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him one. He had not gone far before he met a little boy on his way 

 to school. " Good morning, my fine little fellow ! " said he, " Oh, 

 what a handsome lad ! (the boy was rather ugly) I suppose you are 

 off to school ; ah, a fine thing learning is ! Now, I '11 be bound you 

 are a clever lad as clever as you are handsome! How old are 

 you ? " " Ten, sir," replied the delighted lad. " Where do you 

 live, my dear ? " " About a mile off here, sir," said the boy. "What 

 is your father ? " "A farmer, sir." " Oh, indeed ; now I dare say 

 he keeps a grindstone ? ' " Oh yes, sir, and it is reckoned a very 

 good one," said the boy. " That is just what I want, and I dare 

 say, my dear little fellow, you would have no objection to let me 

 grind my axe on it? " " Oh dear, no, sir ! ' "And, my darling 

 I dare say would go back with me and give it a turn ?" " Why, 

 mother would beat me if I was to turn back from school, sir ; but I 

 will tell you where the house is." " Oh, never mind that, you come 

 with me, I '11 make it all right with her ! " 



Overcome by the flattering carpenter, the poor boy retraced his 

 steps, soon arrived at his home, and taking his obsequious friend to 

 the grindstone, set to work right merrily, the carpenter stopping 

 every now and then to praise him, and stroke his head. But lo, and 

 behold! as soon as the axe was ground, the carpenter dismissed the 

 poor lad with a rough kick, telling him to go to school and mind his 

 lessons, and never play truant again ! 



Simple as this occurrence may seem to my readers, it was a good 

 lesson to the boy, for, in after life, if any one began to flatter him, 

 he always cut them short, by saying, " Stop ! you have an axe to 

 grind ! ' As it was with the lad, so it is with all : you may rest 

 assured that no one will ever flatter you without having an axe 

 to grind ! 



The Dervise. 



A DERVISE, travelling through Tartary, having arrived at the town 

 of Balk, went into the king's palace, mistaking it to be a public inn 

 or caravansera. Having looked about him for some time, he entered 

 into a long gallery, where he laid down his wallet, and spread his 

 carpet, in order to repose himself upon it, after the manner of the 



