SOBER JOHN. 57

For instance, one night all his cousins were
at his father’s house, to spend the evening
together in play. He staid with them a
short time after tea, and then went off to his |
room. By and by they had played every
thing they could think of, and so they sent
two of his cousins up to his room, to ask
him what they should do next. He told
them to go and get all the lamps in the
house, and light them, and give each boy
and girl one, and then let them walk about
the room, and each one try to blow the others’
lamps out, and to see who could keep his
Jamp burning the longest ; — only every one
must go and sit down as soon as his own
lamp was blown out. They went and got
the lamps, and tried it, and found it excellent
fun. They afterwards asked John what
made him think of that play, and he said he
found an account of it in a book of travels
in Italy. In fact, he had all sorts of ways
of helping them in their plays. He made
their kite frames, and told them how to rig
their ships, and covered their balls, and
drew little pictures for them, and did a
thousand things ; and so they liked him very
well, although they did call him Sober John.