THE MGEE 
 INTERMEDIATE READER 
 
 PART ONE- FOURTH YEAR 
 
 

THE MAGEE 
 INTERMEDIATE READER* 
 
 PART ONE - FOURTH YEAR 
 
 BY 
 
 ANNA R MAGEE 
 
 Veacfor iViPuWi'c School l66,JGw^Srk <% 
 WITH THE EDITORIAL COOPERATION OF 
 
 JOHN F. REIGART, PH.D. 
 
 (Principal of Public ScRool l66,Jfew\ock Gity 
 
 Illustrated by StKel 
 and Gujjrem'e t^U. 
 
 
 GINN AND COMPANY 
 
 BOSTON ' NEW YORK CHICAGO - LONDON 
 ATLANTA DALLAS - COLUMBUS - SAN FRANCISCO 
 

 
 
 1 OtfPYftlGHT, 'iJiffVBY ANNA F. MAGEE AND JOHN F. KEIGART 
 
 ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL 
 
 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 
 
 922.4 
 
 EDUCATION DEPT, 
 
 GINN AND COMPANY ' PRO- 
 PRIETORS BOSTON U.S.A. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The Intermediate Reader, Part One, of the Magee series is 
 planned for the entire fourth year of school. While no definite 
 time period need be set, it may be said that up to this time pupils 
 should have read two books a year, thus covering the first six 
 books. The authors have not deemed it necessary to continue 
 the division by half years into the period when pupils are usually 
 provided with simple textbooks in geography and history. Much 
 of the training in silent reading and oral expression can now be 
 supplied by this type of supplementary reading. Classes that 
 have thoroughly mastered the preceding books of the series will 
 be able to carry over their method of study. 
 
 While, as stated, no attempt is made to supply the entire con- 
 tent of the course of study for the fourth year, a certain econ- 
 omy is rendered possible. No additional textbooks in spelling 
 or English are needed. The spelling lists include all the words 
 of the well-known Ayres list. 
 
 Daily phonetic drill is continued as an indispensable factor 
 in increasing facility in reading. The word study in this book 
 is not intended to take the place of a dictionary, but rather to 
 encourage its use for pronunciation and meaning. Training in 
 the use of the dictionary is provided for by progressive practice 
 in the use of diacritical marks. 
 
 As in the previous books, helps are supplied by means of 
 the arrangement, the questions on the lessons, the phonetical 
 development, etc. 
 
 To make room for additional reading matter the daily plan and 
 the type lesson for this book are printed in a separate Manual. 
 
 9 
 
IV 
 
 The plan of keeping the Manual simple and brief has been as 
 carefully carried out as though it were printed in the Reader itself. 
 
 Holmes's " Flower of Liberty," " Kriss Kringle," by Thomas 
 Bailey Aldrich, "The Pomegranate Seeds" and "The Three 
 Golden Apples," adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne, "The Boy 
 and the Brook " and the selection from " Hiawatha," by Long- 
 fellow, are used by permission of, and by special arrangement 
 with, Houghton Mifflin Company. 
 
 " Block City" and " My Treasures," by Robert Louis Stevenson, 
 and " The Drum," by Eugene Field, are used by permission of 
 Charles Scribner's Sons. " Odds and Ends " and " The Cat and 
 the Parrot," from " Stories and Story Telling," by Angela M. 
 Keyes, are used through the courtesy of D. Appleton and 
 Company. The John Lane Company have granted permission 
 to use " A Frost Fancy," by Richard Le Gallienne. ' The Tug 
 of War," from the Journal of American Folk-Lore, is used by 
 permission of Mr. Charles L. Edwards and the American Folk- 
 Lore Society. " My Lord Bag-o'-Rice," from Lafcadio Hearn's 
 " Japanese Fairy Tales," is used by permission of the pub- 
 lishers, Boni & Liveright, Inc. " Umbrellas," from Melville 
 Chater's " Bubble Ballads," is used through the courtesy of The 
 Century Company. " The Rhinoceros Changes his Name to 
 Jim " is used by permission of the Christian Science Monitor. 
 " The Baker Boys of Andernach " and " The Crab and the Fox," 
 from Minna B. Noyes's " Twilight Stories," are used by per- 
 mission of Parker P. Simmons Company, Inc. : ' The Ball," by 
 William Allingham, is used through the courtesy of Frederick 
 Warne & Co., Ltd. " Just Doing his Duty" is used by permission 
 of the American Red Cross. 
 
 " The Whole Duty of Kittens," from " The Kitten's Garden 
 of Verses," and "The Elephant," from "Child's Primer of 
 
Natural History," are used by permission of the author, Oliver 
 Herford. " The Good Bear and the Lost Boy " and " How Fire 
 was Brought to the Indians," from " Wigwam Stories," are used 
 by permission of the author, Mary C. Judd. ' : Robin Hood," 
 from " Life in the Greenwood," is used through the courtesy of 
 the author, Marion F. Lansing. " The Real Princess " and " The 
 Jumping Match," from Andersen's " Fairy Tales," are used by 
 permission of Mrs. J. H. S. Lansing. : ' The Barmecide's Feast," 
 from " Arabian Nights' Entertainments," is used by permission 
 of Mrs. Martha A. L. Lane. " Seeds " and " Flight " are used by 
 permission of the author, Aileen Cleveland Higgins. " Prometheus 
 the Fire-Bringer" and " Lotus and Rainbow" are used by permis- 
 sion of the author, Caroline B. Churchill. " A Story of the Cave 
 People " is used by permission of Marlborough B. Churchill. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 An asterisk after a title indicates that the selection is to be memorized. The 
 complete list of selections to be memorized will be found on page 44 of the 
 Teachers' Manual. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE FAIRY BOOK Norman Gale 3 
 
 MY LORD BAG-O'-RiCE Japanese Fairy Tale 6 
 
 RICE RAINS Mary Fenollosa 13 
 
 THE AME-YA Mart/ Fenollosa 15 
 
 THE BAKER BOYS OF ANDERNACH Old Talc 19 
 
 THE GOOD BEAR AND THE LOST BOY . . J/Vf/7/ Catherine Judd 23 
 
 THE BALL* William Allintjltam 28 
 
 THE BARMECIDE'S FEAST From the Arabian Nights 30 
 
 THE Two MERCHANTS Hindu Tale 3G 
 
 FOUR THINGS* Henry van Dyke 42 
 
 THE DRUM Eugene Field 43 
 
 THE CAT AND THE PARROT Eastern Folk Tale 47 
 
 BLOCK CITY Robert Louis Stevenson 54 
 
 THE DARING PRINCE James Whitcomb Riley 56 
 
 THE REAL PRINCESS Plans Christian Andersen 57 
 
 ODDS AND ENDS Angela ^f. Kei/es 61 
 
 LITTLE IN-A-MINUTE Carolyn Sherwin Bailey 63 
 
 AN EASY WAY TO LEARN TO READ . Adapted from Goldsmith 72 
 
 THE CONJURER AND THE TAILOR . . Adapted from Goldsmith 74 
 
 LITTLE DICK AND THE CLOCK James Whitcomb Riley 76 
 
 LITTLE ANKLEBONE Hindu Tale 78 
 
 SEEDS* Aileen Cleveland Higgins 86 
 
 THE POMEGRANATE SEEDS Adapted from Hawthorne 87 
 
 FOUR SWEET MONTHS* Robert Herrick 108 
 
 A FROST FANCY* Richard Le Gallienne 110 
 
 KRISS KR INGLE* Thomas Bailey Aldrich 112 
 
 CHRISTMAS AT THE HOLLOW TREE INN . Albert Biyelow Paine 114 
 
 THE WHOLE DUTY OF KITTENS* Oliver Herford 125 
 
 vi 
 
Yll 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE MONKEY'S REVENGE E. V. Lucas 126 
 
 RING OUT, WILD BELLS* Alfred Tennyson 137 
 
 EVERY DAY'S A LITTLE YEAR* Annette Wynne 137 
 
 A FRIENDLY WORD* Annette Wynne 137 
 
 PHAETON AND THE HORSES OF THE SUN Francillon 138 
 
 A LITTLE HERO English Hero Tale 145 
 
 THE BOY WHO DID NOT KNOW FEAR . . Adapted from Soutkey 150 
 
 ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND .... Lewis Carroll 154 
 
 DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE 154 
 
 THE POOL OF TEARS 168 
 
 THE VISION OF THE MARNE 182 
 
 JOAN OF ARC 183 
 
 NAIIUM PRINCE Edward Ecerett Hale 188 
 
 THE FLOWER OF LIBERTY* Oliver Wendell Holmes 193 
 
 THE YOUNG SENTINEL American Hero Story 194 
 
 SHOULDER TO SHOULDER* Clinton Scollard 198 
 
 FRANKLIN'S KITE-TRAVEL 200 
 
 FLIGHT Aileen Cleveland Higgins 203 
 
 THE FIRST FLYING-MACHINE Greek Myth 204 
 
 TURNING THE GRINDSTONE Benjamin Franklin 208 
 
 THE OBSTINATE SHOEMAKER J. Christian Bay 211 
 
 THE QUARREL OF THE QUAILS . . Adapted from a Jataka Tale 218 
 
 THE CAMEL AND THE PIG Animal Folk Tale 222 
 
 A SEASIDE STROLL Mary Fenollosa 226 
 
 TREES* Sara Coleridge 229 
 
 ROBIN HOOD Marion F. Lansing 230 
 
 A WOLF HUNT Hero Tale 239 
 
 JUST DOING HIS DUTY Hero Tale 244 
 
 THE JUMPING-MATCH Hans Christian Andersen 246 
 
 THE TUG OF WAR Bahama Folk Tale 252 
 
 THE ELEPHANT ^ Oliver Herford 255 
 
 THE ELEPHANT Hilaire Belloc 256 
 
 THE CRAB AND THE Fox Minna B. Noyes 257 
 
 THE TRAVELS OF A Fox . ..... New England Folk Tale 260 
 
 How FIRE WAS BROUGHT TO THE INDIANS Mary Catherine Judd 265 
 
 PROMETHEUS AND THE GIFT OF FIRE Greek Myth 267 
 
 PROMETHEUS, THE FIRE-BRINGER .... Caroline B. Churchill 269 
 
Vlll 
 
 PAGE 
 
 FLINT* Christina G. Rossetti 278 
 
 THE WISE YOUNG KING From the Bible 279 
 
 THE TOWER THAT WAS NEVER FINISHED . . . From the Bible 283 
 
 THE PICKPOCKET IN THE Zoo E. V. Lucas 287 
 
 THE RHINOCEROS CHANGES HIS NAME TO JIM 291 
 
 THE WILD BEAST TAMER Cleveland Mojfett 297 
 
 THE BOY AND THE BROOK* . . Translated Inj H. W. Longfellow 305 
 
 MAIDS OF FANCY W. II. Hudson 306 
 
 THE CLOUD* Percy Bt/sshe Shelley 317 
 
 How BEAUTIFUL is THE RAIN Henri/ W. Longfellow 317 
 
 UMBRELLAS Mclrille Chafer 318 
 
 THE THREE GOLDEN APPLES .... Abridged from llau-thorne 320 
 
 PART I. THE JOURNEY 320 
 
 PART II. ATLAS 325 
 
 MY TREASURES Roheri Louis Stevenson 335 
 
 A STORY OF THE CAVE PEOPLE .... Marlborough Churchill 337 
 
 A CAVE FAMILY 337 
 
 A CAVE SUPPER 338 
 
 NIGHT IN THE CAVE 340 
 
 THE FIRST ARTIST 344 
 
 THE MAMMOTH HUNT 347 
 
 LOTUS AND RAINBOW Caroline B. Churchill 350 
 
 HIAWATHA'S PICTURE-WRITING* .... Henry W. Lone/fellow 360 
 
 PHONETIC CHARTS 365 
 
 LITTLE DICTIONARY 374 
 
 REVIEW SPELLING 378 
 
 SECOND YEAR, FIRST HALF 378 
 
 SECOND YEAR, SECOND HALF 381 
 
 THIRD YEAR, FIRST HALF 384 
 
 THIRD YEAR, SECOND HALF 386 
 
 SPELLING FOR FOURTH YEAR . 389 
 
INTERMEDIATE READERS 
 PART ONE. FOURTH YEAR 
 
PART ONE. FOURTH YEAR 
 
 THE FAIRY BOOK 
 NOKMAN GALE 
 
 In summer, when the grass is thick, if mother 
 
 has the time, 
 She shows me with her pencil how a poet makes 
 
 a rhyme, 
 And often she is sweet enough to choose a 
 
 leafy nook, 
 Where I cuddle up so closely w^hen she reads 
 
 the Fairy Book. 
 
 In winter, w^hen the corn 's asleep, and birds 
 
 are not in song, 
 
 And crocuses and violets have been away too long, 
 Dear mother puts her thimble by in answer to 
 
 my look, 
 And I cuddle up so closely when she reads 
 
 the Fairy Book. 
 
And mother tells the servants that of course 
 
 they must contrive 
 To manage all the household things from four 
 
 till half-past five, 
 For we really cannot suffer interruption from 
 
 the cook, 
 When we cuddle close together with the happy 
 
 Fairy Book. 
 
What is the best place for reading a book in summer ? 
 
 What is the best place in winter ? 
 
 How does mother find the time to read ? 
 
 Would you choose a fairy book ? 
 
 If not, what book would you choose ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Say some lines from this poem and tell which words 
 rhyme. Say some from another poem and tell the words 
 that rhyme. To " suffer interruption" means to allow a 
 stop. Why does one not want to suffer interruption 
 while reading ? 
 
 2. Find words in the poem having these sounds : er = ur 
 in urn ; er = er in after. 
 
 3. A syllable may be a single letter or several letters 
 taken together so as to form one sound. 
 
 4. When a word has more than one syllable, you pro- 
 nounce one of the syllables more strongly than the others. 
 This is called accent. This little mark (') is used to show 
 the accented syllable. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 * 
 
 contrive (kon triv') : to plan 
 
 manage (man'aj) : to attend to 
 
 interruption (in te rtip'shun) : a breaking-in upon 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374~377 
 enough grass often song 
 
 For spelling see page 389. 
 
6 
 
 MY- LORD BAG-O'-RICE 
 
 Once upon a time there was a brave warrior, 
 called My Lord Bag-o'-Rice, who spent all his time 
 in waging war against the King's enemies. 
 
 One day, when he had sallied forth to seek 
 adventures, he came to an immensely long bridge, 
 spanning a river just at the place where it flowed 
 out of a fine lake. When he set foot on this 
 bridge, he saw that a Serpent twenty feet long 
 was lying there, basking in the sun, in such a 
 way that he could not cross the bridge without 
 treading on it. 
 
 Most men would have taken to their heels at so 
 frightful a sight. But My Lord Bag-o'-Rice was not 
 to be daunted. He simply walked right ahead, - 
 squash, crunch, over the Serpent's body. 
 
 Instantly the Serpent turned into a tiny Dwarf, 
 who, humbly bending the knee, and knocking the 
 planks of the bridge three times with his head in 
 token of respect, said : ' My Lord ! you are a man, 
 you are ! For many a weary day have I lain here, 
 waiting for one who should avenge me on my 
 
enemy. But all who saw me were cowards, and 
 ran away. You will avenge me, will you not? 1 
 live at the bottom of this lake, and my enemy 
 is a Centipede who dwells at the top of yonder 
 mountain. Come along with me, I beseech you. 
 If you help me not, I am undone. " 
 
 The Warrior was delighted at having found such 
 an adventure as this. He willingly followed the 
 Dwarf to his summerhouse beneath the waters of 
 the lake. It was all curiously built of coral and 
 pearl sprays in the shape of seaweed and other 
 water-plants, with fresh-water crabs as big as 
 men, and w^ater-monkeys and newts and tadpoles 
 as servants and bodyguards. When they had 
 rested awhile, dinner was brought in on trays 
 shaped like the leaves of water lilies. The dishes 
 were water-cress leaves, - - not real ones, but much 
 more beautiful than real ones, for they were of 
 water-green porcelain with a shimmer of gold ; 
 and the chopsticks were of beautiful petrified 
 wood like black ivory. As for the w^ine in the 
 cups, it looked like water; but, as it tasted all 
 right, what did looks signify? 
 
8 
 
 Well, there they were, feasting and singing; 
 and the Dwarf had just pledged the Warrior in a 
 goblet of hot, steaming wine, when thud ! thud ! 
 thud! like the tramp of an army, the fearful 
 monster of whom the Dwarf had spoken was 
 heard approaching. It sounded as if a continent 
 were in motion ; and on either side there seemed 
 to be a row of a thousand men with lanterns. But 
 the Warrior was able to make out, as the danger 
 drew nearer, that all this fuss was made by a 
 single creature, an enormous Centipede over a 
 mile long; and that what had seemed like men 
 with lanterns on either side of it, were in reality 
 its own feet, of which it had exactly one thousand 
 on each side of its body, all of them glistening and 
 glinting with the sticky poison that oozed out of 
 every pore. 
 
 There was no time to be lost. The Centipede 
 was already halfway down the mountain. So the 
 Warrior snatched up his bow, a bow so big and 
 heavy that it would have taken five ordinary men 
 to pull it, fitted an arrow into the bow-notch, 
 and let fly. 
 
10 
 
 He was not one ever to miss his aim. The 
 arrow struck right in the middle of the monster's 
 forehead. But alas ! it rebounded as if that fore- 
 head had been made of brass. 
 
 A second time did the Warrior take his bow 
 and shoot. A second time did the arrow strike 
 and rebound ; and now the dreadful creature was 
 down at the water's edge, and would soon pollute 
 the lake with its filthy poison. Said the Warrior 
 to himself: ; ' Nothing kills Centipedes so surely 
 as human spittle. " And with these words, he 
 spat on the tip of the only arrow that remained 
 to him (for there had been but three in his quiver). 
 This time again the arrow hit the Centipede right 
 in the middle of the forehead. But instead of 
 rebounding, it went right in and came out again at 
 the back of the creature's head, so that the Centi- 
 pede fell down dead, shaking the whole country- 
 side like an earthquake, and the poisonous light 
 on its two thousand feet darkening to a dull glare 
 like that of the twilight of a stormy day. 
 
 Then the Warrior found himself wafted back 
 to his own castle ; and round him stood a row of 
 
11 
 
 presents, on each of which were inscribed the 
 words, " From yoilr grateful dwarf. 77 One of these 
 presents was a large bronze bell, which the War- 
 rior, who was a religious man as well as a brave 
 one, hung up in the temple that contained the 
 tombs of his ancestors. The second was a sword, 
 which enabled him ever after to gain the victory 
 over all his enemies. The third w T as a suit of 
 armor which no arrow could penetrate. The 
 fourth was a roll of silk, which never grew 
 smaller, though he cut off large pieces from time 
 to time to make himself a new court dress. 
 
 The fifth was a bag of rice, which, though he 
 took from it day after day for meals for himself, 
 his family, and his trusty retainers, never got 
 exhausted so long as he lived. 
 
 And it was from this fifth and last present 
 that he took his name and title of " My Lord 
 Bag-o 7 -Rice " ; for all the people thought that 
 there was nothing stranger in the whole world 
 than this wonderful bag, which made its owner 
 such a rich and happy man. 
 
12 
 
 What did people do when they saw a huge snake on 
 the bridge? 
 
 What did the soldier do? 
 
 In what way was the soldier braver than other people ? 
 
 What new task did he have ? 
 
 How did he help the dwarf ? 
 
 How was he rewarded ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. " Token of respect," a sign of honor ; petrified, turned 
 to stone ; continent, one of the largest divisions of land. 
 Tell how you would draw a centipede. Tell some stories of 
 bravery you know. Tell some other Japanese story you 
 have read. Tell about the gifts. Which of the gifts was 
 best, and why ? 
 
 2. Find words in the story having these sounds: a = a 
 in sofa ; ear = ur in urn. 
 
 3. What is a syllable? What is accent? Show the 
 mark that is used for an accented syllable. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 daunted (dant'Sd) : cowed, made afraid 
 avenge (a vnj') : to punish one's enemy 
 newts (nutz) : small water lizards 
 poisonous (poi'z'n us) : full of poison, destructive 
 pollute (po lut') : to make impure 
 retainers (re tan'erz) : servants 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374~377 
 dwarf sword arrow pearl armor 
 
 For spelling see page 389. 
 
13 
 
 RICE RAINS 1 
 MARY FENOLLOSA 
 
 Rice rains, rice rains, I wish you'd go away! 
 
 You make the sky so black with clouds we can- 
 not see to play! 
 
 The rivers run with yellow mud, - - the bamboo 
 gutters spill, 
 
 And soon, I fear, you'll wash away the pine tree 
 on the hill. 
 
 Rice rains, rice rains, I hope you'll soon be 
 
 through ; 
 We children have to sulk indoors, and all because 
 
 of you! 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission from "Blossoms from a Japanese Garden," 
 by Mary Fenollosa. Copyrighted, 1913, by Frederick A. Stokes Company. 
 
14 
 
 My mother says you help to grow the rice that 
 
 we must eat. 
 But I am sure there 's plenty in the rice shop 
 
 down the street! 
 
 Why are the rains called " rice rains " ? 
 To what country do you think the child belongs ? 
 What mistake does the child make when he thinks 
 "there's plenty in the rice shop"? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. A gutter is a channel or pipe for running water. In 
 Japan these gutters are made of bamboo. Bamboo is the 
 wood of the bamboo tree, which grows in warm countries 
 and is used for building. Name some other uses of bamboo. 
 What do children do when they sulk ? Recite some other 
 poems about rain. 
 
 2. Find two words in the poem where ou = oo in moon ; 
 find one in the poem where u = oo in moon. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 gutters yellow rivers 
 
 For spelling see page 389. 
 
15 
 
 THE AME-YA 1 
 
 MARY FENOLLOSA 
 
 Down the narrow streets of Yeddo 
 
 Comes a peddler old and gray, 
 On his back a wondrous outfit, 
 
 In his mouth a pipe of clay. 
 Loud he whistles, and the children, 
 
 Crowding, haste from near and far, 
 Clasp their little hands for pleasure, 
 
 ' Yonder comes the Ame-ya ! " 
 
 Gently down he sets the workshop, 
 
 On whose lacquered shelves is laid 
 Kice-flour paste, lacquered vessels, 
 
 Tinted every different shade. 
 Marvelous are the things he fashions, 
 
 Birds and beasts and moon and star. 
 : 'Now what will you, bright-eyed youngsters?" 
 
 Gayly asks the Ame-ya. 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission from "Blossoms from a Japanese Garden," 
 by Mary Fenollosa. Copyrighted, 1913, by Frederick A. Stokes Company. 
 
17 
 ' 
 
 First a dragon." Soft and pliant 
 
 Swells the red and yellow dough ; 
 Like a curious twisted bubble 
 
 From his pipe they watch it blow. 
 Eyes of bead, and fins of silver : 
 
 There, 'tis finished, naught to mar. 
 " Ah, it 's mine ! ' ; the children clamor, 
 
 " Give it to me, Ame-ya ! " 
 
 ' Bring your rin, and bring your tempo, 
 
 Cheap the price for such a sight. 
 Every child shall have a wonder 
 
 If I blow and blow till night. 7 ' 
 Fruit and flower, see them growing 
 
 Planted in a tiny jar. 
 'Tis no marvel that the children 
 
 Love the kindly Ame-ya. 
 
 What brings the children crowding together? 
 What does the peddler carry on his back ? 
 How does he use his pipe ? 
 
 Have you ever seen glass objects blown from -a pipe 
 as you blow bubbles ? 
 
 Can you find any at home ? 
 
 Tell some of the things the Ame-ya blew from his pipe. 
 
18 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Yeddo is in Japan. What story have you just read 
 about Japan ? What poem ? Who is the Ame-ya ? Lac- 
 quered vessels are varnished wooden dishes. They are 
 generally black and have bright-colored flowers painted on 
 them. Have you ever seen any? Where? Use another 
 word for marvelous. Pliant means soft, easily bent. Why 
 must the dough be pliant ? Describe the dragon. " Naught 
 to mar" means nothing to spoil the dragon. Give another 
 word for clamor. What did the toys cost ? A rin is about 
 one tenth of a cent. A tempo is eight cents, a long, 
 oval, copper coin with a square hole in the middle. Give 
 another word for marvel. 
 
 2. Find words in the poem where ui = 66 in moon ; au = 6 
 in short ; and ou = u in fun. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 lacquered (lak'erd) : varnished 
 dough (do) : a soft paste of flour or meal 
 wondrous (wtin'drus) : wonderful 
 pleasure (pl&h'ur) : joy 
 marvelous (mar'vel us) : wonderful 
 curious (ku'ri us) : strange, rare 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 Ame-ya naught kindly g a yty 
 
 clamor gently tempo soft 
 
 For spelling see page 389. 
 
19 
 
 THE BAKER BOYS OF ANDERNACH 
 
 MINNA B. NOYES 
 
 The people of Andernach like to sleep late in 
 the morning, and only the bakers rise early to 
 have fresh bread ready for breakfast. There was 
 once a war between Andernach and Linz, and 
 even today these cities are not good friends. 
 
 As the people of Linz knew very well that 
 the people of Andernach always slept late, they 
 determined to attack the city early in the 
 
 morning. 
 
 All their plans were made, and they thought 
 they could conquer the city. At midnight they 
 left Linz and went quietly towards Andernach. 
 
20 
 
 They arrived very early and thought they could 
 pass unseen through the unwatched gates. 
 
 Meanwhile the bakers of Andernach had baked 
 their bread. When their work was done, they lay 
 down and had a morning nap. When the army 
 from Linz came near Andernach, all the inhabit- 
 ants were asleep except the baker boys. They 
 had gone softly out of the bakehouse to steal 
 some honey from the gatekeeper's beehives upon 
 the tower. They, crept up the stairs of the tower, 
 and were just about to take the honey when they 
 heard a slight noise. " Oh ! 7: w r hispered one to 
 the other, : ' the gatekeeper is coming. He will 
 surely w r hip us." They both listened, and after a 
 moment they said : "It cannot be the gatekeeper; 
 he is fast asleep, and, besides, he w^ould come 
 up the stairs. The noise does not come from the 
 stairs. It seems to be outside." Softly, very softly, 
 for they did not wish to be caught stealing honey, 
 they crept to the edge of the tower and looked 
 down. There stood the army of Linz ! The baker 
 boys saw that the soldiers had put up a ladder 
 so that they could climb over the gate into the 
 
21 
 
 city. The boys, seeing the danger, stood a moment 
 as if turned to stone. What could they do ? They 
 could not wake the people quickly enough, and 
 they had no weapons to drive the enemy away. 
 
 All at once one of the boys thought of the 
 beehives. He motioned to his companion. Each 
 lifted a beehive very carefully, carried it to the 
 edge of the tower, and threw it down upon the 
 soldiers at the foot of the tower. When they fell, 
 the beehives broke into many pieces, and the bees 
 flew wildly about and stung the soldiers so that 
 they cried aloud. The boys ran down the stairs, 
 went quickly to the city hall, rang the great 
 bell, and waked the lazy people from their long 
 morning sleep. All ran to the gate of the city, but 
 their help was not needed, for the bees had stung 
 the army so severely that everyone had fled. 
 
 Out of gratitude, the people of Andernach had 
 a stone statue of the two baker boys placed over 
 the city gate which they had defended, and there 
 you can see it today. The inhabitants have never 
 forgotten the brave deed, and often speak of the 
 clever idea of the baker boys. 
 
22 
 
 The people of Linz never came back to attack 
 Andernach, for they said that the bees of Ander- 
 nach wake early, while the inhabitants sleep late. 
 
 What surprise did the people of Linz plan ? 
 Who were not surprised ? Why not ? 
 . How did they save the city ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. A city has gates to defend it against attack by an 
 enemy. Give another word for gratitude. How did the 
 people of Andernach show their gratitude to the baker 
 boys? Tell different ways of showing gratitude. When 
 the Gauls attacked the capital at Rome, every one was 
 asleep except the geese. Go to the library and read in 
 Plutarch's "Lives" how the geese saved Rome. 
 
 2. Find words in the story where ea = e in me ; ea = e in 
 elf ; i = y in yellow ; y = 1 in is ; and di = j in Jack. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 
 Andernach (an'der nak) : a town in Prussia 
 Linz (lints) : a city in Austria 
 conquer (kftn'ker) : to gain by force of arms 
 gratitude (grat'i tud) : thankfulness 
 clever (kleVer) : showing quick wits 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 carefully towards softly early pass gone 
 
 For spelling see page 389. 
 
23 
 
 THE GOOD BEAR AND THE LOST BOY 
 MARY CATHERINE JUDD 
 
 A boy went out to hunt and crawled into a 
 great hole where porcupines lived. He wanted 
 to get some of the young ones. The dirt fell 
 into the hole behind him and shut him in with 
 the porcupines. 
 
 The boy cried himself to sleep, for he knew 
 his father could not find him. When he awoke 
 he saw the mother porcupine as big as a squaw. 
 She gave him some food, but he could not eat. 
 The food was bitter. 
 
 The porcupine squaw said, "I will call a coun- 
 cil, for I do not know what to feed you." 
 
24 
 
 The council was held in the woods close by. 
 Wolves, bears, foxes, and deer caine. The motner 
 sent her young porcupines to call these animals 
 to the council. The boy w^as glad he had not 
 hurt any one in the porcupine cave. 
 
 The mother porcupine stood in the council 
 and said : 'I have found this creature in the 
 house I have made for my little ones. He is 
 hungry, but he cannot eat what my children 
 eat. Tell me what to give him so that he may 
 live/' 
 
 The great gray fox rose then and answered: 
 ' I live on geese and the birds of the forest. He 
 is the child of the red man. The red man has 
 fire and clay. He cooks his food; I do not." 
 
 The council decided that the fox should not 
 take the boy. 
 
 A wolf stood in the council: "I have many 
 cubs in my den. They are always hungry. I am 
 always hungry. It is better for the boy never 
 to see the place w^here 1 sleep/ 7 
 
 And the council agreed that the w r olf mother 
 should not take the boy. 
 
25 
 
 The deer did not stand. His head was covered 
 with tall antlers. He sat and looked with kind 
 eyes at the man-child. He said : ' I have hidden 
 my family in the thick bushes. They are safe 
 while I am in this council. We feed on wild 
 grass and the tender leaves of the trees. "We 
 love one another, but there are many who hunt 
 us. The child could never run as we run. Our 
 eyes see much. We see, we hear, and we run. 
 The child has two feet ; we have four. He could 
 not follow us." 
 
 The council said that the deer should not take 
 the boy. 
 
 M7 
 
26 
 The bear rose on his hind les and said: r 
 
 
 feed on nuts. My little ones are warm and not 
 hungry. I will take the boy." 
 
 The council said that the bear was wise. The 
 boy should go w r ith him, and all the other animals 
 w r ould help to gather the nuts for his feeding. 
 The council fire w^as put out, and each one went 
 home. The boy followed the bear to a hole in 
 a great tree. The mother bear and the cubs 
 welcomed him, and the boy was happy. 
 
 He learned to talk as the bears talk and to 
 walk like them. Nothing hurt him, and he was 
 never hungry. Some Indians saw the father bear 
 one day and chased him. Then they found the 
 mother and her cubs, and all w^ere killed. 
 
 The boy hid in the hollow tree. The Indians 
 found him and took him away. He was very 
 wild and did not love his people, for they had 
 killed the bears. 
 
 The Indian boy was kept in the wigwam. He 
 learned the ways of his people again, but never 
 did he shoot or trap a bear. 
 
27 
 
 What accident happened to the Indian boy ? 
 Why did the animals hold a council ? 
 Tell why the porcupine, the fox, and the wolf could not 
 keep the boy. 
 
 What offer did the bear make ? 
 
 How did the boy live with the bear ? 
 
 How did he show his gratitude to the bears ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. What is an Indian mother called? A council is a 
 gathering of men called to give advice. Who attended this 
 council ? What are little bears called ? Read in Kipling's 
 "Jungle Stories" about the boy who lived with the wolves. 
 
 2. Find words in the story where aw = o in short ; c = s 
 in sandy ; and ea = a in care. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 
 porcupine (por'ku pm) : an animal having stiff, sharp 
 
 spines 
 
 squaw (skwo): an Indian woman 
 creature (kre'tur) : an animal or a person 
 decided (de sid'ed) : settled 
 learned (lurnd) : found out about 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374~377 
 nothing y un g dirt 
 
 follow hurt saw 
 
 For spelling see page 389. 
 
28 
 
 THE BALL 
 
 WILLIAM ALLINGHAM 
 
 All men, black, brown, red, yellow, white, 
 Are brethren in their Father's sight. 
 To do each other good is right, 
 But not to wrangle, steal, or fight. 
 
 A thousand millions, young and old, 
 Some in the heat, some in the cold, 
 Upon this Ball of Earth are roll'd 
 Around the Sun's great flame of gold. 
 
 And this great Sun is like indeed 
 One daisy in a daisied mead ; 
 For God's power doth all thought exceed, 
 And of us also He takes heed. 
 
29 
 
 What is "The Ball"? 
 
 What people live on it ? 
 
 Why should they all live in peace ? 
 
 What suggests the smallness of the sun and of each 
 person ? 
 
 What suggests the greatness of God ? 
 
 Tell in your own words the idea that all men are 
 brothers. 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Give other words for brethren., wrangle, mead, and 
 heed. "Some in the heat" means people living in hot 
 countries. Explain " some in the cold." Does the earth 
 move around the sun or the sun around the earth? 
 "God's pow r er doth all thought exceed" means that his 
 power is greater than we can understand. Say the first 
 sentence of " Our Father" and tell how we can help to 
 make the prayer come true. 
 
 2. In the word their, ei = a in care. Find a word in 
 the poem where x = ks. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 brethren (brSth're'n) : brothers 
 wrangle (ran'g'l) : to quarrel 
 millions (mil'yunz) : a very large number 
 mead (med) : a meadow 
 exceed (8k sed') : to go beyond 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 
 thought other God's 
 
 For spelling see page 389. 
 
30 
 
 THE BARMECIDE'S FEAST 
 
 Shacabac was once a rich man, but he became 
 so poor that he had to beg his bread. One day 
 he went forth as usual to seek alms, and on 
 his way he beheld a handsome house, with 
 servants standing at the door commanding and 
 
31 
 
 forbidding. So he came up to the doorkeepers 
 and begged them to give him something. 
 
 'Enter,' 7 said one of them to him, "and thou 
 shalt get whatever thou hast need of from our 
 master himself. " 
 
 Then Shacabac entered the palace and found 
 himself in a magnificent hall paved with marble 
 and hung with curtains. At the upper end of 
 a room which opened into this hall sat an old 
 man with a long white beard. Seeing Shacabac, 
 the Barmecide rose, greeted him kindly, and 
 asked him what he could do to serve him ; to 
 which Shacabac replied that he was sorely in 
 need of food. 
 
