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felt the genial warmth, and as the Sun shone brighter and brighter, he sat down, overcome with the heat, and cast his cloak on the ground.

Thus the Sun was declared the conqueror; and it has ever been deemed that persuasion is better than force.

WASHINGTON AND THE CORPORAL.

DURING the American War, the commander of a little band of soldiers was giving orders to those under him, about a heavy beam which they were endeavouring to raise to the top of some military works they were repairing. The weight was almost beyond their power to raise, and the voice of the little great man was often heard crying, "Heave away! There it goes! Heave, ho!" An officer, not in military costume, was passing, and asked the corporal why he did not take hold and render a little aid. The latter, astonished, turning round with all the pomp of an emperor, said, "Sir, I am a corporal!" "You are, are you?" replied the officer; "I was not aware of that;" and taking off his hat and bowing, "I ask your pardon, Mr. Corporal." Upon this he dismounted, and pulled till the sweat stood in drops on his forehead. And when the beam was raised, turning to the commander, he said, "Mr. Corporal, when you have another such job, and have not men enough, send for your commander-in-chief, and I will come and help you a second time!"

The corporal was thunder-struck. It was Washington!

PROMPTNESS.

THERE was once a young man who was commencing life as a clerk. One day his employer said to him, "Now, to-morrow that cargo of cotton must be got out and weighed, and we must have a regular account of it." He was an industrious young man,—a young man of great energy. This was the first time he had been intrusted with the superintendence of work like this. He made his arrangements the night before, spoke to the men about their carts and horses, and resolved to begin very early the next day. He instructed the labourers to be there at half-past four o'clock in the morning. They set to work, and the thing was done; and about ten o'clock the master came in, and saw the young man sitting in the counting-house, and seemed very much displeased with him, supposing his command had not been executed. "I thought," said he, "you were instructed to get out that cargo this morning?" "It is all done, sir," said the young man, "and here is the account of it!"

This one act made that young man's fortune. It fixed his character. It gave his employer a confidence in him that was never shaken.

PART II.

DREAMING AND DOING.

ARTHUR ARCHER and Luke Linger were cousins, and were both of the same age. They went to the same school, and began to learn arithmetic in the same. quarter. Two years passed away, by which time Arthur had finished Practice, while Luke was scarcely able to work a sum in Division.

When the holidays came, and the prizes were given, Arthur Archer received a nicely bound volume of natural history; while Luke Linger was so low in good marks as not to be entitled to any reward.

"How vexing it is!" said Luke; "I really meant to have got forward, but somehow everything is against me."

"That excuse will not do, Master Linger," said his teacher; "it is quite plain to me that you have not done your best. While others were working, you were idling away your time. You must persevere, Luke, if you intend to be a scholar. will not drop into a dreamer's mouth."

Learning

Arthur and Luke had an uncle, Farmer Hodges, who invited them to spend a week at his house in their midsummer holidays. As they lived in a town, they looked forward to the expected visit in the country with great delight.

Uncle Hodges was an old-fashioned farmer. He wore a red waistcoat, always rose with the lark, worked as hard as any labourer in his fields, and never was absent from his pew on Sunday. And then, too, he was a kind-hearted and truly Christian

man.

On the first morning of their visit at the farm, their uncle took them into his rick-yard and orchard; showed them his new barn; and pointed out the finest of his horses, cows, and sheep. He then promised that if they could get up early the next morning he would take them to Brook Meadow, where the haymakers were busy at work; and then, perhaps, for a ride to Hightop Hill.

On the morrow Arthur was up and ready before the clock struck six, and was down in the farm-yard looking at the pigeons as they flew around the old elm-trees, until Uncle Hodges joined him. They waited some time for Luke, but as he did not make his appearance, they set off without him.

Luke lay dreaming in bed till nearly seven, and when he got up he seemed in no hurry to make his way down stairs. At length he appeared, and went

out into the cross road to see if he could find his uncle and Arthur; but before he walked a hundred yards he saw them on their way home, both mounted on ponies. They had first been to the hay fields, and afterwards had taken a pleasant ride. Luke Linger at once saw that by his delay he had lost a treat, while Arthur Archer had got a good appetite for his breakfast, and a fresh glow of health on his cheek.

"How vexed I am, uncle!" cried Luke; "I

quite meant to have gone with you to the hayfields."

"It is all very well, Luke," said Farmer Hodges, "so far as it goes, to intend doing a thing; but a bushel of good intentions is not worth a penny unless they end in good actions."

This was not the only time during the visit that the farmer found out the failing and folly of his nephew, in wishing when he should have been acting, and dreaming when he should have been doing.

One afternoon Farmer Hodges found Arthur and Luke on a seat in the garden, talking rather loudly. 'Well, my lads, what is the matter now?"

Why, uncle," replied Luke, "I was only saying that I wish I had a large farm of my own, with a garden and orchard, and sheep and horses, and plenty of men to do the work for me."

"Dreaming and wishing again!" said the farmer. "That way won't do, Luke; you must try another. Idle wishes are all like weeds, which sometimes show their heads on my land; but I root them out, for they would soon spoil my profits.

"You see these hay ricks. Do you think that by wishing, I could ever have got them here? No! the scythe, the rake, and the hay fork were set to work. We were at it early and late, and made hay while the sun shone; and here the ricks are.

"Look at those piles of corn in the barn yonder. They are part of last year's crop. better in the parish: but how did

there? It was not by dreaming

There are no

they all come about it.

I

ploughed and sowed, and in the proper season set to

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