them; give them up this day.

Well, here was poor Joe, and God did hear his cry for help; for just
then it was His will that two men came by with a sled full of wood. The
boys did call them: "Come here, oh! do come here! or Joe will die!"

It was time; for the poor boy had sunk down, down to his eyes. He was
so cold, he had to let go of the ice.

The good men ran to the pond, and then ran back and took a long rope,
that they had used to tie the load of wood. Then, with care, one of
them went on the ice near the hole. Snap! snap! it did go; but it did
not sink. The man threw out the rope, and told Joe to take hold of the
end. He was so cold he could not hold it; but he put the end un-der
his arm, and in this way the man drew him out so far that he took
hold of his hand, and got him safe on the hard ice.

[Illustration: "In this way the man drew him out."--P. 173.]

Then poor Joe gave one gasp, shut his eyes, and sank down as if he was
dead.

No time was to be lost. "Take the wood off the sled," said one of the
men. The boys flew to do it. The wood fell this side and that; and then
poor Joe was laid on the sled, with his head on the good man's lap. He
took off his coat, and laid it on the poor boy; and then the sled went
off so fast, that they were at Joe's house in time to save him.

But, oh! what a sad time it was! How long it took! They put him in a
warm bed, and they did rub and roll him for an hour; but still his eyes
were shut, and his face was so pale, they all said he was dead. But his
mam-ma did cry: "O do not stop! try once more! My dear boy must not die!
Oh! do not give him up!" So they went on; his pa-pa with the big tears
in his eyes; and the kind men they did rub and roll him, and his mam-ma
sat by, with a pale, sad face, to help, and she did not give up hope;
she did pray to God all the time to save her boy's life.

Hark! what was that? A low moan came from Joe's lips, then a sigh,
then a gasp; then he said in a low tone: "How did I come here in bed?
Oh! what pain I am in!--oh! how I ache!"

All at once the pond and his fall thro' the ice came back to his mind,
and then the pain of his mind was, oh! so hard to bear! and he said:
"O my dear pa-pa! my dear mam-ma! do not be kind to me! I am a bad,
bad boy. I did not do as you bid me; I went on the pond, and I fell
in. Oh! you can not love me! I have been so bad! I wish you had let me
die! Oh! how can you be kind to such a bad boy?"

"My dear son,"