fork away.

His mother was ashamed of him,

but he did not care.

24. The little girls grew very tired of their cousin. He pulled up their prettiest flowers, broke their dolls, tore their picture-books, and laughed at them if they cried.

25. He threw stones at the chickens, and made one of them lame. He would go out to the swing, and sit in it as long as he pleased, though his cousins had always taken turns.

26. When the stage came and took them away, all the little cousins said they were glad he was gone. And, indeed, they could not help it. Do you think they could?

WHY LOTTIE DID NOT WHISPER.

1. A little girl nine years old came home from school Monday noon. "I have not spoken once this forenoon, mother," said she. After school at night she trotted to her

mother, and said, "I have not talked this afternoon, mother. I have not whispered in school all day."

2. Every day she ran home, noon and night, with the same clean record. At the end of the week she said, "I have not whispered once this whole week, not once. She not only looked happy, but she looked as if she had something better than happiness; she had selfmastery.

3. Perhaps some little child feels puzzled over that hard word, and asks, "What is it?" Self-mastery is mastering one's self. Some children, you know, let their feelings run away with them, and are always doing what they want to, whether it is right or wrong. They are heedless children, like loose colts or horses.

4. Now, as we must bridle a horse to hold him in and have him go right, so we must put a bridle on our feelings, not letting them run loose, but hold them in, and guide them right. Self-mastery is holding a steady rein over our inclinations and wishes.

5. This, you see, is what the little girl did. She held herself in, and would not allow herself to whisper in school. I dare say she often and often wanted to. She did not whisper

one whole week.

At the end of another she

said, "Mother, I have not talked in school for two weeks, not once."

"How did you

manage not to talk, Lottie?" I asked.

7. "Why," said Lottie, "I did not say I would never speak. I said, I will try not to whisper this forenoon, and I did not. Then I said, I will try not to this afternoon, and I did not.

8. "You see I tried by the half-days, and they made whole days, and the whole days made, by and by, a week. That made it easier."

9. The secret then was this; Lottie did not undertake to do too much at a time. Children often fail by undertaking too much. Every child can strive to do right at home and at school by the half-days. Half-days make whole days, and so, little by little, they will form habits of well-doing.

MAKE THE BEST OF IT.

1. "O, George Hays, just look here!" said little Madge Morrell. "The old gray cat has jumped through this window, and broken cousin Alice's beautiful rose geranium. O, is it not too bad! How angry Alice will be." 2. "My sister does not get angry at such things, Miss Madge. I never saw her angry but once in my life, and that was when some boys worried a poor little kitten almost to death."

3. "But this is so very provoking, George, any body would be angry."

4. "It is really too bad, but you will see if Alice does not try to make the best of it."

5. Pretty soon the young lady entered the room, her sunny face beaming with the bright spirit which reigned within. She was humming a sweet morning song, but she paused abruptly before her beautiful, ruined geranium.

6. "Ah, who has done this!" she exclaimed.

7. "That ugly old cat broke it, cousin Alice; I saw her myself," said little Madge. 8. "Poor puss! she did not know what

mischief she was doing. It was the very pet of all my flowers.-But come, little cousin, do not look so long-faced; we must try and make the best of it."

9. "I do not think there is much best to this, Alice."

10. "O yes, it is not nearly as bad as it might have been. The fine stalk is not injured,

This

and it will soon send forth new shoots. large broken branch will be lovely in bouquets.

11. "Let us arrange a little one for mother's room. We will place this cluster of scarlet blossoms in a wine-glass, and you may run out into the garden, and gather a few snowdrops to put around it.