ENRY and Frank had a hearty cry

MEN

when an ill-natured neighbour poisoned their dog. They dug a grave for their favourite, but were unwilling to put him in it, and cover him up with earth.

"I wish there was one of the Chinese petrifying streams near our house," said Frank. "We would lay Jip down in it, and, after a while, he would become a stone image, which we would always keep as a likeness of him."

Harry, who had been reading of the Egyptians, remarked that it was a great pity the art of embalming was lost.

But Frank declared that a mummy was a hideous thing, and that he would rather have the dead dog out of his sight for ever than to take and make a mummy of him.

"It seems very hard never to see him again," said Harry, with a deep sigh.

"But perhaps Jip has gone to some dogheaven; and when we go to the boys' heaven, we may happen to see our old pet on the way."

"If he should get sight of us, he'd follow us," said Frank. "He always liked us better than dogs. Oh yes, he would follow us to the boys' heaven, of that you may be sure; and I don't think boys would exactly like a heaven without any dogs. Mother, what kind of a place is a boys' heaven?"

His mother, who had just entered the room, knew nothing of what they had been talking about; and the question being asked suddenly, she hardly knew what to

answer.

She smiled and said:

"How can I tell, Frank? You know I never was there."

"That makes no difference," said he. "Folks tell us about a great many things they never saw. Nobody ever goes to heaven till they die; but you often read to us about heaven and the angels. Perhaps some people who died and went there, told others. about it in their dreams."

"I cannot answer such questions, dear Harry," replied his mother. "I only know

that God is very wise and good, and that He wills that we should wait patiently and humbly till our souls grow old enough to understand such great mysteries, just as it is necessary that you should wait to be much older before you can calculate when the moon will be eclipsed, or when the stars will go away from our portion of the sky, and when they will come back again. Learned men know when the earth, in its travels through the air, will cast its long dark shadow over the brightness of the moon. They can foretell exactly the hour and the minute when a star will go down below the line which we call the horizon, where the earth and the sky seem to meet; and they know precisely when it will come up again. But if they tried ever so hard they could never make little boys understand about the rising and the setting of the stars. The wisest of men are very small boys compared with the angels; therefore, the angels know perfectly well many things which they cannot explain to a man till his soul grows and becomes an angel."

"I understand that," said Harry, “for I can read any book; but though Jip was a very bright dog, it was no manner of use to try to teach him the letters. He only winked and gaped when I told him that was A. You see, mother, I was the same as an angel to Jip."

His mother smiled to see how quickly he had caught her meaning.

After some more talk with them she said:

"You have both heard of Martin Luther, a great and good man who lived in Germany a long time ago. He was very loving to children; and once, when he was away from home, he wrote a letter to his little It was dated 1530; so you see it was more than three hundred years ago. In those days they had not begun to print any books for children: therefore I daresay the boy was doubly delighted to have some

son.

"My heart-dear little Son,-I hear that you learn well and pray diligently. Continue to do so, my son. When I come home I will bring you a fine present from the fair. I know of a lovely garden, full of joyful children, who wear little golden coats, and pick up apples, and pears, and cherries, and plums, under the trees. They sing and jump, and make merry. They have also beautiful little horses, with golden saddles and silver bridles. I asked the man that kept the garden who the children were. And he said to me, The children are those who love to learn, and to pray, and be good.' Then said I, 'Dear sir, I have a little son named Hansigen Luther. May he come into this garden, and have the same beautiful apples and pears to eat, and wonderful little horses to ride upon, and may he play about with these children?' Then said he, 'If he is willing to learn, and to pray, and be good, he shall come into this garden; and Lippus and Justus too. If they all come together they shall have pipes, and little drums, and lutes, and music of stringed instruments. And they shall dance, and shoot with little crossbows.' Then he showed me a fine meadow in the garden, all laid out for dancing. There hung golden pipes, and kettle-drums, and fine silver crossbows; but it was too early to see the dancing, for the children had not had their dinner. I said, Ah, dear sir, I will instantly go and write to my little son, Hansigen, so that he may study,.

and pray, and be good, and thus come into this garden. And he has a little cousin, Lena, whom he must also bring with him.' Then he said to me, 'So shall it be. Go home and write to him.' Therefore, dear

little son, Hansigen, be diligent to learn and to pray, and tell Lippus and Justus to do so too, that you may all meet in that beautiful garden. Give cousin Lena a kiss from me. Herewith I recommend you all to the care of Almighty God."

The brothers listened very attentively while that old letter was read; and when their mother had finished it, Frank ex

claimed, "That must be a very beautiful place!"

Harry looked thoughtfully in the fire and said:

"I wonder who told all that to Martin Luther? Do you suppose an angel showed him that garden when he was asleep?"

"I don't know," replied Frank. "But if there were small horses there with golden saddles for the boys, why shouldn't Jip be there too, with a golden collar and bells?"

"Now wouldn't that be grand!" exclaimed Harry. And then away they ran to plant flowers on Jip's grave.

ANON STOWELL narrates the following discourse by a Chinese tailor, with reference to the relative merits of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity:

"A man had fallen into a deep, dark pit, and lay in its miry bottom groaning and utterly unable to move. Confucius, walking by, approached the edge of the pit, and said, Poor fellow! I am sorrow for you; why were you such a fool as to get in there? Let me give you a piece of advice: if you ever get out, don't get in again.' 'I can't get out,' groaned the man.

"A Buddhist priest next came by, and said, 'Poor fellow! I am very much pained to see you there; I think if you could scramble up two-thirds of the way, or even half, I could reach you, and lift you up the rest.' But the man in the pit was entirely helpless and unable to rise.

"Next the Saviour came by, and hearing his cries, went to the very brink of the pit, stretched down and laid hold of the poor man, brought him up and said, 'Go, and sin no more.'"