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over the foot-path, and to see peo-ple tum-ble up-on their faces as they run along, and do not sus-pect any thing of the mat-ter." So, they tied the grass in se-ve-ral pla-ces, and then hid them-selves, to see who would pass.

And, pre-sent-ly, a far-mer's boy came trudging a-long, and down he tum-bled, and lay sprawl-ing on the ground; how-e-ver, he had no-thing to do but to get up again, so there was not much harm done this time. Then there came Su-san, the milk-maid, trip-ping a-long with her milk-pail upon her shoul-ders, and sing-ing like a lark. When her foot struck a-gainst the tied grass, down she came with her pail, and her milk was all spill-ed upon the ground.

Then Ed-ward pi-ti-ed poor Su-san, and said, "I think I should not like to be serv-ed so myself; let us un-tie the grass." "No, no," said Wil-liam, "I see a man run-ning a-long as if he were run-ning for a wa-ger. I am sure he will fall when he comes up.' And so the man did, and Wil-liam and Ed-ward both laugh-ed; but when the man did not get up a-gain, they be-gan to be fright-en-ed, and went up to him and ask-ed him if he was hurt.

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Oh, masters!" said the man, some thoughtless boys, I do not know who they are, have tied the grass to-ge-ther over the path, and as I was run-ning with all my might, it threw me down, and I have sprain-ed my an-kle so that I shall not be able to walk for a month." 66 I am ve-ry sor-ry," said Ed-ward; "have you much pain ?" Oh yes!" said the man; "but that I do not mind: but I was go-ing in a great hur-ry to fetch a sur-geon to bleed a gen-tle-man who

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is in a fit, and they say he will die if he is not bled."

Then Edward and Wil-liam both turned pale with fright, and said, "Where does the surgeon live? we will go for him, and will run all the way." "He lives at the next town," said the man, 66 but it is a mile off, and you can-not run so fast as I should have done; you are only boys." "Where must we tell the sur-geon "He must go

"he is a "Oh

to come to?" said Wil-liam. to the white house at the end of the long chestnut avenue," said the man; very good gen-tle-man that lives there." it is papa! it is our dear father!" said the two boys. "Oh, he will die; what must we

do?"

I do not know whether their papa died or not; I believe he got well again. But I am sure of one thing, that Edward and Wil-liam never tied the grass to throw people down again as long as they lived.

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MRS BARBAULD.

THE OLD MAN AND THE BUNDLE OF STICKS.

An old man had many sons, who were often quar-rell-ing with each other. When the father had used every means in his power to re-concile them, and make them live at peace with each other, but all to no purpose, he had recourse to the fol-low-ing plan. He or-der-ed his sons to be called before him, and a short bundle of sticks to be brought. He then de

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sired them, one by one, to try if, with all their might and strength, any one of them could break it. They all tried, but none could break it; for the sticks being closely bound up to-gether, it was im-pos-sible.

After these attempts had failed, the father or-der-ed the bundle to be untied, and gave a single stick to each of his sons, at the same time bidding each try to break it. This all did with the greatest ease. The father now address-ed these foolish lads. "Behold the power of union. The sticks which you could not break. when united, you broke at once when single. Let this ad-mo-nish you to refrain from quarrell-ing, and to keep yourselves strictly joined in the bonds of friendship, by which it will not be in the power of any one to hurt you." The sons did not forget this va-lu-able lesson.

JOHN RILEY AND HIS TOY SHIP.

Sometimes men do very unjust and cruel things to each other. There are persons called slave-traders, who go to Af-ri-ca in large ships, and there they buy, or steal away, the natives of the country, who are black in colour, or negroes. Having put the negroes on board their vessels, the traders carry them to other countries, at a great distance across the sea, and there they sell them as slaves to planters, as if they were so many cattle.

This vile trade of buying and selling men and women is not car-ri-ed on in this country,

because the law will not allow it, and because the people are not so wicked as to wish to commit such cruel-ty. And so, when we see a person with a black skin, we know that he is not a slave but a free man, who can go where he likes.

I will tell you a story about a poor black man, called John Riley, who came to England as a sailor some years ago. When he landed from the vessel at Ports-mouth, he was paid off by the captain, and though he tried very much to get work, no one would employ him. Some said they had plenty of la-bour-ers already, and others were so unjust as to refuse em-ploy-ing him, because he had a skin with a dif-fer-ent colour from their own.

At length, John spent all the money which he had got for wages when a sailor, and he was reduced to a state of great po-ver-ty. Being a very in-dus-tri-ous man, he thought of trying to live by making little wooden ships, and selling them to boys. So, he got a small block of wood, and by means of his knife, he cut it into the form of a ship. It had a sharp keel, rounded sides, and a neat flat deck. He next placed small sticks in the deck for masts, and on these he put threads to look like the ropes which are usually seen on ships. He then painted the little vessel, and put a flag at its

stern.

Having now fi-nish-ed his task, John went along the streets with his ship in his hand, to show that he wished to sell it. But no one asked him the price of it, nor wished to buy it from him. Being at last very tired with walking, and being faint with hunger, he sat down

on a bench to rest. While he was sitting there," waiting for some kind person to speak to him, there came out from school a great number of boys, and they, thinking it fun, began to throw stones and mud at the poor black man.

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This, however, was not fun, but great wicked-ness and cruel-ty. They drove the friendless stranger from his seat, and one of the stones fell upon the toy ship and broke it. John was so much dis-tress-ed with this mis-for-tune, that he burst into tears; but he was not angry with his tor-men-tors, for he knew that they sinned from ig-no-rance, and would perhaps be af-terwards sorry for what they had done.

As poor John Riley stood crying over the wreck of his vessel, Mr Harley, a good-heart-ed gen-tle-man, came up, and asked what was the cause of his tears. John was very glad to have any one to pity him, and so he told him that he

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