HAPPINESS AND THE PURSUIT OF IT.' 
blackened stumps, and huge trunks of charred trees,. 
‘‘Nothing but black wherever I turn my eyes; the 
very clouds lowering down on the edge of the jungle 
are black, black men and women are looking in at the 
door, as the boy was covering the table, black 
servants, with black tablecloths. Black is reflected, 
everywhere on my brain, until my very mind and 
thoughts are becoming black, and on the principle that 
‘like cures like’ in order to dispel my black and 
dreary thoughts” — Here he stepped up to a rude box, 
which answered the purpose of the modern sideboard, 
opened it, and took out something black, which he 
held up to the light and surveyed with much greater 
complacency, than he had done, a short time before, 
black logs. Indeed, he even smiled, as he passed the 
mental remark, “No, the boy has not touched it.” 
But again he looked grave, as a doubt seemed to 
cross his mind, so he set the bottle on the table, and 
took out of the drawer a small, straight, stiff piece 
of grass, which he set up in a perpendicular position 
against the side of the bottle, and the line of liquor 
inside that bottle was nearly an inch under the top 
of the piece of grass, whereas in the morning, the 
stick of grass had been set exactly to correspond with 
the line of liquor. And the result of this “dodge,” 
this sly investigation, was that there could be no 
manner of doubt whatever that the boy had drunk 
a glass, but still he did not like to accuse him, not 
from any doubt of his guilt, but at the way he had 
obtained the knowledge of it. Mr. John became very 
discontented. He was discontented with the boy for 
taking his liquor, and discontented with himself, that 
he was ashamed to prove to the boy, who no doubt 
would deny the charge, how he knew he had taken it. 
While musing and considering over the subject, he sat 
down on the couch, took up an old magazine, opened 
at random, and suddenly became very absorbed, as his 
eye fixed upon the heading of an article, ‘ ‘ The Random 
Confessions of Discontent,” and what he read was this : — 
“My mission is, to pick up the pins that every one 
scatters, and this keeps me very busy, by day and 
by night, in town or country, in the houses of the rich 
or poor. I gather my pins, and, having done so, proceed ^ 
to use them. Whenever I see a rich man, with more 
money than brains, building an elegant liouse, and 
furnishing it in the most costly manner, I begin my 
work upon him. I put pins in his luxurious sofas, pins 
in his softest easy-chairs, pins in his bed of down ; 
I even put pins in his favourite dishes, until they cease 
to gratify his palate — yes, and pins in the elegant 
dresses of his wife and daughters too, until the whole 
family become uneasy and discontented. Then, find- 
