ey carried him out
into a hay-field, and there, with his head pillowed on the hay, with the
soft blue sky above him, and the scent of flowers in the air, with the
low of cows and hum of bees in the distance, and the sweet scythe music
sounding near him, and the touch of the girl's fair soft hand on his
brow, my little heir passed away without even a moan, only a little sigh
of relief, of happiness, and rest.

Then a grand sweet smile fell upon his face, which there had never been
room for during his life.

Over his little grave (the heir's grave) the beautiful girl placed a
small grey stone cross, and the only inscription upon it--

In loving memory of Fe.

THE PRINCE AND HIS WHIPPING-BOY.

Whether or not it is a bad thing to get punished will largely depend
upon the punishment, but when you deserve to be punished, and some one
else is at hand to receive it in your stead, then punishment is apt to
become a farce. Just consider this: _I_ deserve the whipping, but _you_
are hired to take it for me. Perhaps you think this is a joke, but I am
really in earnest. I am alluding to a practice which was actually once
in vogue--though never to a great extent--in this and other countries.
By whipping one boy instead of another it was hoped that the feelings of
the offender would be so worked upon, that he would refrain from doing
wrong rather than have an innocent lad punished.

Well, the long retinue of servants in the households of kings usually
included a whipping-boy, kept to be whipped when a prince needed
chastisement. What a funny occupation! D'Ossat and Du Perron, who
ultimately rose to the dignity of cardinals in the Roman Catholic
Church, were whipped by Pope Clement VIII. in the place of Henri IV. And
there stood for Charles I. a lad called Mungo Murray, whose name would
seem to show that he was of Scottish birth. The most familiar example of
whipping-boy is mentioned by Fuller in his "Church History." His name
was Barnaby Fitzpatrick, and the prince whose punishments he bore was
Edward, son of bluff King Hal, who was afterwards Edward VI., the
boy-king of England.

The scene which the picture on the next page brings vividly before us
represents one aspect of the use of whipping-boys. It tells its story
well. The young prince would seem to have incurred his tutor's
displeasure, and the birch is about to be employed upon the person of
the unfortunate Fitzpatrick. But Prince Edward cannot bear to see poor