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could see any one who came, and if they
saw any one , they were to let him know
at once. The children were delighted at
being allowed to go out again, and were
soon in a great frolic.
Mrs. Hunter was still ignorant of what
had been heard, and George thought if
they only could keep her from knowing
it until the next day, it would be much
better for her, as he knew her great dread
of being surrounded by the enemy.
Ellen and Aunt Polly worked hard all
day, and had just finished when it be
came dark. Mrs. Hunter noticed that
Ellen looked very pale, and enquired the
reason.”
« She has been doing a job of work for
me, mother,” said George, “and it has
been a little too much for her; but it will
be all right in the morning.”
Ellen looked at him and smiled as he
said this, but she felt so nervous and bad
ly that she could not say anything her
self.
After Ellen had seen the children put
to bed, and her mother made comfortable
for the night, she came down into
George’s room, and said:
“ I think we have put everything out
of the way now. I wish there was some
one we could get to hide Dixie and the
cows for us.”
“Where is Dixie?” said George.
“He is in the front yard. He followed
me when I came from the woods this
evening.”
“ I am sorry he is so close to the house,”
said George. “Will he come to you if
you call him ? ”
“ Oh, yes,” said Ellie, “ I can catch him
very easily.”
“Then, I think,” said George, “you
had better catch him, and tie him here
by my window. If any one tries to steal
him, I will know it; and if an officer
comes with the men, perhaps by asking
him he will let you keep Dixie, as he is
your horse. But I don’t think there is
much chance of that ; at any rate, it is
all we can do.”
Ellen went out and did as George di
rected. She was a brave little girl, but
her heart beat very fast until she returned
to George’s room.
“ Why don’t you go to bed, Ellie; you
are not going to sit up all night, are
you?”
“Yes,” said Ellie; “ I will not be able
to sleep if I go to bed, and I shall be so
much better satisfied here with you.
“ Yery well,” said George, “ but I never
did expect that you and I would ‘stand
guard’ together.
up your clubs for the Weekly.
BURKE’S WEEKLY.
SAFE BIND, SAFE FIND.
PARMER JONES had a
bad habit of putting off
things that needed to be
done. In his yard was
a little gate which open
ed into a field. This lit
tie irate, for want of a latch, could
not be shut close.
When Farmer Jones went
through the gate, he took care to pull it
after him; but other people would not
take such care. The wind, too, would
often blow it open again after he had
closed it.
And so the hens were always getting
out, and the sheep and lambs were always
getting in; and it took up a good deal of
the childrens’ time to run after the chick
ens, and drive them back into the yard,
and to send the sheep and lambs back
into the field.
The farmer’s wife often told him that
he ought to get the latch mended; but
he used to say that it would cost twenty
cents, and was not worth while, and that
the children might as well be driving the
hens and the sheep in and out of the
yard as be doing nothing. So the gate
was kept without a latch.
One day a fat pig got out of its sty,
and, pushing open the gate, ran into the
held, and thence into the woods. The
pig was soon missed ; and I armor Jones,
who was tying up a horse in the stable,
left the horse to run after the pig.
Mrs. Jones, who was ironing some
clothes in the kitchen, left her work, and
ran after her husband. The daughter,
who was stirring some broth over the
fire, left the broth, and ran after her
mother.
The farmer’s sons and his man Tim all
joined in the chase after the pig; and
away they all went, men, women, and
children, pell-mell, to the woods.
But Tim, making more haste than good
speed, sprained his ankle in jumping over
a fence; and then the farmer and nis
sons had to give up the chase of the pig,
to carry the man back to the house; and
of course Mrs. Jones and the daughter
had to go with them to aid in binding up
the man’s limb.
When they got back to the house they
found that the broth had boiled over, and
the dinner was spoiled; and that two
shirts, which had been hung to dry near
the fire, were scorched and spoiled.
Farmer Jones scolded his wife and the
girl for being so careless as not to take
away r the shirts and the broth from the
fire before they left the kitchen : but he
himself had been quite as careless; for,
on going to the stable, he found that the
horse, which he had left loose, had kicked
a fine young colt, and had broken the
colt’s leg.
Poor Tim was kept in the house two
weeks by the hurt on his ankle; and, as
it was the haying season just then, the
loss to the farmer was great.
Thus Farmer Jones lost two weeks’
work from his man, a fine colt, a fat pig,
and his two best shirts, to say nothing of
the loss of his dinner—all for the want of
a latch that would have cost twenty cents.
“ I should have been much better off,”
said he to his w T ife, “ if I had taken y r our
advice, and mended that latch.”
“Yes,” said his wife. “We must not
forget the old saying, a stitch in tune saves
nine."
“And that other old saying,” said he:
“ Fast hind , fast find. I shall turn over a
new leaf.” — The Nursery.
Answer to a Riddle,
Published in Burke’s Weekly of May 4, 1868.
/%tfS H ATE’ER it was, ’twas made ere man,
#4) i| di And made, it was a creature:
CTjbl “ Prom Adam it received its name”—
What was it ? What its nature ?
Was it a beast that roamed at will,
Inspiring men with terror?
y Was it a bird, with hooked bill,
Filling the land with horror?
’Twas not a beast, for beasts have feet;
Nor bird, for birds have legs;
To say ’twas woman is not meet—
What was it? Fancy begs.
It could not be the Prince of Night,
For he could never die;
Nor could it be the source of light
Which shines above the sky.
For did he e’er receive a soul,
Or did he e’er impart one ?
Or does he visit either pole?
Or dying, gives he light then ?
Rebellious Jonah sought to fail
To do what God commanded,
Was swallowed by a monstrous ichale.
And afterwards surrendered.
Suppose you kill this Ocean King
With harpoons hurled with might,
Will not the spcrma-ceti bring
To all the world a light?
_ ♦#-»
Advice to Boys.
“You are made to be kind, generous
and magnanimous,” says Horace Mann.
“ If there’s a boy in school who has a club
foot, don’t let him know that you ever
saw*it If there is a boy in school with
ragged clothes, don’t talk of rags in his
presence. If there’s a lame boy in school,
assign him some place in the play which
require much running. If there
is a dull boy in school, help him to get
his lessons.”
.
Human charity is often for a mo
ment, Christ’s charity is never ending.
379