me of Father and Son. When I see the tray it reminds me of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. When I see the four spot it reminds me of the four evangelists that preached, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. When I meet the five it reminds me of the five wise virgins that trimmed their lamps-there were ten, but five were foolish and were shut out. When I see the six it reminds me that in six days the Lord made the heaven and earth. When I see the seven it reminds me that on the seventh day he rested from the great work he had created, and hallowed it. When I see the eight, it reminds me of the eight righteous persons that were saved when God destroyed the world, viz.: Noah and his wife with three sons and their wives. When I see the nine it reminds me of the nine lepers that were cleansed by our Saviour; there were nine out of ten who never returned thanks. When I see the ten it reminds me of the ten commandments which God handed down to Moses on tablets of stone. When I see the king it reminds me of the King of heaven, which is God Almighty. When I see the queen it reminds me of the queen of Sheba, who visited Solomon, for she was as wise a woman as he was a man. She brought with her fifty boys and fifty girls, all dressed in boy's apparel, for King Solomon to tell which were boys and which were girls. King Solomon sent for water, for them to wash; the girls washed to the elbows and the boys to the wrists, so King Solomon told by that."

"Well," said the mayor, "you have given a good description of all the cards but one.

are in a pack of cards, I find 365, as many days as there are in a year. When I count the number of cards in a pack, I find there are fifty-two, the number of weeks in a year, and I also find there are four suits, the number of weeks in a month. I find there are twelve picture cards in a pack, representing the number of months in a year, and on counting the tricks, I find thirteen, the number of weeks in a quarter. So you see, a pack of cards serves for a Bible, almanac and Common Prayer Book." IF SHE HAD LIVED. IF she had lived-how sweetly sad the thought

Of all she might have been; what different ways [days Her steps had led me, what more happy Her gentle presence to my life had brought, If she had lived.

If she had lived, perhaps the golden prize We call success had sooner neared my hand,

And, won at last, the favor of the land Might seem more worthy to my happier If she had lived.

eyes,

If she had lived, the earth and air and sky Might seem to hold a deeper right to be, The leaves more sadly fall from shrub and tree,

The flowers she loved might sorrow more to die, If she had lived.

If she had lived, perhaps each day were given

A fuller promise, as the east unbars Morn, noon and sunset, twilight, and the stars

Might seem more radiant-earth more like to heaven, If she had lived. If she had lived, perhaps the tide of years Had borne me on more calmly to the sea, Whose shore is Life—and Nature's har[If she had lived. Might sound a sweeter echo in my ears,

mony

-ARTHUR CLEVELAND PALMER. THE OLD RAIL FENCE. WHERE skies are blue and birds sing sweet,

Where sparkling waters in ripples flow, Mirroring in deep places fleecy cloudlets, Where winds in soft murmurs blow,

Where love, if not blasted with gold, flies;

Where friendship is like the gathered

rose

Ere you taste its fragrance it withers, then dies.

Oh, give me the country with its woodlands deep,

With its orchards in bloom by south winds blown ;

Where 'neath tangled grasses our loved ones sleep,

In the shadow of the old church with ivy o'ergrown.

Where the owls'" too-whoo "breaks the hush of night,

Where the wild rose fills the air with its sweet incense;

Where the catbird calls and the mocking-bird sings,

Where entwined in vines lives the old rail fence.

Where in springtime between halfblown clover leaves dandelions peep, Where the crab-apple and primrose scent the dell,

Where the cowslips yellow nod to the tender young grass,

And the anthers gold show in windtossed lily bells.

Oh, I love to think of my childhood days,
of the days that are gone,
When I roamed the field, plucked the
flower-

It is an oasis in the weary march of time,
It is like the bloom of the ivy that clings
to the crumbling tower.
-ALMA RITTENBERRY.

HOME TOGETHER.

THE road is rough before our feet,
The hills are steep and high,
And clouds are gathering overhead
To shut away the sky.
Perhaps our paths may run apart,
In dark and stormy weather,
But at the nearing evening-time,
We'll be at home together.

wrong, ought,-(or owe it)-enters into the one, while the other often has no foundation to stand upon. The one has the indorsement of God and man, while the other is often the product of a low or diseased nature. The serpent has courage; the cock has courage; the lion has courage to kill his best friend as well as his foe; the bull has courage to attack a red flannel, though there be no enemy behind it, and often loses his own life because of an imagined enemy; the bully has courage; and is always looking for some one to knock the imaginary chip from his shoulder. The effect of a diseased mind or body, uncurbed temper and feverish impetuosity are often called courage, while discretion and the sense of right and wrong, often make the bravest men appear to be cowards. The brave man, however, cares but little for appearances; while to the coward, appearances are everything. The one asks, Is it right? is it duty ? do I owe it? The other says, I will make the world think I have courage, although it knows I have nothing else to boast ot.

This was recently illustrated by one of nature's noblemen, who, for some imaginary offence, was bantered for a fight by one of those little fellows having more the nature of a wasp than a man. No," said the moral-couraged hero, "I will not strike you, though you may deserve it, for it would be neither brave nor right. I only strike in defence, and from you there is no need of defence !

"

My teaching is to better my fellowmen, rather than to strike or punish them for their weakness and misfortunes. My duty is to help them rather than to harm them. I am by nature endowed with a strong arm, a broad hand, a good head and eye, with swift feet and gentle voice: These, I think, God gave me for better purposes than to be used against my fellow-men. I think He rather intended that I should use my eyes to see, and my feet to run to the assistance of an unfortunate, my head to counsel him, my hand to reach down and help him up, my arm to help to sustain him after he is up, while my voice admonishes him of his errors and

strives to reform him to higher aims, and to better ends.

"No sir," said he, "If you want to fight, you must go elsewhere to find your man, but if you will be cool and permit your better nature to assert itself, I don't think you will wish to fight, as it is self-evident you really couldn't do much of it."

Here were the two kinds of courage. As is always the case, the moral kind triumphed.

THE OLD TRUNDLE-BED.

OH, the old trundle-bed where I slept when a boy,

What canopied king might not covet the joy?

The glory and peace of that slumber of mine,

Like a long, gracious rest in the bosom divine;

The quaint, homely couch, hidden close from the light,

But daintily drawn from its hiding place at night,

Oh, a nest of delight, from the foot to the head,

Was the queer little, dear little, old trundle-bed!

Oh, the old trundle-bed, where I wondering saw

The stars through the window, and

listened with awe

THE BEAUTIFUL SNOW.

Many have claimed it, but J. W. WATSON is perhaps the author.

OH! the snow, the beautiful snow!
Filling the sky and the earth below;
Over the house-tops, over the street,
Over the heads of the people you meet,
Dancing,
Flirting,

Skimming along; Beautiful snow! it can do nothing wrong,

Flying to kiss a fair lady's cheek, Clinging to lips in a frolicsome freak. Beautiful snow, from the heaven above, Pure as an angel, and fickle as love!

Oh! the snow, the beautiful snow! How the flakes gather and laugh as they go !

Whirling about in its maddening fun,
It plays in its glee with every one,
Chasing,
Laughing,
Hurrying by!

It lights on the face and it sparkles the