FARLEY COURT.

CHAPTER VII.

LIVING NEAR THE MINES.

N a little, rustic village, in the north of Yorkshire, we now find Martha, and she is still busy-working and thinking and trying to make the best of everything. But Martha had some trouble to keep cheerful amidst so many things that seemed to her sad and dreary. To live in a rough, busy, mining village, seemed almost like living in a new world, to James Hill and his family; and they often longed to go back to their old way of living, and to the smiling hop-gardens of Kent. In the midst of work and good wages, Martha was surprised to see so many signs of misery and poverty, and she wondered within herself how the people expended their money. Setting at nought the value of time, which seemed to be the usual custom of the miners' wives, was undoubtedly the chief cause of the apparent poverty in the miners' homes; for the time spent in gossiping at the cottage doors, had it been wisely improved, would have done much in making smiling homes in the little mining village.

Near to Martha Hill lived a young couple with one baby. The husband was strong and healthy, and often earned thirty shillings per week; yet they were always in debt, and had never known the comfort of "owing no man anything, but to love one another." Martha was astonished at her neighbour's management, but though she often thought about her untidy ways, yet she was slow to speak. But Mrs. Jackson was not a woman to be dealt silently with; it seemed to her a necessity to talk, and as she was a good-tempered woman, Martha and she often exchanged pleasant words at the cottage door. And Martha soon learnt from her neighbour's own words that she was an easy, thoughtless, good-natured creature, who would as soon expose her own faults as she would those of her neighbours. A love of useless finery helped to keep Mrs. Jackson in hopeless poverty; and seeing that Martha was so neatly dressed about her work, she expected to see her quite like a lady when dressed; but in this she was mistaken, for Martha would not take the money which her father earned so hardly, to spend in gratifying pride; indeed, it had always taken her utmost diligence and care to keep herself and all depending on her clean and neat, without any pretension to fashion.

Some weeks after the Hills had been living among the miners, Martha noticed how very few regularly attended God's house on the Sabbath-day; and wishing to induce some of her neighbours to go, she began by asking Mrs. Jackson if she would go with her, and if the baby would be quiet.

"Oh, yes;" replied Mrs. Jackson, "the child is very good, but I haven't a coat for it; I'm waiting, for I mean to have a real nice one soon."

"Don't you think the one it has could be turned and done up so that it would look very nice ?" suggested Martha.

"Oh dear no; I never turned anything in my life, and I shouldn't know how; besides it must be terribly bothering."

“But then if it looked nice, you might save the expense of a new one; and it is a great comfort to have a little money put away, for one never knows what may happen," pleaded Martha; "and both you and the child might go to chapel every Sunday."

"It seems to me as if you were a mother and I was a girl; and when my husband is cross he says I'm just a thoughtless girl, and he wonders when I shall be more sensible; and I do think he is right; what do you think Martha ?" and Mrs. Jackson laughed in her careless, good-tempered way.

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Martha smiled, too, and said somewhat timidly, "If I could be of any use to you about the child's coat, I should be very willing to help you." "You'll have it all to do, if you once begin," said Mrs. Jackson; "for I couldn't do a bit of it; not that I mind about trouble when it's any thing I can do; I'd help you to wash and clean a bit; for I see you're dragged with anything hard."

"It is not much hard work that I can do," said Martha sorrowfully, "but every day I do as much as ever I can; and when I feel tempted to wish that I had more strength, it is when I think of the poor boys and poor father toiling hard down in midnight darkness through all the sunny days. But again I am comforted to think that however dark the days of their pilgrimage may be, their everlasting home, if only they strive to reach it, will be full of glorious light; and ah, how little-how very little-we shall then think of the trials which now seem so hard to bear."

"You're not a bit like the young folks I've been used to know, Martha," said Mrs. Jackson; "you're too young to think about things as make you kind of sad; when I was single I thought about dressing and having a walk and being merry."

"But do you never think how dreadful it would be, if the men and boys were suddenly to meet their death in the mine, unprepared to give an account of their lives ?" said Martha, gravely.

"Why most of us folks here have plenty to do to get a living," said Mrs. Jackson, carelessly.

"But if the wives and mothers were in earnest I am sure they have time which they would be willing to devote to prayermeetings and to the improving of themselves and their families," persisted Martha.

When Martha's brothers returned from their work in the evening, this thoughtful sister inquired anxiously how they passed their time in the mines; and they with boyish frankness told how hard they had worked, and what large pieces of stone they had hewn out, and what a merry time they had had during the dinner hour, and that some of the older ones had eaten their dinner and gone on with their work rather than lose time.

Martha then set about thinking on all she heard, and how she could be useful in this new and strange life.

Addressing her brother, she said, Can't we think of any way to get the others to join you in spending that time at noon in religious worship, instead of passing it in rough joking? And the lads agreed to name it to one or two of the men who were pious. Martha urged that in the meantime they should pray about it. And on the following night, two or three men, who earnestly desired to forward the plan, met in Martha's cottage, and Mrs. Jackson was induced to go in, it being the first prayer-meeting she had ever attended.