 'What!" cried the old man, "art thou really 
 hungry? Thou shalt eat with me. I will have 
 food brought in at once. Ho, boy! bring us 
 water that we may wash our hands, and order 
 supper immediately." 
 
 Shacabac w^as about to thank the Barmecide 
 for his kindness, when the old man began to 
 rub his hands together as if he were washing 
 them. No boy appeared, nor was there either 
 
32 
 
 basin or water, yet Shacabac felt that he must 
 do as his host did. 
 
 "Come/' said the Barmecide, " thou art surely 
 famished." And though nothing had been brought 
 in, he pretended to eat as if food had been set 
 before him. 
 
 'Eat, my friend/' he went on; ''there is no 
 need to feel shame, for I have known what it 
 is to be hungry myself." 
 
 So Shacabac made all the motions of eating 
 and drinking, while his host called for dish 
 after dish which did not appear. ' Ho, boy ! " 
 he would cry, : ' bring us mutton and barley 
 broth, unless my guest prefers some of the 
 goose with the sweet sauce. Come, taste of 
 these chickens stuffed with pistachio nuts. Hast 
 thou ever tasted any like them?" 
 
 ' Never," said Shacabac, who was fainting 
 with hunger. ' Never have I eaten anything so 
 delicious," and he pretended to feast heartily. 
 
 Then the Barmecide named other dishes, and 
 Shacabac did not fail to praise them warmly, 
 until at length he declared he could eat no more. 
 
33 
 
 cried the Barmecide, : ' thou hast had 
 no sweets! Try one of these delicious fritters 
 before the sirup runs out of it." And he went 
 on urging upon his guest all kinds of fruits 
 and sweetmeats. 
 
 At last Shacabac became weary of the jest 
 and said to himself, ' I will make him sorry 
 for having fooled me thus." So, when the boy 
 was ordered to bring in wine Shacabac said : 
 " my master, I must drink no wine with thee. 
 Surely it is forbidden." 
 
 'Keep me company in a single glass," said 
 the Barmecide, and Shacabac bowed low as if 
 he would drink to the health of his host. But 
 as the old man lifted the unseen glass a second 
 time to his lips Shacabac struck him such a 
 blow that the room rang with it. 
 
 ' What does this mean? " cried the Barmecide, 
 trembling w r ith rage. 
 
 "0 my lord," said Shacabac, " thou hast 
 given me too much of that rare old wine. See, 
 it has taken away my wits and has made me 
 behave like a madman." 
 
34 
 
 Then the Barmecide laughed very heartily and 
 said : ' Long have I made game of men, but thou 
 art the first I have seen who could endure this 
 trick. Now, therefore, I pardon thee for thy rude- 
 ness, and thou shalt eat with me in good earnest." 
 
 So saying, he clapped his hands, and the 
 servants brought in a delicious supper, including 
 all the eatables that had been mentioned by the 
 Barmecide. Shacabac was so agreeable to his 
 host that he became his close friend, and they 
 lived together for twenty years. At the end of 
 this time the rich man died, and Shacabac was 
 forced to depart from the city. 
 
 Why did Shacabac go into the palace of the old man ? 
 
 What did the Barmecide promise him ? 
 
 How did both wash their hands ? 
 
 How did they eat the feast ? 
 
 Why did the Barmecide enjoy the feast? 
 
 How did Shacabac feel about it ? 
 
 What did he do to the old man ? 
 
 How did the Barmecide finish the joke ? 
 
35 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1 . Did you ever play party without anything to eat ? Tell 
 about it. " To seek alms " means to ask for money, food, or 
 clothing; "commanding and forbidding" means telling 
 what to do and what not to do. What kind of food was 
 offered to the guest ? Who was the guest ? Who was the 
 host? Give other words for sorely, famished, pretended, 
 heartily, declared, smdjest. " Urging upon " means pressing 
 upon. Give other words for wits, game, endure, depart. 
 
 2. What sound has s in usual ? What sound has ai in 
 curtains? What sound has ti in motions? Find other 
 words in the story where ti = sh. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 
 
 palace (pal'as) : a large and stately house 
 
 Barmecide (bar 'me sid) : a member of a wealthy Persian 
 
 family 
 
 magnificent (mag nif I sent) : grand, brilliant 
 appeared (a perd') : came into view 
 immediately (I me'di at li) : at once 
 pretended (pre tSnd'Sd) : made believe 
 pistachio nut (pis ta/shi 6) : the nut of the pistachio tree 
 delicious (de lish'us) : pleasing to the taste 
 sorely (sor'li) : painfully 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 
 either sauce glass 
 
 For spelling see page 389. 
 
36 
 
 THE TWO MERCHANTS 
 
 Long, long ago, in the kingdom of Seri, there 
 was a dealer in pots and pans. This merchant, in 
 the company of another dealer in the same wares, 
 a greedy fellow, crossed the river Telavaha and 
 entered the city of Andhapura. Dividing the 
 streets between them, the first merchant went 
 around selling his goods in the streets allotted 
 to him, while the other did the same in his 
 district. 
 
 Now in that city there was a poor family. 
 Once they had been rich, but all the sons and 
 brothers in the family had died and all its 
 property had been lost. Only one girl and her 
 grandmother were left, and these two had to 
 
37 
 
 work very hard for a living. But they had kept 
 the golden bowl out of which the grandfather, 
 the head of the family, used to eat in the old 
 days. It was thrown among the pots and pans, 
 and not having been used for a long time, w^as 
 covered with dirt so that the two women did 
 not even know that it was gold. 
 
 The greedy merchant, on his round, crying 
 
 ' Water pots to sell! water pots to isell ! " came 
 
 to the door of their house. When the girl saw 
 
 him, she said to her grandmother, " Oh, do buy 
 
 me a trinket, mother!" 
 
 ' But we are very poor, dear. What shall we 
 give in exchange for it?" 
 
 ' Why, here 's this bowl which is no good to 
 us; let us give that away." 
 
 The old woman called the merchant, and after 
 asking him to take a seat, showed him the bowl 
 and said, ' Will you take this, sir, and give 
 something to your little sister for it?" 
 
 The merchant took the bowl in his hand, 
 turned it over and over, and, suspecting that it 
 was gold, scratched a line on the back of it 
 
38 
 
 with a needle and found that it was real gold. 
 Then, hoping to get the bowl without giving 
 anything for it, he said, ' What is this worth, 
 pray? Why, it isn't worth a halfpenny!" And 
 throwing it on the floor, he went away. 
 
 Now, as it had been agreed between the two mer- 
 chants that the one might try the street which 
 the other had left, the honest merchant came to 
 the same street and appeared at the door of that 
 very house, calling, " Water pots to sell!" And 
 the girl spoke to her grandmother as before. 
 
 : ' My dear," replied the grandmother, " the 
 lirst merchant threw our bowl on the ground and 
 w r ent away. What have we left to offer now?" 
 
 " Oh, but that merchant, mother dear, was a 
 surly man; but this one looks pleasant and has 
 a kind voice. Perhaps he may take it." 
 
 " Call him in, then," said she. 
 
 So the girl called him. He came in and sat 
 down and they gave him the bowl. Seeing that 
 it was gold, he said, " Mother, this bowl is worth 
 a hundred thousand pieces. All my goods are 
 not equal to it in value." 
 
39 
 
 : ' But, sir, the first merchant who came here 
 said that it was not worth a halfpenny. He 
 threw it on the ground and went on his way. 
 It must have been changed into gold by the 
 power of your own goodness. Take it; give us 
 some trinket for it and go your way." 
 
 At the time the merchant had five hundred 
 pieces of money and a stock worth as much 
 more. All of this he gave to them, saying, " Let 
 me but keep my scales, my bag, and eight pieces 
 of money. " These he took and departed. 
 
 And going quickly to the river side, he gave 
 his eight coins to a boatman and jumped into 
 the boat. 
 
 Soon the greedy merchant came back to the 
 house and said, " Bring out that bowl, I'll give 
 you something for it." 
 
 Then the grandmother scolded him and said, 
 ' You pretended that our golden bowl, worth a 
 hundred thousand pieces, was not worth even 
 a halfpenny; but an honest merchant, your 
 master, I take it, gave us a thousand pieces 
 for it and has taken it away." 
 
40 
 
 When he heard this, he cried out : " This fellow 
 has robbed ine of a golden bowl worth a hun- 
 dred thousand pieces 1 He has ruined me alto- 
 gether!" He became so enraged that he was 
 like a madman. Flinging his money and all his 
 goods at the door of the house, he tore off his 
 clothes; and armed with the beam of his scales 
 as a club, he tracked the honest merchant down 
 to the river side. Finding the latter already cross- 
 ing, the greedy merchant shouted, ' Boatman, 
 put back ! " 
 
 But the honest merchant said, " Don't stop! 
 Go ahead!" 
 
 As the other stood there, gazing and gazing 
 at the departing merchant, his rage became so 
 great that he burst a blood vessel and died. 
 
 But the honest merchant had the bowl, which 
 he sold for a great price. He spent his life in 
 giving charity and doing other good works. 
 
 How did the greedy man show his meanness ? 
 How did the other merchant act ? 
 What did the first merchant lose by his greed ? 
 How did the other merchant profit by his honesty ? 
 
41 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Why did the poor woman not know that her bowl was 
 made of gold ? How did the merchant know ? What would 
 you call the merchant who did not try to cheat ? What is 
 the meaning of the saying, " Honesty is the best policy " ? 
 
 2. Find words in the story where uy = l in white ; ei = a 
 in care. What sound has ea in dealer ? Find another word 
 where ea has the sound of e in me. Give the sound of 06 
 in took. In woman, o = ob. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 
 
 merchant (mur'chant) : one who buys and sells 
 
 honest (b'n'e'st) : just, not false 
 
 exchange (eks chanj') : the giving or taking one thing for 
 
 another 
 
 value (val'u) : to consider of worth 
 wares (warz) : goods 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 perhaps worth 
 
 For spelling see page 389. 
 
42 
 
 FOUR THINGS 1 
 HENRY VAN DYKE 
 
 Four things a man must learn to do, 
 If he would make his record true : 
 To think without confusion clearly ; 
 To love his fellow-men sincerely; 
 To act from honest motives purely; 
 To trust in God and Heaven securely. 
 
 Have you learned to do any of these four things ? 
 Which one was hardest for you to learn ? 
 Tell what is meant by " make his record true." 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 " Without confusion " means certain, sure, free from 
 doubt. Give other words for sincerely. Motives means 
 reasons, aims, purposes ; purely means only, wholly, 
 simply ; securely means with faith, with belief. 
 
 1 From the poems of Henry van Dyke, published and copyrighted by 
 Charles Scribner's Sons. Used by the kind permission of the author and 
 the publishers. 
 
43 
 
 THE DRUM 
 EUGENE FIELD 
 
 I'm a beautiful red, red drum, 
 
 And I train with the soldier boys; 
 As up the street we come, 
 
 Wonderful is our noise! 
 There 's Tom, and Jim, and Phil, 
 
 And Dick, and Nat, and Fred, 
 While Widow Cutler's Bill 
 
 And I march on ahead, 
 With a r-r-rat-tat-tat 
 
 And a tum-titty-um-tum-tum - 
 Oh, there's bushels of fun in that 
 
 For boys with a little red drum! 
 
44 
 
 The Injuns came last night 
 
 While the soldiers were a-bed, 
 And they gobbled a Chinese kite 
 
 And off to the woods they fled ! 
 The woods are the cherry-trees 
 
 Down in the orchard lot, 
 And the soldiers are marching to seize 
 
 The booty the Injuns got. 
 With tum-titty-um-tum-tum, 
 
 And r-r-rat-tat-tat, 
 When soldiers marching come 
 
 Injuns had better scat! 
 
 Step up there, little Fred, 
 
 And, Charley, have a mind! 
 Jim is as far ahead 
 
 As you two are behind! 
 Ready with gun and sword 
 
 Your valorous work to do- 
 Yonder the Injun horde 
 
 Are lying in wait for you. 
 And their hearts go pitapat 
 
 When they hear the soldiers come 
 
45 
 
 With a r-r-rat-tat-tat 
 
 And a tum-titty-um-tum-tum ! 
 
 'Course it 's all in play ! 
 
 The skulking Injun crew 
 That hustled the kite away 
 
 Are little white boys, like you ! 
 But "honest" or "just in fun/ 7 
 
 It is all the same to me; 
 And, when the battle is won, 
 
 Home again march we 
 With a r-r-rat-tat-tat 
 
 And tuni-titty-um-tum-tum ; 
 And there 's glory enough in that 
 
 For the boys with their little red drum! 
 
46 
 
 Who is doing the talking in this poem ? 
 Who are the soldiers ? 
 What are they playing ? 
 Tell about the fight. 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Spell " Injun " in the right way. Booty is that which 
 is taken by robbery. What booty did the " Injuns" get? 
 Valorous means brave. Give another word for yonder, 
 scat. Horde means a crowd. What is the " Injun horde " ? 
 Give two words for 'course. Skulking means hiding in a 
 sneaking manner. How does a "skulking Injun crew" 
 fight? 
 
 2. What sound has eau in beautiful? What sound has 
 ph in Phil ? What sound has gh in enough ? Give the sound 
 of e in me. In seize, ei = e in me. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 valorous (val'er us) : brave 
 glory (glo'ri) : honor 
 gobbled (gSbTd) : captured, laid hold of 
 orchard (or'cherd) : a field containing fruit trees 
 Chinese (chi neV) : made in China 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 widow just 
 
 For spelling see page 389. 
 
47 
 
 THE CAT AND THE PARROT 
 
 Once there was a cat and once there was a, 
 parrot. They agreed to invite each other to din- 
 ner, turn and turn about. The cat should ask 
 the parrot today, and the parrot should ask the 
 cat tomorrow. 
 
 Well, it was the cat's turn first. The eat went 
 to market and bought nothing but a pennyworth 
 of rice. The parrot could make no dinner on 
 this meager fare. And what is more, the cat was 
 so ill-mannered that he actually made the parrot 
 cook the food himself. Of course the parrot was 
 too well-bred to complain. 
 
 Next day came the parrot's turn. He went to 
 market and bought a leg of meat and a whole 
 fish, head and tail and all, and about thirty 
 pounds of flour, and a tub of butter, and great 
 bunches of luscious grapes. And before his guest 
 came he cooked the food. He made heaps stnd 
 heaps of brown, crisp spice cakes, thick with 
 currants, oh, enough to ' fill a washerwoman's, 
 basket. 
 
49 
 
 Well, the cat came, and the parrot set the 
 whole meal before him, keeping only two cakes 
 for himself. The cat ate the meat till he licked 
 the plate, and he picked the fish till the bones 
 were clean, and he sucked the grapes till the 
 skins were dry, and then he began on the cakes ; 
 and he ate the whole basketful. Then he looked 
 up at the parrot and said, "Have you any more?/ 7 
 
 'Take my two cakes/ 7 said the parrot. And 
 the cat took them. Then he looked up at the 
 parrot and said, "Have you any more?" 
 
 This w^as too much for the parrot. Bristling 
 his feathers, he said sharply, "There's nothing 
 left but me." And the cat looked him over, licked 
 his chops, and --gull up, gulloo--down went the 
 parrot, bones, beak, and feathers. 
 
 Now an old woman had seen it all, and she 
 
 was so shocked she picked up a stone, and cried : 
 
 ' You unnatural cat, how could you eat your friend 
 
 the parrot? Scat! away with you, before L hit 
 
 you with this stone." 
 
 " Old woman," said the cat, "I've eaten a bas- 
 ketful of cakes, I've eaten my friend the parrot, 
 
50 
 
 and shall I blush to eat an old hag like yon ? No, 
 surely not." And--gullup, gulloo down went 
 the old woman with the stone in her hand. 
 
 Then the cat walked along the road till he met 
 a man beating a donkey to make him go. " Cat," 
 cried the old man, " get out of the way, or my 
 donkey may kick you." 
 
 'Man," said the cat, ' I've eaten a basketful 
 of cakes, I've eaten my friend the parrot, I've 
 eaten an old w r oman, and shall I blush to cut a 
 miserable donkey driver? No, surely not." And 
 -gullup, gulloo --down went the man with his 
 donkey. 
 
 After this the cat walked on again till he met 
 a wedding procession. At the head came the 
 king with his newly made bride, and behind him 
 marched a company of soldiers, and behind them 
 tramped ever and ever so many elephants, two 
 and two, and two and two, and two and two, and 
 a great many more. 
 
 "Cat," said the happy king, kindly, "turn out 
 of the road a little, or my elephants may trample 
 you to death." 
 
51 
 
 'King/' said the cat, "you don't know me. 
 I've eaten a basketful of cakes, I've eaten my 
 friend the parrot, I've eaten an old woman, I've 
 eaten a miserable man and his donkey, and shall 
 I blush to eat a beggarly king? No, surely not." 
 And -- gullup, gulloo down went the king, down 
 went the queen, down went the soldiers, bayonets 
 and all, down went the elephants, two and two, and 
 tw^o and two, and two and two. 
 
 After this the cat walked on more slowly, for 
 he w^as somewhat heavy. On the way two land- 
 crabs went scuttling across the road. ' Run 
 away, run away, Pussycat," they squeaked, " or 
 we might nip you." 
 
 'Ha, ha, ha!" laughed the cat, shaking his 
 fat sides. ' Ho, ho, ho ! ' : he roared, showing 
 his teeth ; :t you don't know me. I've eaten a 
 basketful of cakes, I've eaten my friend the par- 
 rot, I've eaten an old woman, I've eaten a miser- 
 able man and his donkey, I've eaten a king and 
 his bride, I've eaten a company of soldiers, I've 
 eaten a herd of elephants, two and two, and shall 
 I blush to eat t\vo silly little landcrabs? Nay, 
 
52 
 
 not so. 7 ' And he pounced upon the landerabs- 
 gullup, gulloo, gullup, gulloo, in two swallows they 
 were inside the cat. 
 
 But when their eyes were used to the dark- 
 ness, the landcrabs made out the king sitting with 
 his head in his hands, very unhappy. Across his 
 knee lay the newly made bride in a dead faint. 
 Near them the company of soldiers were trying 
 to form fours. Behind these the elephants were 
 trumpeting, the donkey was braying, the parrot 
 was whetting his beak on his own claws, and 
 the old woman was scolding the cat roundly. In 
 a corner they made out a great pile of cakes. 
 
 The landcrabs said, " His sides are soft; let's 
 get out." Nip, nip, they went, nip, nip, nip. 
 And out they scuttled. Then out walked the 
 king with his bride on his arm, out marched the 
 soldiers, out tramped the elephants, two and two, 
 out went the man and his donkey without any 
 beating, out hobbled the old woman, and out flew 
 the parrot. 
 
 And the cat had to spend a night and a day 
 sewing up his sides. 
 
53 
 
 What made the parrot angry ? 
 What was the result of his anger ? 
 Why did the cat eat the old woman ? the donkey 
 driver ? the king ? the crabs ? 
 How did they get out of the cat ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Give other words for meager and fare. Well-bred 
 means well-trained, polite. Explain how a bird bristles his 
 feathers. Tell what is meant by " licked his chops." Give 
 another word for scat. Blush here means to hesitate or to be 
 ashamed. Give other words for pounced, whetting. Scuttled 
 means ran swiftly or hurriedly. 
 
 2. Find words in the story where ie = in elf and ie = 1 
 in white. What sound has e in went ? In guest, ue = g. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 luscious (lush'us) : delicious, pleasant to taste or smell 
 unnatural (tin naVu ral) : different, unlike others 
 procession (pro sgsh'un) : a train of persons advancing in 
 order 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374~377 " 
 turn again first once 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
BLOCK CITY 
 
 ROBERT Louis STEVENSON 
 
 What are you able to build with yopr blocks? 
 Castles and palaces, temples and docks. 
 Rain may keep raining, and others go roam, 
 But I .can be happy and building at home. 
 
 Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea, 
 There I'll establish a city for me : 
 A kirk and a mill and a palace beside, 
 And a harbor as well where my vessels may 
 ride. 
 
55 
 
 Great is the palace with pillar and wall, 
 A sort of a tower on the top of it all, 
 And steps coming down in an orderly way 
 To where my toy vessels lie safe in the bay. 
 
 This one is sailing and that one is moored : 
 Hark to the song of the sailors on board ! 
 And see, on the steps of my palace, the kings 
 Coming and going with presents and things ! 
 
 Now I have done with it, down let it go ! 
 All in a moment the town is laid low. 
 Block upon block lying scattered and free, 
 What is there left of my town by the sea? 
 
 Yet as I saw it, I see it again, 
 The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men, 
 And as long as I live and where'er I may be, 
 Til always remember my town by the sea. 
 
 What did the little boy make with his blocks? 
 Describe it. 
 
 What happened to the block city? 
 
56 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. "Go roam" means to go away from home. Give 
 other words for establish and moored. The little boy who 
 talks in the poem is Scottish. He calls a church a kirk. 
 
 2. Find words in the poem where ui i in is. What 
 sound has ai in mountain ? What sound has ai in again ? 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 
 establish (6s tab'lish) : to build 
 
 harbor (har'ber) : a safe place for vessels 
 
 mountains (moun'tinz) : masses of land higher than hills 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 castles coming things going 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
 THE DARING PRINCE l 
 JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY 
 
 A daring prince, . of the realm Rangg Dhune, 
 Once went up in a big balloon 
 That caught and stuck on the horns of the moon, 
 And he hung up there till next day noon- 
 When all at once he exclaimed, " Hoot-toot! " 
 And then came down in his parachute. 
 
 1 From the Biographical Edition of the Complete Works of James 
 Whitcomb Riley. Copyright, 1913. Used by special permission of the pub- 
 lishers, The Bobbs-Merrill Company. 
 
THE KEAL PRINCESS 
 HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN 
 
 There was once a prince who wanted to marry 
 a princess. But she must be a real princess, 
 mind you. So he traveled all round the world, 
 seeking such a one, but everywhere something 
 was in the way. Not that there was any lack 
 of princesses, but he could not seem to make 
 out whether they were real princesses ; there was 
 always something not quite satisfactory. There- 
 fore, home he came again, quite out of spirits, 
 for he wished so much to marry a real princess. 
 
58 
 
 One evening a terrible storm came on. It 
 thundered and lightened, and the rain poured 
 down; indeed, it was quite fearful. In the midst 
 of it there came a knock at the town gate, and 
 the old king went out to open it. 
 
 It was a princess who stood outside. But, 
 dear, what a state she was in from the rain 
 and bad weather ! The water dropped from her 
 hair and clothes, it ran in at the tips of her 
 shoes and out at the heels; yet she insisted she 
 was a real princess. 
 
 'Very well," thought the old queen; " that 
 we shall presently see." She said nothing, but 
 went into the bedchamber and took off all the 
 bedding, then laid a pea on the sacking of the 
 bedstead. Having done this, she took twenty 
 mattresses and laid them upon the pea and 
 placed twenty eider-down beds on top of the 
 mattresses. 
 
 The princess lay upon this bed all the night. 
 In the morning she was asked how she had slept. 
 
 ' Oh, most miserably! " she said. ' I scarcely 
 closed my eyes the whole night through. I 
 
59 
 
 cannot think what there could have been in the 
 bed. I lay upon something so hard that I am 
 quite black and blue all over. It is dreadful ! ? ' 
 
 It was now quite evident that she was a 
 real princess, since through twenty mattresses 
 and twenty eider-down beds she had felt the 
 pea. None but a real princess could have such 
 delicate feelings. 
 
 So the prince took her for his wife, for he 
 knew that in her he had found a true princess. 
 And the pea was kept in the cabinet of curios- 
 ities, where it is still to be seen unless some 
 one has stolen it. 
 
 And this, mind you, is a real story. 
 
 What was the prince searching for ? 
 
 What trouble did he have in finding the right person ? 
 
 How did he find the princess ? 
 
 How did the queen find out that she was a real princess ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. What two words are used instead of " raining hard " ? 
 How did the princess say she slept ? What kind of feelings 
 is a person said to have who could feel a pea through 
 twenty mattresses and twenty eider-down beds? "Sacking 
 
GO 
 
 of the bedstead " means coarse cloth covering the bottom 
 of the bedstead, for holding the bedding. 
 
 2. What sound has qu in quite ? What sound has er in 
 her ? In world, or = ur in urn. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 miserably (nnz'er a b'li) : poorly 
 scarcely (skars'll) : hardly 
 eider-down ( I'der doun) : made of the down of 'the 
 
 eider duck 
 
 satisfactory (sat is fak'to ri) : pleasing, right 
 evident (cVi dent) : plain, clear 
 Curiosities (ku ii os'i tlz) : strange or rare articles 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 clothes off twenty 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
61 
 
 ODDS AND ENDS 
 ANGELA M. KEYES 
 
 There was once upon a time a maiden who 
 was pretty but very lazy and wasteful. When a 
 little knot came in the flax she w^as spinning, she 
 at once pulled out a whole heap of it and threw 
 it away. Her servant gathered up the bits of flax 
 that had been thrown aw^ay, cleaned them, spun 
 them, and wove them into a piece of fine linen. 
 Out of this she made herself a beautiful dress. 
 
 Well, the maiden was to be married. On the 
 eve of the wedding the servant was dancing about 
 in the pretty dress she had made. The bride said 
 to the bridegroom, " How that girl jumps about 
 
62 
 
 dressed in my odds and ends ! " The bridegroom 
 asked the bride what she meant. Then she told 
 him that the servant was wearing a dress made of 
 the flax she had thrown away. When the bride- 
 groom heard that, he knew how lazy and wasteful 
 she was. 
 
 ' The other girl is the wife for me/ 7 said he. 
 And he married the other girl in the very dress 
 she had made out of the odds and ends. 
 
 How did the man find out the right girl to marry ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. What is the ff eve of the wedding " ? What is a bride ? 
 a bridegroom ? Can you think of any other stories about 
 wastefulness ? 
 
 2. What sound has ai in said? What sound has ai in 
 maiden ? 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 
 flax (flacks) : a plant used to make linen thread, which is 
 
 woven into cloth 
 
 linen (lin'gn) : cloth made of flax 
 wasteful (wast'fool) : careless about spending 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 
 knew once 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
63 
 
 LITTLE-IN-A-MINUTE l 
 CAKOLYN SHEKWIN BAILEY 
 
 The big, yellow Sun smiled down upon them 
 and the Singing Brook hummed pretty little tunes 
 for them to listen to. They were two little boys 
 at play with a whole, long, beautiful day ahead. 
 
 They looked almost exactly alike, did these two 
 little boys. Bobby wore a wide-brimmed sun hat 
 with a blue band around it, and Dicky wore a 
 wide-brimmed sun hat with a red band around it. 
 
 1 By special permission of the publishers, Milton Bradley Company. 
 
64 
 
 Bobby wore a brown linen sailor suit with blue 
 anchors on the collar and Dicky wore a brown 
 linen sailor suit with red anchors on the collar. 
 Bobby had a beautiful toy ship to play with, 
 and Dicky had a beautiful ship, too. As for the 
 ships, they looked just exactly alike. Each beau- 
 tiful toy ship was painted white and green, and 
 each had a big w^hite sail as wide and pretty 
 as a dove's wing, and each had a strong little 
 rudder painted red. 
 
 Bobby and Dicky had made a make-believe 
 wharf in the Singing Brook of sticks and stones 
 and black mud. There, anchored at the wharf, 
 lay the two beautiful toy boats, their white sails 
 flapping and fat with wind. When their strings 
 were loosed from the wharf, the Whispering Wind 
 would carry the two little boats 'way, 'way down 
 the Singing Brook to another little make-believe 
 wharf made of sticks and stones and black mud 
 that Bobby and Dicky had made farther on. 
 
 So the Sun smiled down more happily, and the 
 Singing Brook sang a merrier tune than the last 
 one, and Bobby and Dicky began to play. 
 
66 
 
 : ' I am going to load iny boat with little green 
 apples, Dicky," said Bobby. 'Perhaps the Old 
 Chipmunk who lives at the foot of the Pine Tree 
 will go aboard and unload them." 
 
 Bobby began gathering small green apples as 
 fast as he could and putting them on the deck of 
 his little ship, but Dicky sat on the bank of the 
 Singing Brook, doing nothing and only watching. 
 
 ' When are you going to load your ship, 
 Dicky?" Bobby asked, as he put in the last 
 apples. 
 
 ' In a minute," Dicky answered, but before the 
 minute had gone, Bobby's ship, its white sail 
 flying, had started down the Singing Brook to the 
 other wharf. Dicky jumped up and loosed his 
 boat from its moorings, but it was very far behind 
 Bobby's all the way. The two little boys hurried 
 softly between the willow trees that stood along 
 the edge of the Singing Brook. As they came to 
 the other make-believe wharf they saw the Old 
 Chipmunk creep out of his house at the foot of 
 the Pine Tree and go out on the wharf to wait 
 for the little ship to come in. When it came, he 
 
67 
 
 unloaded all the cargo of apples and carried them 
 over to his cellar. But when Dicky's ship came 
 in, so late and so empty, the Old Chipmunk did 
 nothing but smell of it. Then he sat on the end 
 of the make-believe wharf in the sunshine and 
 basked and did not even look at Dicky's ship 
 again. 
 
 ' I have thought of something very nice to do, 
 now," said Bobby, as the two little boys carried 
 their ships back again. ' We will play that the 
 flowers are children and we will give them a ride 
 in our ships." 
 
 'Yes, w^e will! " agreed Dicky. 
 
 So Bobby picked many little flower children, 
 clovers in pink bonnets and buttercups in wide 
 yellow hats and daisies in gold bonnets with white 
 strings, and he put them all carefully aboard his 
 ship. But Dicky only stood by in the grass and 
 watched. 
 
 ' When are you going to fill your boat with 
 flowers, Dicky?" Bobby asked, as he helped the 
 last flower child aboard. 
 
 " In a minute," Dicky answered, but just then 
 
68 
 
 down the Singing Brook came the Whispering 
 Wind. It filled the little white sails and away 
 sailed the two little ships, the flower children 
 aboard Bobby's ship fluttering and dancing with 
 the joy of having a boat ride. 
 
 The two little boys raced along the bank to 
 watch, and they saw a wonderful thing happen. 
 All the way down the Singing Brook, pretty 
 passengers joined the flower children on board 
 Bobby's ship. A golden butterfly fluttered down to 
 the deck with his yellow and black wings, kissing 
 the clovers beneath their pink bonnets. A shiny 
 black bumblebee tumbled down to the deck with 
 his gold gossamer wings and began to drone sum- 
 mer stories to the buttercups. A silver dragon fly 
 darted down to the ship with his rainbow-tinted 
 wings to mend the white strings of the daisies 7 
 caps which had been torn by the frolicsome 
 Whispering Wind. When Bobby's ship reached 
 the other wharf it looked like an excursion boat, 
 but, ah, Dicky's ship was quite empty. There had 
 been no flower children on board to call the 
 butterflies, the bumblebees, and the dragon flies. 
 
69 
 
 'I know the nicest play of all, now/' said 
 Bobby, after he had helped the flower children 
 from his ship and put their feet in the Singing 
 Brook that they might wade there all the rest of 
 the day and keep cool and fresh and sweet. 
 
 ' We will take our ships back, Dicky, and have 
 
 a race. 73 
 
 " Oh, that will be nice! " answered Dicky. So 
 the two little boys carried the two ships back and 
 launched them, side by side, in the Singing Brook. 
 
 ' One two- began Bobby, but before he 
 said "three" he heard their mother's voice floating 
 over the fields and as far as their playground. 
 
 ' Bobby, Dicky, come home," their mother 
 called. " Come home, boys, dinner is ready." 
 
 'I'm coming, mother," Bobby called back, 
 putting his hand to his mouth to make a horn. 
 Then he turned to Dicky, who still bent low over 
 the bank of the Singing Brook and still held in 
 his hand the string that was tied to the rudder of 
 his ship. 
 
 * In a minute," Dicky answered. Bobby ran off 
 over the fields, and soon he was out of sight. He 
 
70 
 
 knew that there were fat w^hite potatoes and yel- 
 low chicken meat and red cherry dumplings for 
 dinner. Now they were hot, but they would be 
 cold if he did not hurry. 
 
 Down by the Singing Brook Dicky w r aited to 
 launch his ship once more. The Whispering Wind 
 filled the sail a third time, and away sailed the 
 beautiful little toy ship, so pretty with its green 
 and white paint and its rudder that was painted 
 red. Dicky ran along beside it, to see how fast it 
 sailed. Faster and faster sailed Dicky's ship. It 
 did not stop when it came to the Pine Tree, where 
 the Old Chipmunk w^as busy in his cellar sorting 
 out his apples. It did not stop when it came to 
 the Wading Pool, where all the flower children 
 stood, keeping cool and fresh and sweet. On and 
 on sailed the little ship, for the Whispering Wind 
 was taking it a long, long way off to the place 
 where the Singing Brook loses itself in the Eiver 
 and the Eiver goes on down to the Sea. 
 
 " Come back ! Oh, do come back ! " called Dicky 
 to the little ship, but the ship only sailed the 
 faster. 
 
71 
 
 ' Please come back ! " cried Dicky, as his beau- 
 tiful ship sailed out of sight. 
 
 " In a minute," the Whispering Wind called back. 
 
 But the little ship never came back. So 
 Dicky went slowly across the field and home to 
 dinner, but when he reached home, what do you 
 think had happened ? 
 
 The fat white potatoes, the yellow chicken meat, 
 and the red cherry dumplings were cold. 
 
 Describe the play of Bobby and Dicky. 
 
 How were the two boys different in their play ? 
 
 Which one had the more fun ? Why ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Give other words for exactly, fluttering. Basked 
 means lay in the warm sun ; drone, to make a low, 
 humming sound ; " sorting out," separating the good 
 from the bad. Write a composition on " What I Missed 
 by Being Late." 
 
 2. Give the sound of o in nothing, something, mother, 
 come. Find other words in the story that have the 
 sound of u. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 excursion (Sks kuVshun) : a pleasure trip 
 rudder (rud'er) : a flat piece of wood or metal, by which 
 a ship is turned 
 
72 
 
 moorings (mbor'ingz) : ropes, chains, or anchors to keep 
 
 a vessel in its place 
 passengers (paVen jers) : travelers 
 gossamer (gos'a mer) : fine and thin like a veil 
 frolicsome (frol'ik sum) : playful 
 launched (loncht) : set afloat 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374~377 : 
 dumplings perhaps singing willow only 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
 AN EASY WAY TO LEARN TO READ 
 OLIVER GOLDSMITH 
 
 An ignorant countryman made his first visit 
 to a city. He noticed the large buildings and 
 shops and the crowds of people. Many of the 
 people were reading their newspapers, and our 
 countryman observed that most of the readers 
 wore glasses. 
 
 Soon he saw, in a shop window, glasses and 
 other optical instruments. He went in and asked 
 for glasses for reading. 
 
 The countryman held a book while the opti- 
 cian handed him pair after pair of glasses. After 
 each trial he said, " No, I cannot read." 
 
