myself,' said he; and it will be nice to have fresh vegetables of one's own growing.' "About two hours' work in the garden was enough for him. He never thought digging was so hard before, and, after one or two poor attempts, he gave up, and the weeds had it all their own way. 6 Ah,' said he, 'it needs one accustomed to that kind of work to do it; but I have been reading lately about rearing fowls. It is the easiest thing in the world, and no end of profit.' So Sam put up a fowlhouse, and bought some chickens. There was no hard work needing to be done : 'But then,' said Sam, after a few weeks, 'it is such a bother to have to attend to them regularly.' The upshot was that the poor fowls were neglected. Some of them died, and the rest became so thin and sickly that nobody cared to buy them, and they were useless for food; so he killed them and buried them. He might have made some use of the feathers, but he could not take the trouble to pluck them off. "Sam was fond of music; and, as it seemed an easy thing to play the fiddle, he bought one, in a fine case, and commenced to learn. He found, however, that it would take a good deal more than a month to master it; so he gave it up. The fiddle was, fortunately, saleable; he got half his money for it. He thought it would be a most useful thing to know shorthand, and got an instruction book, learned the signs, and practised them for a week or two. He came to the conclusion however that we ought to learn shorthand when very young, in order to become expert at it; so he gave it up. German and botany, chemistry and landscape-painting, all shared the same fate. He began to write stories, and never got beyond the first chapter. He tried to write poems, and never finished them. At one time he thought of becoming a public lecturer, but managed to write only about the fourth part of one lecture. So that came to nothing. "Poor Sam did not appear to most people to be slothful, for he was always after something; but, unfortunately, he never completed anything, or continued any pursuit that he began; so he lost all his pains. He was not of the class of slothful people who are too lazy to make a beginning. He was always making beginnings, but had not perseverance enough to go on. He was certainly own brother to the hunter of the proverb, who was too slothful to take the trouble to cook the game which he had caught. "I don't know which is worst, the busy slothful man who does nothing, or the lazy slothful man who never tries. But we have a good many of them in our parish. And as I don't want to be one of them, and have got to finish this pair of boots by mid-day, I'll bid you all good morning, and dismiss the meeting." It was high time for the grammar-school boys, for the bell had already began to clatter, and they knew that at its last stroke the door would be shut; so they were round the corner and out of sight in an instant. As for the two or three loungers who had gathered to listen, they quietly betook themselves to other quarters. It was altogether too fatiguing for them to stand and look at Old Andrew's nimble hands and active movements. R. R. T. 44 "I can save you." HOW hot it is on these sands! Let us bathe," said I to my companion. We knew that people had been drowned while bathing in that very bay; but what of that? Our limbs were strong; the summer sun was streaming on the sea; what more delightful than a swim! Everything looked so hot. "Yes; I vote for a good swim," said my friend; and in a few minutes we were plunging through the breakers in all the enjoyment of the cool water. As the gentle swell rose with us on it, we could see the ships in the offing, and when it sank we could only see the blue sky overhead. We were swimming by a spit of rocks that ran for about a quarter of a mile into the sea. "Can you touch bottom?" asked my friend; I tried, and could not. Soon I said, "I am going back." Turning to do so, I noticed an eddy which the sinking tide formed by a rock just there. I was being drawn towards it; like a giant I struck out, but it caught me; again I stretched out my hands, and drew up my legs with one mighty effort; but all to no purpose. Round I went in the whirlpool; the water closed over me, into my ears it ran, sounding like the roaring of a great ocean. All the bright summer sunshine faded into a dull grey as it pierced those dreadful waters.. Down, down I sank; at first all my efforts to swim to the surface were unavailing; but, after awhile, I found myself rising slowly. I almost lost consciousness, but rallied immediately after, and found myself floating in the hot sunshine. Once more I tried to swim to the land, but I was too weak, and had to content myself with keeping afloat. I felt my strength sinking, and I knew that the tide was carrying me out to sea! In a moment of fatigue, relaxing my guard, I sank; again I rose, but now I was weaker than before; then I had almost hoped to be carried by the tide as far as the ships in the offing-" A drowning man clutches a straw"--but now I had neither hope nor fear, all my senses seemed numbed; I grew fainter and fainter. Now all this time my friend, who had been nearer the rocks than I, and had managed to climb up them, had been shouting to a man whom he had seen on the sands. Just as I was again beginning to sink, I felt a hand clutch my hair, and a steady voice said, "Keep still; I can save you." I was too weak to struggle, or lay hold of my saviour, but he laid hold of me; and soon the water rippied by me as we returned landward, on and on, through the breakers, through the shallow water he carried me, and laid me on the firm land. There I lay, conscious of nothing but that I was saved. "A word to a wise man is enough.' I was nearly drowned because I undervalued the strength of the sea, and overvalued the strength of my arms. I was saved by the strength of another. Don't undervalue the strength of sin and Satan, and don't overvalue your own strength. "When I am weak, then I am strong;" for God's strength is made perfect in my weakness. Satan is strong; God is stronger. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came from heaven to save you. You think He is not able to. Hear what He says: "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." Oh, to you, He says, "I can save you!" Oh, do not play with temptation! And if you are on the Rock, like my friend was; if your feet are on the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ, remember that He says: "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you." Pray for yourself, and pray for those around you who are sinking in the sea of sin. joy may be full." "Ask what ye will, that your C. W. R. H. Evening Song. From the German of CLAUDius. HE moon is risen on high, While from the pastures rise How silent is the world! Shall all be slept away. Though scarce the half we view, Yon beauteous orb on high: Proud children of mankind, And many a search begin, While from the wished-for goal they do but farther go. Lord, let us see Thy grace, Rejoice before Thy face, A simple mind bestow, And, while we dwell below, Thy happy loving children may we be! Our hearts it will not grieve Gently this world to leave, When time the call shall give; Then may we soar above, And in that heaven of love With Thee for ever live! Cool blows the evening air ;- In God's good name. Lord, in Thy mercy keep, Grant us in peace to sleep, And to all sick and sad ones grant the same! F. B. Kissing on the Windows. BY REV. W. POOLE BALFERN. E once saw a very bright and pretty little girl walking down the street and constantly stopping to look at herself in the shop windows. The apparent joy and sparkling vivacity of the child attracted and fixed our attention. On observing her more |
