man who had had the sense to reach the apple by gently rolling up the carpet."

"What a funny little story," cried Tommy. "One that carries its lesson," said Miss Manners, glancing kindly at Annie. "We sometimes have some object to attain, as the courtiers had the apple, which we cannot reach by impatient efforts, however hard we may struggle and strain, while a little quiet management may give us complete success. When we have to deal with others, as Ibrahim with the Arabs, we must not unnecessarily stir up a spirit of opposition, but try to gain influence by winning hearts. There are some whom a smile will subdue better than a blow. And, oh, surely it becomes a Christian to show that gentle charity which suffereth long and is kind, and so be able to ask and hope for a blessing from Heaven, than by giving way to temper set an evil example, and make the fatal mistake of trying to govern only by fear."

Miss Manners's hint was not lost upon Annie, who saw that her efforts to keep order had been like the struggles of Mehemet Ali's courtiers as they lay on the carpet, straining to grasp at the apple beyond their reach. As she had used the powers of her mind to master a lesson, so she must bring the same powers to bear on the yet more useful task of trying to make the children both happy and good. Annie had seen how quiet Bessy and Tommy had kept while the lady was talking to them; there had been no need of scolding or a slap. Could not their sister also try to win the apple by rolling up the carpet?

When Miss Manners had left the cottage, Annie turned with a good-humoured smile to Tommy, who was beginning to make a great noise by hammering on the table with a big stone.

"Come, Tommy, dear," she said, "suppose that, instead of hammering, you try to be useful and help poor sister, who has so much to do, you know. You and I both like to see the cottage look nice, and please dear mother, who loves us so much."

"I like to please mother, but I can't do nothing," said the child, hammering again. "Oh, you can do more than you think.

Suppose that you play at being a woodman, and pick up all those sticks that are lying about and littering the floor, and make them up into a little stack in that corner."

"Oh yes," cried the boy, dropping the stone, "I like to play at woodman; I'll make such a jolly little stack!”

“And what can I do?” asked Bessy, who was eager to be useful also, if she could be amused at the same time.

Let me see-if Tommy plays at being woodman, you shall play at being the woodman's wife, who must keep things tidy at home. Here's an old towel to use; see where the gruel has been spilt, mind that you wipe it carefully; dont let Tommy find a spot, rub the table till it shines. I must play at being washerwoman, for I've all these things to wring out. Let us see which of us three will be most quiet and most busy. If we all do our work well, I'll read to you a pretty story out of my prizebook before you go to bed."

In another minute Bessy was diligently cleaning up where Tommy had spilt the gruel, and Tommy on his hands and knees was picking up the sticks which Bessy had scattered. "Idleness is the mother of mischief; and Annie found that as long as the mother could be kept from the cottage, the daughter also remained outside. But she had to use a little tact and skill in finding out occupations that the children could turn into play, and make them more pleasant by smiles, and words of praise, and trifling rewards. It was a treatbecause made so to the little ones-to be allowed to shell beans, string buttons, or rub up pewter spoons till they looked "like silver." "Am I not very useful now ?" was a question often asked and answered with a cheerful smile; and Annie found that the plan of leading by love was more successful as well as more pleasant than that of driving by blows.

Should this little tale fall into the hands of any girls or boys that have to look after children, it may give them a useful hint to try patience and management where rough treatment will not succeed; it will make their own hearts happier, as well as those of their poor

little charges, if they follow Ibrahim's plan of reaching the apple by gently rolling up the carpet.-Children's Paper.

it tells us to do, then we shall always hear it. But if we get in the habit of not heeding its warning, and not doing what it tells us to do, then, by-and-bye, we shall cease to hear it. Our conscience will sleep; its voice of warning will be hushed; and we shall then be like a vessel at sea that has no compass to point out the right way, and no rudder to keep it in that way.

The Alarm Clock.

