corn where God means that only one shall grow, you would have your labor for your pains. You can raise no corn in that way. You could raise a plenty of stalks, but mighty little corn. Hens would starve to death in such a corn-field. If you should sow two bushels of wheat where there should be only one bushel, on the Lord's plan, your biscuit would be pretty small next winter."

James laughed at this eccentric way of putting things, and, at the same time, he received some very valuable ideas from the sensible carpenter, who con tinued, very much in the same vein :

"A place for everything, and everything in its place,' is an old adage, and just as true as Genesis. The men who obey this rule are the men who succeed; and the men who never mind it are the ones who go to smash. I've seen that over and over. There's no use trying to run things on the line of disorder and confusion; they'll get upset, sure. No man can amount to much in this world except on system. Remember that, Jimmy, and you will come out all right." "You mean a time to study, and a time to work, and a time to play?" inquired James.

"That's it; only I should cut the time to play pretty short," replied Mr. Treat. "Not much time to play in Ohio, when we have all that we can do to make the ends meet. 'All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy,' they say, and I guess 'tis true. But, look here, have we got this right?" (springing up to examine his work). "I have been so busy talking that I didn't stop to think what I was about. All talking and careless work will make a botch of it."

The work was found all right and in a good state of progress. And now in silence the labor went on for an hour or two, James minding his P's and Q's, and the carpenter keeping an eye on his plan and his work.

We must state the upshot of this barn-building in a word, as space is dwindling away. The barn was completed according to the contract, and without a break from the start. Perhaps James could not have framed a barn without assistance when the building was completed, but he learned a great deal about the carpenter's trade while he worked upon it. Evening after evening he studied over it alone. He drew a plan of his own, and studied it hour after hour, in order to learn how to frame a barn. With the same persistent efforts by which he mastered a problem in arithmetic, he studied his plan of framing a building; and although he did not become master of the art, he, nevertheless, approximated to it. When the barn was completed Mr. Treat paid James fifty cents a day, amounting to nearly twenty dollars, saying,

"You've earned it, every cent of it, James.'

During the previous winter, James made great progress in his studies, by improving the long evenings. He had learned about all he could learn in the district school, although he continued to go in the winter time. In some things he was more advanced than his teacher, and often put questions which the teacher could not answer. He mastered Adams' Arithmetic during the winter. Lying flat on the floor, that the light of the fire might shine on his book, he studied arithmetic every evening for weeks, until he had learned all there was to learn in it, and

he was really more competent to teach that science than the man who presided over the district school. The scholars said that James actually performed a problem, one day, that had proved too much for their teacher, much to the mortification of the latter.

"I think the answer in the book must be wrong," remarked the teacher, after an ineffectual attempt to solve the problem for a class. "You may try it, Henry, and when you are through, bring me the slate."

Henry Boynton was good in arithmetic, but he could not bring an answer like that in the book, though it differed from the teacher's answer.

"I can't do it," said Henry. "My answer is not like that in the book."

"Bring your slate to me," said the teacher.

Henry carried his slate to the teacher, who examined his work without pointing out an error, but added, "The answer in the book must be wrong."

Here James interrupted by saying, —

"I did it once."

"And did you get the same answer as the book?" "Yes, sir, I think so."

"Let me see you do it, and then bring your slate to me."

James went to work in his earnest way, and solved the problem very readily.

"I've done it," said James, carrying his slate to the teacher.

The latter closely examined his solution of the problem, and found it to be correct, agreeing exactly with the text-book.

"It is true, James, you have performed it," said the teacher, with evident mortification, which the larger scholars enjoyed. It was fun for them to have James beat the master. They had an exalted opinion of James' abilities, and now he became their oracle. A boy who was a match for the master was a prodigy in their view. They looked up to him with a kind of reverence, though he was their companion.

We must not forget to mention one book that he read during that winter, "Robinson Crusoe." We know not how it came into his hands, but he obtained it in some way, and read it twice through. Flat on his face before the blazing fire, he read the volume hour after hour, and wondered over it. He was very fond of reading about adventures; but this book surpassed anything of the kind he had ever read.

"I wish this book belonged to me," he said to his mother, one day.

"If you read it much more, its contents will belong to you," his mother replied.

"I wish I owned it, then," added James.

"I wish you did, too," responded his mother. "What is there about it that interests you so much, my son?"

"I never

"It's splendid," was James' answer. read such an interesting book. I could read it ten times over, and not get tired of it. I wonder if there are any more books like it."

"I suppose there are, if we knew where to find them," Mrs. Garfield answered.

"I'd be willing to hunt one while for them," said James.

The impression made by that book upon his mind was never effaced. It not only sharpened his appetite yet more for reading, if that were possible, but it set him to inquiring more than ever concerning books which he had never seen.

Some time after this, his cousin, William Boynton, came into possession of a copy of Josephus, and he shared the pleasure of reading it with James. They read it, by the hour, together, and they read it separately, too, over and over. When the winter school opened, the boys asked the teacher for the privilege of reading it in the class, for their reading lesson; and the privilege was granted. All winter they read it in school, in addition to the hours they read it out of school. When James was through with that volume, and ready to take up another, he could repeat pages of it.

The following summer two incidents occurred that illustrate the character of James at that time. The first was a proposition from a companion, whose name we do not know, but whom we will call David, to visit a mutual acquaintance in a distant part of the township, on the Sabbath.

"Not on Sunday," said James.

"Why?"

"Because it is not right."

If you and I do nothing worse than that, Jim, we shall be pretty good fellows."

"We should not be any better, certainly, for doing that."

"Nor any worse, in my opinion," rejoined David. "My mother would not consent to it," continued James.