Ir was now spring. The sun had melted the snow from the hills, the green grass blades were shooting up among the withered stubble, the buds of the trees were breaking out, and the young leaves were peering into sight. Then the bee waked from his deep sleep, in which he had lain all winter. He rubbed his eyes and called his comrades, and they opened the doors and looked out, to see if the ice, and the snow, and the north wind, were really gone. And, behold, it was everywhere bright and warm sunshine. Then they slipped out of the beehive, stroked their wings with their little feet, and made a trial to fly again. They came to the apple-tree, and asked, "Have you nothing for the hungry bees? We have eaten nothing all winter." The apple-tree said, "No, you come too early to me; my blossoms are still folded up in the buds, and I have nothing besides. Go to the cherry-tree." Then they flew to the cherry-tree, and said, "Dear cherrytree, have you no buds for us hungry bees?" The cherry-tree answered, "Come to-morrow again; for my buds are all shut to-day." Then they flew to the tulip, which had a flower of a great many colours; but it had neither a sweet smell nor sweet food in it, so the bees could find no honey there. They began to fear they would have to go back sad and hungry home again, when they spied a little dark

blue flower under the hedge. It was a violet, and it waited their coming modestly, and then opened its cup to them, full of fragrance and of sweet juices; and the bees drank all they wanted, and carried off honey to their hive.

DICTATION.-The bees wake from their deep winter sleep when the green grass blades are shooting up among the withered stubble. The apple-tree and the cherry-tree had nothing for the hungry bee and its comrades, nor had the many-coloured tulip; but the dark-blue violet, modestly waiting under the hedge, was full of fragrance and sweet juices.

QUESTIONS.-What season was it? What signs of spring showed themselves? What creature waked? How long had he slept? What is the bee? What did the apple-tree say ? What did the cherry-tree say? What did the tulip say? Did the bees get anything to eat? Where did the violet grow?

RIDDLE.-Two heads and only two arms,
Six feet and only ten toes,

Using only four feet as it goes.
Pray what is this?

ELLIPTICAL LESSON.

Supply "part," "His," "little," "much," "think,"

"laughter,"

66

soon, "moment,'

66

never,"

"act,'
"pleases," "rich," "before," in the following lesson.

Do your

First

God will do

then

Much

Speak hear
speaks of folly.
well-time

Beauty passes. Use the passing

comes back. He who speaks what he hear what displeases. Poor and are alike

must

God.

A LITTLE violet grew by a stream in the valley. But it began to think within itself, after a time, "It is hardly worth while blowing here. I may stretch and bend any way I like, I can see nothing of the world, I stand so low. If I were well free from this place, I would mount a little higher." And it did what it proposed, and got up higher.

It pulled up one little foot after the other out of the meadow soil, and set out on its wanderings. "If I were up on that hill, I would be all right. If I could

only reach it, I could see farther round. I shall try." And so with quick steps it climbs the hill, and plants itself down in the bright sunshine.

But it had hardly stood a day there till it thinks, "You can see very far in every direction from this place certainly, but yet the view is blocked up after all. On yon mountain would be the place where I should get to see the wide world. So if I can only manage it, I shall be off up there."

So it pulls up its little feet, one after the other, from the hillside, and sets out on its wanderings again. But it cannot get up the mountain so quickly; it has to puff and pant, and it often rests. At last, with its shoes run crooked, it comes, after a hard journey, to its restingplace, and plants itself down in the clear sunshine.

Ah," it says, "it is beautiful here: but yet one can

not see everything. A mountain is only a dwarf, after all. It would be better to be up on the Alps yonder; there I could see all the world. I could look clear up into heaven, and hear the angels sing."

So it pulls up its little feet, one after the other, once more, from the mountain, and sets out on its wanderings. The journey this time was very hard. There was no road, no bridge, to be had. The violet begins to swim in the head, and faint, and can neither get up higher nor go back. But it rouses Its last remaining strength to get up, and it gets to the top, tired to the very death.

Ah! there the soil was of stone, and it could not get its feet into it. It was starved with the frost. It trembled to the very roots, and covered itself with its little green dress, but it was sadly cold in its hands and feet. Then it began to cry bitterly; but the blue trickle of its tears grew white, and froze. "Ah, if I had only stayed in the valley yonder!" These were the violet's last words: it sank down and died.

If you dwell in safety and ease in the valley, take care how you leave it.

DICTATION. All the wanderings of the violet did it no good. It was in safety and ease in the valley, and should not have proposed to go higher. Then why did it leave the hill, where it could see in every direction and had the warm sunshine, to climb up the mountain? and why did it, after that, spend its remaining strength to get up higher still? Stay where you are if you are happy.

QUESTIONS.-Where did the violet grow? How many changes did it make? When it got up to the high Alps, what happened? What lesson does this story teach us?

D

perished
triumph

A MANLY BOY.

frigate
ashamed

jollyboat

launched

A FRENCH frigate was wrecked off Halifax in 1798, and every one on board perished, except four men, who got to shore in the jollyboat, and eight others, who clung to the rigging. The people of the place came down in the night so near the wreck as to be able to speak with the poor men; but none of them would venture out among the rocks to save them. A brave boy of thirteen was the first to start to their rescue. At eleven the next forenoon he ventured out in a skiff by himself, and by great efforts he backed in his little boat so near as to take off two of the men, who were all his frail vessel could carry. He rowed them in himself to the shore, where they were kindly treated, and soon got well. But this was not all the good his brave conduct did; for the people were so ashamed to let a boy do what they had been afraid of, that they launched a boat, and got off the other six men in safety.

DICTATION.-Halifax has a wild rocky coast, and no wonder the French frigate was wrecked if it went ashore. See what brave conduct, even in a boy, can do, and how much even a boy can do when he has the will to do it.

QUESTIONS.-Where was the French frigate wrecked? When? How many perished? What boat saved some ? How did the people of the place behave? How old was the boy who saved the men on the rigging? What did he do? What good did his brave conduct do?