But it was too early in the morning, the old woman was not at her feat; fo he turned back again difappointed. He did not wafle his time waiting for her, but faddied and bridled Lightfoot, and went to farmer Truck's for the giant-ftrawberries. A great part of the morning was spent in putting them into the ground; and, as foon as that was finished, he fet out again in queft of the old woman, who, to his great joy, he fpied fitting at her corner of the ftreet with her board before her. But this old woman was deaf and crofs; and when at laft Jem made her hear his questions, he could get no answer from her, but that the found the foffils where he would never find any more. "Bnt can't I look where you looked!"-"Look away, nobody hinders you," replied the old woman; and thefe were the only words fhe would fay.-Jem was not, however, a boy to be easily discouraged; he went to the rocks, and walked flowly along, looking at all the ftones as he paffed. Prefen ly he came to a place where a number of men were at work loofening fome large rocks, and one among ft the workmen was ftooping down looking for fomething very eagerly; Jem ran up, and asked if he could help him. "Yes," faid the man, "" you can; I've juft dropped, among ft this heap of rubbifh, a fine piece of cryftal that I got today."-"What kind of a looking thing is it?" faid Jem." White, and like glafs," said the man, and went on working, whilft Jem looked very carefully over the heap of rubbish for a great while. "Come," said the man," its gone for ever; don't trouble yourself any more, my boy."-" It's no trouble; I'll look a little longer; we'll not give it up fo foon," faid Jem; and, after he had looked a little longer, he found the piece of cryftal."Thank'e," faid the man, you are a fine little induftrious fellow," Jem, encouraged by the tone of voice in which the man spoke this, ventured to afk him the fame questions which he had afked the old woman. "One good turn deferves another," faid the man ; 66 we are going to dinner juft now, and fhall 1-ave off work-wait for me here, and I'll make it worth your while."

66

went in the village of Afhton by the name of Lazy Lawrence: a name which he moft juftly deferved, for he never did any thing from morning to night; he neither worked nor played, but fauntered or lounged about reftlefs and yawning. His father was an alehoufe-keeper, and being generally drunk, could take no care of his fon, fo that Lazy Laurence grew every day worfe and worse." However, fome of the neighbours faid that he was a good-natured poor fellow enough, and would never do any one harm but himself; whilft others, who were wifer, often fhook their heads, and told him, that idleness was the root of all evil.

"What, Lawrence!" cried Jem to him, when he faw him lying upon the grass" what, are you afleep?-Not quite." Are you awake?" "Not quite."

What are you doing there?"-" Nothing}”—What are you thinking of ?” "Nothing." What makes you lie there ?"-I don't know-because I can't find any body to play with me to-dayWill you come and play?"-" No, I can't; I'm bufy."-Buly," cried Lau rence, ftretching himself, "you are always bufy-I would not be you for the world, to have fo much to do always.' "And I, faid Jem laughing, "would not be you for the world, to have nothing to do." So they parted, for the workman juft then called Jem to follow him. He took him home to his own houfe, and fhowed him a parcel of foffils. which he had gathered, he said, on purpofe to fell, but had never had time yet to fort them. He fet about it however now, and having picked out those which he judged to be the beft, he put them in a fmall basket, and gave them to fell, upon condition that he fhould bring him half of what he got. Jem, pleased to be employed, was ready to agree to what the man propofed, provided his mother had no objection to it. When he went home to dinner, he told his mother his scheme, and the fmiled and said he might do as he pleafed, for fhe was not afraid of his being from home. "You are not an idle boy," faid fhe, "fo there is little danger of your getting into any mif chief."

