slid ashore on the board, and taken to the gardener's house, which was close by the pond. With the other board that had been brought, the other two skaters were speedily rescued ; and Lawrence had nothing to do but to think of Jake and his uncle's lesson.

"I should n't have stopped to bring him to the house," he said afterwards, "but Peter insisted on it."

Arrived at the house, however, Peter, who was ignorant as an owl of what should be done in the case, left all to the boy.

"O yes! roll him!" said he, "I've heard that was good,

water out of him."

to get the Lawrence did not stop to explain that the rolling process was not to get the water out, for none could enter the lungs, but to get the air in. He worked vigorously, according to his uncle's directions. Meantime his uncle was sent for; but he was not at home.

Laid out on Peter's kitchen-table, his wet clothes removed, his limbs wrapped in warm blankets, and several persons smartly slapping and rubbing them, according to Lawrence's directions, while Lawrence himself, with Peter's assistance, rolled him from his breast to his side, and over again upon his breast, - this was the situation in which the drowned boy's mother found him, when, having heard the terrible news, she came running to Peter's house.

But the peril was now nearly over. Jake had gasped slightly once or twice. Then came the agony of recovering consciousness, in the midst of which the doctor arrived. It was then half an hour from the time when Jake broke through the ice, and it was evident to all, that, if nothing had been done for him all that while, his recovery would have been impossible.

"Well done! well done!" cried the doctor. "You have made good use of my lesson, boy! Woman, your child is saved."

The hearty praise of his uncle, the joy of the mother, and his own consciousness of having done a good action, made this the happiest day of Lawrence's life. 7. T. Trowbridge.

WHE

BIRDIE'S CHRISTMAS DAY.

HEN the days began to grow short and cold, Birdie could not play in the garden as much as in summer-time, but he spent many happy hours in the house, playing with his toys, and talking to his dear mamma. As Christmas drew near, he had many questions to ask about it; for it was the first Christmas Day he could remember, and he wanted to know whether Kriss Kringle would "surely come in a little sleigh and fill his 'tocking." One day he trotted over the house, up stairs and down, looking at all the chimney-places, to see if they were large enough for Kriss Kringle to come down. He was afraid they were all too small, and told his mother so, with a very sad face; but she sent him to look at the kitchen chimney, which was so wide and high that he was delighted, and ran to his mother, saying, "O mamma, Kriss can come down the kitchen chimney, and bring a great big pack of toys."

That evening little Birdie climbed up on his mother's knee, and begged for a story before he went to bed. "Don't you know somesin' about fairies

who come at Christmas, mamma?” he said.

His mother kissed his red lips, and said she would tell him a short story, because he had been a very good boy all day; so she began: "Once upon a time, all the children in the world had been so good that Kriss Kringle had more work to do than he could well manage. He had lots of toys to buy, and a great many trees to dress, and then he had to go to every house the night before Christmas and fill all the stockings; so the dear old man thought he would be quite tired out, unless he could get some help. But one cold day, about a week before Christmas, as he was working away at some trees, he heard a little knock, low down, on his door; and when he opened it, who do you think he saw?"

"I don't know," said Birdie. "Who was it?"

"Why, it was a little man, dressed all in brown, and only a foot high; and behind him were a great troop of little fellows just like him. Kriss Kringle was greatly surprised at this sight, and stared at his strange visitor without saying a word. But the little man did not mind that in the least; off came his pointed cap, and, with a low bow, he said: 'How do you do, Mr. Kriss Kringle? we have come to help you do the work this Christmas.' 'O, indeed!' said Kriss Kringle; 'you are very kind, my friends. Come in, and let us have a talk about it.' Then he led the little people into his house; but there was such a troop of them that he had not chairs for all, and was going to bring in some more seats, when they said, 'Don't trouble yourself, Mr. Kriss, we can easily find room"; and then some sat on the backs of the chairs, and some climbed up and sat on the trees that Kriss Kringle had been fixing for Christmas; while a few spread their brown cloaks, and seemed to fly up to the high mantel-shelf, where they sat in a row, laughing and nodding, and looking very comical. When they were all quiet, and Kriss Kringle had seated himself in his arm-chair, and taken his pipe, the leader of the fairies, who was on the mantel-shelf, said: 'Now, Mr. Kriss, tell us what we can do for you. We have put the flowers to sleep for the winter, and wrapped up the leaves in warm coats until spring; and we are tired of living under ground, and counting gold-dust, or playing pitch-andtoss with diamonds; so we want to go with you and see the world'; and the funny little fellow made a very droll face, and danced a few steps of the Highland Fling. Kriss Kringle laughed aloud at his antics, and said, 'Well, friend, I shall be glad of help, if you will promise to obey me.' He then told them all there was to be done, and said if they would be industrious, and help him dress all the trees, and tie up toys and sugar-plums, he would take them out in his sleigh the night before Christmas, and they could help him fill the stockings. When the fairies heard this, they were very much pleased, and tossed up their caps, and shouted, 'Hurrah for Kriss Kringle! he's a jolly old elf!' and all agreed to work hard to get ready for Christmas. And so they did; and I have heard that the trees were very beautiful that year, and the stockings very well filled. It was really wonderful, too, how many good children found a bright gold piece in the toe of their stockings; and what do you suppose the naughty ones found? A hard turnip, or a big potato, just when they thought they had found an orange or an apple. The fairies are very wise, you know, my child," said Birdie's mamma; and the little boy nodded, and answered, "Yes, indeed, they are so; but I will try to be good, and then they won't put metatoes in my 'tockin'." Then our little friend gave his kind mamma a good-night kiss, and trotted off to bed, talking all the way about fairies.

