NEW BOOKS. ANNUALS, Pocket Books, and Almanacks for the New Year are abundant. Among them the following are worthy of especial notice: THE SCRIPTURE POCKET-BOOK. THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S POCKETBook. (Religious Tract Society.) THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER'S POCKET BOOK AND DIARY FOR 1866. (Sunday School Union.) THE SUNDAY SCHOOL ILLUSTRATED ALMANACK FOR 1866. With Eight Illustrations. Price One Penny plain, or Fourpence with beautiful illuminated border. Each of the above is admirably got up, and especially adapted to its avowed object. Every Sunday scholar should possess the last-mentioned. It contains the List of Lessons for 1866, and a text for every day in the year. The coloured edition forms a truly handsome broad sheet. DIAMONDS IN THE DUST. A New Year's Address for Sunday Scholars. By Charles Reed, F.S.A., of the Sunday School Union Committee. With Engravings. Price One Penny, or 6s. per 100. THINGS THAT ARE LACKING. A Word of Counsel to Sunday School Teachers. By Rev. J. F. Serjeant, Paris. Price 5s. per 100. TALENTS OF TRUST. A New Year's Address to the Parents of Sunday Scholars. By John Tillotson. Price 5s. per 100. All excellent. Mr. Reed's address is lively and attractive; Mr. Ser jeant's pointed and practical; Mr. Tillotson's earnest and suggestive. The circulation is large, but should be far larger. BASIL; or, Honesty and Industry. JESSIE AND HER FRIENDS, with the history of a Lost Purse. PATTY BAILEY; or, Who Knows Best? By the Author of "Dick Bolter." (Religious Tract Society.) TRY, AND TRY AGAIN. By Old Jonathan. (Macintosh.) The market, it is often said, is overstocked with tales; and they certainly do multiply wonderfully. Yet while so much that is foolish and evil is circulating among young people, we need an abundant supply of such works as the Tract Society and other sources of pure literature afford. The first three of the abovenamed books are thoroughly interesting and well-written stories; the fourth is a narrative of "the lives of two lads who became clergymen of the Church of England," abounding in valuable lessons for boys, and indicating the true principles of success in life. OLD MERRY'S ANNUAL FOR BOYS AND GIRLS. Price 5s. (Jackson, Walford, and Hodder.) A handsomely printed volume truly; consisting of the Numbers of "Merry and Wise" for 1865, and furnished with many things calculated to make boys and girls as merry as crickets, and as wise as boys and girls need to be. The Questioner. QUESTIONS and answers intended for insertion in the MARCH Number must be sent not later than February 1st. Our young friends will thus have a whole month to prepare their replies. We hope they will remember that though our welcome will be hearty, our space is limited. We shall be glad to receive questions of all kinds, but "short and sweet" must be the motto of both querists and answerers. I. A Bible scene. A company of armed men are ascending a height, and approaching -seemingly with hostile intentions -a man of stern aspect wrapped in a prophet's rough mantle, who, although unarmed and alone, awaits them with undismayed and dignified | calmness as they come near. The leader of the band advances, and kneeling before the prophet, addresses him with beseeching earnestness and great reverence. The soldiers stand listening with looks of wonder and awe too deep to be concealed.-Thomas Heath, jun. II. My 1, 21, 6, 15, 20, 19, 17, 6, 29, 13, was one of David's mighty men. My 10, 3, 26, 29, 27, 26, was a governor of Judea. My 25, 15, 19, 9, 16, 26, an island where Paul stopped on his journey to Jerusalem. My 14, 2, 21, 11, 16, is a great fish. My 17, 21, 2, 27, 20, a book in the Old Testament. My 26, 5, 20, 19, 17, was one of Christ's disciples. My 29, 21, 9, 20, 29, 25, a city built by Solomon. My 23, 19, 29, 26, Hiram made for king Solomon. My 3, 29, 15, 21, 17, was one of I am a sentence composed of the wise men of Israel. thirty letters. My 19, 23, 15, 8, 11, is the name of a city repaired by King Jotham. My 17, 21, 29, 2, 21, 18, was a Jewish prophet. My 21, 30, 21, 26, 24, 12, 25, 27, 26, was a king of one hundred and twenty provinces. My 23, 3, 22, 27, 16, 11, a city built by Jeroboam. My 21, 20, 19, 20, 26, was a herdman of Tekoa. My 4, 21, 1, 26, 25, the Israelites were in want of at Rephidim. My 7, 5, 26, 2, the Father of one of the kings of Israel. My whole is a wise saying of Solomon. III. Will some Bible Class reader kindly inform me who first discovered and colonized South America? And in what state of civilization were the inhabitants! PENNE. IV. What may we infer from 2 Sam. xvi. 23? May Ahithophel's counsel be considered an example of Christ's words, "The children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light?" PENNE. 66 BY JEANIE SELINA DAMMAST (REEVES), AUTHOR OF ST. MARY'S CONVENT," 'SHADOW AND SUNSHINE," FATHER RYAN," ETC. 66 of the cabin, and once more set forward, but with a slower pace, on his first journey into the world. Avoiding the village, he walked on until, from the position of the sun, he judged it must be nearly one o'clock. About half a mile before him, and not far from the road, stood a farmhouse, with some straggling out-buildings, and to this house Thady directed his steps, sure of a welcome to the skib of potatoes that he judged would be about ready for the family dinner. As he reached the door a busy scene met his eye. Seven or eight young men and girls were seated round a table, on which [FEBRUARY, 1866. stood a large skib of potatoes smoking hot, the men offering the "mealy" ones, with all due gallantry, to the girls, as they picked them from the basket. Mickey Hurley, a sunburnt lad of