Nettie The Nailer

"Come, Charlie, I want you to drive a few nails in the shed for me," satd ííettie to her brother the other day. Charlie was splitting wood at tlie time, and the father overhearing the request of his daughter, said : "Why not drive them yourself ?" "Jiecause I can't," she replied. "Why, McCarthy says there's no suoh word in the book. Come here and I'll sliow you how to drive the nail." With hammer in one hand and nails in the other he went into the shed, drove a few into the door, and then gave the remainder to Nettie. She found it an easy thing to drive the nails, and feit quite proud of ber achievement in the mechanical art. She having eompleted the work, the father said: "Now, my girl, that lesson makes you independent. Some of these days I'll teach you how to drive a horse, sharpen a knife, and wlmtle, too, without cutting your flngers. Don't you let the doors creak on their hinges for the want of an oiled feather; or the little children's shoes get hard in the Winter time for want of a little grease. "And as for you, boy," said his fatlier, turatng to Charlie and his little sevenyear-old brother. "you ought to learn iov to make a bed, sweep a room, or sew on a button. A little cooking will ïiv rnother told me when I was a boy that I could beat any boy making a pot of coffee. There is no telling what your lot may be, or where you will be cast sorne time during your life. The most helpless people I have met with were those who could do only one kind of work. All you boys and girls sliould learn some one thing very well md make that your dependence for a iving, and add to it as much skill as you can; for it costs nothing to carry knowledge, and it enables you to pave your way to independence.