-

The next day was the one before Christmas, and Birdie tried to be a very good boy; his goodness was to obey his mother quickly, to be kind to the cat, and not to get angry if his blocks or toys fell down. Well, on this day he tried very hard to be good, and succeeded so well that at dusk his mamma said she would have to tell Kriss Kringle about it. So she took Birdie's hand, led him out to the kitchen, and called up the chimney, "Kriss Krin

gle! Birdie has been very good. sleigh."

Please bring him some pretty toys in your

"And a tree!" said Birdie as loud as he could.

Soon they heard a gruff voice saying, "Yes ma'am! Yes sir! I'll remember Birdie !"— and then there was a sound of sleigh-bells, as if Kriss had been listening to Birdie, and was going on again.

This rather surprised the little boy; but the cook told him Kriss Kringle often went to different houses, to see if the children there had been good, before he came with the toys.

Then Birdie and his mother went back to the parlor; and, as he climbed up to his favorite seat on his dear mamma's knee, she said, "Now we can have a nice talk until bedtime."

"O yes," said the child, "let's talk about Christmas."

“Very well, dear," answered his mamma; "I will tell you why we have a Christmas day. Many years ago, there was no such day. The little children did not hang up their stockings, or find pretty trees by their beds when they awoke."

"How funny!" exclaimed Birdie. "I'm glad I was not here then. How did they find out about it, mamma ?”

"Listen, and you shall hear about the first Christmas. It was in a country across the sea, far away from here, that some shepherds were watching their flocks one night; the sheep were resting on the grass, the little lambs were fast asleep beside their mothers, but the kind shepherds were not asleep, but were watching that no harm should happen to the sheep. Perhaps they were looking at the stars, and talking of the 'Happy Land' above them, when suddenly there appeared a wonderful light in the sky, brighter than moon or stars, as if the sky had opened, and they saw the glory within. While the shepherds looked up, wondering what was the cause of that strange light, a beautiful shining angel came near them, and said: 'Fear not; I bring you good tidings,' (or good news,) 'which shall be to all people. This day is born a Saviour, and ye shall find the babe lying in a manger.' And suddenly the angel was joined by a multitude of the heavenly host, singing praises to God. This was their song:

'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
Peace, good-will toward men.'

When the angels were gone back to heaven, the shepherds said they would go to Bethlehem, and see this Saviour of whom the angels sang. They went with haste, and found him, - a little babe, in a stable, with no cradle to lie in, only a manger for his bed. That little babe was Jesus, the Son of God, who left his beautiful heavenly home, and the praises of angels, and became a child, to bless and save little children, and make all men good and happy, so that at last they might be in heaven with him. His birthday was the first Christmas day, and ever since that time we keep that day as a joyful and happy one, and send gifts to one another to remind us of the great and precious gift of Jesus. When his mother had finished this true story, little Birdie sat still for a while thinking; but soon he looked up, and asked if Jesus had any Christmas gifts.

"No, my child," said his mamma; "Jesus came as a poor babe. His mother loved him, but she was very poor, and had nothing to give him." "I would give him some of my Christmas gifts," said Birdie, "if he was here now."

"Well, dear, you can still do that, and I wish you would," said his mother. "Why, how, mamma?" exclaimed the little boy, looking very much puzzled. "I can't get up to the sky to take them. Even if I stood on the top of a big, high tree, I don't think I could touch the sky."

แ

No, darling, I don't think you could," answered his mamma, smiling kindly; "but when our Saviour went back to heaven, he left the poor on earth for us to take care of, and said any kindness done to them was the same as doing it for him; so if you will give some of your Christmas gifts to the poor children at the Lodge, it will please Jesus as much as if you gave him something."

"Well, I will," said Birdie. "Let's tell the childens to come here to-morrow, and not tell them what for, and when they see the tree, and I give them all some toys to keep, won't they be disprised?" And the happy child laughed, as he thought of the poor children's surprise.

Then his mother sang him some beautiful hymns for Christmas, which I hope are well known to all my little friends. They were, "While shepherds watched their flocks by night," and "We three kings of Orient are." By that time Birdie was so sleepy that he could not wait any longer to see his papa, but took a bowl of bread and milk by the parlor-fire, and went off to bed early, " to give Kriss Kringle plenty of time to fill his stocking very full, up to the top," he said.

Christmas morning came very soon to the little boy, for he slept soundly, and was ready to awake at the first peep of day. What do you think was the first thing he did? "Why, he looked for his stocking, I think," says each little reader. Yes, to be sure he did, and soon found it at the foot of his bed; but it had grown so long and was so heavy he could hardly lift it. At last he dragged it up to his pillow, set himself down, and began pulling out the toys with which it was filled. First a whip, then a ball; a doll too, for he liked dolls, though he was a boy; after that two or three books, with bright-colored pictures, which Birdie stopped to look at with delight; then a "horn" of sugar-plums; and, down in the foot of the stocking, a rosy apple, an orange, and - a little silk purse with a "gold penny " in it. By this time, his shouts of joy had awakened his mother, who looked at all of his treasures with him, and said she thought Kriss Kringle had been very kind to her dear little boy.

"And the fairies too," said Birdie. "Look at this!" and he held up the little purse with the gold piece shining in it. Then his mother dressed him in a new, warm dress of red merino, "her Christmas gift to Birdie,” she said, and they all went to breakfast, the stocking dragging along with its load of toys, and going bump, bump, down stairs, as it hung from Birdie's hand. After breakfast they all went into the parlor, and there on the table stood the prettiest little Christmas-tree! Its branches were hung with beautiful little toys,