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weather," said she," you are a neighbor. I thank you a thousand times." When she reached her own door, she hesitated for an instant, then turned back, pie in hand, to say, Neighbor Fairweather, you need not trouble yourself about sending Pink away. It is natural you should like the little creature, seeing he belongs to your son. I will try to keep Tab in doors, and perhaps after a while they will agree better." "I hope they will," replied the friendly matron. will try them a while longer, and if they persist in quarrelling, I will send the dog into the country." Pink, who was sleeping in a chair, stretched himself and gaped. His kind mistress patted him on the head, "Ah, you foolish little beast," said she, "what is the use of plaguing poor Tab?"

"We

"Well, I do say," observed Sally, smiling, "you are a clever woman for stopping a quarrel."

"I learned a good lesson when I was a little girl," rejoined Mrs. Fairweather. "One frosty morning, I was looking out of the window into my father's barn-yard, where stood many cows, oxen, and horses, waiting to drink. It was one of those cold, snapping mornings, when a slight thing irritates both man and beast. The cattle all stood very still and meek, till one of the cows attempted to turn round. In making the attempt, she happened to hit her next neighbor; whereupon, the neighbor kicked, and hit another. In five minutes, the whole herd were kicking and hooking each other, with all fury. My mother laughed, and said, 'See what comes of kicking when you are hit.' Just so I have seen one cross word set a whole family by the ears, some frosty morning. Afterwards, if my brothers or myself were a little irritable, she would say, 'Take care, children. Remember how the fight in the barn-yard began. Never give a kick for a hit, and you will save yourself and others a deal of trouble.""

LESSON LXXIII.

The Same, concluded. IDEM.

THAT same afternoon, the sunshiny dame stepped into aunt Hetty's rooms, where she found Peggy sewing, as usual, with the little switch on the table beside her. "I am obliged to go to Harlem, on business," said she; "I feel rather lonely without company, and I always like to have a child with me. If you will oblige me by letting Peggy go, I will pay her fare in the omnibus."

"She has her spelling lesson to get before night," replied aunt Hetty. "I do not approve of young folks going a pleas uring, and neglecting their education.”

"Neither do I," rejoined her neighbor; "but I think there is a great deal of education that is not found in books. The fresh air will make Peggy grow stout and active. I prophesy that she will do great credit to your bringing up." The sugared words, and the remembrance of the sugared pie, touched the soft place in Miss Turnpenny's heart, and she told the astonished Peggy that she might go and put on her best gown and bonnet. The poor child began to think that this new neighbor was certainly one of the good fairies she had read about in the picture-books. The excursion was enjoyed as only a city child CAN enjoy the country. The world seems such a pleasant place, when the fetters are off, and Nature folds the young heart lovingly on her bosom! A flock of real birds and two living butterflies put the little orphan in a perfect ecstasy. She pointed to the fields covered with dandelions, and said, "See, how pretty! It looks as if the stars had come down to lie on the grass." Ah! our little stinted Peggy has poetry in her, though aunt Hetty never found it out. Every human soul has the germ of some flowers within, and they would open, if they could only find sunshine and frec air to expand them.

Mrs. Fairweather was a practical philosopher, in her own small way. She observed that Miss Turnpenny really liked a pleasant tune; and when winter came, she tried to persuade her that singing would be excellent for Peggy's lungs, and perhaps keep her from going into a consumption.

"My nephew, James Fairweather, keeps a singing school," said she; "and he says he will teach her gratis. You need not feel under great obligation, for her voice will lead the whole school, and her ear is so quick it will be no trouble at all to teach her. Perhaps you would go with us sometimes, neighbor Turnpenny? It is very pleasant to hear the children's voices."

