of the anxious night after the contest when the crews were expecting the dreaded Virginia to return with the morning. But shortly afterward a messenger of deliverance appeared in the shape of a little black craft that looked more like a cheese-box on a raft,' than anything else. It was Ericsson's Monitor, and was welcomed by our sailors with shouts of thanksgiving. She had but lately reached Fortress Monroe, on her trial trip; but hearing there of the disaster to our fleet, she hastened onward to the rescue. When the great Virginia, huge and dark, like an alligator, came slowly down to rend our ships in twain, our little boat ran between the monster and her prey, and defied her with a discharge from the guns. Then took place the strangest naval fight, I think, that was ever seen. 'Never before was anything like it dreamed of,' said one of the sea captains who beheld it. As the ponderous balls struck her, the Monitor spun round like a top; but so snugly was she wrapped in her iron cloak that neither they nor the

blows of the ram could do her harm. The attack of the Merrimac proving of no effect whatever, she finally withdrew, leaking and partially disabled, to the mouth of the river. The Monitor lies in wait for her, near by. Meanwhile, we hear nothing of the intended exploits of the famous Southern Alligator. It has been vanquished by our Yankee Turtle."

"Wasn't it strange, though," said Roger, that she should come out just in time to fight the rebel ram? I should think that round part," he added, pointing to the picture, "the cheese-box,' as you called it, might break or crack if a heavy shot struck it."

"No," said Mr. Warren. "That's the revolving turret, and the heaviest broadside of the Virginia failed to injure it. We owe this invention to a young New Yorker, named Theodore Timbey. He made the design and obtained a patent for it some years ago; Captain Ericsson added some improvements of his own, when he applied

it to his Monitor, and now it carries the heaviest guns ever used on a vessel."

"I must have something about this wonderful sea-fight for my scrap book," said Frank; and soon after he was diligently searching through the papers and magaAmong them he

zines for accounts of it.

found these stories:

"When the venerable Commodore Smith, father of the Commander of the Congress, learned of the surrender of the frigate, he simply said, 'My son is dead ;' for he knew that he would never have consented to give it up. He would have chosen rather to go down with the vessel. He was right. The Flag was not struck till after the Commodore had fallen. The vessel was totally destroyed by fire on the same day."

"On board the Cumberland, when all hope of saving the ship was gone, Lieutenant Morris bade a little negro boy take his sword; "For," said he, "I must work with my men, till the last.' The boy kept his trust with all care, and when, after the wreck, a boatload of rescued men paused to search for their comrades, they found the boy 'fathoms deep in the sea-still grasping his master's sword.' He would suffer none to take it from his hands till the Commander himself came and received it. The poor black boy had discovered in some undefined way, that this struggle in defence of the Union had something to do with freedom, and

was not without its significance for him and his people."

666

The last thing I saw.' said one of the rescued sailors, was our flag floating aloft. When I came to, I couldn't speak no more'n if I'd been born dumb. My mess-mate, he knew what I wanted, I reckon, for he turned me over to leeward, and there, just above the water's edge, was the old flag, flying at the topmast, and, thinks I,' You hearties that went down in the old ship, you wouldn't care about any finer monument than that, I know.'"

CHAPTER V.

THE GOOD WORK FOR THE SOLDIERS.

"WHAT a pile of red flannel!" exclaimed Maedy, as she sat down by Aunt Ellen one afternoon, to do her daily allotment of sewing. "Is all that for the soldiers? Let me make one shirt, will you, Aunty, if I'll take pains with the sewing?"

"Yes, indeed, or you shall help in putting the buttons on, if you wish. I'm preparing the shirts, you see, for the sewing machine; and I want to have them all done before the next meeting of our Society. For we're making up a box to send to the Sanitary Commission."

"That's just what the girls in school are working for, too; and you don't know what a pile of things we Gleaners' have already; lint, bandages, handkerchiefs, carpet slippers, and other things,—all for