66 A DINNER AND A KISS. HAVE brought your dinner, father," The blacksmith's daughter said, As she took from her arm the kettle, And lifted its shining lid. Full of prophetic bliss; In his little daughter's kiss. Catching some wild bird's lay; And I thought how many a shadow On life's chequer'd path we should miss, If always our frugal dinners ANECDOTE OF A DOG. A KNOWING MASTIFF. FINE young dog," says a clergyman, "is used as a guard at the Lion Hotel at Dolgelly. 'Viscount,' for that is his name, had been but a short time in his responsible office, when a post-boy, who had been absent since his arrival, returned to the hotel, and received orders to take out a car at three o'clock in the morning. The man descended at the proper time into the yard, and was there, of course, en ་ course, as of active fidelity, he made proof." THE DERVISE'S ADVICE. countered by Viscount.' But before flying at him, or even raising an alarm, the sagacious animal had time to notice that the stranger went about his work as one who knew the place and had a right to be there. Accordingly, though the mastiff eyed him with suspicion, and followed him closely about through the stables and coachhouses, he refrained from any attack upon him. Presently the man took out the car and horse, and prepared to leave the yard. This was a serious matter in the opinion of Viscount.' Was he going to allow his mistress's property, committed to his charge, to be carried off by a man of whom he had only ascertained that he knew his way about the premises? Not if his doggy mind knew it! So the beast, which had never before strayed from the inn, set off at full speed in the dark night after the car and horse, and never let them go out of sight till, after a run of twenty-four is, Begin nothing without miles, he saw them safely back considering what the end may into the yard of the Lion.' It be.' is needless to point out what a variety of ideas must have passed through the brain of this intelligent brute during this affair, and of what an amount of calm judgment, as well, of ADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU relates the following story :-" One day, as an ancient king of Tartary was riding with his officers of State, they met a dervise crying aloud, 'To him that will give me a hundred dinars, (small pieces of money,) I will give a piece of good advice.' The king, attracted by this strange declaration, stopped, and said to the dervise, 'What advice is this that you offer for a hundred dinars ? ' 'Sire,' replied the dervise, 'I shall be most thankful to tell you as soon as you order the money to be paid me.' The king, expecting to hear something extraordinary, ordered the dinars to be given to the dervise at once: on receiving which, he said, 'Sire, my advice "The officers of State, smiling at what they thought ridiculous advice, looked at the king, who they expected would be SO enraged at this insult as to order the dervise to be severely punished. The king, seeing their amusement and surprise, said, 'I see nothing to laugh at in the advice of this dervise; but, on the contrary, I am persuaded that if it were more frequently practised, men would escape many calamities. Indeed, so convinced am I of the wisdom of this maxim, that I shall have it engraved on my plate and written on the walls of my palace, so that it may be ever before me.' The king, having thanked the dervise, proceeded towards his palace; and on his arrival he ordered the chief Bey to see that the maxim was engraved on his plate and on the walls of his palace. "Some time after this occurrence, one of the nobles of the court, a proud, ambitious man, resolved to destroy the king and place himself on the throne. In order to accomplish his bad purpose, he secured the confidence of one of the king's surgeons, to whom he gave a poisoned lancet, saying, 'If you will bleed the king with this lancet, I will give you ten thousand pieces of gold, and when I ascend the throne you shall be my vizier.' This base surgeon, dazzled by such brilliant prospects, wickedly assented to the proposal. "An opportunity of effecting his evil design soon occurred. The king sent for this man to bleed him. He put the poisoned lancet into a side pocket, and hastened into the king's presence. The arm was tied, and the fatal lancet was about to be plunged into the vein, when suddenly the surgeon's eye read this maxim at the bottom of the basin, 'Begin nothing without considering what the end may be.' He immediately paused, as he thought within himself, 'If I bleed the king with this lancet he will die, and I shall be seized and put to a cruel death. Then of what use will all the gold in the world be to me?' Then, returning the lancet to his pocket, he drew forth another. The king, observing this, and perceiving that he was much embarrassed, asked why he changed his lancet so suddenly. He stated that the point was broken; but the king, doubting his statement, commanded him to show it. This so agitated him, that the king felt assured all was not right. He said, 'There is treachery in this! Tell me instantly what it means, or your head shall be severed from your body!' The surgeon, trembling with fear, promised to relate all to the king, if he would only pardon his guilt. The king consented, and the surgeon related the whole matter, acknowledging that had it not been for the words in the basin, he should have used the fatal lancet. "The king summoned his court, and ordered the traitor to be executed. Then, turning to his officers of State, he said, 'You now see that the advice of the dervise, at which you laughed, is most valuable: it has saved my life. Search out this dervise, that I may amply reward him for his wise maxim.' The farmer well his field survey'd, And sundry observations made; At last, "I tell you what," said he, "This corn is fit to cut, I see; But we our neighbours' help must borrow, So tell them we begin to-morrow." Just after this the Lark return'd, When from her brood this news she learn'd. "Ah! dearest mother," then said they, 66 Pray let us all be gone to-day." "My dears," said she "you need not fret, I shall not be uneasy yet; For if he waits for neighbours' aid, The business will be long delay'd." At dawn she left her nest once more, And charged her young ones as before. At five the farmer came again, And waited for his friends in vain. "Well," said the man, "I fancy, "Ah! children, be at ease," said she; "We're safe another day, I see; At dawn again the Lark withdrew, same; The day advanced, the sun was But not a single help drew nigh. son, I see this job will not be done neighbours; So you and I'll commence labours: our To-morrow, early, we'll begin, "Now," said the Lark, when this she'd heard, "Our movement must not be deferr'd; For if the farmer and his son Themselves begin, 'twill soon be done." The morrow proved the Lark was right; For all was cut and housed by night. Perhaps you would like to go round my farm ?" "Indeed I would," said his friend. So away they started; but before doing so, the farmer took from a corner an instrument called a "spud," and whenever they stopped to chat as they walked over the fields, he would dig away at the weeds and talk at the same time. "You seem to make good use of that spud." "Yes, I must keep busy, or the weeds will get the start of me, and some of them ripen so as to increase the weed-crop next year." So the farmer kept on at work, talking pleasantly and rooting up the weeds. As noxious plants spring up in the fields, and injure the crops, so our sins grow in our hearts and prevent us needs must be from doing good. We must not let them grow; we should Hence, while we wait for others' delay'd; |