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T chanced one sunny day in spring,
When every little feathered thing
Looks out for all that can be pressed
Into its service for a nest,

Two birds at the same instant found

A piece of wool upon the ground;

And, quick as thought, with one accord,
Each sought to take it for his hoard.

"'Tis mine!" said one. "Mine!" cried the other.
One angry speech led to another,
Till, seeing that all argument
Was quite in vain, each bird, intent
On gaining what he thought his right,
Tugged at the wool with all his might.

And now began a trial of strength.
Apart by just the worsted's length,

They tugged, and tugged, yet tugged in vain,

For neither could advantage gain.

Then, when it seemed nor night nor day
Would see the ending of the fray,

The wool itself thought strife should cease,
And broke-and gave each foe a piece.
But since it happened one bird fell,
And held a shorter piece as well,
The other boasted with a jeer-
"The victory is mine, 'tis clear!"
Forgetting that, for its own sake,
The wool decided where to break.

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"BUY A BROOM?"

OR, THE DOCTOR'S CLEMENCY.

H, mother, may I
have one of those

little brooms we
saw the other day
at Cranby those
in the basket-sel-
lers' cart I mean?"
"Yes, dear, if the people
come round again."

"I wish I could go round the country like they," said Alice Farmer, the eldest of the children. "It would be great fun moving from place to place."

"You would not find it so pleasant as you imagine," replied Mrs. Farmer, smiling. "Those poor people have to put up with many trials. You only think so now because you are ignorant of the troubles they endure."

"Well, I should like to try, at any rate," replied Alice, who was of an adventurous turn of mind; "and when the cart comes I will ask the girl"

"Nonsense," interrupted Mrs. Farmer. "You must not think of such a thing. What do you fancy people would say to you if they saw you in a basket-seller's van?"

"I did not mean to go in the van, mother; I meant I would ask the girl all about it."

Nothing more was said upon the subject at that time, but Alice kept watch for the broom-sellers. But they did not come for some time after; till one afternoon Alice thought she heard them at a distance. The street was quite quiet in the sleepy little town, and Alice was walking by herself over the bridge which crosses the stream at the end.

Alice Farmer was quite right. In a few moments the van came up slowly, the little horse having quite enough to do to pull it and its occupants along. A tall, well-grown girl was walking beside the cart, and a small white dog was fastened to it.

As Alice stopped to watch the caravan approach, her sisters came running up.

"Oh, here you are, Alice; mother wondered where you had got to. How did you know the van was coming?"

"I didn't know it was coming," replied Alice, "but I thought it was."

"Buy a broom, miss?" said the tall girl who was walking in the road. "Please to buy a broom."

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"I want one very

"Yes, I will," said Alice.
much; and Lily, will you have one?"

Lily said, "Yes; " so Alice passed hers on, and as her sister paid the penny for it she looked earnestly at the girl and said

"Did you make those yourself?"
"No," replied the girl.

brother, did."

"Tommy, my little

"How clever he must be !" said Alice. How old is your little brother?"

"Nine," replied the girl.

"He is an invalid. He can't walk properly; and the doctors can't do him good without knives, and mother says they shan't cut his feet off."

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Alice, in her turn. "What's your name?"

"Betsy Jordan. There's mother and little Tommy in the house with Bob, the baby."

"And haven't you any father?" inquired Alice. "Yes; but we don't see much of him now," she replied, hastily. "Thankye, miss; Tommy will be so glad to get his pennies."

She was turning away, when a brilliant thought came into Alice's head. Why couldn't her father cure Tommy? Certainly he was only a country doctor, and employed by the parish-not like a great man. Still, Alice knew he was clever. she said suddenly

So

"Where are you going to stop to-night? "On the heath, at the upper end of the town."

"Well, then, I'll tell father, and ask him to go and see your little brother. Father's the doctor, and he can cure him, perhaps."

"Thankye kindly, miss, but I'm afraid we haven't money for payment. Mother has taken very little the last week, and a grand gentleman would want more than we have."

"Papa isn't a grand gentleman," replied Lily; "he doesn't mind what he does."

Little Eva quite approved, but Alice reproved her sister. The van girl smiled, and said-"I'm sure we're very thankful, miss; I'll tell mother. Mother! mother!" she cried.

