344 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
ABOUT THE PICTURE. 
Happy little Jennie ! and happy grandmother 
too; for she enjoys the teaching as much as Jen¬ 
ny delights in learning. Notice how affectionately 
the dear old lady’s arms are thrown around her lit¬ 
tle grand-daughter, who loves to be so encircled. 
She could have picked up the dropped stitches, or 
shown Jennie how to seam, or to set the heel, just 
as well without drawing her so near, but she loves 
to have her there. This is the charm of this beau¬ 
tiful picture; it makes us love them both as we 
look upon it. No wonder the little girl looks so 
intently to see how the thread should be placed; 
her grandmother is so gentle, and so patient. 
How neat and tidy every thing looks about the 
room; and they love flowers too, as you sec by the 
plant on the shelf near the window. With such 
good influences around her, Jennie can hardly fail 
to grow up a pleasant, loving, and good girl. We 
can quite easily imagine the history of this little 
family. Jennie’s father and mother are dead. She 
had no home when they left her, but her grand¬ 
mother has taken her, and as she cares for her, she 
is often reminded other daughter, Jennie’s mother, 
whom she once instructed in the same manner. 
Perhaps in looking at the picture you can imag¬ 
ine a story that will please you better than this ; 
and it will be a good exercise. In this way the 
imagination is cultivated, by which we may create 
• little world of our own, and place in it such in¬ 
habitants as we choose. If we are careful to think 
only of objects that excite proper feelings, such 
story-making will give us healthful pleasure. It is 
for this purpose that pictures like i his full of good 
sentiments and suggestions, are ai. induced here 
from time to time, so that you may be instructed 
as well as amused. Do you like such teaching ? 
AYell, we trust you may remain in the Agriculturist 
school many years, and that the lessons given, will 
not be lost. We feel sure they will not, and this 
makes our labors doubly attractive. 
don’t fret. 
“ AVas there ever such a piece of work as this, 
Aunt Carrie,” said Lina in great disgust. “I have 
sewed this sleeve in wrong side out and I took such 
pains with it too—It is too bad,” she continued, 
throwing the work from her. 
“I am really sorry, Lina, but I would not wasto 
any time in fretting. You could have ripped out a 
good many stitches by this time. Just as soon as 
as you see clearly how and where you have made 
an error, set right to work and mend it. There is 
my little knife, dear, it will take but a few minutes 
to undo your work, then you can start fair again.” 
In a very little time the seam was taken out, .and 
Lina looked up more pleasantly. 
“ There, Auntie, I am just where I set out once 
more. If it had not been for you ” she said laugh¬ 
ing, “I should not have begun to take it out this 
half hour yet. It seemed an endless task.” 
“ Lina, did you ever hear your mother speak of 
Miss Philena, the seamstress in this village in its 
primitive days ?” 
“Yes, indeed, and I have laughed over her queer 
sayings more than once. Father often quotes her.” 
“ I have often quoted her to myself, or at least a 
little incident in her experience; especially when I 
was tempted to get out of patience witli my work. 
She was a poor, industrious body, rather odd in 
fler ways, but a favorite everywhere. One week 
she was making a coat for Beriah Applebee, and it 
was one of the few great occasions of hei- life. Sho 
felt to the full the solemn responsibility resting 
qjon her. Cloth was cloth in those days, and had 
to come ‘all thewayfrom Connecticut.’ Common¬ 
ly people dressed in homespun, and it was not quite 
so serious a business to make that up. But this 
beautiful bottle green cloth was on her hands, and 
she was all of a tremor with excitement. Every 
day ‘Riah’ came in to see how she was getting on, 
and that added to the poor little woman’s disquiet. 
At length, the last of the enormous button holes was 
neatly finished, and she slipped in the big buttons, 
about the size of sauce plates, to seethe effect. No 
one can describe her feelings, when she saw for the 
first time that she had made them on the wrong 
side. AVhat was to be done ! The cloth was ruined, 
and she could never hope to save money enough to 
pay for it. But Beriah’s good old mother cheered 
her up. ‘You just come right into my little bed¬ 
room ’ she said, ‘and pick out the stitches very care¬ 
fully, then you can darn them up so nicely nobody 
will ever know it when the buttons are sewed on.’ 
Philena did as she bade her, and no one was ever 
the wiser for her mistake, until some years after¬ 
ward when the coat was turned and made over; 
then the old button holes came just right. That 
was much more of a task than taking your sleeve 
out, wasn’t it Lina ?” 
“ Yes indeed, Auntie, and I will try to remember 
it when I get so out of patience with such a trifle 
again.” 
JUDGE NOT FROM APPEARANCES. 
A lady friend contributes for the Agriculturist boys 
and girls the following capital story showing the 
danger of judging from appearances. 
“AVhen I was eleven years old, my mother re¬ 
moved to the country. Our nearest neighbor was 
a minister, by the name of AVayland, who in addi¬ 
tion to his ministerial duties, owned and cultivated 
a large farm. One night my attention was attract¬ 
ed to a bright light in one of the upper rooms of 
our neighbor’s house. In a moment I saw the wife 
fly past the uncurtained window, closely followed 
by the husband, who was armed with a huge fire 
shovel—round the room she went, still pursued, 
and as I listened breathlessly, I thought, nay I was 
sure, I heard a scream. I hastened to my mother, 
and told her what I had seen, and we both looked 
out, but the light was gone, and all was quiet. Not¬ 
withstanding my mother’s judicious warning “to say 
nothing about it to any one,” before school was out 
the next day, I had confided it to my bosom friend, 
and in a week half the village knew it, and a great 
talk it made, I assure you. Finally it reached the 
ears of the deacons, who at once proceeded to in¬ 
vestigate its truth. My mother looked grave and 
troubled when they called, but conscious of having 
told only the truth, I met them fearlessly and re¬ 
lated what I had seen. Then they left, taking a “bee 
line” forthe minister’s, to call him toaccount. AVith 
many apologies they made known their errand, 
when to their surprise, the minister burst into a 
hearty laugh. “ AVait a moment,” said he, “ till T. 
call Polly. You see, that night I found a big rat in 
the meal chest, and came down for the shovel, and 
bade her hold the light, while I killed him. Find¬ 
ing no other place to hide, the rascal took refuge in 
the folds of her dress, and she ran screaming, till I 
managed to dislodge and kill him.” 
I have ever since been careful not to repeat an 
unfavorable report about my neighbors, at least un¬ 
til I knew the whole truth.” 
ONE DROP AT A TIME. 
Have you ever watched an icicle as it formed ? 
You noticed how it froze one drop at a time until 
it was a foot long or more. If the water was-clcan, 
the icicle remained clear, and sparkled brightly in 
the sun ; but if the water was but slightly muddy, 
the icicle looked foul, and its beauty was spoiled.— 
Just so our characters are forming. One little 
thought, or feeling at a time adds its influence. It 
each thought be pure and right, the soul will be 
lovely, and will sparkle with happiness ; but if im 
pure and wrong, there will be final deformity and 
wretchedness. 
