FREAK OF A HYPOCHONDRIAC.

67

Dr. Stevenson, putting his hand gently on the forehead of 10 the hypochondriac, as if to ascertain whether it was cold, and also feeling his pulse, exclaimed in a doleful note, "Yes, the poor man is dead, sure enough: it is all over with him, and the sooner he can be buried the better." Then stepping 11 up to his wife, and whispering, that she must not be frightened

at the measures he was about to take, he called the servant. 12 "My boy, your poor master is dead; and the sooner he can be put into the ground the better. Run to the undertaker's, and get a coffin; and, (do you hear?) bring a coffin of the 13 largest size; for your master makes a stout corpse"; and having died last night, and the weather being warm, he will not keep long".

14

Away went the servant, and soon returned with a proper coffin. The wife and family, having got their lesson from 15 the doctor, gathered round him, and howled not a little

while they were putting the body into the coffin. Presently 16 the pall-bearers, who were quickly provided, and let into the secret, started with the poor man for the churchyard.

They had not gone far before they were met by one of 17 the townspeople, who having been properly drilled by Doctor Stevenson, cried out, "Ah, doctor, what poor soul have you got there?"

66

18 'Poor Mr. B.,” sighed the doctor: "left us last night.” "Great pity he had not left us twenty years ago," replied the other: "he was a bad man."

19

Presently another of the townsmen met them with the 20 same question: "And what poor soul have you got there, doctor?"

21 "Poor Mr. B.," answered the doctor, "is dead."

22

24

"Ah! indeed!" said the other. 23" And so he has gone

to meet his deserts at last"."

"Oh, villain!" exclaimed the man in the coffin.

Soon after this, while the pall-bearers were resting them25 selves near the churchyard, another stepped up with the old question: "What poor soul have you got there, doctor ?" "Poor Mr. B.," he replied, "is gone.

26

27

28

"Well, a very bad man is gone then," said the other: "for if he was not a bad man, I do not know who is."

Here the dead man, bursting off the lid of the coffin which had been purposely left loose, leaped out: exclaiming, "Oh,

68

SILENT COMPANION.

of

29 you villain! I am—oh, yes, I am a very bad man: am I 30 Well, I have come back again to pay such ungrateful fellow as you are"." A chase was immediately commenced by the 31 dead man after the living, to the consternation of many the spectators at the sight of a corpse, in all the horrors of the winding-sheet, running through the streets. After having run himself into a copious perspiration, the hypochondriac 32 was brought home by the doctor free from all his complaints; and by strengthening food, cheerful company, and moderate exercise, he was soon restored to perfect health.

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Freak-a strange, odd action. Hypochondriac, ne who adopts some strange notion about himself; as you learn in this section. Define fancied, insisted, actually, matched, patient, (is this the usual meaning?) Ringing the change of adopting in turn. Conceit―notion. Define contact, ghastly, pulse, doleful, sooner, whispering, undertaker coffin, stout, weather, proper, pall-bearers, drilled, sighed, townsmen, bad corpse, bursting, villain, ungrateful, chase, consternation, winding-sheet, copious, perspiration, &c.

SECT. LXXIX.-SILENT COMPANION.

1 Two passengers set out from their inn in London, early on 2 a December morning. It was dark as pitch; and one of the travellers, not feeling very sleepy, and being disposed to talk a little, endeavored to enter into conversation with his neigh3 bor. He accordingly began. 4 "A very dark morning, 5 sir." "Shocking cold weather for travelling." 6" Slow 7 going in these heavy roads, sir." None of these remarks

producing a word of answer, the sociable man made one 8 more effort. He stretched out his hand, and feeling of the other's greatcoat, said, "What a very comfortable coat, sir, you have got to travel in !" No answer was made; and the inquirer, fatigued and disgusted with his silent companion, fell into a sound nap, and did not wake until the bright rays 10 of a winter's sun roused him from his slumber. What do

9

11 you suppose he then saw? It was no more than a great 12 bear, sitting by his side! The creature had a chain over his

mouth; so that he could not have talked, even if he had 13 wished to. He was probably a tame bear, and was put into

the coach by his owner, who, by some mistake, had remained 14 behind. Bruin's fellow-traveller readily pardoned his silent 15 companion for not having opened his mouth. He likewise

AUTUMN HAS COME.

expressed no further astonishment at coat which he had on."

69

"the very comfortable

DEFINITIONS, &c.—Define passengers, London, early, December, dark as pitch, (very dark,) feeling, sleepy, disposed, endeavored, conversation, accordingly, shocking, slow going, (slow riding,) heavy roads, (bad roads,) remarks, sociable, stretched out, greatcoat, comfortable, fatigued, disgusted, silent, companion, nap, roused, slumber, sitting, tame, owner, mistake, bruin, likewise.

SECT. LXXX.-THE CLAY COTTAGE OF MY OLD INDIAN FRIEND.

