But it was too early in the morning, the old woman was not at her feat; fo he turned back again difappointed. He did not wafe his time waiting for her, but faddied and bridled Lightfoot, and went to farmer Truck's for the giant-ftrawerries. A great part of the morning was spent in putting them into the ground; and, as foon as that was finished, he fet out again in queft of the old woman, who, to his great joy, he fpied fitting at her corner of the freet with her board before her. But this old woman was deaf and crofs; and when at laft Jem made her hear his queftions, he could get no anfwer from her, but that the found the foffils where he would never find any more. "But can't I look where you looked!". "Look away, nobody hinders you," replied the old woman; and these were the only words the would fay.-Jem was not, however, a boy to be eafily difcouraged; he went to the rocks, and walked flowly along, looking at all the ftones as he paffed. Prefenly he came to a place where a number of men were at work loofening fome large rocks, and one amongst the workmen was stooping down looking for fomething very eagerly; Jem ran up, and afked if he could help him. “Yes,” said the man," you can'; I've juft dropped, amongft this heap of rubbifh, a fine piece of cryftal that I got to day. -" What kind of a looking thing is it?" faid Jem." White, and like glafs," faid the man, and went on working, whilft Jem looked very carefully over the heap of rubbish for a great while. "Come," faid the man," its gone for ever; don't trouble yourfelf any more, my boy.”—“ It's no trouble; I'll look a little longer; we'll not give it up fo foon," faid Jem; and, after he had looked a little longer, he found the piece of cryftal. "Thank'e," faid the man, you are a fine little induftrious fellow." Jem, encouraged by the tone of voice in which the man fpoke this, ventured to afk him the fame queftions which he had afked the old woman. "One good turn deferves another," faid the man; "we are going to dinner juft now, and fhall leave off work-wait for me here, and I'll make it worth your while." Jem waited; and, as he was very attentively obferving how the workmen went on with their work, he heard fomebody near him give a great yawn, and, turning round, he faw ftretched upon the grafs, befide the river, a boy about his own age, who he knew very well went in the village of Ashton by the name of Lazy Lawrence: a name which he moft juftly deserved, for he never did any thing from morning to night; he neither worked nor played, but fauntered or lounged about reftlefs and yawning. His father was an alehouse-keeper, and being generally drunk, could take no care of his fon, fo that Lazy Laurence grew every day worse and worse. However, fome of the neighbours faid that he was a good-natured poor fellow enough, and would never do any one harm but himself; whilft others, who were wifer, often fhook their heads, and told him, that idlenefs was the root of all evil. "What, Lawrence!" cried Jem to him, when he faw him lying upon the grafs- what, are you afleep?-Not quite." Are you awake?" "Not quite." "What are you doing there?"-"Nothing?"-What are you thinking of?" "Nothing." What makes you lie there?"-I don't know-because I can't find any body to play with me to-dayWill you come and play?"-" No, I can't; I'm bufy."-Buly," cried Laurence, ftretching himself, “ you are always bufy-I would not be you for the world, to have fo much to do always." “And I, faid Jem laughing, “would not be you for the world, to have nothing to do." So they parted, for the workman juft then called Jem to follow him. He took him home to his own houfe, and fhowed him a parcel of foffils. which he had gathered, he said, on purpofe to fell, but had never had time yet to fort them. He fet about it however now, and having picked out those which he judged to be the beft, he put them in a small basket, and gave them to fell, upon condition that he fhould bring him half of what he got. Jem, pleafed to be employed, was ready to agree to what the man proposed, provided his mother had no objection to it. When he went home to dinner, he told his mother his fcheme, and the fmiled and said he might do as he pleased, for he was not afraid of his being from home. "You are not an idle boy," faid fhe, "fo there is little danger of your getting into any mifchief." Accordingly, Jem, that evening, took his ftand, with his little bafket, upon the bank of the river, juft at the place where people land from