Those that only such as are quite red and soft. On this prickly bush are gooseberries. When some were gathered for pies, I told you, you must not eat them raw. But now they are grown larger, and are soft and sweet. One bush has yellow gooseberries; another red; and another green. But they are all getting ripe. Take care you do not prick your fingers. He I know a little boy who ate some unripe gooseberries, though he had been told not. He got in the garden slily, and gathered them when his mamma was busy and did not see him. forgot that the God who made him could see what he did, and was angry with him for taking what was not his own, and what he had been told not to touch. In the night, this little boy was taken very ill; and his papa and mamma got up, and sent for a doctor, and gave him some medicine, and put him in a warm bath. While he was in the bath, his mamma sat by him, and held his little burning hand, and wept for fear that her dear little boy would die. And then he told her that he had been a naughty child; and had eaten forbidden fruit, and thought it would not be found out. His mamma was still more sorry for his sin, than for his sickness; but she told him he might pray that God would forgive his sin, for the sake of Jesus Christ; and give him a new heart, that would avoid sin in future. "Did God forgive him, and give him a new heart?" I hope he did; for the little boy never acted so badly again. "Did he get well from his sickness?" Yes, he is alive now; and is a good and useful man. Will my little boy remember that it is a sin for children to touch anything they are bidden not to touch? And that God always sees them, although their parents may be out of sight? Here are Now we will gather some currants. three sorts. Red, white, and black. They grow in bunches, and the bushes have not thorns, like the gooseberry bushes. Here is a bunch with sixteen currants upon it; and there are many with ten or twelve. That is a cherry tree. The cherries are bright red. They grow on long stalks. They are out of our reach. We will ask papa to put the ladder to the tree and get some. Now we have got a nice basket of fruit, we will take it into the arbour and enjoy it. Go and ask grandmamma to come and have some with us. “Grandmamma has been showing me some nice fruit that will be ripe when currants, and gooseberries, and strawberries, and cherries are gone. She says they will be plums, and apples, and pears." Yes, and peaches, and apricots. Do you not like to see them grow, and to eat them when they are ripe? Let us bless God, who gives us fruit that is pleasant and wholesome. It is He who causes it to grow, and sends his sun to ripen it He gives us richly all things to enjoy. What are you sticking in the ground, Joseph ? "It is a piece of the vine, which the gardener cut off. Will it have grapes ?" for us. No. It has no root. "But it has leaves?" The leaves will soon wither and fade, and the stick will become dry and worthless. It has no root of its own; and it cannot grow, now it is cut off from the vine. t "I heard papa read about that." Yes, my boy. Papa did read that Jesus said He was like a vine, and his people like the branches. When they try to do good things, it is like fruit which God approves. But we cannot do this unless we are joined to Jesus. Without Him, we can do nothing good. "How are we to be joined to Jesus?" We must believe on Him; and love Him; and beg the Holy Spirit to make us one with Him, and help us to bear much fruit to His praise. Is He a vine? that heavenly root, My soul to Christ the living vine. Watts. XIII. HAY MAKING-THE CORN FIELDS. We will go into the hay field, and see the people making hay. "What is hay made of?" Hay is nothing more than dried grass, or clover. They are making hay in the field where you used to gather violets, and primroses; and afterwards buttercups and daisies. "Oh look, mamma. The men are shaving down the grass with very large razors, and the flowers too!" They are not called razors, but scythes. Have you not seen the gardener use one to mow down the grass walks in the garden? I suppose you have not, for it is generally done very early in the morning, and all cleared away before you are about. "Do they cut down all the pretty flowers, as well as the grass?" Yes. All will go together. You must take care, and keep close to me. If you should go too near the mowers, your little legs might be cut. "What are those women doing with great wooden rakes and prongs?" They are tossing about the grass, that the wind and the sun may dry it. We will go to that part of the field; and you may help to toss it a little, and tumble about upon it. good merry play. That will be "This grass does not look green now, it is faded." Yes. It was cut yesterday, and it is beginning to get dry. How sweet it smells! 66 They are putting it in little heaps. Will it stay there?" No. They will toss it again and again, till it is quite dry. And then it will be piled up in a large rick or stack, to feed the horses and cows with in the winter. Why do not the horses and cows come to the field and eat it ?" In summer, when the grass grows very thick and long, there is more than they need. And if it were not cut, it would wither and be wasted. But when the cold frosts and winter come, the ground is bare; there is very little grass. It does not grow at all, and then the poor horses and cows must starve, if there had not been some saved for them in summer, when there was plenty. "I have seen papa's horse eat hay, and oats too. And the rabbits eat hay and oats.' A little farther on we shall see some oats growing. There, in the next field. You saw the stripes of green when first they came up. Now, the different sorts of corn are grown strong and tall, and each of them shows its grains, but they are still green. You shall gather a stalk of wheat, and barley, and oats, and then you will see the difference. This is wheat. It is called an ear of wheat. The ear is composed of many grains close together. This skin, which grows round every grain, is |