A STORY OF THE MILLER FAMILY.

One day many years ago, a sad little boy was sent from an old farm-house ir Scotland, to drown three little puppies in a pond near by.

The task did not seem to please him. He sat down beside the pond and began to cry. He looked at the helpless little things as they lay in his lap, and then, at the cold water of the pond.

His little heart was full of pity for them.

"No, I cannot put you in the water, dear little doggies!" he said; "I will take you to my mamma."

So he gathered them up in his little kilt, and set out upon a way that led from the farm-house.

He felt quite happy as he left the old farm farther and farther behind him.

He had stayed there for two long years; but he had just now made up his mind to go to his own dear home where mother

was, and never see again the cross old farmer who gave him such a cruel task to do.

On and on he walked, and just at

night he reached the town, where, not far away, he could see his mother's house with the warm light shining out from the open door into the darkness.

The little boy's home was by the sea. His mother was a sailor's widow, for his father had been lost at sea.

The poor mother did not want her little son to grow up to be a sailor, so she had sent him away into the country to learn to be a farmer.

She wanted her boy to live far away from the sea, so that he could not watch the white sails of the ships glide by upon the bright waters; so that he could not hear the waves calling by night, and by day, "Come away, come away!"

There stood the boy at the open door!
How his heart beat!

He gathered his little kilt with the "doggies" up tighter in his hand.

"Will mamma smile, and be glad to see me? Will her eyes grow bright, or sad ?" he said to himself.

With a soft step he went into the

room.

Mother sat sewing by the light of a candle. She looked up quickly.

"My boy! My boy, what brings you here?" she cried, as she dropped her sewing and held out both arms to him.

"The little doggies, mother; I could not drown the little doggies!" said the boy.

I cannot tell you more about the "little doggies," but I dare say the good mother gave them some nice sweet milk, and a warm bed, for that night at least. I hope they grew up to be useful and faithful dogs.

Very small things may change the course of one's life, and the little boy did not go back to the farm, but went to sea, after all.

He was a good sailor, and the master of a ship. He was brave and kindhearted, as the truly brave ever are. He went out upon the ocean many times.

At last, upon a dark night, in a great storm, his ship went down within sight of the shore where his own house stood.

His son, too, when he grew up, went to sea, also, and sad to say, he met the fate of so many that

"Go down to the sea in ships,"

for, one bright morning, he sailed away, and never, never came back.

This is the story of the grandfather, and of the father of Hugh Miller, who was born of a family of seamen.

Hugh became a great man of science. The shells, the sea-weeds, the bright stones upon the shore-these were the beautiful lessons which he studied. They taught him new and wonderful truths.

When he grew older, he visited the high and rocky parts of Scotland. Sometimes he spent weeks in digging deep down into the ground.

For what?

He wanted to know of what the rocks. and the earth were made, how old they were, what animals and plants had once lived there, and many other things.

He found that water, wind, rain, and fire had all done their work in the making