154

THE YOUTH’S CABINET.

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the house. Surprise had kept them
_ silent while in the presence of so much
splendor; but as soon as they were
again on the side-walk, they began com-
menting on what they had seen.

“Did you notice,” said Caroline to her

sister, “that every suite of chambers
had a bath-room attached, and there
were a set of bell tassels to each, with
written labels underneath; so that by
pulling a particular one, the bell would
tell what was wanted, and it might be
brought at once, without the necessity
of a servant coming to inquire, and then
having to return for it 2”

“ Yes,” said Emily ; “ but what tee
ed me most was the arrangements for
heating, by furnaces in the cellar, and
hot air pipes opening into every room by
regulators, by moving the slides of
which you could make the room as
warm or as cool as you chose, without
any of the dust or annoyance we have
with our stoves and grates.”

“How I wish we had just such a
house!” said Caroline; “I should then
be perfectly happy.”

Their father, who had been listening

for some time in silence, said, “* Would
not your admiration of such a house be
much increased, if you saw it at first com-
pressed into less than a solid inch, and
then gradually expanding until it had
attained its present size; the furniture,
too, expanding with the rooms, in exact
proportion as they increased ?”
“That would be impossible,”
Caroline ;
house.”
“That is very true; no human archi-
tect could accomplish it. But God is
continually performing such wonders in

said
‘no man could form such a

every plant and animal on the earth;

ject:

 

and his structures are infinitely more per-
fect than man can make. The seeds
you carry have each a living inhabitant,
that builds itself a palace of wonderful
beauty and convenience.”

“T have always loved my flowers,”
said Emily, “ but never viewed them in
that light before.”

«Then you have not derived from
them one half the enjoyment it was pos-
sible for you to receive; but as we are
at home now, and I have other things to
attend to, I will wait until evening to
tell you more about them.”

The sisters did not think of contrasting
their plain, although comfortable home
with the place they had first visited ; on
the contrary, they were considering how
little the latter could vie with a self-ex-_
panding box, or even a seed. With
greater interest than ever before, the
flower-beds were prepared for planting.
When this was finished, they attended
to their usual occupation, and although
pleasantly employed, wished impatiently

for evening.

Directly after tea, Caroline’s curiosity
prompted her at once to open the sub-
“Papa,” she said, “how is it
known that each seed contains a living
inhabitant?”

“One proof among many others may
be afforded, by placing two seeds, one
of which has had an electric spark pass-
ed through it, to destroy its vitality, in a
warm, moist corner of the garden. The
dead seed soon decays, while the other,
exposed to the same influences, is roused
to action, and soon becomes a vigorous
plant, bearing beautiful flowers.”

“ How does it do that?” asked Caro-
line.

“The little seed, as soon as it is stim-