a ferry-boat, and where the walk turns to the wells, where numbers of people perpetually pafs to drink the waters. He chofe his place well, well, and waited almoft all evening, offering his foffils with great affiduity to every paffenger; but not one perfon bought any." Holla !" cried fome failors, who had juft rowed a boat to land, bear a hand here, will you, my little fellow and carry thefe parcels for us into yonder house." Jem ran down immediately for the parcels, and did what he was afked to do so quickly, and with fo much good will, that the mafter of the boat took notice of him, and, when he was going away, flopped to ask him what he had got in his little bafker; and when he faw that they were foffils, he immediately told Jem to follow him, for he was going to carry fome fhells he had brought from abroad to a lady in the neighbourhood who was making a grotto. "She will very likely buy your ftones into the bargain: come along, my lad; we can but try." The lady lived but a very little way off, fo that they were foon at her house. She was alone in her parlour, and was forting a bundle of feathers of different colours: they lay on a fheet of pafteboard upon a window-feat, and it happened that as the failor was buftling round the table to fhew 'off his fhells, he knocked down the fheet of pafteboard, and fcattered all the feathers. The lady looked very forry, which Jem obferving, he took the opportunity, whilft fhe was bufy looking over the failor's bag of hells, to gather together all the feathers, and fort them according to their differ ent colours, as he has feen them forted when he came first into the room. Jem's eyes fparkled with joy. "Oh, thank you, Ma'am," faid he, "I will be fure and bring you as many more tomorrow.""Yes, but I don't promife you," faid fhe, "to give you half a crown to-morrow."-"But, perhaps, though you don't promife it, you will." "No," faid the lady, " do not deceive yourself; I affure you that I will not,That, inftead of encouraging you to be induftrious, would teach you to be idle." Jem did not quite underftand what the meant by this, but answered, "I'm fure I don't wish to be idle; what I want is to earn fomething every day, if I knew how: I'm fure I dont't with to be idle. If you knew all, you'd know I did not. "How do you mean, if I knew all ?”. "Why I mean, if you knew about Lightfoot,"-" Who's Lightfoot?""Why, Mammy's horfe," added Jem, looking out of the window; " I muft make hafte home and feed him, afore it get dark; he'll wonder what's gone with me." "Let him wonder a few minutes longer," faid the lady," and tell me the reft of your ftory.' '-"I've no ftory, Ma'am, to tell, but as how mammy fays he muft go to the fair Monday fortnight to be fold, if fhe can't get the two guineas for her rent; and I fhould be main forry to part with him, for I love him, and he loves me; fo I'll work for him, I will, all I can to be fure." as mammy fays, "I have no chance, fuch a little fellow as I am, of earning two guineas afore Monday fortnight."-" But are you in earnest willing to work," said the lady ; " you "Where is the little boy you brought know there is a great deal of difference with you? I thought I faw him here between picking up a few ftones, and juft now."-"And here I am, Ma'am," working fteadily every day, and all day cried Jem, creeping from under the ta- long."" But," faid Jem, "I would ble with fome few remaining feathers work every day, and all day long."which he had picked from the carpet; "Then," said the lady, "I will give "Ihought," added he, pointing to the you work. Come here to-morrow mornothers, "I had better be doing fome-ing, and my gardener will let you to weed thing than ftanding idle, Ma'am." She fmiled, and, pleafed with his activity and fimplicity, began to ask him several queftions; fuch as, who he was, where he lived, what employment he had, and how much a day he earned by gathering foffils."This is the firft day I ever tried," faid Jem; "I never fold any yet, and, if you don't buy 'em now, Ma'am, I'm afraid nobody elfe will, for I've afked every body elfe."" Come then,” said the lady laughing, “if that is the cafe, I think I had better buy them all." So emptying all the foffils out of his basket, the put half a crown into it. the fhrubberies, and I will pay you fixpence a day. Remember you must be at the gates by fix o'clock." Jem bowed, thanked her, and went away. It was late in the evening, and he was impatient to get home to feed Lightfoot; yet he recollected that he had promised the man who had trufted him to fell the foffils that he would bring him half of what he got for them; fo he thought that he had better go to him directly: and away he went, running along by the water fide about a quarter of a mile, till he came to the man's houfe. He was juft come from work, and was surprised when when Jem fhewed him the half-crown, faying, "Look what I got for the ftones: you are to have the half, you know."No," said the man, when he heard his ftory," I shall not take half of that; it was given to you. I expected but a fhilling at the moft, and the half of that is but fixpence, and that I'll take.