THE BANTAM. 27

great pleasure to the old and lonely to be remembered by
the young and happy.
 One day Willie's mother gave him a large cooky. Willie
was not hungry, but he began eating, and ate on just be-
cause it tasted good. A foolish reason for eating, is it
not ? When he had eaten half the cake his father came
in with a basket of early lettuces, and asked Will if he
would carry them up to Mrs. Bemis.
 "Oh yes, father," answered Willie; "and, mother, I
will carry her this half of my cooky; and that," he added,
tossing up his head and feeling very grand and generous,
" will be following the rule-' doing as Iwould be done by.'
Won't it, mother ?"
 Yes, my dear boy; but it is very easy for you to follow
it now, and give away what you do not want. But, Willie,
I hope you will obey it when there is something which
you ought to do for others and do not like to do."
 Oh yes, mother, I will," replied William, feeling quite
sure he should always be as good as he ought to be. Willie
had forgotten, perhaps he never knew, that it is sometimes
very difficult to do the thing we ought; but the harder
it is, the better we feel when it is done.
 Well, up Willie went to Mrs. Bemis. She was very
glad to get the lettuces; they were the first she had seen
that summer; and she was very much pleased with Willie's
present of the half cooky, and she kissed him, and thanked
him, and told him she had been looking out for him.
Willie could not think why she had looked out for him,
and he asked her why.
 I will tell you, Willie. You know my little bantams?"
 "Oh yes, ma'am. They are the prettiest bantams in
the world."
 In the world, Willie Iow many places in the world
did you ever hear of ?"
 Willie named the principal places he knew, and then
asked, Is not that all the world ? "
 Mrs. Bemis laughed. She did not say that was all the
world; but she said she was quite satisfied if her bantams
were the prettiest in all the world that Willie knew.