on it.

"That? Oh, that's no good; throw it away,--we never use it now,--or keep
it yourself, if you want to," said she, after a second thought.

It was done. The book was quickly deposited in a safe place, and the
clearing up proceeded rapidly. The orange was a small consideration; for
had she not got a book, her heart's desire, and now she could learn to
read.

She could learn all alone; she would be her own teacher. If she got into
a very narrow place she would get Uncle Simon to help her out. No one
else on the estate knew how to read, and he didn't know much, but no
doubt he could be of some assistance. Such was Tidy's inward plan.

After this, the little girl might have been seen every evening stretched
at full length on the cabin floor, her head towards the fireplace, where
the choicest pine knots were kindled into a cheerful blaze, with her
spelling-book open before her. She was "clambering" up the rough way of
knowledge.

Did she accomplish her purpose? To be sure she did. Little reader, did
you ever make up your mind to do any thing and fail? There's an old
proverb that says, "Where there's a will there's a way;" and this is
true. Resolution and energy, patience and perseverance, will achieve
nearly every thing you set about. Try it. Try it when you have hard
lessons to do, puzzling examples in arithmetic to solve, that long stint
in sewing to do, that distasteful music to practice, those bad habits to
conquer. Try it faithfully, and when you grow up, you'll be able to say,
from your own experience, "Where there's a will there's a way."

You must not expect, however, that Tidy learned very rapidly or very
perfectly under such discouragements. Think how it would be with
yourself, if you only knew your letters. You might read quite easily
m-a-n, but how do you think you could find out that those letters
spelled man?

Tidy advanced much more expeditiously after she had obtained possession
of her hymn-book. Some of the hymns were quite familiar to her from her
having heard them sung so often at the meetings, and she determined to
study these first; and you may well imagine how proud she felt,--not
sinfully, but innocently proud,--when she seated herself one afternoon
by Mammy Grace's side, and pulling her hymn-book out of her bosom, asked
if she might read a hymn.

"Yes, chile, 'deed ye may, ef ye can. Specs 'twill do yer ole mammy's
heart good to hear ye read de books like de white folks."

And the chi