Year: 1872

BY ELIZABETH SILL.


Franks neither was called down from
the nursery one morning to attend to
something which would probably detain
her some time; and before she left the
room she took Franks reins, with which
he had been playing horse, and tied him
to the leg of the bedstead. Then she
gave him some picture books, and play
things, to amuse himself with while she
was gone; cast one look around the room
to see that there was nothing within his
reach by which he might free himself,
and went down stairs with an easy mind


You may think it was rather hard treat
ment to tie up boy of six years old, who
had at the time deserved no punishment,
but the fact was that Frank was great
runaway. His mother had several times
left him with strict instructions not to go
out of the room, but no sooner was she
well out of the way than Master Frank
would slip quickly down stairs, open the
front door softly, and be off. Once he
was gone nearly all day, which, as his
parents lived in the city of New York,
was really alarming; and was only found
by telegraphing to all the police stations
His mother suffered so much distress
about him that it made her i'll for several
days, and although she was so delighted
to see him brought home safe at last that
it was very hard for her to punish him,
yet she did oblige herself to do so on his
own account; for she knew that he ran a
terrible risk, of either losing his life, or
of being carried off where she would
never see him again, unless this bad habit
was checked. This is the explanation of
the tying up.


But Frank was not the only person in
the nursery; his little brother Julian was
on the opposite side of the room building
house with blocks. Julian was two
years younger than Frank, but he was
not tied up, at least not with anything
you could see.


Frank played for a while with his toys
and books and then he began to get rest
less, and to look about for some means of
getting loose. As he did so, he spied his
mothers scissors-which she had over
looked-lying on the floor, about half
way across the room, and considerably
beyond his reach. There was tape tied
to them by which they could be fastened
| to her waist.


Frank considered for some minutes
how he should get at the scissors; there
was nothing anywhere near him long
enough to reach them. At last he stoop-
ed down and looked under the bed, and
then, crawling under, he brought out an
old cane of his fathers with a crook on
one end, with which he and Julian often
| played horse. He stretched 1t out to-
ward the scissors and found that he could
just reach the tape, and after several
trials he succeeded in hooking the cane
into it. After this he had no more diff
Guilty; he drew the scissors up to him, cut
the reins which fastened him, and went
softly out of the room, unnoticed by
Julian, who was completely absorbed in
his blocks.


He had seen a target company go past
the window that morning, and was full of
the idea of going to see them shoot. No
body seemed to be about the halls; nurse
was out walking with the baby; Jane, the
housemaid, was cleaning the silver in
the pantry, and his mother was in the
kitchen. So Frank thought he had q
| free field, and could slip off without being
seen. But when he had opened the front
door quietly, and had fairly started, who
should he meet, just coming up the street,
but his uncle Dan.


Uncle Dan, who bad some acquaintance
with Franks ways, Immediately asked
where he was going, to which Frank,
who, though he was so very mischievous,
was not deceitful or an untruthful boy,
answered boldly, "To see the target
shooters"


But Uncle Dan thought he had better
go back with him to the house, and wait
until he could take him some other day
to see the target-shooting, and Frank
who had learned by experience that
Uncle Dams promises were always made
in sincerity and not merely to put him off
-consenting to this, they went back to-
gether.


In the meantime Franks mother had
gone up stairs to the nursery and was
greatly alarmed at not finding him there.
She questioned Julian, but it was evident
that he had seen nothing of what had
passed. She went over to the place where
she had tied Frank, saw the scissors and
the ragged cut in the reins, and then she
knew that her boy must have run away
again; and she was just hurrying down
stairs to look for him, when she was at
once relieved and astonished by seeing
Uncle Dan walk in holding him by the
hand.


81 left him in the nursery, tied up and
perfectly safe, as 1 thought" said she,
land in some way he managed to get the
scissors and cut the rope. / do not know
what shall do with him."


1--WE shall have to send him to Bar
NUNS and have him put in one of those
strong cages that they keep the lions in,"
said Uncle Dan, with a very serious air,
''but in the meantime, sister, you should
tie him with something stronger than a
rope"


Franks mother understood, but Frank
did not, and he had asked, "With what?
tie me with rhdt?-with iohGt? Uncle
Danm several times before his uncle
and took the little boy between his knees.


Frank" said he, "did you ever hear
of Casabianca?"


"'The boy stood on the burning
deck ~ said Frank, in one breath; ives
can say that"


"You KNOW" continued his uncle,
that his father-the captain-placedh him
at a certain post on the ship while the
battle was going on, and told him TO stay
there and watch it. BY and by his father
was very badly wounded-the ship got
ON fire-Casabianca saw the flames COM
ing nearer and nearer to him. Did he
want to stay there?"


NO" said Frank, eagerly, che called
to his father, Must stay? Must sGayF
and he didn't hear him."


''Ohl then perhaps he was tied, and
could not get away" continued Uncle
Dan.


NO" replied Frank, shaking his head,
che wasn't-I don't believe he was"


why, what made him stay, then? he
knew that there was great deal of pow
der on the ship. and that as soon as the
fire reached It the ship would be blown
up, and he would be killed, or perhaps
burnt up before that. What kept him
there?"


Frank began to see the upshot of all
this; he looked down rather sheepishly
and played with Uncle Dams watch chain.
NtT s.ra-e h. H. ,rhf 80 ufa ha.