the road, and so weak and shakin' that do b'lieve they was jest what you mean, a baby could ha' made him ashamed. for I'd often heard grandfather tell When the pr'cession was goin' out o' how Nancy Jelliker was drownded for sight at the turn down the road, he witchery, and it all happened jest the moved round so 's he was lookin' at the way Jasper saw. There, the fire is pond agen, and there it was, all ice, and a'most gone out! Why ain't ye spryer nothin' but snow and bare trees all a-puttin' on wood? When I was a round it, but before he could get his young gal like you, and Jasper was-" eyes off agen a figger come up through the ice and rose in the air and floated around and pointed 'way down the road where the pr'cession had gone, and then sunk back through the ice, and Jasper didn't see it no more. "Pshaw, child! What's the use When it was floatin' in the air it o' talkin' 'bout things that happened so 'peared to move round on a broom-long, long before your time? I've a'most stick, or suthin', though Jasper couldn't forgot just how it was, but I s'pose I see that quite plain, and it was dressed was foolish, like most young things jest like the old woman that was is, and when Jasper spoke to me, throwed into the pond right there all bashful and awkward like, I before his eyes."

Sophia had moved close to her aged relative while the foregoing narrative was in progress, and when the old lady had concluded she asked in a low, tremulous voice,

"Oh, aunty, do tell me why you didn't marry Jasper? I'm sure he must have liked you, and I think you liked him, too-just a little, aunty, though you hav'n't said so yet."

sorter laughed it off and said it was ridic'lous, and p'rhaps hinted suthin' about havin' plenty o' chances when I wanted 'em; and it all ended by him gettin' angry and then I got angry too, and he went away to some far "And Jasper-how did he ever get place, vowin' there was no one to be away from that horrid place?" trusted about anything."

"That, dear, I dunno, for certain, but when the poor creetur come into our house that Chris'mas night, he certingly did look a'most scar't to death, as I told ye at the start, and father wouldn't let him go back that night, for he didn't 'pear to have any sperit more 'n a sick kitten."

"And do you know what became of him after that, aunty?"

"No, dear, I never heer'd nothing more about him; but when Chris'mas time comes round I always think of that Chris'mas night, and 'pear to see him jest as he looked then, all scar't and fluttered, a-tellin' us what happened when he was comin' by Jelliker's Pond. Sophia Ann, don't you ever make a young man go 'way to some strange place, thinkin' ye don't care anything about him, if ye do; for you're sure to feel sorry when it's too late. Now, "Now there, Sophia Ann," ex- dear, it's bedtime and to-morrer will be claimed the old lady, bristling up, "I Chris'mas Day.

Sophia was silent for a short time, and then again addressing the venerable Miss Jerusha, she said,

"But, Aunt Jerusha, you don't really believe those awful things he saw

were "

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR, LENOX

TILDEN FOUNDATIONS

Said John, as he looked at our socks hung asunder,
"How is it that Santa Claus don't often blunder,
For how can he know good boys' stockings,
When one's like another, I wonder?"

I gave up the riddle, and without replying
Drowsed off into sleep, and left Johnny a-trying
To find how St. Nick was so clever,

For his shrewdness there was no denying.

But scarcely a moment or two had I slumbered,
When up from the lawn, in the moonlight, there lumbered
A sleigh that would do for Goliath,

With a dozen of toyshops encumbered.

It stopped at the door, and there was such a knocking,

It seemed that the house went a-swinging and rocking.
For who should it be but St. Nicholas

With his gifts to cram into each stocking.

To say he intruded I never pretended,

When he came to the spot where our socks were suspended, But maintained a most quiet demeanor

Till down to the ground he descended.

Then I peeped through my eyelids and found the sun beaming, The shutters were open, the windows were gleaming;

For sly Santa Claus had brought daylight,

And surprised all the family dreaming.

Our stockings were still from the mantle suspended,
From Johnny's a pop-gun and scabbard extended,
But in mine-O unfeeling St. Nicholas-

A coal and potato were blended.

Then I rose from my bed and I paced o'er the floor,
Examined the gifts he had left me, once more,
And sat down in great tribulation-

But started-to hear Johnny snore.

I looked-surely spirits were guarding his bed,

For he smiled in his sleep, though he looked awful red—
But ha! what was bulging the pillow?

"Twas a Jumping-Jack under his head.

That brought to my mind a most novel conjecture,
On which I read Johnny a practical lecture,

And uttered some pointed allusions

As to altering his head's architecture.

Then agog with excitement, I sought to explore,
And the more I examined I found all the more,
Till St. Nick stood acquitted. And Johnny?
Well-I judge that he felt rather sore.

To comprehend a man's life, it is in a drunken dream of poetic inspiranecessary to know not merely what he tion, but work and grow up to them. does, but also what he purposely leaves It is common, I know, to point to some undone. There is a limit to the work lazy gentleman, and say that there is that can be got out of a human body a protuberance on his forehead or temor a human brain, and he is a wise man who wastes no energy on pursuits for which he is not fitted; and he is still wiser who, from among the things that he can do well, chooses and resolutely follows the best.-Gladstone.

Men do not stumble, and blunder, and happen into Iliads, and Æneids, and Divina Commedias, and Othellos,

ple sufficiently large to produce a
Hamlet or a Principia, if he only had
an active temperament. But the thing
which produces Hamlets and Principias
is not physical temperament, but spir-
itual power.
What a man does is the
real test of what a man is; and to de-
clare that he has great capacity but
nothing great to set his capacity in
motion, is an absurdity in terms.