The woman, carrying a little child, came out and stood beside them. The few passers-by took little notice, and the children of the village only stared.

When all had been explained, the woman thanked the girls, but she didn't expect the doctor would come to "the likes o' her."

"Well, you'll see. He's not poor, and doesn't want money; he's got plenty now, and there are

grand things in our house,” said simple Lily, proudly. 'Such lovely gold and silver things."

"Nonsense, Lily!" replied Alice. "Don't talk such nonsense; come along. Good evening to you," she added.

“Good evening, and heaven bless ye, miss," replied the woman. "Gee up, Dick!"

This was said to the horse, which toiled slowly with his load up the hill, and the woman re-entered the "house on wheels."

"What was she a-sayin' about money, and gold, and silver," inquired a harsh voice from inside the "house."

"Nothin', Jack—nothin' particular. Never mind, the doctor is to come to put the darling boy on his pretty legs again, bless him!”

"Ah! a likely story that!" grumbled the man. "I wish Joe wasn't comin' to-night," said the mother in an undertone to her daughter. "He'll put your father alongside of some mischief. He's never content now," she sighed ; and then added, "Do you think the doctor will come, Betty?" "I'm sure the young lady will ask him," she answered. "But perhaps he won't come.

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"Here he is," cried the woman. But she sat down again in disappointment. It was only "Long Joe," as he was called, who came upon them in the gloom.

Nobody made way for him to pass, so he leaped up on the top step, and entered the inner chamber, where his friend was smoking.

There we may leave these men to consult, and plan what were to be wicked deeds, and return to the doctor and his daughters.

As soon as he came in, Alice told him about the "house on wheels," and the sick child; ending up with a request that her father would go to the boy. "Go and see the child! Why, my dear Alice, do you expect me to turn out and trudge up to the moor to-night?"

"Of course you will go, Arthur," said his wife. "Think of the poor mother's delight if you can assure her of her child's eventual recovery."

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'Well, well; I'll go. I must, I suppose," replied the worthy doctor, smiling. But Alice, my dear, you need not go about promising my services to every tramp in the neighbourhood."

"I'll never do it again, father. But the broomgirl was so glad, and

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Downton. Quarter past-half-past ten! Eleven ! Twelve and still Mrs. Farmer sat up listening for her husband's footfall on the pavement-the firm tread she always could recognise-but it came not. Was anything wrong? Had he been suddenly called elsewhere? She was not anxious, yet she felt nervously watchful in spite of herself. She would go to bed. One o'clock! A quarter past! No husband. What could be the matter? Ah, here he was at last. Footsteps stopped at the door. A knock. That was not her husband; for he always had a key.

Mrs. Farmer hurried down. A man on the stepa policeman, the policeman, the only one in Downton, was outside.

"Can I speak to you, mum?"

"Certainly. What is it?" exclaimed the doctor's wife, anxiously. Come in."

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"Don't be alarmed, mum, if you can help it; but the doctor--"

"Well?-quick-what about Doctor Farmer? Make haste."

"Ye see, mum, he's been set upon and hurt a little. I've took him to the chemist's, and he's quite nicely now, mum. He isn't badly hurt."

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Let me go!" cried Mrs. Farmer, "let me go!" And she was about to hurry away, when the policeman, who acted with much sense, said-

"Don't you stir, mum, please; the doctor will be here in a minute or so. He's coming all right."

In a few moments the doctor made his appearance. He was looking pale, and marks of a violent struggle were evident. But he was not vitally injured. There was a mark upon his throat, and a bruise on his cheek, but no other outward injuries. He was, however, very exhausted. It was as much as they could do to convey him upstairs.

There he was taken the greatest care of, as you may easily imagine. Mrs. Farmer asked no questions, but the doctor could not rest till he had told her. She wished him to sleep first; but he related, in a disconnected way, how he had gone up to the heath, and had found the van. He had seen the child, and found the case better than he had expected; but crossing the lonely road he had been set upon by two men, and robbed of his watch and money, and almost garrotted in the process. The policeman had found him lying half-insensible in the road, and had brought him to the chemist's.

