of the house and seemed to eye Louisa wishful. ly, as if they would have said, "Hast thou any thing more to give us?" Louisa understood the language. She flew to the barn to seek more grain.

11. In crossing the way, she met a little boy who had not a heart so compassionate as hers. He was carrying in his hand a cage full of birds, and was shaking it so carelessly that the poor little creatures were thrown with their heads every moment against the wires.

"What

12. This sight gave Louisa pain. are you going to do with those birds?" said she to the little boy. "I do not know," answered he. "I am trying to sell them, and if nobody will buy them, I will feast my cat upon them at home."

13. "Your cat ?" replied Louisa: " your cat? Oh! what an ill-natured boy." "As to that they would not be the first that she has munched

alive," said he. So dangling his cage as before,. he was setting off, at a great pace, when Louisa called him back, and asked him how much he would have for his birds.

14. "I will sell them, said he, for six cents, and there are ten of them!" Well, then, said Louisa, they are mine. So bidding the little boy follow her, she ran to her papa, and asked his permission to purchase those birds. Her father granted it with pleasure, and even gave his daughter an empty room for the reception of her little guests.

15. Jack (for that was the name of the illnatured boy,) went away very well satisfied with

his bargain, and told all his companions that he know a little miss, who would buy birds.

16. In a few hours, there came so many little boys to Louisa's door, that one would have thought it the entrance to a market. They all crowded around her, climbing upon each other, and holding up their cages with both hands, each hoping to obtain the preference for his birds.

17. Louisa bought all that were brought before her, and had them carried into a chamber, where the first were. Night came. It was a

long time since Louisa had gone to bed so well pleased in her mind. Am not I happy, said she, to herself, being able to save the lives of so many innocent creatures, and to give them food?

18. When summer comes, I will go into the fields and groves, and all my little guests will sing their sweetest songs to thank me, for the care that I have taken of them. With this reflection she went to sleep, and dreamed that she was in a grove of finest verdure, which was full of birds chirping as they fluttered from bough to bough, engaged in feeding their young ones.

19. The happy Louisa smiled in her sleep. She rose very early to go and feed her little friends, in the aviary, and in the yard; but she was not so happy as she had been the day before. She knew how much money she had put into her purse and that there could not remain much of it, by this time.

20. If this snowy weather should last some days longer, said she, what will become of the other birds? The wicked little boys will give them alive, as they are, to their cats! and for the want

of a small sum of money, I shall not be able to redeem them.

21. Full of these sorrowful ideas, she draws out her purse slowly, in order to count her little treasure once more; but how great was her astonishment to find her purse heavy! She opens it and finds it full of every sort of money, up to the very strings.

22. She runs immediately to her father and relates the incident to him, with transports of pleasure and surprise. Her father took her to his bosom, kissed her, and shed tears of joy up, on the cheeks of Louisa.

23. My dear child, said he, thou hast never made me so happy, as in this moment. Continue to relieve the little creatures that thou Ishalt see in distress, and in proportion as thy purse diminisheth, thou shalt find it filled again.

24. What joyful news for Louisa! She ran immediately to her aviary, with her apron full of hemp seed and corn. All the birds came

fluttering about her, and looked with eager eyes for their breakfast. After feeding them, she went down to the yard, and bestowed a plentiful meal upon the famished birds that were there. She saw herself now engaged in the support of almost an hundred dependants.

25. This afforded her such a pleasure! her dolls and play things had never given her half so much. In the afternoon, as she was putting her hand into a bag of hemp seed, she found a note with these words: The inhabitants of the air fly towards thee, O Lord! and thou giv

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est them food; Thou openest thy hand, and fill. est all things living with plenteousness.'

26. She turned to her father, who had fol lowed her, and said, Am I therefore now like the Almighty Parent? The inhabitants of the air fly towards me, and when I open my hand I fill them with plenty.

27. Yes, my dear, said her father, every time thou dost good to any creature, thou art like God. When grown up, thou shalt assist thy fellow creatures as thou now dost the birds, and thou shalt then resemble thy Creator much more. Ah, what a happiness for a mortal to be able to act thus.

28. During a week Louisa continued to ex tend her bounty, and feed every thing that was hungry about her. At length the snow melted, and the fields resumed their verdure, and the birds, which had before not dared to quit the neighbourhood of the houses, now turned their flight towards the grove.

29. But those that had been put in the chamber, remained there confined; they saw the sun, flew up against the window, and pecked at the glass, but in vain; their prison was to strong for them.

30. Louisa could not as yet imagine wha made them so uneasy. One day, as she wa carrying them their food, her father entered few moments after her. She was very happ to see that he was desirous of being witness t her pleasure.

31. My dear Louisa, said he, why do thes birds appears so uneasy? I should imagine the

they wanted something. May not they, perhaps, have left in the fields companions, whom they would be glad to see again? You are certainly right, papa; they have appeared to be dull ever since the return of the fine weather. I will go and open the window, and let them fly away.

32. I think thou wouldst not do amiss, replied her father. Thou wilt diffuse joy through the whole country. These little prisoners will go to find their friends once more, and will fly to meet them as thou dost to meet me, when 1 have been absent some time from home.

33. Before he had finished speaking, the windows were all thrown up; the birds perceived it, and in two minutes, there did not remain a single one of them in the room. Some were seen to skim along the ground; others to soar up into the air; some to perch upon the neighbouring trees; and others to fly backwards and forwards before the windows, with chirpings of joy.

34. Louisa went every day to walk in the fields. She saw and heard numbers of birds, on every side. At one time, a lark would raise up before her feet, and sing its sprightly strain, while it mounted to the clouds. At another time, a linnet perched upon the highest branches of a tree chirped forth its song.

35. And whenever she observed any one distinguish itself, by the sweetness of its music, Louisa would say, There is one of my little guests; one may know by its voice, that it was well fed, last winter.