say No," "Knowledge is power," "Education is the chief defense of
nations."

But none of these things made Tillie's genius to burn, and again
her eyes wandered to the window and gazed out into the blue sky;
and after a few moments she suddenly turned to her desk and
rapidly wrote down her "subject"--"Evening."

The mountain of the opening sentence being crossed, the rest went
smoothly enough, for Tillie wrote it from her heart.

"EVENING.

"I love to take my little sisters and brothers and go out, still,
on a hill-top when the sun is setting so red in the West, and the
birds are singing around us, and the cows are coming home to be
milked, and the men are returning from their day's work.

"I would love to play in the evening if I had the dare, when the
children are gay and everything around me is happy.

"I love to see the flowers closing their buds when the shades of
evening are come. The thought has come to me, still, that I hope
the closing of my life may come as quiet and peaceful as the
closing of the flowers in the evening.

"MATILDA MARIA GETZ."

Miss Margaret was just calling for Absalom's synonyms when Tillie
carried her composition to the desk, and Absalom was replying with