OES the wind blow hard enough to-day?" said James to his father.

"Yes," said the father, "and you may go to mill, and carry the corn."

In some parts of the State of Rhode Island the country is flat, and there are no streams. Streams must always have a "down hill" to run on, or they'll not run at all. So in Rhode Island they grind their corn with windmills.

So the bag of corn was laid upon the back of the pony, and James jumped on, and off he went. The miller carried in the corn, and poured it all down into the hopper. Then the great wings of the windmill went swinging round and round,

and the millstones flew, and the corn was ground.

When James came home, his mother hung the Scotch kettle over the fire, stirred in the meal, and made the pudding. I know it was good, because they raise the sweetest corn down in Rhode Island of any place in the world; at least, so I think. So when father had brought in the milk, the table was spread, and all sat down to eat a supper of pudding and milk.

James always thought he had the best home in the world, and that his mother got the best suppers. Wasn't James a lucky boy?

Yes, he was; but I know, and so do my readers, very many kind and loving mothers in England. Bless God for such.

W. O. C., Little Corporal (American).

NELLY'S FALL.

T was a fine morning early in the month of May when little Nellie Howard wandered out on the cliffs which lay near her home. Poor child she had been the delight of her fond mother's heart, for her father had been lost at sea, and the widow had no one to love except her daughter; but a few months ago Mrs. Howard had died, and a cousin of hers had taken Nellie to his home. It was a hard trial to timid Nellie to come among a lot of unruly cousins, who pulled her about and made fun of her because, from not having been much with other children, she was rather old-fashioned; but it was harder still to find, as the lonely child quickly did, that she was regarded in the light of an encumbrance.

Poor Nellie tried to keep herself neat and clean, as her mother had taught her, and to get in the way as little as possible. But she was very miserable; and this morning of which I speak she had cried bitterly all alone, thinking of her darling mother, whom she would never see again on earth.

"She said," she whispered to herself, "that God would take care of me, and be kind to me. I wonder if I prayed very hard whether He would do as I asked Him? I will try, at any rate;" and, kneeling down behind a furze bush, she began, "Please, God, I am very unhappy. Mother is dead, and my cousins are very unkind to me. Do, please, take me away from them, for Jesus' sake."

Nellie was still on her knees when a mocking voice behind her cried, "Look

at Saint Ellen a-saying of her prayers. Come and preach to us wicked creatures. Ha! ha!" and a large, well-aimed piece of mud struck Nellie's clean pinafore.

The child sprang up and ran away crying, while her tormentor stood laughing till she was out of sight. The little girl never stopped until she was high up on the cliffs. She was very angry, but the soothing influences of bright sunshine and calm sea lying so tranquilly below her soon made themselves felt, and she began to gather the wild flowers which grew in profusion around the spot. She was engaged in this pursuit when a lark rose up from some bushes near the edge of the cliff, and soared towards the blue sky. Nellie stood watching it, and was horrified to see that a hawk was following the flight of the songster; another moment, and the poor little bird dropped dead at her feet. The child picked it up, and looked sadly at it.

Poor birdie!" she said, "I wonder had you a nest? If you had, all your little ones will die."

No sooner had the thought entered her mind than she began to search for them.

"They will be orphans just like me, and I must take care of them," was the thought of the child; and urged on by the idea of helpless little birds perishing for want of food, she moved nearer the edge of the cliff where grew the clump of bushes from which the lark had Then a tuft of grass gave way sprung. beneath her, and she fell down, down, till the waves closed over her fair head.

Had God indeed heard little Nellie's prayer, and taken her to her mother? Yes, He had heard and answered, though not death, but life, was in store for her.

A boat was passing, and those within it, witnessing the accident, rowed swiftly to the spot, and caught hold of her when

she rose to the surface, and rapidly conveyed the insensible child to the hotel where they were staying, where she soon revived. But it was weeks before Nellie recovered the effects of her fall, for one of her arms was broken, having apparently been knocked against a projecting rock in her descent of the cliff, and she was so weak that the doctor forbade her being moved.

But this accident brought about a great change in Nellie's life, for the lady and gentleman who rescued her had no child, and, struck by the brave way in which she bore the pain, her gratitude for their kindness, and the good manners taught her by her dead mother, they made inquiries, and finding that she was an orphan, and that her cousins were willing to part with her, they adopted her as their daughter. Need I say that they never had cause to be sorry for their kindness, and that Nellie ever thinks with gratitude of the day when she fell over the cliff, and God answered her childish prayer in such an unexpected manner?

Rocks, of course; Flo and I ride every day: When I grow

Way up, so!

I won't have a horse for play.
See my spaniel;

His name's Daniel, Though for short I call him Dan. I've a sled

In the shed,

Goes as swift as ever it can!

Say, it's nice,

Snow and ice!

Flo and like winter weather; Wait a while,

Coast a mile,

Then tug up the hill together.

Cousin Jim

(See, that's him),

Plays croquet with Tilly Clem; He's so queer!