-Wife! give the lad two fhillings, and take this half-crown." So wife opened an old glove, and took out two fhillings; and the man, as the opened the glove, put in his fingers, and took out a little filver penny." There, he fhall have that into the bargain for his honefty-Honefty is the best policy-There's a lucky penny for you, that I've kept ever fince I can remember."-Don't you ever go to part with it, do you hear!" cried the woman. "Let him do what he will with it, wife," faid the man. "But," argued the wife," another penny would do juft as well to buy gingerbread, and that's what it will go for."-" No, that it shall not, I promise you;" faid jem; and fo he ran away home, fed Lightfoot, ftroaked him, went to bed, jumped up at five o'clock in the morning, and went finging to work as gay as a lark. Four days he worked "every day and all day long," and the lady every evening, when the came out to walk in her gardens, looked at his work. At laft The faid to her gardener, "This little boy works very hard."" Never had fo good a little boy about the grounds," faid the gardener, he's always at his work, let me come by when I will, and he has got twice as much done as another would do; yes, twice as much Ma'am: for look here he began at this here rose bush, and now he's got to where you ftand, Ma'am ; and here is the day's work that t'other boy, and he's 3 years older too, did to-day-I fay, measure Jem's fairly, and it's twice as much, I'm fure."-" Well, faid the lady to her gardener, fhew me how much is a fair good day's work for a boy of his age." Come at fix o'clock, and go at fix? why, about this much, Ma'am," faid the gardener, marking off a piece of the border with his fpade. "Then, little boy," said the lady, "fo much fhall be your task every day; the gardener will mark it off for you: and when you've done, the reft of the day you may do what you pleafe." Jem was extremely glad of this; and the next day he had finished his task by four o'clock; fo that he had all the reff of the evening to himself. Jem was as fond of play as Ed. Mag. Jan. 1797. H any little boy could be, and, when he was at it, played with all the eagerness and gaity imaginable: fo as foon as he had finished his task, fed Lightfoot, and put by the fixpence he had earned that day, he ran to the play ground in the village, where he found a party of boys playing, and amongst them Lazy Lawrence, who indeed was not playing, but lounging upon a gate with his thumb in his mouth. The reft were playing at cricket. Jem joined them, and was the merriest and most active amongst them; till, at laft, when quite out of breath with running, he was obliged to give up to reft himself, and fat down upon the ftile, close to the gate on which Lazy Lawrence was fwinging. "And why don't you play, Lawrence?" faid he. "I'm tir ed," faid Lawrence." "Tired of what?" "I don't know well what tires me ; grandmother fays I'm ill, and I must take fomething-I don't know what ails me."-" Oh, pugh! take a good race, one, two, three, and away, and you'll find yourself as well as ever. Come, run-one, two, three, and away." "Ah, no, I can't run indeed," said he, hanging back heavily; " you know I can play all day long if I like it, fo I don't mind play as you do, who have only one hour for it."" So much the worfe for you. Come now, I'm quite fresh again, will you have one game at ball; do."-No, I tell you I can't; I'm as tired as if I had been working all day long as hard as a horfe."-" Ten times more," faid Jem, " for I have been working all day long as hard as a horfe, and yet you fee I'm not a bit tired; only a little out of breath juft now."