264 
AME^RICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[JUI,T, 
THE FORTUNATE GIRL. THE UNFORTUNATE BOY. 
That is the way it vised to be with cliilclren in old times 
—at least some people thought so. According to their be¬ 
lief, a great many “ little people,” as they were called, 
lived all over live world. Tliey were said to be very 
strange creatures—some of them so small that they coivld 
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 they 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 
time, or something else disturbed Ills brain, so that he 
could not give a very creditable account of them. But 
almost every one was ready to tell what they had done. 
One said 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 were sure that 
the little people stole the milk from 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, that 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 fortunate places, good little people were said 
to make tlieir liomes, and then every thing prospered. 
Tile cows gave plenty of rich milk, tlie grain grew finely, 
tlie lambs all lived, and there was peace and plenty. 
You can see by the picture how they busied themselves 
with the children. Notice how that boy’s face is drawn 
out of shape by tlie little furies that are tormenting him. 
Poor boy! Wliat would he do if lie could see and catch 
them. Would lie not sliow as little mercy to them as 
you would to a mosquito or Ilea ? But tlic sweet little 
girl has fallen into good hands. Perhaps her sunny face 
attracted tlie pleasant little people, and they like to lielp 
lier smile.-Since the little people have been driven 
away from the earth by tlie noise of steam engines and 
printing presses, children can no longer blame these 
creatures for 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 the thoughts, but they will 
give little trouble to those wlio do not encourage them. 
So Master Charlie, and Miss Katy, take good, care and 
govern yourselves riglit, and let sunshine from your 
hearts make your joyous faces bright. 
A Brittle Boy’s Experiences. 
April 10th. At last we have finished plowing for a 
while at least, and I am glad of it; for I am tired of 
driving oxen. Brother Charlie says I have been talking 
to the team, liallowing “ wlioa ” ! “ back ” ! “ haw ” ! 
almost every night. My mind kept “marching on,” 
wliile my body was sleeping. I don’t know much to 
write, tliat liappened last week. We plowed up a field- 
mouse’s nest one day. Tliere were four young ones and 
their mother. Tlie old one started to run at fust, but 
came back to defend her family. I couldn’t help feeling 
sorry when Jumper killed her with one bite. At first lie 
went suielling about the nest, as though he wanted to 
play with tlie little mice, but the old one flew at him, and 
fastened her teelli in his nose, and tlien he gave lier 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 pan 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 white, wdiich the older ones took up. Wo stopped 
to watch tlicm a wliile. Pretty soon I felt sharp stinging 
bites on my legs, and at the same time. Jumper wlio 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 tliink I should not like to live 
in Africa where the ants are plenty and very powerful. 
They raise hills as liigh as a man’s head, and tliey can 
gnaw through wood, hlissionaries living there say tliat 
they destroy clothing, books, and even houses.-1 have 
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 my bedroom window. It is pleasant to watch 
tliem as tliey go in and out with bits of straw. They 
keep up a merry warbling, and seem very happy in 
gelling 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 I2lh. I had a quarrel with Charlie this morning 
about the garden. Father said we might eacli have a 
bed to raise what we pleased. We both wanted the same 
co.-ner, and we both got angry. He is two years younger 
tlian I am, and I am ashamed that I was so selfish. Fa¬ 
ther would not decide between us. He said we must 
settle it in some way pleasantly, before either of us could 
have any garden. Charlie went off to school, and I lieip- 
ed father mend fence. After thinking it all over I thought 
I would tell Charlie, as he was the younger, he could have 
the corner. When he came home the first thing he said 
to me was, “ Fred, you can have the corner, you are 
older than I am.” Then I told him what I had been 
thinking of, and we finally agreed to go in partnership, 
and both lake 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 
tlie seed, as they are not very plenty yet. I’m glad our 
quarrel is all over, for it made us both feel very unliappy. 
A GRAVE Quaker once, passing through a liad street, 
was astonished to see his son emerge from a den which 
no decent person would frequent. The graceless youth 
drew back, hoping to escape observation. “ Nay, Isaac,” 
said tlie sad, astonished parent, “ never be .ashamed of 
coming out of that sort of place ; but be especially care¬ 
ful nevermore to go into one,” 
