Various

“ Surely never were human creatures in a worse position.
Not a moment, however, was lost in vain regrets. By patient perseverance they loosened one of the planks with which the boat was lined, and formed it into a kind of mast, which they tied to the foremost thwart; another piece of plank served as a yard, and to this they fixed their only pair of trousers for a sail. Two of the men had always to lie along the gunwale with their backs to the waves, which would otherwise have swamped the boat, and, even so, another had constantly to bail it by means of the Dutch hat. ”

“ The boys saw that Charley was right. The canoes were so light that they lost their headway between the seas, and it was evident that they were in danger of being overtaken by a following sea.
"Tell us two or three more dangers, just to cheer us up, won't you?" asked Joe, who was in high spirits with the excitement of the sail.
"There's the danger of rolling our booms under, and there is a great deal of danger that Harry's canoe and mine will broach to when our rudders are out of water." ”

“ The desert is so much like the ocean, with its boundless expanse, the same unbroken curve of the horizon, the same tracklessness and solitude. So the camel is often called "the ship of the desert." Yet monotonous as the journey of this postman seems, he has to be continually on the alert. It is not always silent meditation under the burning sky and changeless heavens. There are hidden dangers lurking on every side—plundering Arabs and terrible sand-storms. Many a traveller is buried under the fierce drifts, suffocated by the driving sand sleet. ”

“ At last a gnarled old tree that had been charging straight on the balloon ran into it, upset, tore it, and after entangling Billy in ropes and branches, tearing his clothes, scratching his hands and switching [Pg 696] him like an old-time school-marm, let him fall roughly down to earth. He was glad to lie quiet, thinking first of the torn balloon, then of himself.
While he was thinking, the words that he had heard that afternoon as he entered the car came back to him: "Nobody owns him, and the world will be well rid of him." ”

“ The two masts of each canoe were stepped, the paddle was lashed between them, and a rubber blanket was hung over the paddle, with its edges reaching nearly to the ground. The blankets and the bags which served as pillows were then arranged, and the canoes were ready for the night.
It was a warm and clear night, and a breeze which came up from the south at sunset blew the mosquitoes away. Harry found his tent, with the curtains rolled up, cool and pleasant; but his fellow-canoeists found themselves fairly suffocating under their rubber blankets, and were compelled to throw them aside. ”

“ There never was a fire that Billy was not close behind the hose-cart, or a circus that he did not ride the kicking donkey, or a county fair where he was not present looking out for anything in the way of fun that offered. His last undertaking was going up in a balloon. Now here he was, down again, and the question was, what should he do next?
A boy in a book would have decided to become a judge, or a merchant, or an artist; but Billy had another ambition. He desired to become a negro-minstrel. He knew one, a man who wore fine clothes and had plenty of money. ”

“ I'll see if I can't wade to him."
"He'll never reach him," cried Mr. Beetham, running up and down the beach in an agony of anxiety, which was shared by all the by-standers, as the strong man strode on with the water above his waist, and the rock still not reached. It was nearly up to his shoulders before he got to where Willie stood. ”

“ I thought I would write you a letter to let you know how much I like to read Young People. I think it is a very good paper, and I watch every week for the number to come. The first piece I read is "Mr. Stubbs's Brother." I think a good deal of a good circus. Jimmy Brown's stories are very interesting. We have a pet crow; he is very tame. He flies all over the farm, and goes wherever he pleases. He is afraid of other crows. When they come too close, he flies to the house if he is not too far away. He likes to follow along in the corn field, and pick up the bugs and worms. ”

“ You can have a great deal of fun without being conspicuous.
Never neglect a chance to do a kindness to an aged or feeble person. Nothing is more beautiful on the road than courtesy from the young to those who are old or in trouble.
[Pg 700]
AIDS FOR YOUNG ANGLERS. BY A. W. ROBERTS.
How often has it happened that on reaching a camping ground, hotel, or boarding-house near river or lake, where pickerel, bass, and large perch abounded, I have found no provision for the angler's sport but a boat; no lines, sinkers, or floats; no nets for catching live bait, and no bait but worms! ”

“ This was got rid of in a very ingenious manner, for the enormous hat which Austin wore, "after the fashion of the dwellers in the West Indies," was useless to bail her. The mast of the brig rose and fell some twenty feet, and the captain fastened a rope to its top, and held on to it from the boat. Whenever the vessel rose, it lifted up him and the boat, by which three-fourths of the water was emptied; but "having no means of disengaging her from the masts and shrouds, they fell down, driving him and the boat under the surface, and nearly breaking his thigh." ”

“ For instance, Eda is going to visit Angeline, and at the station in New York she is met by Angeline's brother Dick. She does not wish him to purchase her ticket, but she feels awkward about offering him the money to pay for it.
The proper thing for Eda is to hand her pocket-book to Mr. Dick, and request him to take from it the amount of her fare. The pleasantest way, if the journey be a long one, would be for Eda's papa to give her escort a sufficient sum to pay all her expenses.
People on a journey should not be selfish. Nobody should take two seats when only entitled to one. ”

“ Each story is built of strong timbers, the ceilings are adorned with paintings, and the light comes in through latticed windows. Every roof is covered by tiles of delicately painted porcelain, and the whole elegant, fairy-like structure is a wonder of architecture. ”

