THE LITTLE ARTIST.

CHILDREN are so apt to imitate what they see their parents do, that no one is surprised when the son of a painter takes his father's tools and tries his hand at making pictures. But some attempt this who have not genius or perseverance to accomplish any thing. This was not the case however with little Lewis Smith. From his early infancy he loved to look at pictures, and when he began to run about the floor, he would steal into his father's painting-room, and there sit for half an hour at a time looking at the work that was going on. When he became a little larger, he was allowed to stand by a chair and turn over the great volumes of engravings. At an age when many children do not know a lead-pencil from a skewer, he would draw little figures on visiting-cards. They were rude enough, but they showed uncommon talent and observation for one of his years.

Little Lewis was sometimes quite troublesome in practising his art; so that his teacher had to reprove him for making houses and horses in his copy-book,

and for ornamenting the desks and stove with chalk-drawings. But this was not long necessary, and his father soon perceived in him such a turn for these things that he began to give him directions, and even showed some of his little performances to his friends. He allowed Lewis to practise as much as he pleased upon a large black board, set up on the easel, and told him to draw large circles and ovals, and the like, in order to get what is called freedom of the hand. Lewis was a motherless child, but his aunts used to make him large books out of gray cartridge-paper, and his little sister Sally stitched them for him, which was about as much sewing as her small fingers could effect. In these he would draw with a bit of crayon; and when this wore out, he made a very good sort of pencils out of little willow-sticks, burnt in a close vessel. He found that he could cut these sharp, like a crayon, and the fact is worthy of being remembered by all young draughtsmen. When he was eight years old, his teacher presented him with a box of drawing instruments, together with a drawing-board, two ebony rules, and a steel portcrayon.

Thus did Lewis Smith go on from month to month, spending much of his play-time in this delightful occupation, and gratifying his friends with

the little productions of his own hand. But while he was thus happy, he was threatened with a great and unexpected affliction. His dear father had never been a very healthy man, and sitting so constantly at his work had made him still more feeble. At length he was seized with a disorder of the eyes, which increased for many months, until one day the physician told him, that unless he gave up painting, he would be in danger of losing his sight. This was a dreadful blow to Mr. Smith, for he had nothing in the world to depend upon except his daily labour as a portrait painter, and the tears came into his eyes when he thought of his little boy and girl, who needed his assistance the more because they had been bereft of their mother. But he endeavoured to cast his care on the Lord, and to submit to his wise and holy Providence; and no day passed in which he did not earnestly pray to God for a blessing on his little ones. He turned to the Bible, and was much strengthened by such promises as these:

The needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. Ps. ix. 18. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing; thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. Ps. xli. 3. In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence; and his children shall

have a place of refuge. Prov. xiv. 26. I have been young and now am old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Ps. xxxvii. 25. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. Ps. xxxiv. 19. Besides these he read a multitude of other passages, which that blessed book contains.

Both the children were truly dutiful and affectionate, and were grieved to see their father thus afflicted. He could no longer go abroad, except in a carriage; he was unable to paint, or even to read. Lewis was old enough to understand this fully, and though his father said nothing to him about it, the son could perceive that his father's mind was dejected and that his affairs were going wrong. Their style of living was much reduced, and their daily fare became as plain and scanty as possible. The horse and carriage in which he often drove them out were sold, and the front-rooms of the house were let out to lodgers. Much of the furniture was carried away, the children did not know where, and the little library in the back parlour was sent to an auction-room. The old watch and their mother's piano, on which Sally expected to practise, disappeared in like manner; bills came in every day which could not be paid, and strange