12." Did he live?"-" No; he died: but he rescued the

boy.

Such a death is more noble than life (so they said). He had streams of fair hair, and a face full of joy, And his name "-" Speak it not! 'Tis my son! he is dead!

13." Oh, dig him a grave by the red rowan tree,

Where the spring moss grows softer than fringes
of foam!

And lay his bed smoothly; and leave room for me,
For I shall be ready before he comes home.

14." And carve on his tombstone a name and a wreath, And a tale to touch hearts through the slow-spreading years;

How he died his noble and beautiful death

;

And his mother, who longed for him, died of her

tears.

15." But what is this face shining in at the door,

With its old smile of peace, and its flow of fair hair?

Are you come, blessed ghost, from the far heavenly shore?

Do not go back alone-let me follow you there!"

16." Oh! clasp me, dear mother. I come to remain ; I come to your heart, and God

prayer.

answers your

Your son is alive from the hosts of the slain,

And the Cross of our Queen on his breast glitters

fair."

MENELLA BUTE SMEDLEY.

7 In a hurry to die, not afraid of 16 Cross of our Queen, the Victoria Flank, side.

9 Legends, stories; tales.

[death.

10 Trench-es, ditches cut for the purpose of covering the soldiers.

Cross, founded in 1856 for the purpose of "rewarding individual instances of merit and valour in the army and navy."

Summary:-A soldier was asked by a mother if he had brought news of her son from the war. He said that he did not know her son. She asked him to tell her the mightiest deeds that were done, as she was sure her son had done one of them. The soldier said: A man scaled a tower and helped to win a fortress; another by his bravery led his comrades to victory; and a third was shot while carrying a wounded drummer out of danger. The third was her son. But while they spoke, the young soldier appeared. He had been badly wounded, but, now recovered, had returned with the Victoria Cross on his breast.

Exercises: 1. Parse and analyze: A man scaled a tower.

2. Change into Nouns-Eastern, grand, grow, live, died, heavenly.

3. Make Sentences containing-stake, steak; stationary, stationery; steal, steel; step, steppe.

4. What is Bravery? How may it be shown? Give an example.

SCENES FROM "UNCLE TOM'S CABIN."-Part IV.

XVII. FADING AWAY.

1. Months passed by, and the friendship between Tom and Eva grew with the child's growth. Tom loved her as something frail and earthly, yet almost worshipped her as something heavenly and divine.

At this time in our story, the whole St. Clare

establishment is, for the time being, removed to the country. The heat of summer had driven all who were able to leave the sultry and unhealthy city to seek the cool sea-breezes. St. Clare's villa was at a quiet bay on the sea-shore. It was surrounded by light verandas of bamboo-work, opening on all sides into gardens and pleasure-grounds.

2. One day Tom and Eva were seated on a little mossy seat, in an arbour at the foot of the garden. It was Sunday evening, and Eva's Bible lay open on her knee.

Uncle Tom," said Eva, "I'm going there." "Where, Miss Eva?"

The child rose, and pointed her little hand to the

sky: the glow of evening lit her golden hair and flushed cheek with a kind of unearthly radiance, and her eyes were bent earnestly on the skies.

"I'm going there," she said, "to the spirits bright, Tom; I'm going, before long."

3. The faithful old heart felt a sudden thrust; and Tom thought how often he had noticed, within six months, that Eva's little hands had grown thinner, and her skin more transparent, and her breath shorter; and how, when she ran or played in the garden, as she once could for hours, she became soon so tired and languid. He had heard Miss Ophelia speak often of a cough that all her medicaments could not cure; and even now that fervent cheek and little hand were burning with fever.

4. The deceitful strength which had buoyed Eva up for a little while was fast passing away. Seldom and more seldom her light footstep was heard in the veranda, and oftener and oftener she was found reclined on a little sofa by the open window, her large, deep eyes fixed on the rising and falling waters of the bay.

5. One day while there she suddenly said to her mother: "Mamma, I want to have some of my hair cut off."

"What for?" said her mother.

"Mamma, I want to give some away to my friends, while I am able to give it to them myself. Won't you ask aunty to come and cut it for me?"

Mrs. St. Clare raised her voice and called Miss Ophelia from the other room.

The child half rose from her pillow as she came

in, and shaking down her long golden-brown curls, said, rather playfully, "Come, aunty, shear the sheep!"

6. "What's that you are about?" said St. Clare, who had just then entered with some fruit he had been out to get for her.

"Papa, I just want aunty to cut off some of my hair; there's too much of it, and I want to give some of it away."

Miss Ophelia came with her scissors.

"Take care," said her father; "cut underneath, where it won't show. Eva's curls are my pride." "O papa!" said Eva sadly.

'Yes; and I want them kept handsome against the time I take you up to your uncle's plantation," said St. Clare in a gay tone.

7. “I shall never go there, papa. Oh, do believe me! Don't you see, papa, that I get weaker every day?"

Why do you insist that I shall believe such a cruel thing, Eva ?" said her father.

Only because it is true, papa; and if you will believe it now, perhaps you will get to feel about it as I do."

8. St. Clare closed his lips, and stood gloomily eying the long, beautiful curls, which, as they were separated from the child's head, were laid, one by one, in her lap. She lifted them up, looked earnestly at them, twined them around her thin fingers, and looked, from time to time, anxiously at her father. She beckoned with her hand to him. He came, and sat down by her.