There are many other cases which illustrate this “truth to the letter and lie to the sense.” Some years since, during the laws against travelling on the Sabbath, a man was riding on horseback near Worcester, in Massachusetts. It chanced to be of a Sunday morning, and the traveller was soon stopped by a tythingman, who demanded his reason for riding on the Lord’s day, and thus violating the law. “My father lies dead in Sutton,” said the other, “and I hope you will not detain me.” “Certainly not,” said the tythingman, “under these circumstances;” and accordingly he allowed the man to proceed. About two days after, the traveller was returning, and happened to meet the tythingman in the road. The two persons recognised each other, and accordingly the following conversation ensued: “You passed here on Sunday morning, I think, sir,” said the tythingman. “Yes, sir,” said the traveller. “And you told me you were going to your father’s funeral--pray when did he die?” “I did not say I was going to my father’s funeral--I said he lay dead in Sutton, and so he did; but he has been dead for fifteen years.” Thus you perceive that while the words of the traveller were literally true, they conveyed an intentional falsehood to the tythingman, and therefore the traveller was guilty of deception. I know that people sometimes think these tricks very witty, but they are very wicked. Truth would be of no value, if it might be used for the purposes of deception; it is because truth forbids all deception, and requires open dealing, that it is so much prized. It is always a poor bargain to give away truth for the sake of a momentary advantage, or for the purpose of playing off an ingenious trick. To barter truth for fun or mischief is giving away gold for dross. Every time a person tells a lie, or practises a deception, he inflicts an injury upon his mind, not visible to the eye of man, but as plain to the eye of God as a scar upon the flesh. By repeated falsehoods, a person may scar over his whole soul, so as to make it offensive in the sight of that Being, whose love and favor we should seek, for his friendship is the greatest of all blessings. [Illustration: child reading] Varieties. A CHILD’S AFFECTION FOR A KITTEN.--A short time since, a little girl, daughter of Mr. Alexander Rice, lost her life through her affection for a kitten. She had followed a small boy to the river, weeping bitterly because he was about to drown a kitten for which she had formed a strong attachment; and no sooner was it tossed into the water, than the agonized child took off its shoes, and, raising its clothes, walked into the river with a firm and determined step, towards the object of her affection; but, before reaching it, she suddenly sank into deep water, and her gentle spirit returned to the God who gave it. * * * * *