73 
 
 Finally the optician, becoming tired of trying 
 so many pairs of glasses, said to his customer, 
 'Do you know how to read?" 
 
 ' What a question ! " said the countryman. * If 
 1 knew how to read, why should I want to buy 
 glasses for reading?" -Adapted 
 
 Why did the countryman want glasses ? 
 Why did the glasses do him no good ? 
 Was the countryman fooling the optician ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. What is an optician? Have you ever been to one? 
 Tell some of the things he did. Tell about some of the 
 optical instruments you saw in the window. 
 
 2. What sound has ci in optician? What sound has ei 
 in their ? In pair, ai = a in care. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 
 noticed (no'tist) : saw, noted 
 
 newspapers (nuz'paperz) : papers printed daily to tell 
 what is happening 
 
 Optician (5p tish'an) : one who makes or sells glasses 
 
 customer (ktis'tum er) : a tradesman, a buyer 
 
 finally (fl'nal i) : lastly 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374~377 : 
 
 glasses saw 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
74 
 
 THE CONJURER AND THE TAILOR 
 
 OLIVER GOLDSMITH 
 
 A conjurer and a tailor once happened to be 
 talking together. "Alas," cried the tailor, " what 
 an unhappy creature am I ! If people should ever 
 take it in their heads to live without clothes, 
 I am undone ; I have no other trade to turn to." 
 
 ' Indeed, friend, I pity you," replied the con- 
 jurer; : 'but, thank Heaven, things are not quite 
 
75 
 
 so bad with me ; for if one trick should fail, 1 
 have a hundred tricks left. However, if at any 
 time you are reduced to beggary, come to me, 
 and I will help you. 77 
 
 A famine spread over the land ; the tailor 
 managed to live, because his customers could 
 not be without clothes; but the poor conjurer, 
 with all his hundred tricks, could find none that 
 had money to throw away ; it Avas in vain that 
 he promised to eat fire or to swallow pins; not 
 a single creature would help him, till he was at 
 last obliged to beg from the very tailor whose 
 calling he had despised. Adapted 
 
 What worried the tailor ? 
 
 Why did the conjurer not worry ? 
 
 Which one was really better off ? Why ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 Read ^Esop's fable of " The Cat and- the Fox." Con- 
 jurer means a magician, a juggler, a man who does tricks ; 
 undone, ruined ; ' 'reduced to beggary," made poor ; famine, 
 lack of food, starvation ; "in vain," of no use ; " calling he 
 had despised," trade he had looked down upon. 
 
76 
 
 LITTLE DICK AND THE CLOCK 1 
 JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY 
 
 When Dicky was sick 
 
 In the night, and the clock, 
 As he listened, said " Tick- 
 
 Atty-tick-atty-tock ! " 
 He said that it said, 
 
 Every time it said "Tick," 
 It said "Sick," instead, 
 
 And he heard it say " Sick ! 
 And when it said ' ' Tick- 
 
 Atty-tick-atty-tock " 
 He said it said " Sick- 
 
 Atty-sick-atty-sock ! ' ; 
 And he tried to see then, 
 
 But the light was too dim, 
 Yet he heard it again - 
 
 And 'twas talkiitij to him ! 
 
 1 From the Biographical Edition of the Complete Works of James 
 Whitcomb Riley. Copyright, 1913. Used by special "permission of the 
 publishers, The Bobbs-Merrill Company. 
 
77 
 
 Arid then it said " Sick- 
 
 Atty-sick-atty-sick ! 
 You poor little Dick- 
 
 Atty-Dick-atty-Dick ! - 
 Have you got the hick- 
 
 Atties ? Hi ! send for Doc 
 To hurry up quick- 
 
 Atty-quick-atty-quock, 
 And heat a hot brick- 
 
 Atty-brick-atty-brock, 
 And rikle-ty .wrap it 
 And clickle-ty clap it 
 
 Against his cold feet- 
 
 Al-ty-weep-aty-eepaty - 
 There he goes, slapit- 
 
 Ty-slippaty-sleepaty ! " 
 
 How does a clock talk ? 
 
 What does it say ? 
 
 What did it seem to say to Dick ? 
 
78 
 
 LITTLE ANKLEBONE 1 
 
 Once upon a time there was a little boy who 
 had lost his parents ; so he went to live with his 
 auntie, and she set him to herd the sheep. All 
 day long the little fellow wandered barefoot 
 through the pathless plain, tending his Hock 
 and playing his tiny shepherd's pipe from morn 
 till eve. 
 
 But one day came a great big wolf and looked 
 
 1 From Flora Annie Steele's " Tales of the Punjab." Used by permis- 
 sion of The Macniillan Company, publishers. 
 
79 
 
 hungrily at the small shepherd and his fat sheep, 
 saying, " Little boy! shall I eat you or your 
 sheep? " 
 
 Then the little boy answered politely, " I don't 
 know, Mr. Wolf! I must ask my auntie. 7 ' 
 
 So all day long he piped away on his tiny 
 pipe, and in the evening, when he brought the 
 llock home, he went to his auntie and said : 
 "Auntie dear, a great big wolf asked me today 
 if he should eat me or your sheep. Which shall 
 it be?" 
 
 Then his auntie looked at the wee little shep- 
 herd, and at the fat flock, and said sharply : 
 * Which shall it be? Why, you, of course!' 1 
 
 So next morning the little boy drove his flock 
 out into the pathless plain and blew away cheer- 
 fully on his shepherd's pipe until the great big 
 wolf appeared. Then he laid aside his pipe and, 
 going up to the savage beast, said, " Oh, if you 
 please, Mr. Wolf, I asked my auntie, and she 
 says you are to eat me." 
 
 Now the wolf, savage as wolves always are, 
 could not help having just a spark of pity for 
 
80 
 
 the tiny barefoot shepherd who played his pipe 
 so sweetly. Therefore he said kindly, " Could I 
 do anything for you, little boy, after I've eaten 
 you? 7 ' 
 
 ' Thank you," returned the tiny shepherd. 'If 
 you would be so kind, after you've picked the 
 bones, as to thread my anklebone on a string 
 and hang it on the tree that weeps over the 
 pond yonder, I shall be much obliged." 
 
 So the wolf ate the shepherd, picked the bones, 
 and afterwards, hung the anklebone by a string 
 to the branches of the tree, where it danced and 
 swung in the sunlight. 
 
 Now, one day, three robbers, who had just 
 robbed a palace, happening to pass that way, sat 
 down under the tree and began to divide the 
 spoil. Just as they had arranged all the golden 
 dishes and precious jewels and costly stuffs into 
 three heaps, a jackal howled. Now you must 
 know that thieves always use the jackal's cry 
 as a note of warning, so that when, at that very 
 moment, Little Anklebone's thread snapped and 
 he fell plump on the head of the chief robber, the 
 
81 
 
 man imagined some one had thrown a pebble at 
 him, and, shouting "Run! run! we are discov- 
 ered ! " he bolted away as hard as he could, fol- 
 lowed by his companions, leaving all the treasure 
 behind them. 
 
 : 'Now," said Little Anklebone to himself, "1 
 shall lead a tine life ! r> 
 
 So he gathered the treasure together and sat 
 under the tree that drooped over the pond, and 
 played so sweetly on a new shepherd's pipe that 
 all the beasts of the forests and the birds of the 
 air and the fishes of the pond came to listen to 
 him. Then Little Anklebone put marble basins 
 round the pond for the animals to drink out of, 
 and in the evening the does and the tigresses 
 and the she-wolves gathered round him to be 
 milked, and when he had drunk his fill he milked 
 the rest into the pond, till at last it became a 
 pond of milk. And Little Anklebone sat by the 
 milken pond and piped away on his shepherd's 
 pipe. 
 
 Now, one day, an old woman, passing by with 
 her jar for water, heard the sweet strains of Little 
 
83 
 
 Anklebone's pipe, and, following the sound, came 
 upon the pond of milk, and saw the animals 
 and the birds and the fishes, listening to the 
 music. She was wonderstruck, especially when 
 Little Anklebone, from his seat under the tree, 
 called out, ' Fill your jar, mother ! All drink 
 who come hither ! r> 
 
 Then the old woman filled her jar with milk, 
 and went on her way rejoicing at her good for- 
 tune. But as she journeyed on she met the 
 king of that country, who, having been a-hunting, 
 had lost his way in the pathless plain. 
 
 " Give me a drink of water, good mother/' he 
 cried, seeing the jar ; " I am half dead with thirst !" 
 
 ' It is milk, my son/' replied the old woman. 
 * I got it yonder from a milken pond." Then she 
 told the king of the wonders she had seen, so 
 that he resolved to have a peep at them himself. 
 And when he saw the milken pond and all the 
 animals and birds and fishes gathered round, 
 while Little Anklebone played ever so sweetly 
 on his shepherd's pipe, he said, ' I must have 
 the tiny piper, if I die for it! " 
 
84 
 
 No sooner did Little Anklebonc hear these 
 words than he set off at a run and the king- 
 after him. Never was there such a chase before 
 or since, for Little Anklebone hid himself amid 
 the thickest briers and thorns, and the king was 
 so determined to have the tiny piper, that he did 
 not care for scratches. At last the king was suc- 
 cessful, but no sooner did he take hold of Little 
 Anklebone than the clouds above began to thun- 
 der and lighten horribly, and from below came 
 the lowing of many does, and louder than all 
 came the voice of the little piper himself singing 
 these words : 
 
 clouds ! why should you storm and flare ? 
 
 Poor Anklebone is forced to roam. 
 does ! why wait the milker's care ? 
 
 Poor Anklebone must leave his home. 
 
 And he sang so piercingly sweet that pity filled 
 the king's heart, especially when he saw it was 
 nothing but a bone after all. So he let it go 
 again, and the little piper went back to his seat 
 under the tree by the pond. And there he sits 
 
85 
 
 to this day, and plays his shepherd's pipe, while 
 all the beasts of the forest, and the birds of the 
 air, and the fishes of the pond gather round to 
 listen to his music. And sometimes people wan- 
 dering through the pathless plain hear the pipe, 
 and then they say, ' That is Little Anklebone, 
 who was eaten by a wolf ages ago ! r> 
 
 What choice did the wolf offer the little boy ? 
 
 What was the boy's answer? 
 
 How did the little boy fulfill his part of the bargain ? 
 
 Why did the wolf not eat the sheep ? 
 
 What favor did the boy ask of the wolf ? 
 
 How were the robbers frightened away ? 
 
 What is the rest of the story of Little Anklebone ? 
 
86 
 
 SEEDS 
 AILEEN CLEVELAND HIGOINS 
 
 The seeds I cuddle in my hands are Dreams - 
 The waiting earth and dew, 
 The wind and rain, the sun with magic beams 
 Will make them all come true. 
 
 Why are seeds called dreams ? 
 
 How will the dreams come true ? 
 
 Why are the sun's rays called magic beams ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 Did you ever help to make seed dreams come true ? 
 Tell how. To cuddle means to hold close. What are 
 " magic beams " ? 
 
 The secret is deeper than we can read : 
 
 But we gather the grain if we sow the seed. 
 
 LUCY LARCOM 
 
87 
 
 THE POMEGRANATE SEEDS 
 NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE 
 
 Mother Ceres was very fond of her daughter 
 Proserpina and very careful of her. Seldom did 
 she let her go alone into the fields, but just at 
 this time when my story begins the good lady 
 was very busy ripening the wheat, Indian corn, 
 rye, and barley. So she put on her turban made 
 of poppies and stepped into her car drawn by 
 a pair of winged dragons and was just ready to 
 set off. 
 
 ? Dear mother," called Proserpina, " may I not 
 run down to the shore to play with the sea 
 nymphs? I shall be so lonely without you." 
 
 'Yes, child," answered Mother Ceres, "but 
 take care not to stray away from them into 
 the fields. Children are apt to get into mischief 
 without their mothers." 
 
 The child promised, and by the time the 
 winged dragons had whirled the car out of sight 
 she was already on the shore, calling to the sea 
 
88 
 
 nymphs to come and play with her. They knew 
 her voice and were not long in showing their 
 glistening faces and sea-green hair above the 
 water, at the bottom of which was their home. 
 They brought along with them many beautiful 
 shells to make a necklace, which they hung 
 round Proserpina's neck. Then Proserpina asked 
 them to go with her to gather flowers. 
 
 " Oh, no, dear Proserpina," cried the sea nymphs, 
 : ' we dare not go with you upon dry land. We 
 must breathe the salt air of the ocean. And 
 don't you see how careful we are to let the 
 waves break over us every moment? If it were 
 not for that, we should soon look like bunches 
 of seaweed dried in the sun." 
 
 'But do you wait for me here, then," said 
 Proserpina, " and I will run and fill my apron 
 with flowers. I wish to make you some wreaths 
 that shall be as lovely as this necklace of 
 shells." 
 
 ' We will wait," answered the sea nymphs, 
 : 'but while you are gone we may as well lie 
 down on a bank of soft sponge under water. But 
 
89 
 
 we will pop up our heads every few minutes 
 to see if you are coming." 
 
 Proserpina ran to a spot where she had seen 
 a great many flowers. She filled her apron with 
 them and started back. But, a little farther on, 
 she saw a large shrub covered with the most 
 beautiful flowers in the world. She ran to it, 
 and the nearer she came to it the more beau- 
 tiful it looked. It bore a hundred flowers of 
 the most brilliant colors. 
 
 ' It is really the most beautiful shrub that 
 ever sprang out of the earth," said she. 'I will 
 pull it up by the roots and carry it home and 
 plant it in my mother's garden." 
 
 Holding up her apron full of flowers with 
 her left hand, Proserpina seized the large shrub 
 with the other and pulled and pulled. Soon the 
 earth began to stir and cra^ck around the stem. 
 She gave another pull and up came the shrub. 
 Proserpina stood holding the stem in her hand 
 and gazing at the deep hole which its roots had 
 left in the soil. 
 
 Much to her astonishment this hole kept 
 
90 
 
 spreading wider and wider, and growing deeper 
 and deeper, until it really seemed to have no 
 bottom. All the w^hile there came a rumbling 
 noise out of its depths. It grew louder and 
 louder, and nearer and nearer, and sounded 
 like the tramp of horses' hoofs and the rat- 
 tling of wheels. Soon she saw a team of four 
 black horses tearing their way out of the earth 
 with a golden chariot whirling at their heels. 
 They leaped out of the hole, chariot and all. 
 There they were, tossing their black manes and 
 switching their black tails, close by the spot 
 where Proserpina stood. 
 
 In the chariot sat the figure of a man richly 
 dressed, with a crown on his head, all flaming 
 with diamonds. He looked sullen and kept rub- 
 bing his eyes and shading them with his hand, 
 as if he did not live enough in the sunshine 
 to be fond of its light. As soon as he saw 
 Proserpina he beckoned her to come a little 
 nearer. 
 
 "Do not be afraid," said he, with as cheer- 
 ful a smile as he knew how to put on. " Come ! 
 
92 
 
 Should you not like to ride a little way with me 
 in my beautiful chariot?" 
 
 But Proserpina was so alarmed that she cried 
 ''Mother! Mother Ceres!" all in a tremble, 
 " come quickly and save me ! " But Ceres was 
 then a thousand miles off, making the corn 
 grow in some distant country. 
 
 No sooner did Proserpina begin to cry out 
 than the stranger leaped to the ground, caught 
 the child in his arms, mounted the chariot, and 
 shouted to the four black horses to set off. They 
 broke into so swift a gallop that it seemed more 
 like flying through the air than running along the 
 earth. In a moment Proserpina lost sight of the 
 pleasant valley in which she had always dwelt. 
 The poor child screamed and scattered her flowers 
 along the way. 
 
 'Why should you be so frightened?" asked 
 the stranger, trying to soften his rough voice. 
 'I promise not to do you any harm. What! 
 you have been gathering flowers? Wait till we 
 come to my palace and I will give you a garden 
 full of flowers all made of diamonds, pearls, 
 
93 
 
 and rubies. My name is Pluto. I am the king 
 of diamonds and .all other precious stones. All 
 the gold and silver that lie under the earth 
 belong to me and all the copper and iron, and 
 all the coal mines belong to me. Do you see 
 this splendid crown upon my head? You may 
 have it for a plaything." 
 
 ' Let me go home ! " cried Proserpina, ' Let 
 me go home ! " 
 
 : > My home is better than your mother's/' 
 answered King Pluto. ' It is a palace all made 
 of gold, with crystal windows and diamond 
 lamps. If you like, you may be my queen." 
 
 ' I don't care for golden palaces and thrones," 
 sobbed Proserpina. "Oh, mother! mother! Carry 
 me back to my mother!" 
 
 But King Pluto only shouted to his horses 
 to go faster. 
 
 She might just as well have talked to the 
 wind that whistled past them, for Pluto urged 
 on his horses and w^ent faster than ever. The 
 black horses had rushed along so swiftly that 
 they were soon out of the sunshine. 
 
94 
 
 " This twilight is good," said King Pluto, 
 " after that ugly glare of the sun. My palace 
 is lighted with diamond lamps. You will like 
 it when we get there." 
 
 ' Is it much farther?" asked Proserpina. 
 " And will you carry me back when I have 
 seen it?" 
 
 ' We will talk of that by and by," answered 
 Pluto. ' Do you see that tall gateway before 
 us? When we pass those gates we are at home. 
 And there lies my faithful mastiff at the thresh- 
 old. Cerberus ! Cerberus ! Come hither, my 
 good dog! '' 
 
 So saying, Pluto pulled at the reins and 
 stopped the chariot right between the tall pillars 
 of the gateway. The mastiff got up, stood on 
 his hind legs, and put his forepaws on the 
 chariot wheel. He was a big, ugly-looking monster. 
 He had three heads, each of them fiercer than 
 the two others; but, fierce as they were, King 
 Pluto patted them all. He seemed fond of his 
 three-headed dog. Cerberus was glad to see his 
 master, and showed it by wagging his tail at a 
 
95 
 
 great rate. Proserpina saw that this tail was a 
 live dragon with fiery eyes and poisonous fangs. 
 
 ' Will the dog bite me? 7 ' asked Proserpina. 
 ' What an ugly creature he is ! r ' 
 
 " Oh, never fear/ 7 answered her companion, 
 : ' he never harms people unless they try to enter 
 my kingdom without being sent for, or try to 
 get away when I wish to keep them here. 
 Down, Cerberus ! Now, my pretty Proserpina, 
 we will drive on." 
 
 On went the chariot, and King Pluto seemed 
 greatly pleased to find himself once more in his 
 own kingdom. Not far from the gateway they 
 came to a bridge, which seemed to be built of 
 iron. Pluto stopped the chariot and bade Pro- 
 serpina look at the stream which was gliding 
 so lazily beneath it. 
 
 "This is the river Lethe," said Pluto. " Only 
 sip a little of it and you will stop grieving for 
 your mother. I will send for some in a golden 
 goblet." 
 
 " Oh, no, no, no ! " cried Proserpina, weep- 
 ing afresh, " I had a thousand times rather be 
 
96 
 
 miserable with remembering my mother than be 
 happy in forgetting her. Dear mother! I never, 
 never will forget her." 
 
 "We shall see," said King Pluto. "You do 
 not know what tine times we shall have in my 
 palace. Here we are, just at the portal." He 
 alighted from his chariot and, taking Proserpina 
 in his arms, carried her up a flight of steps 
 into the great hall of the palace. 
 
 Pluto now called his servant and told him to 
 prepare a feast, and to set a golden goblet of 
 the water of Lethe by Proserpina's plate. 
 
 'I will drink neither that nor anything else," 
 said Proserpina, ' nor will I taste a morsel 
 of food, even if you keep me forever in your 
 palace." 
 
 'I should be sorry for that," replied King 
 Pluto, " but, when you see the nice things which 
 my cook will make for you, your appetite will 
 quickly come again." 
 
 Now Ceres had been half hidden among the wav- 
 ing grain while the four black horses were whirl- 
 ing along with the chariot in which Proserpina, 
 
97 
 
 was carried away. She had mistaken the rumb- 
 ling of the chariot wheels for thunder, and 
 had thought that a shower was coming up. 
 But at the sound of Proserpina's shriek she 
 started and looked about her, feeling almost 
 certain that it was her daughter's voice. She 
 quickly left the field in which she had been so 
 busy, and in less than an hour had alighted at 
 the door of her home and found it empty. 
 
 She hurried to the seashore as fast as she 
 could, and saw the wet faces of the poor sea 
 nymphs peeping over the wave. All this while 
 they had been waiting on the sponge bank. 
 Once every half minute they had popped up their 
 heads above the water to look for their play- 
 mate. When they saw Ceres they sat down on 
 the crest of the wave and let it toss them 
 ashore at her feet. 
 
 'Where is Proserpina?" cried Ceres. 
 
 ' Proserpina has been at play with us, but 
 she left us a long while ago to gather some 
 Howers for a wreath. That was early in the 
 day, and we have seen nothing of her since." 
 
98 
 
 Ceres hurried off to tind Proserpina, but 
 nobody knew what had become of her. A Usher- 
 man, it is true, had noticed her little footprints 
 in the sand as he went homeward along the 
 beach with a basket of fish. A peasant had 
 seen her stooping to gather flowers. Several 
 persons had heard the rattling of chariot wheels. 
 And one old woman had heard a scream, but 
 thought it w T as some childish nonsense. 
 
 It was now dark, so Ceres lighted a torch 
 and set forth, meaning never to come back 
 until Proserpina was found. 
 
 All night long, at the door of every cottage 
 and farmhouse, Ceres knocked and asked if any 
 one had seen her child. At the portal of every 
 palace she knocked, but nobody had seen 
 Proserpina, nor could any one give Ceres the 
 least hint w r here to seek her. Thus the night 
 passed, and still she went on searching, without 
 sitting down to rest or stopping to take food. 
 
 Thus Mother Ceres w^ent wandering about for 
 nine days and nights. Now and then she found 
 a withered flower, which she picked up and put 
 
90 
 
 into her bosom. All day she traveled onward 
 through the hot sun, and at night the dame of 
 the torch would gleam along the pathway. 
 
 'There is one person/' she exclaimed, "who 
 must have seen my poor child, and can doubt- 
 less tell what has become of her. Why did I 
 not think of him before? It is Phoebus." So 
 she went along to find Phoebus. By and by, 
 after a long journey, Ceres came to the sunniest 
 spot in the whole world. There she beheld a 
 beautiful young man with long, curling ringlets, 
 which seemed to be made of golden sunbeams, 
 and his clothes were like summer clouds. As 
 Ceres came near him Phoebus smiled on her 
 cheerfully. 
 
 "Phoebus," exclaimed she, 'I am in great 
 trouble 'and have come to you for help. Can 
 you tell me what has become of my dear child, 
 Proserpina? " 
 
 ' I am happy to tell you, my dear madam, 
 that I did see the little Proserpina not many 
 days ago. You may make yourself easy about 
 her. She is safe and in good hands." 
 
100 
 
 "Oh, where is my dear child?" cried Ceres, 
 clasping her hands and Hinging herself at his feet. 
 
 'Why," said Phoebus, "as the little maiden 
 was gathering flowers she was suddenly snatched 
 up by King Pluto and carried off to his king- 
 dom. His royal palace is built of gold, diamonds, 
 and pearls ; and all kinds of precious stones will 
 be your daughter's playthings. In spite of the 
 lack of sunshine she will lead a very happy life." 
 
 ' Will you go with me, Phoebus, to demand 
 my daughter of this wicked Pluto?" 
 
 ' Pray excuse me," replied Phoebus, "as 1 am 
 not upon the best of terms with King Pluto. 
 To tell you the truth, his three-headed mastiff 
 would never let me pass the gateway." 
 
 Ceres shook her head and hastened away. 
 She had now found out what had become of 
 her daughter, but she was not happier than 
 before. Had Proserpina been aboveground, Ceres 
 could have found her. But, now that the poor 
 child was shut up within the iron gates of the 
 king of the mines, there seemed to be no chance 
 of her ever making her escape. 
 
101 W4,^JH;K#^1 
 
 Farmers plowed and planted as usual, but 
 pastures looked as brown in the month of June 
 as they ever did in November. The poor starving 
 cattle and sheep followed Ceres, lowing and 
 bleating as if they expected help from her. 
 Everybody that knew her power begged her to 
 let the grains and grasses grow. 
 
 "No," said Ceres, "if the earth is ever again 
 green it must grow along the path my daughter 
 treads coming back to me." 
 
 At last Mercury w^as sent to King Pluto to 
 beg him to undo the mischief he had done, by giv- 
 ing up Proserpina. Mercury made his way to the 
 great gate, took a flying leap over the three- 
 headed mastiff, and asked to see the king. The 
 servants knew him by his face and garb, for they 
 had often seen his short cloak, his winged 
 cap and shoes, and his snaky staff. Pluto heard 
 his voice from the top of the stairs and called out 
 to him to come up. 
 
 Proserpina had said that she would not taste 
 a mouthful of food so long as she stayed in the 
 king's palace. 
 
102 
 
 When Pluto noticed this he said : "Are you not 
 terribly hungry? Is there nothing which I can 
 get for you to eat? 77 
 
 ' I shall never eat anything unless it be a slice 
 of bread of my mother's own baking, or a little 
 fruit out of her garden/ 7 said Proserpina. 
 
 When Pluto heard this he wondered that he 
 had never thought of it before. So he sent one 
 of his trusty servants with a large basket to get 
 some of the finest fruits which could be found 
 in the upper world. 
 
 This was during the time Ceres had forbidden 
 any fruits or vegetables to grow. After seeking 
 all over the earth, King Pluto's servant found 
 only a single pomegranate, and that was too dried 
 up to be worth eating. Nevertheless, since there 
 was no better to be had, he brought this dry old 
 pomegranate home to the palace and carried it 
 up to Proserpina. Now it happened that just as 
 the servant was bringing the pomegranate into 
 the back door of the palace, our friend Mercury 
 had gone up the front steps. 
 
 As soon as Proserpina saw the pomegranate, 
 
103 
 
 she told the servant to take it away again. ' I 
 shall not touch it," said she. ' If I were ever so 
 hungry, I should never think of eating such a 
 dry pomegranate as that." 
 
 ' It is the only one in the world," said the 
 servant, and he set it down and left the room. 
 When he was gone Proserpina could not help 
 coming close to the table and looking at this 
 poor dried fruit. It was a very poor-looking 
 pomegranate, and seemed to have no more juice 
 in it than an oyster shell. But this was the first 
 fruit she had seen there, and unless she ate it up 
 at once it would grow drier than it already was. 
 
 "At least I may smell it," thought Proserpina. 
 So she took up the pomegranate and put it to 
 her nose. Before Proserpina knew r w r hat she was 
 about, her teeth had bitten it of their own accord. 
 Just then the door opened and in came King 
 Pluto, followed by Mercury, who had been beg- 
 ging him to let his prisoner go. Proserpina took 
 the pomegranate from her mouth. 
 
 "My little Proserpina," said the king, "here 
 is Mercury, who tells me that many misfortunes 
 
104 
 
 have befallen the people in the upper world on 
 account of my keeping you in my kingdom. I 
 hoped you would take my crown for a plaything 
 and stay with me, but I can see plainly enough 
 that you think my palace a prison. An iron 
 heart I would have if I were to keep you here 
 any longer. It is now six months since you have 
 tasted food. I give you your liberty. Go with 
 Mercury. Hasten home to your dear mother." 
 
 " Come quickly," whispered Mercury in her ear, 
 "or his Majesty may change his royal mind." 
 
 In a very short time they had passed the 
 great gateway where the three-headed Cerberus 
 was barking and yelping and growling. They 
 came up to the earth. As Proserpina hurried, 
 the path grew green behind and on either side of 
 her. Wherever she set her foot, there was at 
 once a flower. The violets grew up along the w r ay. 
 The grass and the grain began to sprout. The 
 starved cattle started grazing, and ate all day, 
 and got up at midnight to eat more. All the 
 birds hopped about upon the blossoming trees 
 and sang together in great joy. 
 
105 
 
 Mother Ceres had gone back to her home and 
 was sitting on the doorsteps with her torch burn- 
 ing in her hand. She had been watching the 
 Hame for some time when all at once it flickered 
 and went out. ' What does this mean ? " thought 
 she. ' It w^as an enchanted torch, and should 
 have kept burning till my child came back. 7 ' 
 Then, lifting her eyes, she saw 7 the brown fields 
 turning green. 'Does the earth disobey me?" 
 exclaimed Ceres. 
 
 " Open your arms, dear mother," cried a well- 
 known voice, " and take your little daughter into 
 them." And Proserpina came running and flung 
 herself upon her mother's bosom. Both of them 
 had shed many tears, and now they shed many 
 more, because of their joy. 
 
 When their hearts had grown a little more 
 quiet, Ceres looked anxiously at Proserpina. :r My 
 child," said she, "did you taste any food while 
 you w r ere in King Pluto's palace?" 
 
 ' Dearest mother," answered Proserpina, ' I 
 will tell you the whole truth. Until this very 
 morning not a morsel of food had passed my 
 
 M7 
 
106 
 
 lips, but today they brought me a pomegranate. 
 It was all dried up and there was little left of it 
 but seeds and skin, but I had seen no fruit for 
 so long that I was tempted to bite it. The instant 
 I tasted it, King Pluto and Mercury came into 
 the room. I had not swallowed a morsel, but six 
 of the pomegranate seeds stayed in my mouth." 
 
 "My poor child," exclaimed Ceres, "for each 
 of those six pomegranate seeds you must spend 
 one month of every year in King Pluto's palace. 
 Only six months with me and six months with 
 that good-for-nothing King of Darkness." 
 
 What did the Greeks think was the work of Ceres ? 
 
 How was Proserpina carried away ? 
 
 Describe the kingdom of Pluto. 
 
 Why was Proserpina unhappy there ? 
 
 How did her absence affect the earth ? 
 
 How was she rescued ? 
 
 How long was she allowed to remain with her mother ? 
 
 What season is this called ? 
 
 Why did Proserpina have to stay six months in Pluto's 
 kingdom ? 
 
 What do we call the season when Proserpina is in 
 Pluto's kingdom ? 
 
107 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. A sea-nymph was believed to be a lovely girl or young 
 woman who lived in the sea. Why must the sea-nymphs 
 remain where the surf breaks over them ? Give other 
 words for stray, glistening, gazing. Enchanted means 
 charmed or bewitched. Describe the guard at the gate of 
 Pluto's kingdom. How did the water of the river Lethe 
 make people feel when they drank it ? Give other words 
 for treads, morsel. 
 
 2. What sound has ph in nymphs? What sound has ei 
 in reigns? 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 Ceres (seVez) : goddess of fruits and vegetables 
 Proserpina (pro sur'pi n) : daughter of Ceres 
 turban (tur'ban) : a kind of hat with no brim 
 whirling (whurl'ing) : turning around 
 Pluto (ploo'to) : god of the lower world 
 Cerberus (sur'ber us) : a dog with three heads and a 
 
 serpent tail 
 
 Lethe (le'the) : a river of the lower world 
 pomegranate (pttm'gritn at) : a fruit somewhat like an 
 orange in size and color 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 laughing mischief careful earth 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
108 
 
 FOUR SWEET MONTHS 
 ROBERT HEKRICK 
 
 First, April, she with mellow showers 
 
 Opens the way for early flowers; 
 
 Then after her comes smiling May, 
 
 In a more sweet and rich array; 
 
 Next enters June, and brings us more 
 
 Gems than those two that went before ; 
 
 Then, lastly, July comes and she 
 
 More wealth brings in than all those three. 
 
 Name the four sweet months. 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Give the names of some of the early flowers. Why 
 is May called " smiling" ? " Rich array" means beautiful 
 dress. What is the beautiful dress of May? The word 
 
109 
 
 gems here means treasures, as beautiful flowers. What are 
 the flowers of June? Wealth here means good things. 
 What is the wealth of July? 
 
 2. Find a word in the poem where ear = ur in urn ; ay = a 
 in baby ; and x = ks. What sound has er in after ? Find 
 three other words in the poem where er = er in after. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 3^5-373 
 
 mellow (mel'o) : soft 
 array ( a ra/) : dress 
 lastly (last'li) : at the end 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 
 first early after 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
110 
 
 A FROST FANCY 
 RICHARD LE GALLIENNE 
 
 Summer gone, 
 Winter here; 
 Ways are white, 
 Skies are clear. 
 And the sun 
 A ruddy boy 
 All day sliding, 
 While at night 
 The stars appear 
 Like skaters gliding 
 On a mere. 
 
 What months are described in "A Frost Fancy" ? 
 What season do you enjoy most ? Why ? 
 
Ill 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. What is the best sport in winter? Ways are roads. 
 Give another word for appear. What do the stars seem 
 to be doing on a clear winter's night ? Mere means lake. 
 Recite other poems on the seasons. 
 
 2. Find words in the poem where i =1 in white ; ie = i 
 in white ; e = e in me ; and ea = e in me. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 
 ruddy (rticl/i) : of a reddish color 
 mere (mer) : a lake 
 appear (a per) : seem 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 sliding gliding gone 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
112 
 
 KRISS KBINGLE 
 
 THOMAS BAILEY ALDKICH 
 
 Just as the moon was fading amid her misty 
 
 rings, 
 And every stocking was stuffed with childhood's 
 
 precious things, 
 Old Kriss Kringle looked round, and saw on the 
 
 elm-tree bough, 
 High-hung, an oriole's empty nest, silent and 
 
 empty now. 
 " Quite like a stocking," he laughed, "pinned up 
 
 there on the tree ! 
 Little I thought the birds expected a present 
 
 from me !" 
 
113 
 
 Then old Kriss Kringle, who loves a joke as well 
 
 as the best, 
 Dropped a handful of flakes in the oriole's empty 
 
 nest. 
 
 What was Kriss Kringle' s joke ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. What time of night is described in the first line? 
 rt Fading amid her misty rings" means disappearing in a 
 haze or cloud. What had Kriss Kringle done for the 
 children? Give another name for Kriss Kringle. Draw 
 a picture of an oriole's nest. How can children play 
 Kriss Kringle to the birds ? 
 
 2. Find words in the poem where qu = kw and au = a in 
 dark. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 * 
 bough (bou) : branch of a tree 
 oriole (6'ri 51) : a bright yellow bird with black head, 
 
 wings, and tail 
 
 silent (si'lent) : free from noise 
 expected (Sks p8kt/8d) : looked for 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374~377 : 
 stocking thought things just 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
114 
 
 CHRISTMAS AT THE HOLLOW TREE INN 
 ALBERT BIGELOW PAINE 
 
 Once upon a time, when the Robin, and Turtle, 
 and Squirrel, and Jack Rabbit had all gone home 
 for the winter, nobody was left in the Hollow 
 Tree except the 'Coon and the Tossum and the 
 old black Crow. Of course the others used to come 
 back and visit them pretty often, and Mr. Dog 
 too, now that he had become good friends with 
 all the Deep Woods people, and they thought a 
 great deal of him when they knew him better. 
 Mr. Dog told them a lot of things they had never 
 heard of before, - - things that he'd learned at 
 Mr. Man's house, and maybe that's one reason 
 why they liked him so well. 
 
