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Dr. Wisepate. (Aside.) What the deuce does he mean? (Enter Robert, who stares at them both.) Robert.-Eh! Did-did you call, sir? (To Dr. Wisc

pate.)

T. O'Keen.—Yes, sirrah! Take that poor fellow down to the kitchen; he's come upon a foolish errand this cold, wet day; so, do you see, give him something to eat and drink—as much as he likes—and bid my steward give him a guinea for his trouble.

Robert.-Eh!

T. O'Keen.-Thunder and ouns, fellow! must I put my words into my mouth, and take them out again, for you? Thaddy (to the doctor), my jewel, just give that blockhead of mine a rap on his sconce with your little bit of a switch, and I'll do as much for you another time.

Dr. Wisepate. (Aside.)-So, instead of my instructing the fellow, he has absolutely instructed me. Well, sir, you have convinced me what Dr. Wisepate should be, and now I suppose we are ourselves again.

T. O'Keen. (Rises.)-With all my heart, sir. Here's your honor's wig and spectacles, and now give me my comfortable lat and switch.

Dr. Wisepate.-And, Robert, obey the orders that my representative gave you.

Robert.-What! carry him down to the kitchen!

T. O'Keen.—No, young man, I shan't trouble you to carry me down; I'll carry myself down, and you shall see what a beautiful hand master O'Keen is at a knife and fork. (Exit with Robert.)

Dr. Wisepate. (Solus.Well, this fellow has some humor; indeed, he has fairly turned the tables upon me. I wish I could get him to give a dose of my prescribing to her ladyship's cats and dogs, for the foolish woman has absolutely bequeathed in her will an annual sum for the care of each, after her death. Oh, dear! dear! how much more to her credit would it be to consider the present exigencies of her country, and add to the number of voluntary contributions !

LXII. SKATING.

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH.

1. And in the frosty season, when the sun
Was set, and, visible for many a mile,
The cottage-windows through the twilight blazed,
I heeded not the summons: happy time

It was indeed for all of us; for me

It was a time of rapture! Clear and loud
The village clock tolled six-I wheeled about,
Proud and exulting, like an untired horse

That cares not for his home.-All shod with steel
We hissed along the polished ice, in games
Confederate, imitative of the chase

And woodland pleasures,—the resounding horn,—
The pack loud-chiming, and the hunted hare.

2. So through the darkness and the cold we flew,
And not a voice was idle with the din
Smitten, the precipices rang aloud;
The leafless trees and every icy crag
Tinkled like iron; while the distant hills
Into the tumult sent an alien sound

Of melancholy, not unnoticed; while the stars,
Eastward, were sparkling clear, and in the west
The orange sky of evening died away.

3. Not seldom from the uproar I retired
Into a silent bay, or sportively

Glanced sideway, leaving the tumultuous throng,
To cut across the reflex of a star;

Image, that, flying still before me, gleamed

Upon the glassy plain; and oftentimes,
When we had given our bodies to the wind,
And all the shadowy banks on either side

Came sweeping through the darkness, spinning still
The rapid line of motion, then at once
Have I, reclining back upon my heels,

Stopped short; yet still the solitary cliffs
Wheeled by me-even as if the earth had rolled

With visible motion her diurnal round :

Behind me did they stretch in solemn train,
Feebler and feebler, and I stood and watched
Till all was tranquil as a summer sea.

LXIII. HOW THE INDIAN CORN GROWS.

OUR YOUNG FOLKS.

1. The children came in from the field with their hands full of the soft, pale-green corn-silk. Annie had rolled hers into a bird's-nest, while Willie had dressed his little sister's hair with the long, damp tresses, until she seemed more like a mermaid, with pale blue eyes shining out between the locks of her sea-green hair, than like our own Alice.

