New-England as long as I live, and be satisfied with our own good apples and peaches and pears, without wishing for orange groves and luxuriant vineyards.' 'And I hope, my dear George will be disposed to feel more contented with his home than he seemed to be last evening, although it may not be so elegant as some others; and I wish all of you to remember, that cheerful and contented dispositions will make any family happy, in whatever station in life they may be; and, on the contrary, selfishness, unkindness, and envy, can embitter any pleasures, and render the possessors of wealth and lux ury far more miserable than even actual poverty. But here is Susan, for my bright-eyed little Charley. You have kept awake very late, my little love; so now good night. Are you not grateful to your Heavenly Father for your pleasant home and kind friends? 'O yes indeed, dear mother! and I am glad I was not put in Greenland, where poor father would have to go catching seals for us to live on; and I am glad I don't live where earthquakes tumble the houses down. Good night, mother, and all of you.' THERE are now in Boston two performers of the Art of Legerdemain, who are amusing all sizes of children with their wonderful exhibitions. And we are really astonished to see how completely these men can deceive our eyes. Would any of our young readers wish to know how most of their tricks are performed, we can recommend them to study, in their leis ure hours, The Boy's Own Book, and they will have a pretty clear insight into all their mysterious tricks. And by way of giving them a little amusement at home, we extract the following puzzle, which will entertain them for sometime. TROUBLE-WIT. TAKE AKE a sheet of stiff paper, fold it divisions in the sheet; let each third part down the middle of the sheet, long- be turned outward, and the other, of ways; then turn down the edge of each course, will fall right; then pinch it a fold outward, the breadth a penny; meas- quarter of an inch deep, in plaits, like a ure it as it is folded, into three equal ruff; so that when the paper lies pinched parts, with compasses, which make six in its form, it is in the fashion representA semble a wicket, E; close it again, and appear in the form shown by G; hold it in that form, and with the thumb of your left hand, turn out the next fold, and it will be as H. E C H In fact, by a little ingenuity and prac- an infinite variety of forms, and be protice, Trouble-wit may be made to assume ductive of very considerable amusement. 1. PUZZLES AND ENIGMAS. Ten and deformity I also have my share; nay, the Mr. Parley, mine.' lower garments were thin, and sat round my house at some distance, the dog is his loins and his limbs as close as wax, and fitted far better than any that could have been made by the first tailor in Cork or Bond Street. Four months before, I had lost a dog of the same breed, the poor animal having been killed by another dog at a hospital whither he had been sent for the cure of an eruption on his skin. Till then I had not thought of replacing him, but the idea now suddenly came into my mind. Seeing that I noticed the animal, the dealer asked me if I wanted to buy a dog. My former one was a present, and having been valued at ten guineas, I expected a demand would have been made upon me of a larger sum than I should have thought proper to have paid for the purchase. To my surprise, on asking the price, the reply was, 'fifteen shillings.' I inquired about his temper; the vender answered that it was one of the very best. 'Temper is every thing.' Who likes a person with a sullen or a crabbed temper; or a child that is always irritable and fretful, or a dog that can never salute any body without a growl or a snap? 'Here, sir,' said the dealer, 'is a proof of his good temper,' leading him at the same time by the ear; 'no dog but one of the very best temper would permit that.' • Will he fetch and carry ?' 'You may see that, sir, in a moment,' said he; and throwing the ball, it was quickly pursued, seized, and returned to the hand of the dealer. The loss of my former animal, which I had had about two years, had caused great regret in my family, and a successor was never thought of. He was therefore received very coolly, and paid for with some reluctance. In the evening I returned home, after some hours absence, and found that from his having something of the urbanity, as well as appearance of a gentleman, he was already in a fair way of being domesticated at my fireside. As he had not the talent of conversation, he amused the company by other means, and most readily agreed to perform some interesting tricks, at which he was quite an adept. He was in the act of exhibiting some of these when I returned, and he soon made himself so much at home, that in a few days he became a general favorite. I was always an admirer of animals, though for a number of years I never had a dog except for a few months, and, before I could be much attached to him he was lost. But I had been accustomed to ride a pretty little mare for four or five years, of which I was fond-a creature that always took care to let me know if the groom had given her no food at her proper time, by saluting me with a neigh, being silent if she had been fed. I had also been partial to fowls, which, when I had them, would fly upon my head and shoulders, and eat out of my hands. And I had been honored with the attach 'Well,' said I, 'if you will take him to ment of a goose. I scarcely know whether or not to ble for a parlor guest, and goose was not always well-behaved, she was at length expelled from the parlor; and having made great havoc in the garden-where she had no business to enter and stolen all my lettuces and other things, the unfortunate culprit was sentenced to die, and execution was passed upon her accordingly; she however died a noble death, having, like many illustrious lords and ladies, had her head cut off. I was véxed after her end, that, in a thoughtless moment, I had consented to her being put to death. Poor creature! many a greater delinquent has escaped all punishment. She had shown great confidence in me, and confidence should never be abused, and she had afforded me some amusement. Before I leave her, I must relate one curious anecdote. My premises consisted of two parts entirely divided from each other, the back buildings being of the same height as the front, and used for all common purposes. The space between them formed an alley of some length, enclosed at each end by a wall. This was the domain of my poultry, and of goose amongst the rest. But I had then a spaniel puppy who loved a frolic, and, like some children, never passed an hour without getting into some mischief. One day he took it into his head to chase the goose, and as the latter expanded her wings, he took a fancy to indulge himself with a ride, so seating himself upon his feathered saddle, the goose-as if to accommodate him as agreeably as she could, though she did mention this fact, especially after reading |