about whispering. "See, see, planned so many fine plays of that squirrel!" he exclaimed to John, the boy next him. "He wants to come to school," said John, beginning to laugh. "Oh, I forgot, we must not talk," said Edward.

The squirrel with a bound came down from its high seat towards the window.

drawing little loads of boards, pedlar's wares, and garden produce. He felt as if he should cry, but he held back his tears and studied away as well as he could with a heavy heart. One morning after this, when Edward was the first one at school, he was surprised to see the teacher's inkstand up

"He's coming to school, sure enough," said John; "we'll set, the ink spilt over the table, have him in our class, won't

we?"

The teacher heard him, and asked if he was not breaking a rule.

"I was not talking much," replied John, bending his head low to his book, and studying very fast with his lips.

"Still you were talking, and I must give you a bad mark," said the teacher.

Edward thought of the wheelbarrow, but like a manly honest boy he spoke out, "I am sorry, but I whispered without

sir ;
leave, too."

"I did not see you," said the teacher.

"I talked first: perhaps John wouldn't have talked if it had not been for me. I forgot the rule a minute."

"You must have a bad mark, too, then," said the teacher; "but you are an honest boy to own the truth, and suffer disgrace, rather than sit still and act a lie. You did wrong to disobey, but I am very glad that you were honourable enough to confess it, and dutiful enough to be sorry for it."

and dropping upon the floor. When the teacher came, and asked who had done this mischief, no one at first answered; but on further inquiry, several said at once, "It was so when I came, and there was nobody here but Edward."

"Did you do it, Edward?" said the teacher. "No, sir."

"Somebody must have done done it. All was right when I unlocked the school-house door, and went for a walk. Who was the first at school this morning?" "Edward, Edward," was the answer.

Edward joined with the others "There was no one here when I came, but the ink was spilt then."

I

"It is very strange," said the teacher; "but I believe you; know you are an honest boy, for you confessed the whispering when no one accused you. We will wait, and I am sure the guilty one will be found out."

The children looked round wondering who the guilty one was, and thinking how badly he must feel. "I know it wasn't Edward had never had a bad Edward," they said to each mark before, and felt the shame other; "for he tells when he of it very much. He also does wrong, though nobody thought he had lost the wheel-knows it. He wouldn't keep barrow, with which he had still the other day to save his

And

rk, and a beautiful wheel- INDUSTRY OF SCHOLARS row too, that his father was FOR THE MISSION. ng to give him." "A'n't he To show the missionary spirit good boy?" "Who could have of our scholars at Leeds, I It the ink?" so they talked will inform you of the manner school began, but found out in which a few of our little girls thing. endeavoured to raise their School was not over, how- money. Many of the little girls er, before there was giggling whose names figure in our reong the little ones nearest port have very little time to go e table, and some of them collecting; but all their hearts essed their hands tightly over are in the work, and they detereir mouths to keep it in. mined to do something. So "Children," said the teacher, some of them commenced runa tone of reproof, "what is ning of errands for their friends, e matter?" and did any other little work, Instead of a drawer, there and what they received as res but a shelf in the table, and muneration was cheerfully put the front edge of this sat a in the missionary-box. nning little squirrel; his feet another who goes forth every e dabbled with ink now. "I day to earn the bread that ought we should find out who perishes, executed some d the mischief. I felt certain, beautiful crochet work (at was not Edward. Here, intervals of time allowed in dward," turning to him, "he the day for recreation) s cleared you, and you may to send the bread of Life -ve him." amongst those who, as yet, have As Edward took him, he saw it not. Yes, she set the busy at he was the very one that crochet needle plying, and the and John had seen looking thread was soon worked into at the window. He put him all kinds of beautiful figures his dinner-basket till the and letters, and in process of on recess, and then fed him time we saw lying before us d let him go to run and some elegant articles of the olic with his fellows as he name of anti-macassars. She eased. The squirrel did not also made pincushions; the rget his good fare, and all whole to be sold and the proe summer frisked and played ceeds to go to the mission-fund. out the school-house. The Is not this a noble and bright ildren were careful not to example? How many little arm him, and he became girls might tread in her footmost tame. They called him steps and become very useful. Squirrel Ned," and many a me he made them think of the y who would not act a lie, d whose word could be beved when everything seemed -ainst it.

Cradley Forge.

J. B.

OAKS PLANTED BY

SQUIRRELS.

