to the inevitable and
makes use of it."

When Caesar stumbled in landing on the beach of Britain, he instantly
grasped a handful of sand and held it aloft as a signal of triumph,
hiding forever from his followers the ill omen of his threatened fall.

Goethe, speaking of some comparisons that had been instituted between
himself and Shakespeare, said: "Shakespeare always hits the right nail
on the head at once; but I have to stop and think which is the right
nail, before I hit."

It has been said that a few pebbles from a brook in the sling of a
David who knows how to send them to the mark are more effective than a
Goliath's spear and a Goliath's strength with a Goliath's clumsiness.

"Get ready for the redskins!" shouted an excited man as he galloped up
to the log-cabin of the Moore family in Ohio many years ago; "and give
me a fresh horse as soon as you can. They killed a family down the
river last night, and nobody knows where they'll turn up next!"

"What shall we do?" asked Mrs. Moore, with a pale face. "My husband
went away yesterday to buy our winter supplies, and will not be back
until morning."

"Husband away? Whew! that's bad! Well, shut up as tight as you can.
Cover up your fire, and don't strike a light to-night." Then springing
upon the horse the boys had brought, he galloped away to warn other
settlers.

Mrs. Moore carried the younger children to the loft of the cabin, and
left Obed and Joe to watch, reluctantly yielding the post of danger to
them at their urgent request. "They're coming, Joe!" whispered Obed
early in the evening, as he saw several shadows moving across the
fields. "Stand by that window with the axe, while I get the rifle
pointed at this one." Opening the bullet-pouch, he took out a ball,
but nearly fainted as he found it was too large for the rifle. His
father had taken the wrong pouch. Obed felt around to see if there
were any smaller balls in the cupboard, and almost stumbled over a very
large pumpkin, one of the two which he and Joe had been using to make
Jack-o'-lanterns when the messenger alarmed them. Pulling off his
coat, he flung it over the vegetable lantern, made to imitate a
gigantic grinning face, with open eyes, nose, and mouth, and with a
live coal from the ashes he lighted the candle inside. "They'll sound
the war-whoop in a minute, if I give them time," he whispered, as he
raised the covered lantern to the window. "Now for it!" he added,
pulling the coa