y in the stranger's arms, and
seeing his eyes closed, she whispered:

"Is he dead?"

"He is not, he only sleeps," replied the stranger.

This young man came into the house in time to save the baby from the
cold chills of death. He was ever after a friend to the family--a
means of Edward's reformation, so that with some assistance the
mortgage on the farm was paid off, and the farm re-stocked. This
stranger became the husband of Lily, the eldest daughter.

* * * * *

MELLY, ANNA AND SUSY.

There is nothing more pleasant than to see brothers and sisters,
lovely in their lives, and in all their plays kind and obliging to
each other. Mrs. Jones' three little children were always noted for
their good behaviour by all the people in the village, and the school
teacher said they were the prettiest behaved children she ever saw,
and this was saying much in their praise, for her scholars were noted
for very good behavior and promptness in their recitations.

Mrs. Jones kept her children under a good discipline, but she always
gave them time and opportunities for their pleasant plays. She would
not allow them to associate with vicious children, because "evil
communications corrupt good manners," and she knew her children were
as liable to fall into bad habits as any others. There were a few
vicious boys in the village where she lived who always took delight in
teasing and vexing the other children, and sometimes these boys would
try some method to break up the children's play.

One afternoon, there being no school, Mrs. Jones gave her little
children permission to go into the lower back-room and spend awhile in
play. Away they jumped and skipped along down stairs to the play room,
with merry hearts and smiling faces. They had not been there a long
time before they heard a very singular noise, which they did not know
what to make of. But they soon forgot it, and continued playing with
the same cheerfulness; very soon again they heard the same noise,
which sounded like somebody's voice. The children began to be a little
frightened, and while little Susy stretches her hand out to take hold
of the post, and is in the act of running away. Melly and Anna put
their fingers to their lips, and listened again to know what the noise
could mean. Soon the noise was repeated, and away they flew to heir
mother's arms in such a tremor that she felt at the moment alarmed
herself. They told their mothe