inquired Jack, demurely.

"Yes;" said his aunt, slowly; "if all babies were as cross as you were
when you were an infant, three hundred dollars wouldn't begin to pay for
the trouble of having one round."

Mr. Crump and his wife laughed at this sally at Jack's expense, but
the latter had his wits about him sufficiently to answer, "I've always
heard, Aunt Rachel, that the crosser a child is the pleasanter he will
grow up. What a very pleasant baby you must have been!"

"Jack!" said his mother, reprovingly; but his father, who looked upon it
as a good joke, remarked, good-humoredly, "He's got you there, Rachel."

The latter, however, took it as a serious matter, and observed that,
when she was young, children were not allowed to speak so to their
elders. "But, I don't know as I can blame 'em much," she continued,
wiping her eyes with the corner of her apron, "when their own parents
encourage 'em in it."

Timothy was warned, by experience, that silence was his best (sic)
defence. Since anything he might say would only be likely to make
matters worse.

Aunt Rachel sank into a fit of deep despondency, and did not say another
word till dinner time. She sat down to the table with a profound sigh,
as if there was little in life worth living for. Notwithstanding this,
it was observed that she had a good appetite. Indeed, Rachel seemed to
thrive on her gloomy views of life and human nature. She was, it must
be acknowledged, perfectly consistent in all her conduct, as far as this
peculiarity was concerned. Whenever she took up a newspaper, she always
looked first to the space appropriated to deaths, and next in order to
the column of accidents, casualties, etc., and her spirits were visibly
exhilarated when she encountered a familiar name in either list.

Mr. Crump continued to look out for work, but it was with a more
cheerful spirit. He did not now feel as if the comfort of his family
depended absolutely upon his immediate success. Used economically, the
money he had by him would last nine months, and during that time it was
impossible that he should not find something to do. It was this sense
of security--of possessing something upon which he could fall back--that
enabled him to keep up good heart. It is too generally the case that
people are content to live as if they were sure of constantly retaining
their health and never losing their employment. When a reverse does come
they are at once plunged into discouragement, a