A MER-CHANT in the East had an el-cphant which was very tame. He used to walk about the streets in the most quiet and or-der-ly manner, and paid many visits through the city to people who were kind to him.

One day he put his trunk through an open window of a tailor's shop. Two

tailors who were sitting at work cru-el-ly pricked it with their needles. The el-ephant took a novel mode to punish them for their cruel sport. Filling his trunk with muddy water, he walked up to the window, thrust his trunk in, and spouted the whole of it over the two tailors.

The drenched tailors were well laughed at by the people in the street who saw the clever trick, and they never again tried to hurt the poor el-e-phant.

LXIII. THE SLAVE AND THE LION.

A SLAVE ran away from Rome when the Romans were pagans. On his way he had to cross a desert to get to his home. One day, just as he had gone into a cave, he heard the roar of a lion, and was in great fear that he should be eaten up. But the lion came limping to him, and put his wounded paw upon the man's knee.

The

slave, on looking at the paw, saw that it was much swelled, and that it had a big sharp thorn in it. He then drew out the thorn as softly as he could. The lion bore the pain qui-et-ly, and when his paw was easy, he licked the man's hands, and fawned on him like a dog. The man lived there some days, for he was weak and tired. At length, wan-der-ing through the woods, he met with a band of sol-diers sent out to seize him, and was by them taken pris-on-er, and led back to his master.

For his crime of running off, he was to be exposed to wild beasts. A lion that had been lately caught, and had not been fed for some days, was let loose upon him. The lion sprang out with a loud roar; but when he saw the man he crept softly up to him, and licked him, and then skipped about him. It was the same lion the man had met with in the desert. The slave was set free. The lion was given to him ; and the grateful beast would follow him through the streets of Rome like a dog.

THERE is a little boy, whose name is James Bruce. He is eight years old; but he cannot run about like other boys. He has got a bad cough, and looks very pale and thin. If he even laughs, it brings on a sad fit of cough-ing. But James does not sigh and grieve because he is ill. He knows that God can make him well, if it is His will, and he is quite con-tent-ed to bear whatever is His will. He can read and write, and he gets much pleas-ure from his books. His Bible is his chief com-pan-ion. If he sees his mother grieve when the cough troubles him, he tries to comfort her.

Though James is a sick child, he is very patient, and, I believe, he is much hap-pi-er than many strong health-y boys are. He has found these lines to be true,"Jesus can make a dying bed Feel soft as downy pil-lows are."

LXV.-DEATH.

THE lilies of the field,

That quickly fade away,
May well to us a lesson yield,
Who die as soon as they.

That pretty blossom see
De-cay-ing on the walk;

A storm came sweeping o'er the tree,
And broke its feeble stalk.

Just like an early rose

I've seen an infant bloom;

But death, perhaps, before it blows,
Will lay it in the tomb.

Then let us think on Death,
Though we are young and gay;
For God, who gave us life and breath,
Can take them soon away.

Script Exercise.

Write twelve words about rabbits.