mother; you must eat it when you are quite alone."

a dirty piece of "We will divide alone," said she.

The woman wrapped it up in paper, and put it into her pocket. it this evening when we are "No, no," replied the boy, "I shan't eat a morsel of it." "You are a good son, and when you are big you will support your poor old mother, and love her always, won't you?" she asked, in a wheedling tone. "Oh! yes," he replied, "I have told you that often enough. I shall arrange a seat for you on the baggage cart, and then you will never have sore feet again from walking." His mother gave a pleased laugh. "And when we give our representations, and you have to take the tickets at the door, I will make you a present of a fine yellow dress, and a cap with red ribbons." She laughed still more heartily. "Old women don't wear red," she said. "No matter, I like red ribbons; I shall choose you fine ones."

By this time they had reached the gate of the town, where they waited a few minutes till the two men with the baggage cart came up, when they all went on together to the inn.

The leader was watching impatiently for them; as he had foreseen, the Mayor would only allow him to make one turn through the streets, and insisted on his leaving the town again the same evening. He did not bear a very good character there, having been punished for theft on a former occasion. As they had so short a time to remain, it was not worth while erecting the rope; they were obliged, therefore, to content themselves with performing juggling tricks

and gymnastic exercises for the amusement of the people.

The troup changed their dresses in a stable, and prepared to exhibit at the corner of the principal street. Fridel, the musician, blew his horn; the leader in a deep bass voice announced that, by permission of the Mayor, they were prepared to perform some wonderful feats. The acrobat spread his carpet on the pavement, made the drollest faces possible, bent his body backwards till his hands touched the ground, stood on his head, jumped to a great height, and went through his many tricks as he had done a hundred times before, to the great amusement of the bystanders; and then he held out his cap to those that had been attracted to their windows. (To be continued.)

STORIES ABOUT LIONS.

In size the lion is eight feet long, and four feet high. It was once very common in Palestine, and is often mentioned in the Bible as an emblem of power or majesty. It now exists throughout Africa and India.

The African lion often weighs five hundred pounds, and lives fifty, and sometimes even seventy years. The bones of its fore limbs are very strong and firm. They are said to be so hard that they will strike fire with steel. A single stroke of them from the living animal will kill a horse or a buffalo.

His jaws and neck are very powerful; his hearing acute; and his eyes are adapted to seeing in the

night, for he rouses up at sunset, and creeps about or lies in ambush for his prey. His strength is so great that he can carry off a horse or a buffalo.

The lion creeps very stealthily and silently over the ground, and then bounds some twenty or thirty feet. The soles of his fect are padded with a soft, springy cushion of fat, two inches thick, and a similar smaller one on each toe. This is for two reasonsfirst, that he may tread without noise; and second, that, in jumping so far, the spine and the shoulder may not be broken by so great a weight.

The claws, too, or talons, are drawn back into sheaths, and hidden by the fur, except when making his attacks; and they are raised so high above the cushions that they do not touch the ground in walking, and so are unworn, always sharp and ready for use. He can sheath or unsheath them whenever he chooses, as the cat does her claws.

There is an old story of a slave named Androcles, who was exposed to a lion in the circus, or place where people were thrown to be killed. Everybody supposed the lion would destroy the unhappy slave with one stroke of his paw, but instead of that he seemed very glad to see him, and did not attempt to hurt him in the least. How was this? Some years before, the slave had met with this lion in a forest, and saw it writhing with pain. At first he was about to flee, but he gently drew nigh, and saw that the lion was suffering from a large thorn in one of his feet. The slave cautiously drew out the thorn, and hastened on his way.

When the people in the circus saw the strange

sight of the lion crouching before the slave, they set him free. Androcles then led the lion about the streets of Rome, to the amazement of the people.

In 1650 a great plague raged at Naples. Sir George Davis, English consul there at that time, went to Florence to escape the disease. One day, while visiting the menagerie of the Grand Duke, he noticed a lion in the further end of one of the dens, looking very sullen and cross, and the keeper said they had tried in vain to tame him for three years. No sooner did Sir George come near the den, than the lion sprang towards him with every appearance of delight, purred like a cat, and licked his hand.

The keeper was frightened for the safety of his visitor, and urged him to keep away, but he insisted on entering the cage. The lion then threw his paws upon his shoulders, licked his facé, rubbing his head upon him, and fawned like a cat. When asked to explain the conduct of the beast, Sir George said this lion was given him when it was quite young by a sea captain. He brought him up tame, had a den for him in his yard, and finally gave him away because he grew so large that he feared he might do

harm.

We might tell you a great many stories about this noble animal, but we will direct you to one, which you have already read in the Bible. It is the true story of Daniel in the lions' den. Read it again, and seek to learn from it those lessons of heavenly wisdom it is designed to teach.