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CRUELTY.

EVER give pain to any living thing, for it is very wrong to do so. Look at these three cruel boys. They have tied a poor dog to a cart, and have filled the cart with big stones. The dog cannot drag the stones, for they are too heavy for him. And so one boy has lifted up his foot to kick the poor dog, and another has a thick stick to beat him with. The third boy is as bad as the others. You see, he is not trying to stop them, but looks on quite pleased, while the poor dog is used in this bad way.

I am very glad that the schoolmaster is coming, though the boys do not see him. I hope he will punish them well for their conduct to the poor dog. Idle, cruel boys! They do not seem to know that we should do unto others as we would they should do to us, as we are taught in the Bible, which is GOD'S Word.

ON

THE BIRD'S NEST.

NE day last week, Tom Brown went out for a walk, and he took his dog Turk with him. He heard the cry of a bird, "chirp, chirp," in the hedge close by; and when he came to look, he saw a nest with four tiny birds in it. They all had their beaks wide open, and looked as if they wanted to be fed. Tom Brown took the nest out of the hedge, and said, "I will bring up these birds at home, and they shall sing for me in a cage when they grow bigger. I will feed them with bread and egg." So he took the nest home.

But the poor little birds were too young to be taken from their mother, and too weak to eat the crumbs Tom gave them. So they all died. Then Tom cried, and said, "I wish I had left the nest alone; but I shall be wiser next time."

I hope no little boy who reads this will ever take away young birds.

MA

THE DOLL'S HOUSE.

ARY and Rose had been good for a long time; so their mamma said she would buy a nice toy for them to play with. So one day she went out, and bought a pretty doll's house. There was a kitchen in it, and a parlour, and a drawing-room, and a bed-room. There were tables and chairs in each room, and little plates and dishes in the kitchen, and a bed in the room upstairs, for the dolls to sleep in. Oh, how happy Mary and Rose were playing with their doll's house--and how much they thanked their kind mamma for buying it! But they were not allowed to play with it each day. If they had not been quite good, the doll's house was shut up for the day; for mamma said that work should come first, and then play; and the doll's house was never opened till lessons were done. And I think that was a very good plan.

THE CHILD WHO TEASED THE CAT.

PATTY BLAKE had a little cat of her own. She was very fond of the little Puss, and used to give it milk every day, and a small bit of meat now and then; and she would not have been unkind to it for the world. But Patty had one bad habit. She would play with poor Tib, and pull his ears and his tail, by the hour; and she often forgot that. what was fun for her was not fun for poor Tib. So one day when Puss was cross, he gave her a scratch when she teased. him; and Patty was obliged to have her arm bound up, and could not use it for many days. But she made friends with Tib, as it was not his fault; for she should not have teased him; and she was more careful for the future. No child' should ever tease a dumb animal, and then say it was only in fun; for all creatures can feel pain, and are as fond of being kindly treated as any child can be.

HAL SMITH was not a bad boy, but was very heedless;

so he often did things for which he was sorry afterwards. One day he went out walking with his mamma and his sisters. He saw a young bird that could not fly well: it was fluttering near the ground. Heedless Hal ran after it as fast as he could. He never thought what a fright the poor bird was in. Then, because he could not get close to it, he threw his cap at the poor bird, and broke its wing. He was sorry then; and when his mamma came up, she was very angry with him. As for the poor bird, it fluttered in great pain for a time, and then laid down and died. See what mischief Heedless Hal had done in a moment! but he was more careful afterwards, and never tormented a poor bird again. We should always think before we act, for then we shall be saved from doing many foolish things.