Bell's cow jest fair reposin' in de pasture lot, you never see de beat, and a whole passel of dem chillum totin off apples and sweet 'taters. Dis here is de most oncommon wasteful woman I ever set eyes on, an' dat's a fac'."

Miss Sellars was stunned.

What was the meaning of all this, when the stranger had thanked her for her prompt warning, and had expressly said that she would profit by it? about this thing before she was a day older. the flowered damask curtains; they could stay down a while longer.

But she would see

Never mind about

Miss Sellars picked up her skirts, and flew along the dusty highway; she had no eyes for the purple thistle, blooming royally in the fence corners, nor for the red-shouldered "epaulette bird" scurrying before her on the rails; the first sight that attracted her attention, and brought her to a full stop, was what looked like a gypsy camp in the yard of "The Briary." Evidently it was an apple butter spree, and the very trees themselves seemed to share the pleasure of the occasion, smiling and waving in the bright sunshine. Miss Sellars would have turned back, but curiosity carried her on, into the midst of the happy workers. As soon as Miss Kitty's near-sighted eyes made out who it was, she took her visitor off to a rocking chair on the sunny south porch. "You don't mind sitting out here, do you? I feel as if we ought to be storing up sunshine days like this; my carpets aren't down yet, nor my curtains up, but they can wait for the cloudy days."

"You seem to be storing up apple butter, too," said Miss Sellars, with a rather grim look at the lawn party. "How many gallons can you manage to eat before spring?"

"Miss Kitty laughed till the tears came. "Did you think I was going to undertake all that? Bless you, we're doing it on the shares.'

an

"How many shares ?" asked Miss Sellars, suspiciously. "There are five children and two grown-ups of them," swered Miss Kitty innocently, "and I make eight; we'll quarter it, and then halve the quarters."

"You must have plenty of bank stock between you and the poorhouse!" exclaimed the visitor spitefully; she was thinking how her good intentions had been wasted.

"I have a very small income," said Miss Kitty, meekly, "but it would be hard on us poor people if only the rich ones were allowed to help the needy. I have felt so much happier and more at home in this strange place, since I found that my Father had some. of His poor creatures here that I could do something for. I have thanked Him every day for sending you out here to take my mind off house furnishing, and show me these lives that I could make happier."

"I don't know as He had anything to do with sending me,"

murmured the old maid, and then she lifted up her eyes and saw Brindle "just fair reposin'" in the next lot.

"Good-bye," she said, getting up so abruptly that the rockingchair swung over backward. "You certainly are a wasteful woman, as Joe says. But there! It won't be safe to mention black Joe to you, or I'll find him browsing about on you next time I come. Well, maybe there's such a thing as being too saving; 1 never thought of that before."

But she thought of it all the way home, and for days after, until there crept into her heart, chilled with lonely selfishness, the glowing thought that God Himself was blessedly prodigal of sunshine and blossoms, and sweet breezes. It is too late for her to learn Miss Kitty's full free-handedness, but there is more than one narrow home that will be brightened, and more than one hard pressed fellow creature cheered this winter, because the lonely old maid is learning to be a wasteful woman.-Selected.

Memory Gem.

"The Lord loveth a cheerful giver."
"Freely ye have received, freely give."

BE KIND AND TRUE.

A meadow lark sang sweet and long,
To fill the morning air with song;
Then resting on a leafy bough;
Above the patient, brown-eyed cow,

It called, "Dear cow, what use are you?
For God gives all some work to do."
"We give," the gentle creature said,
"The golden butter for men's bread.

"We give rich milk for children, too,
And leather for the stout, warm shoe.
We send you glue to help make toys,
For many growing girls and boys."

The lark its joyful song can sing,
The useful cow our comforts bring,
But more we children each can do;
In work or play, be kind and true.

-Sopha S. Bixby.

THIRD GRADE.

CHURCH HISTORY.

LESSON XVII.

Chapter 17, Young Folk's History of the Church.

ORSON PRATT.