- That's very odd,” faid Lawrence, and yawned, for want of fome better anfwer; then taking out a handful of halfpence See what I got from father to-day, because I asked him juft at the right time, when he had drank a glafs or two; then I can get any thing I want of him-fee! a penny, twopence, three pence, fourpence there's eightpence in all; would not you be happy if you had eightpence ?" Why, I don't know," laid Jem laughing, "for you don't seem happy, and you have eightpence ?" That does not fignify though I'm fure you only fay that be caufe you envy me-you don't know what it is to have eightpence-you never had more than twopence or threepence at a time in all your life." Jem fmiled.. "Oh, as to that," faid he, "you are miltaken, for I have at this very time more than twopence, three pence, pence, or eightpence either; I have let me fee-ftones, two fhillings; then five days work, that's five fixpences, that's two fhillings and fixpence, in all makes four fhillings and fixpence, and my filver penny, is four and fevenpence-Four and fevenpence !"-You have not!" faid Lawrence, roused fo as abfolutely to ftand upright, "four and fevenpence! have you? fhew it me, and then I'll be lieve you." Follow me then," cried Jem, and I'll foon make you believe me; come."-" Is it far?" faid Lawrence, following half running, half hobbling, till he came to the stable, where Jem fhewed him his treasure. "And how did you come by it? honeftly?" "Honeftly; to be fure I did; I earned it all." Lord bless me, earned it! well, I've a great mind to work; but then it's fuch hot weather; befides grandmother fays I'm not ftrong enough yet for hard work; and befides, I know how to coax daddy out of money when I want it, fo I need not work. But four and fevenpence; let's fee, what will you do with it all? That's a fecret," faid Jem, looking great. "I can guefs; I know what I'd do with it if it was mineFirft, I'd buy pockets full of gingerbread; then I'd buy ever fo many ap ples and nuts; don't you love nuts? I'd buy nuts enough to laft me from this time to Chriftmas, and I'd make little Newton crack.'em for me, for that's the worft of nuts, there's the trouble of cracking 'em."-"Well, you never de ferve to have a nut." But you'll give me fome of your's," faid Lawrence in a fawning tone, for he thought it easier to coax than to work-“ you'll give me fome of your good things, won't you?" "I fhall not have any of thofe good things," faid Jem. "Then what will you do with all your money?"-Oh, I know very well what to do with it; but as I told you, that's a fecret, and I shan't tell it any body-Come now, let's go back and play their game's up, I dare fay."-Lawrence went back with him full of curiofity and cut of humour with himself and his eightpence" If I had four and fevenpence," faid he to himself, "I certainly fhould be happy!” The next day, as ufual, Jem jumped up before fix o'clock and went to his work, whilft Lazy Lawrence fauntered about without knowing what to do with himself. In the courfe of two days he laid out fixpence of his money in apples and gingerbread, and as long as these lafted he found himself well received by his companions; but at length the third day he spent his laft halfpenny, and when it was gone, unfortunately fome nuts tempted him very much, but he had no money to pay for them; fo he ran home to coax his father, as ne called it. When he got home, he heard his father talking very loud, and at firft he thought he was drunk; but when he opened the kitchen door, he saw that he was not drunk, but angry. "You lazy dog!" cried he, turning fuddenly upon Lawrence, and gave him fuch a violent box on the ear as made the light flash from his eyes; you lazy dog! fee what you've done for me,look!-look, look, I fay!" Lawrence looked as he came to the use of his senfes, and, with fear, amazement, and remorse, beheld at least a dozen bottles burft, and the fine Worcestershire cyder ftreaming over the floor. "Now, did not I order you three days ago to carry these bottles to the cellar; and did not I charge you to wire the corks? answer me, you lazy rafcal; did not I?""Yes," faid Lawrence, fcratching his head. "And why was it not done? I afk you," cried his father with renewed anger, as another bottle burft at the mo ment. "What do you ftand there for, you lazy brat? why don't you move? I fay-No, no,' catching hold of him, I believe you cant't move; but I'll make you." And he fhook him, till Lawrence was fo giddy he could not ftand. "What had you to think of? what had you to do all day long, that you could not carry my cyder, my Worceftershire cyder, to the cellar when I bid you? But go, you'll never be good for any thing, you