“ Amidst this general idleness, the Philosopher, as he was called, was as busy as a bee. Instead of sauntering about with a book, or gazing at the clouds, as he had often done on board the ship, he was hurrying along the shore in all directions, with such of the men as he could persuade to move, and examining every little creek and bay about the part of the island on which they were cast away. ”

“ All this she, in reality, possessed, but in addition—as Nature has ordained that perfection shall never centre in an individual—she had a spirit of coquetry—innocent coquetry she imagined it to be—which cast a shadow over her otherwise fair character and accomplishments. ”

“ Christina was slender, moderately tall, with regular features, but with a pallor of complexion, that, while it indicated great delicacy and sensibility, intimated also to the beholder of her charms, that she held them with but a slight tenure. Katharine, on the contrary, was ruddy-cheeked, plump, and looked altogether like one that could laugh the world to scorn—laugh [62] at every body and every thing, and being possessed of excellent health, ought to have an imperturbable good temper. ”

“ There was grass, and there were shrubs, and many beautiful and delicate trees, and flocks of wild pigeons and other birds, and many butterflies and other insects, but no quadrupeds of any kind.
Those who have read the adventures of Robinson Crusoe, know how much even one man might do in a desolate island, with the help of the stores of a ship, and with a gun and ammunition. ”

“ Some of you, whose bright eyes are glancing over these pages, a present among many others perhaps from a fond father, can scarcely understand the many trials of the poverty-stricken and fatherless [30] child. The constant toiling for mere sustenance—the anxious fear that illness may put a stop to their labors, and grim want stare them yet more steadily in the face—these and a thousand other ills, the pampered child of wealth can never know. ”

“ Let us take notice of the great variety of creatures which are made for our use; some for labor, some for food, some for clothing, some for pleasure. At the same time let us remember, that our right in these creatures is not absolute; we hold them from God, and he can deprive us of them whenever he sees fit, and whenever we abuse them:—and therefore the Spirit of God has given us this rule: “The merciful man is merciful to his beast.” ”

“ Frank had a little cousin Mary; when Mary was six years old, she was brought to live at his father’s house. Frank soon grew fond of Mary and played with her at whatever she liked; sometimes he was her horse; sometimes she was his horse; sometimes he rolled her in his wheelbarrow, and sometimes she made a cat’s cradle for him.
Though Mary and Frank were good-natured, yet they had faults. Frank was sometimes impatient; and Mary was sometimes a little cross. Frank had not been used to play with children younger and weaker than himself. ”

“ Not long after the first English settlers had established themselves in Pennsylvania, during the winter a white man’s child strayed away from his parent’s house; and after having in vain been sought in every direction by the parents for a whole day and night, the father resolved to apply for assistance to one of his Indian neighbors, with whom he had always lived on friendly terms. He knew the superior facility with which the Indians, who are in the habit of constantly roaming the woods, can detect and distinguish objects of sight and sound. ”

“ Melvin’s house, a widow lady, with her daughter, a charming little girl, thirteen years of age. So very limited was the fortune of this lady, that she had never had it in her power to be at the smallest expense on account of her daughter’s education. Indeed, her income was so narrow, that, without the strictest economy in every respect, she could not have made it suffice to procure them the necessaries of life. So she was obliged to content herself with the little instruction she could give to her child. ”

“ Susan here exclaimed, “I must, indeed, I must have a rabbit exactly like it.”
“But you might tame with equal ease your lamb and your pigeons,” answered Mrs. Clare. “Believe me, my child, all animals are indued with gratitude, and they all love us, when they see that we love them. But let me return to little Julian. Although he had often to suffer hunger, cold, and numerous other hardships and privations, he still kept a good heart, because his little rabbit was to him every day a source of new pleasure. ”

“ He remembered with grief that their larder was bare,
And young roaches he knew could not live upon air.
Ah! do you human beings think what you’re about
When you fill up the cracks, and the old roaches out?
And poor Mrs. Roach sat sobbing at home,
Dreading that to her sposa some evil had come, [83]
And the poor little young ones lay tumbling about,
Grieving much for their father who stayed so long out. ”

“ Those persons who have had the best opportunities of knowing the real character of the Indians have remarked, amongst many other good traits, the great affection that they have for their children, and the respect which young people pay, not only to their own parents, but to all elderly people. ”

“ ANTICIPATIONS AND REALITIES.
“A party of pleasure! oh, mamma, let us go,” said Rosamond. “We shall be so happy, I am sure.”
“What! because it is a party of pleasure, my dear,” said her mother, smiling.
“Do you know,” continued Rosamond, without listening to what her mother said—“Do you know, mamma, that they are going in the boat, on the river; and there are to be streamers flying, and music playing all the time? And Mrs. Blisset, and Miss Blisset, and the master Blissets, will be here in a few minutes. Will you go, mamma? ”

“ Not only I do not wish to deprive you of your rabbit, but I wish to do more for you than I have yet done.’ To be brief, the good gentleman paid the expense of Julian’s schooling, that he might have a good education; then he employed the boy’s father so profitably, that both were soon above want.
“Julian grew up an intelligent and industrious lad. Every thing prospered with him; and when the parents of other children wished to inspire their children with gratitude, they used to tell them the story of Julian and his little rabbit.” ”

