n;
And had you acted on your thought,
You had infallibly been caught,
And punish'd for your sin.

'Tis well your father's timely care
Preserv'd you from this dreadful snare,
And taught you to refrain.
If in his counsel you abide,
A mightier Power shall be your guide,
And great will be your gain.

Remember long the lesson taught;
Obey your parents as you ought;
For vice is link'd with wo:
And if their care your soul secures,
I shall, for their sake and for yours,
Rejoice that it is so.

[Illustration]

The tenderness your manner showed,
And care about offending God,
Do my forgiveness claim;
Freely you therefore shall partake,
Of fruit, which I a present make,
With neither fear nor shame."

Then from the ground the pole he took,
The pear tree's topmost branches shook,
And filled young Richard's hat;
His father too he kindly pressed,
To eat, to enter, be his guest,
And spend an hour in chat.

"Our thanks, my friend, will not repay
Such goodness," did the father say;
"Permit my purse to do it."
"By no means, sir," the man replied,
"I am entirely satisfied;
Freely accept the fruit."

An hour was spent in friendly talk,
The ramblers then pursu'd their walk,
Blessing the good old man;
And Richard long remember'd this;
He seldom after did amiss:--
Be like him--for you can.

[Illustration]

NEVER LOOK SAD

Never look sad, nothing so bad
As getting familiar with sorrow;
Treat him to-day in a cavalier way,
And he'll seek other quarters to-morrow.

Long you'd not weep, could you but peep
At the bright side of every trial;
Fortune you'll find, is often most kind,
When chilling your hopes with denial.

Let the sad day carry away
Its own little burden of sorrow,
Else you may miss half of the bliss
That comes in the lap of to-morrow.

[Illustration]

PEEVISHNESS.

George and his sister were generally good children, but sometimes they had
their little difficulties. One day they were playing together while their
mother was sewing, and both were peevish and fretful. Their mother spoke
to them several times, and at last placed one in each corner of the room,
giving each a rod to hold, and kept them there until their father came
home to tea. They remembered this for a long time.

[Illustration]

SWIMMING ON LAND.

Mr. Tibbs was afraid