when aunt Mary left us yesterday, she
said that she and the children would be exposed to many dangers during
the voyage, and she asked me to pray for them, and it took me a good
while."

I was told by a friend, of a group of little boys when visiting a little
companion, all seated on the floor near each other, looking at some
pictures. They came to one representing Daniel in the den of lions. It
was noticed that the lions were not chained, and yet they were in a
reposing posture. None seemed to understand how this was. One little boy
said to another, "Ah, wouldn't you be afraid to be put into a den of
lions?" "Oh, yes," was the reply. And so the question went all round,
eliciting the same answer. At last the youngest of the party reached
himself forward and pulled his brother by the sleeve, saying, "Johnny,
Johnny, if lions are afraid of praying people, they'd be afraid of
mother--wouldn't they? And she wouldn't be afraid of them, for she says
we needn't fear anything but sin."

I was acquainted with a family where the following circumstance
occurred. The two youngest boys in the family were often trusted to take
long walks, and sometimes they were permitted to go over, by themselves,
to N----, a distance of nearly four miles, and make a call on their aunt
and cousins, who resided there.

One day they came and asked their mother if they might take a long walk.
She told them not a very long walk, for that day they had not been as
studious and dutiful as usual. They took hold of hands, and without
designing to do so at first, it was believed, they ran on very fast till
they reached the village of N----, where their aunt lived.

On going to the house, their aunt thought, from their heated appearance,
and hurried and disconcerted manner, that they were two "runaways." She,
however, welcomed them as usual--invited them to partake of some fine
baked apples and new bread and milk--quite a new treat to city boys--but
N----, the eldest, declined the invitation. She then proposed to them to
go to the school-house, which was near by, and see their cousins. This,
too, N---- declined. He said to his brother, "Charley, we must go home."
And they took hold of hands and ran all the way as fast as possible, and
immediately on entering the house, their faces as red as scarlet, N----
confessed to his mother where they had been, and asked her forgiveness.
This being granted, N---- could not be happy. He said, weeping, "Mother,
will you