"Yes, and it makes them grow big and strong too, and I am sure that is a good thing," said John. "Do you know that when I was young, boys and girls at school were told not to eat too much, that it was bad to eat much; they do not say that now-a-days, I am glad to know. At the school I went to, if we had two helps of meat, we could have but one of sweets, and so, as most boys are more fond of sweets than they are of meat, we did not eat half so much meat as we should have done, to make us strong."

"Well, the school I went to was not at all like that," said Aunt Bell. "We were made to eat; if we did not eat well, we had a bad mark, and were sent to bed, for Mrs Wood said girls must be ill who could not eat."

"But you are big and strong I am sure, John," said Fred.

"Yes, thank God I am, for my dear old dad would not let me stay at that school when he found they did not let me eat as much as

I could; he kept me at home to live, and I went to school all day. But now it is quite time for a game, as there are none of your aunt's good things left to eat."

So off ran John, with all the young folks at his heels. John was a grown up man, but no child could have been more fond of a romp than he, and that made all boys and girls love to have him for a play-mate. He made them play at leap-frog and hunt-the-hare, and all sorts of fine games; and when they had all run till they could run no more, they came and sat down by their aunt in the shade of the great trees. When they all went to play she brought out her book and read, but as soon as they came back she shut up her book that she might hear them talk, for they had lots to tell of all they had done. At last, when they had told of each game two or three times, they said,

"Now please, dear aunt, will you tell us a tale while we rest."

"Ask John, he knows more tales than I do, at least his are more new."

Then they all said,

"Oh do please, dear John, tell us a tale.”

So John gave a loud cough and said, "Let me see, my tales are all of boys, so this shall be the tale of

ACOU

CHAPTER XIV.

KIT AND THE BIRD'S NEST.

OU are to hear of an old man

with a long white beard, whose name was Job. He dwelt in a small town close to the sea shore. He had

one son, a fair

boy twelve years

old; his name

was Kit.

The man and

his boy were great friends; old Job had no

one but his son to love or care for, so he gave him a great deal of love and a great deal of

care.

Job made shoes, and, as he sat at his work, he taught Kit to read and write, and made Kit read to him. Job was a wise old man; he had read much, and thought much, and so, though Kit did not go to school, he knew far more than most boys of his age. They said Kit was more like a girl than a boy; and so he was in some ways. He had such a fair face, and hair that hung in curls down his back; when the sun shone on his curls they were bright like gold. Old Job was proud of his boy's hair, and would not let it be cut short. Then Kit did not care to romp, and shout, and play, and make a great noise, like most boys. He thought and read like his old dad, and in his play time he would walk through the fields or by the sea shore to look at all the fair sights that are to be seen, and pick up what strange things he might chance to find.