around to her
pew and tickled her face with the fur end of the rod. She would waken
with a start and be, oh! so ashamed. She would be very glad the pew had
such high sides to hide her blushing face.

Perhaps you think the boys who sat on the other side of the church had a
good time. But there was the tithingman again. When he saw a boy
whispering or playing, he rapped him on the head with the knob end of
the rod. The whispering would stop at once, for the rod often brought
tears and left a headache.

Besides keeping the boys from playing and the grown people from going to
sleep, the tithingman must turn the hourglass. In those days very few
people could afford clocks, but every one had an hourglass. It took the
fine sand just one hour to pour from the upper part of the glass into
the lower part.

When the sand had all run through, the tithingman turned the glass over
and the sand began to tell another hour. The glass was always turned
three times before the minister closed the service. Then the men picked
up their muskets and foot stoves, the women wrapped their long capes
closely about them, and all went home.

At sunset the Puritan Sabbath ended. The women brought out their
knitting and spinning, or prepared for Monday's washing, and the
children were free to play until bedtime.

--MARGARET PUMPHREY.

NAHUM PRINCE

More than a hundred years ago, our country was at war with England.
George Washington was at the head of our army. As you know, he and his
men were fighting for our country's freedom.

The English army was larger than our army, and General Washington needed
all the men he could get. The regular troops were with him.

In one little town in Vermont all the strong, able-bodied men had gone
to the front. News came that the English and the Americans were about to
meet in battle. The Americans needed more men and called for volunteers.
Old men with white hair and long beards volunteered. Young boys with
smooth cheeks and unshaven lips volunteered. There wasn't a boy in the
village over thirteen years of age who didn't volunteer.

Even lame Nahum Prince offered himself. He brought out his grandfather's
old gun and got in line with the others. He stood as straight and tall
as he could--as a soldier should stand.

Soon the captain came along the line to inspect the volunteers. When he
saw Nahum, he said, "No, no, Nahum, you cannot go; you know you cannot.
Why, you could not walk a mile. Go home