately from her doll’s to her Grandma’s face. Fred, with his box of dominoes, was standing near Grandma’s knee; while Walter, bat and microscope in hand, leaned his bright face BURKE’S WEEKLY. over Fred’s shoulder. Baby Lelia, with her bright red rattle in her chubby little fingers, laughed and prattled incessantly, and Grandma looked on the merry group with peace and joy written upon her con tented face. What a happy home! What loving, affectionate hearts are within that pleas ant little sitting-room. Goodness and kindness always bring peace and happi ness. So, dear children, may your Christ mas be. May loving friends gather about the hearthstone and speak kindly words of cheer and hope. May your kind pa rents, grandmother and friends wear no cloud on their brows, and no shadow in their hearts, on account of some erring child, some ungrateful son or daughter. Learn early to do right—let kindness and gentleness mark your bearing one towards another, in order that there may be more than one home and one Christmas like that of “Grandma Marston and her grand children!” Hoping that such may be the case, Miss Clara wishes you all a “Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!” Ring Out, Wild Bells. f'yk ING out, wild bells, to the wild sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light; J| The year is dying in the night; out, wild bells, and let him die. fßing out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow ; The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. Ring out the grief that saps the mind, For those that here we see no more ; Ring out the feud of rich and poor, Ring in redress to all mankind. Ring out the want, the care, the sin, The faithless coldness of the times; Ring out, ring out, my mournful rhymes, But ring the fuller minstrel in. Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in the common love of good. Ring out old shapes of foul disease; Ring out the narrowing lust of gold; Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace. Ring in the valiant man and free, The larger heart, the kindlier hand ; Ring out the darkness of the land, Ring in the Christ that is to be. Lazy Boy, Lazy Man.—A lazy boy makes a lazy man, just as a crooked sap ling makes a crooked tree. Who ever yet saw a boy grow up in idleness that did not make a shiftless vagabond when he became a man, unless he had a fortune left him to keep up appearances? The great mass of criminals and paupers that fill our prisons and poor-houses, have come to what they are by being brought up in idleness. Those who make our great and useful men were trained in their boyhood to be industrious. Written for Burke’s Weekly. MAROONER’S ISLAND ; OR, Dr. Gordon in Search of His Children. BY REV. F. R. GOULDING, Author of “ The Young Marooners.” CONCLUSION OF CHAPTER XVII. IB eastern sky was now brightening with the light of the rising moon, while the western, over- M$ hanging the sea, looked black and portentous. Soon a sigh was heard, followed by a little puff n£k of wind, then another sigh, and an other puff. The moan from sea deepened every moment, as also did the darkness. Every puff of wind became more decided, and it was not long before a deep darkness settled upon everything visible, and there was such a roar from sea and sky as almost drowned the feeble voices of those who tried to speak. It was fortunate that the tarpaulin tent and the palmetto booth had been located un der the partial protection of the bluff, and also of a mixed mass of herbage and sand near its margin; otherwise they would have been prostrated at the very begin ning of the gale. Assisted, however, by some sails from the barge, which were firmly staked, the inmates were screened against both wind and rain, and it was not long before they needed protection against both. With the driving of the rain, and of the spray from sea, came also the rising of the tide, which in half an hour’s time had covered the whole slope of the beach, and had lifted the waves so that they were beating heavily against the bluff above high water mark. The unexpectedly serious aspect beginning to be assumed by the storm, caused Dr. Gor don to recall with painful distinctness the scenes of wild disaster which he had wit nessed at his home upon the Georgia coast, just seven years before,* when so many lives, of both w T hites and blacks, were lost by the overflow of the sea. He, therefore, said to Sergeant Tomkins: “ 1 am sorry we did not select a higher spot for our encampment. If we are to judge of the present storm by one I wit nessed a few years since, we may be com pelled to change our quarters before mor ning. I propose,therefore, to takcJones, if you will let me have him, and my young friend Wildcat, and ascertain, by going a little ways into the interior, whethei * The hurricane of September, 1824, in which some of the islands were totally submerged, and all the ■ tants destroyed, and in which many houses up , main were overwhelmed, not only by the winu, o the fearful tide that rushed in from sea.