“ The air of this place is very pure and healthy, because there are a great many beautiful pines and warm mineral springs; so a great many sick people come to breathe this delicious air. It is also famous for its exquisite fruits—pine-apples, mangos, and others. When it rains, in less than a half-hour the ground dries, as it is sandy. There are many parrots and mocking-birds and wood-peckers and larks here. The wild flowers are very beautiful, and there is a great variety of them. The "St. Peter" flowers, which grow out of old trees and fences, look like pretty butterflies ”

“ Travelling in our country is both comfortable and agreeable, if the traveller will pay attention to a few directions. I suppose, dear little friends, that you have seen fussy and fidgety people on the road, who made themselves and other people unhappy by their behavior. ”

“ We had a pair of rabbits sent to us from Indianapolis last year, but they were so much trouble we gave them away; we had a little turtle no larger than a twenty-cent piece, but that is dead; it lived two years. The sweetest pet we ever had was our dear little brother Arthur. He died last November, and we all miss him very much. He was so cunning! He was one year and a half old. We have never written to Young People before, and hope this will be published.
Harry and Emily F.
A baby brother is indeed a darling, and the best of pets. ”

“ When the player on the left has answered, whether correctly or not, the leader of the same side in his turn calls out the same or any other letter, the umpire follows with his number, as before, and if the second player on the right fails to answer correctly, he crosses over and belongs to the left side, standing at the foot of the line. If the player answers the question properly, he keeps his place, and ties a white handkerchief around his neck to show that the next question addressed to his side must be answered by the player who stands next him in the line. ”

“ I like your idea of making others happy on your birthday. A sweet Bible verse tells us that it is more blessed to give than to receive. How much you must have enjoyed watching the moving of grandpa's house! Were you frightened when you explored the Luray Cave?
Charlotte, New York.
We are spending the summer at Lake Ontario, and see a great number of butterflies fluttering along the road-side, and over the fields. Reading the article in No. 142 of Young People on butterflies, my brother and I started a collection. We have caught several specimens of Papilio turnus and Papilio asterias. ”

“ This made him less careful, perhaps, in being obedient than he ought to have been.
"No, my boy, you can't be trusted to go by yourself just yet. You can go into the garden and play with Lucy for a little. When nurse is ready, she will take you both out for a walk on the beach."
Willie was very fond of his little sister, who cared for nobody so much as for him. So he drew her about for a while in his little cart, ran races, and pulled daisies with her in the field. But all would not do. He wanted to go down to the shore. ”

“ I suppose little Nelly sometimes climbs the hill to gaze with her own bright eyes at the golden sunsets which Mr. Church looks at from his pleasant home, and then paints so beautifully for the rest of us to enjoy. ”

“ Fig. 8.
For black bass I have found the black field and house crickets most excellent bait. Within the last two weeks I have taken good messes of horned pouts (cat-fish) with set night lines baited with "cat-worms" (so named by the inhabitants of the lake where I am camping) . These "cat-worms" are those elderly, corpulent, and well-to-do angle-worms, that pay their respects to one another on dewy, moonlight nights. When using angle-worms I place them in damp moss for three days, to rid them of all earthy matter ”

“ When one person works the seine, one of the staff lines is tied to a rock or stake on the shore, and the other line is taken into a boat, or the operator wades out, and causes his end of the seine to describe a circle until the two staffs meet. ”

“ A tow-line is fastened to the bow, and the boat is complete.
When handling the bait a small hand-net (Fig. 3) is used, consisting of a stout piece of wire bent as shown in the figure; the straight parts of the wire are bound together with fishing-line, and constitute the handle; to this frame netting is sewed to form the net bag.
Fig. 5.
When fish are caught, they ought to be kept in water to keep the scales soft, otherwise they become dry and set, and are troublesome to clean. ”

“ It is the duty of the leaders of the lines to call out the letters, which they can change as often as they please. There must be an umpire chosen also, who sits at the head of the lines at an equal distance from each. The umpire must call out the numbers, which are number two and number four, and also count ten slowly while each player is guessing. ”

“ Despite his wound, which, however, rendered any further attempt without assistance hopeless, Austin threw himself into the water, and with the rope in his mouth swam to the men on board the brig, who, by their united strength, hauled the boat over the brig's stern, and emptied it. A hole, however, was knocked in it by this rough treatment, which was repaired by being stuffed with the shirt of the man who could not swim, and had therefore retained that garment. They had no oar, no sail, and except a dog belonging to the captain, "which was gladly taken in case of necessity," no provisions. ”

“ About four o'clock in the hot afternoons we go over to the edge of the woods, where there is a break in the trees, and the grass is deep, and find quantities of tawny orange butterflies marked with black on the upper side and silver on the under. ”

“ These natives are a cross between the negro and American Indian; they are generally very homely, with the exception of the children, who soon lose their prettiness, judging by the looks of their elders. We walked some distance along the beach before we came to the cliffs. These cliffs extend about half a mile along the shore, and are formed entirely of different-colored clay—green, yellow, red, blue, white, and brown. The red resembled sunburned rocks, only much brighter; the yellow looked from a distance as if a load of sand had been dumped there, and rolled half-way down the cliffs ”