Accordingly, Jem, that evening, took his ftand, with his little basket, upon the bank of the river, juft at the place where people land from a ferry-boat, and where the walk turns to the wells, where numbers of people perpetually pafs to drink the waters. He chofe his place

well,

when Jem fhewed him the half-crown, faying, "Look what I got for the ftones: you are to have the half, you know."No," faid the man, when he heard his ftory, "I fhall not take half of that; it was given to you. I expected but a fhilling at the moft, and the half of that is but fixpence, and that I'll take.-Wife! give the lad two fhillings, and take this half-crown." So wife opened an old glove, and took out two fhillings; and the man, as the opened the glove, put in his fingers, and took out a little filver penny." There, he fhall have that into the bargain for his honefty-Honetty is the beft policy-There's a lucky penny for you, that I've kept ever fince I can remember."-Don't you ever go to part with it, do you hear!" cried the woman. "Let him do what he will with it, wife," faid the man. "But,' argued the wife," another penny would do just as well to buy gingerbread, and that's what it will go for."- "No, that it fhall not, I promife you;" faid Jem; and fo he ran away home, fed Lightfoot, ftroaked him, went to bed, jumped up at five o'clock in the morning, and went finging to work as gay as a lark. Four days he worked "every day and all day long," and the lady every evening, when the came out to walk in her gardens, looked at his work. At laft The faid to her gardener, “ This little boy works very hard."" Never had fo good a little boy about the grounds,' faid the gardener, "he's always at his work, let me come by when I will, and he has got twice as much done as another would do; yes, twice as much Ma'am: for look here he began at this here rose bush, and now he's got to where you ftand, Ma'am ; and here is the day's work that t'other boy, and he's 3 years older too, did to-day-I fay, meafure Jem's fairly, and it's twice as much, I'm fure."-"Well, faid the lady to her gardener, fhew me how much is a fair good day's work for a boy of his age." Come at fix o'clock, and go at fix? why, about this much, Ma'am," faid the gardener, marking off a piece of the border with his (pade. Then, little boy," faid the lady, "fo much fhall be your task every day; the gardener will mark it off for you: and when you've done, the reft of the day you may do what you pleafe." Jem was extremely glad of this; and the next day he had finished his task by four o'clock; fo that he had all the reft of the evening to himself. Jem was as fond of play as Ed. Mag. Jan. 1797.

any little boy could be, and, when he was at it, played with all the eagerness and gaity imaginable: fo as soon as he had finished his task, fed Lightfoot, and put by the fixpence he had earned that day, he ran to the play ground in the village, where he found a party of boys playing, and amongst them Lazy Lawrence, who indeed was not playing, but lounging upon a gate with his thumb in his mouth. The reft were playing at cricket. Jem joined them, and was the merrieft and most active amongst them; till, at laft, when quite out of breath with running, he was obliged to give up to reft himself, and fat down upon the ftile, close to the gate on which Lazy Lawrence was fwinging. "And why don't you play, Lawrence?" faid he. "I'm tired," faid Lawrence." "Tired of what?" "I don't know well what tires me ; grandmother fays I'm ill, and I must take fomething-I don't know what ails me. "Oh, pugh! take a good race, one, two, three, and away, and you'll find yourself as well as ever. Come, run-one, two, three, and away." Ah, no, I can't run indeed," said he, hanging back heavily; 66 you know I can play all day long if I like it, so I don't mind play as you do, who have only one hour for it."- So much the worfe for you. Come now, I'm quite fresh again, will you have one game at ball; do."-No, I tell you I can't; I'm as tired as if ĺ had been working all day long as hard as a horse.""Ten times more," said Jem, " for I have been working all day long as hard as a horse, and yet you fee I'm not a bit tired; only a little out of breath juft now." That's very odd,” faid Lawrence, and yawned, for want of fome better answer; then taking out a handful of halfpence" See what I got from father to-day, because I asked him juft at the right time, when he had drank a glafs or two; then I can get any thing I want of him-fee! a penny, twopence threepence, fourpence there's eightpence in all; would not you be happy if you had eightpence ?"" Why, I don't know," faid Jem laughing, "for you don't feem happy, and you have eightpence?" That does not fignify though-I'm fure you only fay that becaufe you envy me-you don't know what it is to have eightpence-you never had more than twopence or threepence at a time in all your life." Jem smiled. "Oh, as to that," said he, "you are mistaken, for I have at this very time more than twopence, three