IT is a curious circumstance, and not generally known, that most of the oaks which are called spontaneous, are planted by the squirrels This little

"We

animal has performed the most in company with the following essential service to the British personages-an ass, with a great navy. A gentleman walking awkward lad of seventeen or one day in the wood belonging eighteen years upon his back, to the Duke of Beaufort, near beating the poor animal most Treyhouse, in the county of unmercifully with a stick on Monmouth, his attention was the head and neck; an old man, diverted by a squirrel which sat armed with a hedge stake, very composedly upon the striking at the hocks and hind ground. He stopped to observe quarters; and a boy of eleven his motions in a few moments or twelve, also with a stick, cutthe squirrel darted like light- ting here and there as opporning to the top of a tree beneath tunity offered. which he had been sitting. In "Isn't this a nice brute we an instant he was down with have got here, sir ?" said the old an acorn in his mouth, and man to our informant. began to burrow in the earth have been trying this threewith his paws. After digging quarters of an hour to get him a small hole, he stooped down on, and we can't." The gentleand deposited the acorn, then, man said he would try what he covering it, he darted up could do; and, having disarmed the tree again. In a moment the three of their sticks, and he was down with another, laid them on the path, comwhich he buried in the same menced a milder sort of treatmanner. This he continued to ment, by patting the ass on the do as long as the observer neck, rubbing his nose, and thought proper to watch him. speaking kindly to him. The industry of this little ani- The poor animal evidently mal is directed to the purpose of understood this tone of kindsecuring himself against want ness, for hardly two minutes in winter, and as it is probable had elapsed before, on the word that his memory is not suffi- of command, and a farewell pat ciently retentive to enable him on the neck, he cantered off as to remember the spots in which gaily as possible in the proper he deposited every acorn, the direction. industrious little fellow no doubt loses a few every year. The few spring up, and are destined to supply the place of the parent tree. Thus is Britain in some measure indebted to the industry and bad memory of a squirrel for her Pride, her Glory, and her Existence.

How much better it is to treat

animals with kindness, instead of cruelty! God, who made man, made every dumb animal. He is very angry with those who treat horses, donkeys, dogs, cats, or any creatures with cruelty.

If our young friends in their walks should see any man or boy acting cruelly to a poor

HOW TO MANAGE AN donkey, we recommend them to

ASS.

give him a copy of this Juvenile. A GENTLEMAN was walking and kindly say, "Please read down a lane near a town in this, and you will see how to Norfolk, when he found himself manage an ass."

ANANIAS and Sapphira are placed before us in the Scriptures as awful examples of the sin of lying and its consequences. In the fifth chapter of Acts we are informed that these two persons had agreed to fabricate a lie, for the purpose of gaining credit for a degree of generosity which they did not practise. They had sold their possessions for a certain sum, and pretended to give the whole to the cause of God, while they kept back part of the price. Their conduct, therefore, was marked by the threefold sin of pride, covetousness, and hypocrisy. First Ananias boldly uttered the lie, and immediately fell down dead. Soon after his wife Sapphira came in, and not knowing what had happened, repeated the lie, and instantly she fell down dead. Thus within three short hours both perished for the same sin by a dreadful judgment from God, and both were buried in the same tomb. This event produced great fear among the people at that time, showing how hateful are lying and hypocrisy in the sight of God, and the event stands forth as an awful warning to all generations. In modern times there have been signal judgments of God upon liars, and we shall introduce a few examples.

RUTH PIERCE AT DEVIZES.-The following inscription is to be seen in the market-place at Devizes :-"The mayor and corporation of Devizes avail themselves of the stability of this building to transmit to future times the record of an awful event, which occurred in this market-place, in the year 1753, hoping that such a record may serve as a salutary warning against the danger of impiously invoking the Divine vengeance, or of calling on the holy name of God to conceal the devices of falsehood and fraud. On Thursday, the 25th of January, 1753, Ruth Pierce, of Pottern, in this county, agreed with three other women to buy a sack of wheat in the market, each paying her due proportion towards the same. One of these women, in collecting the several quotas of money, discovered a deficiency, and demanded of Ruth Pierce the sum which was wanting to make good the amount. Ruth Pierce protested that she had paid her share, and said, she wished she might drop down dead, if she had not. rashly repeated this awful wish, when, to the consternation of the surrounding multitude, she instantly fell down and expired, having the money concealed in her hand."

She

THE MAN WHO FEIGNED TO BE DEAD.-One day, as Archbishop Leighton was going from Glasgow to Dumblane, there happened a tremendous storm of lightning and thunder. He was observed, when at a considerable distance, by two men of bad character. They had not courage to rob him, but wishing to adopt some method to extort money from him, one said, "I will lay down by the way-side as if I were dead, and you shall inform the archbishop that I was killed by the lightning, and beg money of him to bury me." When the archbishop arrived at the spot, the wicked wretch told the fabricated story: the archbishop sympathized with the survivor, gave him money, and proceeded on his journey; but when the man returned to his companion, he found him really lifeless! Immediately he began to exclaim aloud, "Oh! sir, he is dead! Oh! sir, he is dead!" On this the archbishop, discovering the fraud, left the man with this important reflection: "It is a dangerous thing to trifle with the judgments of God!"

A LIAR'S IMPRECATION ANSWERED-A few years since a woman in the Church Gate, Loughborough, went to purchase a bedstead, which was sold to her for thirteen shillings, and change given her out of a one pound note, which she gave in payment. A short time afterwards, she went again to the shop, and asserted that eighteen-pence less than the proper change was given her. This the shopkeeper denied, stating the exact coins he had given her. She, how