3. The wearied student, bending o'er
The tomes of other days,

And dwelling on their magic lore,
For inspiration prays;

And though with toil his brain is weak,
His brow is deadly pale,

The language of his heart will speak-
There's no such word as fail.

4. The soldier, on the battle plain,
When thirsting to be free,
And throw aside a tyrant's chain,
Says, "On to Liberty,

Our households and our native land!
We must, we will prevail;

Then foot to foot and hand to hand;
There's no such word as fail."

5. The child of God, though oft beset1
By foes without, within,

These precious words will ne'er forget
Amid their dreadful din,

But upward look with eye of faith,
Armed with a Christian mail,
And in the hottest conflict saith
There's no such word as fail.

XXII. SPEECH OF A CANDIDATE FOR THE OFFICE OF SHERIFF.

[In this imaginary speech the author means to convey the lesson that candidates for public office do not usually speak so honestly and frankly. It will be noticed that the candidate here shows himself to be really fit for the office he seeks, and asks for it on that ground; whereas in real life such posts are apt to be demanded as rewards for services to a political party.]

1. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: I am a candidate 1 for the office of sheriff, and appear before you to prefer my claims to that responsible office.

2. I am a modest man, which is saying much in these days of impudence and pretension. I am content to be just what I am, and that is more than people in general can say, for this world is so given to flummery 2 and show that almost everybody is a humbug. But I am not. I can read, write, and cipher, which is more than many a voter can do.

3. I am polite, which is a desirable quality in a sheriff. In a legislator it does not matter so much, and a member of Congress may be a boor3 after he gets into office; but a sheriff should be a polite man, for his duty is none of the pleasantest. To arrest a man for murder, and not hurt his feelings, is the essence 4 of politeness, and that I think I can do.

4. I am not a married man, and this is a merit in a sheriff; for then he will not fail to do his duty by rea son of his feelings. A married man will have too tender a heart for such an office. No one but a bachelor is fit to be sheriff.

5. I am able to pay my own bills. It is the cus tom, you know, for candidates to call upon their

friends for food and lodging, and for money to carry on the canvass; but I'm not of the beggar tribe. I am able to pay my own way, which fact alone ought to commend me to your confidence.

6. I'll save the public money by charging no more fees than the law allows. I'll rob no man of his estate by levying 5 on a whole farm to pay a petty debt. This is a great departure, I am aware, from the usual rule; but it is my way of doing business, if I am to be sheriff.

7. You can all do as you please, fellow-citizens, about voting for me. I shall not feel obliged to a voter, and forever bound to favor him, just because he has voted for me. I want no man's support who considers it a great favor to me. I know this is not the usual way for office-seekers to talk, but as I have some self-respect yet left, I propose to exercise it, in and out of office. If I am fit for the trust, elect me; if I am not fit, defeat me. That is all I have to say.

1 CĂN DI-DĀTE. One who proposes him- | 3 BÔÔR. A rude peasant; a rustic. sel, or who is proposed, for some 4 ĚS'SENCE. That upon which the qualities of anything depend. 5 LEV'Y-ING. Collecting money.

office or station.

2 FLUM'MER-Y. Flattery.

XXIII.

THE CHILDREN IN THE CLOUDS.

1. ONE pleasant Saturday afternoon, during the summer of 1858, an aeronaut, after a prosperous voyage, descended upon a farm in the neighborhood of a large town, in one of the western states. He

was

soon surrounded by a curious group of the farmer's family and laborers, all asking eager questions about the voyage, and the management of the

balloon. That, secured by an anchor and a rope in the hand of the aeronaut, its car but a foot or two above the ground, was swaying lazily backward and forward in the evening air.

2. It seemed a sleepy and innocent monster in the eyes of the farmer, who, with the owner's permission, led it up to his house, where, as he said, he could

"hitch" it to his fence. But before he thus secured it, his three children, aged respectively ten, eight, and three, begged him to put them " into that big basket,” that they might sit on "those pretty red cushions.”

3. While the attention of the aeronaut was diverted 2 by more curious questioners from a neighboring farm, the rash father put his darlings, one by one, into the car. Chubby little Johnny proved the "ounce too much" for the balloon, and brought it to the ground; and then, unluckily, not the baby, but the eldest hope of the family, was lifted out. The relief was too great for the monster. The volatile 3 ture's spirits rose at once; he jerked his halter out of the farmer's hand, and with a wild bound mounted into the air.

crea

4. Vain was the aeronaut's anchor. It caught for a moment in a fence; but it tore away, and was off, dangling uselessly after the runaway balloon, which so swiftly and steadily rose that in a few minutes those two little white faces, peering over the edge of the car, grew indistinct, and those piteous cries of "Father!" "Mother!" grew faint and fainter, up in the air.

5. When distance and twilight mists had swallowed up voices and faces, and nothing could be seen but that dark, cruel shape, sailing triumphantly away, with its precious booty, like an aerial privateer,5 the poor father sank down helpless and speechless; but the mother, frantic with grief, still stretched her yearning arms towards the pitiless heavens, and called wildly up into the unanswering void.

6. The aeronaut strove to console the wretched parents with assurances that the balloon would de