Year: 1871

!" Never mind, Neddy, you viii soon
be there, and then you must come
straight back as fast as you can, and you
will be home again before dark"


1t was Nanny Norton speaking TO her
young brother as he stood fastening his
plaid round him, looking gloomily out


Now Nanny and her brother lived a
very long time ago, when little children,
ay, and big ones too, were kept very
strictly, and had not half the playthinGs
and pleasures that they expect nowadays.
They lived in lonely house at the end
of a narrow lane, and behind the house
were several fields and a few outhouses
and barns; in fact, a small farm The
owner Of this farm was their aunt, Mis-
tress Norton, prim, upright, severe old
lady, who had great idea that al chill
dren needed to be kept well in their
Dlace. She never called the children by
any name but niece and nephew"
and they never. thought Of her but with


Besides these three, there lived IN the
house the farm-Tnan, old .Hathan who
had grown gray in, the mistress service,
and his wife, who was still strong and
hearty, but as deaf as post You would
haFe called it q dub home for q merry
boy of nine years old, If you could have
peeped through the lattice window ON
one Of tlle long winter nights, ..,.


There at the table. of plain deal, but
clean az much as scrubbfhg could make
1t, sat the mistress, straight as possible,
with her high cap, white handkerchief
and tight sleeves, her lace-pillow before
her, for she was,neFer, idle, and none in
the, country could make such lace as
hers AZ her side, busy with knitting,
| from which she dared scarcely TO look up,
sat Nanny. several. years younger than
her brother. Behind them, hidden away
in the immense phimpeYfcorner, which
looked as if it. were made to hold the
whole family, sat Nathan IN laree, rough
beayeF bat, smoking his pipe, and now
and then kicking with his heel the log
In the ere on the ground at his feet. IL
all the work were done, his wife would
probably be at his side, nodding her
head In a doze. To fafl =. UDfe
| On this, particular afternoon Neddy
had been told by his aunt to carry
basket of new-laid eggs 10 a poor neigh
Dor. Now, neighbor, IN that part of the
world, meant any one living within a
few miles of ones house. So when
Neddy set forth on his errand, he knew
that he had a long walk in the wind and
snow before him. He did not like the
| Job, and, like many a napghty boy both





an the wood till twilight began 10 fall,
A binding snow-storm came on, and
young Ned, who had not often been
that way before, stood still and beganto
wonder where he was. Then, getting
friehtened, he began TO run wildly
among the trees, beating OF the snow
and rubbing his eyes. Heated and tired
with his run, he stood still at length, put
his basket down, stretched himself, and
in the end, lay down on, the snow and
| fen fast asleep. -i-iiH v-t


II All this time a kind sister at home
was thinking Of the little needless boy.
| Nanny watched the falling flakes
3Anxioaaly, and counted the minutes till
Neddy's return, And when the time
came and passed, and the snow ceased
20 fall, and heisl1y grew clear, and still
he did not come, she slipped out Of the
kitchen, called Nero, his 1doe, 10 follow
her and set out. Springiag over the
stile, she was soon in the dark wood,
calling gently his name. No answer
came, and Nanny stopped 70 the dog,
patted him, and whispered, "Good dog,
good dog, where's thy master p Away
went Nero, shifting and peering about
then, with short bark, he set of at a
fast trot. Nanny followed as well as she


could, till she saw him spring through
mass of broken branches close TO a
fallen tree, and knew by his whine that
he had found the boy. There lay the
child, sound asleep, the basket Of eggs
at his side, his plaid lying loosely over
him. Nanny called him and shook him
before she could rouse him. II was too
late now to finish his errand; besides,
Nanny feared he would catch cold in


his snowy clothes. So she made him


run quickly home at her side, while she
/ carried the basket. eles al
Reaching the lane, the good sister
went forward TO explain all to his aunt.
Mistress Norton was strict and precise
indeed, but she was not unreasonable,
and she was HeUer angry. So when the


boy came shyly up to her, she only took
hold of his two hands, looked gravely at
him, and said very slowlys Nephew,
if thou hast not loitered, the poor neigh


Dor had had her eggs this nights by thy
fault she must now suffer- Then she
sent him to change his clothes, and,
with her own hands, got birn some hot
elder-wine TO warm him after his sleep
IN the snow And ,Neddy, sitting in old
Nathan's corner, swung his feet back
wards and forwards, slipping the nice


hot stuff, and thinking that he wouldn't
ever be such a silly boy again / won
der whether he kept his good resolution
tPR neti lsl.as 90. .-.a


THE Losr RAcEs.--A writer in the