 He told them about Santa Claus, for one thing, 
 and how the old fellow came down the chimney on 
 Christmas Eve to bring presents to Mr. Man and 
 his children, who always hung up their stockings 
 for them, and Mr. Dog said that once he had hung 
 up his stocking, too, and got a nice bone in it, 
 that was so good he had buried and dug it up 
 
115 
 
 again as many as six times before spring. He 
 said that Santa Glaus always came to Mr. Man's 
 house, and that whenever the children hung up 
 their stockings they were sure to get something 
 in them. 
 
 Well, the Hollow Tree people had never heard 
 of Santa Glaus. They know about Christmas, of 
 course, because everybody, even the cows and 
 sheep, knows about that, but they had never 
 heard of Santa Glaus. You see, Santa Glaus only 
 comes to Mr. Man's house, but they didn't know 
 that either, so they thought if they just hung up 
 their stockings, he'd come there too, and that's 
 what they made up their minds to do. They 
 talked about it a great deal together, and Mr. 
 'Possum looked over all his stockings to pick out 
 the biggest one he had, and Mr. Crow made him- 
 self a new pair on purpose. Mr. 'Coon said he 
 never knew Mr. Crow to make himself such big 
 stockings before, but Mr. Crow said he was getting 
 old and needed things bigger, and when he lent 
 one of his new stockings to Mr. 'Coon, Mr. 'Coon 
 said, "That's so," and that he guessed they were 
 
116 
 
 about right after all. They didn't tell anybody 
 about it at first, but by and by they told Mr. Dog 
 what they were going to do, and when Mr. Dog 
 heard it he wanted to laugh right out. You see, 
 he knew Santa Glaus never went anywhere except 
 to Mr. Man's house, and he thought it would be 
 a great joke on the Hollow Tree people when 
 they hung up their stockings and didn't get 
 anything. 
 
 But by and by Mr. Dog thought about some- 
 thing else. He thought it would be too bad for 
 them to be disappointed that way. You see, Mr. 
 Dog liked them all now, and when he had thought 
 about that a minute he made up his mind to do 
 something. And this is what it was --he made 
 up his mind to play Santa Glaus! 
 
 He knew just how Santa Glaus looked because 
 he had seen lots of his pictures at Mr. Man's 
 house, and he thought it would be great fun to 
 dress up that way and take a bag of presents to 
 the Hollow Tree while they were all asleep and 
 fill up the stockings of the 7 Coon and 'Possum 
 and the old black Grow. But first he had to be 
 
118 
 
 sure of some way of getting in, so he said to them 
 that he didn't see how they could expect Santa 
 Glaus, their chimneys were so small, but Mr. Crow 
 said they could leave their latchstring out dow^n- 
 stairs, which was just what Mr. Dog wanted. 
 Then they said they were going to have all the 
 folks that had spent the summer with them for 
 Christmas dinner and to see the presents they 
 had got in their stockings. They told Mr. Dog to 
 come over, too, if he could get away, and Mr. Dog 
 said he would and went off laughing to himself, 
 and ran all the way home because he felt so 
 pleased at what he was going to do. 
 
 Well, he had to work pretty hard, I tell you, to 
 get things ready. It wasn't so hard to get the 
 presents as it was to rig up his Santa Glaus 
 dress. He found some long wool in Mr. Man's 
 barn for his white whiskers, and he put some that 
 wasn't so long on the edges of his overcoat and 
 boot tops, and around an old hat he had. Then 
 he borrowed a big sack he found out there, and 
 fixed it up to swing over his back, just as he had 
 seen Santa Glaus do in the picture. He had a lot 
 
119 
 
 of nice things to take along. Three tender young 
 chickens he took from Mr. Man, for one thing, 
 and then he bought some new neckties for the 
 Hollow Tree folks all around, arid a big striped 
 candy cane for each one, because candy canes 
 always looked well sticking out of a stocking. 
 Besides all that, he had a new pipe for each and 
 a package of tobacco. You see, Mr. Dog lived 
 with Mr. Man and didn't ever have to buy much 
 for himself, so he had always saved his money. 
 He had even more things than that, but I can't 
 remember just now w^hat they were; and when 
 he started out, all dressed like Santa Claus, I tell 
 you his bag w r as very heavy. He almost wished 
 before he got there that he hadn't started with 
 quite so much. 
 
 The bag got heavier and heavier all the way, 
 and he was glad enough to get there and find the 
 latchstring out. He set his bag down to rest a 
 minute before climbing the stairs, and then opened 
 the door softly and listened. He didn't hear a thing 
 except Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum 
 breathing pretty low, and he knew they might 
 
120 
 
 wake up any minute ; and lie wouldn't have 
 been caught there in the midst of things for a 
 good deal. So he slipped up just as easy as he 
 could, and when he got up in the big parlor he 
 almost had to laugh right out loud ; for there 
 were the stockings sure enough, all hung up in a 
 row, and a card with a name on it over each one, 
 telling whom it belonged to. 
 
 Then he listened again, and all at once he 
 jumped and held his breath, for he hoard Mr. 
 Tossum say something. But Mr. 'Possum was 
 only talking in his sleep and saying, ' ' I'll take 
 another piece, please, " and Mr. Dog knew that 
 he w r as dreaming about the mince pie he had 
 had for supper. 
 
 So then he opened his bag and filled the 
 stockings. He put in mixed candies and nuts, 
 and then the pipes and tobacco and candy canes, 
 so they'd show at the top ; and he hung a nice 
 dressed chicken outside. I tell you, they looked 
 fine ! It almost made Mr. Dog wish he had a 
 stocking of his own there to fill, and he forgot 
 all about their waking up and sat down in a 
 
121 
 
 chair to look at the stockings. It was a nice 
 rocking-chair, and it was over in a dark corner 
 where they wouldn't be apt to see him, even if 
 one of them did wake up and stick his head 
 out of his room. So Mr. Dog felt pretty safe. 
 He rocked softly and looked and looked at the 
 nice stockings, and thought how pleased the 
 owners would be in the morning, and how tired 
 he was. You've heard about people being as 
 tired as a dog; and that's just how T Mr. Dog 
 felt. He was so tired he didn't feel a bit like 
 starting home, and by and by - - he never did 
 know how it happened -- Mr. Dog went sound 
 asleep right there in his chair with all his Santa 
 Glaus clothes on. 
 
 And there he sat, with his empty bag in his 
 hand and the nice full stockings in front of him, 
 all night long. Even when it came morning and 
 began to get light Mr. Dog didn't know it; he 
 just slept right on, he was so tired. Then pretty 
 soon the door of Mr. 'Possum's room opened and 
 he poked out his head. And just then the door 
 of Mr. 'Coon's room opened and he poked out his 
 
 M7 
 
122 
 
 head. Then the door of the old black crow opened 
 and out came his head. They all looked toward 
 the stockings and they didn't see Mr. Dog or 
 even each other. They saw their stockings, 
 though, and Mr. 'Coon said all at once, " Oh, 
 there's something in my stocking!" 
 
 And then Mr. Crow said, " Oh, there's some- 
 thing in my stocking, too ! " 
 
 And Mr. 'Possum said, " Oh, there 's something 
 in all our stockings ! " 
 
 And with that they gave a great hurrah 
 all together, and rushed out and grabbed their 
 stockings, and turned around just in time to 
 see Mr. Dog jump right straight up out of his 
 chair, for he did not know where he was the 
 least bit in the world. 
 
 " Oh, there's Santa Glaus himself!" they all 
 shouted together, for they were scared almost 
 to death. But it all dawned on Mr. Dog in a 
 second, and he commenced to laugh and hurrah 
 to think what a joke it was on everybody. And 
 when they heard Mr. Dog laugh they knew him 
 right away, and they all came up and looked 
 
123 
 
 at him, and he had to tell just what he had 
 done and everything ; then they emptied out their 
 stockings on the floor and ate some of the presents 
 and looked at the others, until they almost forgot 
 about breakfast, just as children do on Christmas 
 morning. 
 
 Then Mr. Crow said all at once that he'd 
 make a little coffee, and that Mr. Dog must 
 stay and have some. By and by they made him 
 promise to spend the day with them and be 
 there when the Robin and the Squirrel and 
 Mr. Turtle and Jack Rabbit came, which he did. 
 
 It was snowing hard outside, which made it a 
 nicer Christmas than if it hadn't been, and when 
 all the others came, they brought presents, too. 
 And when they saw Mr. Dog dressed up as 
 Santa Glaus and heard how he'd gone to sleep 
 and been caught, they laughed and laughed. It 
 snowed so hard that they had to stay all night, 
 and after dinner they sat around the fire and 
 told stories. And they had to stay the next 
 night too, and all that Christmas week. I wish 
 I could tell you all that happened that week, 
 
124 
 
 but I can't, because I haven't time. But it was 
 the very nicest Christmas that ever was in the 
 Hollow Tree, or in the big deep woods anywhere. 
 
 How did Mr. Dog know about Santa Claus ? 
 
 Why did he make up his mind to play Santa Claus ? 
 
 Tell how he was discovered. 
 
 Tell how the Christmas party ended. 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Who lived at the Hollow Tree Inn ? Tell the names of 
 some of their visitors. Tell how the animals prepared for 
 Christmas. Tell how Mr. Dog got ready to play Santa 
 Claus. What is the mark before 'Possum and 'Coon ? 
 What does it tell here ? Give the right names of these two 
 animals. Describe Santa Claus's visit to Hollow Tree Inn. 
 Tell another Christmas story. Go to the library and read 
 "A Visit from St. Nicholas," by Clement C. Moore. 
 
 2. Find words in the story where ie = 1 in white. 
 Give the sound of ie in buried ; of u in minute. Give other 
 words having the sound of i in is. Give the sound of o in 
 front ; of ou in enough. Give other words having the sound 
 of u in fun. Give the sound of ue in guessed. Give other 
 words having the sound of e in elf. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373: 
 
 chimney (chim'm) : an upright flue of brick or stone 
 
 for smoke 
 disappointed (dis a point' 6d) : grieved, made sorry 
 
125 
 
 purpose (pur'pus) : aim 
 
 Santa Glaus (san'ta kloz) : the bearer of presents to 
 children on Christmas Eve 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 squirrel picture laugh dog 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
 THE WHOLE DUTY OF KITTENS 
 OLIVER HEKFORD 
 
 When human folk at table eat, 
 A kitten must not mew for meat, 
 
 Or jump to grab it from the dish, 
 (Unless it happens to be fish). 
 
126 
 
 THE MONKEY'S REVENGE 
 E. V. LUCAS 
 
 Once upon a time there was a little girl 
 named Clara Amabel Platts. She lived in Ken- 
 sington, near the Gardens, and every day when 
 it was fine she walked with Miss Hobbs round 
 the Round Pond. Miss Hobbs was her governess. 
 When it was wet she read a book, or as much 
 of a book as she could, being still rather weak 
 in the matter of long words. When she did 
 not read she made woolwork articles for her 
 aunts, and now and then something for her 
 
127 
 
 mother's birthday present or Christmas present. 
 This was supposed to be a secret, but her 
 mother, however hard she tried not to look, 
 always knew all about it. But this did not 
 prevent her mother from being greatly surprised 
 when the present was given to her. 
 
 It was generally admitted by Mrs. Platts, and 
 also by Miss Hobbs and Kate Woodley, the nurse, 
 that Clara w^as a very good girl ; but she had 
 one fault which troubled them all : and that was 
 too much readiness in saying what came into 
 her mind. Mrs. Platts tried to check her by 
 making her count five before she spoke about 
 what was happening, so that she could be sure 
 that she really ought to say it ; and Kate 
 Woodley used often to click her tongue when 
 Clara was rattling on ; but Miss Hobbs had 
 another and more serious remedy. She used to 
 tell Clara to ask herself three questions before 
 she made any of her quick little remarks. 
 These were the questions: (1) Is it kind? (2) Is 
 it true? (3) Is it necessary? If the answer to 
 all three was Yes, then Clara might say what 
 
128 
 
 she wanted to ; otherwise not. The result was 
 that when Clara and Miss Hobbs walked round 
 the Round Pond, Clara had very little to say, 
 because, you know, if it comes to that, hardly 
 anything is necessary. 
 
 Well, on December 20, 1907, the postman 
 brought Mrs. Platts a letter from Clara's aunt, 
 Miss Amabel Patterson of Chiselhurst, after 
 whom she had been named, and it was that 
 letter which makes this story. It said that 
 Miss Patterson would very much like Clara to 
 have a nice Christmas present ; and it went on 
 to say that if she had been very good lately, 
 and continued good up to the time of buying 
 the present, it was to cost seven-and-six. If she 
 had not been very good, it was to cost only a 
 shilling. This shows you the kind of aunt 
 Miss Patterson was. For myself, I don't think 
 that at Christmas-time a matter of good or bad 
 behavior ought to be remembered at all. And 
 I think that everything then ought to cost seven- 
 and-six. But Miss Patterson had her own way 
 of doing things. It did not really matter about 
 
129 
 
 the shilling at all, because Clara had been very 
 good for a long time. Mrs. Platts decided that 
 unless anything were still to happen the present 
 was to cost seven-and-six, just as if nothing 
 about a shilling had ever been said. 
 
 Unless anything were still to happen. Ah ! 
 Everything in this story depends on that. 
 
 Clara was as good as gold all the morning, 
 and she and Miss Hobbs marched round the 
 Round Pond like soldiers, Miss Hobbs talking 
 all the time and Clara as dumb as a fish. At 
 dinner also she behaved beautifully, although 
 the pudding was not at all what she liked ; 
 and then it was time for her mother to take 
 her out to buy the present. So, still good, 
 Clara ran upstairs to be dressed. 
 
 There are in Kensington High Street a great 
 many large shops, and the largest of these, 
 which is called Biter's, has a very nice way 
 every December of filling one of its windows 
 with toys. There are boats for the Round Pond, 
 and dolls of all sorts and sizes, and steam 
 engines with quite a lot of rails and signals, 
 
130 
 
 and clockwork animals, and guns. And when you 
 go inside you can.'t help hearing the gramophone. 
 It was into this shop that Mrs. Platts and 
 Clara went, wondering whether they would buy 
 just one thing that cost seven-and-six all at 
 once, or a lot of smaller things that came to 
 seven-and-six all together. Well, everything was 
 going splendidly, and Clara, after many chang- 
 ings of her mind, had just decided on a beau- 
 tiful wax doll with cheeks like tulips and real 
 black hair, when she chanced to look up and 
 saw a funny little old gentleman come in at 
 the door, and all in a flash she forgot her 
 promises and everything that was depending on 
 them. She seized her mother's arm, and, giving 
 
131 
 
 no thought at all to Miss Hobbs's three questions, 
 or to Kate Woodley's clicking tongue, or to 
 counting five, she cried in a loud whisper: 
 " Oh, mother, do look at that queer little man ! 
 Isn't he just like a monkey ! " 
 
 Now there were two dreadful things about 
 this speech. One was that it was made before 
 Aunt Amabel's present had been bought, and 
 therefore Mrs. Platts was allowed to spend only 
 a shilling. The other was that the little old 
 gentleman must have heard it, for his face 
 flushed and he looked very uncomfortable. 
 Indeed, it was an uncomfortable time for every 
 one. Mrs. Platts was very unhappy to think 
 that her little girl not only should have lost 
 the nice doll, but also have been so rude. The 
 little old gentleman was very confused and 
 nervous ; the girl who was waiting on them 
 was distressed when she knew what Clara's 
 unlucky speech had cost her. Clara herself was 
 in tears. After some time, in which Mrs. Platts 
 and the girl did their best to soothe her, Clara 
 consented to receive a shilling box of chalks as 
 
132 
 
 her present, and was led back still sobbing. Never 
 was there such a sad ending to an exciting trip ! 
 
 Miss Hobbs luckily had gone home ; but Kate 
 Woodley made things worse by being very sorry and 
 clicking away like a Bee clock, and Clara hardly 
 knew how to get through the rest of the day. 
 
 Clara's bedtime came always at a quarter to 
 eight, and between her supper, which was at half 
 past six, and that hour she used to come down- 
 stairs and play with her father and her mother. 
 On this evening she was very quiet and miserable, 
 although Mrs. Platts and Mr. Platts did all they 
 could to cheer her. She did a most strange thing : 
 when it was still only half past seven, she said 
 that she would like to go to bed. 
 
 And she would have gone, but at that moment 
 a loud knock sounded at the front door, so loud 
 that, in spite of her unhappiness, Clara had to 
 wait and see what it was. 
 
 And what do you think it w T as? A box ad- 
 dressed to Mrs. Platts, and it came from Biter's. 
 
 'But I haven't ordered anything," said Mrs. 
 Platts. 
 
133 
 
 "Never mind," said Mr. Platts; "open it." 
 So the box was opened, and inside was a note, 
 and this is what it said : 
 
 Dear Madam, I am so distressed to think that I am 
 the cause of your little girl losing her present, that I feel 
 there is nothing I can do but give her one myself. For if 
 I had not been so foolish at my age too as to go to 
 Biter's this afternoon, without any reason but to look 
 round, she would never have got into trouble. Biter's is 
 for children, not for old men with queer faces. And so I 
 beg leave to send her this doll, which I hope is the right 
 one, and with it a few clothes and necessaries. I am sure 
 she will not forget how it was that she very nearly lost 
 it altogether. 
 
 Believe me, yours penitently, 
 THE-LITTLE-OLD-MAN-WHO-REALLY- 
 IS-(AS-HIS-LOOKING-GLASS-HAS-TOO- 
 OFTEN-TOLD-HIM)-LIKE-A-MONKEY. 
 
 This letter, when Mrs. Platts read it to her, 
 seemed like a dream to Clara. But when the 
 box was unpacked it was found to contain, truly 
 enough, the very doll she had wanted, with cheeks 
 like tulips and real black hair. And there were 
 also frocks for it, and nightdresses and petticoats, 
 
135 
 
 and a card of tortoise-shell articles ; and three 
 hats and a tiny doll's parasol for Kensington 
 Gardens on sunny days. 
 
 Poor Clara didn't know what to do, and so she 
 simply sat down with the doll in her arms and 
 cried again ; but this was a different kind of cry- 
 ing from that which she had done before. And 
 when Kate Woodley came to take her to bed, she 
 cried, too. 
 
 And the funny thing is that, though the little 
 old gentleman's present looks much more like a 
 reward for being naughty than a punishment, 
 Clara has hardly ever since said a quick, unkind 
 thing that she could be sorry for. And Miss 
 Hobbs's three questions are never wanted at all, 
 and Kate Woodley has entirely given up clicking. 
 
 What was Clara's chief fault ? 
 How did her mother try to cure her ? 
 How was she to earn a fine Christmas present ? 
 How did she lose it ? 
 How was the loss made up to her ? 
 Why did this reward for being naughty help more than 
 a punishment? 
 
136 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. What three questions did Miss Hobbs use to keep 
 Clara quiet ? Why did Clara want to go to bed ? Why did 
 Clara not need the three questions after she received the 
 present ? Kensington is a part of London, in England. 
 " Generally admitted " means allowed by all. Seven-and-six 
 in English money is about one dollar and eighty-seven 
 cents in our money. An English shilling is about 
 twenty-five cents. 
 
 2. What sound has di in soldiers ? What sound has ei in 
 seized ? What sound has au in fault ? 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 governess (guv'SmSs) : a woman teacher in a family 
 prevent (pre vnt') : keep from 
 serious (se'ri us) : important 
 remedy (rSm'e di) : cure 
 continued (kon tm'ud) : kept on being 
 behavior (be haVyer) : conduct, manners 
 penitently (pn' I tent li) : feeling sorry 
 whether (whgth'er) : which (of two) 
 depending (de pgnd'mg) : connected with 
 uncomfortable (tin kum'fer ta b'l) : uneasy 
 confused (kon fuzd') : put to shame 
 distressed (dis trgst') : troubled 
 
 consented (k$n s8nt' 8d) : agreed, made up one's mind 
 addressed (adr6st'): directed in writing, as a letter 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 rather losing aunt cost 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
137 
 
 RING OUT, WILD BELLS 
 ALFRED TENNYSON 
 
 Ring out the old, ring in the new, 
 Ring, happy bells, across the snow : 
 The year is going, let him go ; 
 
 Ring out the false, ring in the true. 
 
 EVERY DAY 'S A LITTLE YEAR 
 ANNETTE WYNNE 
 
 Every day's a little year, 
 Keep it new and full of cheer, 
 Keep it glad in any weather, 
 So, by adding days together - 
 All the whole big year is true- 
 Full of cheer and shining new ! 
 
 A FRIENDLY WORD 
 ANNETTE WYNNE 
 
 A friendly word 's a sunshine broom 
 That keeps the day swept clean of gloom ; 
 And quite before you are aware 
 A happy "feel" is in the air. 
 
 M7 
 
138 
 
 PHAETON AND THE HORSES OF THE SUN 1 
 
 There was once a nymph named Clymene, 
 who had a son so handsome that he was called 
 Phaeton, a Greek word meaning "bright," "shin- 
 ing," : 'like the sun." When he grew up, the 
 goddess Venus was so charmed with him that 
 she made him the chief ruler of all her temples. 
 
 One day, when Phaeton was foolishly brag- 
 ging about his own beauty and greatness, one 
 of his companions said : "Ah ! you may boast 
 and brag, but you are a nobody after all. My 
 father was Jupiter, as everybody knows; but 
 who was yours?" 
 
 So Phaeton went to his mother, Clymene, 
 and said: 'Mother, they taunt me for not 
 being the son of a god. Who was my father? 
 He must at least have been some great king, 
 to be the father of such a son as I." 
 
 : 'A king," said Clymene. : ' Aye, and greater 
 than all kings. Tell them from me that your 
 father is Apollo, the god of the sun." 
 
 1 Adapted from Francillon's " Gods and Heroes." 
 
139 
 
 But when he went back and told his friends, 
 'My father is Apollo, the god of the sun," 
 they only laughed at him the more. 
 
 ' You've caught your bragging from your 
 mother," they said. 'You're her son, anyhow, 
 whoever your father may be." 
 
 When Clymene heard this, she felt very angry. 
 'Then I will prove my wwds," she said to 
 Phaeton. 'Go to the palace of the sun and 
 enter boldly. There you will see the sun god 
 in all his glory. Ask him to say that you are 
 his son before all the world, so that even the 
 sons of Jupiter shall hang their heads for shame." 
 
 The only w^ay to find the god of the sun was 
 to go to his palace above the sky. How Phaeton 
 managed to get there I have never heard, but 
 I suppose his mother was able to tell him the 
 secret way. 
 
 Can you imagine the wonderful place it is, 
 the house of the sun? The stars are the win- 
 dows that are lighted up at night; and the 
 clouds are the curtains. The blue sky is tffre 
 garden. The bright sun is the chariot of Apollo, 
 
141 
 
 drawn by four horses of white fire, who feed 
 on golden grain and are driven by the god 
 himself round and round the world. 
 
 Phaeton entered boldly, as his mother had 
 told him, found Apollo in all his glory, and said: 
 " My mother, Clymene, says that I am your son. 
 Is it true?" 
 
 " Certainly," said Apollo; "what your mother 
 has told you is true." 
 
 'Then give me a sign," said Phaeton; "that 
 all may know and believe. Make me sure that 
 I am your son." 
 
 'Tell them that I say so," said Apollo. 
 
 ' There ; don't keep me any longer. My horses 
 
 are harnessed; it is time for the sun to rise." 
 
 'No," said Phaeton, "they will only say that 
 I brag and lie. Give me a sign for all the world 
 to see, - - a sign that only a father would give 
 to his own child." 
 
 'Very well," said Apollo, who was getting 
 angry at being kept. "Only tell me what you 
 want me to do, and it shall be done." 
 
 'You swear it, by Styx?" said Phaeton. 
 
142 
 
 Now you must know that the Styx was a river 
 in the world underground, by which the gods 
 swore. An oath " by Styx " was as binding upon 
 a god as a plain promise is upon a gentleman. 
 
 ' I swear it, by Styx ! " said Apollo, for he was 
 now in a great hurry indeed. 
 
 ' Then," said Phaeton, "let me drive the horses 
 of the sun for one whole day. 77 
 
 This frightened Apollo terribly, for he knew 
 very well that no hand but his own, not even a 
 god's, could drive the horses of the sun. But he 
 had sworn " by Styx," -the oath that cannot be 
 broken. All he could do was to keep the world 
 waiting for sunrise while he showed Phaeton how 
 to hold the reins and the whip. He then pointed 
 out the way to go, and warned him of the dangers 
 of the road. 
 
 'But it's all of no use. You'll never do it," 
 he said. " Give it up, while there is yet time. 
 You know not what you do." 
 
 " Oh, but I do," said Phaeton. ' I know I can. 
 There ; I understand it all now without another 
 word." 
 
143 
 
 So saying, he sprang into the chariot. He seized 
 
 the reins, giving the four fiery horses four lashes 
 
 that sent them flying like comets through the air. 
 
 ' Hold them in ; hold them hard ! " cried Apollo. 
 
 But Phaeton was gone and too far off to hear. 
 
 Off indeed ! and where ? The world must have 
 been surprised that day to see the sun rise like 
 a rocket and go dashing about the sky, north, 
 south, east, west, anywhere, nowhere, everywhere. 
 Well the horses knew that it was not Apollo, their 
 master, who held the reins. They took their bits 
 between their teeth and bolted. They kicked a 
 planet to pieces. They broke holes in the chariot, 
 which we can see, and which we call " sun spots,' 7 
 to this day. 
 
 At last Phaeton saw to his horror that the 
 horses in their mad rush were getting nearer and 
 nearer to the earth itself ; and what would happen 
 then ? If the wheels touched the globe we live on, 
 it would be burned to a cinder. Nearer, nearer, 
 nearer it came, till a last wild kick broke the 
 traces and overturned the sun itself, and Phaeton 
 fell, and fell, and fell, till he fell into the sea 
 
144 
 
 and was drowned. And then the horses trotted 
 quietly home. 
 
 The Greeks thought that the great desert of 
 Sahara, in Africa, was the place where the earth 
 was scorched by the sun's chariot wheel. 
 
 Who was the father of Phaeton ? 
 
 What did Phaeton ask of his father and what did his 
 father say ? 
 
 How did Phaeton have his own way ? 
 
 What happened when he drove the chariot of the sun ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Use other words for taunt, chariot, bolted, scorched. 
 
 2. The ie in chief = e in me. Find another word in the 
 story where ie = e. What sound of u has eau in beautiful ? 
 Give another word in the story which has the sound of u. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 Phaeton (fa'e ton) : son of Apollo 
 Clymene (klim'e ne) : mother of Phaeton 
 Venus (ve'nus) : goddess of beauty 
 comets (k5m'6ts) : heavenly bodies with cloudy tails 
 planet (planet) : a heavenly body, as the sun, moon 
 Sahara (sa ha/ra) : the great desert of Africa 
 desert (deVert) : a large tract of land without moisture 
 or plants 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 lighted world glory a y e 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
145 
 
 A LITTLE HERO 
 
 My story is about a brave little boy who 
 worked in one of those deep coal mines which are 
 so numerous in some parts of Lancashire and 
 Yorkshire. Very often these mines catch fire, 
 either through some accident or through the care- 
 lessness of men. If a naked light comes in contact 
 with the gas which collects in the mine, there is 
 a terrible explosion, and often loss of life. 
 
 One day while the men were at work in the 
 coal mine the gas caught fire, and the noise 
 of the flames as they w^ent hissing and roaring 
 through the mine was like that of a furnace. 
 A little wagon-boy heard the noise and saw 
 the flames coming toward him. Quick as a flash 
 
140 
 
 he turned an empty wagon upside down and 
 crept beneath it. 
 
 As soon as the flame had passed, the foul air 
 put out his safety lamp and left him in the dark. 
 He knew that if he breathed that air, if for but 
 a few minutes, he must die, that his only 
 chance of safety was in reaching the bottom of 
 the shaft before he fainted. The shaft, as you 
 know, was the only means by which fresh air 
 could be supplied to the mine. 
 
 He crept from under the wagon, pulled his 
 flannel cap off his head, thrust it into his mouth 
 and over his nostrils, and ran for life. It was 
 an awful race through the dark mine, over the 
 dead and dying miners. The fire had thrown 
 down the roof of the mine in some places, and 
 blocked up the air channels. He had to grope 
 his way over loaded wagons, dead horses, heaps 
 of coal, and dying men. 
 
 Often he fell and hurt himself, but he sprang 
 to his feet and ran again, until he reached the 
 mouth of the mine, where he fell down fainting. 
 The fresh air from the shaft soon revived him, and 
 
147 
 
 he began to think what he could do to save some 
 of the other poor fellows who were in the mine. 
 As he groped his way about he found several 
 who, like himself, had fainted. They lay on their 
 backs, breathing heavily, and in danger of dying 
 for want of fresh air. 
 
 He turned them over with their faces toward 
 the bottom of the shaft. He opened the air chan- 
 nels that had been closed, and a current of fresh 
 air fell on their faces. This soon revived them, 
 and they were able to help in saving others. 
 
 The noise of the explosion had been heard by 
 those who were above, and men came down with 
 safety lamps to see what had happened and to 
 give what help they could. They took away those 
 of the miners who were alive, sending them to 
 their homes as quickly as possible. When they 
 were able to see all the damage which the fire 
 had done, they were astonished that any of the 
 men had been brought up from the pit alive. 
 
 Soon the news spread that it was the little 
 wagon-boy who had been the means of saving the 
 lives of his comrades as well as his own. Many 
 
148 
 
 a wife and mother and sister thanked the brave 
 little fellow, who in the hour of danger knew 
 what to do and did it nobly. 
 
 All boys cannot have the chance of being heroes 
 in the way Willie Ashton was, but in some other 
 way they may prove their right to this name. 
 Let a boy stand up for right, and dare at all 
 times to do right, and he will be a hero. Let 
 a boy deny himself for the sake of others, or 
 suffer to save others, and he will be a hero. 
 
149 
 
 Describe a fire in a coal mine. 
 
 How did the mine boy save himself ? 
 
 How did he save others ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Lancashire and Yorkshire are counties in England. 
 " Naked light " means an uncovered light. Give other 
 words for collects, foul. Where does the miner wear his 
 safety lamp ? Channels are large tubes through which the 
 air enters the mine. Give other words for grope, several, 
 render. The mouth of the mine is the entrance to 
 the mine. Give other words for awful, astonished, and 
 comrades. 
 
 2. What two letters are not heard in caught, brought, 
 and right. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 numerous (nu'mer us) : of great number 
 accident (ak'si dent) : a sudden mishap 
 contact (kon'takt) : touch 
 explosion (Sks plo'zhun) : a loud bursting 
 supplied (su plid') : carried to 
 revived (re vivd') : brought out of a faint 
 conscious (kon'shus) : awake 
 current (kur'ent) : a stream 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 worthy first often knew off 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
150 
 
 THE BOY WHO DID NOT KNOW FEAR 1 
 ROBERT SOUTHEY 
 
 England has long been noted for her sea 
 power. ' Britannia rules the waves " is sung 
 far and wide by the English people who loved 
 to honor their great commanders. 
 
 One of these naval heroes was Lord Nelson. 
 He was an inspiration to his sailors. Before 
 going into battle he thrilled them with the words, 
 "England expects every man to do his duty." 
 
 At all times he was fearless. As a very small 
 boy he displayed this trait of character. 
 
 One day he went with a cow-boy in search of 
 birds 7 nests. They wandered farther and farther 
 into the woods. Interested in their hunt, they 
 were unaware that they had gone so far from 
 home. 
 
 The dinner hour came. Nelson could not be 
 found. His grandmother became frightened. She 
 was afraid that he might have been carried off 
 by gypsies. 
 
 1 Adapted from "Life of Nelson." 
 
151 
 
 After men had searched for him far and near, 
 he was found sitting by the side of a stream 
 which he could not cross. 
 
 When he was taken home his grandmother 
 said to him, " Child, I wonder that hunger and 
 fear did not drive you home." 
 
 He looked up, amazed. 'Fear! grandmother," 
 he said, 'I have never seen fear; wiiat is it?" 
 
 Nelson entered the navy at the age of twelve. 
 Not long afterwards he heard that two ships 
 were being fitted out for a voyage toward the 
 north pole. Such adventure was much to his 
 liking, so he joined the expedition. 
 
 In a northern bay the ships became ice-bound. 
 The sailors, having little to do, played upon 
 the ice. 
 
 One foggy night Nelson and one of his 
 comrades slipped away from the ship. They 
 encountered a bear. The next morning, when 
 the fog had cleared away, the two sailors were 
 seen from the ship attacking the bear. 
 
 The captain signaled to them to return. 
 Nelson's comrade obeyed and returned at once, 
 
152 
 
 but Nelson would not go. Although his powder 
 supply was exhausted, he was not afraid and 
 he did not want to quit his game. 
 
 ' Never mind/' he cried; ' let me get one 
 blow at this beast with the butt end of my 
 musket and we shall have him. 77 
 
 The captain, seeing the boy's danger, fired 
 a gun and frightened the bear away. 
 
 When Nelson returned to the ship, he was 
 reprimanded by the captain for leaving the ship 
 without permission. Then he was questioned as 
 to why he was so anxious to kill the bear. 
 
 " Sir," said Nelson, " I wished to kill the 
 bear that I might carry the skin to my father." 
 
153 
 
 Who was Lord Nelson ? 
 
 For what was he noted ? 
 
 Tell two instances of his fearlessness when a boy. 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. A naval hero is one who wins honor at sea. Give 
 other words for fearless, displayed, amazed. Gypsies are 
 tribes of wanderers who beg, trade in horses, and tell for- 
 tunes. Give other words for comrades and quit. The 
 butt end of a musket is the thick end or handle ; a trait 
 of character is a quality of one's nature or disposition. 
 Give another word for encountered. 
 
 2. Find words in the story where ir = ur in urn ; ear = ur 
 in urn ; and ai = i in is. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 inspiration (in spi ra'shun) : example of courage 
 expedition (ks pe dish'un) : a journey for a special 
 
 purpose 
 reprimanded (rgp'rl mancl 6d) : scolded 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 toward joined search duty 
 
 For spelling see page 390. 
 
154 
 
 ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND 
 
 LEWIS CARROLL 
 DOWN THE KABBIT-HOLE 
 
 Alice was beginning to get very tired of 
 sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having 
 nothing to do. Once or twice she had peeped 
 into the book her sister was reading, but it had 
 no pictures or conversations in it, " and what 
 is the use of a book/ 7 thought Alice, : ' without 
 pictures or conversations? " 
 
 So she was considering in her own mind as 
 well as she could, for the hot day made her 
 feel very sleepy and stupid, whether the pleasure 
 of making a daisy-chain would be worth the 
 trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, 
 when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes 
 ran close by her. 
 
