A Devoted Wife

In ray fathera ponltry-yard -rns 9 game-cock, the most beauti'ful bird of the kind I ever saw. He had sevcnU' wives, and it was a curious tliing to seo the different airs and tüccs of the uu. He was an invotter, ifhe could cscsipo i'roin the_ yird, which was surrounded by a high w-ill. By samo menu an íiccíliad happened to bis t'oot, and lie becape lame. My brothor, who was a medical student, ádvised us to poultice it. Miuiim undertaking this,Ralph önme every moniin? to Irivo bis dressed, an 1, though evidently suflbring very niuch, allowed lier to attend to it. But no iraprovemenl came, and tho bird bogun tu droop. Onedaywe hcard a loncl noiscra iU8 gáme-cock liad come hito t'.ic yard wtacu tiio gate w:is lei't open, at-tackod Ralph, and had baaien iiiin sovorcly. 11 y-:is sorely injnrcd, ;h ho had defended himself n;ll.M imim pickcd hira up aifd oaprkst] him awav, but next morninï ho ■vrai out m the yard warming himself in tha 6im. I was very glftü I was thcre to see what I theu saw, or I could not havo balicved it. Ralph had b-jon' q! He waa no louter to be hon-ored by hls faitkless wives. Tlioy one by ono, nnd tlion alto'-ir, lookius v.'Hh al] tha contempt ■■ klI.I il!-[)liy. Oueaud aiutlu;i"' I at hini, an.l at last t!ia prettie-ií' and his favorito, went str.iiht up to hun and gave lum u sovctu dab ïicar tlio eyc. But thtn-e was ono faithñil frimd anuiM' tljom, in awkward, tm#tlÍMg brown hen, wn.h no proocnsi-ötos t'a beauty, who flow to Jiis rescuo, stootf ïv lutcly boxura tlio prustrate bir 1,- i had suiik to tlie groun;l as it heart broten, - and sheltercd liim with har wiiijb. it w is usoloss to io.iveium ni tlio poukry-yard, so lie and liis f.iithi'ul browu lieu wc.ro plaocd m tho g'Uivleu, tlio tool-liouse beuy Icx't opaW ibr thom thi'oud tho m Ju. 8omo . ' ilph grew "vvi'iikciv till one moniinj' wo loitnJ him doad. A grave was dug, and lus faichïul wuh ihu placed ai ín, Blio wns takcif buk to tae yard, bal, slie uovcr raliiod; ;m.l a few d lys ai'tei' we saw her lyiuj c ld au 1 tii'tiloss on tlie K;it wliore the iïieüd ui iiergeuerousheart lay buried Chnr'os Dyc, employod ín :i Cin'iii11 1 í i stove fouuclry, whiíe ou au olovn tor in the warcrooms ai tho Iburt.l fljor, saw the belt brca-k and folt (lic .ui-, on which wero six skivox, start downward Hko ii flash. lint Charles was ulso quick aïid eooi. As e 8ÍK)t by the door ou Üiff Ihird floor, he mide n darl and lamlct on the iliird floor stifciy I ust aboul tl ie same time that the o'Ievator mut gtoves i-eached the cellar with s crash tUat shiittoi-i d both atovtM aad etevatw.