KEEP CLEAR OF DEBT. 
might form a very f lir general idea of his host, by 
the manner in which be receives the tappal cooly, and 
the bag. Many of onr readers may not have thought 
of this, but let them take a hint now, and observe. 
For no two planters receive the post cooly and his 
letter-bag in the same manner or way. Some are 
always looking out for his arrival, and are in a sort 
of chronic misery until he turns up, eagerly snatch 
the bag from his hands, and actually break or burst 
the buckle or lock, in getting it opened. Others 
never see the post-boy, until he shoves the box into 
their hands. They take it in a mechanical sort, of way, 
lay it down on the table unopened, turn round, as if 
they had forgotten all about it, and say, “Boy; a 
fire-stick.” These are the two extremes, but there 
are numerous intervening ones with many different 
modifications. Our readers may think over this, and 
find them out. 
Tell the truth, and have courage. We read not 
long ago somewhere tlie following quotation which 
impressed itself so on the mind, that (like Captain 
Cuttle) we took a note of it. Here it is : — “The fearful, 
those who always perceive, or think they perceive, a 
lion in the way, are not destined to fill any high 
position or station while alive, or be very long' re- 
membered after they are dead. Resolve to keep clear- 
of debt, and you are all right, for such are the powers of 
resolution and perseverance, that without these qualites 
we can do nothing, accomplieh nothing of any moment 
or account ; with them, we will go through anything. 
The world is full of instances of the truth of this 
remark, and if we look sharply around, amongst 
our friends and acquaintances, we will find examples 
quite as striking and instructive as any that were ever 
published in, or read from, history.” We may also 
add a personal remark. Not only keep clear of debt, 
but have a nest-egg as soon as possible : no matter 
how small the eeg is, have a nest egg if there is 
no nest egg the bird may not return and lay another ! 
It will not hold in any esteem the nest that cannot 
retain a nest-egg ! But you must look further than 
the eggs. What is the use of a nest egg or a whole 
nest of eggs unless it or they hatch something ? Nov/ 
what do you expect it will hatch ? You will be sur- 
prised now to hear that many a good coffee estate 
yielding a handsome income to its proprietor has been 
hatched out of the first nest-egg; or, at all events, 
taking a wider margin, if the nest-egg had never been 
there the coffee estate would never have been hatched, 
and this is our closing moral. 
It is no use saying who Mr. Skulk was. The family 
were so numerous, that ail old planters have met with some 