2. They brought their treasures to the mother, who sat on the door-step of the farm-house, under the tall, old elm-tree that had been growing there ever since her mother was a child. She praised the beauty of the bird's nest, and kissed the little mermaiden to find if her lips tasted of salt water; but then she said, "Don't break any more of the silk, dear children, else we shall have no ears of corn in the field,— none to roast before our picnic fires, and none to dry and pop at Christmas time next winter.”

3. Now the children wondered at what their mother said, and begged that she would tell them how the silk could make the round, full kernels of corn. And this is the story that the mother told, while they all sat on the door-step under the old elm.

4. "When your father broke up the ground with his plow, and scattered in the seed-corn, the crows were watching from the old apple-tree; and they came down to pick up the corn; and indeed they did carry away a good deal; but the days went by, the spring showers moistened the earth, and the sun shone, and so the seed-corn swelled, and, bursting open, thrust out two little hands, one reaching down to hold itself firmly in the earth, and one reaching up to the light and the air.

5. "The first was never very beautiful, but certainly quite useful; for, besides holding the corn firmly in its place, it drew up water and food for the whole plant; but the second spread out two long, slender green leaves, that waved with every breath of air, and seemed to rejoice in every ray of sunshine. Day by day it grew taller and taller, and by and by put out new streamers broader and stronger, until it stood higher than Willie's head; then, at the top, came a new kind of bud, quite different from those that folded the green streamers, and when that opened, it showed a nodding flower which swayed and bowed at the top of the stalk like the crown of the whole plant.

6. “And yet this was not the best that the corn plant could do,-for lower down, and partly hidden by the leaves, it had hung out a silken tassel of pale, sea-green color, like the hair of a little mermaid. Now, every silken thread was in truth a tiny tube, so fine that our eyes cannot see the bore of it.

7. "The nodding flower that grew so gayly up above there was day by day ripening a golden dust called pollen, and every grain of this pollen-and they were very small grains indeed—knew perfectly well that the silken threads were tubes; and they felt an irresistible desire to enter the shining passages and explore them to the very end; so one day, when the wind was tossing the whole blossoms this way and that, the pollen-grains danced out, and, sailing down on the soft breeze, each one crept in at the open door of a sea-green tube.

8. "Down they slid over the shining floors, and what was their delight to find, when they reached the end, that they had all along been expected, and for each one was a little room prepared, and sweet food for their nourishment; and from this time they had no desire to go away, but remained each in his own place, and grew every day stronger and larger and rounder, even as Baby in the cradle there, who has nothing to do but grow.

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9. Side by side were their cradles, one beyond another in beautiful straight rows; and as the pollen-grains grew daily larger, the cradles also grew for their accomodation, until at last they felt themselves really full of sweet, delicious

life; and those who lived at the tops of the rows peeped out from the opening of the dry leaves which wrapped them all together, and saw a little boy with his father coming through the cornfield, while yet every thing was beaded with dew, and the sun was scarcely an hour high. The boy carried a basket, and the father broke from the corn-stalks the full, firm ears of sweet corn, and heaped the basket full."

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10. O Mother!" cried Willie, "that was father and I. Don't you remember how we used to go out last summer every morning before breakfast to bring in the corn? And we must have taken that very ear; for I remember how the full kernels lay in straight rows, side by side, just as you have told."

11. Now Alice is breaking her threads of silk, and trying to see the tiny opening of the tube; and Annie thinks she will look for the pollen-grains the very next time she goes to the cornfield.

LXIV. THE SELF-DENYING BOY.

MARY E. ATKINSON.

1. "I wish I could go and skate, mother,
When the boys are all at play;
I am weary of this tiresome work
On every holiday!

2. "When school is over, the other boys
Have nothing else to do

But to slide and skate on Crystal Pond;
And I want to go there too.

3. "When Santa Claus hung up my skates
On the beautiful Christmas-tree,

He didn't know how little use

They could ever be to me!"

4. His trouble grieved his mother's heart:
"I am sorry, dear!" she said,

And stooped to kiss him, while her tears
Fell on his curly head.

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