pence,

me fee-ftones, two fhillings; then five days work, that's five fixpences, that's two fhillings and lixpence, in all makes four fhillings and fixpence, and my filver penny, is four and fevenpence-Four and fevenpence!"-You have not!" faid Lawrence, roufed fo as abfolutely to ftand upright, four and fevenpence! have you? fhew it me, and then I'll be lieve you. Follow me then," cried Jm, and I'll foon make you believe me; come."-" Is it far" faid Lawrence, following half running, half hobbling, till he came to the ftable, where Jem fhewed him his treafure. "And how did you come by it? honeftly?”"Honeftly; to be fure I did; I earned it all." Lord blefs me, earned it! well, I've a great mind to work; but then it's fuch hot weather; befides grandmother fays I'm not strong enough yet for hard work; and befides, I know how to coax daddy out of money when I want it, fo I need not work. But four and sevenpence; let's fee, what will you do with it all? That's a fecret," faid Jem, looking great. "I can guefs; I know what I'd do with it if it was mineFirft, I'd buy pockets full of gingerbread; then I'd buy ever fo many apples and nuts; don't you love nuts? I'd buy nuts enough to laft me from this time to Christmas, and I'd make little Newton crack 'em for me, for that's the worft of nuts, there's the trouble of cracking 'em."-" Well, you never de ferve to have a nut."-" But you'll give me fome of your's," faid Lawrence in a fawning tone, for he thought it easier to coax than to work" you'll give me fome of your good things, won't you?" "I fhall not have any of thofe good things," faid Jem. "Then what will you do with all your money?"-Oh, I know very well what to do with it; but as I told you, that's a fecret, and I shan't tell it any body-Come now, let's go back and play-their game's up, I dare fay."-Lawrence went back with him full of curiofity and cut of humour with himself and his cightpence" If I had four and fevenpence," said he to himself, "I certainly fhould be happy!"

The next day, as usual, Jem jumped up before fix o'clock and went to his work, whilft Lazy Lawrence fauntered about without knowing what to do with himself. In the courfe of two days he laid out fixpence of his money in apples and gingerbread, and as long as thefe lafted he found himself well received by

day he spent his laft halfpenny, and when it was gone, unfortunately fome nuts tempted him very much, but he had no money to pay for them; fo he ran home to coax his father, as he called it. When he got home, he heard his father talking very loud, and at first he thought he was drunk; but when he' opened the kitchen door, he saw that he was not drunk, but angry.

66

"You lazy dog!" cried he, turning fuddenly upon Lawrence, and gave him fuch a violent box on the ear as made the light flash from his eyes; you lazy dog! fee what you've done for me,look!-look, look, I fay!" Lawrence looked as he came to the use of his fenfes, and, with fear, amazement, and remorfe, beheld at leaft a dozen bottles burft, and the fine Worcestershire cyder ftreaming over the floor. "Now, did not I order you three days ago to carry thefe bottles to the cellar; and did not I charge you to wire the corks? answer me, you lazy rafcal; did not I?""Yes," faid Lawrence, feratching his head. "And why was it not done? I afk you," cried his father with renewed anger, as another bottle burft at the moment. "What do you ftand there for, you lazy brat? why don't you move? I fay-No, no,' catching hold of him, "I believe you cant't move; but I'll make you." And he shook him, till Lawrence was fo giddy he could not ftand. "What had you to think of? what had you to do all day long, that you could not carry my cyder, my Worcestershire cyder, to the cellar when I bid you? But go, you'll never be good for any thing, you are fuch a lazy rafcal, get out of my fight!" So faying, he pushed him our of the houfe door, and Lawrence fneaked off, feeing that this was no time to make his petition for halfpence.

