The Duchess, and Carl, and Lillie, all answered with one voice, "We must sing our bird song:

"Take courage, bird,
Our Father says;
In winter's storms,
And summer's rays,
You have no barns,
You sow no wheat,

But God will give you bread to eat."

LITTLE HELEN.

ELEN was a cripple. When a very little girl, she had a fall which hurt her back, so that she was never able to walk. She learned to read, and would often sit in the summer time at the door of the cottage, with the Bible in her hand, watching the village children pass along to school; and as she was a great favourite with most of them, they would often take her a bunch of flowers, which she received with such a sweet smile that it alway repaid them for their trouble.

When little more than nine years old she became very ill, and every one knew that Helen's days on earth were num bered; but she was not afraid to die, knowing that Jesus loved her, and that she would soon be with him for ever. On the night of her death she frequently asked to see her father. On his coming to her bedside, she said, "Father, dear, Jesus is going to take me to heaven; will you come too? I should die so happy, father, if you would promise me that you would come home poor mother, as I used to do. to help you, and He will."

early, and read the Bible to Will you father? Ask Jesus

The father who, through sin and wicked companions, had made his heart hard, was quite melted down at the earnestness of his dying child, and amidst sobs and tears answered, "Yes, Nellie dear, I will."

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"Thank you, dear, dear father; now I am happy," said Helen. "Don't cry, mother, I'm going to heaven."

Thus the happy spirit of the little girl passed away to that land where there shall be no more death, and where sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

A POOR MAN'S WISH.

ASKED a student what three things he

most wished.

He said, "Give me

books, health, and quiet, and I care for nothing more."

I asked a miser, and he cried, "Money, money, money."

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I asked a pauper, and he faintly said,
Bread, bread, bread!"

I asked a drunkard, and he called loudly for strong drink.

I asked the multitude around me, and they lifted up a confused cry, in which I heard the words,-" Wealth, fame, and pleasure."

I asked a poor man, who had long borne the character of an experienced Christian. He replied that all his wishes might be met in Christ. He spoke seriously, and I asked him to explain. He said, "I greatly desire three things, first, that I may be found in Christ; secondly, that I may be like Christ; thirdly, that I may be with Christ."

I have thought much of his answer, and the more I think of it the wiser it seems.

THE WRECK.

OHN and Harry were staying by the seaside, and, as it was in the winter time, the wind blew a great deal, and the sea was very rough. So that although they were rather brave boys, they could not help feeling a little frightened at night; for the noise was so great. But they had some fine days, and then it was great fun to run

about on the sands, and dig holes, and build houses, and collect basketsful of shells and sea-weeds. They loved to dry the sea-weed and stick it on white paper with gum, and before they went home they had a great many different sorts. They learnt the names of some of themkelp, bladder-wrack, sea-grass, and sea-lettuce, and a great many others, And the shells pleased them just as well.

Of course they found large numbers of limpets, and cockles, and whelks; but by diligent searching they found others more rare and prettier. One day it was so stormy that the boys could not go out at all. The wind was so strong that they would have been blown off their feet, and, perhaps, carried against a house and much hurt. Boys do not like to be obliged to stay in doors all the time; but they tried not to grumble much about it, because that could have done no good, and would only make themselves and all about them miserable. I must tell you that they had one thing which very greatly cheered them, and that was a present from mamma of a five-shilling piece each. You know that is a very large piece of money, and these boys were very proud to possess so much-all their own, too, that they might do just what they liked with.

"It is a great deal of money," said John.

"Yes, it is-more than I ever had before," said Harry. "What shall you do with yours?

"I shall buy a new pocket knife-that will be a shilling; and a little walking cane-that will be one and ninepence; I shall have a shilling donkey ride-that will be two and nine; and a two-shilling box of paints-that will be four-andnine; and threepence left for pocket money. What shall you do with yours?

“Oh," said Harry, "I shall buy a five-shilling book with mine-a good boy's tale, you know, with plenty of pictures in it."

"I wonder," said John, presently, after a minute or two, "whether we ought to give part of our money away to anybody."

"No, I don't think we ought," said Harry: "we don't often get so much money to do what we like with. We can't afford to give it away."

"No; and yet there's that lifeboat-box over there you know."

They both looked out of the window, and saw a pillar with a small hole cut in the top, and round the hole these letters," For the Lifeboat.'

"Ah!" said Harry, "I have often wished I had something to put in there. I'll tell you what John,-I will give a

penny if you will."

John agreed that he would, and he reminded Harry of another box in a shop op posite where money could be placed toward an orphan home for little boys. So they gave a penny to each, and then they had four shillings and tenpence to do what they pleased with.

I daresay you will think that twopence out of five shillings was not enough for them to give away. I think so too, and so did they before very long.

The storm grew worse and worse as the day wore on, and the winds blew stronger than ever, and you never saw such waves-they dashed up against the rocks, and rolled along the beach, and rose sometimes nearly as high as a house.

John and Harry watched them while the rain and the spray

beat against the window. Presently, between the sound of the waves, they heard another dismal one—it was a gun, and their father told them it was a ship in distress.

The sailors heard it, and they ran down to the pier with telescopes in their hands, striving to find out the vessel and see in what direction it lay. They soon made out that it was a ship beaten on the rocks, about two miles away.

Then there was a cry, "The Lifeboat! the Lifeboat! Man the Lifeboat! and away ran the brave sailors to fetch it out of its house, and wheel it down to the shore. They did not stay to bid their wives and children" Good bye;" they just caught up a few waterproof things and a life-belt, and away they ran, trying who could be first. In a very few minutes the boat was pushed off; but the sea was so rough that for a long time they could not get far away. Once the boat rolled over, and the men were thrown out; but they | managed to scramble in again, and cared very little for the ducking.

As they were trying to row towards the wreck, it grew so dark that they often lost sight of it; but still they kept on thinking nothing of their own trouble, but only hoping they might save some people from drowning. Those who were watching from the shore saw the lifeboat sometimes on the top of a high wave, and then quite hidden by the dark waters, so that Harry and John thought she must be lost; but presently up she came again, and they could see that she was all right. But the people on the wrecked ship, which was broken to pieces and fast filling with water, sent up a great cry to God that He would help the lifeboat men to come and deliver them. And at last the wreck was reached. But the storm was raging so all the time, that the men were afraid to go too near for fear their boat should be knocked to pieces by the ship. So they threw some ropes to the poor people in the sinking ship, and they caught hold of it, and were dragged into the lifeboat.

In the ship was a man with his little boy. The poor child