The cordage of aunt Hetty's mouth relaxed into a smile. She accepted the invitation, and was so much pleased that she went every Sunday evening. The simple tunes, and the sweet young voices, fell like the dew on her dried-up heart, and greatly aided the genial influence of her neighbor's example. The rod silently disappeared from the table. If Peggy was disposed to be idle, it was only necessary to say, "When you have finished your work, you may go and ask whether Mrs. Fairweather wants any errands done." Bless me, how the fingers flew! Aunt Hetty had learned to use turnips instead. of the cudgel.

When spring came, Mrs. Fairweather busied herself with planting roses and vines. Miss Turnpenny readily consented that Peggy should help her, and even refused to take any pay from such a good neighbor. But she maintained her own opinion that it was a mere waste of time to cultivate flowers. The cheerful philosopher never disputed the point; but she would sometimes say, "I have no room to plant this rosebush. Neighbor Turnpenny, would you be willing to let me set it on your side of the yard? It will take very little room, and will need no care." At another time she would say, Well, really, my ground is too full. Here is a root of lady's delight. How bright and pert it looks! It seems a pity to

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throw it way. If you are willing, I will let Peggy plant it in what she calls her garden. It will grow of itself, without any care, and scatter seeds that will come up and blossom in all the chinks of the bricks. I love it: it is such a bright, goodnatured little thing." Thus, by degrees, the crabbed maiden found herself surrounded with flowers; and she even declared, of her own accord, that they did look pretty.

One day, when Mrs. Lane called upon Mrs. Fairweather, she found the old weed-grown yard bright and blooming. Tab, quite fat and sleek, was asleep in the sunshine, with her paw upon Pink's neck, and little Peggy was singing at her work as blithe as a bird.

"How cheerful you look here!" said Mrs. Lane. “And so you have really taken the house for another year. Pray, how do you manage to get on with the neighbor in law ? ”

"I find her a very kind, obliging neighbor," replied Mrs. Fairweather.

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"No

Well, this is a miracle!" exclaimed Mrs. Lane. body but you would have undertaken to thaw out aunt Hetty's heart."

"That is probably the reason why it never was thawed," rejoined her friend. "I always told you that not having enough of sunshine was what ailed the world. Make people happy, and there will not be half the quarrelling, or a tenth part of the wickedness there is."

From this gospel of joy, preached and practised, nobody derived so much benefit as little Peggy. Her nature, which was fast growing crooked and knotty, under the malign influence of constraint and fear, straightened up, budded and blossomed, in the genial atmosphere of cheerful kindness.

Her affections and faculties were kept in such pleasant exercise, that constant lightness of heart made her almost handsome. The young music teacher thought her more than almost handsome, for her affectionate soul shone more beamingly on him than on others; and love makes all things beautiful.

When the orphan removed to her pleasant little cottage, on her wedding day, she threw her arms round the blessed missionary of sunshine, and said, "Ah, thou dear, good aunt, it is thou who hast made my life Fairweather!"

LESSON LXXIV.

The Misses. MRS. BARBAuld.

We were talking last night, my dear Anne, of a family of misses whose acquaintance is generally avoided by people of sense. They are most of them old maids, which is not very surprising, when we consider that the qualities they possess are not the most desirable for a helpmate. They are a pretty numerous class; and I shall endeavor to give you such a description of them as may enable you to decline their visits; especially as, though many of them are extremely unlike in feature and temper, and, indeed, very distantly related, they have a wonderful knack of introducing each other; so that if you open your doors to one of them, you are very likely, in process of time, to be troubled with the whole tribe.

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The first I shall mention and indeed she deserves to be mentioned first, for she was always very fond of being a ringleader of her company - is Miss Chief. The young lady was brought up, until she was fourteen, in a large rambling man. sion in the country, where she was allowed to romp all day with the servants and idle boys of the neighborhood. There she employed herself in the summer in tying the grass together across the path to throw people down; and in winter making slides before the door for the same purpose; and the accidents these gave rise to always procured her the enjoyment of a hearty laugh. She was a great lover of fun, and at Christmas

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