eleven or twelve; "the lion an' the unicorn fightin' for the crown; up gets the little dog, and knocks them both down." "Bring me over to ye, Mickey," cried Pat, "an' it'll be worse for ye, spalpeen. Who gev ye laye to talk at all, I wondher!" "Here, Biddy, ye darlin', there's a raal laughing one, like yerself, for ye," said a good-looking young fel-ye low, as he handed a fine potato, the floury whiteness of which showed well through the break in its brown skin, to a merry, blue-eyed girl that sat beside him. "Wisha, ate it yerself, Pat; shure yer mouth's big enough," answered Biddy, with a saucy laugh. Aye, but it's not purty enough for this beauty, Biddy, me jewel." "Aisy now, an' behave yerself, Pat Doolan, an' don't be getting on wid any more iv yer nonsense," said Biddy, provoking a repetition of the flattery; but just at this moment she looked up, and seeing Thady, sprang quickly to her feet, exclaiming, "May I neverr-if here isn't a poor scholar! Shure ye're heartily welcome, avic. Come in an' take a sate, and here's my praty for ye that Pat Doolan there wanted to ate, because he says it's purty, like himself." "Arrah, Biddy, what are ye up to, telling such a smasher?" cried Pat, in blank amazement at the turn Biddy gave to his fine speech; but Thady, joining in the laugh against poor Pat, took the potato from her hand, and, seating himself beside her, proceeded at once, as he said, to “take off its jacket," which feat he performed very expeditiously, and in a moment more the bonne bouche had disappeared. "Don't be cross, man alive," said Biddy, giving him a roguish smile; "let's hear where the honest boy's come from, an' how long he's out." "I come from beyant Sleive-nagreina hill this mornin', ma colleen," said Thady, "an' I'm going to thry an' reach Lissaveen before I sleep, anyhow." "Well, good luck to ye, an' I hope ye'll have every success," replied Biddy; "ye've only the second we've seen this year yet. Are ye long from the people that owns ye?” "I only left them this mornin'," said Thady, with difficulty keeping back the tears that rose to his eyes. "Ah, then, may goodness comfort ye, my poor boy, but ye're new to it," answered Biddy, as the tears of ready sympathy stood in her eyes. "Well, boys an' girls, we're not rich, but we can muster up a few ha'pence betune us anyhow to help the crather on his way; an' may be ye won't forget to pray for us sometimes, acushla, will ye?" "Indeed an' I will pray for ye wid all my heart, " said Thady, warmly, as a few coppers were collected round the table; and with a hearty "God speed ye!" from all the party, he took up his bundle, and faced the road. As the night came on Thady found himself very stiff and weary from his "It's the ould story all over," said long walk, and was very glad to see THADY D'ARCY: A STORY OF IRISH LIFE. 27 lights in a large farmhouse at some spinning-wheel. "Peggy, get the distance from the road. As he drew poor boy some supper; he looks near the house the bark of a dog tired enough, dear knows." made him pause, and presently a man called out, "Who's there? Yer a stranger, or Pincher wouldn't bark at ye." "I'm a poor scholar that's benighted," said Thady. "Have ye a corner I could lie down in, for I'm weary wid walkin' all the day." "Come in and welkim," replied the man in a friendly voice. "Take share of what's goin', and we'll give ye a shakedown somewhere, never fear." Thady followed him into the house, thankful to get a place of shelter, and soon found himself in a large kitchen, one wall of which was bright with well-kept culinary articles, while against the other a huge dresser uplifted itself, and displayed goodly rows of plates and dishes, while a wide hearth, in which blazed a turf fire, half filled the third side of the room. Flitches of bacon and goodly hams, with strings of portly sausages, intermixed with bags holding savoury herbs, were suspended from the ceiling, and over the door a horseshoe was nailed "for luck." Hastily glancing at these signs of comfort and plenty, Thady followed his conductor to the fireplace, round which a group, consisting of an elderly woman, dressed in a dark print gown and close white cap, and two girls, were sitting. 'Here, mother, I've brought ye a visitor," said the young man, as he drew Thady into the full light of the fire; "he's a poor scholar, ye see." "Yer kindly welcome. Dhraw a stool to the fire and warm yerself," said the mother, as she stopped her A smoking plate of bacon and eggs and a bowl of milk were speedily placed before Thady, who did ample justice to the good fare provided for him; and the mother, telling him he should "share a bed with one of the boys," raked out the fire, and Thady followed the young man who had admitted him, up a ladder-like stairs that led from the kitchen to a kind of loft above, where there were three beds, in one of which two boys were sleeping, and in another a lad of about sixteen was snoring lustily. Telling Thady to get in beside the musical gentleman, John proceeded to undress, and was soon sleeping soundly in the third bed. A good night's sleep made Thady, as he called it, "his own man again, although he still felt a little stiff from the continuous walking of the previous day. The family were early astir, and Thady went with the boys to the field until they were called home to breakfast. Mrs. Connor was a clever managing woman, and found plenty of occupation in looking after her house and dairy, while she gave full attention also to a large poultry and farmyard. No firmer or better coloured butter was sent to market than hers, and her homemade linen and blankets were the envy of many a well-to-do farmer's wife in the neighbourhood. |