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negro, had heard and seen, he had got a strange and terrible notion of the Indians. He thought they were creatures hardly like men; but very fierce and cunning, and not much less dreadful than the lions in his own country in Africa; but he had never seen an Indian.

One evening, just at dusk, he was sent to a pasture (or meadow-ground) close to a thick wood, that he might drive home the cows from it. He had got near the edge of the wood, to seek for a stray cow, when he saw a strange dark figure come out from the bushes, and make directly towards him. It was a black, fine-looking fellow, rather fat, and clumsy in his walk, and seemed to be dressed in black furs. Cæsar stopped short; but he had too stout a heart to run away. Besides, his enemy advanced at such a rapid pace, that he could not hope to escape him; and as he did not perceive that he was armed, he thought it safest, as well as bravest, to make a stand. He felt, however, very uncomfortable. "This fellow," thought he, "must be an Indian. He has fifty or a hundred followers in the woods there; and I shall be taken prisoner, scalped, and roasted alive. Well, there is no help for it. If I try to run away, he will call to the others to shoot me. So I will see what fair words can do. Perhaps I may beg off." By this time the stranger had reached him; and the first thing he did was to throw his arms round the neck of old Cæsar, and give him a hearty embrace. "How do ye do, massa Indian?" said the old negro, in his broken English; "I very glad to see you. How does your squaw and all the little papooses do? I hope they all very well?" [The Indians called their wives squaws, and their children papooses.]

No answer was returned, but a still closer embrace.

"Ah, dat will do, massa Indian; I be very glad to see you, indeed; but I no like to have you hug me so very close. You take all de breath out of my body. Why you no speak to me? You no want poor negro's scalp, do ye?"

Still there was no answer; and Cæsar began to feel the feet of his adversary kicking and scratching against his body while he hung by the arms round his neck. But as he wore a very thick leather apron, reaching from his chin almost to his feet, neither his person nor his clothes suffered from this rude treatment. Though a very good-natured

man, Cæsar began to lose his temper at the rough embraces and dogged silence of the stranger. "Let go, and stand off, massa Indian," said he, "or I shall hurt you." But as his repeated threats and entreaties were not regarded, he took from his pocket a large clasp-knife; and managing to get it open, he thrust it into his enemy's body with such effect as to lay him dead on the ground. He then ran home; and thinking the importance of the event excused his taking such a liberty, he hurried into the great hall, where his master was entertaining a large company of country squires, his neighbours. He said to his master, “Massa, I kill a great black Indian, down in de cow-pasture, under de hill.”

"Killed what?" exclaimed a dozen voices at once. "I kill an Indian."

"There have been no Indians in the neighbourhood these dozen years," said his master. "What have you been doing with your knife?-John, has Cæsar been drinking to-day?"

He come

"No, sir," answered the servant in waiting. "I have kill a great Indian, sartain sure. to me from de bush, very fast; and I look him in de face, and no run. He come up and hug me round de neck, and seem to be very glad to see me. I try to shake hands with him; and he begin to kick and scratch me, and neber ax me how d'ye do? nor neber say one word. I no like dat, and I tell him to keep off. But he no mind me, and begin to squeeze, squeeze very hard. I tink he want to kill me; and so I take out my knife and kill him. He lay by de great oak-tree in de cow-pasture."

The earnestness of Cæsar's manner, and the blood with which his apron and knife were stained, shewed that something strange really must have happened. Accordingly, the squires, and all the men and boys of the farm, headed by their master, and armed with muskets and pitchforks, proceeded to the place where the battle had taken place; and found, not an Indian, but an enormous black bear.

Abide with me from morn till eve,
For without Thee I cannot live;
Abide with me when night is nigh,
For without Thee I cannot die.

February.

THE festivals in this month are:

The Purification of the blessed Virgin Mary, or Presentation of Christ in the Temple, February 2d. St. Matthias, February 24th.

The first Sundays in the month may be those which are counted from the Epiphany. After these follow Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima, meaning-70 days, 60 days, and 50 days, before Easter; because there are so many days, counting in round numbers, between these Sundays and Easter Sunday. After Quinquagesima Sunday, Lent begins; and the beginning of it may fall either in February or March, according as Easter is early or late.

Here are two verses from a poem on the Purification :

"Bless'd are the pure in heart,

For they shall see our God;
The secret of the Lord is theirs,
Their soul is Christ's abode.

Still to the lowly soul

He doth Himself impart,

And for His cradle and His throne
Chooseth the pure in heart."

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Robson, Levey, and Franklyn, Great New Street, Fetter Lane.

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Olive Lester (continued)

The Ostrich

Dialogues on the Church-Service: Prayer for all Conditions

March

of Men

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Olive Lester, the Lame Girl.

A TALE.

[Continued from p. 44.]

THE next visit Olive paid to Mrs. Payne, she asked if she had been thinking of what she had told her last?

O. Yes, ma'am; but I feel frightened about it.
Mrs. P. What frightened you?

O. Why, so much seems expected of me; and I don't know how to do it.

Mrs. P. You mean what God requires of you in your Christian calling?

Ŏ. It was promised for me, and I must do it; but I do not see how.

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Mrs. P. Of course you could not do it of yourself; but there is help and strength enough promised you.

O. God will help me by His own Spirit, if I ask Him for it, I know that. But I am afraid I have no right to ask-I am afraid I shall not be helped.

Mrs. P. We must consider what prayers you should use. But first I want to shew you that you certainly have leave to pray, and to ask and to expect the greatest blessings. (Mrs. Payne then opened Bishop Wilson's Instructions for such as have learned the Church Catechism, and read as follows:-) "What benefit is it to be a member of the Church of Christ?

"You have hereby a right to many great and precious promises: the promise of peace with God, of pardon upon your repentance; the promise of God's good Spirit to guide and defend you; the promise of eternal life, and all the means of grace necessary to obtain it; and, lastly, the promise of Christ's powerful presence with your spiritual pastors unto the world's end.

"What is it to be a child of God?

"It is to have such privilege with God as a son hath with his father. This is called adoption, by which you have an assurance that God, for Christ's sake, will overlook the untowardness of your nature, pity your infirmities, favourably hear your requests, supply all your wants, reward your well-doings, and correct your miscarriages.

"What is it to be an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven?

"It is to have a title to the joys and glories of heaven, and to be put into a sure way of attaining them. It is to have the word of God for your security, and the good angels of God to minister unto you; so that it will be your own fault if you are not eternally happy."

O. I have heard these words explained before. But somehow I never took them to heart. 1 never thought I was to have any blessings now.

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