garden, calling, "Here's Whitefoot in the ditch! Come, father! ” They ran to the place, and found Nelly, who had clambered down the steep side of the ditch, peeping into the black stream that lay almost stagnant at the bottom. 66 Oh, I'm so sick, father," she cried. is so bad, and Whitefoot will not come." "The smell Hooper stooped down, stretched out his hand towards the kitten, and when he brought it out it was quite dead. Nelly began to cry bitterly at the sight. "Why, Hooper, you are as pale as death!" exclaimed Frank. "What's the matter?" "I don't know myself," he replied, wiping his forehead and staggering against a tree. "Such a whiff went down my throat, out of the ditch I think it was. Well," added he, after a pause, "I never heard of such a thing as a kitten being drowned in half a minute. It has hardly more than wetted its paws, too, for it lay on a heap of dry bones and cabbagestalks in there." "It strikes me very forcibly," said an old man who had joined them, and stood by leaning on his stick"it strikes me very forcibly that the kitten was not drowned at all, but poisoned by the smell." "Poisoned by the smell!" said Hooper, rather doubtingly; "what harm can a smell do? It's not pleasant, certainly, but it cannot kill a cat, that I am very sure of." "I don't know that," said the old man. "Where I was at work near London, some years age, there were several narrow lanes and places where they never could keep a cat alive; and so sure as ever a cat died, so sure some of the people of the house were taken with fever. At last they left off trying to keep cats, because they brought bad luck, as the folks said." Now the whole thing was as clear to Frank as the sun at noon; and he decided with old George on a plan of flushing the ditch, by turning the branch of a running stream into it. Accordingly, next morning four men appeared at an appointed time, and worked with Frank for two hours, and so continued to do for a whole week. Then they succeeded in turning a good stream of water into the ditch, which began instantly to produce a wonderful change for the better. And they were able to finish their undertaking in excellent style, for the farmer gave them wood to cover in the ditch, and then they laid sods over the whole, by way of a finish. Meanwhile, however, Hooper lay at death's door with the fever." But whether by chance or not, certain it was that he began to mend from the day this work was done. SUMMARY.-Frank, the farmer's son, came to a workman's cottage to get a kitten for his sister. His dog quarrelled with the cat, and while they were fighting one of the kittens disappeared. It was found in a ditch, poisoned by the bad smell of decaying animal and vegetable matter. The girl who went to take it out was sick with the smell. Frank and the old workman decided on turning a good stream of water into the ditch, which produced a wonderful change for the better on the health of the cottagers. B QUESTIONS. What was it that poisoned the kitten? The foul smell from the ditch. What is meant by decaying animal and vegetable matter? Any refuse, such as cabbage leaves, the remains of any vegetable, the refuse of fish, or scraps of meat, &c.; when they are left to decay near a house they will cause disease. Have such things often caused disease in houses? Yes; they frequently bring on fevers of every kind. How may this be prevented? By cleanliness, good drainage, and plenty of pure water. When you think of it, do it: A moment's delay May cause you regret; And a chance slipp'd away May never return. Who can reckon the cost Of that fatal regret— Opportunity lost? If 'tis simply a letter You cast on one side To answer at leisure, Some chance may betide How many good notions, By long delay crost, Have to the world's damage For ever been lost. How oft resolutions, Though good, have been thwarted, The time and occasion,. Alas! ill assorted. Steppes, Barometer, Phenomenon, plural, phenomena. Navigator, Lat., altitudo, from altus, Russ., stepj. and MEANING. The air sphere; the whole mass of air surrounding the earth. Height. Want of variety, dull; same ness. Vast uncultivated plains in Gr., baros, weight; metron, An instrument for measuring measure. the weight of the air, and so determining the probable changes of the weather. Gr., phainomenon, from A remarkable or unusual ap phaino, show. Lat., navigo, navigatum, Characterize, Gr., charakterizo, charak- pearance. One who navigates or directs the course of a ship. To give a character to; to distinguish. Australia-the quarter of the globe to which so many of our fellow-countrymen are at the present moment bending their course, and upon which the eyes of the civilized world are fixed-is a name of extensive significance. Within its wide limits are comprehended regions of the most various features, and of a total extent which nearly equals that of all |