 There was nothing so very remarkable in that ; 
 nor did Alice think it so very much out of the 
 way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, "0 dear! 
 dear! I shall be too late!" When she 
 
155 
 
 thought it over afterward, it occurred to her 
 that she ought to have wondered at this, but 
 at the time it all seemed quite natural. But 
 when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of 
 its waistcoat pocket, and looked at it, and then 
 hurried on, Alice started to her feet. It Hashed 
 across her mind that she had never before seen 
 a Rabbit with either a waistcoat pocket or a 
 watch to take out of it, and, burning with 
 curiosity, she ran across the field after the 
 Rabbit, and was just in time to see it pop 
 down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge. 
 In another moment down went Alice after it, 
 
 never once considering how in the world she 
 
 1^ 
 was to get out again. 
 
 The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel 
 for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, - 
 so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to 
 think about stopping herself before she found 
 that she was falling down what seemed to be a 
 very deep well. 
 
 Either the well was very deep, or she fell 
 very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she 
 
157 
 
 went down to look about her, and to wonder 
 what was going to happen next. First, she 
 tried to look down and make out what she was 
 coming to, but it was too dark to see anything. 
 Then she looked at the sides of the well, and 
 noticed that they were filled with cupboards 
 and bookshelves. Here and there she saw maps 
 and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down a 
 jar from one of the shelves as she passed ; it was 
 labeled " ORANGE MARMALADE," but to her great 
 disappointment it was empty. She did not like 
 to drop the jar for fear of killing somebody 
 underneath, so managed to put it into one of 
 the cupboards as she fell past it. 
 
 "Well!" thought Alice to herself, "after 
 such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of 
 tumbling downstairs ! How brave they'll all 
 think me at home! Why, I wouldn't say any- 
 thing about it-, even if I fell off the top of 
 the house ! " 
 
 Down, down, down ! Would the fall never 
 come to an end? 'I wonder how many miles 
 I've fallen by this time," she said aloud. 
 
158 
 
 ' 1 must be getting somewhere near the center 
 of the earth. Let me see : that would be four 
 thousand miles down, I think- ' (for, you see, 
 Alice had learned several things of this sort 
 in her lessons in the schoolroom. Though this 
 was not a very good opportunity for showing 
 off her knowledge, as there was no one to listen 
 to her, still it was good practice to say it over) 
 - yes, that 's about the right distance - - but 
 then I wonder what latitude or longitude I've 
 got to." Alice had no idea what latitude was 
 or longitude either, but she thought they were 
 nice, grand words to say. 
 
 Soon she began again. ' I wonder if I shall 
 fall right through the earth. How funny it'll 
 seem to come out among people that walk with 
 their heads downward ! The Antipathies, I 
 think- ' (she was rather glad there was no 
 one listening this time, as it didn't sound at 
 all the right word) ' -but I shall have to ask 
 them what the name of the country is, you 
 know. ' Please, Ma'am, is this New Zealand or 
 Australia ? ' (And she tried to curtsy as she 
 
159 
 
 spoke - - fancy curtsying as you're falling through 
 the air! Do you think you could manage it?) 
 : ' And what an ignorant little girl she'll think me 
 for asking ! No, it'll never do to ask ; perhaps 
 I shall see it written up somewhere. 7 ' 
 
 Down, down, down! There was nothing else 
 to do, so Alice soon began talking again. 
 
 ' Dinah'll miss me very much tonight, I should 
 think ! " (Dinah was the cat.) ' I hope they'll 
 remember her saucer of milk at tea-time. Dinah, 
 my dear, I wish you were down here with me ! 
 There are no mice in the air, I'm afraid, but you 
 might catch a bat, and that 's very like a mouse, 
 you know. But do cats eat bats, I wonder? " 
 
 Here Alice began to get very sleepy, and went 
 on saying to herself, in a dreamy sort of way, 
 
 'Do cats eat bats? do cats eat bats?" and 
 sometimes, 'Do bats eat cats?" For, you see, 
 as she couldn't answer either question, it didn't 
 much matter which way she put it. She felt 
 that she was dozing off, and had just begun to 
 dream that she was walking hand in hand with 
 Dinah, and was saying to her very earnestly, 
 
160 
 
 " Now, Dinah, tell me the truth : did you ever 
 eat a bat? 7 ' when suddenly, thump! thump! 
 thump ! down she came upon a heap of sticks 
 and dry leaves, and the fall was over. 
 
 Alice was not a bit hurt, and she jumped to 
 her feet in a moment. She looked up, but it 
 was all dark overhead. Before her was another 
 long passage, and the White Kabbit was still 
 in sight, hurrying down it. There was not a 
 moment to be lost. Away went Alice like the 
 wind, and was just in time to hear the Rabbit 
 say, as it turned a corner, " my ears and 
 whiskers, how late it's getting! ' ; She was close 
 
161 
 
 behind it when she turned the corner, but the 
 Eabbit was no longer to be seen. She found her- 
 self in a long, low hall, which was lighted up 
 by a row of lamps hanging from the roof. 
 
 There were doors all round the hall, but 
 they were all locked. When Alice had been all 
 the way down one side and up the other, try- 
 ing every door, she walked sadly down the 
 middle, wondering how she was ever to get 
 out again. 
 
 Suddenly she came upon a little three-legged 
 table, all made of solid glass. There was noth- 
 ing on it except a tiny golden key, and Alice's 
 first thought was that this might belong to one 
 of the doors of the hall; but alas! either the 
 locks were too large or the key was too small, 
 but at any rate it would not open any of them. 
 However, on the second time round, she came 
 upon a low curtain she had not noticed before, 
 and behind it was a little door about fifteen 
 inches high. She tried the little golden key in 
 the lock, and to her great delight it fitted ! 
 
 Alice opened the door and found that it led 
 
162 
 
 into a small passage, not much larger than a 
 rat-hole. She knelt down and looked along the 
 passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw. 
 How she longed to get out of that dark hall and 
 wander about among those beds of bright flowers 
 and those cool fountains ! But she could not even 
 get her head through the doorway. ("And even 
 if my head would go through/' thought poor 
 Alice, " it would be of very little use without my 
 shoulders. Oh, how I wish I could shut up like 
 a telescope ! I think I could, if I only knew how r 
 to begin.") For, you see, so many out-of-the-way 
 things had happened lately that Alice had begun 
 to think that few things were really impossible. 
 There seemed to be no use in waiting by the 
 little door, so she went back to the table, half 
 hoping she might find another key on it, or a book 
 of rules for shutting people up like telescopes. 
 This time she found a little bottle on it (" which 
 certainly was not here before," said Alice), and 
 tied round the neck of the bottle was a paper 
 label with the words "DRINK ME" beautifully 
 printed on it in large letters. 
 
163 
 
 It was all very well to say " Drink me," but 
 the wise little Alice was not going to do that in a 
 hurry. : 'JS"o, I'll look first," she said, "and see 
 whether it's marked 'poison' or not." For she 
 had read several nice little stories about children 
 who had got burned, and eaten up by wild beasts, 
 and other unpleasant things, all because they 
 would not remember the simple rules their friends 
 had taught them, such as, that a red-hot poker 
 will burn you if you hold it too long; and that, 
 if you cut your finger very deeply with a knife, it 
 usually bleeds ; and she had never forgotten that, 
 if you drink from a bottle marked " poison," it is 
 almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later. 
 
 However, this bottle was not marked " poison," 
 so Alice tasted it, and, finding it very nice (it 
 had a sort of mixed flavor of cherry-tart, custard, 
 pineapple, roast turkey, toffy, and hot buttered 
 toast), she very soon finished it off. 
 
 ' What a curious feeling ! " said Alice. ' I must 
 be shutting up like a telescope." 
 
 And so it was indeed. She was now only ten 
 
164 
 
 inches high, and her face brightened up at the 
 thought that she was now the right size for going 
 through the little door into that lovely garden. 
 First, however, she w r aited for a few minutes to 
 see if she was going to shrink any further. She 
 felt a little nervous about this, " for it might end, 
 you know," said Alice to herself, "in my going 
 out altogether, like a candle. I wonder what I 
 should be like then. r< And she tried to think 
 what the flame of a candle looks like after the 
 candle is blown out, for she could not remember 
 ever having seen such a thing. 
 
 After a while, finding that nothing more hap- 
 pened, she decided to go into the garden at once. 
 But, alas for poor Alice ! when she got to the 
 door, she found that she had forgotten the little 
 golden key, and when she w r ent back to the table 
 for it, she found she could not possibly reach it. 
 She could see it quite plainly through the glass, 
 and she tried her best to climb up one of the 
 legs of the table, but it w T as too slippery, and 
 when she had tired herself out with trying, the 
 poor little thing sat down and cried. 
 
165 
 
 " Come, there's no use in crying like that! 7 ' 
 said Alice to herself, sharply. ' I advise you to 
 stop this minute !' : She generally gave herself 
 very good advice (though she very seldom followed 
 it), and sometimes she scolded herself so severely 
 as to bring tears into her eyes, and she remem- 
 bered once trying to box her own ears for having 
 cheated herself in a game of croquet she was 
 playing against herself ; for this curious child was 
 very fond of pretending to be two people. "But 
 it 's no use now," thought poor Alice, " to pretend 
 to be two people ! Why, there 's hardly enough 
 of me left to make one respectable person ! r> 
 
 Soon her eye fell on a little glass box that 
 was lying under the table. She opened it, and 
 found in it a very small cake, on which the words 
 "EAT ME" were beautifully marked in currants. 
 "Well, I'll eat it," said Alice, "and if it makes 
 me grow larger, I can reach the key, and if it 
 makes me grow smaller, I can creep under the 
 door; so either way, I'll get into the garden, and 
 I don't care which happens ! " 
 
 She ate a little bit and said anxiously to 
 
166 
 
 herself, "Which way? which way?" holding her 
 hand on top of her head to feel which way it was 
 growing, and she was quite surprised to find that 
 she remained the same size. To be sure, this is 
 what generally happens when one eats cake, but 
 Alice had got so much into the way of expecting 
 out-of-the-way things to happen that it seemed 
 quite dull and stupid for life to go on in the 
 common way. 
 
 So she set to work, and soon finished the cake. 
 
 What made Alice curious about the Rabbit ? 
 Where did the Rabbit lead her ? 
 What did Alice think about during her fall ? 
 What did she find when the fall was over ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. "Burning with curiosity" means very anxious to 
 know. Latitude is the distance north or south of the 
 equator. The equator is an imaginary line around the 
 center of the earth. Longitude is the distance east or 
 west from a given point on the surface of the earth. 
 The right word for antipathies is antipodes, and it means 
 the country of those living on the opposite side of the 
 globe. New Zealand : a country belonging to England. 
 Find it on the map. Australia : a country belonging to 
 England. Find it on the map. 
 
167 
 
 2. What sound has ee in deep? What sound has eo in 
 people? What sound has ey in key? What sound has a 
 in watch? What sound has o in lock? In knowledge, 
 ow = 6 in flock. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 occurred (o kurd') : came to mind 
 natural (nat'u ral) : usual 
 actually (ak'tu al I) : really 
 waistcoat (wast'kot): a sleeveless jacket worn under the 
 
 coat 
 
 curiosity (ku ri 5s'i ti) : desire to know 
 considering (kon sid'er ing) : thinking 
 cupboards (kub'erds) : closets with shelves 
 opportunity (5p or tu'ni ti) : chance 
 knowledge (nftl'Sj) : wisdom, learning 
 curtsying (kurt'si ing) : bowing with bent knee 
 ignorant (ig'no rant) : untaught 
 earnestly (ur'ngst li) : seriously 
 loveliest (Itiv'li 8st) : most beautiful 
 telescope (tel'e skop) : an instrument for viewing the sky 
 severely (se ver'li) : sharply, bitterly 
 anxiously (ank'shus li) : uneasily 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 croquet first 
 
 For spelling see page 391. 
 
168 
 
 THE POOL OF TEARS 
 
 " Curiouser and curiouser!" cried Alice (she 
 was so much surprised that for the moment she 
 quite forgot how to speak good English). : ' Now 
 I'm opening out like the largest telescope that 
 ever was ! Good-by, feet ! "' (For when she looked 
 down at her feet they seemed to be almost out 
 of sight, they were getting so far off.) " Oh, my 
 poor little feet, I wonder who will put on your 
 shoes and stockings for you now, dears. I'm 
 sure 7 shan't be able ! I shall be a great deal 
 too far off to trouble myself about you : you must 
 
169 
 
 manage the best way you can. But I must be kind 
 to them/' thought Alice, "or perhaps they won't 
 walk the way I want to go. Let me see : I'll 
 give them a new pair of boots every Christmas." 
 And she went on planning to herself how she 
 would manage it. ' They must go by the carrier," 
 she thought; "and how T funny it'll seem, sending 
 presents to one's own feet! And how odd the 
 directions will look : 
 
 Alices Right Foot, Esq. 
 
 Hearthrug 
 (With Alice's Love] near the Fender 
 
 dear, what nonsense I'm talking! " 
 
 Just at this moment her head struck against the 
 roof of the hall. In fact, she was now rather more 
 than nine feet high, and she at once took up the 
 little golden key and hurried off to the garden door. 
 
 Poor Alice ! It was as much as she could do, 
 lying down on one side, to look through into 
 the garden with one eye ; but to get through was 
 more hopeless than ever. She sat down and 
 began to cry again. 
 
 M7 
 
170 
 
 'You ought to be ashamed of yourself," said 
 Alice, " a great girl like you to go on crying in this 
 way! Stop this moment, I tell you! 7: But she 
 weiA on all the same, shedding gallons of tears, 
 until there was a large pool all round her, about 
 four inches deep, and reaching half down the hall. 
 
 After a time she heard a little pattering of feet 
 in the distance, and she hastily dried her eyes to 
 see what was coming. It was the White Rabbit 
 returning, splendidly dressed, with a pair of white 
 kid gloves in one hand and a large fan in the other. 
 He came trotting along in a great hurry, mutter- 
 ing to himself as he came, " Oh ! the Duchess, the 
 Duchess ! Oh ! won't she be savage if I've kept 
 her waiting!" 
 
 Alice felt so desperate that she was ready to 
 ask help of any one ; so, when the Rabbit came 
 near her, she began, in a low, timid voice, ' If 
 you please, sir- 
 
 The Rabbit started violently, dropped the white 
 kid gloves and the fan, and scurried away into 
 the darkness as hard as he could go. 
 
 Alice took up the fan and gloves, and, as the 
 
171 
 
 hall was very hot, she kept fanning herself all 
 the time she went on talking. ' Dear, dear! how 
 queer everything is today ! And yesterday things 
 went on just as usual. I wonder if I've been 
 changed in the night. Let me think: was I the 
 same when I got up this morning? I almost think 
 I can remember feeling a little different. But if 
 I'm not the same, the next question is, Who in the 
 world am I? Ah, that J s the great puzzle ! " And 
 she began thinking over all the children she knew 
 that were of the same age as herself, to see if she 
 could have been Changed for any of them. 
 
 Tin sure I'm not Ada," she said, " f or her 
 hair goes in such long ringlets, and mine doesn't 
 go in ringlets at all. And I'm sure I can't be 
 Mabel, for I know all sorts of things, and she, 
 oh ! she knows such a very little ! Besides, she 's 
 she, and Pm I, and--0 dear, how puzzling it 
 all is ! I'll try if I know all the things I used to 
 know. Let me see : four times five is twelve, and 
 four times six is thirteen, and four times seven 
 is - - dear ! I shall never get to twenty at that 
 rate. However, the multiplication table doesn't 
 
172 
 
 signify ; let's try geography. London is the cap- 
 ital of Paris, and Paris is the capital of Rome, 
 and Rome --no, that's all wrong, I'm certain! I 
 must have been changed for Mabel. I'll try and 
 say * How doth the little - And she crossed 
 her hands on her lap, as if she were saying les- 
 sons, and began to repeat it. But her voice 
 sounded hoarse and strange, and the words did 
 not come the same as they used to do : 
 
 " How doth the little crocodile 
 
 Improve his shining tail, 
 And pour the waters of the Nile 
 On every golden scale ! 
 
 " How cheerfully he seems to grin, 
 How neatly spreads his claws, 
 And welcomes little fishes in 
 With gently smiling jaws ! 
 
 ' I'm sure those are not the right words," said 
 poor Alice, and her eyes filled with tears again 
 as she went on : "I must be Mabel after all, and I 
 shall have to go and live in that poky little house, 
 and have next to no toys to play with, and oh, 
 ever so many lessons to learn! No, I've made 
 
173 
 
 up my mind about it : if I'm Mabel, I'll stay down 
 here! It'll be no use their putting their heads 
 down and saying, ' Come up again, dear ! ' I shall 
 only look up and say, ' Who am I, then ? Tell 
 me that first, and then, if I like being that person, 
 I'll come up ; if not, I'll stay down here till I'm 
 somebody else.' But, dear! " cried Alice, with a 
 sudden burst of tears, " I do wish they would put 
 their heads down ! I am so very tired of being 
 all alone here ! ' : 
 
 As she said this she looked down at her hands, 
 and was surprised to see that she had put on one 
 of the Rabbit's little white kid gloves while she 
 was talking. 'How can I have done that?" 
 she thought. " I must be growing small again." 
 
174 
 
 She got up and went to the table to measure her- 
 self by it, and found that, as nearly as she could 
 guess, she was now about two feet high, and was 
 going on shrinking rapidly. She soon found out 
 that the cause of this was the fan she was hold- 
 ing, and she dropped it hastily, just in time to 
 avoid shrinking aw r ay altogether. 
 
 ' That was a narrow escape ! r ' said Alice, a 
 good deal frightened at the sudden change, but 
 very glad to find herself still there. " And now 
 for the garden ! r ' She ran with all speed back 
 to the little door ; but alas ! the little door was 
 shut again, and the little golden key was lying 
 on the glass table as before. ' Things are worse 
 than ever," thought the poor child, "for I never 
 was so small as this before, never ! And I 
 declare it 's too bad, that it is ! " 
 
 As she said these words her foot slipped, and 
 in another moment, splash! she was up to her 
 chin in salt water. Her first idea was that she 
 had somehow fallen into the sea. " And in that 
 case I can go back by railway/' she said to her- 
 self. Alice had been to the seaside once in her 
 
175 
 
 life, and thought that, wherever you go on the 
 English coast, you find a number of bathing- 
 machines in the sea, some children digging in 
 the sand with wooden spades, then a row of 
 lodging-houses, and behind them a railway sta- 
 tion. However, she soon made out that she was 
 in the pool of tears which she had wept when 
 she was nine feet high. 
 
 ' I wish I hadn't cried so much ! " said Alice, 
 as she swam about, trying to find her way out. 
 ' I shall be punished for it now, I suppose, by 
 being drowned in my own tears ! That will be 
 a queer thing, to be sure ! However, everything 
 is queer today. 77 
 
 Just then she heard something splashing about 
 in the pool a little way off, and she swam nearer 
 to make out what it was. At first she thought 
 it must be a walrus or hippopotamus, but then 
 she remembered how small she was now, and she 
 soon made out that it was only a mouse, that had 
 slipped in like herself. 
 
 'Would it be of any use, now," thought 
 Alice, " to speak to this mouse? Everything 
 
176 
 
 is so out-of-the-way down here that I should 
 think very likely it can talk. At any rate, 
 there's no harm in trying. " So she began: "0 
 Mouse, do you know the way out of this pool? 
 I am very tired of swimming about here, 
 Mouse ! " Alice thought this must be the right 
 way of speaking to a mouse. She had never 
 done such a thing before, but she remembered 
 having seen in her brother's Latin grammar, 
 ' A mouse -- of a mouse - - to a mouse a mouse 
 - mouse ! " The mouse looked at her, and 
 seemed to her to wink with one of its little 
 eyes, but it said nothing. 
 
 'Perhaps it doesn't understand English," 
 thought Alice ; 'I dare say it 's a French mouse, 
 come over with William the Conqueror. " So she 
 began again: ' Ou cst ma chatte?" which was 
 the first sentence in her French lesson-book. 
 The mouse gave a sudden leap out of the water, 
 and seemed to quiver all over with fright. " Oh, 
 I beg your pardon ! " cried Alice hastily, afraid 
 that she had hurt the poor animal's feelings. 
 ' I quite forgot you didn't like cats." 
 
177 
 
 "Not like cats!' cried the mouse in a shrill 
 voice. ' Would you like cats if you were me?" 
 
 'Well, perhaps not, 7 ' said Alice, in a soothing 
 voice. ' Don't be angry about it. And yet I 
 wish I could show you our cat Dinah. I think 
 you'd take a fancy to cats if you could only see 
 her. She is such a dear, quiet thing, and she 
 sits purring so nicely by the fire, licking her 
 paws and washing her face. She is such a nice, 
 soft thing to nurse - - and she ? s such a capital 
 one for catching mice - - Oh, I beg your pardon! " 
 cried Alice again, for this time the mouse was 
 bristling all over, and she felt certain it must 
 be really angry. ' We won't talk about her if 
 you'd rather not." 
 
 ' W r e indeed ! " cried the mouse, who was 
 trembling down to the end of his tail. " As 
 if 7 would talk on such a subject ! Our family 
 always hated cats --nasty, low, vulgar things! 
 Don't let me hear the name again!" 
 
 * I won't indeed ! " said Alice, in a great 
 hurry to change the subject. ' Are you --are 
 you fond --of --of dogs?" The mouse did not 
 
178 
 
 answer, so Alice went on : ' There is such a 
 nice little dog near our house I should like to 
 show you ! A little bright-eyed terrier, you know, 
 with oh ! such long, curly brown hair ! And it'll 
 fetch things when you throw them, and it'll sit 
 up and beg for its dinner, and all sorts of things - 
 I can't remember half of them - - and it belongs 
 to a farmer, you know. He says it 's so useful, 
 it 's worth a hundred pounds ! He says it kills 
 all the rats and--0 dear!' ; cried Alice, in a 
 sorrowful tone, " I'm afraid I've hurt it again ! " 
 For the mouse was swimming away from, her as 
 hard as it could go, and making quite a com- 
 motion in the pool as it went. 
 
 So she called softly after it: : ' Mouse dear! 
 Do come back again, and we won't talk about 
 cats or dogs either, if you don't like them ! ' : 
 When the mouse heard this, it turned round 
 and swam slowly back to her. Its face was 
 quite pale, and it said in a low, trembling 
 voice, ' Let us get to the shore, and then I'll 
 tell you my history, and you'll understand why 
 it is I hate cats and dogs." 
 
180 
 
 It was high time to go, for the pool was getting 
 quite crowded with the birds and animals that 
 had fallen into it. There were a Duck and a 
 Dodo, a Lory and an Eaglet, and several other 
 curious creatures. Alice led the way, and the 
 whole party swam to the shore. 
 
 Why did Alice shed gallons of tears ? 
 Why did she say over the multiplication table and 
 other lessons ? 
 
 What company did Alice have in the pool ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. " Curiouser and curiouser " in good English is " more 
 and more curious." Give other words for carrier and 
 ringlets. "Scurried away" means ran away quickly; 
 ''doesn't signify" means doesn't count or matter. William 
 the Conqueror was a king of England about 1066. A hun- 
 dred pounds in English money is five hundred dollars in 
 United States money. A dodo was a large, heavy bird 
 of former times ; it did not fly. A lory is a sort of 
 parrot. 
 
 2. Give the sound of ea in head. Give the sound of e 
 in best. Give the sound of ue in guess. Find other words 
 in the story that have the sound of e. Find a word in 
 the story where ey = e. 
 
181 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 
 directions (di rek'shuns) : name and residence of a person 
 
 to whom anything is sent 
 hastily (has'ti li) : quickly 
 duchess (duch'e's) : the wife of a duke 
 savage (saVaj) : angry 
 desperate (deVper at) : hopeless, tired 
 as usual (u'zhu al) : as always 
 different (clif er ent) : not the same 
 multiplication (mill ti pli ka/shun) table : a table of the 
 
 products of a set of numbers multiplied in some regular 
 
 way 
 
 geography (je Sg'ra fi) : study of the earth 
 measure (mgzh'ur) : to lay off or mark the size of 
 declare (de klar') : to say 
 walrus (wol'rus) : a very large sea animal 
 hippopotamus (hip o pbVa mus) : a very large animal, 
 
 sometimes called a river horse 
 grammar (grander) : the study of speech 
 vulgar (vul'gar) : common 
 commotion (ko mo'shun) : stir 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374~377 ' 
 person either burst learn sir 
 
 For spelling see page 391. 
 
182 
 
 THE VISION OF THE MARNE 
 
 At the beginning of September, 1914, the 
 German hordes had swept through the little 
 country of Belgium and the richest part of 
 France. The great city of Paris seemed doomed 
 to be taken by the merciless soldiers. The way 
 was barred only by a wearied body of French 
 and British which had fallen back day after day 
 until it seemed powerless to stop the invader. 
 
 At last, on the banks of the little river Marne, 
 the defenders made a stand, resolved to die 
 rather than to give ground. Again and again 
 the French and British charged, until they broke 
 the German line and saved their beloved city. 
 
 After the battle it was said by many French 
 soldiers that in the fiercest of the fight they 
 saw with them a maiden clad in armor and 
 riding a white horse ; and that this vision gave 
 them the hope of victory. The Maid of Orleans 
 was still living in the hearts of the French 
 whose country she had been the means of 
 saving five hundred years before. 
 
183 
 
 Four years later the German long-range cannon 
 sent their shells into the heart of Paris, and 
 the German army again reached the Marne. 
 This time a new army stood beside the French 
 and advanced with them until France was at 
 last free. The Americans shared with the 
 French their love of the Maid. Many of our 
 soldiers had been in Lorraine and had seen the 
 cottage where Joan was born, and the neigh- 
 boring church, and the garden where she heard 
 the voices calling to her to help her king 
 and country. 
 
 JOAN OF AEC 
 
 When Henry VI of England was crowned 
 king of France, Joan of Arc was a little girl, 
 helping her mother about the house and watch- 
 ing the sheep for her father. 
 
 Charles, the real heir to the throne, was too 
 lazy to help his people. He was a coward, 
 too, and afraid to be crowned. 
 
 Though Joan was only a little girl, she thought 
 she might help to save her country if she could 
 but speak to the king. 
 
185 
 
 Her father told her to remain at home, but 
 Joan thought that she must go to the king. 
 Her uncle and some of her friends believed in 
 her and helped her on the way. 
 
 It was not easy for a simple little peasant 
 girl to get an audience with the king. He did 
 not want to see her. 
 
 At last Joan was granted a hearing at court. 
 The king tried to deceive her by dressing in 
 much plainer clothes than his kingly robes. 
 Although Joan had never seen her king, she 
 could not be deceived. 
 
 In the midst of the gayly dressed princes and 
 princesses of his court, Joan recognized the 
 king. Kneeling at his feet, she told him that 
 she was sent with a message from Heaven that 
 he should be crowned king of France. 
 
 Joan endured many hardships, but finally she 
 succeeded in getting the command of an army. 
 Clad in armor, and wearing a helmet of steel, 
 she rode forth at its head. She was armed 
 with the sword of Charles Martel, and her white 
 banner was embroidered with lilies. 
 
 M; 
 
186 
 
 Everywhere she was welcomed with joy. 
 People crowded around her just to touch her 
 armor. She inspired the soldiers with courage, 
 and when she led them into battle, they 
 were victorious. 
 
 Charles was crow r ned king in that great 
 cathedral of France which is now in ruins. 
 Beside him stood Joan of Arc. Then she knelt 
 at his feet. Now that he was king of France 
 she was happy. 
 
 But Joan did not put off her armor and 
 return to her home. The king would not tight 
 his own battles, and he had many enemies. 
 Joan was faithful. She led the armies of the 
 king until she was captured and taken prisoner. 
 
 After cruel tortures, she was taken from 
 prison and burned at the stake, in May, 1431. 
 Joan was executed because she was thought to 
 be a witch. The people of France love the 
 memory of Joan of Arc, and they delight to 
 honor her. 
 
187 
 
 Who were the defenders in the first battle of the Marne ? 
 
 During the battle, what gave the soldiers the hope of 
 victory ? 
 
 Who were the defenders in the second battle of the 
 Marne ? 
 
 How did the simple peasant girl believe she could help 
 her country ? 
 
 What made the king think that Joan had a message 
 from Heaven? 
 
 How did the girl lead the soldiers? 
 
 Did she succeed ? Tell about it. 
 
 What was the fate of the maiden soldier? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 Hordes means crowds of soldiers; "doomed to be 
 taken," certain to be taken; plundered, robbed. Give 
 other words for barred, ivearied. Invader means one who 
 attacks ; resolved, decided. Give other words for clad, 
 vision, advanced, neighboring. An audience means a hearing. 
 Give other words for recognized, hardship. Charles Martel 
 was a French hero. He was born in 688 and died in 741. 
 His sword, which had been buried in the ground behind 
 an old church, was the one carried by Joan of Arc seven 
 hundred years later. " Inspired the soldiers with courage " 
 means filled them with courage. Victorious means having 
 gained victory. Give another word for ca^)tured. Tortures 
 means punishments causing pain. 
 
188 
 
 NAHUM PRINCE 
 
 This is the story of Nahum Prince. He must 
 have lived a hundred years or more ago, and 
 he died, I do not know when. He was lame. 
 Something had crushed his foot so that he could 
 hardly walk. 
 
 It was at the time of the fighting with 
 Burgoyne, and General Lincoln was at the front 
 and was ordering out every man from New 
 Hampshire. All the regular companies of troops 
 had been marched out. Then there came the 
 
189 
 
 final call for all who could go, and all the old 
 men and boys volunteered ; and there was not 
 a boy over thirteen years of age in the village 
 that didn't go, except Nahum Prince. When 
 they were getting ready to go he stood up as 
 well as he could with an old Queen Anne's arm 
 on his shoulder. And the captain came along and 
 saw him and said, ' Nahum, you here ! ' ; 
 
 'Yes, sir," said Nahum. 
 
 So the captain said, " Go home, Nahum ; 
 you know you don't belong here ; you can't 
 walk a mile." 
 
 Then he called to the doctor, and the doctor 
 said, " Nahum, it's no use; you must go home." 
 
 Then they all marched off without him. 
 
 Rub-a-dub-dub, rub-a-dub-dub, went the drums ; 
 and every man and boy of them went off and 
 left poor Nahum Prince alone. He had a good 
 home, but he was very homesick all that night 
 and didn't sleep much; and the next morning 
 he said : ' I shall die before night if I stay 
 here all alone, the only boy in town. I must do 
 something." 
 
190 
 
 It was coming autumn. It was not late, but lie 
 knew he must do something ; so he went down 
 and split old Widow Corliss's wood for her, for 
 he could split wood though he could not march. 
 
 He had not been splitting wood for more than 
 an hour when four men on horseback came down 
 the road and stopped. He could see them stand 
 and talk. They all went off and then one came 
 back again and beckoned to Nahum; and when 
 he came up, the man on horseback said, " Where 
 are all the men gone?" 
 
 'They have all gone off to join the army," 
 Nahum said. 
 
 "And isn't there any blacksmith in town?" 
 
 : 'No," said Nahum; " there isn't a man or a 
 boy in the town except me, and I shouldn't be 
 here only I am so lame I can't march." 
 
 ' Do you mean to tell me," said the man, 
 " that there is nobody here who can set a shoe? " 
 
 'Why, I can set a shoe," said Nahum. 
 
 "Then it is lucky you are left behind," the 
 man said. ' Light up the forge and set this 
 shoe." 
 
191 
 
 And now comes the most interesting part of 
 the story. Nahuin lighted the fire, blew it into 
 a hot flame, and set the shoe on the horse ; and 
 the horse and the rider went away after the man 
 had thanked Nahum. 
 
 Nahum finished splitting the widow's wood. 
 And w r hen, the next week, the boys came home 
 and told how Colonel Seth Warner came . up on 
 his horse just in time, leading the First Regiment, 
 and took the prisoners and won the day, Nahum 
 didn't say anything. But he knew that Colonel 
 Warner never would have been on that horse if 
 he hadn't set that shoe. And it was little lame 
 Nahum Prince and Seth Warner who really won 
 the splendid victory which ended the battle of 
 Bennington. 
 
 Why did Nahum Prince not go to war ? 
 How did he feel about it? 
 What was the man on horseback looking for ? 
 Who won the battle of Bennington ? 
 Tell how Nahum Prince helped to win the battle of 
 Bennington. 
 
192 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. In what war was the battle of Bennington fought? 
 " Regular companies " means the trained soldiers. Give 
 other words for^maZ, beckoned, splendid. " Queen Anne's 
 arm" means a gun used in the time of Anne, Queen of 
 England. Describe a blacksmith shop. 
 
 2. Give the sound of u in drum. In front, o = u. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 Burgoyne (bur gom/) : an English general 
 general (j8n'er al) : head of an army 
 New Hampshire (nu hamp'shir) : one of the United States 
 volunteered (v61 un terd') : entered into service of his 
 
 own free will 
 
 interesting (m'ter 6st Ing) : exciting 
 colonel (kur'nel) : the head of a regiment 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 join only off 
 
 For spelling see page 391. 
 
193 
 
 THE FLOWER OF LIBERTY 
 OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES 
 
 What flower is this that greets the morn, 
 Its hues from heaven so freshly born? 
 With burning star and flaming band 
 It kindles all the sunset land; 
 tell us what its name may be- 
 Is this the flower of liberty? 
 
 It is the banner of the free, 
 
 The starry flower of liberty ! 
 
 What is called the flower of liberty ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 Give other words for hues and banner. " Sunset land" 
 is America. It is called by this name because it is west 
 of the countries of Europe. 
 
194 
 
 THE YOUNG SENTINEL 
 
 William Scott belonged to a company of 
 Green Mountain boys. He was very young 
 when he enlisted as a soldier in the Civil War. 
 
 One of the first duties assigned to him was 
 that of sentinel. He was ordered to guard 
 a bridge. 
 
 A sentinel's duty is a very important one. 
 If the enemy attacks, he must call his comrades 
 to arms. If he is not faithful, the whole regi- 
 ment is in danger. 
 
 William fell asleep at his post. He was 
 discovered and taken to the guardhouse. After- 
 ward he was tried and sentenced to be shot. 
 
195 
 
 The captain of his company was very fond 
 of him. He soon learned that the boy had been 
 doing sentinel duty for a comrade who was too 
 ill to serve. For three nights William had 
 guarded that bridge. On the third night, weary 
 and exhausted, he had fallen asleep. 
 
 No one could save him but the President. 
 Some of his friends went to Mr. Lincoln and 
 told him the story. As soon as President 
 Lincoln, with his tender heart, heard how 
 William had done guard duty for his sick com- 
 rade, he quickly signed his pardon and sent it 
 to the camp. 
 
