ne great truth,--that, if you would be
good and wise in your manhood, you must begin, now in early youth, to
put forth all your powers, and use all the means within your reach, to
store your mind with useful knowledge, and direct your thoughts and
actions in the ways of truth and virtue, industry and sobriety. The
boy Washington did all this; and, ere we have done, you shall see the
glorious results of such a good beginning. Be like him in your
youth,--patient and diligent, loving and dutiful, truthful and
prayerful; that you may be like him in the fulness of years,--esteemed
and beloved, happy and good, useful and wise.

VIII.

IMPORTANT EXPLANATIONS.

When Uncle Juvinell had finished this part of his story, he paused,
and with a beaming face looked round upon his little circle of
listeners. Two or three of the youngest had long since fallen asleep;
and Master Ned, having heard the story of the little hatchet, had
stolen quietly away to the cabin, just to see how "black daddy" was
getting along with his sled. Having waited till it was finished, he
had, for his own private amusement, taken it to a nice hillside, and
was now coasting on it all alone by the light of a good-humored,
dish-faced moon. The other children had listened with great interest
and attention to the story, and were still sitting with their eyes
bent earnestly on the fire, whose great bright eye had by this time
grown a little red, and was winking in a slow and sleepy way, as if it
were saying, "Well done, Uncle Juvinell,--very well done indeed. I
have been listening very attentively, and quite approve of all you
have said, especially all that about the wooden-legged schoolmaster,
the little hatchet, the sorrel horse, the Indian war-dance, and the
Lowland Beauty, not to mention those wise maxims and wholesome moral
precepts you brought in so aptly. All of it is very fine and very
good, and just to my liking. But I am thinking it is high bed-time for
these little folks."

Uncle Juvinell was much gratified to see how deeply interested the
children were in what he had been telling them; and in a little while
he called upon them to let him know how they all liked it. Laura said
that it was very nice; Ella, that it was charming; Daniel, that it was
quite as interesting as Plutarch's Lives; Willie, that it was even
more so than "Robinson Crusoe;" and Bryce, that it was very good, but
he would have liked it better had Uncle Juvinell told them mor