1 ZAST evening, an hour before the sun set, I stood beside 2 the clay cottage of my old Indian friend. Green is the

grass, and many and beautiful the flowers that flourish above 3 his grave. I plucked a single harebell, and placed it in my 4 bosom; and its sister flowers I watered with my tears. Those tears, which were not the offspring of corroding grief, but of a mournful joy, were the only tribute that I could pay to one whom I dearly loved; who was born a benighted hea5 then, but died a Christian. The mildly-beaming, and beautiful evening star had arisen, ere I departed from the "Silent City;" but I felt that the flower I had plucked, though faded, would in after hours remind me of my friend; and I therefore came away in peace, repeating to myself these words :

6

"And I am glad that he has lived thus long;
And glad that he has gone to his reward;
Nor deem that kindly nature did him wrong,
Softly to disengage the vital cord.

When his weak hand grew palsied, and his eye

Dark with the mists of age, it was his time to die."

DEFINITIONS, &C.-Define clay, flourish, plucked, single, harebell, offspring, corroding, tribute, benighted, heathen, mildly-beaming, star, disengage, vital cord, (i. e. the cord which binds soul and body together,) paisied, mists.

1

SECT. LXXXI.-AUTUMN HAS COME.

THE seasons are beautiful illustrations of our lives. We 2 all have our spring of hope, our summer of joy, happiness, growth and maturity: our fall, mixed with joy and happi

ness, favorable breezes and adverse winds: our winter of gloom and final decay.

3 Of all the seasons, that of autumn we admire most.

4 It calls the vigorous mind to profound contemplations. The 5 bounties of earth are propitiously spread out before us, and we find ourselves praising God for his unmeasured goodness. Inestimable are these habits of thought and observation, 6 which convert nature into the temple of God, and render all its different scenes expressive of the various attributes of the 7 Almighty mind. It is now the pride and glory of the year. 8 The earth is covered with plenteousness, and the sun is pursuing, like a giant, his course through the heavens, dispensing light and vigor over the world beneath him. Are there no classes or conditions of men, of whose character and duties 9 this season is descriptive? are there no moral lessons which they who love the Lord may gather from this season that brings the "sere and yellow leaf?”

10

The grain that the summer ripens and fall harvests, are but ripened and harvested to be transplanted, and yield, perhaps, a hundred-fold. So with man: "Though he dies, 11 yet shall he live again, for death shall no longer have dominion over him."

12

"Autumn has come;" and as we see all nature's works 13 decaying, we are reminded that “ we, too, must die."

The

frost of death will soon cut down our mortal bodies, as the 14 frost of autumn has cut down the vegetable kingdom. Let us, then, ripen for the harvest, and be always ready for the reaper, Death.

15

"Autumn has come;" and with it the thief of time. How 16 many precious moments has he already stolen from the last few days? how many times have we passed the needy on the "other side?" how often have we neglected to feed the hungry and clothe the naked?

17

18

"Autumn has come;" and as winter is rapidly coming, we shall be wise and work while the sun shines: fill our granaries, so as to be provided for when the storms and darkness overtake us.

"Autumn has come;" and with thankful hearts we look around us, knowing that all our wants have been supplied. 19 Praise the Lord for his loving-kindness and tender mercies towards the children of men.

20

21

22

ARABELLA CLARK; OR PRIDE punished.

Summer is gone, the fair young flowers
Have faded in their bloom,

And the music of the fairy bowers
Is hushed 'mid Autumn's gloom':

And yet the trees all gloriously
Have put her mantle on,
Of gold and scarlet gorgeously,
Like banners proudly borne.

Oh! Autumn, thou art beautiful,
For the Frost-King in his might
Hath robed the earth all fanciful
With hues of rosy light.

Our Summer life hath Autumn too;
And 'mid its waning bloom,

We wait that Spring, whose fadeless hue
E'er glows beyond the tomb.

71

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Illustrations-examples which illustrate, i. e. throw light upon. Define growth, maturity, (full growth, ripeness?) fall, (autumn: the name is derived from the falling of the leaves at that season,) favorable, adverse, gloom, final, decay, admire, vigorous, profound, (deep,) contemplations, (reflections,) bounties, propitiously, unmeasured, (immeasurable,) goodness, inestimable, habits, thought, (thinking,) observation, (noticing things,) convert, attributes, various, plentcousness, giant, dispensing, beneath, classes, conditions, descriptive, sere, yellow, grain, ripens, harvests, transplanted, hundred-fold, frost, vegetable kingdom, (all the varieties of vegetables; what is a vegetable?) reaper, (who is the reaper here meant ?) thief, precious, granaries, provided for, fairy, bowers, mantle of gold and scarlet, (foliage of trees after the first frosts in the Fall,) gorgeously, banners, Frost-King, (frost,) fanciful.

-1

SECT. LXXXII.

-ARABELLA CLARK; OR PRIDE PUNISHED.

ARABELLA Clark was sixteen years of age, and had nearly finished her education. Every hour of the day she gave 2 herself airs; nor was there a young person near, whom she had not displeased, at one time or another, by her insufferable pride. It was a common saying, "You are as proud as 3 Arabella Clark;" and no circumstance gave the school-girls half so much pleasure, as an opportunity of mortifying their vain companion.