 But that was not all. Afraid that the pardon 
 might not reach the commander in time, he 
 sent a telegram. No answer came. The Presi- 
 dent could not work. He could not forget the 
 soldier boy condemned to die. 
 
 Too restless to wait longer, the President 
 started for the camp. He drove for miles over 
 the hot, dusty roads. When he reached the 
 camp, the sentinel had been released. The par- 
 don had been received. 
 
196 
 
 William's heart was filled with gratitude to 
 the President, but he did not want to be con- 
 sidered a coward. 
 
 Not long afterward, his regiment was ordered 
 to Virginia. In attacking a fort, William Scott 
 was among the first to fall. He was fatally 
 wounded. As his comrades carried him off the 
 field he said : " Tell President Lincoln I have 
 done my duty as a soldier. I am not a coward 
 and I am not afraid to die." 
 
197 
 
 What act placed William Scott in danger of his life ? 
 What excuse had he ? 
 
 Why was President Lincoln the only one who could 
 save him ? 
 
 How did he pay his debt to the President ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. In what war did William Scott serve? In what 
 state are the Green Mountains ? Enlisted means en- 
 rolled for military service ; assigned means given as his 
 share of the work; "fatally wounded" means wounded 
 so as to cause his death. 
 
 2. In enemy, y= i; in captain, ai = i. Find a word in 
 the story where ir = ur in urn. Give the sound of a in 
 arms. In guard, ua = a. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 
 sentinel (sSn'tl nel) : one who guards the camp or army 
 
 discovered (clis kuVerd) : found out 
 
 sentenced (sSn'tenst) : doomed, condemned 
 
 exhausted (eg zoVte'd) : worn out, tired out 
 
 condemned (kon dgmd') : sentenced to punishment 
 
 released (re lest') : set free 
 
 Virginia (ver jm'i a) : one of the United States 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 
 serve whole duty 
 
 For spelling see page 391. 
 
11)8 
 
 SHOULDER TO SHOULDER l 
 CLINTON SCOLLARD 
 
 Shoulder to shoulder! Each man in his place! 
 Shoulder to shoulder, and "right about! face!" 
 We've a duty to do ere we grow a day older, 
 And the way we can do it is --shoulder to 
 shoulder ! 
 
 Shoulder to shoulder! Each man in the line! 
 Shoulder to shoulder ! The Flag for a sign ! 
 Yes, let us not weaken, but let us grow bolder, 
 And rally and rally with - : ' shoulder to 
 shoulder ! " 
 
 1 From " Fifes and Drums." Copyright, 1907. George H. Doran Com- 
 pany, Publishers. 
 
199 
 
 Shoulder to shoulder! Each man in his might! 
 Shoulder to shoulder! We fight for the right! 
 The land of our love may our courage enfold her! 
 May we work - - and not shirk - - for her, shoulder 
 to shoulder ! 
 
 What does it mean to fight "shoulder to shoulder"? 
 What does it mean to work "shoulder to shoulder"? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 'The flag for a sign" means the flag as a reminder 
 of one's country. "Rally and rally" means be ready 
 to help with all your strength and might. "May our 
 courage enfold her " means may our courage protect her 
 from harm. 
 
200 
 
 FRANKLIN'S KITE-TRAVEL 
 
 Benjamin Franklin was one of the great Amer- 
 icans who helped to build America. He was 
 born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1706. Today, 
 on the site of the little wooden house in which 
 he was born, opposite the Old South Church on 
 Milk Street, stands a tall stone building full of 
 offices. And on the front of the building, be- 
 neath a bust of the great American, you may 
 read the words : Birthplace of Franklin. 
 
 Franklin's father was a candle-maker, who had 
 to work hard to bring up his seventeen chil- 
 dren. Benjamin was a good student, although he 
 never went to school much. He had to leave 
 school when he was nine years old and go to 
 work, but he did not remember when he could 
 not read. 
 
 When a boy he wished to invent something 
 so that he could swim long and far. He tried 
 several things, but found that the best way was 
 to fly a kite. He fastened the string to his wrist 
 and let the kite pull him through the water, while 
 
201 
 
 he lay quietly on his back, lowering or raising 
 the kite as he wished to go fast or slow. Frank- 
 lin's kite swimming was but the beginning of 
 the kite-travel which is now so popular. 
 
 The following are some of Benjamin Franklin's 
 wise sayings which are worth remembering : 
 
 Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. 
 
 One today is worth two tomorrows. 
 
 He that riseth late must toil all day. 
 
 Lost time is never found again. 
 
 Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing one. 
 
 A little neglect may breed mischief. 
 
 What invention of Franklin is described ? 
 Tell something about Franklin's boyhood. 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Learn some of the sayings of Benjamin Franklin. 
 Which one would be most helpful to you ? What do we 
 call the kite-travel of today ? Tell something about it. Go 
 to the library and read of some other discoveries that 
 Franklin made. In the wise sayings of Franklin, " breed 
 mischief " means cause trouble. 
 
 2. Give the sound of ui in build. Give the sound of 
 ie in mischief. Find other words in the story that have 
 the sound of i. 
 
202 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 American (a mer'i kan) : a native of America 
 Boston (boVtun) : a city in Massachusetts 
 Massachusetts (mas a choo'sets) : one of the United 
 
 States 
 
 opposite (5p'o zit) : on the other side 
 student (stu'dent) : one who studies 
 several (seVer al) : more than two, but not many 
 neglect (neg lekt') : failure to do what one should 
 mischief (mis'chif) : harm, trouble 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 
 birth iron 
 
 For spelling see page 391. 
 
203 
 
 FLIGHT 
 
 AILEEX CLEVELAND HIGGINS 
 
 Oh, my kite --my kite - 
 
 My kite of scarlet and black and gold- 
 
 The wind is taking it up to the light 
 
 Oh, if my string will hold ! 
 
 Over the fences over you- 
 
 Higher than roofs of houses and trees 
 
 Up and up --to the bluest blue . . . 
 
 Now the w^ind drops it --just to tease 
 
 As low as the cross upon the church 
 
 Zip - - it 's sweeping up again 
 
 Higher and higher yet! A jerk --a lurch 
 
 It's going to reach the clouds oh, when? 
 
 Those shining rosy clouds up there 
 
 Waiting for my kite ! 
 
 Who is flying the kite in the poem ? 
 Did you ever fly a kite ? 
 Tell about it. 
 
204 
 
 THE FIRST FLYING-MACHINE 
 
 On the island of Crete many years ago there 
 lived a great inventor named Dgedalus. One day 
 he angered the king very much, and for punish- 
 ment he and his young son, Icarus, were shut 
 up in a tower. There were guards at the city 
 gates and sailors on watch in the harbor to 
 prevent an escape. 
 
 From the window in his tower Daedalus saw 
 the sea gulls as they mounted from the waves 
 
205 
 
 and floated past. The idea flashed through his 
 mind : ' With the wings of a bird I too could 
 fly ! Though the king controls the land and 
 the sea, he does not control the air. I will 
 try that way." 
 
 At once Daedalus set to work to make him- 
 self a pair of wings. He gathered feathers from 
 the osprey, the sea eagle, and the gull, and 
 from wild bees his son collected honeycomb. 
 On a framework of bone the inventor fastened 
 the large feathers with thread and the small ones 
 with wax. After many failures Da i dalus at last 
 had two pairs of wings. 
 
 Icarus was delighted with the invention and 
 was eager for the escape. Before starting, how- 
 ever, his father warned him, saying: "Icarus, my 
 son, remember always to keep a middle course, 
 for if you fly too low the sea spray will wet 
 your feathers, and if you fly too high the sun 
 will melt the wax. Keep near me and you 
 will be safe." 
 
 Icarus promised to obey. They fastened the 
 wings to their shoulders and then sprang up 
 
206 
 
 into the air. With ease they rode safely above 
 the tower and over the city. Once away from 
 the island, they turned west toward Sicily. At 
 first Icarus kept near his father, but soon, having 
 lost all sense of danger, he decided to go his 
 o\vn way. Overjoyed with his new-found free- 
 dom and proud of his skill in flying, he began 
 to soar upward as if to reach heaven. Soon, 
 however, the sun began to melt the wax, the 
 feathers dropped off, and Icarus felt himself rap- 
 idly falling. He screamed to his father, but it 
 was too late. Daedalus turned just in time to 
 see his son plunge headlong into the sea and 
 disappear forever. 
 
 Daedalus arrived safely on the island of Sicily, 
 where he built a temple in memory of his 
 son. And the sea was henceforth known as the 
 Icarian Sea. 
 
 Why did Daedalus wish to fly ? 
 How did he prepare for flight ? 
 What was the warning to Icarus ? 
 What ended the flight of Icarus ? 
 Find Crete and Sicily on the map. 
 
207 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. "The idea flashed through his mind" means that 
 the thought came to him. Give other words for control, 
 prevent, eager. " Despite many failures " means in spite of 
 many failures ; " keep a middle course " means keep half- 
 way between the sun and the earth; "sense of danger" 
 means thought of danger ; " skill in flying " means 
 knowing how to fly. Give other words for determined, 
 rapidly, soar. "Plunge headlong" means to fall head- 
 first ; " henceforth known " means known from that time. 
 Write a composition, selecting either of these titles : " Do 
 Children know as Much as their Parents?" or "Dangers 
 of Disobedience." 
 
 2. Find words in the story where a = a in glass; ai = a 
 in care ; and ui = i in Is. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 
 Daedalus (ded' lus) : a builder or carpenter who lived 
 
 in Greece 
 
 Icarus Qk'd rus) : the son of Dgedalus 
 achievement (a cheVment) : deed, feat 
 Sicily (sis'i li) : a large island 
 determined (cle tuVmmd) : decided 
 Icarian (ika/ri an) : named for Icarus 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374~377 
 flying past soar 
 
 For spelling see page 391. 
 
208 
 
 TURNING THE GRINDSTONE 
 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 
 
 Here is a true story that Benjamin Franklin 
 wrote of his boyhood : 
 
 When I was a little boy, I remember one cold 
 winter's morning meeting a smiling man with 
 an ax on his shoulder. ' My pretty boy," said 
 he, "has your father a grindstone?" 
 
 'Yes, sir," said 1. 
 
 'You are a fine little fellow," said he; "will 
 you let me grind my ax on it?" 
 
 Proud that he called me "fine little fellow," 
 " Oh, yes, sir," I answered, " it is down in the shop." 
 
 'And will you, my man," said he, patting me 
 on the head, " get me a little hot water? " 
 
 How could I refuse? I ran and soon brought 
 a kettle full. 
 
 ' How old are you ? And what 's your name ? " 
 he asked next. Without waiting for my answer 
 he then said, " I am sure you are one of the finest 
 lads I have ever seen ; will you just turn a few 
 minutes for me ? " 
 
Pleased and flattered with his kind words, I 
 went to work. It was a new ax, and I toiled and 
 tugged till I was almost tired out. The school bell 
 rang and I could not get away ; my hands were 
 blistered and the ax was not half ground. At 
 length, however, it was sharpened. Then the man 
 turned to me with, " Now, you little rascal, you've 
 played truant; scud to school or you'll rue it!" 
 
 " Oh ! " thought I, "it was hard enough to turn 
 a grindstone this cold day; but now to be called 
 a little rascal is too much." 
 
210 
 
 I now never hear a man Mattering anyone 
 without saying to myself, " I know that man has 
 an ax to grind. 7 ' 
 
 How did the man's praise make the little boy feel ? 
 How long did the man praise the boy ? 
 What did the boy think of his treatment ? 
 What is meant by " having an ax to grind " ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Where have you ever seen a grindstone? Give other 
 words for lads, toiled, tityyed, scud. Rue is to be 
 sorry for. 
 
 2. Give the sound of u in sure. In rue, ue = oo. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 refuse (re fuz') : decline to do something 
 flattered (flat'erd) : pleased by praise 
 blistered (bhVterd) : covered with blisters or sores 
 at length (18ngth) : at last 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 '. 
 fellow kettle true 
 
 For spelling see page 391. 
 
211 
 
 THE OBSTINATE SHOEMAKER 1 
 J. CHRISTIAN BAY 
 
 Once upon a time there was a shoemaker who 
 doted on pancakes. One day he asked his wife to 
 bake him some for dinner. She replied that she 
 was willing enough, but that there was no pan in 
 the house, and if he wished for pancakes, he had 
 better go and borrow a pan from one of the neigh- 
 bors. He complied, and at dinner he ate as rapidly 
 as his wife could bake. When they had finished 
 
 1 From " Danish Fairy and Folk Tales." Copyright, 1890, by Harper 
 & Brothers. 
 
212 
 
 their meal, the shoemaker told his wife to carry 
 the pan back to its owner. She refused, however, 
 and declared that she did not like to carry back 
 borrowed articles. As he insisted, they nearly 
 came to blows ; but finally they agreed to go to 
 work and the one who spoke first should return 
 the pan to its owner. 
 
 The shoemaker seated himself on his platform, 
 sewing and handling his shoes and his leather. 
 His wife took her seat by her spinning-wheel, and 
 soon they were working as if life depended upon 
 their handiness. Neither uttered a sound. 
 
 In a short time a squire, who lived in the neigh- 
 borhood and who had given a pair of shoes to the 
 shoemaker to repair, passed the house, bade his 
 coachman stop, and sent his servant in, asking 
 him to see whether his shoes were finished. 
 
 The servant walked in, greeted the shoemaker, 
 and performed his errand. 
 
 ' Whew, whe-ew, whe-e-e-e-e-ew ! " whistled the 
 shoemaker, who sat on his three-legged chair, 
 battling with the air, and sewing diligently. As 
 the servant could not draw a single word from 
 
214 
 
 him by way of answer, he turned to the woman, 
 whose spinning-wheel went so rapidly that sparks 
 flew from it. 'How is it," he asked, "that your 
 husband does not answer when I talk to him?" 
 ' Tralala-lide-lido-raderade-lidelidelidelidelide-ralla- 
 la ! " sang the woman at the top of her voice, 
 spinning with all her might and looking straight 
 into his face. The servant saw that there was 
 nothing for him to do but return to his master 
 in the carriage. The two people must have lost 
 their senses ! 
 
 When he reached the carriage, the squire asked 
 him whether the shoes were finished. 
 
 'I don't know," replied he; " the shoemaker 
 and his wife must have lost their senses. The 
 man whistles and the woman sings, and those 
 are all the sounds they utter. They would not 
 say as much as one plain word." 
 
 The squire alighted to see what had happened 
 to the persons within. r If they pretend to make 
 fun of their customers, I shall teach them 
 manners," said he to himself. So he opened the 
 door and walked in. 
 
215 
 
 The shoemaker whistled with all his might as 
 soon as the squire opened his mouth to speak. 
 The woman sang and shouted w^ith all her might, 
 but neither of them seemed to notice his question 
 as to the shoes. At length he became vexed, 
 seized his riding-whip, and lifted it over the 
 woman's shoulders. The shoemaker stole a glance 
 at them, but said nothing. 
 
 A minute later the w^hip w r as dancing lustily 
 across the shoulder blades of the woman, who at 
 once struck up a new tune but less merrily than 
 before. But this w r as too much for the shoemaker. 
 He jumped from his seat, rushed at the squire, 
 and bade him stop. 
 
 "Ah," exclaimed the squire, 'you are not 
 mute. I am pleased to know that your voice is 
 in as good working-order as your lingers seem 
 to be." 
 
 'You spoke first," cried the woman to her 
 husband, " and you must carry the pan back to 
 our neighbor! " 
 
 Now they told the squire of their quarrel and 
 agreement, and it greatly amused him w^hen he 
 
216 
 
 learned that he had settled the dispute. I do not 
 know whether or not his shoes were finished, but 
 that cuts no figure. I saw the shoemaker, how- 
 ever, when he slouched through the back yard 
 with the pan carefully concealed under his coat. 
 
 What was the quarrel about ? 
 
 How did the shoemaker and his wife decide to settle 
 the question ? 
 
 What trouble did this bring upon them ? 
 How was the quarrel settled ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. "Doted on" means was very fond of. Give other 
 words for uttered, bade, single, glanced, merrily. 
 
 2. Give the sound of ei in seized. Give the sound of x 
 in vexed. Give the sound of gh in enough. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 neighbor (na/ber) : a person who lives near another 
 borrowed (boVod) : got from another, as a loan 
 articles (ar'ti k'lz) : things 
 insisted (in sist'Sd) : refused to give way 
 squire (skwir) : an English title of respect 
 repair (re par') : to mend 
 servant (sur'vant) : one who is hired by another for 
 
 domestic work 
 amused (a muzd') : pleased, entertained 
 
217 
 
 alighted ( Ht'Sd) : got down as from a carriage 
 mute (mut) : dumb, not able to speak 
 quarrel (kwor'el) : an angry strife, as of words 
 slouched (sloucht) : walked in a slow, heavy, careless way 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 
 voice bade 
 
 For spelling see page 391 , 
 
 M7 
 
218 
 
 THE QUARREL OF THE QUAILS 1 
 
 Long, long ago, many quails lived together in 
 a forest in India, Their leader was the wisest 
 of them all. They would have been happy, but 
 a man who lived near the forest earned his liv- 
 ing by catching quails and selling them. Day 
 
 1 Adapted from a Jataka tale. 
 
219 
 
 after day this quail-catcher listened to the leader 
 call the quails. By and by he was able to 
 imitate the call, and hearing him the quails 
 would gather. 
 
 When they were crowded together, the fowler 
 would throw a great net over them and then 
 carry them away to town, where he soon sold 
 all the quails he had caught. 
 
 Now, as I have said, the leader was very wise, 
 and he called all the birds to him and said : 
 'Brothers, I have thought of a good plan. This 
 fowler must not carry away any more of us. The 
 next time he throws a net over us let each one 
 put his head through one of the little holes in the 
 net, and then all lift it together and fly away to 
 the nearest thorn-bush. There we can leave the 
 net on the thorn-bush and escape from under it." 
 
 All the quails agreed that it was a good plan 
 and that they w^ould try it the next time the 
 fowler threw his net over them. 
 
 The next day the fowler called them together, 
 and when he had thrown his net all the quails 
 lifted it together in the very way that their wise 
 
220 
 
 leader had told them. They flew away to a thorn- 
 bush, where they left the net and escaped. Then 
 they went back to their leader to tell him how 
 well his plan had worked. The fowler was busy 
 until evening getting his net free from the thorns 
 and had to go home empty-handed. 
 
 This happened the next day and the next, 
 till at last the fowler's wife grew angry and 
 asked her husband, ' Why is it that you never 
 catch any more quails?" 
 
 Then the fowler said : ' The trouble is that 
 all the birds are working together now. The 
 moment my net is over them, off they fly, leaving 
 it on a thorn-bush. If they would only quarrel 
 I could catch them quickly enough." 
 
 Not long after this, one of the quails acci- 
 dentally trod on the head of another as they 
 alighted on the feeding-ground. 
 
 'Who trod on my head?" angrily cried the 
 quail who was hurt. 
 
 ' I did, but I didn't mean to; don't be angry," 
 said the first quail. But the second quail kept 
 on saying mean things. 
 
221 
 
 Soon all the quails began to take sides in the 
 quarrel. Now the fowler saw his chance. He 
 called the quails together and cast his net over 
 them. They were still quarreling and they did 
 not help one another lift the net; So the fowler 
 crammed them into his basket, took them to 
 town, and sold them for a great price. 
 
 How did the fowler catch the quails ? 
 
 How did the quails succeed in getting away ? 
 
 How was the good plan of the quails spoiled ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Find India on the map. Why did the people pay a 
 good price for the quails ? To imitate the call is to copy 
 it, to make the same sound. A thorn-bush is a shrub or 
 small tree covered with prickles. Give other words for 
 trod, crammed. 
 
 2. Find words in the story where o = 66, ou = u, and o = u. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 fowler (foul'er) : a bird-catcher 
 alighted (a We'd) : came to rest 
 accidentally (ak si den'tal I) : by chance 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374~377 
 basket birds 
 
 For spelling see page 391. 
 
222 
 
 THE CAMEL AND THE PIG 
 
 Once upon a time a camel and a pig became 
 fast friends. One day as the two friends were 
 walking along, the camel looked down at the 
 pig and said, ' There is nothing like being tall." 
 
 But the pig replied, " I was just thinking that 
 there is nothing like being short." 
 
 ' How foolish you are," said the camel. ' I 
 say there is nothing like being tall." 
 
 ' You are wrong," said the pig; " it is better 
 to be short and I w r ill prove it. If I fail to do 
 so, I will give you my snout." 
 
223 
 
 The camel said, "Well, if I fail to prove the 
 truth of what I have said, I will give you my 
 hump." 
 
 " Agreed ! " said the pig. 
 
 " Just so ! " said the camel. 
 
 So they walked and walked until they came 
 to a garden. All around the garden there was 
 a low stone w^all without any opening. 
 
 : ' Now see/ 7 said the camel, "what a line thing 
 it is to be tall." 
 
 Then he reached over the wall with his long 
 neck and made a fine breakfast on the vegetables 
 that grew in the garden. 
 
 The hungry pig with his short neck could get 
 nothing at all. He could not even see what was 
 growing in the garden. 
 
 ' Well, friend pig," said the camel, jeeringly, 
 "now would you be tall or short?" 
 
 Then the two friends walked on until noon 
 time, when they came to a field with a high 
 fence around it and a wicket gate at one end. 
 In the field they saw green trees and ripe fruit 
 on the ground. 
 
224 
 
 "Now," said the pig, ' you shall see what a 
 fine thing it is to be short." So saying, he slipped 
 under the gate without any trouble. 
 
 After eating his fill of the fallen fruit he 
 came out laughing at the poor camel-, who had 
 had to stay outside because he was too tall to 
 enter the garden under the gate. 
 
 ;' Now then, friend camel," said the pig, " would 
 you be tall or short?" 
 
 ' Let us go home," replied the camel, "and we 
 will talk about it on the way." 
 
 So they talked and talked. But the camel 
 was not willing to say that it was better to 
 be short, nor was the pig willing to say that 
 it was better to be tall. 
 
 And they agreed that the camel should keep 
 his hump and the pig his snout, saying, 
 
 r Tall is good where tall will do ; 
 If short, the same is also true." 
 
 What was the boast of the camel and that of the pig ? 
 
 What was the wager ? 
 
 Describe the trial. 
 
 Which of the animals won ? 
 
225 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Tell something about a camel. Do you know an- 
 other story of a camel? If so, tell it. Tell another story 
 of a pig. 
 
 2. Give the sound of e in well. In breakfast, ea = e. 
 Give the sound of ou in snout. Give the sound of ow in 
 now. Give the sound of o in short. In because, au = 6. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 jeeringly (jeVing li) : mockingly 
 wicket (wik'et) : a small gate or door 
 
 Pronounce this word, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 
 snout 
 
 For spelling see page 391. 
 
226 
 
 A SEASIDE STROLL 1 
 MARY FENOLLOSA 
 
 Beside the sea, from out its hole, 
 An earthworm started for a stroll. 
 He met a crab who scoffing said, 
 ' Which is your tail, and which your head? " 
 
 ' You well may ask," the earthworm cried, 
 ' Your ugly face stuck on your side ! 
 But, first of all, I'd like to know 
 Which way you're walking, to or f ro ? " 
 
 1 Reprinted, by permission, from " Blossoms from a Japanese Garden," 
 by Mary Fenollosa. .Copyrighted, 1913, by Frederick A. Stokes Company. 
 
227 
 
 A devil-fish rushed up to see 
 What all this quarreling could be ; 
 And, standing near, with pompous pose 
 Cried, " I'll be judge ; bring out your woes ! r ' 
 
 The others turned with jibe and jeer. 
 " wondrous judge ! we fain would hear 
 If, spite of all your learned charms, 
 You're walking on your legs or arms? " 
 
 And then they fought, and strewed the beach 
 With heads, arms, legs, and tails of each. 
 But, worst of all, the questions, - - they 
 Remain unanswered to this day ! 
 
 What question caused the quarrel between the crab and 
 the earthworm? 
 
 Who tried to act as judge? 
 Why did the others object to the judge ? 
 How did they then try to settle the question ? 
 What is the answer ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Describe a crab and tell how he walks. Tell the story 
 of "The Crab and his Mother." Give other words for 
 stroll, fro, ivoes, strewed, remain. Have you ever seen a 
 devil-fish? Describe it. 'With pompous pose" means 
 
228 
 
 with self-important look; "with jibe and jeer" means 
 with sneering, mocking words ; fain means gladly ; 
 "spite of" means notwithstanding. 
 
 2. Give the sound of ur in turned. Give the sound of 
 ear in earth. Give the sound of ear in learned. Give the 
 sound of ir in first. In worm, or = ur. In worst, or = ur. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 scoffing (skSf'mg) : mocking, jeering 
 wondrous (wun'drus) : wonderful 
 fought (fot) : struggled, as in battle 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 strewed worst 
 
 For spelling see page 391. 
 
229 
 
 TREES 
 SARA COLERIDGE 
 
 The Oak is called the King of Trees, 
 The Aspen quivers in the breeze, 
 The Poplar grows up straight and tall, 
 The Pear Tree spreads along the wall, 
 The Sycamore gives pleasant shade, 
 The Willow droops in watery glade, 
 The Fir Tree useful timber gives, 
 The Beech amid the forest lives. 
 
 Try to think how each tree looks. 
 Make a picture of each. 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 Use other words for quivers, droops, timber. Amid 
 means in the midst of; "watery glade" means an open 
 space in the woods near a river. 
 
230 
 
 ROBIN HOOD 
 MARION F. LANSING 
 
 Seven hundred and more years ago the length 
 and breadth of merry England was covered with 
 great forests which men called the greenwood. 
 Many a stalwart man slipped away into the 
 greenwood, there to live a life of ease and 
 freedom. To the forest of Shenvood went many 
 of these men, for there lived Robin Hood with 
 his band of merry yeomen. 
 
 In those days a man could be hanged if he 
 killed one of the king's deer. So it came about 
 that when Robin Hood had killed a deer, he 
 slipped away into the greenwood for safety, and 
 there he lived for many long years. And because 
 he was always fair and just, and because he was 
 merry and kindly, and ready for any sport, and 
 just as willing to acknowledge when he had 
 been beaten, there came to him, from all the 
 forest and all the country round, men who 
 would be of his band, --for all men love a 
 leader. 
 
231 
 
 Before many years had come and gone Robin 
 had gathered about him a company of seven- 
 score brave and sturdy men, who lived in 
 the greenwood under him as their head. Here 
 is a story of one of Robin Hood's adventures. 
 
 ROBIN HOOD AND LITTLE JOHN 
 
 One morning Robin Hood said to his jolly 
 bowmen : 'It is fourteen long days since we 
 have had any sport. Do you stay here in the 
 greenwood, where I can call you by a blast of 
 my horn, and I will go forth to see what 
 I shall find." 
 
 As Robin strolled through the forest he came 
 to a stream which he wanted to cross, but it 
 was too wide for him to leap. He walked 
 along the bank to find a place w^here he could 
 get over, and as he went he noticed that a tall 
 stranger was coming up the stream on the 
 other side. At the very same moment they 
 both came to a log which had fallen across the 
 water, making a narrow bridge, and each put 
 
232 
 
 foot on it. For an instant they stood still and 
 waited, each expecting the other to give way ; 
 but neither stirred. 
 
 ' Make way for your betters/ 7 said the 
 stranger. 
 
 "When I find them/' replied Robin. 
 
 "Make way, I said/' repeated the stranger, 
 and advanced a step on the log. 
 
 ' I'd rather show you some good Nottingham 
 play," quoth Robin, as he too stepped forward 
 one pace and drew from the quiver that was 
 slung over his shoulder a broad arrow with a 
 goose-wing tip. 
 
 ' If you dare to touch that string, I'll show 
 you right speedily who is the better man," 
 replied the stranger. 
 
 'You are speaking foolishly," quoth Robin, 
 "for if I were but to bend my bow, I could 
 send an arrow through your proud heart before 
 you could strike me a single blow." 
 
 "And you are talking like a coward," said 
 the stranger. ' Look you ! There you stand 
 well armed, with a longbow and ready to shoot 
 
234 
 
 at my breast, while I have nothing but a staff 
 in my hand." 
 
 'No one shall ever call me a coward," said 
 Robin. f For your sake I will lay by my bow 
 and take a staff, and then we shall see whether 
 you are as bold as these words." 
 
 Robin stepped into the thicket and chose a 
 stout sapling of ground oak. He cut from it 
 a cudgel six feet long and trimmed and 
 smoothed it until it was just the size of the 
 stranger's staff. 
 
 Then he ran back to the bridge and called 
 merrily, for there was nothing that Robin loved 
 better than a contest of skill. 
 
 " See, I have a lusty, tough staff," lie said. 
 r Now we will play here on this bridge ; if one 
 falls into the water, the other has won, but 
 not till then. Come on." 
 
 'With all my heart," replied the stranger. 
 "Ready!" 
 
 They balanced themselves on the narrow log 
 and fell to. Robin gave the stranger a blow 
 that made his bones ring. 
 
235 
 
 "I'll pay you back for that," said he; and 
 he hit Robin a stroke that drew blood. They 
 laid on so fast and so heavy with their oaken 
 staves that had any one been a little way off 
 in the greenwood he would have thought they 
 were threshing out corn. For a time Robin had 
 the advantage, but all at once, with a quick 
 backward turn of his wrist, the stranger took him 
 off his guard and tumbled him into the brook. 
 
 "Well, well, my good fellow, where are you 
 now?" shouted the stranger; and he laughed 
 so hard that he was like to follow Robin's 
 example and join him in the brook. 
 
 " Oh ! I'm floating along with the tide," 
 laughed Robin, as he picked himself up and 
 waded ashore. [l I'm ready to acknowledge that 
 you're a brave, clever fellow and have won the 
 day this time." 
 
 Robin pulled himself up on* the limb of a 
 hawthorn tree, and as he sat shaking off the 
 water, he blew a loud blast on his horn. 
 
 Almost before the echo of the call had died 
 away in the forest glades, there was a crashing 
 
236 
 
 through the thicket, and Will Stutely stood on 
 the bank with a score or more of stout yeomen, 
 all clothed in Lincoln green, following fast on 
 his heels. 
 
 "Good master," quoth Will, 'what is the 
 matter? Thou art wet to the skin." And he and 
 the other archers looked at the tall stranger. 
 
 :r No matter," quoth Kobin, swinging on the 
 hawthorn limb. ' That lad you see there was 
 lighting with me, and he tumbled me into 
 the water." 
 
 'In faith, he shall not go scot free," shouted 
 the others, and they rushed forward to seize 
 him. ' He shall have a ducking, too." 
 
 ' Forbear, forbear," called Robin. ' Do not fear, 
 my friend. Thou art a stout fellow and none shall 
 harm thee. These men are my bowmen and they 
 wait on me. There are threescore and nine of 
 them, and if thou wilt join us thou shalt be right 
 welcome. Thou shalt have my livery of Lincoln 
 green and all else that thou needest, and I will 
 teach thee to shoot at the fat deer with a longbow. 
 Come now, wilt thou be of my men? " 
 
237 
 
 'Indeed I will," said the stranger. 'Here is 
 rny hand on it, and Til serve you with all my 
 heart. My name is John Little, and I promise I'll 
 not fail you." 
 
 " John Little, John Little," quoth Will Stutely, 
 and a merry look came into his eyes. " Good 
 master, may we give him a christening feast?" 
 
 At a nod from Robin, Will ran off into the 
 woods with all his men behind him, and as Robin 
 and John Little followed them they could hear 
 them singing in the distance : 
 
 Prepare then a feast, 
 And none of the least, 
 
 For we will merry be. 
 Prepare then a feast, 
 And none of the least, 
 
 For we will merry be. 
 
 At the christening feast Will Stutely named 
 Robin Hood's new follower Little John, and by 
 this name he was always afterward called. 
 
 What kind of life did Robin Hood lead? 
 Tell about the fight with Little John. 
 Why did the two men become friends ? 
 
238 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1 . Give other words for seuenscore, stalwart, Jell to, sport, 
 staff, blast, bold, right welcome. Outlaws are persons who 
 flee from their own land to escape punishment. Lords are 
 rulers, men of high rank and title. 
 
 2. Give the sound of ow in bows. Give the sound of ow 
 in arrow. Give the sound of ow in now. Give the sound 
 of ei in their. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 yeomen (yo'men) : attendants 
 cudgel (ktij'el) : a short cluh 
 
 adventures (ad ven'turz) : hold and risky undertakings 
 faithful (fath'fool) : true 
 acknowledge (ak nol'gj) : to own, to allow 
 archers (ar'cherz) : those who use bows and arrows 
 coward (kou'erd) : one who has no courage 
 thicket (thik'et) : a thick growth of shrubs or bushes 
 victor (vik'ter) : winner in a contest 
 fury (fu'rl) : rage, madness 
 Christen (krls'n) : to give a name to 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 against staff aye 
 
 search alone 
 
 For spelling see page 391 . 
 
239 
 
 A WOLF HUNT 
 
 Israel Putnam lived on a farm in Connecti- 
 cut. The woods close by had been the home of 
 many wild animals. Putnam and his neighbors 
 had hunted and trapped these animals until there 
 were few left. 
 
 An old wolf who baffled all the hunters made 
 her home in the neighborhood every winter, to- 
 gether with her family, and exacted her yearly 
 tribute from the Hocks of sheep and goats. 
 
 Early one morning Putnam found that the 
 wolves had killed seventy of his sheep and goats 
 
240 
 
 and left the marks of their teeth and claws 
 upon the poor little lambs and kids. Putnam 
 was indignant! 
 
 At once he and five other farmers set out 
 to hunt for the leader of the pack. A light 
 snow had fallen. Her tracks could easily be 
 traced, since one of her paws was shorter than 
 the others. The previous year she had been 
 caught in a trap and had escaped by gnawing 
 off her toes. 
 
 The hunters followed the tracks for many 
 miles. She was a wily old wolf, and, hoping 
 to escape her enemies, she turned and went 
 back toward Putnam's farm. 
 
 Finally they found her tracks leading to the 
 mouth of a cave not far from Putnam's home. 
 His old bloodhound w^as sent into the cave. 
 One encounter with that old wolf w^as sufficient. 
 The dog was so badly bitten that he could not 
 be coaxed to go into the cave again. 
 
 Then the hunters tried to smoke her out with 
 straw and sulphur, but the cave was very deep 
 and she went in farther and farther. 
 
241 
 
 Putnam's negro servant was to be sent in, 
 but the negro pleaded so hard with his master 
 that Putnam pulled off his coat and said, ' I 
 will go in myself." 
 
 First he made a torch out of some pieces of 
 birch bark. He knew that wild animals were 
 afraid of fire. After his friends had tied a rope 
 to his legs, he got down on his hands and 
 knees and crawled into the hole. 
 
 On and on he crawled until he saw, glaring 
 at him, two great balls of fire. The w r olf howled. 
 Putnam was so frightened that he jerked the 
 rope. That was the signal for his friends to 
 pull him out. 
 