OU know what an alarm clock is. It is a kind of clock made, not to keep time all day, like other clocks, but to wake persons at a particular hour, by making a loud noise. Suppose you have one of the clocks, and you wish it to waken you, so that you may rise every morning at four o'clock. You wind it up at night, and set the index finger on the dial-plate, pointing to four. Then you place it on a table near your bed, or on the mantelpiece, and go to sleep. The clock keeps on through the night, ticking away, till four o'clock in the morning. Then it begins to strike and ring, and it makes such a noise as is sure to wake any ordinary sleeper. This is a very convenient way of being aroused from sleep. Yes, it is a sure way, if you only mind the clock, and get up when it calls you. But if turn over, and you to sleep again, for two go or three mornings, the alarm clock will lose its power, or rather you will lose your power of hearing it, or of being awakened by it. No change will take place in the clock; but a great change will take place in you. The clock will continue to sound the alarm at the proper hour, and it will make as much noise as it ever did; but it will lose its effect. You will sleep quietly on, just as though the alarm had never been given.

Now, conscience is God's alarm clock. God has wound it up, so that it may warn us whenever we are tempted to do that which is wrong. It gives the alarm. It seems to say,-"Take care. God sees you. Stop!" How important it is to have a conscience that will always warn us of the danger of sin. But if we desire such a conscience, we must be willing to listen to it. If we stop when it says "stop," if we do what

Puzzles.

THE answer to the first puzzle in the November was "Caress."

The answer to the second was,-Fill the three gallon cask and then empty it into the five gallon cask; fill again the three gallon cask and from that fill up the five; then empty the five gallon into the eight gallon cask; pour the one gallon that was left in the three gallon cask into the five gallon, fill up again the three gallon cask from the eight gallon, and empty it into the five gallon, in which there will then be four gallons, which was required to be done. The following sent correct answers to both.— B. H. Hamilton, M. A. F. Moorhouse.

The following sent correct answers to the second,―E. J. Williams, O. Aveyard, E. Ross, Margaret Smith, J. H. Parker, J. Redhead, J. Hewett, W. J. Bennett, J. R. Walker.

The answer to the first puzzle in the December number was,-1, 3, 9, 27, 81.

The answer to the second was,-" God is love."

The following have correctly answered both, -B. H. Hamilton, M. A. F. Moorhouse and J. Hewett.

The following have correctly the second,Alice Mary Cozens-Hardy, O. Aveyard, G. Crossley, C. De Ville, Lillie Elstob, Eva Lister, H. H. Burton, W. S. Gibson, F. Wright, J. R. Mably, A. Thackray, M. A. Ormerod, Fanny Alice Barr, Margaret Smith, M. E. Butterworth, J. R. Walker, R. C. Harrison,

Willis Briggs, Mary A. Barnes, W. J. Bennett, E. D. Cooke. H. G. Berry

Every puzzle we have given during the year has been solved except the second which appeared in the August number. We have received no correct answer to that, but shall be glad to do so. It has given us pleasure to receive so many correct answers during the year, and we are happy to say that not a few of these have been sent by girls. We wish we had half a dozen prizes to give, but we have only three. Our excellent friend, Mr. Iles, of Bristol, has given us 10s., to which we have added 5s.; and we intended to give 7s. to the first; 5s. to the second; and 3s. to the third. But in casting up the number of answers given by each, we find that there are three who have sent us the same number of correct answers, we must therefore send 5s. to each of these. Sometimes answers are sent to us, after we have gone to press, but before the succeeding number containing the answer is published. In all such cafes we enter the name in our private book, and in reckoning up the answers we have added theso. We name this because it is just possible that the three names we are about to give, may not appear the highest in the lists published in the Hive; although we think they will. Two of the three are girls, living at Bury,-B. H. Hamilton and M. A. F. Moorhouse. These girls, with two or three others living at Fury, gave the boys a very close run last year. The third is J. Reece Walker, who was one of the successful competitors last year. These three have this year answered the same number of questions. Closely following these are,-W. S. Gibson, W. E. Bennett, M. E. Butterworth, M. A. Ormerod and F. E. Chester.

We hope those who tried for the prize but have not succeeded will not be disheartened. The real benefit in trying to solve hard problems is the sharpening of our wits. All children have not the same advantages at school, and therefore there may be quite as much merit due to some of those who have not succeeded as to those who stand first.

