TTTE GF.yF.SKE FAR^fER. 



OoR little friend here, was seeking the shade under a 

 luxuriiuit vine, and overcome with thirst took a bunch of 

 grapes which he was quietly enjoying when the keeper — 

 an honest, worthy soul, but with the incapacity of most 

 of his race to look impartially upon both side* of the 

 question when it was one of stealing the fruit which was 

 under his charge— caught him and brought him to- his 

 master, carrying the partly-eaten bunch in his hand. 

 You can see by the way in which the little prisoner hangs 

 down his head that he does not think he can make out a 

 yery good case. When we have done something which 

 we know to be wrong, but which still seemed so very 

 pleasant that we coul'd not make up our minds to give up, 

 it is very easy to convince ourselves that it is, after all, a 

 very excusable error in us— that our temptation was so 

 great that it was more than ought to be expected of us to 

 resist. But when the reasons which appear so good 

 while we are our own judge and jury come to be told to 

 smother, especially to the one we have injured, and it is 

 for him to decide whether we merit punishment or not, 

 they sound quite differently. 



In this case, it was a warm day, and the little fox had 

 had a hard run to get rid of a dog who had chased him. 

 At first he only lay down under the shade of the ^ape 

 vines to rest a few moments, without any idea of stealing 

 the grapes; but presently he grew thirsty, and thought 



FOX TAKEN PRISONER. 



he would go and get some water, but the stream was 

 quite a distance from the spot where he lay, and the sun 

 shone so hot. Then he looked up at the nice purple clus- 

 ters, and he knew that they were aS good as they looked. 

 Finally he thought "one bunch will not be missed, and 

 then the man has so many that he ought to be willing to 

 let me have them. I am sure I should if I was in his 

 place and he in mine;" and so the nicest bunch was 

 quickly snapped off, and the delicious berries eaten. 

 They were so good that the little fox became more than 

 ever convinced that it was all right, and had just com- 

 menced a second one when "Keeper," the great, strong 

 watch do-', seized him and brought him up to the owner 

 of the vine'*. We do not know what his puni.-hnient was, 

 but fear that it was a pretty bad one, for when we last 

 inquired he had not been seen by any of his friends. 



Don't Tattle.— Children, don't talk about each other. 

 Don't call one of your schoolmates ugly, another stingy, 

 another cross, behind their backs. It is mean. Even if 

 thev are uglv, stingy or cross, it does you no good to re- 

 peat it. It makes vou love to tell of faults— it makes you 

 uncharitable— your soul grows smaller— your heart loses 

 its o-enerous blood when you tattle about your friends. 

 Telf all the good vou know about them, and carry the 

 sins in vour own heart, or else tell them to God and ask 

 Him to" pardon them. That will be Christ-like. If any 

 body says to vou, " 0, that Marv Willis did such a naughty 

 thine!" cilfto mind some virtue that Mary possesses, 

 and hold it up to her praise. For your own sake, learn 

 to make this a habit. 