 Fearing the wolf had attacked him, they pulled 
 as fast as they could. When he reached the 
 outside, his clothes were torn and he was 
 badly scratched by the rocks. But he was deter- 
 mined to kill that wolf. This time he loaded 
 his gun. 
 
 When the wolf saw him coming again, she 
 snapped her teeth, she rolled her eyes, she 
 growled and roared, ready to spring. 
 
242 
 
 Not a moment could be lost. Putnam raised 
 his gun and fired. Before he knew what had 
 happened, he found himself outside the cave. 
 
 As soon as the smoke cleared away, he went 
 in a third time. He wanted to see whether the 
 wolf was dead. 
 
 There she lay very still. He put his torch 
 to her nose ; she didn't move. He jerked the 
 rope again and took the wolf by the ears. 
 
 When the hunters pulled him out this time, 
 he dragged with him the fearless foe of his sheep. 
 
 From that time on, Israel Putnam was called 
 " Old Wolf Putnam.' 7 In later years he became 
 a soldier. He fought against the Indians, and 
 in the War of the Revolution he was a well- 
 known general. 
 
 Why did Putnam and his friends hunt the wolf ? 
 
 How did they trace her? 
 
 How did they first try to get the wolf out of the cave ? 
 
 Tell about the second trial. 
 
 Describe Putnam's first entrance into the cave. 
 
 Tell about the second one. 
 
 How did Putnam make sure that the wolf was dead ? 
 
 What was Putnam in after years ? 
 
243 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Baffled means defeated ; " exacted her yearly tribute " 
 means took a certain number each year. Give another word 
 for indignant. A pack is a number of animals living and 
 hunting together ; wily means tricky. Give another word 
 for encounter. Sufficient means enough. By what name was 
 Putnam known after the wolf hunt ? 
 
 2. What sound has ou in found ? What sound has ou in 
 fought ? What sound has ou in could ? 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 Connecticut (ko net'I kut) : one of the United States 
 sufficient (su fish'ent) : enough 
 
 sulphur (sul'fur) : a yellow-colored powder that will burn 
 glaring (glar'fng) : looking with fierce eyes 
 previous (pre'vi us) : going before 
 
 Revolution (rev o lii'shun) : the war by which the United 
 States became an independent country 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374~377 
 birch jerked third 
 
 For spelling see page 391. 
 
244 
 
 JUST DOING HIS DUTY 
 
 Jack won his Victoria Cross at the battle of 
 Jutland Bank, one of the most important naval 
 battles of the World War. That was in May, 1916. 
 
 During the battle the British lost six of their 
 largest ships, eight destroyers, and a large num- 
 ber of brave sailors. But the German losses far 
 exceeded those of the British. 
 
 On H.M.S. Chester was a lad of sixteen, 
 John Cornwell by name. He was one of the 
 gunners. Scarcely had the battle begun when 
 he was severely wounded, but he was brave 
 and would not leave his post. 
 
 One by one his comrades fell, dead or dying, 
 around him. Again and again Jack was wounded, 
 but he could not be persuaded to forsake his 
 duty. 
 
 There he stood, obeying orders until the last 
 shot was fired and the battle was ended. Then 
 he dropped to the deck. Gently they carried 
 him below. 
 
 In the hospital he was nursed with great 
 
245 
 
 care and tenderness, but he had been mortally 
 wounded and his life went out. He had given 
 his all for his country. 
 
 Just before he died, the nurse who had watched 
 over him so faithfully asked, ' What were you 
 doing during that awful fire?" 
 
 The dying lad raised his eyes and replied, 
 "Just doing my duty, that's all." 
 
 What part did John Cornwell take in the World War ? 
 How did he show his bravery and faithfulness ? 
 What price did he pay for his bravery ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 Jutland is a part of Denmark. Find it on the map. 
 The Victoria Cross is a medal given by England for 
 unusual bravery. It was named for Queen Victoria. Go to 
 the library and find a picture of it. " H.M.S." stands for 
 " His Majesty's Ship," meaning a ship of the English Navy. 
 "Far exceeded " means were far greater than. Give other 
 words for severely, persuaded. " Mortally wounded " means 
 wounded so that he died. 
 
246 
 
 THE JUMPING-MATCH 
 HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN 
 
 The flea, the grasshopper, and the frog once 
 wanted to see which of them could jump the 
 highest. They made a festival and invited the 
 whole world and every one else who liked to come 
 to see the grand sight; Three famous jumpers 
 they were, as all would say, when they met 
 together in the room. 
 
 ' I will give my daughter to him who shall 
 jump highest/' said the king; "it would be too 
 bad for you to have the jumping and for us to 
 offer no prize." 
 
 The flea was the first to come forward. He 
 had very pretty manners and bowed to the 
 company on every side, for he was of noble 
 blood and, besides, w r as accustomed to the society 
 of man. 
 
 Next came the grasshopper. He was not quite 
 so elegantly formed as the flea, but he knew how 
 to conduct himself and he wore the green uni- 
 form with which he was born. He said, moreover, 
 
248 
 
 that he came of a very ancient Egyptian family 
 and that in the house where he then lived he was 
 much thought of. 
 
 The fact was that he had been just brought 
 out of the fields and put in a card house three 
 stories high built on purpose for him, with the 
 colored sides inwards and the doors and win- 
 dows cut out of the Queen of Hearts. ' And I 
 sing so well," said he, "that sixteen parlor-bred 
 crickets who have chirped from infancy and yet 
 got no one to build them card houses to live in 
 have fretted themselves thinner even than before, 
 with envy, on hearing me. 7 ' 
 
 It was thus that the flea and the grasshopper 
 made the most of themselves, each thinking him- 
 self quite an equal match for the princess. 
 
 The leapfrog said not a word ; but people said 
 that perhaps he thought the more, and the house- 
 dog who snuffed at him with his nose allowed 
 that he was of good family. 
 
 ' I say nothing for the present," said the king; 
 : ' yet I have my own opinion, for I observe 
 everything." 
 
249 
 
 And now the match began. The flea jumped 
 so high that no one could see what had become 
 of him, and so they insisted that he had not 
 jumped at all --which was disgraceful, after all 
 the fuss he had made. 
 
 The grasshopper jumped only half as high ; 
 but he leaped into the king's face, who was 
 disgusted by his rudeness. 
 
 The leapfrog stood for a long time, as if lost 
 in thought. People began to think that he would 
 not jump at all. 
 
 'I'm afraid he is ill! 77 said the dog, and he 
 went to snuff at him again - - when lo ! he sprang 
 with a little crooked jump right into the lap of 
 the princess, who sat close by on a low golden 
 stool. 
 
 "There is nothing higher than my daughter," 
 said the king ; " therefore to bound into her lap 
 is the highest jump that can be made. Only one 
 of good mind would ever have thought of that. 
 The frog has shown that he has sense. He has 
 brains in his head --that he has. 77 
 
 And so he won the princess. 
 
 M7 
 
250 
 
 ' I jumped the highest;, for all that/' said the 
 flea; "but it's all the same to me. The princess 
 may have the stiff-legged, slimy creature, if she 
 likes. In this world, dullness and heaviness win 
 the day. I am too light and airy for a stupid 
 world." 
 
 And so the flea went into military service, where 
 it is said he was killed. 
 
 The grasshopper sat without on a green bank 
 and thought on the world and its ways, and he 
 too said, ' Yes, dullness and heaviness win the 
 day." And then he began to sing his own song- 
 and it is from his song that we have taken this 
 little piece of history, which may very possibly 
 be all untrue although it does stand printed here 
 in black and w^hite. 
 
 What was the prize in the jumping-match. ? 
 Tell about each jumper. 
 Tell how each one jumped. 
 Why did the frog win the prize ? 
 
251 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Give other words is? festival, invited, fretted, bound, 
 slimy. "Noble blood" means of good family; "accus- 
 tomed to the society of man," used to being with men ; 
 "to conduct himself," to behave ; parlor-bred, well brought 
 up, or well trained ; "from infancy," from babyhood ; "lost 
 in thought," thinking deeply. 
 
 2. Give the sound of ea in heaviness. Find another word 
 in the story where e = e. Give the sound of ea in flea. Give 
 the sound of ee in green. Find words in the story where 
 e = e and eo = e. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 elegantly (el'e gant li) : handsomely, gracefully 
 ancient (in'shent) : very old 
 Egyptian (e jip'slian) : belonging to Egypt, a country in 
 
 Africa 
 
 opinion (o pin'yun) : feeling, belief 
 disgraceful (dis gras'f ool) : shameful 
 disgusted (dis gust'ed) : offended 
 military (mll'i ta ri) : having to do with soldiers, arms, or 
 
 war 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374~377 
 forward offer half 
 
 For spelling see page 391. 
 
252 
 
 THE TUG OF WAR 
 
 In the long ago the tortoise, the elephant, and 
 the whale were good friends. In those days the 
 whale often walked with his friends on the land. 
 
 One day the tortoise and the elephant were 
 walking by the seashore. 
 
 'Friend elephant," said the tortoise, 'I can 
 pull you into the water." 
 
 ' No, you can't," replied the elephant, " you are 
 not big enough," 
 
253 
 
 ' Yes, I can/ 7 was the answer. ' Take hold of 
 this rope and I'll show you." 
 
 The elephant was much amused at the little 
 creature's challenge, but caught the end of the 
 rope with his trunk to please him. 
 
 The tortoise picked up the other end and slipped 
 into the water. There he met his friend the whale. 
 
 ''Friend whale," said he, "1 can pull you out 
 of the water." 
 
 r No, you can't," replied the w^hale; ' you're 
 not strong enough." 
 
 ' Let's try and see," said the tortoise. 'Take 
 this end of the rope." 
 
 The big whale laughingly caught the rope with 
 his flippers and threw it over his head. Then 
 the little tortoise swam back to the land. The 
 whale pulled and pulled with all his might. 
 
 'Brother tortoise must be very strong," said 
 he; ' if I don't pull harder, he'll soon have me 
 out of the water." 
 
 The elephant pulled and tugged at the other 
 end, but felt himself losing ground. Then he gave 
 the rope a sudden jerk. Snap ! it parted in the 
 
254 
 
 middle, and the clumsy elephant rolled over and 
 over on the sand. Splash ! the whale went under 
 the water, and there he has remained ever since. 
 The tortoise sat on the beach watching the tug 
 of war he had so cleverly planned. He laughed 
 until his sides ached when he thought how he 
 had fooled the elephant and the whale. 
 
 Name the three friends. 
 
 What boast was made by the little one ? 
 
 What trick did he play ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Give other words for amused, creature, sudden, clumsy, 
 remained. Tell another story of a tortoise. Tell one about 
 an elephant. Give another good name for this story. 
 
 2. Give the sound of ph in elephant. Give the sound of 
 gh in enough. Give the sound of gh in laughed. What two 
 letters do you not hear in caught ? What two letters do you 
 not hear in thought ? 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 challenge (chal'enj) : invitation to enter a contest 
 flippers (flip'erz) : broad, flat limbs used for swimming 
 
 For spelling see page 392. 
 
255 
 
 THE ELEPHANT 
 
 OLIVER HEEFORD 
 
 This is the Elephant, who lives 
 
 With but one aim - - to please. 
 
 His ivory tusk he freely gives 
 
 To make piano keys. 
 
 One grief he has - - however he tries, 
 
 He never can forget 
 
 That one of his enormous size 
 
 Can't be a household pet. 
 
 Then does he to his grief give way, 
 
 Or sink 'neath sorrow's ban ? 
 
 Oh, no ; instead he spends each day 
 
 Contriving some unselfish way 
 
 To be of use to Man. 
 
 What does the elephant always try to do ? 
 
 About what does he grieve ? 
 
 Instead of worrying about this, what does he plan ? 
 
256 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 Give other words for aim, grief, enormous, 'neatk. Draw 
 a picture of the elephant's tusks. Tell something made 
 from them. Name some " household pets." " Sorrow's ban" 
 means sorrow's weight or burden ; contriving, planning. 
 
 THE ELEPHANT 1 
 HILAIRE BELLOC 
 
 When people call this beast to mind, 
 They marvel more and more 
 
 At such a little tail behind, 
 So large a trunk before. 
 
 1 By permission, from " The Bad Child's Book of Beasts," by Hilaire 
 Belloc. Published by E. P. Button & Company. 
 
257 
 
 THE CRAB AND THE FOX 
 MINNA B. NOYES 
 
 A crab crept out of the brook upon the green 
 grass of a meadow. A fox came by, saw the 
 crab creeping slowly along, and said to him 
 jokingly : ' Well, Mr. Crab, where are you going 
 so slowly? I notice from your walk that you 
 can go better sidewise than forward. When do 
 you think you will reach the other end of the 
 field? 77 
 
 The crab was not a foolish fellow, and he 
 answered : : ' Mr. Fox, you do not know me. 
 I can run faster than you. If you do not believe 
 it, I can prove it to you. Will you run a race 
 with me? 77 
 
 'I should like nothing better," said the fox. 
 
 : 'How far shall we run? 77 asked the crab; "I 
 think a half mile, or perhaps a whole mile. That 
 will not be too much. 77 
 
 'Well, a mile, 77 cried the fox, and the crab 
 began again, ' I will give you one advantage, 
 and if you do not take it, I will not run at all. 77 
 
258 
 
 : ' And what shall this advantage be?" asked 
 the fox. 
 
 The crab answered: ' It shall be just a fox's 
 length. Step before me so that your hind feet 
 are by my head, and when I say ' Ready ' we 
 will begin to run." 
 
 That pleased the fox, and he said, ' I will 
 obey you." Then he turned his thick, bushy tail 
 toward the crab. The crab seized it (but the 
 fox did not know this) and cried, ' Ready." 
 Then the fox ran as he had never run before 
 in all his life ; he ran so that his feet ached ; and 
 when he reached the goal he turned around and 
 said : ' Where is Mr. Crab ? Where are you 
 stopping so long, sir?" 
 
 But the crab, who now stood nearer the goal 
 than the fox, called out behind him : ' Where 
 have you been so long ? I have been standing 
 here a long time waiting for you." 
 
 The fox was almost beside himself with won- 
 der, and said, "There is some fraud here." Then 
 he put his tail between his legs and ran away. 
 He never laughed at a crab again. 
 
259 
 
 Did the fox and the crab start even in the race ? 
 Which one had the advantage ? 
 Why did the crab allow this advantage ? 
 How was the fox fooled ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Give other words for notice, obey, fraud. A goal is the 
 place at which a race is to end. 
 
 2. Find a word in the story where gh = f . Give the sound 
 of ch in reach. Give the sound of ch in much. In ached, 
 ch = k. 
 
 Pronounce this word, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 advantage (ad van'taj) : gain or benefit 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374~377 ' 
 backward length faster 
 
 For spelling see page 392. 
 
260 
 
 THE TRAVELS OF A FOX 
 
 A fox was digging behind a stump, and he 
 found a bumblebee. The fox put the bumble- 
 bee in a bag and he traveled. 
 
 At the first house he came to he went in, and 
 he said to the mistress of the house, " May I leave 
 my bag here while I go over to Squintum's? " 
 
 ' Yes/ 7 said the woman. 
 
 'Then be careful not to open the bag," said 
 the fox. 
 
 But as soon as the fox was out of sight, the 
 woman just took a little peep into the bag and 
 out flew the bumblebee, and the rooster caught 
 him and ate him up. 
 
 After a while the fox came back. He took up 
 his bag and saw that the bumblebee was gone, and 
 said to the woman, " Where is my bumblebee?" 
 
 And the woman said, " I just untied the bag, 
 and the bumblebee flew out, and the rooster ate 
 him up." 
 
 'Very well," said the fox, 'I must have the 
 rooster, then." 
 
261 
 
 So he caught the rooster and put him in his 
 bag and traveled. 
 
 When he came to the next house he went in, and 
 said to the mistress of the house, <: ' May I leave 
 my bag here while I go over to Squintum's? " 
 
 'Yes," said the woman. 
 
 'Then be careful not to open the bag," said 
 the fox. 
 
 But as soon as the fox was out of sight, the 
 woman peeped into the bag, the rooster flew 
 out, and the pig caught him and ate him up. 
 
 After a while the fox came back. He took up 
 his bag and saw that the rooster was not in it, and 
 said to the woman, " Where is my rooster?" 
 
 And the woman said, " I just untied the bag, 
 and the rooster flew out and the pig ate him." 
 
 'Very well," said the fox, 'I must have the 
 pig, then." 
 
 So he caught the pig and put him in his 
 bag and traveled. 
 
 When he came to the next house he went in, 
 and he said to the mistress of the house, " May I 
 leave my bag here while I go over to Squintum's? " 
 
262 
 
 'Yes," said the woman. 
 
 " Then be careful not to open the bag," said 
 the fox. 
 
 But as soon as the fox was out of sight, the 
 woman just took a little peep into the bag, 
 and the pig jumped out and the ox ate him. 
 
 After a w^hile the fox came back. He took 
 up his bag and he saw that the pig was 
 gone, and he said to the woman, ' Where is 
 my pig?" 
 
 And the woman said, " I just untied the bag, 
 and the pig jumped out and the ox ate him." 
 
 'Very well," said the fox, 'I must have the 
 ox, then." 
 
 So he caught the ox and put him in his 
 bag and traveled. 
 
 When he came to the next house he went in, 
 and he said to the mistress of the house, 
 " May I leave my bag here while I go over 
 to Squintum's?" 
 
 'Yes," said the woman. 
 
 'Then be careful not to open the bag," said 
 the fox. 
 
263 
 
 But as soon as the fox was out of sight, the 
 woman just took a little peep into the bag, 
 and the ox got out and the woman's little boy 
 chased him away off over the fields. 
 
 After a while the fox came back. He took 
 up his bag and he saw that the ox w r as gone, 
 and he said to the woman, " Where is my ox?" 
 
 And the woman said, " 1 just untied the bag, 
 and the ox got out and my little boy chased him 
 away off over the fields. 7 ' 
 
 'Very well," said the fox, "I must have the 
 little boy, then ! " 
 
 So he caught the little boy, and he put him 
 in his bag and he traveled. 
 
 When he came to the next house he went in, 
 and he said to the mistress of the house, 
 : ' May 1 leave my bag here while I go over to 
 Squintum's?" 
 
 'Yes," said the woman. 
 
 'Then be careful not to open the bag," said 
 the fox. 
 
 The woman was making cake, and her chil- 
 dren were around her, asking for some. 
 
264 
 
 "0 mother, give me a piece,' 7 said one; and 
 " mother, give me a piece," said the others. 
 
 And the smell of the cake came to the little 
 boy who was weeping and crying in the bag, 
 and he heard the children asking for cake and 
 he said, " mammy, give me a piece.' 7 
 
 Then the woman opened the bag and took 
 the little boy out, and she put the house dog 
 in the bag in the little boy's place. And the 
 little boy stopped crying and had some cake 
 with the others. 
 
 After a while the fox came back. He took 
 up his bag and saw that it was tied fast, and he 
 put it over his back and traveled far into the 
 woods. Then he sat down and untied the bag, 
 and if the little boy had been there in the 
 bag, things would have gone badly with him. 
 
 But the little boy was safe in the woman's 
 house, and when the fox untied the bag the 
 house dog jumped out and ate him all up. 
 
 Why did the fox demand the rooster ? 
 
 What happened at each house where he stopped ? 
 
 How was the fox fooled at last ? 
 
265 
 
 HOW FIRE WAS BROUGHT TO THE INDIANS 
 MARY CATHERINE JUDD 
 
 Long, long ago all the fire on earth was in 
 the tepee of one old Indian chief. A young 
 caribou said that he would get the fire from 
 the old chief's tepee. The Indians tied a great 
 dry branch to his big antlers. The young cari- 
 bou put his head into the fire tepee and tried 
 to reach the coals, but he could not do it. 
 The wise chief drove him away. 
 
 But while the old chief was driving back 
 the young caribou, a muskrat crept into the 
 tepee. .He reached the precious coals of fire 
 and caught one in his mouth. He ran back 
 into the woods with it. Before he could reach 
 his own burrow he had to drop the burning 
 coal. It fell on the dry leaves and set the woods 
 
 M7 
 
266 
 
 on fire. You can see now where the muskrat 
 burned himself. 
 
 All the world has fire now, and there has 
 always been enough since the muskrat dropped 
 the first coal. The fire melted the ice in the 
 rivers and lakes so that men had water to drink. 
 
 The old chief has never been seen since 
 that time. 
 
 Who set out to get the fire from the old Indian chief ? 
 Who really did get it ? 
 What happened to it ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1 . Give another word for tepee. What are the antlers of 
 the caribou ? Tell the story of how the rabbit caught the 
 sun in a trap. Can you tell the story of how light first 
 came to the world ? 
 
 2. Give the sound of i in rivers. Give the sound of i in 
 with. In been, ee = i. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373.: 
 caribou (kaVi boo) : a kind of reindeer 
 muskrat (musk 'rat) : a water rat 
 
 burrow (bur'o) : a hole in the ground made by animals 
 such as rabbits 
 
 For spelling see page 392. 
 
267 
 
 PROMETHEUS AND THE GIFT OF FIRE 
 
 Fire is said to be a good servant but a bad 
 master. Every boy scout must learn how to 
 make a fire and how to put it out. The serv- 
 ant that gives a cheerful blaze to the camp, 
 and heat for cooking the food, may turn master 
 and burn up both camp and forest. 
 
 How helpless one may be without the means 
 of making a fire ! How proud a boy is to be 
 able to start his camp fire with a single match ! 
 
268 
 
 And when lie learns to get a tiny spark with- 
 out matches, after the manner of the Indians, 
 he is as happy as a king. 
 
 He who made the first camp fire must indeed 
 have been a king or a giant or a god, thought 
 the people in olden times. For some great one 
 must have given man such a gift. The Greeks 
 thought they owed the gift of fire to a giant 
 called Prometheus. 
 
 Prometheus beheld the race of men living in 
 caves and helpless against the cold and against 
 wild beasts, and he brought fire to them. 
 
 Jupiter, the king of the gods, was jealous 
 that weak man should have this power to 
 master the earth and all its creatures. To punish 
 Prometheus and to prevent him from bringing 
 any more gifts to man, Jupiter gave him over 
 to two heartless giants, Strength and Force, 
 and ordered him to be chained to a rock in the 
 earth's wildest mountains. 
 
 Why do we need fire ? 
 
 How many ways do you know of making fire ? 
 
 Whom did the Greeks call the fire-bringer ? 
 
269 
 
 PROMETHEUS, THE FIRE-BRINGER 
 
 CAROLINE B. CHURCHILL 
 Scene : Ancient Greece the open country or a forest 
 
 (Enter Women) 
 
 IST WOMAN. Alas ! Alas ! 
 
 2o WOMAN. Woe ! Woe ! 
 
 3o WOMAN. The gods have mercy on us ! 
 
 4Tii WOMAN. That which they gave they have 
 taken away. 
 
 STH WOMAN. Ah! What shall we do? What 
 shall we do ? 
 
 (Enter a Man) 
 
 MAN. Why do ye weep and wail, sisters ? 
 
 IST WOMAN. Knowest thou not what hath hap- 
 pened during the great storm and flood ? 
 
 MAN. I know that my goats were drowned and 
 that my fire was put out. 
 
 2D WOMAN. That is it ! That is it ! 
 
 SD WOMAN. Aye, all our fires are out, and not 
 only ours, but Hestia's. 
 
 MAN. Hestia's fire out! 
 
270 
 
 4xH WOMAN. Aye ; the sacred fire in Hestia's 
 altar is out, alas. 
 
 WOMEN. Woe ! Woe ! Alas ! Alas ! Hestia's fire 
 is out. 
 
 MAN. I should never have thought that it could 
 be : I had thought that though all our fires were 
 out, we should have Hestia's with which to relight 
 them. The gods must indeed be angry with us. 
 What have we done to bring this upon us? 
 
 IST WOMAN. Aye. What have we done? Have 
 we not sacrificed sheep, and goats, and oxen? 
 Have we not offered the fruits of our fields and 
 orchards? Have not our burnt offerings sent up 
 a sweet odor to the gods? Why, then, are they 
 angry with us ? 
 
 WOMEN. Alas ! Alas ! 
 
 IST WOMAN. The temple of Hestia was unroofed 
 by the hurricane, and the sacred fire put out by 
 the rain. 
 
 WOMEN. Woe ! Woe ! Alas ! Alas ! 
 
 IST WOMAN. Fire is gone from the earth. 
 
 2o WOMAN. The best gift of the gods ! Gone 
 from the earth ! 
 
271 
 
 MAN. But the sun is still in the sky, and we 
 are warm and dry again after the rain. Who 
 need weep? 
 
 2D WOMAN. But the night is coming again and 
 we shall be cold. 
 
 3o WOMAN. And when we go forth in the black 
 darkness, where shall we find a torch to guide 
 our feet? 
 
 4Tii WOMAN. Aye, and the winter is coming, with 
 snow and sleet, and we shall have no fire by day 
 or (shivering) by night. 
 
 (Enter a Priest) 
 
 PRIEST. Do not stand idly here. This is no 
 time for weeping. Hasten to the ruins of the 
 temple. Offer sheep and oxen on the cold altar. 
 Alas ! we can offer no more burnt offerings. But 
 do what ye can. Away ! Away ! 
 
 (Enter Prometheus) 
 
 MAN. All hail, Prometheus ! What news bring- 
 est thou? I see in thy face that it is good. 
 
 PROM. Aye, truly. Be not downcast, sisters; 
 our friend is right. 
 
272 
 
 MAN. Hast thou found fire somewhere -- fire 
 that escaped the storm? 
 
 PROM. Aye, I have here fire that escaped the 
 storm, but not as thou thinkest however (Shows a 
 fire-stick and string). I will soon show you. Look 
 now ! See ye this ? (Holds up the fire-stick and 
 string) 
 
 PRIEST. I see it, but what of it? 
 
 PROM. This. (He sets the stick whirling. All gather 
 round) 
 
 PRIEST. What is this folly? Hath this great 
 misfortune turned the poor man's head ? 
 
 MAN. What meanest thou, Prometheus? There 
 is no fire in that wood. 
 
 PROM. Have patience. I promise that ye shall 
 have fire ere I am done with this. 
 
 PRIEST. What? Wilt thou bring down fire from 
 heaven ? 
 
 PROM. No, but I will bring it from the earth. 
 
 PRIEST. Thou speakest as if thou wert a god. 
 
 PROM. I am no god, only a man; but a man 
 that uses his wits is not far from a god. 
 
 PRIEST. That is foolish. 
 
273 
 
 PROM. Perhaps. But I will show you that a 
 man that uses his wits can make fire. (He keeps 
 on whirling the stick) 
 
 PRIEST. I will listen to no more folly. (Exit) 
 
 MAN. It smokes ! It smokes ! 
 
 WOMEN. Ah ! 
 
 MAN. It burns ! 
 
 WOMEN. It burns ! It burns ! (They stand watch- 
 ing. The man puts a stick to the spark and it bursts into 
 flame. He waves it) 
 
 WOMEN (dancing and clapping). Ah ! It burns ! 
 Rejoice ! 
 
 IST WOMAN. Prometheus hath brought us fire ! 
 All hail, Prometheus, bringer of fire ! 
 
 MAN (waving the firebrand). All hail, Prometheus, 
 bringer of fire to man ! 
 
 WOMEN. All hail, Prometheus, bringer of fire to 
 man. (They dance, waving firebrands) 
 
 MAN. I sing in honor of Prometheus, the wise 
 man, the fire-bringer. 
 
 WOMEN. Aye, the wise man, the fire-bringer. 
 
 MAN. Who but Prometheus could have brought 
 fire to man? 
 
274 
 
 WOMAN. None but Prometheus. 
 
 MAN. Who but Prometheus would have thought 
 of looking for fire in wood ? 
 
 2D WOMAN. None but Prometheus. 
 
 MAN. Prometheus hath said, " He that uses his 
 mind is the next thing to a god." 
 
 3o WOMAN Prometheus, then, is almost a god. 
 
 WOMEN. Aye. Aye. 
 
 MAN. Let us then honor Prometheus, bringer 
 of tire to man. 
 
 2o WOMAN. Honor to Prometheus ! (They march 
 around in procession, Prometheus sitting on a high rock 
 and laughing) 
 
 MAN. Prometheus hath driven fear from our 
 hearts. No longer do we fear the night. No 
 longer do we fear the winter. When we go forth 
 in the black darkness, there shall be light on our 
 path. When the winter wind whirls the snow 
 around our homes, the logs shall burn on our 
 hearthstones. Our houses shall be warm and 
 the meats shall be roasted in our ovens. 
 
 3i> WOMAN. Honor Prometheus, the wise man, 
 the fire-bringer ! 
 
276 
 
 IST WOMAN. Others looked to the sky for help, 
 but Prometheus looked to the earth, and the earth 
 answered him and gave him fire for man. 
 
 4xn WOMAN. Eejoice ! rejoice ! Prometheus hath 
 given fire to man. 
 
 IST WOMAN. Aye ; the gods are wise, but so is 
 man if he will use his wits. 
 
 MAN. The wisdom that the gods gave let man 
 use and be happy. 
 
 IST WOMAN. Honor to Prometheus, the man who 
 used his wits for his fellow men. 
 
 (All dance) 
 
 Why were the women weeping ? 
 Who came to help them ? 
 How did he help ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Hestia is the goddess of the hearth or family; in 
 pictures she is shown as richly draped and veiled. Give 
 other words for wail, odor, hurricane, torch, hasten, whirl- 
 ing, ere. An altar is a raised block or stand on which 
 sacrifices are offered in the worship of a god. A burnt 
 offering is an animal, such as a goat or a bull, burned on 
 the altar in honor of the gods. Sacred fire is holy fire that 
 was given by the gods. "All hail" means welcome; wits, 
 
277 
 
 brains ; firebrands, pieces of burning wood ; " fellow men," 
 other men, friends, neighbors. 
 
 2. Give the sound of i in gift. In women, o = i. Give 
 the sound of er in winter. In altar, ar = er. In odor, or = 
 er. In honor, or=er. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 
 Prometheus (pro me'thus) : a giant supposed to have lived 
 
 in the earliest times 
 
 sacrificed (sak'ri fizd) : offered to the gods 
 downcast (doun'kast) : sorrowful 
 escaped (8s kapt') : got out of the way 
 folly (fol'i) : foolishness 
 misfortune (mis for'tun) : bad luck, trouble 
 hearth (harth) : floor of a fireplace 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 drowned catches . ah 
 
 For spelling see page 392, 
 
278 
 
 FLINT 1 
 CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI 
 
 An emerald is as green as grass ; 
 
 A ruby red as blood ; 
 A sapphire shines as blue as heaven ; 
 
 A flint lies in the mud. 
 
 A diamond is a brilliant stone, 
 
 To catch the world's desire ; 
 An opal holds a fiery spark ; 
 
 But a flint holds fire. 
 
 What way of making fire is spoken of in this little 
 
 poem? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 Flint is a very hard stone which strikes fire. Give 
 another word for brilliant. ' To catch the world's 
 desire " is to please people. 
 
 1 From " Sing Song,'' by C. G. Rossetti. Used by permission of The 
 Macmillan Company, Publishers, 
 
279 
 
 THE WISE YOUNG KING 
 
 Solomon was the son of King David and was 
 not more than twenty years old when he became 
 king of Israel. Soon after, he had a dream in 
 which the Lord spoke to him, saying, " Ask of me 
 whatever thou choosest and I will give it to thee." 
 
 And Solomon said to the Lord : " Thou hast 
 shown great kindness to my father, David, and 
 now Thou hast made me king in my father's 
 place. I am only a child. I know not how to 
 rule this land. Give me, I pray Thee, wisdom 
 and knowledge, that I may know how to rule 
 my people." 
 
 The Lord was pleased with Solomon's choice 
 and He said to him, " Since thou hast not asked 
 of me long life, nor great riches, nor power, but 
 hast asked for wisdom to rule thy people, I have 
 given thee wisdom greater than any king before 
 thee and greater than that of any king that shall 
 
280 
 
 come after thee. And I will give thee not only 
 wisdom but also honor and riches. And if thou 
 wilt obey my words, thou shalt have long life and 
 shalt rule for many years.' 7 
 
 And Solomon's dream came true, for he was 
 wise and rich and powerful, and lived long. 
 
 Solomon's great work was the building of the 
 Temple. His father, King David, had prepared 
 for it. He had laid up great treasures of gold, 
 and silver, and brass, and iron, and cedar wood. 
 The walls were made of stone and the roof of 
 cedar. All the stones for the building of the 
 Temple were hewn into shape and fitted together 
 before they were brought to the mountain on 
 which it was to be built. And all the beams for 
 the roof were made to join each other, so that as 
 the walls were built there was no sound of ham- 
 mer or chisel. The famous building arose quietly. 
 It took seven years to build this temple. 
 
 Under King Solomon the land of Israel became 
 very great. All the countries around sent their 
 princes to visit Solomon, and every one who saw 
 him wondered at his wisdom. It was said that 
 
281 
 
 King Solomon was the wisest man in the whole 
 world. He wrote many songs and wise sayings. 
 Here are some of them : 
 
 Go to the ant, thou sluggard ; consider her ways, and 
 
 be wise. 
 
 A wise son maketh a glad father. 
 A soft answer turneth away wrath. 
 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance. 
 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; 
 
 and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh 
 
 a city. 
 
 He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread. 
 There be four things which are little upon the earth, 
 
 but they are exceeding wise : 
 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare 
 
 their meat in the summer ; 
 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their 
 
 houses in the rocks; 
 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of 
 
 them by bands ; 
 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' 
 
 palaces. 
 
 Who was Solomon ? 
 
 What was Solomon's dream ? 
 
282 
 
 How did the dream come true ? 
 What was his work as king? 
 Repeat some of his sayings. 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Give other words for tliee, thou, thy. Cedar is a kind 
 of evergreen tree. Hewn means cut with an ax. The 
 method of building spoken of in the story is sometimes 
 used now ; it' saves time and money. Sluggard means 
 lazy person ; consider, study ; " soft answer," kind words ; 
 " cheerful countenance," happy face ; spirit, temper ; " till- 
 eth the land," plows and prepares the land for seed. Give 
 other words for meat, feeble, exceeding. A cony is a kind 
 of rabbit; it is very timid. 
 
 2. Give the sound of ea in great. Give the sound of ea 
 in beams. Give the sound of ea in bread. Give the sound 
 of ea in meat. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 Israel (iz'ra el) : the Jewish people 
 Solomon (sSl'o mun) : son of David and king of Israel 
 powerful (pou'er fool) : strong 
 
 treasures (trezh'urz) : things of great value or worth 
 wrath (rath) : violent anger, rage 
 countenance (koun'te nans) : the face 
 
 For spelling see page 392. 
 
