"What a sensible idea!" exclaimed Mr. Peterkin; "and I may have the time to help you."

"We'll take plenty of newspapers," said Solomon John.

"And twine," said the little boys. And this matter was settled.

Then the question was, "Where should they go?"

-LUCRETIA P. HALE.

Agamemnon: ǎg-à-měm'non.—acăd'emy, sem'inary: schools of high grade.-turning lathe (lath): a machine for shaping articles of wood.consulta'tion: a meeting to decide something.

A PARABLE AGAINST PERSECUTION

And it came to pass, after these things, that Abraham sat in the door of his tent about the going-down of the sun.

And, behold, a man bowed with age came from the way of the wilderness, leaning on a staff.

And Abraham arose and met him, and said unto him, "Turn in, I pray thee, and wash thy feet, and tarry all night; and thou shalt arise early on the morrow, and go on thy way."

But the man said, "Nay, for I will abide under this tree."

And Abraham pressed him greatly; so he turned and they went into the tent. And Abraham baked unleavened bread; and they did eat.

And when Abraham saw that the man blessed not God he said unto him, "Wherefore dost thou not worship the most high God, Creator of Heaven and Earth?"

And the man answered and said, "I do not worship the God thou speakest of, neither do I call upon His name, for I have made to myself a god which abideth always in my house and provideth me with all things."

And Abraham's zeal was kindled against the man; and he arose, and fell upon him, and drove him forth with blows into the wilderness.

And at midnight God called unto Abraham, saying, "Abraham, where is the stranger?"

And Abraham answered and said, "Lord, he would not worship Thee; neither would he call upon Thy name; therefore have I driven him out before my face into the wilderness."

And God said, "Have I borne with him these hundred ninety and eight years, and nourished him, and clothed him, notwithstanding his rebellion against me, and couldst not thou, who art thyself a sinner, bear with him one night?"

-BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

tarry stay.-unleavened bread: bread that is baked without being lightened by yeast.

THE MILLER OF THE DEE

There dwelt a miller, hale and bold,

Beside the river Dee;

He worked and sang from morn till night

No lark more blithe than he;

And this the burden of his song
Forever used to be:

"I envy nobody-no, not I—

And nobody envies me!"

"Thou'rt wrong, my friend," said good King Hal,

"As wrong as wrong can be;

For could my heart be light as thine,

I'd gladly change with thee.

And tell me now, what makes thee sing,
With voice so loud and free,

While I am sad, though I'm a king,
Beside the river Dee?"

The miller smiled and doffed his cap,
"I earn my bread," quoth he;
"I love my wife, I love my friend,
I love my children three;

I owe no penny I cannot pay,

I thank the river Dee

That turns the mill that grinds the corn
That feeds my babes and me."

"Good friend," said Hal, and sighed the while,

"Farewell, and happy be;

But say no more, if thou'dst be true,

That no one envies thee;

Thy mealy cap is worth my crown,
Thy mill my kingdom's fee;

Such men as thou are England's boast

O miller of the Dee!"

-CHARLES MACKAY.

doffed: took off.-quoth: said.-worth my kingdom's fee: worth my kingdom.

THE KHAN'S POSTS AND RUNNERS

The following account was written by a famous Venetian traveler, Marco Polo, who lived about the time of Columbus. He and his father and uncle were the first people from Europe to travel in China.

Now you must know that from this city of Cambaluc proceed many roads and highways, leading to a variety of provinces, one to one province, another to another; and each road receives the name of the province to which it leads; and it is a very sensible plan. And the messengers of the Emperor in traveling from Cambaluc, be the road whichsoever they will, find at every twenty-five miles of the journey, a station.

And at each of those stations used by the messengers there is a large and handsome building for them,

in which they find all the rooms furnished with fine beds and all other necessary articles in rich silk, and where they are provided with everything they can want. If even a king were to arrive at one of these, he would find himself well lodged.

At some of these stations, moreover, there are posted some four hundred horses standing ready for the use of the messengers; at others there are two hundred, according to the requirements, and to what the Emperor has established in each case. At every twenty-five miles, as I said, or anyhow at every thirty miles, you find one of these stations, on all the principal highways.

Even when the messengers have to pass through a roadless tract where no house exists, still there the station-houses have been established just the same, excepting that the intervals are somewhat greater, and the day's journey is fixed at thirty-five to forty-five miles, instead of twenty-five to thirty. But they are provided with horses and all the other necessaries just like those we have described, so that the Emperor's messengers, come they from what region they may, find everything ready for them.

And, in sooth, this is a thing done on the greatest scale of magnificence that ever was seen. Never had emperor, king, or lord such wealth as this shows! For it is a fact that on all these posts taken together there are more than three hundred thousand horses