Orson Pratt is sometimes called the "great apostle," because he performed during his life, with the help of the Lord, so many works of interest and importance, for the benefit of the Church. He became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, September 19, 1830, this was the anniversary of his birth, he was nineteen years old on that day.

After joining the Church he desired very much to see the Prophet, the young man who had received revelations from God and angels, but he was two hundred miles away, and traveling was expensive in those days. But "where there's a

will there's a way," and the next month, October, Brother Pratt undertook the journey of two hundred miles, and had the joyous privilege of meeting and becoming acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith. Soon after the Prophet Joseph received a revela

tion from the Lord in which the life work of Bro. Pratt was foretold, he was to be like John the Baptist, preach repentance to the people and prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. In December of the same year he began his missionary labors and they were continued until the Lord called him away to another world, where he would receive the rewards for his many labors here.

Brother Pratt traveled a great deal and in 1832 he returned to Kirtland, just about two years from the time he was baptized, and

had walked about 4,000 miles, baptized one hundred and four persons, and organized several branches of the Church, and he accomplished all this without purse or scrip.

In 1835, he was chosen to be one of the Twelve Apostles, and his labors as a missionary were continued, he baptized many people and organized new branches of the Church. In 1839 he started on a mission to Europe, preaching, as he went from place to place. Brother Pratt returned in 1841, after doing a good work, especially in Scotland. He labored for the people when at home, taught school and was a member of the city council. He was doing missionary work in the East when the Prophet Joseph and the Patriarch Hyrum were put to death in Carthage. We can only imagine how Brother Pratt felt on hearing this dreadful news, he hurried back to his people and shared with them all the troubles and trials that followed the martyrdom. He was one of the Pioneers to cross the desert plains, when our people left their comfortable homes, and much that was dear to them in their beautiful city of Nauvoo. When the first company was formed to make the celebrated journey to the Salt Lake valley, Orson Pratt was among them, and in company with Erastus Snow was the first to enter the valley which was to become the beautiful dwelling place for the Saints now called Salt Lake City.

One year later Apostle Pratt was called to go on another mission to Europe, this time to preside over the British mission; he occupied this position for two years, and during that time over 12,000 people joined the Church in that mission.

Orson Pratt died when he was seventy years old, he had been a member of the Church fifty-one years. He traveled thousands of miles and crossed the ocean at least twelve times, all to bear his testimony to the world. He was also a great student and writer, and was much respected by learned professors and others who were not members of the Church, as well as by the Saints.

"None of us yet know, for none of us have been taught in early youth, what fairy places we may build of beautiful thoughts -proof against all adversity. Bright fancies, satisfied, memories, noble histories, faithful sayings, treasure-houses of precious and restful thoughts, which care cannot disturb, nor pain make gloomy, nor poverty take away from us-houses built without hands, for our souls to live in."-John Ruskin.

"Make yourselves nests of pleasant thoughts."

LESSON XVIII.

Chapter 18. Young Folk's History of the Church.

GEORGE Q. CANNON.

When President George Q. Cannon was a little boy he took great delight in reading the Bible, especially the New Testament. The life of our Saviour Jesus Christ, was full of interest for him, the gifts and blessings enjoyed by the people who were privileged to see and hear the Son of God, the healing of the sick, making the blind to see and the lame to walk, the gift of tongues and prophesying, the power to cast. out devils and other wonderful things this boy read and read again.

The

love of Jesus for little children impressed him so that he would ask why things were not the same now, and his little heart was so full of the desire that he might have lived when Jesus did that he often wept with regret.

One day a wonderful thing happened to George, his aunt and her husband came from Canada to visit them. The Cannons lived in Liverpool at this time, and from Canada to Liverpool was a journey of many thousands of miles; the ocean must be crossed in very slow sailing vessels and it took a long time to make the journey. So you may be very sure it was a wonderful thing to George to see his aunt and uncle whose home was so far away. But it was for more than a nice visit that these people came, they had a message to give to George's family, to tell them that God had restored the Gospel to the earth, the same Gospel that Jesus had taught, and that all who believed should enjoy the same blessings.