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88   Juvenile Letters.

children as good an education as her circumstances will afford, she is determined they shall all learn to work.  That, she says, is an essential part of a good education.  To encourage us girls, however, in our labours, she has adopted the following plan.  After we have finished our day's work at the wheel, we all take our knitting, and seat ourselves around the fire; when each one takes her turn in reading some useful lesson to the rest. The books we read are always selected from the library by mamma; and we generally gain, at least, an hour or more, to spend in this way, before bed time.  The story, read last evening, is found in Parke's Travels into the interior parts of Africa.

After being worn down with the fatigue of a long and dangerous journey, of more than a thousand miles, into the heart of a country inhabited by a heathenish people, who had never seen a white man before, Mr. Parke says, "I
"found, to my great mortification, that no 
"person would admit me into his house.  I 
"was regarded with astonishment and fear, and
"was

Juvenile Letters. 89

"was obliged to sit all day without victuals,
"in the shade of a tree; and the night threat-
"ened to be very uncomfortable; for the wind
"rose and there was a great appearance of a 
"heavy rain; and the wild beasts are so very
"numerous in the neighbourhood, that I
"should have been under the necessity of
"climbing up the tree, and resting among the 
"branches. About sunset, however, as I was
"preparing to pass the night in this manner,
"and had turned my horse loose, that he
"might graze at liberty, a woman, returning
"from the labours of the field, stopped to ob-
"serve me; and perceiving I was weary
"and dejected, inquired into my situation,
"which I briefly explained to her; whereup-
"on, which looks of great compassion, she took
"up my saddle and bridle, and told me to fol-
"low her. Having conducted me into her 
"hut, she lighted up a lamp, spread a mat on
"the floor, and told me I might remain there
"for the night. Finding that I was very
"hungry, she said she would procure me some-
"thing to eat. She accordingly went out,
H 2
"and

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-06-05 14:56:51