the poor child, and make atonement for your
faults. What will you do?"

Caspar acknowledged his fault, and promised to do every thing that his
father commanded him.

He who does wrong is always sure to repent of it, for he is punished by
his own conscience, if in no other way.

ACORN HOLLOW.

"Oh, Aunt Elissa! stay with us and spend the evening, why can't you!"
exclaimed Janie, Nelly, and Thanny, as the before-mentioned aunt entered
their cheerful little parlor one evening, after being absent some time.

"Stay and spend the evening! Bless your dear souls! no. Haven't I got to
go to the post office, and besides that, a hundred and one other errands
to do?"

"Never mind the post office, Aunt Lissa. Where's my hat? I'll run there
and back again in two minutes, and that will save you the trouble of
going. And never mind the errands either; you can come over in the
morning and do them; besides that we don't like to have our aunt going
about these dark evenings--she might get lost, or something might catch
her and carry her off, and then--"

"What then?"

"Why she wouldn't tell us any more stories."

"Away with you, you selfish things! that's as much as you care for me.
Now I'll go right home."

"Oh don't, don't! Run Thanny and shut the door, while I hold her, and
Nelly unties her bonnet. I don't care if she does scold."

"Go away! you wild birds. Haven't you been taught any better manners
than this? Strange your mother will let you act so! but there she sits,
sewing away as busily as ever, only looking up now and then, to smile,
as if she didn't care at all. Fie! for shame! There goes my bonnet and
shawl. Now Nelly, if you hide them, I'll never go over the hills with
you again. I have a great mind not to speak a word to one of you."

"Oh don't stop talking, for we want you to tell us a story." "A story!
why dear children, I can't begin with the first thought of a story
to-night; I feel so stupid and dull that it will be quite as much as I
can do to keep myself awake."

"Oh well, then we will have a dance, and that will wake you up. Here!
Away we go!"

"Stop! stop you merry elves! Oh my foot! Oh my hand! I would rather tell
you all the stories in the Arabian Nights, than go through one such
dance as this. Sit down now and be quiet, for if I have really got it to
do, I want to begin as soon as possible. Well, what shall I tell you
about, Janie?"

"Oh, anything you please."

[Illustration]

"The