A CORRESPONDENT informs us of an interesting incident constantly witnessed at the West-end. A gentleman, who takes deep interest in preventing cruelty to the dumb, has a noble horse, with which he drives into town in the morning. On arriving at his door, the servant makes his appearance, with a slice of bread in his hand, which, on being handed to his master, is soon transferred to the mouth of the beautiful horse The noble creature seems to have as much affec

tion for his master as he has for it. It is very amusing to see the horse, as regularly as clockwork, stretching out his head for the slice of bread, and on receiving it walking off most willingly to the stable. It would evidently be no slight punishment were he sent off to his quarters without this usual token of his master's affectionate regard. Little acts of kindness like this are not lost upon the brute creation. If all the owners of horses would act on this principle there would be little need for severity. This is often very unmercifully shown to some of the noblest works of God.

The horse is a beautiful creature. He deserves to be well governed and well fed, for he is one of the most valuable servants God has given to man. If my little reader should ever become the owner of a pony, it will, I hope, do credit to its possessor. -A Mother's Lessons on Kindness to Animals.

THE CLEAN APRON.

A LADY wanted a trusty little girl to come and help her take care of baby. Nobody could recommend her one, and she hardly knew where to look for the right kind of child. One day she went through a bylane, and met a little girl with a clean apron on. She went again and saw the same clean apron. She went a third time, and saw the same little girl with her clean apron, holding a baby at the door. "That is the child for me," said the lady. She stopped and asked for her mother. "Mother has gone out to work," she answered, modestly; "father is dead, and now mother has to do everything.' "Should you not like to come and live with me ?'' asked the lady. "I should like to help mother some way," said the child.

The lady, more pleased than ever with the tidy

looks of the little girl, went to see her mother when she was at home; and the end of it was, the lady took the child to live with her; and she found, what indeed she expected to find, that the neat appearance of her person showed the neat and orderly bent of her mind. She had no careless habits; she was no friend to dirt; but everything she had to do with was folded up and put away, and kept carefully. The lady takes great comfort in her, and helps the poor mother, whose lot is not now so hard as it was, She smiles when she says, Sally's recommendation was her clean apron; and who will not say it was a good one ?"

OR, RECOLLECTIONS OF A DEAR SISTER, WHO FELL ASLEEP IN JESUS, APRIL 8TH, 1843.

DEAR SIR,-If you think the account I have enclosed of little Martha fit for the pages of the LITTLE GLEANER, perhaps when you have room, you will insert it. It seems to me a pity the goodness of God in the merciful conversion of so young a child should be buried in oblivion, I believe much more could have been said concerning her, but as I was only nine years old at the time of her death, I cannot remember all. What I have written I distinctly remember; but as I am the only one of the family left, I have no one to help me in remembering more. The rest have joined her, I trust (nay, I believe), in the mansions above. What a mercy, father, mother, sister, and brother, all in heaven; and, a greater mercy still, that I have a hope that I shall one day join them in singing praises to God and the Lamb. I do indeed feel with the poet

"Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be !"

THE LITTLE GLEANER.

181

May the Lord encourage you in your labours for the good of the young, and bless you both as preacher of the Gospel and editor of the GLEANER and other works, and strengthen your body and refresh your soul with the visits of His grace is the desire of one who loves the Lord and His children. E. B.

LITTLE Martha was born at D—, in Wiltshire ; her parents were both members of the Church of Christ, and though they knew it was not in their power to give their children grace, yet, both by their example and precept, they sought to bring them up in that way that was right in the sight of God. Little Martha was the youngest of three; at the time of which I write she was between six and seven years old, a merry dark-eyed little thing, yet thoughtful for her parent's comfort, far beyond her years. She was one day with her companions talking about her doll, and, as children are frequently tempted to boast what very pretty toys they have, she said she had what she really did not possess. When her parents knew she had been saying what was not true, they were very much grieved, and talked very seriously to her about the sin of lying. Her mother told her God would be sure to punish sin; her father told her of God's striking Ananias and Sapphira dead for lying; and she was kept in the house, as a punishment, to learn part of the fifth chapter of the Acts, containing the account of God's judgments on Ananias and Sapphira, while her brother and sister were playing in the garden; and I think it made a deep impression on her for good. Not very long after this, one evening, as she stood by her father's side repeating her usual evening hymn, it was the one commencing,

"Prepare me, gracious God,

To stand before Thy face;"

when she had finished, she repeated another her parents were not familiar with; it was the following,

"Through the day Thy love has spared us,
Wearied we lie down to rest;
Through the silent watches guard us,

Let no foe our peace molest.
Jesus, Thou our Guardian be,
Sweet it is to trust in Thee.

Pilgrims here on earth and strangers,
Dwelling in the midst of foes;
Us and ours preserve from dangers,
In Thy arms may we repose.
And when life's sad day is past,

Rest with Thee in Heaven at last."

Her father asked her if she learnt it at school, she said, "No, from a little book," which she immediately fetched and showed to her father. She appeared at that time remarkably well and lively, but during the night was taken very ill with scarlet fever, which was at that time raging in the town; she grew rapidly worse, and there seemed no hope of her recovery. Her sufferings were very great, and she did not take any food from the time she was taken ill until she died, which was a month all but one day. Her distress of soul was very great; she said she was afraid she should die and go to hell, for she had been such a wicked child, and told so many stories; she frequently asked her father to pray for her. Her bodily sufferings were very great; the fever produced three wounds, one on each side of her neck, and one in her throat. She would sometimes groan and fetch heavy sighs; her mother would ask her where the pain was, if it was in her head or throat; she