(To be continued.)

"MY PROMISE TO MOTHER SAVED ME."

NE dark and fearful night, during the late American war, a small group of soldiers were lounging by the bank of a little stream. Some were jesting, and laughing, and talking over the perils of war, of the dear ones at home, and how distant the prospect of meeting them again; when suddenly all were horror-struck as a great shell was hurled in among them, and exploding, cast forth its deadly missiles on the right and on the left, so that scarcely one of that group escaped uninjured, and many lay dead, as if on a battle-field.

William R belonged to that little company but his form was not among those mutilated corpses, and he was not one of the maimed and disfigured by this frightful explosion. "Oh," said William to me afterwards, "my promise to mother saved me. Before I left home mother came to me with tears in her eyes, and gave me this little Bible.

"I want you to take it and keep it for my sake, William, and I want you to make me one solemn promise: if it is a possible thing, to read at least one chapter of this blessed book every day, and then to kneel in humble prayer in the presence of your God. Often you may find it difficult to secure a quiet moment, but promise me that you will not let such a moment pass without improving it. Have the Bible along with you, and while others may be joining in light talking and laughter, then retire into your tent, or some secluded spot, and gird on your armour by reading from God's word, and you will be able to come forth as more than conqueror.'

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"I promised mother solemnly to do as she requested, and I never forgot it. Many an hour did I steal away, with my blessed Bible for my only companion, and, as mother said, girded on my armour,' for I had many foes to combat besides those on the battle-field.

“That sad night, having leisure. I had gone within the shadow

of a little wood to read and pray for a short time in communion with my Maker. I saw the fearful shell fall and explode, and I trembled as I thought what inevitably must be the fate of many of my godless companions. As soon as possible I hastened to the spot, and saw my dead and dying comrades lying around me. Then I thought of my dear mother in her far-away home, and falling on my knees, I thanked God for saving my life. My promise to mother saved me."

HOW NOT TO TRAIN UP CHILDREN ARIGHT.

ULTITUDES of good Christian people understand that art perfectly, and practise it faithfully. Let me give you an example. Not long since I was a visitor in the house of a Christian mother-a woman who had been brought up with many advantages, social, literary, and religious, and is reputed to be uncommonly well educated. As we sat conversing in the parlour, her little girl, of some five years old, came in crying, when the following colloquy took place, interspersed with vain attempts, on the part of the mother and myself, to continue our conversation :

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"Mamma, I want some candy; I want some candy,"-repeated half a dozen times, with cries, each time louder and louder, till they became a shriek; mother meanwhile taking no notice. At last, unable to endure it longer, she said, "Hush, Mary, hush, and go away!" But Mary didn't hush-only repeated more emphatically, "I want some candy!" and screamed more fiercely. "I declare I never saw such a child. Mary, hush, and go away!" Mary still screams, "I want some candy!" 'Why, Mary, don't you see Mr. Amos? What will he think of you? His little girls don't do so!" (That they don't.) Mary screams on, " I want some candy! give me some candy!" "Mary, I'll whip you, if you don't hush and go away. I haven't got any candy!" Mary apparently knows her ground well, and bates not a jot or a tittle of her demand and of her earnestness, "I want some candy! give me some candy!" with a very infantile yell. The mother by this time is somewhat excited herself, and thrusts her hand into a pocket, takes out a key, passionately thrusts it into the little hand, and says, "Here! go to Aunt Jane, and tell her to look in the drawer, and give you some." The little victor stops her cries at once, and trots off with the key to Aunt Jane.

There is the way not to do it. The scene is a real one, and I have not exaggerated it. It needs no comment. Any one can see the folly and wickedness of that parental management; the error and neglect which must have gone before in the training of poor little Mary, and the bitter consequences which must follow.

HE way to the Celestial City lies just through this town where this lusty fair is kept; and he that will go to the City, and yet not go through this town, must needs

go out of the world." The Prince of princes himself, when here, went through this town to His own country, and that upon a fair day too; yea and as I think, it was Beelzebub, the chief lord of this fair, that invited Him to buy of his vanities; yea, would have made Him lord of the fair, would He but have done him reverence as he went through the town. Yea, because He was such a person of honour, Beelzebub had Him from street to street, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a little time, that he might (if possible) allure the Blessed One to cheapen and buy some of his vanities; but He had no mind to the merchandise, and therefore left the town, without laying out so much as one farthing upon these vanities. This fair therefore is an ancient thing, of long standing, and a very great fair.

Now these Pilgrims, as I said, must needs go through this fair. Well, so they did: but, behold! even as they entered into the fair, all the people in the fair were moved, and the town itself as it were in a hubbub about them; and that for several reasons: for

First, The pilgrims were clothed with such kind of raiment as