and of promoting in private his, fortunes or ples to be worthy of imitation on the part his welfare.

Being generous at heart, they experience an exquisite gratification in befriending the young and confidential aids of their mercantile pursuits. They feel happy in nominating successors whom they have instructed in the paths of honesty, and to appreciate their good characters, knowing their exam

of their own offspring, as well as productive of pleasure on the part of themselves.

Thus they remind a thoughtless world that to an honorable ambition admiration is due, and likewise prove the strength of their sincerity by standing ready to cultivate the most important virtues which grant to life both usefulness and renown.

66

the click of Peter's shears been heard. Exercising frugality, not parsimony, he had by his labor laid up a snug little sum" to supply the wants of his old age. In spite of his short stature, bald head, and seamed face, he was a favorite with all the children in the village. They would have suffered almost any punishment rather than have missed one of the stories of "Old Peter, the tailor." He was a German by birth, and, like all his countrymen, was fond of his pipe. It was his custom, when his work for the day was over, to light his pipe, seat himself in a highbacked wooden chair, and give free vent to his thoughts. One night, as he sat gazing at the fire, with clouds of smoke curling about his head, he thus soliloquized:

A PLEASANT town was Sunnyvale! Situ- | twenty years or more, early and late, had ated on a high ridge of land, it overlooked several villages; while in the distance could be seen from its principal street the winding Connecticut. A busy place was that street. Several stores, two churches, a school-house, and a number of cottages, were ranged with puritanical precision in rows, on either side of the road. The most prominent objects were the old whipping-post, used years before our tale begins for the punishment of petty crimes, but now covered with notices of town and church meetings, and the tailor's store. No one could mistake the occupation of the inhabitant of that store. "PETER SHEIT, TAILOR," was the inscription, in flaming capitals, on the sign over the door; while to the right of it was painted, "TAILORING DONE HERE." The letters on the sign were once gilded, but, stricken with age, scarce a trace of its original gloss was left. Not a soul about me who feels any If the sign looked old, so did the house. It interest in me. And yet I am comfortable." was perfectly square, shingled from top to Here he rested from sinoking, and glanced bottom, with small windows, and still smaller out of the window. It was a bitter cold panes of glass. The interior was divided night; the sleet beat against the windows, into three rooms. One of these was used the wind howled, the old trees creaked and for a work-shop, another for a sleeping-room, groaned, while every board in the tailor's while the third was filled with wood and house rattled. "Poor souls that are out various articles that were seldom used. For this night! I pity them," he said, as he drew

"Ninth of December. Forty-five years old to-day. Without a wife or child to cheer

me.

his chair nearer the fire. "Twenty years with the child; for he remembered the ago, I was scarcely able to get a shelter my-death-bed of his mother, and thought how self from the storm. It was just such a night desolate was his heart when she died. He as this that I left my home. My mother, bore his burthen to his own house, and laid God bless her!—but I will not think of her." her on the bed. That assuager of youthful Here Peter was interrupted by a loud sorrows, sleep, soon came to her relief. Long knock at the door. On opening it, he found did Peter sit in his chair, and wonder what a neighbor, who told him that a poor old he should do with her. At last he knowman, who had taken shelter in his barn, was ingly nodded his head, poked the fire, and, dying, and begged him to go with him to throwing himself on the bed beside her, was see him. Peter's heart was filled with pity, soon asleep. and, heedless of the storm and the lateness of the hour, he seized his hat and stick, and accompanied him.

As soon as morning dawned, Peter was stirring. The child was still sleeping. Her curly brown hair, which reached her shoulders, and the smile that played upon her lips, riveted his attention, and it was some time before he ventured to proceed to his work. He first cleaned out his store-room, thinking that, with clean curtains to the windows and a carpet on the floor, it would make a comfortable room for his child. His child! He laughed at the idea.

