with the same cheerfulness; very soon again they heard the same noise, which sounded like somebody’s voice.  The children began to be a little frightened, and you will see them in the picture standing “stock still,” while little Susy stretches her hand out to take hold of the post, and is in the act of running away.  Molly and Anna put their fingers to their lips, and listened again to know what the noise could mean.  Soon the noise was repeated, and away they flew to their mother’s arms in such a tremor that she felt at the moment alarmed herself.  They told their mother what had happened, and all that night the children could not sleep.

It was ascertained the next day that one of the bad boys crept along in the back part of the yard where the children were playing, and by an unnatural sound of his voice made the noise that so alarmed the three little children.  Susy, who was the youngest, did not forget it for sometime; and all of them were afraid to go alone into the lower room for many weeks.

This was very wrong in the bad boy; he might have injured the children at play so they would never have recovered from it.  I have known young children to be so frightened as never to forget the impression all their life-time.  How much better for the boy to have been like these good children, and joined with them in their pleasant pastimes.  Never do any thing that will give sorrow and pain to others, but live and act towards each other while in youth, so as to enable you to review your life with pleasure, and to meet with the approbation of your Heavenly Father.

ARTHUR AND HIS APPLE TREE.

One summer day little William was sitting in the garden chair beside his mother, under the shade of a large cherry tree which stood on the grass plot in front of the house.  He was reading in a little book.  After he had been reading sometime, he looked up to his mother, and said: 

“Mother, will you tell me what is the meaning of ’you must return good for evil?’”

His mother replied:  “I will tell you a story that will explain it.

“I knew a little boy,” she said, “whose name was Arthur Scott; he lived with his grandmamma, who loved him very much, and who wished that he might grow up to be a good man.  Little Arthur had a garden of his own, and in it grew an apple tree, which was then very small, but to his great joy had upon it two fine rosy-cheeked apples, the first ones it had produced.  Arthur wished to taste of them very much to know if they were sweet or sour; but he was not a selfish boy, and he says to his grandmother one morning: 

“’I think I shall leave my apples on the tree till my birthday, then papa and mamma and sister Fanny will come and see me, and we will eat them together.’

“‘A very good thought,’ said his grandmother; ’and you shall gather them yourself.’

“It seemed a long time for him to wait; but the birthday came at last, and in the morning as soon as he was dressed he ran into his garden to gather his apples; but lo! they were gone.  A naughty boy who saw them hanging on the tree, had climbed over the garden wall and stolen them.