Tell saw the crowd, the lifted cap,
The tyrant's angry frown;
And heralds shouted in his ear,

"Bow down, ye slaves, bow down!"

Stern Gesler marked the peasant's mien,
And watched to see him fall;
But never palm tree straighter stood
Than Tell before them all.

"My knee shall bend," he calmly said,
"To God, and God alone;
My life is in the Austrian's hand,

My conscience is my own."

"Seize him, ye guards," the ruler cried,
While passion choked his breath;

"He mocks my power, he braves my lord;
He dies the traitor's death.

"Yet wait. The Swiss are marksmen true, So all the world doth say;

That fair-haired stripling hither bring;

We'll try their skill to-day."

LIII.-WILLIAM TELL, CONCLUDED.

HARD by a spreading lime tree stood;
To this the youth was bound;
They placed an apple on his head; —
He looked in wonder round.

"The fault is mine, if fault there be,
Cried Tell, in accents wild;
"On manhood let your vengeance fall,
But spare, O, spare my child!"

"I will not harm the pretty boy," Said Gesler, tauntingly;

"If blood of his shall stain the ground,

Yours will the murder be.

"Draw tight your bow, my cunning man,
Your straightest arrow take;
For know, yon apple is your mark,
Your liberty the stake."

A mingled noise of wrath and grief
Was heard among the crowd;
The men they muttered curses deep,
The women wept aloud.

Full fifty paces from his child,

His crossbow in his hand,

With lip compressed, and flashing eye,
Tell firmly took his stand.

The noble boy stood bravely up,

His cheek unblanched with fear;

"Shoot straight," he cried; "thine aim is sure; It will not fail thee here."

"Heaven bless thee, now," the parent said;

"Thy courage shames me quite ;

Then to his ear the shaft he drew,
And watched its whizzing flight.

""Tis done, 'tis done! the child is safe!" Shouted the multitude;

"Man tramples on his brother man,

But God is ever good."

For, sure enough, the arrow went,
As by an angel guided;
In pieces two, beneath the tree,
The apple fell divided.

""Twas bravely done," the ruler said;
"My plighted word I keep;
'Twas bravely done by sire and son-
Go home, and feed your sheep."

"No thanks I give thee for thy boon,"

The peasant coldly said;

"To God alone my praise is due,

And duly shall be paid.

"Yet know, proud man, thy fate was near;

Had I but missed my aim,

Not unavenged my child had died
Thy parting hour the same.

"For, see! a second shaft was here,
If harm my boy befell;

Now go and bless the heavenly powers
My first has sped so well."

firm'ly courage

whiz'zing multi-tūde di-vīd'ed sīre

ăn-a-věnged trămples plighted 3

flight

due 1

sec'ond

be-fall' pöŵerş

LIV.-THE PARROT.

EDWARD CLARE was an only son. He always tried to do right, though he was often obliged to struggle hard with himself. One morning, when he was seven years old, his father gave him permission to take a walk beyond the limits of the garden. As he was walking by a beautiful wood, and amusing himself by gathering nuts, and watching the first yellow leaves fall from the trees, - for it was in the month of September, — he suddenly heard a strange voice come from a tree.

"Jacko!" it said; "poor Poll! pretty, pretty Poll!" and then began to sing and whistle quite merrily. Edward looked at the tree, and to his great surprise he saw a large gray parrot, with a long red tail, and a pair of sparkling eyes. He had round his neck half of a small chain, which he had evidently broken to obtain his liberty. Edward climbed the tree, and succeeded in making him a prisoner.

"O mother!" said Edward, on his arriving home,

"look at this parrot! I found him in the woods. May I keep him, mother?"

"Yes, Edward, if you cannot find an owner," said Mrs. Clare. "He is an African parrot, of a very valuable species, as may be seen by his gray