think these thanks are caught up, and the sunbeams bring the silent,

hidden thankfulness over the head of the benefactor; and if it be a

whole people that has been expressing its gratitude through a long

lapse of time, the thankfulness appears as a nosegay of flowers, and

at length falls in the form of a shooting star over the good man's

grave. I am always very much pleased when I see a shooting star,

especially in the New Year's night, and then find out for whom the

gift of gratitude was intended. Lately a gleaming star fell in the