"I have no pain, dear mother, now;
But oh, I am so dry!

Just moisten poor Jim's lips again;
And, mother, don't you cry."

With gentle, trembling haste she held
The tea-cup to his lips;

He smiled, to thank her, as he took
Three tiny little sips.

"Tell father, when he comes from work,
I said good-night to him;
And, mother, now I'll go to sleep❞—
Alas! poor little Jim!

She saw that he was dying

The child she loved so dear

Had uttered the last words that she
Might ever hope to hear.

The cottage door was opened,
The collier's step was heard;
The mother and the father met,
Yet neither spoke a word!

He knew that all was over-
He knew his child was dead;
He took the candle in his hand,
And walked towards the bed.

His quivering* lips gave token*
Of grief he'd fain* conceal ;*
And see! his wife has joined him—

The stricken* couple kneel !

With hearts bowed down with sadness,

They humbly ask of Him,

In heaven once more to meet again
Their own poor little Jim.

ANON.

QUESTIONS.-Where was the mother kneeling? In what state was the boy? Why did she offer up her prayer in thought? From whom

did she get her answer? What were Jim's last words? What did his father do when he came in? What did both father and mother then do?

ONCE upon a time there was no tea at all in our country. In England, in the olden time, people used to drink ale, and a sweet kind of wine called mead. Great tankards* of ale stood on the breakfast table. Now we use tea and coffee.

When tea was first brought to England, an old man and woman had some sent to them as a great treat. But when they got it, they did not know how it ought to be used. At length they boiled the leaves, and strewed* them on a piece of bacon which they were going to have for dinner. They ate the leaves, and threw the tea away!

In those days, a pound of tea cost so much money that only the rich could buy it. Now it is so cheap

that even the poorest can enjoy it.

Tea is the leaf of a plant which grows plentifully* in China, Japan, and other Eastern lands. The

Chinese drink their tea without either milk or sugar. Whenever a visitor comes into a house, a servant always brings him a cup of tea.

Every cottager in China has his little tea-garden. He sells what he does not use, and can thus buy food and clothing for his family.

When a man has a large piece of ground, and grows a great many tea-plants, he is called a tea farmer. When the tea-leaves are ready to be gathered, the farmer and his family are very busy. They pull off the leaves and throw them into baskets. When the baskets are full, they are carried into the house. The leaves are dried in iron pans over a fire. While they are drying, men and women keep turn

ing them about.
they are taken out and spread upon a table.

As soon as they begin to crack,

Then the work-people roll them up in their hands, and press all the juice they can out of them.

After being once more dried in the air, the leaves have to go into the pan again over the fire. There they begin to curl and twist; and at last they look as we see them in this country.

The farmer then picks out the best leaves, and gets them ready for market. He may be seen marching off to the town, with his chest of tea slung over his shoulder, on a pole made of bamboo."

He goes to a tea merchant and offers the chest of tea for sale. The merchant looks at it, and if he thinks it good he buys it. Then the farmer marches home again, with his money slung over his shoulder. His money consists of a number of strings of brass coins,* of so little value that a great many of them make but a small sum.

QUESTIONS.-What was used in England for breakfast before tea and coffee were known? What mistake did an old man and woman make, when tea first came in? What is tea? Where does it come from? What is a man called who grows a great many tea-plants? What is the first thing done with the leaves when they are pulled? What next? and next? How does the grower carry his tea to market? What does he bring back?

Cru-el, unkind; wicked.

TIT FOR TAT.

Dreadful-ly, very much; full of fear.

Fu-ture, time to come.

Hum-ming, singing without words.
Mer-ri-ly, in a happy way.

Mis-chief, naughty trick.
Re-mem-ber, keep in mind.
Seize, lay hold of.

Served, did to; treated.
Se-vere, sharp; sore.

A BOY was one day sitting on the steps of a door. He had a broom in one hand, and in the other a large piece of bread and butter, which somebody had kindly given him. While he was eating it, and merrily* humming* a tune, he saw a poor little dog quietly sleeping not far from him. He called out to

him, "Come here, poor fellow !"

The dog, hearing himself kindly spoken to, rose, pricked up his ears, and wagged his tail. Seeing the boy eating, he came near him. The boy held out to him a piece of his bread and butter. As the dog stretched out his head to take it, the boy hastily drew back his hand and hit him a hard rap on the nose. The poor dog ran away, howling most dreadfully,* while the cruel* boy sat laughing at the mischief* he had done.

A gentleman, who was looking from a window on the other side of the street, saw what the wicked boy had done. Opening the street door, he called him to cross over; at the same time holding up a sixpence between his finger and thumb.

"Would you like this?" said the gentleman. "Yes, if you please, sir," said the boy, smiling; and he hastily ran over to seize* the money.

Just at the moment that he stretched out his hand, he got so severe a rap on the knuckles, from