264 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[July, 
THE FOKTUNATE GIRL 
That is the way it used to be with cliildren in old times 
—at least some people thought so. According to llieir be- 
lief, a great many " little people," as they were called, 
lived all over the world. Tliey weie said to be very 
strange creatures— some of them so small that they could 
easily creep through the cracks of the doors, and so ac- 
tive that they could catch a bird on the wing. Very few 
could say the'y had ever seen them. Once in a while a 
man would tell wonderful stories of how they appeared 
to him ; but it usually happened that he was tipsy at the 
lime, or something else disturbed liis brain, so that he 
could not give a very creditiible account of them. But 
almost every one was ready to tell wtiat they had done. 
One saiil they twisted the grass, so that she stumbled, fell, 
and spilled a pail of milk ; another declared that the edge 
of his ax was blunted by them, and many weie sure that 
the little people stole the milk fmni their cows in the 
night time, in short, whatever miscliief was done, the 
little people were sure to be blamed for it. Now, if 
there were such sprites, tliat was just the way to make 
them mischievous, for I never knew any body to be made 
better by continual fault-finding, and no praise. But in 
some foilunate jdaces, good little people were said 
to make their homes, and then everything prospered. 
Tlie cows gave plenty of lich mi Hi, tlie gr;dn grew finely, 
the lambs all lived, and there was peace and plenty. 
You can see by the picture how they busied themselves 
with the cliildren. Notice how that boy's face is drawn 
out of shape by the little furies that are tormenting him. 
Poor boy! What would he do if he could see and catch 
them. Would lie not show as little mercy to them as 
you would to a mosquito (ir flea? But the sueet little 
girl has fallen into good hands. Perhaps her sunny face 
attracted the pleasant liltle people, and they like to help 
her smile. Since the liltle people have been driven 
away from the earth by the noise of steam engines and 
printing presses, children can no longer blame these 
creatures fur mischief, nor expect their help in being 
good ; the spirits which aid in doing right or tempt to do 
wrong are very different from any such beings. They 
know how to find the way to Ihe thoughts, but they will 
give liltle trouble to those who do not encourage them. 
So Master Charlie, and Miss Kaly, take good care and 
govern yonrseh'es right, and let sunshine from your 
hearts make your joyous faces bright. 
A I^ittle ISoy^s Experiences. 
April 10th. At last we have finished plowing for a 
while at least, and I am glad of it ; for I am tireu of 
driving oxen. Brother Charlie says I have been talkinj 
to the team, hallowing *'whoa"! "back"! "haw'*! 
almost every night. My mind kept *' marching on," 
while my body was sleeping. I don't knovv much to 
write, that happened last week. We plowed up a field- 
mouse's nest one day. There were four young ones and 
their mother. The old one started to run at first, but 
came back to defend her family. I couldn't help feeling 
Sony when Jumper killed her with one bite. At first he 
went smelling about the nest, as though he wanted to 
play with the little mice, but the old one flew at him, and 
fastened her teeth in his nose, and then he gave her a 
sharp snap. At another place, the plow ran through a 
large red ant's nest. It made a great commotion among 
the inhabitants of that underground city. There were 
streets all through it, and the ants ran up and down in 
wild confusion. There were hundreds of white eggs, 
which the ants picked up in their mouths and twice car- 
ried away out of danger. There were also baby ants, 
nearly while, which the older ones took up. We slopped 
to watch them awhile. Pretty soon I felt sharp stinging 
biles on my legs, and at the same time, Jumper who was 
also looking on began to whine and caper about, and 
roll, in a very frantic way. The ants had attacked us, 
and we found them able to inflict considerable pain. 
The bites soon got well. I think I should not like to live 
in Africa where the ants are plenty and very powerful. 
They raise hills as high as a man's head, and they can 
gnaw through wood. Missionaries living there say that 
Ihev destroy clothing, books, and even houses. 1 hav« 
O R T IJ 
already begun to train my calves. I believe they know 
me, for I feed them every day, and they will let me 
handle them. I expect to halter-break them so that I 
can lead them about. — -A pair of blackbirds are building 
their nest in a gourd which I hung up against the house 
near ray bedroom window. It is pleasant to watch 
them as they go in and out with bits of straw. They 
keep up a merry warbling, and seem very happy in 
getting ready for liousekeeping. They seem to have a 
great deal of consultation together, about their furni- 
ture, although they have only one bed-room to fit up. 
April 12lh. I had a quarrel with Charlie this morning 
about the garden. Fatlier said we might each have a 
bed to raise w hat we pleased. We b"th w anted the same 
c<i'ner, and we both got angry. He is two years younger 
than I am, and I am ashamed that I was so selfish. Fa- 
ther would not deciJe between us. He said we must 
settle it in some way pleasantly, before either of us could 
h^ve any garden. Charlie went off" to school, and I help- 
ed father mend fence. After thinking it all over I thought 
I would tell Charlie, as he was the younger, iie could have 
the corner. When he came home the first thing he said 
to me was, '* Fred, you can have the corner, you nre 
older than I am." Then 1 told him what I had been 
thinking of, and we finally agreed to go in partnership, 
and both take the corner and work it together. Father 
liked this, and said he would give us some Japan melon- 
seed to plant. If we raise good melons we can have 
the pleasure of eating them, and also get a good price for 
Ihe seed, as they are not very plenty yet. I'm glad our 
quarrel is all over, for it made us both feel very unhappy. 
A GRAVE Quaker once, passing through a bad street, 
was astonished to see Ids son euicree from a den w Inch 
no decent person would frequent. The graceless youth 
drew back, hoping to escape observation. "Nay, Is.aac," 
said the sad. astonished parent, "never be ashamed o/ 
coming out of that sort of place ; but be especiaUy care- 
ful nevermore to go into one." 
