HERE are some little folks, I am sorry to say, whom you can't please, no matter how hard you may try. I am thinking now of a little boy I know, who will cry and whine and fret, first, because he wants bread and butter. His sister will cut him a slice of bread and spread it carefully, saying pleasantly as she gives it to him, "Here's nice bread and butter for Tommy." Then Tommy begins to fret and whine and cry because there is no sugar on it." His patient sister gets the sugar-bowl and sprinkles the slice all over with nice white sugar, till every little hole is full, for she knows just how he will carry on if there is one hole even that the sugar doesn't happen to get into. But as she has tried so hard she feels sure that it will suit him this time. "Here, Tommy dear," she says, "it's all thick with sugar now." But Tommy, instead of being pleased, begins to cry harder than ever, and stamps his foot, and says he "won't have it at all;" he "wants cake."

Umph! don't let us talk about this naughty little boy any more. Let us talk about a dear little girl I know, named Fanny, who is pleased with everybody and everything you do for her. You would like to know how old she is, wouldn't you? She used to say, "I'll be four next knockover!" Well,"knockover," as she calls it, has just past; and the day she was four I happened to call at her mother's. Fannie, with a little white fur cap perched upon her head, came running to meet me, and a happier child I never saw. birfday," she cried, " and I dot this hat and a 'ittle s'awl, all ready to go sleigh-riding." Her little sister had bought the hat for her, but not having taken Fannie's head along to measure by, the two did not fit each other well. very "Is your cap big enough, Fannie ?" I asked. "O yes," she ex

"It's my

ANNIE.

claimed; "jes fits me. And see, it's dot a 'ittle mouse on it, and blue feathers. Don't you want to see my s'awl?" "Yes, indeed," said I; so she trotted off and brought the shawl. It was a little red and white plaid one, just about warm enough to wear in the house. "Look," she exclaimed, putting it on; "red and blue and green and all kinds of colours!" I would not spoil her pleasure by telling her it was only red and white, so I only said, "You are going to wear it sleigh-riding, Fannie, are you?" "Yes," she cried, in great glee; "won't it keep me nice and warm? And drandma's don away, and she's don to det me some striped stockings, and somefing else. I don't know what. I dess maybe she'll wite and tell me." I drew the dear little thing to me and pressed two kisses on each round rosy little cheek, one for every year of her short happy life. But even this pleased her more than you can think. She then dragged a chair close up beside me, and began to tell me about the doll that Katie H had given her. "And only fink," she said, "now I dot two dolls." She folded her little hands in her lap and gave a great sigh of content. "O dear," she exclaimed, "I dot so many things I don't know what to do." "You will have

to give a part of them to some little girl who hasn't any at all," said I. "O yes, so I will," she cried; and the thought of doing this seemed to please her as much as anything else. So you see she is not a bit stingy either.

I need not ask you which of these two children you would love the best if you knew them. I hope if any of you ever feel like being cross or finding fault when people are trying to please you, you will think of Fannie and try to be like her, instead of being like cross, unhappy little Tommy.

HELD in my hand a little dry tree, an infant hemlock. Had it lived a century it might have towered up above all the forest, and held up its head in majesty. But it grew on a sort of bog, and a muskrat, digging his hole under it, bit off its roots, and it was dead. It was full of limbs and knots and gnarls, and I felt curious to know how it happened that it was so.

"Poor fellow! If you had all these limbs and knots to support, no wonder you died."

"And with my roots, which were my mouths with which to feed, all cut off too." "Yes, but where do all those ugly limbs. come from?" said I.

"Just where all ugly things come from,". said he. "I am pretty much like other men. Find out where my limbs come from, and you will find where all human sins come from."

"I'll take you at your word, sir."

So I took out my knife and peeled off all the bark. But the limbs and the knots were left.

"You must go much deeper than that, sir."

So I began to split and take off layer of wood after layer. But all the knots were there.

"Deeper still," said the dry stick..

Then I split it all off, and separating it, the heart was laid bare; it looked like a small rod about six feet long, and perhaps an inch through at the large end. Ah! and I was now surprised to see that every limb and knot and gnarl started in the heart. Every one was there, and every one grew out of the heart. The germ or the starting-point of each one was the centre of the heart.

HE answer to the first puzzle in the September Hive is-Three geese. The answer to the second is-3899-3 acres.

The following have answered the first correctly:-J. R, Bennett, W. H. Whitworth, K. Bridge, T. E. Wakefield, E. S. Bennett, A. J. Haynes, T. Dale, J. G. Simpson, B. Illingworth, R. T. Williamson, J. Mitcheson, A. Horrox, W. Chegwidden, F. J. Clegwidden, L. Nagington, R. H. Durrans, C. Taylor.

We have not receivel a single correct answer to the second. Four correct answers to the July puzzle came to land after wo had gone to press last month.

Divide £20 among six persons, so that the

share of each may be as much as those of all who go before put together.

First, take a cord and pull with all your might;

Next, ask a man to help you if he please; Then, hail the superintendent of the cars, And ride from Leeds to London at your

ease.

Letters for the Editor to be addressed
Rev. R. GRAY,

Heywood, Lancashire.

London: T. NEWTON, Methodist Free Church Book-room, 119, Salisbury-square, Fleetstreet, E.C.