are fuch a lazy rafcal, get out of my fight!" So faying, he pushed him out of the houfe door, and Lawrence fneaked off, feeing that this was no time to make his petition for halfpence. The next day he faw the nuts again, and, withing for them more than ever, went home in hopes that his father, as he faid to himself, would be in a better humour. But the cyder was fresh in his recollection, and the moment Lawrence began to whisper the word halfpenny' in his ear, his father fwore, with a loud oath, "I will not give you a halfpenny, no, not a farthing, for a month to come; if you want money, go work for it; I've had enough of your lazinefs-Go work!" At thefe terrible words, Lawrence burft into tears, apd, going to the fide of a ditch, fat down and cried for an hour ; and and when he had cried till he could cry no more, be exerted himself fo far as to empty his pockets, to fee whether there might not happen to be one halfpenny left; and, to his great joy, in the fartheft corner of his pocket one halfpenny was found. With this he proceeded to the fruit-woman's ftall. She was bufy weighing out fome plums, fo he was obliged to wait; and, whilft he was waiting, he heard fome people near him talking and laughing very loud. The fruit woman's ftall was at the gate of an inn-yard; and peeping through the gate into this yard, Lawrence faw a poftilion and a stable-boy about his own fize play. ing at pitch-farthing. He flood by watching them for a few minutes. "I begun but with one halfpenny," cried the ftable-boy with an oath, and now I've got twopence!" added he, jingling the halfpence in his waiftcoat pocket. Lawrence was moved at the found, and faid to himself, " If I begin with one halfpenny, I may end like him with having twopence; and it is eafier to play at pitch-farthing than to work." So he ftepped forward, prefenting his halfpenny, offering to tofs up with the ftable-boy, who, after looking him full in the face, accepted the propofal, and threw his halfpenny into the air."Head or tail!" cried he, "Head," replied Lawrence, and it came up head. He feized the penny, furprised at his own fuccefs, and would have gone inftantly to have laid it out in nuts, but the ftableboy ftopped him, and tempted him to throw again. This time he loft; he threw again and won; and fo he went on, fometimes lofing, but moft frequently winning, till half the morning was gone. At laft, however, he chanced to win twice running, and, finding himself mafter of three halfpence, faid he would play no more. The ftable-boy, grumbling, fwore he would have his revenge another time, and Lawrence went and bought the nuts. "It is a good thing," faid he to himself," to play at pitchfarthing the next time I want a halfpenny I'll not afk my father for it, nor go to work neither." Satisfied with this refolution, he fat down to crack his nuts at his leisure, upon the horse-block in, the inn-yard. Here, whilft he ate, he overheard the converfation of the ftableboys and poftilions. At first their shocking oaths and loud wrangling frightened and fhocked him; for Lawrence, though a lazy, had not yet learned to be a quicked boy. But, by degrees, he was accuftomed to their fwearing and quarrelling, and took a delight and intereit in their difputes and battles. As this was an amufement which he could enjoy without any exertion on his part, he foon grew fo fond of it, that every day he returned to the ftable-yard, and the horse-block became his conftant feat. Here he found fome relief from the infupportable fatigue of doing nothing, and here, hour after hour, with his elbows on his knees, and his head on his hands, he fat the fpectator of wickedness. Gaming, cheating, and lying, foon became familiar to him; and, to complete his ruin, he formed a fudden and clofe intimacy with the ftable-boy with whom he had at first began to game-a very bad boy. The confequences of this intimacy we shall presently fee. But it is now time to inquire what little Jem had been doing all this while. [To be concluded in our next.] POETRY. FOR THE EDINBURGH MAGAZINE. In imitation of William and Margaret. PNow darts her filver light, ALE Cynthia, o'er the virgin fnows, While the loud drifting north-wind blows, Her black eyes clos'd in fleep, She woke-then quickly caught her fight, "Whence through the chearless ftorm." "I come far from yon western skies, Upon the mists of night, And e'er the Orient blush shall rise, "Cold is thy lips, my Willy dear, But is my Willy's heart as warm, Say |