A True Story--for Boys

Únele Samuel had a great estáte on the sea-sliore, and liis steward's name was Salmón. .Now, Salmón waS a philsopher. The ocean diil not respect Uucle Samuel nor Lis lands as it ought, soinetimes it threatened to deluge him. Ho had, therefore, niany yeslfe beforo he liired Salmón, built a solid tower, hard and bright, on a firm rock, deep in the sea, and had marked the tower with care, so thut he could see from afar the height of the waters, and could protect bimaelf and bis lands, if they threatened to overflow. Now soraetime after Salmón carne to the estáte, the waters beoame more threateniug than ever before. Eaoh floodtido rose higher towards the top of the tower than its predecessor. Wise men, the great geologists,with oueaccord: affinned that the estáte was really siuking, no! the waters i'ising, and that ray únele ought to be advised by Salmón to tahe up entircly new grounds. But Salmon, the philosopher, knew better: Had he not determioed that the waters should fall ? And they would fall speedily. öo Salmón, in a loud voice, heared throughout the estáte, comraanded the waters to fall. The sea continued to rise, and Salmón himself was in great danger. He.therefore, with the udvice of all his wise men, devised a wonderful plan to keep the waters down. He removed the tower which had stood on the rock, bright and yellovv and hard, and built him a huge tower of paper, vvhich he causud to float on the waters, and commauded all men on the eslate, when they desired to know the height of the waters, to look at his paper tower. " The height of the waters can only bo measured on the sido of this tower," said ho, " and let no mau dare to tliink there is danger to the estate until tho waters rie to its top." The paper tower danced like a cork on the wuves - now down in the depths, and tbeu in thesky; and the men wondered how to rneasure the height of tides, and whether they might ever be able to measure them again. Soruo of them maliciouslv and. wickedly attempted to measure the heiglit of the advancing waters by the siuking bilis and the land as it was lott. But these abominable men were quickly beaten and driven from the estáte. And the paper tower danced oo. Salmón adhered to his principies the m"re firmly as the ground disappoarcd ; and soon there was nothing left of the estáte but the barren hill top, where the men congregated in desolation, and determined to kill Salmón if the waters did Dot fall immediately. The paper tower had danced so long and so violently that it was saturated with water and was rapidly settling down towards the waves. So, at last, Salmón conseuted to take the men away in their one boat, and strive to find some new grouad. And away they went as the top of the paper tower went down. But whether or not Salmón and bis men escaped in safety, or what becamc of Únele Samuel himself in all this trouble is not yet known.-