And this comes of helping the tramps,” thought Mrs. Farmer. "No doubt it was all arranged beforehand."

Next morning the policeman called, and said. that the whole of the family were in custody, and when the doctor was well enough to relate the circumstances the men would be charged with the

robbery. But there was nothing against the women, and they were discharged that afternoon.

In the evening the doctor was sitting resting in the dining-room, when the servant announced that a person wished to see him."

"I can see nobody," he replied. "Send to Mr. Nicholl." Mr. Nicholl was the doctor's assistant. "She particularly wants you, sir ; I don't think it's a matter of medicine. She looks like a tramp."

It suddenly occurred to the doctor that this visit had something to do with his adventure of the evening before, so he said, "Show her in."

"Well," said the doctor, "what do you want?" "You don't know what I suffer," she said. "I thought the men had gone away after the 'birds.' It's no use disguisin' it, sir. Here's your watch and chain, and the two pounds three shillings in money they robbed you of. Think bad of me if you will; but, doctor, do you think I'd be a party to robbin' the man who came to help my child?"

The doctor hesitated, but at length he answered, “No; I believe you're honest."

"Heaven bless you, sir," she cried, "I am indeed; and Jack has been led on by bad example. Oh, if you only could help him he would be better."

"I cannot interfere,” replied the doctor; “I must let justice take its course. If he is proved guilty he must abide by the consequences."

This was all the doctor could do, and the men were committed for trial and sent to prison. The good doctor would not say more than he was obliged to say, but the men were found guilty and sent to penal servitude.

Meanwhile he attended the child, and did all he could for the family of the man who had so ill-treated him. After a few years he succeeded in obtaining a very good appointment, and just then the" house on wheels" made its reappearance. The poor boy was then well and strong, the van was still the home of Betty and her mother, but the white dog had been killed-run over in the street. Thanks to the doctor's kindness, Jack, the convict, was doing his best to earn a good character in prison. He heard, when the prison rules admitted his letter, how kind Doctor and Mrs. Farmer had been, and how his child had been cured. When he first went to prison the man had been very bitter, and very angry against every one; but when he reflected upon the kindness and Christian-like behaviour of the doctor, how he had returned good for evil, and had actually saved the life of the child of the man who had nearly taken his life-then Jack, the convict, repented, and determined to do his best.

So the years passed on. The doctor left Downton, and gave Spot, his own puppy, to the woman of

the van when he left the town to take up his new appointment. Poor Spot did not want to leave his master ; but the family had a long journey before them, and the dog was left behind.

Meanwhile the doctor had become celebrated, and had again removed—this time to London. The girls had grown up and had been presented at Court, and went into society. The doctor's house was in a fashionable quarter, and he was very rich.

One day, as he was about to go out to pay his afternoon round of visits, in the hope of being able to get back in good time for a dinner-party that evening, a man stopped him on the steps and said“May I speak with you, sir?—it is most important.” Certainly," replied the kind-hearted doctor. "What is it?"

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They were standing in the dining-room then. "There is a deal of plate," muttered the man, as he cast his eyes upon some beautiful things arranged on the sideboard. "You don't remember me, sir?"

"No," answered the doctor.

"I'm a ticket-o'-leave man. I helped to rob you once, and I've repented ever since. I heard how you behaved to my wife and children, and I made up my mind that if ever the time came I would repay what I owed you, sir."

"Well, well; I'm glad to hear you are grateful. You had better find your wife and family, and lead an honest life. Emigrate!"

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"Far away from this, you may depend, after tonight. I must come here myself; but tell the police. The entrance will be made through the pantry."

The man hurried away, and the doctor took the hint. He procured four constables, and posted them in convenient spots in hiding. About twelve o'clock the guests had all gone, and at two the thieves came, and were all captured. Jack, the convict, was released at once, but his associates were again sentenced to penal servitude, from which they had only just been discharged. Then Jack, quite repentant, started off into the country, to endeavour to find his wife and family.

So Jack walked into Downton, and sat upon the parapet of the bridge, near where he had first seen Alice and her sisters buying penny brooms eight years before--brooms made by his invalid little son. "Heaven bless them all," he said to himself. “I

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