The next day he faw the nuts again, and, withing for them more than ever, went home in hopes that his father, as he faid to himself, would be in a better humour. But the cyder was fresh in his recollection, and the moment Lawrence began to whisper the word halfpenny' in his ear, his father swore, with a loud oath, "I will not give you a halfpenny, no, not a farthing, for a month to come; if you want money, go work for it; I've had enough of your laziness-Go work!” At thefe terrible words, Lawrence burst into tears, and, going to the fide of a ditch, fat down and cried for an hour;

and

and when he had eried till he could cry no more, he exerted himself fo far as to empty his pockets, to fee whether there might not happen to be one halfpenny left; and, to his great joy, in the fartheft corner of his pocket one halfpenny was found. With this he proceeded to the fruit-woman's ftall. She was bufy weighing out fome plums, fo he was obliged to wait; and, whilft he was waiting, he heard fome people near him talking and laughing very loud. The fruit woman's ftall was at the gate of an inn-yard; and peeping through the gate into this yard, Lawrence faw a poftilion and a ftable-boy about his own fize play ing at pitch-farthing. He flood by watching them for a few minutes. "I begun but with one halfpenny," cried the ftable-boy with an oath, and now I've got twopence!" added he, jingling the halfpence in his waiftcoat pocket. Lawrence was moved at the found, and faid to himself, " If I begin with one halfpenny, I may end like him with having twopence; and it is eafier to play at pitch-farthing than to work.”

So he ftepped forward, prefenting his halfpenny, offering to tofs up with the ftable-boy, who, after looking him full in the face, accepted the propofal, and threw his halfpenny into the air. "Head or tail!" cried he, "Head," replied Lawrence, and it came up head. He feized the penny, surprised at his own fuccefs, and would have gone inftantly to have laid it out in nuts, but the ftableboy ftopped him, and tempted him to throw again. This time he loft; he threw again and won; and fo he went on, fometimes lofing, but moft frequently winning, till half the morning was

.

gone. At last, however, he chanced to win twice running, and, finding himself mafter of three halfpence, faid he would play no more. The ftable-boy, grumbling, fwore he would have his revenge another time, and Lawrence went and bought the nuts. "It is a good thing," faid he to himfelf, "to play at pitchfarthing: the next time I want a halfpenny l'iknot afk my father for it, nor go to work neither." Satisfied with this refolution, he fat down to crack his nuts at his leisure, upon the horfe-block in the inn-yard. Here, whilft he ate, he overheard the converfation of the stableboys and poftilions. At first their shocking oaths and loud wrangling frightened and fhocked him; for Lawrence, though a lazy, had not yet learned to be a quicked boy. But, by degrees, he was accuftomed to their fwearing and quarrelling, and took a delight and intereit in their difputes and battles. As this was an amusement which he could enjoy without any exertion on his part, he foon grew fo fond of it, that every day he returned to the ftable-yard, and the horse-block became his conftant feat. Here, he found fome relief from the infupportable fatigue of doing nothing, and here, hour after hour, with his elbows on his knees, and his head on his hands, he fat the fpectator of wickednefs. Gaming, cheating, and lying, foon became familiar to him; and, to complete his ruin, he formed a fudden and clofe intimacy with the ftable-boy with whom he had at first began to game-a very bad boy. The confequences of this intimacy we fhall prefently fee. But it is now time to inquire what little Jem had been doing all

this while.

FOR THE EDINBURGH MAGAZINE.
BALLAD:

In imitation of William and Margaret. PALE Cynthia, o'er the virgin fnows,

Now darts her filver light,

While the loud drifting north-wind blows,
Amid the waftes of night.
Soft on her couch fair Jeffy lay,

Her black eyes clos'd in fleep,
Nor heard the cold north breezes play,

Around the fnow-clad steep.
"Awake my love, that flumbers fweet,
Long have I wak'd for thee,
Long fkim'd amid the fnow and fleet,
Thy matchlefs form to fee."

She woke then quickly caught her fight, Her Willy's well-known form,"Whence come, my Love, thro' the long "night,

"Whence through the chearless storm." "I come far from you western skies,

Upon the mists of night,
And e'er the Orient blufh fhall rife,
Again I take my flight.

"Cold is thy lips, my Willy dear,
That once were wont to glow,
And ah! how pale thy checks appear,
As yon pale fields of fnow.

But is my Willy's heart as warm,
As now his lips are cold;

Say