“I’d be willing to hunt one while for them,” said James.

The impression made by that book upon his mind was never effaced. It not only sharpened his appetite yet more for reading, if that were possible, but it set him to inquiring more than ever concerning books which he had never seen.

Some time after this, his cousin, William Boynton, came into possession of a copy of Josephus, and he shared the pleasure of reading it with James. They read it, by the hour together, and they read it separately, too, over and over. When the winter school opened, the boys asked the teacher for the privilege of reading it in the class, for their reading lesson; and the privilege was granted. All winter they read it in school, in addition to the hours they read it out of school. When James was through with that volume, and ready to take up another, he could repeat pages of it.

The following summer two incidents occurred that illustrate the character of James at that time. The first was a proposition from a companion, whose name we do not know, but whom we will call David, to visit a mutual acquaintance in a distant part of the township, on the Sabbath.

“Not on Sunday,” said James.

“Why?”

“Because it is not right.”

“If you and I do nothing worse than that, Jim, we shall be pretty good fellers.”

“We should not be any better, certainly, for doing that.”

“Nor any worse, in my opinion,” rejoined David.

“My mother would not consent to it,” continued James.

“I don’t know whether mine would, and I don’t care; I shan’t ask her,” said David.

“I never should go anywhere against my mother’s advice,” continued James. “I know what she thinks of the Sabbath, and I respect her feelings. I shan’t go on Sunday.”

“And you can’t go on any other day, because you have so much to do,” added David; “so we must give up going at all, for all that I see.”

“Rather than go on Sunday, I shall not go at all,” was James’s emphatic reply. “But it is not certain that we can never go on another day. Wait and see.”

“I guess it will be wait,” answered David, sarcastically, “and keep waiting, and take it out in waiting.”

“Well, I shall wait a good while before I shall go on Sunday,” added James. “If I had no scruples of my own about it, I could take no comfort, feeling that I went against mother’s wishes.”

This emphatic refusal ended the matter. It was a fair illustration of the frank and open way that James had of doing things. There was no artifice about him, no double-dealing or deceitfulness. He would not consent to wrong-doing, even to please his best friend. He never resorted to subterfuges to excuse himself when tempted to do wrong. He spoke right out plainly and bluntly, as if it were the only way to speak. Not that he seemed to have a higher standard of morality than others, but it was his nature to be frank and honest with every one, and he wanted others to be so towards him. Companions always knew just where to find him at all times. They knew that he could not be counted upon for questionable practices at all. He was full of life, and enjoyed a good time as much as any boy in town, ready for a