rs. I inscribe
their life and their deeds, looked at in my fashion, in my record; and
that's what all people ought to do. They ought not to be vexed when
any one goes on ridiculously, but bury him directly, and maintain
their good humour, and keep to the _Intelligencer_, which is often a
book written by the people with its hand guided.

When the time comes for me to be bound with my history in the boards
of the grave, I hope they will put up as my epitaph, "A good-humoured
one." And that's my story.

A LEAF FROM THE SKY.

High up yonder, in the thin clear air, flew an angel with a flower
from the heavenly garden. As he was kissing the flower, a very little
leaf fell down into the soft soil in the midst of the wood, and
immediately took root, and sprouted, and sent forth shoots among the
other plants.

"A funny kind of slip that," said the plants.

And neither thistle nor stinging-nettle would recognize the stranger.

"That must be a kind of garden plant," said they.

And they sneered; and the plant was despised by them as being a thing
out of the garden.

"Where are you coming?" cried the lofty thistles, whose leaves are all
armed with thorns.

"You give yourself a good deal of space. That's all nonsense--we are
not here to support you!" they grumbled.

And winter came, and snow covered the plant; but the plant imparted to
the snowy covering a lustre as if the sun was shining upon it from
below as from above. When spring came, the plant appeared as a
blooming object, more beautiful than any production of the forest.

And now appeared on the scene the botanical professor, who could show
what he was in black and white. He inspected the plant and tested it,
but found it was not included in his botanical system; and he could
not possibly find out to what class it belonged.

"That must be some subordinate species," he said. "I don't know it.
It's not included in any system."

"Not included in any system!" repeated the thistles and the nettles.

The great trees that stood round about saw and heard it; but they
said not a word, good or bad, which is the wisest thing to do for
people who are stupid.

There came through the forest a poor innocent girl. Her heart was
pure, and her understanding was enlarged by faith. Her whole
inheritance was an old Bible; but out of its pages a voice said to
her, "If people wish to do us evil, remember how it was said of
Joseph. They imagined evil in their hearts, but