She took a great deal of care of her lit-tle broth'-ers and sis'-ters. She was so kind to them, and behaved' so well a-mong them, that they mind'-ed ev-er-y thing she said to them, as if her moth'-er her-self' had been pres'-ent. When her moth'-er was so ill that she could hard'-ly bear any noise, this good daugh'-ter hushed all to si'-lence. She in-vent' ed plays for the lit'-tle ones, that would keep them still and qui'-et; and she taught them to speak in whis'-pers. They were al-ways ver'-y much pleased, when she told them, that their mam-ma' sent them a kiss, and thanked them for be'-ing so still; and that she said she had been the bet'-ter for it: they want'-ed no oth'-er re-ward'. What a com'-fort it must have been to the sick moth'-er, to have so kind and af-fec-tion-ate lit'-tle chil'-dren and so good a daugh'-ter.

EXERCISES. What did the mother say to her children when a lady came into the room? What did the children do? What did the lady say? What happened to the mother after this? How old was the eldest girl? How did she act towards her mother? How did she act towards her little brothers and sisters? By what means did she keep them quiet?

EXCEPTIONS.

False'-hood cousins won an'-gry second Almigh'-ty de-ceived fin'-ger bush'-es aunt bus'-y doll door forth an-ger pur'-pose sac'-ri-fice.

THE FALSEHOOD.

A lit'-tle boy, a-bout' six years old, was, in gen'

er-al, a very good child and be-haved' well. He dear"-ly loved his moth'-er, and mind'-ed ev'-er-y thing she said to him. But even good chil'-dren, and good peo-ple, will some'-times do wrong; and this lit'-tle boy did so too.

One af-ter-noon', af'-ter he had been at play, he looked ver'-y dull and sor'-row-ful. He was asked if he was ill; he said he was not, but he talked ver'-y lit'-tle, and he often sighed. His moth'-er saw that some-thing was the mat-ter with him, but she did not say much to him a-bout' it. At night he took leave of his dear mam-ma', and went to bed. A-bout an hour af'-ter he had been in bed, the maid went to her mis-tress, and told her that she was ver-y un-ea'-sy a-bout' the lit'-tle boy, for he was ver'-y rest'-less; she had heard him fre'-quent-ly sob, and he de-şired' his dear mam-ma' to come to him, as he could not go to sleep, till he had told her some"thing, that made him ver-y un-hap'-py.

The good moth'-er went to him im-me'-di-ate-ly; and when she came to his bed side, he put his lit'-tle arms round her neck, and burst in'-to tears, and said to her :-Dear mam-ma', for-give' me, I have been ver'-y wicked to-day'. I have told a false-hood; and I have con-cealed' it from you. I was play'-ing at mar'-bles with my cousins. I won the game, through a mis-take' which they did not find out; and I was so much pleased with having gained, that I did not tell them of the mis-take'.

I have

been very un-hap'-py ev'-er since; and I am a-fraid' to go to sleep, lcst that Heaven'-ly Fa'-ther whom you so often tell me of, should be an'-gry with me. You say he knows and sees ev-er-y thing. What shall I do that he may for-give' me? My child, said his moth'-er, God is ev-er read'-y to for-give those who are tru'-ly sor'-ry for their faults, and who re-solve' to a-mend. We can'-not hide an'-y thing from him. He knows when we have done wrong, and when we de-sire to do what is right. He hears our prayers, and he will teach us what we should do. Pray to him to for-give your fault; and en-dĕav-our never to com-mit' the like a-gain', lest you should of-fend' him more by the second, than by the first of-fence'.

The little boy re-flect'-ed se'-ri-ous-ly on the advice' which his moth'-er gave him, and prayed in the best man'-ner he was able to Al-migh-ty God to for-give him, and to grant him his grace to do bet'ter in fu'-ture. He then fell a-sleep' and a-rose' the next mor'-ning hap'-py and cheer'-ful.

I sup-pose' when he saw his cousins, he told them that he had de-ceived' them, and that he was sor'-ry for what he had done; and I dare say he was ver'-y care-ful after that time never to tell a lie or to de-ceive' an'-y bod'-y.

EXERCISES. How old was the little boy? How did he behave? How did he look one afternoon? What took place after he went to bed? What did he say to his mamma? What fault did he commit? What did his mother say to him? What advice did he give him? What did he then do ?

CHARLES AND HIS LITTLE SISTER.

I like, says a la'-dy, to ob-serve' Charles and his lit'-tle sister at play to-geth'-er; they are so good, and kind, and af-fec-tion-ate. Charles is nine years old, and his sis'-ter is seven. If they have an'-y little dis-pute', they soon make it up; and they kiss each oth'-er, and do what each oth'-er de-sires'.

One mor'-ning, they had leave to go and gath'-er cher'-ries; and when they had got a great man'-y fine ripe cher-ries, and had stayed as long as they had leave to stay, they went home. As they were go'-ing they met a poor old wom'-an; she was in dis-tress', and begged them to have pit-y on her, and to give her some-thing. They had no mon'-ey to give her, but the little girl said to her broth'-er: Charles, I will give the poor old wom'-an all my cher-ries. And I will give her mine too, said Charles. And they gave the poor old wom'-an all their cher'-ries; and then, arm in arm, they went a-long'. When they got home they had no cher'ries, and no fruit to eat; they had on'-ly dry bread; but they thought of their good ac'-tion, and they did not re-gret' their cher'-ries.

These love'-ly chil'-dren have nev'-er brought a ser'-vant into dis-grace', or dif'-fi-cul-ty. They have nev'-er an'-y lit'-tle fan'-cies that are trouble-some to an'-y bod-y. One hol'-i-day last sum'-mer, they wished ver'-y much to give their moth'-er a nose’

gay of beau'-ti-ful flow'-ers, from the pub'-lic gardens: but the gardens were at a great dis'-tance from their moth'-er's house; the weath'-er was ver'-y hot, and the ser'-vants had a great deal to do in the mor'-ning. They will be very much tired, if they are sent out a-gain', said Charles. Ver'-y true, said his sis'-ter: we will do with-out' the flow'-ers: we will con-tent' our-selves with giv-ing mam-ma' the ro'-ses that are on my rose tree,

These good chil'-dren are kind to all persons; even to poor, dumb crea'-tures. They are al'-ways sor'-ry when they see an'-y an'-i-mal suf'-fer pain, or ill used. One day, the lit'-tle girl ran af'-ter a beau'-ti-ful but'-ter-fly, and caught it, and held it fast be-tween' her fin'-ger and her thumb; and she was much pleased that she had caught it. You hurt it, said Charles. Do I? said she; and im-me'di-ate-ly opened her hand, and set the lit'-tle prison'ér free.

EXERCISES.- -What remark did a lady make about Charles and his sister? Whom did they meet on their way home from gathering cherries? What did they give the poor woman? What did the little girl catch one day? What did Charles say? What did she then do?

THE BIRD'S NEST.

Some lit'-tle boys were play'-ing in a field near a hedge, on a fine day in spring. One of them found a bird's nest, and cried out to his com-pan'-ions: Look! I have got a bird's nest! but there are no eggs in it, nor young birds; if there were, I am sure I would not have taken it.