If you get a hard word from any one, keep silent, and his own conscience will accuse him. Forgive him; then life will be easy and your heart will always be light. In the morning go, make it up with Gabriel and invite him here for to-morrow's holiday. Don't put it off; put out the fire before it spreads."

Ivan began to think his father was right, but at this moment the women came into the house, telling of more quarreling. Then Ivan's heart grew cold again and he gave up the thought of making peace. Late that evening he went the rounds of his farm, to see whether anything was in danger. As he reached the far corner of the shed he saw something flare up for a moment near the plough; and he clearly saw a man, crouching down, lighting a bunch of straw he held in his hand. The thatch flared up at the eaves, and standing beneath them, Gabriel's whole figure was clearly visible.

"Now I'll have him," thought Ivan, and, paying no attention to the fire now blazing furiously, he rushed at Gabriel. The latter fled; Ivan followed, and was about to seize him, when Gabriel, seizing up an oak beam, struck Ivan down and stunned him.

When he came to his senses Gabriel was no longer there. Ivan saw that his back shed was all ablaze; flames and smoke and bits of burning straw mixed with the smoke were being driven towards his hut. “What is this," cried Ivan, still half dazed, "why, all I had to do was just to snatch it out from under the eaves and trample on it! Then the fire would never have got started." Before he could get to the fire, the hut was aflame. Nothing could be done; after Ivan's house, Gabriel's also caught fire; then, the wind rising, the flames spread to the other side of the street and half the village was burnt down.

Ivan barely managed to save his old father; the family escaped in what they had on; and everything else was

lost, even the grain in the granaries. Ivan kept repeating, "One need only have pulled it out and trampled on it."

In the morning his old father sent for him. "Who has burnt down the village?" began the old man. "It was Gabriel, father, I saw him." "Ivan, I am dying. You in your turn will have to face death. Now, before God, say whose is the sin?" Only then Ivan came to his senses and understood it all. He answered simply, "Mine, father." Then he fell on his knees before his father, saying, "Forgive me; I am guilty before you and before God." The old man cried, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! What must you do now?" Ivan was weeping. "I don't know how we are to live now, father!" he said. The old man smiled faintly. "If you obey God's will, you'll manage! - Mind, Ivan! Don't tell who started the fire! Hide another man's sin, and God will forgive two of yours!" and, closing his eyes, the old man sighed, stretched out, and died.

Ivan did not say anything against Gabriel, and no one knew what had caused the fire. At first Gabriel felt afraid, but after a while he got used to it. The men left off quarreling and then their families left off also. While rebuilding their huts, both families lived in one; and when the village was rebuilt, Ivan and Gabriel built next to each other and lived as good neighbors should. Ivan remembered his old father's command to quench a fire at the first spark. If any one does him an injury he now tries, not to revenge himself, but rather to set matters right.

And Ivan has got on his feet again, and now lives better even than he did before.

JUNE: WORKING TOGETHER

For the Teacher:

TOGETHER

RUDYARD KIPLING

When Crew and Captain understand each other to the

core,

It takes a gale and more than a gale to put their ship

ashore;

For the one will do what the other commands, although they are chilled to the bone,

And both together can live through weather that neither can face alone.

Suggestions for morning talks

June is an excellent time to gather together in review the lessons of the entire year, and to suggest ways of putting them in action during the summer. The spirit of working together is the essence of neighborliness. Æsop's fable of the bundle of sticks easily broken when separate, unbreakable when bound together, will make graphic the need of mutual support. Let the children see how even such a simple act as tying one's shoes means a skillful working together of the brain, the muscles, the agile fingers of both hands. Building a house, putting out a fire, running a railroad, all require that people shall help one another to the best of their ability.

What can you do during the summer to help the neighbors? If you go on a vacation to the country can you

1 A School History of England, C. R. L. Fletcher and Rudyard Kipling. Doubleday, Page & Co.

bring back some flowers? For whom? Are there any little babies in the neighborhood? In what ways can you help take care of them? Is it a good way of working together to steal birds' eggs? Why not? Why should you not pull up flowers by the roots? Learn: "The Brown Thrush," Lucy Larcom, from Childhood Songs. Houghton Mifflin Co.

"Wayside Flowers," William Allingham, in Ethics for Children, Ella Lyman Cabot. Houghton Mifflin Co.

Read: "Do all That You Can," and "Two Little Girls." Margaret Sangster, in Little Knights and Ladies. Harper & Bros.

In A School History of England, C. R. L. Fletcher and Rudyard Kipling, "England's on the Anvil" (chap. II), first four verses of "Together" (chap. VII), "The Glory of the Garden" (end of the book). Doubleday, Page & Co.

"The Wives of Brixham," Anonymous, in A School Reader, Grade IV, Fanny E. Coe. American Book Co.

"The Lame Man and the Blind Man," Æsop, in Ethics for Children, Ella Lyman Cabot. Houghton Mifflin Co.

Ages ago a flock of more than a thousand quails lived together in a forest in India. They would have been happy, but that they were in great dread of their enemy,

1 From Ethics for Children, p. 71.

the quail-catcher. He used to imitate the call of the quail, and when they gathered together in answer to it, he threw a great net over them, stuffed them into his basket, and carried them away to be sold.

Now one of these quails was very wise, and he said: "Brothers! I've thought of a good plan. In future, as soon as the fowler throws his net over us, let each one put his head through a mesh in the net and then all lift it up together and fly away with it. When we have flown far enough, we can let the net drop on a thorn bush and escape from under it.”

All agreed to the plan, and the next day, when the fowler threw his net, the birds all lifted it together in the very way that the wise quail had told them, threw it on a thorn bush and escaped. While the fowler tried to free his net from the thorns, it grew dark, and he had to go home.

This happened many days, till at last the fowler's wife grew angry and asked her husband: "Why is it that you never catch any more quail?"

Then the fowler said: "The trouble is that all the birds work together and help one another. If they would only quarrel, I could catch them fast enough."

A few days later, one of the quails accidentally trod on the head of one of his brothers as they alighted on the feeding ground.

"Who trod on my head?" angrily inquired the quail who was hurt.

"Don't be angry, I did n't mean to tread on you," said the first quail.

But the brother quail went on quarreling, and pretty soon he declared: "I lifted all the weight of the net; you did n't help at all."

That made the first quail angry, and before long all were drawn into the dispute. Then the fowler saw his chance. He imitated the cry of the quail and cast his net