Perhaps some friend, who is fond of children, will authorise us to offer the same amount to

be given in prizes this year, as Mr. Iles has done for the past two years. At any rate we will seo that the same amount is given. We shall be prepared to give 78., 5s., and 3s., to those who stand first, second, and third in this year's list; it being understood that the competition is limited to those under sixteen years of age. The answers to the puzzles in January we shall give next month.

We now give two more puzzles.

I.

Find out the proverb in the following lines, there being a word of the proverb in each line.

When business has to be done it is better
Not to be late in despatching a letter.
There's nothing more dang'rous than procras-
tination;

It never helps any to love, wealth or station.

II.

How much rye, at four shillings and sixpence a bushel, must be mixed with 50 bushels of wheat, at six shillings a bushel, that the mixture may be worth five shillings a bushel ?

"A Constant Reader," writes to ask how much it will cost a person to put a puzzle in the Hive. We shall be glad to receive a good puzzle from any of our readers; and if it be suitable, to insert it in the Hive, as opportunity may serve.

Communications for the Editor to be addressed Mr. M. MILLER, 4, Mountfort Crescent, Barnsbury Square, London N. London:-T. BARLOW,

119, Salisbury Square, Fleet Street.

J. H. ADAMS, Printer, 7, Wilderness Row. E.C.

"Shall I draw your Portrait?"

HILDREN love to turn the serious pursuits of grown-up people into sport. Well can we recollect, how, forty years ago, we used to play with other boys at French and English. We were wont to tussle, and struggle, and pull, as hard as ever we could, striving who could get the mastery. We have known

children play at chapel, when some little seven year old became the preacher. No doubt some of the young folks who read the Hive have played at shop, and they have pretended to buy and to sell. We read how our blessed Lord was wont to look on at the children playing in the market place. Some of them were playing at a wedding, and they pretended to pipe merry music, while others were expected to dance; and then they would have a funeral, when they mourned and howled, as was the custom in those days. All this is quite right and proper for children. We like to see young folks play, if they have learned their lessons, and if they don't fall out while they are playing.

In our first picture this month, there is the face of a bright, bonnie girl, with a paper before her and a pencil in her hand, and she is saying to her brother," Shall I draw your portrait ?" Of course it is all in fun. She doesn't know how to draw; indeed she can hardly make pothooks yet. All she wants is a bit of fun, so she pretends to be an artist and to paint portraits. But has she not a bonnie face herself? Doesn't she look thoroughly good tempered. What a pity it is that little boys and girls should ever spoil their faces by pouting their lip, and turning up their nose, and rubbing their eye. And yet we have seen lots of children do this. We dare say some of our young friends do this sometimes. Well, we hope it is not often; because if it is, your faces will become ugly; take our word for it, they will. We can see at a glance, when we look at some men and at some women, that they are bad-tempered. We don't need to hear them speak. There is a hardness in all their features. But the moment we see other men, we are quite sure they are kind, and

gentle, and amiable, and at once we feel at home with them.

Now we advise all our young friends to try and not go into bad tempers. Learn to be kind and obliging to each other, and then everybody will love you.

Let me pat Turk."

BY THE LATE JOHN ASHWORTH. HEN Paul neared Damascus he was struck down by a dazzling light from heaven, and when able to speak, he said, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" He was then told what his work was; and there is no doubt that all who are anxious to do good in God's own way, however humble, dangerous, or difficult the work, sinking their own will, and praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, are as verily directed into their own proper sphere as Paul was directed in his. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord as much now as ever, and He still directs their path; and there is no station, high or low, no condition or circumstance, in which we may not be useful. In some cases our usefulness may seem to be littio and feeble, but the future has often told a different tale. Here is one illustration.

I had been invited to a tea-meeting given by a benevolent gentleman to the blind. All the poor, dark creatures present were greatly elated with the treat. Some of them could sing, a few play on various instruments, others read a chapter from their Bible of raised letters, and several made speeches. One of the speakers, a thin, feeble creature, with a pale but beautiful countenance, and curly black hair, said,

"Friends, I want to tell you something about a dog called Turk. One day I was thinking about my misfortune in being blind, and had become very sad and low in my mind. Oh! I thought, could I but work for my bread, and see the sun, the sky, the birds, the flowers, and especially the face of my mother, how