A strange place was that for a man to die! A little hay was his bed, while a bundle of grain served him for a pillow; yet he seemed thankful for even these accommodations. The glare of the lantern which Peter carried revealed a countenance pale and haggard, wasted by want and disease. The cold perspiration stood in drops upon his forehead. Kneeling by his side, holding his bony fingers Heretofore he had never had any difficulty in her hand, and gazing at him with a look in finding something to cook for his breakof despair, was a young girl, apparently fast, for it was always plain and simple; but about eight years of age. Hunger had left that morning he was at a loss to know what its mark upon her. Her own troubles, how he should get. It was not because there ever, were completely absorbed in the dying was a scarcity of food in the house, but he man before her. "Can you not save him?" wanted-he knew not what-something was her imploring cry. Peter saw that his better than he ever had before. This imlife was almost run, yet dared not tell her portant point settled, his next trouble was to so. "Father, dear father, speak to me," she find the necessary articles to set the table said, wringing her hands, and rocking her with. Never expecting to have any one body to and fro. But not even a groan to either breakfast, dine, or sup with escaped his lips. Taking his head in her him, he had neglected to supply himself lap, she smoothed the thin gray hairs upon with any thing more of the kind than sufficed his forehead, while her tears, like rain, fell for his own use. But he soon supplied the upon his furrowed cheeks. In the wildest deficiency at a neighboring store. On his notes of agony she would cry, "Father, return, he found his child awake. Superinfather!" then bend her eyes to heaven, and tending a child's toilet was a new business murmur a prayer that he might be spared. to Peter, but still, taking into consideration At last the old man's lips moved, his eyes that it was his first attempt, he succeeded opened, and he gazed wildly about him. admirably. Like all children, she was at Peter bent down his head to catch his words, first bashful; but Peter's stock of stories and heard him say, "Take care of her;" soon overcame this, and she laughed merrily. then, with a convulsive effort to catch his From the answers she made him to the breath, he yielded up his life. Taking the questions concerning her previous life, he screaming child into his arms, Peter and his learned that her name was Anna Sinclair. companion slowly left the barn. Peter wept | She said "she once lived in a fine house,

filled with pretty things, and had plenty of flowers, and horses and carriages, and a great many other nice things;" that "one day every thing was sold, and we had to live in a little house, and mother died, and father was sick and had to leave the house, and then we lived any where. One morning, father said he would go to the country to see somebody, I don't know who it was; and last night we met a gentleman, who told us we might sleep in his barn, and then, and then--" But her little heart was too full of emotion, and she burst into tears. As Peter plied the needle and shears during the day, he mentally resolved to send Anna to school the next week.

agree with her. Was she not becoming more nervous every week? A change of occupation was certainly desirable. She had heard, therefore, at first with some alarm of the foe that had sprung up to do battle for Peter's affection; but, upon mature reflection, she thought it was rather a help to her, for could she not caress the child, and thus wheedle the old man into marrying her? When Peter entered the room, she bustled up to him, and putting on a most gracious smile, which, by the by, displayed her defective teeth to good advantage, said to him: "Good morning, sir. Come to put your child under my instruction? Feel quite honored; shall endeavor to do all I can for her. Spells, I suppose? Writes a little. Can go into my first class. Lovely class, sir; perhaps it's too high. Put her in the

On the following Monday, he took her by the hand, and led her to the school house. The school-room would suffer severely when compared with those fitted up for city dam-second class-study spelling, reading, writsels. No carpets graced the floor, or maps ing. Ah! yes, sir. Shall endeavor to give and pictures the walls; the scholars did not her a thorough education-geography, hisuse mahogany desks, or lounge in easy, high-tory, rule-of-three. Important branches of backed chairs. Still it looked cheerful, with knowledge, sir; very important for young its bare floor, spotlessly white, with shining ladies growing up." Peter was thundernails; its white-washed walls; its painted struck! He had stood many broadsides pine desks and benches. On one side were from the weaker sex before, and even one or ranged the boys, while the other was occu- two charges from Tabitha herself: but his pied by the girls. The teacher was a tall, nerves could not stand this; so leaving Anna bony specimen of a woman, with piercing in her charge, he hastily decamped. eyes, and a shrill squeaking voice. To Anna she looked the picture of authority. For years she had thought she held the highest place of any of her sex in Peter's estimation, and was exceedingly desirous that he should think so too. She thought his house was just large enough to hold her, his income about the amount which she imagined would make her happy. Then, again, the house was small, easy to take care of; and Peter, being some twelve years older than herself, was most likely to finish his earthly career before she did. It was a favorite amusement with her to fancy herself Mrs. Sheit, sitting so prim in an arm-chair, receiving her calls, issuing invitations for apple-bees and quiltingparties, while Mr. Sheit-she always kept him at work. She thought teaching school for seven mortal hours every day did not

He wondered why women had tongues given them. "Did not Eve ruin the world with her tongue? How many duels and suicides had woman's tongue occasioned! It was for ever going, making more clatter than a millstone. I dare say they heard that woman across the road; I should think her tongue would get tired. Wonder how she feels when she does not have any one to talk to? With such a woman in my house, I should not live long; I should think of my grave every day. She will torment the life out of that poor child." Here Peter reached his shop, where he found a customer waiting for him, which did not increase his admiration for Tabitha, or the fair sex in general.

She thought she had carried herself during the interview extraordinarily well. “My discourse on female education inust have