her directly into the arms of him, who would certainly be her ruin, both in body and soul. I shrunk from mentioning the subject to my sister herself, for I recollected that I was younger than she, and felt that I had no authority to control her will, if, after knowing the character of the stranger, she should still resolve to cling faithfully to his fortunes. At last, after a sleepless night, and much inward prayer for light to guide me, I determined to take the course which I am sure you will say was a wise one -I resolved to lay the whole case before my best friend and natural adviser, Robert Walker."

(To be continued.)

"ALL YE ARE BRETHREN."

GOD, working ever on a social plan,

By various ties attaches man to man :
He made at first, though free and unconfin'd,
One man the common father of the kind,
That every tribe, though placed as He sees best
Where seas or deserts part them from the rest,
Differing in language, manners, or in face,
Might feel themselves allied to all the race.

COWPER.

JOSIAH JACKSON.

JOSIAH JACKSON was, without exception, one of the most mischievous young dogs in the school at Ashley; he was always playing marbles, or hopping round the school-yard on one leg, or pinching or poking the other boys during school hours, or playing truant, and scampering all over the country hunting after birds' eggs, in the season, and amusing himself with some such things. Not that playing marbles, or hopping on one leg, and poking the other boys during play hours, are in themselves evil, for boys may have their amusements as well as other people, provided they are harmless and dont interfere with more important duties. Birds'-nesting, however, and playing truant, and pinching in school time, were not right, - nevertheless the truth must be told, Master Josiah was very often employed in all we have mentioned. Tom Paleface, a steady quiet lad, often talked to Jackson about his pranks, and told him that he would catch it one day. "Perhaps so," said Josiah, "but I'll have my fun till I do catch it." Very well," replied Tom, "it may come sooner than you expect it." "Werry like," exclaimed Josiah, with a long whistle, which he was in the habit of making very frequently to amuse his schoolfellows, and which was intended as an imitation of the shrill noise made by the boilers of the steam-engines; so off Josiah started that very afternoon on one of his birds'nesting expeditions. When the school met for the afternoon, no one answered to Josiah Jackson's name at the calling over, and when the master, Mr. Heavythump, enquired of the boys if any one knew where Josiah was, none answered; for although Tom guessed that he was gone birds'-nesting, having seen him shortly after his

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conversation with him, in company with two or three other lads who had long sticks, going in the direction of Songster Wood, yet as he was not positive about it, and did not like to tell tales of his schoolfellows, he did not think himself obliged to say what he thought. Mr. Heavythump, however, repeated the question, and then Tom observed that he had seen him with Bill Switcher and Harry Wildgoose - but he did not know where he was. Humph!" said the master, "I think I can guess." Let me remark here that it is a very foolish thing for any to associate with boys that have bad characters, for although they may possibly escape falling into error, (although this is scarcely possible) yet if they do escape, people will suspect them; such was the case at present. "Umph!' repeated Mr. Heavythump, "these boys, Bill Switcher and Harry Wildgoose, are always getting into mischief, and I am afraid they will do Josiah no good." On the following morning Josiah was at his place, but looked rather sheepish when the master called him up, and said that he wished to speak to him. Josiah, however, went up to the desk, and Mr. Heavythump asked him where he had been yesterday, instead of being at school; Josiah twisted his thumbs, and seemed to be hesitating what to answer, when the master repeated the question. During his doubt the evil spirit had been at work with him; Josiah did not at once resist him as he ought to have done and he would have fled from him so he answered with a lie. 66 'Please, sir, mother said as how she wished me to walk over to Farmer Barleyfield's, to see how my sister was, as is in service there." "Are you sure you are telling me truth?" asked Mr. Heavythump. "Yes, please sir," said Josiah, blushing very deeply. "Did any one go with you?" enquired the master. "No, sir," replied Josiah. "When did you start?" asked again the master. "As soon as school broke up," answered Josiah. Humph!" said Mr. Heavythump, his usual mode of expressing disapprobation, "Did you see Harry Wildgoose or Bill Switcher on your way?" "No, sir," said Josiah. "Didn't they

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go with you?" u?" asked Mr. Heavythump. "No, sir," replied Josiah. "Come here Tom Paleface," cried out the master. Josiah began to tremble, and change colour. "Did you see Josiah Jackson with Wildgoose and Switcher yesterday?" "Yes, sir," replied Tom. "That will do," said Mr. Heavythump, "you may go to your place, Paleface, and you, Josiah Jackson, will come with me." Mr. Heavythump walked very deliberately along the room down to the lower end, and opened a large closet-door there was in that part of the school, and beckoning Josiah to go in, walked quietly back to his seat, and went on with the usual routine of the day. He had heard during the former evening, after the school was broken up, that Josiah had been birds'-nesting, as Tom Paleface suspected, for, by some strange accident, a neighbour, who knew Josiah well, had been passing through Songster Wood, and there had seen him coming down from a magpie's nest with his hat full of eggs; he was, therefore, satisfied that Josiah had told him a lie, and he was determined to make a public example of him. Accordingly, after Josiah had been about two hours in the closet, he commanded all the other boys to sit down, and called Josiah up again. He had been crying a good deal, and as he came shuffling up the room it was pretty evident that he knew he was detected. "Have you anything more to say about this matter," asked Mr. Heavythump, when he came up to the desk. Josiah thought that perhaps he might yet escape, at all events it was worth the trial, so he said, crying and rubbing his eyes and nose with the cuff of his jacket, "I'm sure I went to see sister yesterday. Mother sent me, and I was obliged to go." "Humph!" said Mr. Heavythump, "we shall see. Mrs. Jackson, please step forward." Josiah was not aware that his mother had been sent for, and had not seen her as he came up the room, he was therefore quite taken aback when she stepped forward and said, Oh, Josiah, how can you tell such a falsehood? never sent him anywhere," she added turning to the master, "he came home at the usual time, and as he said

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nothing as to where he had been, I supposed he was at school as usual. Oh dear! Josiah, you are a very wicked boy." "I am very sorry," remarked Mr. Heavythump, "that I must punish you very severely for this dreadful lie, Josiah." He looked at the culprit very solemnly, but severely. Josiah began to cry aloud, Oh, sir, spare me this time, I wont do it again. Mother," he added, looking to her, "Mother, do beg him to let me off only this time." No," said his mother with tears in her eyes, "when we sent you here, your father and myself placed you in Mr. Heavythump's hands, and he must act in it as he thinks fit; I am deeply grieved at your wicked conduct, and as I know you deserve punishment, and feel sure that your master will act properly, I shall leave you in his hands. It would be too much for me to see you punished, so I shall go home, but I do hope that this will prove a lesson to you that you will never forget." As soon as Mrs. Jackson left the room, Mr. Heavythump addressed Josiah upon the enormity of his sin, told him how deeply he had offended GOD, and what a dreadful fate awaited all liars; he also explained to the other boys how painful it was to him to punish any of them, but in some cases it was positively necessary to do so, and that this was one of those After this, he gave Josiah a good old-fashioned English flogging, and then shut him up in the closet till the afternoon school, so that he went without his dinner. Well, you will wish to know the effects of this act of Mr. Heavythump's; I cant go through Josiah's after history, nor explain all the benefits that this act of the master's had upon the school; enough be it to say, that it was the last wilful lie Josiah ever told, and that afterwards he was a much better boy than he had been before. Many years have elapsed since this event, and Josiah is now a grown up man, steady and respectable in his station of life, and he often says that he looks upon that flogging as one of the greatest benefits he ever received, and always advises the parents who live around him never to attempt to screen their children's faults from their schoolmasters, nor to beg them off from punishment when they

cases.