“ In this emergency Christina bethought her to call on her dear friend, consult her, and derive what consolation she could from her advice and good wishes.
Accustomed to enter unhesitatingly into the house in which Katharine lived with her aunt, she passed up stairs to her boudoir without alarming any of the inmates or attendants, and sat down waiting for her approach. Half an hour had elapsed, when her attention was arrested by the noise of voices in earnest conversation on the stairs. ”

“ Caroline Ellis was the only child of parents who thought that indulging her in every wish was all that was necessary to make her happy, which idea, my dear children, is very erroneous, for little boys and girls are not as well qualified to judge what is good for them as grown people are. Caroline was delicate, and notwithstanding her father’s wealth, she became paler and paler each day, until at last great fears were entertained that [12] her life would pay the forfeit of her parents’ pride, for that was the sole cause of their daughter’s ill-health. Her mother was not like yours, Susan ”

“ That is the reason why you see little Harry feeding his rabbits. Little Harry is the only son of a poor woman who lives in a small cottage at the end of a lane on a large farm in this state belonging to [70] a wealthy and thriving farmer. Although the farmer is very kind to Harry’s mother, allowing her to have the use of the cottage and an acre of ground free of rent, still the old woman has hard work to live comfortably. Knowing the advantages to be derived from the possession of a good education, she deprives herself of many comforts to enable her to send her only child, Harry, to school. ”

“ DANGER OF COQUETRY.
It is no less strange than true, that, however intimate friends of the same sex may be, there is ever a disposition to assume a certain air, as it were, of patronage on one or the other part; and without any serious intention of committing malicious injury, great mischief may ensue, from the foolish belief of one that he or she could (if they would) alter the fate of the other in peace or war, love or hate, business or idleness.
Christina Smith had, from her earliest youth, entertained a warm affection for her old playmate and schoolmate, Katharine Wing. ”

“ At her uncle’s, she was treated with great kindness and attention by her cousins, who did all that lay in their power to please her—fresh bouquets of flowers were pulled for her daily, and although she would at first scarcely open her lips to any one of them, their repeated acts of kindness overcame her pride somewhat, and she would occasionally talk with her cousin Ellen, who was nearly her own age ”

“ The pleasure they had promised themselves in purchasing a magic lantern, and in being in possession of such an amusement for the long evenings of the approaching winter, appeared to them very trifling, in comparison to the delight of snatching this poor family out of the hands of the unfeeling people they had to deal with; and leading their mamma into the little garden, they earnestly entreated her to take the three dollars their grandpapa had given them, as well as the contents of their purses, and employ the whole to relieve the poor woman ”

“ The widow bowed her head upon her clasped hands, and remained silent a few moments,—when she raised it, there was a holy calm upon her face as she replied, “God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb; our prospects look very dark now, my daughter, and we have no earthly friend to turn to, but always remember, my beloved child, when I am no longer here to counsel you, that ‘God will never forsake those who trust in Him.’”
Pondering upon her mother’s words, the little girl set out upon her errand ”

“ Little Mary never told tales of her sister, though her mother was sometimes angry that she had not finished her task of knitting; and she could not help it, for the baby often cried, and would not stay in the cradle, and [41] Mary was obliged to hold it on her lap all the time her mother was away.
One morning, the good woman was making ready to go to market, and as she had a great deal to do, she said that she should not return so soon as usual. So she put some food for the baby by the fire, to keep it warm, and told Anna to be careful to feed it if it cried, and to sing it to sleep. ”

“ When my child die, no one speak to me—I make his grave alone—I can no live here.” He gave up his farm, dug up the body of his child, and carried it with him two hundred miles, through the forest, to join the Canadian Indians. ”

“ A few yards farther on was found the dead body of a lady, one of the passengers from India, and by her side, wrapped closely and very carefully in a Scotch plaid, a male child of about a year old, which was first supposed to be dead also; but the Philosopher, fancying he perceived signs of life in the little creature, hurried back with the infant to the party who had refused to move, and gave it in charge to the women, which soon made them busy, for in the midst of their own misfortunes they were all anxious that the poor little child should live. ”

“ Gerald Fitzgerald proceeded to London, still accompanied by his attached Leverous. Appearing at King Edward’s court, he saw the daughter of Sir Anthony Brown at a ball, and afterwards marrying this lady, her family procured the restitution of a part of his estates from the king, who also knighted him. Under Mary he was restored to all the titles and honors of his house, all which, and the prosperity of his middle life, was witnessed by the happy Leverous, who died at a good old age under the roof of his grateful pupil, by whom he was ever honored as a father. ”

“ Harry being anxious to learn every thing he could, so that he might one day become a smart man, and be able to support his mother, never spent a cent for himself, but carried all he got to his mother. Perhaps you may think a poor little boy like him did not get many cents; but in this you are mistaken, for Harry was up bright and early every morning, and would often do little jobs for the farmers before he went to school. Then he had rabbit houses at the end of his mother’s cottage, where he kept a number of rabbits, which often had young ones ”

“ Ellen had given up her own pleasures to amuse her cousin in her own way; but she was beginning to get tired of her constant complaints of dullness, for to her nothing could be more [14] charming than the sweet singing of the birds, and she had little time now to listen to the music of nature.
“One morning Ellen and Caroline were walking, and Ellen proposed a visit to a cottage down a long green lane, occupied by their old nurse, greatly beloved by the whole family, who visited her almost every day in good weather. ”