babyhood to youth; all looking somewhat like him and also like the
fair young woman. But the brand rolled over, and they all vanished in a
little puff of smoke.

Aunt Kindly sat at the table reading the Bible. I don't know why she
read the Gospels, for she knew them all four by heart, and could repeat
them from end to end. But Sunday night, when none of the neighbors were
there, and she and Nathan were all alone, she took her mother's great
squared Bible and read therein. This night she had been reading,
in chapter xxxi. of Proverbs, the character of a noble woman; and,
finishing the account, turned and read the 28th verse a second time,--


_"Her children rise up and call her blessed."_


I do not know why she read _that_ verse, nor what she thought of it; but
she repeated it to herself three or four times,--


_"Her children rise up and call her blessed."_


As she was taking up the venerable old volume to lay it away for the
night, it opened by accident at Luke xiv., and her eye fell on verses
12, 13--


_"But when thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends not
thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbor, lest they also