men used to come and talk in a loud and cross way, such as they never had known before.

Mr. Smith needed so much attention at home, that he was under the necessity of taking Lewis away from school. Old Mr. Watson the schoolmaster suspected that it was from want of means, and hastened over to say, with tears in his eyes, that the little fellow should never want schooling while he lived; but he was assured that there were other reasons for keeping him at home. While the old gentleman sat talking with Mr. Smith, the children were in their father's painting-room. An unfinished portrait leaned against the easel in one corner, it was covered with dust and had not been touched for months. If it could have been finished, it would have brought their father fifty or sixty dollars, and Lewis knew this very well. The volumes of prints and the large portfolios, which were the children's delight were laid aside in an adjoining closet, except one which rested on the old fashioned chair by the side of which Lewis sat to draw. There you might have seen the little artist, with his port-crayon in his hand, and his eye fixed on his drawing-book, touching and retouching his sketch, sometimes rubbing out, and all the while making observations in a low tone to his sister. Sally had become weary of decking her

hat with peacock's feathers, and was sitting on the floor looking at her brother while he worked. It was a pretty sight, and we have it very well presented to us in our plate.

"Brother," said little Sally, "what is the reason you spend so much of your time making pictures of storks?"

"Because I love the stork, my little Sally."

"And what makes you love the stork? It is not so very pretty. I am sure it is not prettier than an eagle, and it is not half as pretty as a peacock."

"No, but it is a good bird; and that is the reason I love it. Do you not know what Mr. Watson told us about them, when we were at school?"

"No, brother, I do not remember. you please."

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Tell me, if

Why he told us that when the old ones become stiff with age, and cannot fly about any more, the young ones feed them, and even carry them about on their backs; and that is what makes me love the storks; and I have been trying several days to make a drawing of a young stork carrying the old one on his back."

"I will love them too," said Sally, "and I shall be very glad to have one of the pictures."

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"I promised one," said Lewis, "to Mr. Watson, and I want to give him one very much, because he is so good to father, and because he always tells me such beautiful stories. Did I tell you the one he told me last Sunday about Sir Thomas More? Sir Thomas More was a great judge in England, many, many years ago. He was lord chancellor, which is a kind of very high judge; and at the same time his father was a judge of the court which is called the King's Bench. Now Sir Thomas More showed such respect to his aged father, that he never went to Westminster, where the courts are, without first going to his father's court, to ask the old gentleman's blessing. I love Sir Thomas More for that."

"So do I," said Sally, though her ideas were rather obscure of the whole matter, "and what else did Mr. Watson tell you?"

"He told me about a dreadful eruption of Mount Etna, the great volcano in Sicily, which you have read of in your geography. Once on a time, when the mountain was pouring out fire, and the lava, like melted lead, was running over and destroying towns and villages, two young men, named Anapias and Amphinomus saw that their house was about to be destroyed. They had great wealth in the house, and knew not which articles to take out

first. But as soon as they found that their aged parents had not yet escaped, and were unable to do so, they cried out, 'What wealth is worth so much as this?' and so one of them took the father on his shoulders, and the other took the mother, and carried them safely through the flames. It will be a long time before I shall draw well enough to make a picture of that. But I can try to be kind to my dear father, and I wish I could do a hundred times more for him! It is in my thoughts all the while, no matter what I am doing."

It was evident that the mind of this little boy was much affected with the state of affliction into which his father had been thrown. He copied out of the Bible a number of texts about the duties of children to their parents; and though he did not tell any one, he prayed to God to enable him to fulfil these duties. He was very fond of repeating a verse of the apostle Paul's, which he said applied to fathers as well as mothers: If any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents; for that is good and acceptable before God. 1 Tim. v. 4.

One evening, when Mr. Smith was suffering less pain than usual, and was sitting with Sally on his knee, Lewis asked leave to go across the street to

see his old friend Mr. Watson. As soon as he had his father's consent, he ran into the painting-room and got a little portfolio, which he had already laid upon the chair, and hurried over to Mr. Watson. He found the old gentleman sitting quietly by the fire, with the tea-things on the table at his elbow.

"Come in my son," said he with a cheerful look, "I have done my tea, and I am always glad to see you. And I suppose you have some of your nice little drawings in that portfolio. I have a desire to look over them. I can assure you, the copy you made of Luther's head is very well thought of, and Colonel Breck would have bought it of me for several dollars." Lewis's eyes brightened at this, and he said," And do you think, sir, any of my drawings are good enough to sell?"

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Surely they are," said Mr. Watson, "but why should you wish to sell them, my boy?"

Lewis coloured very highly, hung his head, and said, "O Mr. Watson, you know-you know well enough better than I can tell you. We are not as well off as we were once-my father is growing poor-and I am afraid he is becoming blind,"-and here the little boy burst into tears.

Mr. Watson put his arm kindly around him and said, "Cheer up, Lewis! Providence will do better for you yet than you expect. I know what