110 
JACK IS GRATEFUL. 
voured to reduce them to practice. Mrs. 
Short thought her housekeeping “ as good as 
her neighbours,’ considering.” 
Miss Winston had very little talk with 
Jack. She found him so excited by fever and 
the fear of death that it seemed as though a 
very little more would he enough to throw 
him off his balance entirely. She contented 
herself with reading to him a little out of the 
holy Gospels, and in praying with him,— 
after which she left him, promising to come 
and see him again soon. Jack felt, somehow, 
that the very sight of her did him good,— 
that the sound of her crutch and her lame 
step was music to his ears. He wished there 
was any thing in the world he could do for 
the family to lighten a little his load of grati¬ 
tude ; and, pondering over the matter, he 
began to dream about it, and finally fell 
into the first refreshing sleep he had enjoyed 
since his fever came on. 
All the family went to the village to 
church in the evening: so the lecture was 
postponed to the next day. Miss Winston 
and Annie went up to see Jack in the 
morning, and found him rather better. The 
house was somewhat improved in appear- 
