him a present. The book-seller asked him what sort of books he would have. "That you understand better than I," he answered, "that is indeed your business; but there" must be large books below and small ones1 above, as they are at13 the empress's."

20.

The Place by1 the Fire.

A traveler' arrived a very cold evening3 at an inn. All3 the places around the fire were occupied, and no one of the guests showed as if he would resign his place to him. The traveler therefore called the hostler, and ordered him to give his horse six dozen oysters. "Oysters!" said the hostler, "but surely a horse does not eat oysters." "Do what I tell you," replied the traveler; "you will no doubt see." The hostler went to the stable toll give the horse the oysters, and all the guests now left their places to11 see the horse eat1 oysters. Meanwhile the traveler took possession of the best place by the fire. Presently the hostler came in again, and said the horse would not eat any oysters. "That's true,13 no doubt," 13 said the traveler; "then" bring me the oysters, and give the horse a peck of oats."

21.

Arrogance Punished.

Immanuel Kant, the celebrated Königsberg1 philosopher, was eating one day at the public table in an inn; a young nobleman of the neighborhood, who was-in-the-habit of making-his-appearance everywhere with3 great pretension, was sitting opposite him. The dishes were served, among them, too, one which especially enticed the appetite of the guests. The young nobleman seemed to think that upon Buch a delicacy only his palate had a claim; for he seized without more ado9 a pepper-box and shook" it over the

dish, adding11 dryly: "I like1 this dish with pepper." All the rest13 of the guests were as11 much amazed as1 shocked at this presumption; but Kant, with the most perfect calmness, seized his snuff-box, shook it also over the dich, and said quite1 as dryly: "And I like it with snuff.”

22.

The Treasure-Diggers.

"Hear,' children!" said a sick man, who gained much by the cultivation of the vine; "in our vineyard lies a treasure; only dig for it." "In3 what spot ?" thus all asked; "tell the place." "Dig, dig!" He died at this word.

Hardly was the old man carried to the tomb, when there was digging day and night; with mattock, hoe and spade, the vineyard was scratched around and about." Not a clod was left undisturbed; the earth was9 even thrown through the sieve; rakes were dragged this10 way and that1o after every pebble. But no treasure" was discovered, and every one considered himself deceived.

Yet scarcely did the next year appear, when it was perceived with surprise that every vine bore threefold. Not" till then12 did the sons learn wisdom; and now, year in, year out, they dug out more13 and more13 treasure.14

23.

The Emperor as1 Attorney.

An old soldier, who had long served under the Emperor Augustus, and especially had fought for him in the decisive battle of Actium, was involved in a lawsuit3 that threatened to be interminable. When he was to appear before the court-of-justice, he applied on the public street to the emperor, and begged him for assistance. Augustus called one of his retinue, and transferred to him the cause of the defendant. But the old soldier was not content with this,

and cried with a loud voice: "O emperor, when thou ir the battle of Actium wast9 in danger, I sought out no substitute, but fought for thee in my own person." At the same time he bared his scarred breast to point to the wounds he had received for the emperor. The latter was touched at this. Not to appear ungrateful, he went with the defendant before the tribunal, defended him with warmth and zeal, and thereby helped him to his rights.10

24.

Cross Questions.

Frederick the Great paid so much1 attention to his regiments of guards, that he knew personally every one of the soldiers. Whenever he saw a fresh one,3 he used to put the three following questions to him: "1st,5 How old are you? 2d, How long have you been in my service? 3d, Are you satisfied with your pay and treatment?" It happened that a young Frenchman, who did not understand three words of German, enlisted' into the Prussian service, and Frederick, on seeing him, put the usual questions. The soldier had learned the answers, but in the same order as the king generally interrogated.

9

Unfortunately, on1o this occasion Frederick began with the second question: "How long have you been in my service?" "Twenty-one years," replied the Frenchman. "What!" said the king, "how old are you then?" "One year," was the reply. "Upon my word," said Frederick, "you or I must be mad." "Both," replied the soldier, according to what he had been taught. "Well," said the astonished monarch, "this is the first time that I was ever called a madman by one of my guards: what do you mean by it, sir?" The poor fellow, seeing the king enraged, told him, in13 French, that he did not understand a word of German. "Oh! is it so?" said Frederick; "well, learn it as soon as possible, and I have no doubt that you will make a very good soldier."

25.

Female Heroism.

Robert, a gamekeeper, residing' in a solitary house near Weilheim, had one day2 gone to3 church with3 his family, leaving at home a daughter aged sixteen. They had not been long gone, when there appeared at the door an old man, apparently half dead with cold. Feeling for his situation, she let him in and went into the kitchen to prepare him some soup. Through a window, which communicated with the room in which she had left him, she perceived that he had dropped the beard he wore, when he entered, and that he now appeared as a robust man, and was pacing the chamber with a poniard in his11 hand.

Finding12 no mode of escape,13 she armed herself with a chopper in one hand, and the boiling soup in the other; and entering the room where he was, first threw the soup in his15 face, and then struck16 him a blow on his neck with the chopper, which brought him insensible to the ground.

At18 this moment another knock at the door occasioned her to look out of an upper window, when she saw a strange hunter who demanded admittance, and on her refusal threatened to break open the door. She immediately took her father's gun, and as19 he was proceeding to put his threats into execution, she shot him through the right shoulder, on which20 he made21 his way back into the forest. Half an hour afterwards a third person came and asked fter an old man who must22 have passed that way. She said she knew nothing of him; and as he was proceeding to break open the door, having12 by useless threats endeavored to prevail upon her to open it, she shot him dead on the spot.

The incitements to her courage being now at an end, her spirits began to sink, and she fired and screamed from the windows, until some persons were attracted to the house; but nothing could induce her to open the door until the return23 of the family from church.

26.

The Two Merchants.

A Persian merchant, having occasion to travel on business, deposited a hundred-weight of silver with a neighbor. On his return he asked to have it restored to him. "Your silver!" said the other, "alas! I have it no longer: I regret to say that a rat has devoured the whole; I was very angry with my servants, but what could I do? Every one is liable to accidents."

The merchant was astonished at this prodigy; but, nevertheless, pretended to believe it. Some days after, meeting the child of his perfidious neighbor, he carried him to his house, concealed him, and invited the father to dinner. The latter excused himself, and bursting into tears, said: "I beg of you to allow me to decline. Never again shall I know happiness. I had an only son, whom I loved better than my life; alas! how shall I speak it? I have him no longer. He has been stolen from me: have pity on my misfortune."

The merchant replied: "Yesterday evening about dusk, a screech-owl pounced upon your son, and carried him off tolo some ruin." "How can I credit," said the father, "that an owl could ever carry off so large all booty? If necessary, my son could have caught the bird.” “I can't pretend12 to tell you how," replied the other, "excepting that I saw it with my own eyes, and I must observe that I cannot perceive what14 right you have to doubt it when say so (es). What can there be remarkable in a screechowl's carrying off15 a child weighing but fifty pounds, when a rat will devour silver, and a whole hundred-weight too?" The other, comprehending what he meant, gave the merchant his silver, who returned him his hopeful son.

I

A similar discussion happened 16 between two travelers. One of them was of the class which sees nothing but through a magnifying-glass, and finds everything gigantic.