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the whole, or the greater part, of his own daily allowance. He appears never to have quitted the child, by night or day, except when it was necessary to go for food, and then he was always seen running at full speed to and from the cottage.

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LI. THE TWO COUSINS.

JAMES BROWN was born at a farm house. He had not seen a town nor a city when he was ten years old.

James Brown rose from his bed at six in the morning during the summer. The men and maids of a farm house rise much sooner than that hour,

1 Pron. prěs'e-pis. 2 shěp'erdz. 3 fa-tēg'. 4 kōrs.

5 ō'ing.

and go to their daily work. Some yoke the oxen to plough, some bring the horses in from the field, some mend the hedges, some manure the land, some sow seed in the ground, and some plant young

trees.

Those who have the care of sheep take their flocks from the fold, and lead them to their pasture on the hills, or in the green meadows by the running brook. The maids, meanwhile, haste to milk the cows, then churn the butter, put the cheese into the cheese press, clean their dairy, and feed the pigs, geese, turkeys, ducks, and chickens.

James Brown did not work in the fields; so when he rose from his bed, his first care was to wash his face and hands, to comb and brush his hair; and when these things were done, and he had said his morning prayer, he went with his father about the farm, or weeded the garden. Garden work was very proper for a boy of his age and size.

James Brown had a cousin, named Thomas, and Thomas Brown once came to pay James a visit. The two boys were very glad to see each other, and Thomas told James of the famous city of New York, where he lived.

. He spoke of the spacious paved streets, crowded all day by throngs of people, and lighted at night by rows, on each side of the way, of glass lamps.

He told him of the fine toy shops, where all kinds of playthings for children are sold; such as bats, balls, kites, marbles, tops, drums, trumpets,

whips, wheelbarrows, shuttles, dolls, and babyhouses; and of other great shops, where linens, muslins, silks, laces, and ribbons fill the windows, and make quite a gay picture to attract the passers by.

Thomas Brown talked very fast on these subjects; and as James, who had never seen any thing of the kind, was quite silent, and seemed as much surprised as pleased with all that he heard, Thomas began to think his cousin was but a dull, stupid sort of boy.

But the next morning, when they went out into the fields, he found that James had as much knowledge as himself, though not of the same kind. Thomas knew not wheat from barley, nor oats from rye; nor did he know the oak tree from the elm, nor the ash from the willow.

He had heard that bread was made of wheat, but he had never seen it threshed in a barn from the stalks, nor had he ever seen a mill grinding it into flour. He knew nothing of the manner of making and baking bread, of brewing malt and hops into beer, or of the churning of butter. Nor did he even know that the skins of cows, calves, bulls, horses, sheep, and goats were made into leather.

James Brown perfectly knew these, and many other things of the same nature; and he willingly taught his cousin to understand some of the arts that belong to the practice of husbandry.

These friendly and observing boys, after this time, met always once a year, and they were eager

in their separate stations to acquire knowledge, that they might impart it to each other at the end of the

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Near Reuss's bank, from day to day,

His little flock he led,

* In the centre of the little town of Altorf, near the Lake of Lucerne, there stands a stone fountain, surmounted with the figures of William Tell and his son. It is said to cover the spot on which the father stood when he took aim at the apple on his child's head. The verses were suggested by a visit to the place.

1 Pron. spa'shus. 2 brû'ing.

3 stâwks.

4 kävz. 5 kŭz'zn. 7 plöû. 8 e'ger.

• nŏl'iej.

By prudent thrift and hardy toil
Content to earn his bread.

A little son was in his home,
A laughing, fair-haired boy;
So strong of limb, so blithe of heart,
He made it ring with joy.

His father's sheep were all his friends;
The lambs he called by name;
And when they frolicked in the fields,
The child would share the game.

Not yet on Switzerland had dawned
Her day of liberty;

The stranger's yoke was on her sons,
And pressed right heavily.

So one was sent, in luckless hour,
To rule in Austria's name;
A haughty man, of savage mood —
In pomp and pride he came.

One day, in wantonness of power,
He set his cap on high; -
"Bow down, ye slaves," the order ran;
"Who disobeys shall die!"

It chanced that William Tell, that morn,
Had left his cottage home,

And, with his little son in hand,
To Altorf town had come.

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