m rejoice. Louis, called the Pious and
the Kind-hearted, should rather have been called Louis the
Well-intentioned.

But alas for good intentions if strength of will be wanting! Louis lived
in harsh and brutal days, and men could appreciate neither his gentle
manners nor his worthy aims. He had neither his father's strength of
mind nor firmness of will, nor had he what is called magnetism--the
power to compel men to do as one elects. His noble aims were speedily
brought to naught; his high purpose was swiftly overthrown; his
ambitious sons opposed him, quarrelled with him, defied him, assailed
and dethroned him; and after a stormy reign of twenty-six years, during
which he many times wished to give up his crown and become a monk, Louis
the Well-intentioned died, in the summer of the year 840, on one of the
little islands in the river Rhine, a discrowned, defeated, and sorrowing
King, conquered by his sons.

The great empire his father had left him was speedily broken asunder,
and from its remains, after long years of disorder and of blood, came at
last the nations of France and Germany--the outgrowth of that vast
heritage of power which the son of Charlemagne had received from his
mighty father, but had neither wit nor will enough to govern or hold
unbroken.

A noble man in many ways was Louis, the son of Charlemagne. But he lived
in advance of his times, for stormy seas demand a strong hand at the
helm, and great matters require the head to plan and the will to do. In
all of these requirements for royalty was Louis deficient; and while
history accords him praise for honesty of purpose, gentleness of heart,
good intentions, and lofty aims, it still writes him down as an
unsuccessful ruler, because a weak-willed son could not uphold the
heritage of a father who indeed was great.

OAKLEIGH.

BY ELLEN DOUGLAS DELAND

CHAPTER IX.

The last excitement of the summer before school began was a river
picnic, given by Gertrude Morgan. A note was brought to Edith one
afternoon which ran thus:

"MY DEAREST EDITH,--Will you, Cynthia, Jack, and Neal Gordon join
us on the river to-morrow? My cousins, Tom and Kitty Morgan, are
here, and another fellow, awfully nice, that Tom brought with him,
and we want to do something to entertain them. This is such
perfect weather for the river. We will come up from Brenton early,
and reach Oakleigh before noon. You can join us in your boats, and