283 
 
 THE TOWER THAT WAS NEVER FINISHED 
 
 It is said that in the beginning of the world 
 all the people lived in one place. That part of 
 the earth became very crowded, and many 
 families began to move from place to place, look- 
 ing for new homes. Some went one way and 
 some another. 
 
 All the people moved into a country between 
 two great rivers. Here they found that the soil 
 could be made into bricks, which could be heated 
 until they became hard. So the people built houses 
 for themselves. Then they wanted to build a 
 great city and rule all the people around them. 
 
 The people said to one another : ' Let us build 
 a great tower, whose top shall reach to the sky. 
 And let us give a name to our city, that w r e may be 
 kept together and not scattered over the earth.' 7 
 
 So they began to build the great tower, one 
 story above another. But God wished the whole 
 earth to be used as the home of man, and this 
 was the way He carried out His plan : At that 
 time all men were speaking the same language. 
 
284 
 
 And while they were building the great tower, 
 God caused their speech to be changed. Then 
 they could not understand each other. So they 
 left the tower without finishing it, and many of 
 them went away to other lands. And the tower 
 stayed forever unfinished. 
 
 The people that belonged to one family could 
 not understand those of another family just as, 
 at the present time, the English cannot talk to the 
 French until they have learned the French lan- 
 guage. So the people scattered to the north and 
 to the south, to the east and to the west, and 
 the earth became covered with many people, living 
 in many lands and speaking many languages. 
 
 And the city which they had built was named 
 Babel, which means confusion, because it was 
 there that God changed the language of all the 
 earth. The city was afterwards known as Babylon, 
 and the tower as the tower of Babel. 
 
 Why did the people look for new houses ? 
 Where did many of them settle, and what did they 
 find there ? 
 
 Why did the people want to build a city ? 
 
286 
 
 Why was the tower never finished ? 
 What was it called ? 
 What was the city known as ? 
 What does the name mean ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Give another word for soil. Describe any tower that 
 you have seen or read about. Have you ever been in a 
 country where you could not understand the language? 
 If so, tell how you felt. 
 
 2. Find words in the story where ea = a, ea = e, or = ur, 
 and ear = ur. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 language (lang'gwaj) : speech 
 
 Babel (ba/bel) : a city or tower spoken of in the Bible 
 confusion (kon fu'zhun) : disorder 
 Babylon (bab'I Ion) : an ancient city of Western Asia 
 
 Pronounce this word, using dictionary, pages 374~377 : 
 afterwards 
 
 For spelling see page 392. 
 
287 
 
 THE PICKPOCKET IN THE ZOO 1 
 E. V. LUCAS 
 
 On my last visit to the London Zoological 
 Gardens I saw a pickpocket. At every turn in 
 the Gardens a notice warns you to beware of 
 these dangerous faunas. But never had I been 
 robbed. So the words "Beware of pickpockets " 
 I had indeed come to look upon as the " Wolf ! 
 Wolf!" of the fable. 
 
 1 From "London Revisited." 
 
288 
 
 The day was so hot that for a while I did 
 a thing I have never done before : I sat on a 
 chair in the path which the elephants slowly 
 parade as they bear their loads of excited 
 children ; and it was there that I found the 
 pickpocket, or, if you like, it was there that 
 he found me. 
 
 I had always thought of pickpockets as little 
 chaps capable of slipping away even between 
 men's legs in a crowd ; this fellow was big. 
 Nor did he, as I supposed was the custom of 
 his kind, devote himself to watches, pocketbooks, 
 and handkerchiefs, but took whatever he could ; 
 and if a bag chanced to have something in 
 it and he could not get it out quickly enough, 
 he took the bag as well. He was indeed brazen. 
 
 My own loss was trilling merely a newspaper, 
 which I would have given him had he asked for 
 it. But before I knew anything it was snatched 
 from my hands by this thief. To say that I 
 was astonished would be to state the case mildly ; 
 I was electrified. But when I looked round for 
 help, judge of my horror when I found that not 
 
289 
 
 only all the spectators who had seen the out- 
 rage, but also the only keepers within sight, 
 were laughing. 
 
 And I know the pickpocket was laughing, too, 
 for there was an odd light in his wicked little 
 yellow eye as he opened his mouth, lifted his 
 trunk with my poor journal firmly held in it, 
 and deposited the paper in his pink mouth. 
 For my first Zoo pickpocket was the biggest 
 of the elephants, who was both old enough and 
 large enough to know better. 
 
 What was the warning notice in the Zoo ? 
 Why does one not often see a pickpocket ? 
 Who was the pickpocket in the Zoo ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Have you ever been to the Zoological Gardens? 
 If so, tell about your visit. Faunas means animals, 
 here applied to people. Tell the story of 'The Boy 
 who cried ' Wolf ! ' Give another word for bear. 
 r ' Excited children " means happy children ; capable, able ; 
 custom, habit; " devote himself," give himself up wholly; 
 brazen, bold ; trifling, small. Give another word for merely. 
 '' To state the case mildly " means to say very little ; elec- 
 trified, suddenly excited ; judge, think ; outrage, bad be- 
 
290 
 
 havior, robbery ; odd, queer. Give another word for firmly. 
 Write about anything you saw in the Zoo. 
 
 2. What letters are not heard in judge ? Give the sound 
 of gh in enough, laughing. Give the sound of ph in elephant. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 zoological (zo o I5g'i cal) : about animals 
 astonished (as tftn'islit) : greatly surprised 
 electrified (e iSk'tri fid) : suddenly excited 
 spectators (spSk'ta terz) : those who look on 
 journal (jur'nal) : a daily newspaper 
 deposited (de poVit Sd) : placed 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 '. 
 laughing asked path last 
 
 For spelling see page 392. 
 
291 
 
 THE RHINOCEROS CHANGES HIS NAME TO JIM 
 
 Porcupines happen almost everywhere. There 
 are porcupines in Mexico, Central America, South 
 America, the United States of America, Canada, 
 Europe, Asia, and Africa. Porcupines of all parts 
 rather closely resemble one another, displaying a 
 family liking for spiky overcoats. Only the South 
 American porcupine has a long prehensile tail 
 and can climb like a monkey. 
 
 It was not strange, therefore, that the Busyville 
 bees and our Mr. Grasshop, as they journeyed 
 through the jungle, should come upon a porcupine 
 
292 
 
 teaching school. Professor Porcupine's pupils 
 were mostly rabbits, and what he taught w^ent 
 in at one rabbit ear and out at the other. This 
 suited Professor Porcupine, for if the rabbits 
 had been able to learn anything at all, they 
 soon would have learned the little that Professor 
 Porcupine himself knew and would have gone 
 away, leaving the professor without pupils. 
 Professor Porcupine didn't know much and the 
 rabbits couldn't learn anything, so it was a very 
 good school. 
 
 Now the rhinoceros knew just enough to be 
 a rhinoceros, and this had always been plenty 
 up to the time he met the crocodile. The rhinoc- 
 eros, one evening as he came out from his lair 
 by the river's edge, had met the crocodile and 
 had fallen into conversation with him. The 
 crocodile had told him that he believed in a 
 liberal education. ' Every one in the jungle," 
 said the crocodile, " should be able to spell 
 his own name." 
 
 The more the rhinoceros thought about this, 
 the more it worried him. He troubled so much 
 
293 
 
 about it that new wrinkles began to appear 
 in the few places where there were not wrinkles 
 already, and he began to think that knowing 
 enough to be a rhinoceros wasn't enough for 
 a rhinoceros to know, after all. When the black 
 cockatoo told him about Professor Porcupine's 
 school, he felt relieved and determined to go 
 at once and learn to spell his name. 
 
 The black cockatoo flew about among the other 
 jungle people and reported : ' The rhinoceros is 
 going to get a liberal education. He is going 
 to learn to spell his own name.' 7 
 
 It took several lessons before the rhinoceros 
 got so far as the first letter of his name, which 
 is "r." After a while he had mastered ! 'r" so 
 that he could say it right off without hesitation, 
 and the jungle people began to look at each 
 other, saying, ' ' Yes, the rhinoceros will learn to 
 spell." They all felt pleased. 
 
 But after this the rhinoceros began to fall off. 
 He never could remember whether r 'o," "s," 
 "i," or'"n" came after the "r." The jungle 
 people began to look at each other, shake their 
 
294 
 
 heads, and say, ' No, the rhinoceros will not 
 learn to spell." And they all felt sorry. 
 
 Professor Porcupine worked hard. He dismissed 
 the rabbits, giving them a holiday, and devoted 
 his whole time to the rhinoceros. His quills stood 
 straight up nearly all the time, and he began to 
 have WTinkles, too. But the rhinoceros couldn't 
 get past "r." One day, w r hile the usual perform- 
 ance was going on and Professor Porcupine's 
 quills were standing straighter than ever, our 
 Mr. Grasshop stepped up and said : ' Perhaps, 
 Professor Porcupine, our friend would be able 
 to spell his name if he had a name that 
 was easier to spell. If he cannot learn to 
 spell ' rhinoceros/ perhaps he might learn to 
 spell ' JHHVL' : The rhinoceros had been listen- 
 ing with both ears cocked up. Almost before 
 the words were out of Grasshop's mouth he 
 shouted "J-I-M." 
 
 So the rhinoceros received a liberal education. 
 He knew all that was necessary to be a rhinoc- 
 eros and something besides. He w^ent about the 
 jungle, proudly spelling " J-I-M " at everybody 
 
295 
 
 who would listen. When he met the crocodile, 
 he called to him: "J-I-M." And the crocodile 
 disappeared into the water with a gurgle, saying 
 to himself, ' Well, well, I never thought he could 
 do it." 
 
 What kind of coat does the porcupine wear? 
 What kind of pupils did the rabbits make ? 
 What did the rhinoceros want to learn ? 
 How did he succeed at school ? 
 How did he make spelling easy ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Give other words for hap])en, resemble. Find Mexico, 
 Central America, South America, and Canada on the map. 
 Tell how a porcupine looks. Tell what you have read about 
 a jungle. Give other words for professor, pupils, conversa- 
 tion. "Liberal education" means good schooling. Give 
 other words for reported , several, dismissed. 
 
 2. What letters are not heard in rhinoceros, straight, 
 thought ? 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 displaying (dis pla/ing) : showing 
 prehensile (pre hBn'sil) : able to seize by wrapping itself 
 
 around an object 
 rhinoceros (ii nbVer os) : a large, powerful, thick-skinned 
 
 animal 
 crocodile (krftk'o clil) : a large, thick-skinned water animal 
 
296 
 
 lair (lar) : the bed of a wild beast 
 cockatoo (ktik'a too) : a kind of parrot 
 relieved (re levd') : comforted, helped 
 hesitation (h8z I ta/srmn) : brief stopping 
 devoted (de vot'gd) : gave up 
 performance (per foYmans) : act 
 
 gurgle (gur'g'l) : a sound as of water running from 
 bottle 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 learned whole our 
 
 For spelling see page 392. 
 
297 
 
 THE WILD BEAST TAMER 1 
 CLEVELAND MOFFETT 
 
 If you have ever been to a circus, you have 
 seen wild animals -- lions, tigers, or elephants - 
 performing tricks in a cage or in the open arena. 
 Did you ever think how long it took the trainer 
 to make those beasts perform even the simplest 
 trick or how much courage, patience, and love 
 they put into their work? 
 
 A wild beast tamer is generally pictured as 
 a stern person who stalks around in high boots 
 and who has a remarkable power of the eye 
 that makes lions and tigers quake at his look 
 and shrink away. He is said to rule by fear 
 
 1 Adapted from Cleveland Moifett's ** Careers of Danger and Daring," 
 by permission of the publishers, The Century Company. 
 
298 
 
 and that the crack of his Avhip brings memories 
 of red-hot irons and frightful blows. 
 
 This is not true. It is no more fear that 
 makes a lion walk on a ball than it is fear 
 that makes a horse pull a wagon. It is habit. 
 The lion is willing to walk on the ball, not 
 because of cruel treatment but because of his 
 trainer's patience and kindness. 
 
 It is important that a tamer of wild beasts 
 should have a quick eye and keen hearing, that 
 he may be warned of a sudden spring or rush 
 at him from the rear. It is important that he 
 have great nerve. But that which makes him 
 a really great tamer is a fondness for his 
 animals. 
 
 Taming takes a long time. Day after day, 
 week after week, a trainer will stand outside a 
 lion's cage, looking at him, talking to him, mak- 
 ing the beast know him. Each time he goes away 
 he is careful to toss in a piece of meat as a 
 pleasant memento of his visit. 
 
 Later he ventures inside the bars, carrying 
 some simple weapon a whip, a rod, or a 
 
299 
 
 simple broom, very annoying because of its sharp 
 bristles. One tamer used a kitchen chair against 
 unbroken lions. If the creature came at him, 
 there were the four legs in his face. 
 
 Days will pass before the lion will permit 
 his tamer to do more than merely stay inside 
 his cage at a distance. The tamer w^aits hour after 
 hour, week after week, until a time comes when the 
 lion will let him move nearer, permit the touch 
 of his hand, or come forward for a piece of meat. 
 
 Last of all begins the mastery of tricks. The 
 lion must spring to a pedestal -- and be fed; 
 he must jump from one pedestal to another - 
 and be fed. A bit of meat is the best help, 
 and the tamer wins, if he wins at all, by 
 patience and kindness. 
 
 One of the most famous of tamers was Madame 
 Bianca with the Bostock Wild Animal Slum. She 
 loved her lions and tigers exactly as though they 
 had been children, tried to excuse their failings 
 and explain away their misdeeds. 
 
 One day a lioness called Spitfire was sullen 
 and refused to do her tricks. 
 
300 
 
 ' It is a perfectly easy thing, that jump over 
 the pedestal. If Spitfire does not do it now, 
 the others will rebel and not one will obey 
 me,' 7 said Madame Bianca to an attendant. 
 ' Ask Mr. Bostock to come here, please. Spitfire 
 must do as she is told." 
 
 Mr. Bostock came and at once entered the 
 cage. He was a big, strong man. He impressed 
 animals and tamers alike. He loved his animals 
 and did not fear them, but best of all he knew 
 lions and tigers as only a man can know them who 
 has spent all his life with them. He would enter 
 any cage at any time if a real need called, but 
 he was a stranger to the four lions and the tiger 
 ranged about on their pedestals with big Brutus 
 in the middle and snarling Spitfire at one end. 
 
 'Well," said Mr. Bostock afterward, 'I saw 
 that Madame Bianca had been standing too far 
 away to handle Spitfire, so I stepped three steps 
 closer and lifted one of my whips. There were 
 just two things Spitfire could do : she could 
 spring at me and have trouble, or she could 
 spring over the pedestal and have no trouble. 
 
302 
 
 She growled a little, looked at me, and jumped 
 over that pedestal like a lady. 
 
 " The rest was easy. I put her through some 
 other tricks, circled her around the cage a couple 
 of times, and brought her back to her corner. 
 Then as she crouched there and snarled at me, 
 I played a tattoo with my whip handle on the 
 floor. But that was one thing too much, for in 
 doing so I turned quite aw^ay from the rest of 
 the group and made Brutus think that I meant 
 to hurt his mate. He said to himself, ' Hello, 
 here 's a stranger in our cage taking a whip to 
 Spitfire. I'll just settle him/ Before I could 
 move he sprang twenty feet off his pedestal, 
 set his fangs in my thigh, and dragged me over 
 to Madame Bianca as if to prove his loyalty 
 and devotion. 
 
 ' Then the Frenchwoman did a clever thing. 
 She clasped her arms around his big neck, drew 
 his head up, and fired her revolver close to his 
 ear. Of course, she fired only a blank cartridge, 
 but it brought Brutus to obedience, for that was 
 the regular signal for the lions to take their 
 
303 
 
 places on the pedestals. The habit of his work 
 was so strong in the old fellow that he dropped 
 me and jumped back to his place. 
 
 ' There wasn't anything more to it, except 
 that I lay five weeks in bed with my wounds. 
 But this will show you how Madame Bianca 
 loved those lions. She wouldn't let me lift a 
 hand to punish Brutus. She pleaded with me 
 so hard that I hadn't the heart to go against 
 her. She said that it was partly my own fault 
 for turning my back and that Brutus was a 
 good lion and had only tried to defend his mate. 
 Well, I had to let him off, though I knew 1 
 could never enter Brutus's cage again in safety. 
 If you once lose the upper hand, you can never 
 get it back again." 
 
 What really makes a man a great tamer of animals ? 
 
 Tell how he works in taming an animal. 
 
 Tell about the teaching of tricks. 
 
 Give the name of one of the most famous animal trainers. 
 
 What trouble did she have ? 
 
 Who came to help her and how did he help ? 
 
 How did the Frenchwoman help the tamer? 
 
 What did she do that showed her love for the lions ? 
 
304 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Have you ever been to a circus ? Tell what you saw. 
 Give other words for performing., courage. Describe an 
 arena. "Generally pictured" means most often shown. 
 Give other words for stalks, quake. Remarkable means 
 great; " shrink away," draw away; memories, thoughts of 
 what has happened ; habit, custom or practice. Give 
 another word for keen. " Mastery of tricks " means power 
 to do tricks ; famous, best known ; impressed, made to feel 
 his strength ; ranged, placed ; tattoo, a tapping noise. 
 What are the lion's fangs ? " Loyalty and devotion " means 
 faithfulness and love. Give other words for clever, defend. 
 What is a blank cartridge ? 
 
 2. Find all the words in the story where er = er. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 rebel (re bel') : refuse to obey 
 courage (kuYaj) : bravery 
 important (im por'tant) : necessary 
 memento (me men'to) : a reminder, a souvenir 
 ventures (ven'turz) : dares to go 
 pedestal (ped'es tal) : a column on which to stand 
 sullen (stil'en) : cross, stubborn 
 attendant (a ten'dant) : keeper, assistant 
 obedience (o be'di ens) : the doing what one is told 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 because against careful 
 
 For spelling see page 392. 
 
305 
 
 THE BOY AND THE BROOK 
 
 AN OLD ARMENIAN SONG 
 HENRY W. LONGFELLOW 
 
 Brook, from what mountain dost thou come? 
 
 my brooklet cool and sweet ! 
 I come from yon mountain high and cold, 
 Where lieth the new snow on the old 
 
 And melts in the summer heat. 
 
 Brook, to what river dost thou go? 
 
 my brooklet cool and sweet! 
 I go to the river there below 
 Where in bunches the violets grow, 
 
 And sun and shadow meet. 
 
 Where is the source, or beginning, of the brook ? 
 Where is the mouth, or end, of the brook ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 What is your picture of a mountain? of a valley? 
 What is it that makes the brooklet? What is meant 
 by sun and shadow meeting? 
 
306 
 
 MAIDS OF FANCY 1 
 W. H. HUDSON 
 
 : * Now I will tell you a story about the white 
 mist and a little girl named Alma. 
 
 ' Little Alma lived close to the river Yi, but 
 far, far from here, beyond the trees and beyond 
 the blue hills, for the Yi is a very long river. 
 She lived with her grandmother and with six 
 uncles, all big, tall men with long beards. They 
 always talked about wars, and cattle, and horse- 
 racing, and a great many other things that Alma 
 could not understand. There was no one for 
 Alma to talk to or to play with. And when she 
 went out of the house, she heard the cocks crow- 
 ing, the dogs barking, the birds singing, the 
 
 1 By permission, from " The Purple Land," by W. H. Hudson. Copyright 
 by E. P. Button & Company. 
 
307 
 
 sheep bleating, and the trees rustling their leaves 
 over her head, and she could not understand one 
 word of all they said. At last, having no one to 
 play with or talk to, she sat down and began to 
 cry. Now, it happened that near the spot where 
 she sat there was an old black woman wearing 
 a red shawl. She was gathering sticks for the 
 fire, and asked Alma why she cried. 
 
 ' Because I have no one to talk to and play 
 with/ said Alma, Then the old black woman 
 drew a long brass pin out of her shawl and 
 pricked Alma's tongue with it. 
 
 'Now/ said the old woman, ' you can go 
 and play and talk with the dogs, cats, birds, 
 and trees, for you will understand all they 
 say, and they will understand all you say. 7 
 
 " Alma was very glad, and ran home as fast 
 as she could to talk to the cat. 
 
 ' Come, cat, let us talk and play together/ 
 she said. 
 
 'Oh, no/ said the cat. 'I am very busy 
 watching a little bird, so you must go away and 
 play with little Niebla down by the river.' 
 
308 
 
 ' Then the cat ran away among the weeds and 
 left her. The dogs also refused to play when she 
 went to them, for they had to watch the house 
 and bark at strangers. They also told her to go 
 and play with little Mebla down by the river. 
 Then Alma ran out and caught a little duckling, 
 a soft little thing that looked like a ball of yellow 
 cotton, and said, 'Now, little duck, let us talk 
 and play. 7 
 
 ' But the duckling only struggled to get away 
 and screamed, ' Oh, mamma, mamma, come and 
 take me away from Alma ! ' 
 
 " Then the old duck came rushing up and 
 said : ' Alma, let my child alone ; and if you 
 want to play, go and play with Niebla down by 
 the river. A nice thing to catch my duckie in 
 your hands - - what next, I wonder ! ' 
 
 " So Alma let the duckling go, and at last she 
 said, ' Yes, I will go and play with Niebla down 
 by the river/ 
 
 " She waited till she saw the white mist, and 
 then ran all the way to the Yi. She stood still 
 on the green bank close by the water with the 
 
310 
 
 white mist all round her. By and by she saw 
 a beautiful little child come Hying toward her 
 in the white mist. The child came and stood on 
 the green bank and looked at Alnia. Very, very 
 pretty she was; and she wore a white dress - 
 whiter than milk, whiter than foam, and all 
 embroidered with purple flowers. She had also 
 white silk stockings and scarlet shoes. Her hair 
 was long and fluffy, and shone like gold, and 
 round her neck she had a string of big gold 
 beads. Then Alma said, ' beautiful little girl, 
 what is your name ? ' to which the little girl 
 answered, 'Niebla. 7 
 
 ' Will you talk to me and play with me ? ' 
 said Alma. 
 
 ' Oh, no/ said Niebla, ' how can I play with a 
 little girl dressed as you are and with bare feet ? ' 
 ' For you know poor Alma wore a little old 
 frock that came down to her knees, and she had 
 no shoes and stockings on. Then little Niebla 
 rose up and floated away, away from the bank 
 and down the river. At last, when she was quite 
 out of sight in the white mist, Alma began to cry. 
 
311 
 
 When it got hot she went and sat down, still 
 crying, under the willow trees growing near the 
 river. By and by the leaves rustled in the wind 
 and the trees began talking to one another, and 
 Alma understood everything they said. 
 
 ' Is it going to rain, do you think ? ' said 
 one tree. 
 
 ' Yes, I think it will - - some day/ said 
 the other. 
 
 * There are no clouds/ said the first tree. 
 
 * No, there are no clouds today, but there were 
 some the day before yesterday/ said the other. 
 
 ' Have you any nests in your branches ? ' said 
 the first tree. 
 
 ' Yes, one/ said the other. ' It was made by a 
 little yellow bird, and there are five eggs in it.' 
 
 ' Then the first tree said : ' There is little Alma 
 sitting in our shade. Do you know why she is 
 crying, neighbor ? ' 
 
 ' The other tree answered : ' Yes, it is because 
 she has no one to play with. Little Niebla by 
 the river refused to play with her because she is 
 not beautifully dressed/ 
 
312 
 
 ' Then the first tree said, ' Ah, she ought to go 
 and ask the fox for some pretty clothes to wear. 
 The fox always keeps a great store of pretty 
 things in her hole/ 
 
 " Alma had listened to every word. She 
 remembered that a fox lived on the hillside not 
 far off. She had often seen it sitting in the sun- 
 shine with its little ones playing round it and 
 pulling their mother's tail in fun. So Alma got 
 up and ran till she found the hole, and putting 
 
313 
 
 her head down it she cried out, ' Fox ! Fox ! ' 
 But the fox seemed cross and only answered 
 without- coming out, ' Go away, Alma, and talk to 
 little Mebla. I am busy getting dinner for my 
 children and have no time to talk to you now/ 
 "Then Alma cried: <0 Fox, Niebla will not 
 play with me because 1 have no pretty things to 
 wear. Fox, will you give me a nice dress 
 and shoes and stockings and a string of beads ? 7 
 
 'After a little while the fox came out of its 
 hole with a big bundle done up in a red cotton 
 handkerchief. She said : * Here are the things, 
 Alma, and I hope they will fit you. But you 
 know you really ought not to come at this time 
 of day, for I am very busy just now cooking the 
 dinner an armadillo roasted and a couple of 
 partridges stewed with rice, and a little omelet 
 of turkeys 7 eggs. I mean plovers 7 eggs, of course ; 
 I never touch turkeys' eggs. 7 
 
 ' Alma said she was very sorry to give so 
 much trouble. 
 
 'Oh, never mind/ said the fox. 'How is 
 your grandmother ? ' 
 
314 
 
 'She is very well, thank you/ said Alma, 
 'but she has a bad headache/ 
 
 'I am very sorry to hear it/ said the fox. 
 'Tell her to stick two fresh dock leaves on her 
 temples, then drink a little weak tea made of 
 knot-grass, and on no account to go out in the 
 hot sun. I should like to go and see her, only 
 I do not like the dogs that are always about the 
 house. And now run home, Alma, and try on 
 the things, and when you are passing this way 
 you may bring me back the handkerchief, as 
 I always tie my face up in it when I have the 
 toothache/ 
 
 " Alma thanked the fox very much and ran 
 home as fast as she could. When the bundle was 
 opened she found in it a beautiful white dress 
 embroidered with purple flowers, a pair of scarlet 
 shoes, silk stockings, and a string of great golden 
 beads. They all fitted her very well ; and next 
 day, when the white mist was on the Yi, she 
 dressed herself in her beautiful clothes and went 
 down to the river. By and by little Niebla came 
 flying along, and when she saw Alma she kissed 
 
315 
 
 her and took her by the hand. All the morn- 
 ing they played and talked together, gathering 
 flowers and running races over the green fields. 
 At last Mebla bade her good-by and flew away, 
 for all the white mist was floating off down the 
 river. But every day after that Alma found her 
 little companion by the Yi, and was very happy, 
 for now she had some one to talk to and to 
 play with. 77 
 
 Why was little Alma unhappy ? 
 How did the old woman help her? 
 What disappointment did Alma have in talking with 
 the animals ? What did the fox do for her ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. The scene of this story is in Uruguay, a country of 
 South America. What ideas do you get of the country 
 from the story? What did the men talk about? These 
 things were their occupations, or work. What animals 
 are mentioned in the story ? What work did they have to 
 do ? " On no account " means for no reason. 
 
 2, Give the sound of o in tongue. Find other words that 
 have the sound of u. Give the sound of eau in beautiful. 
 Find other words that have the sound of u. 
 
316 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 
 Yi (ye) : a river in South America 
 
 partridges (par'trij 8z) : birds much hunted for food 
 
 plovers (pltiv'erz) : wild birds living on grassy plains and 
 on beaches 
 
 Niebla (ne 8b'la) : a cloud child 
 
 armadillo (ar md dil'o) : a small animal covered with a 
 bony, shell-like armor 
 
 embroidered (Sm broid' erd) : made beautiful with needle- 
 work flowers 
 
 handkerchief (hang'ker chif) : a square piece of cloth here 
 used for carrying bundles 
 
 omelet (5m'e lt) : eggs beaten up and cooked in a frying 
 pan 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 yesterday dogs 
 
 For spelling see page 392. 
 
317 
 
 THE CLOUD 
 PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY 
 
 I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers, 
 
 From the seas and the streams; 
 I bear light shade for the leaves when laid 
 
 In their noon-day dreams. 
 From my wings are shaken the dews that waken 
 
 The sweet buds every one, 
 When rocked to rest on their mother's breast, 
 
 As she dances about the sun. 
 
 Why are the flowers said to be thirsting ? 
 
 What does the cloud bring besides rain ? 
 
 Why is the earth called the mother of the flowers ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 Recite some other poems that you have learned about 
 clouds and rainbows. 
 
 How beautiful is the rain! 
 After the dust and heat, 
 In the broad and fiery street, 
 
 In the narrow lane, 
 
 How beautiful is the rain. 
 
 HENRY W. LONGFELLOW 
 
UMBRELLAS 
 MELVILLE C HATER 
 
 Umbrellas, umbrellas, way down in the street, 
 Bobbing along through the rain on feet: 
 That 's how they look as they pass below - 
 Umbrellas' feet are the most that show. 
 
 Umbrellas, umbrellas, wet pavements and me ! 
 I'm watching for mother to come home to tea, 
 
319 
 
 But how shall I know her, to wave through the 
 
 pane, 
 When every umbrella 's the same in the rain ? 
 
 Policemen, conductors, and pirates, and kings 
 Are easily told by their trousers and things. 
 On days like today when the weather 's to blame, 
 Beneath their umbrellas they'd all look the same. 
 
 Why do the passing feet seem to belong to the 
 umbrellas ? 
 
 Why was it hard for the child to know its mother ? 
 
 Where must the child have been if he could see only 
 feet under the umbrellas ? 
 
 How does the rain make all kinds of people look alike ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 Recite some other poems you have learned about rain. 
 
320 
 
 THE THREE GOLDEN APPLES 
 
 NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE 
 
 I THE JOURNEY 
 
 Many, many long years ago a wonderful 
 tree grew in the garden of the Hesperides. On 
 this tree were apples of solid gold. Brave 
 young men used to set out to gather the precious 
 fruit, but not one of them ever returned, for 
 beneath the tree was a terrible dragon. The 
 dragon had a hundred heads, fifty of which 
 would watch while the other fifty slept. In 
 this manner the apples were guarded day and 
 night. 
 
 Once the adventure was undertaken by a hero 
 named Hercules. He carried a huge club in his 
 hand and a bow and arrow were slung across 
 his shoulders. About him was wrapped the skin 
 of a fierce lion which he himself had killed. As 
 he went on he asked every one he met if he 
 was on the right road. One day he came to 
 the bank of a river where some girls were 
 making wreaths of flowers. 
 
321 
 
 " Can you tell me, lovely maidens/ 7 he asked, 
 ! ' whether this is the right way to the garden 
 of the Hesperides?" 
 
 "The garden of the Hesperides! " the girls cried. 
 ' We thought men were weary of seeking it." 
 
 "A certain king has ordered me to get three 
 of the apples," said Hercules, "and I must 
 obey him." 
 
 "And do you know the dangers you must 
 meet?" one of the girls asked him. 
 
 :t l know them well," said Hercules, "but I do 
 not fear them." 
 
 The maidens looked at the heavy club and at 
 the shaggy lion's skin and at the strong muscles 
 of the young stranger, and they thought, ' If 
 any one can get the golden apples this young 
 man will." But they shuddered to think of the 
 dragon's hundred heads. 
 
 "Go back," they said. 'We cannot bear to 
 have the dragon eat you up." 
 
 Hercules smiled as he sat down on the grass 
 beside them and began to tell them of some of his 
 adventures. These were certainly wonderful tales, 
 
322 
 
 and long before he had finished, the maidens 
 had guessed who he was. 
 
 "We will help you all we can/' they said to 
 him. 'You must first go to the seashore and 
 ask the Old Man of the Sea where you are to 
 look for the golden apples. When you find the 
 Old Man you must keep fast hold of him, no 
 matter what surprising things may happen.' 7 
 
 Hercules thanked them warmly and went on 
 his way. As he hastened onward he would strike 
 the trees with his great club and they would 
 come crashing to the ground. At length he could 
 hear the sea roaring afar off, and presently he 
 came to a beach. There, between a high cliff 
 and the water, was a pleasant spot where an 
 old man lay asleep. He was a queer-looking 
 creature, for on his legs and arms were scales 
 such as fishes have, and he was web-footed like 
 a duck. His long beard looked like a tuft of 
 seaweed. 
 
 Thanking his lucky stars that he had found 
 the old man asleep, Hercules stole forward and 
 seized him by the arm and leg. 
 
323 
 
 "Tell me," cried he, before the Old Man was 
 well awake, ; ' which is the way to the garden 
 of the Hesperides? " 
 
 The Old Man of the Sea awoke in a fright. 
 But his surprise could not have been greater 
 than was that of Hercules the next moment. 
 For, all of a sudden, the Old Man seemed to 
 disappear out of his grasp, and the hero found 
 himself holding a stag by a fore and a hind leg! 
 But still he kept fast hold. 
 
 Then the stag disappeared, and in its place 
 there was a sea-bird, fluttering and screaming, 
 while Hercules clutched it by the wing and claw ! 
 But the bird could not get away. 
 
 Next there was an ugly three-headed dog, 
 which growled and barked at Hercules, and 
 snapped fiercely at the hands which held him. 
 But Hercules would not let him go. 
 
 In another minute, instead of the three-headed 
 dog, what should appear but a six-legged man- 
 monster, kicking at Hercules with five of his legs 
 in order to get the other free! But Hercules 
 held on. 
 
324 
 
 By and by there was a huge snake, like one 
 which Hercules had strangled in his babyhood, 
 only a hundred times as big. It twisted and 
 twined about the hero's neck and body, and 
 threw its tail high in the air, and opened its 
 deadly jaws as if to swallow him whole ! But 
 Hercules squeezed the great snake so tightly that 
 it soon began to hiss with pain. 
 
 As the hero held on so hard, and squeezed 
 the Old Man of the Sea so much tighter at 
 every change of shape, the latter soon thought it 
 best to come back to his own form. So there he 
 was again, a fishy, scaly, web-footed sort of per- 
 son with something like a tuft of seaweed on 
 his chin. 
 
 ' Pray, what do you want with me ? " cried 
 he. "Why do you squeeze me so hard? Let 
 me go this moment, or I shall begin to think 
 you are very rude ! " 
 
 : ' My name is Hercules!'' roared the mighty 
 stranger. "And you will never get out of my 
 clutches until you tell me the nearest way to 
 the garden of the Hesperides ! " 
 
325 
 
 When the old fellow heard who it was that 
 had caught him, he knew that he must tell 
 him everything Hercules wanted to know. Of 
 course he had often heard of Hercules and his 
 wonderful deeds. He tried no longer to escape, 
 but told the hero how to find the garden of 
 the Hesperides. 
 
 ' You must go on/ 7 said the Old Man of the 
 Sea, " till you come in sight of a very tall giant 
 who holds the sky on his shoulders. And the giant, 
 if he happens to be in the humor, will tell you 
 exactly where the garden of the Hesperides lies." 
 
 Thanking the Old Man of the Sea, and begging 
 his pardon for having squeezed him so roughly, 
 the hero went on his way again. 
 
 II ATLAS 
 
 Hercules arrived at last, after many adventures, 
 on the shore of the great foaming ocean. And 
 here it seemed as if his journey must end. But 
 suddenly he saw something a long way off which 
 he had not seen the moment before. It gleamed 
 very brightly, almost like the round, golden sun. 
 
326 
 
 It became larger and brighter as it came near. 
 At length Hercules could see that it was a huge 
 cup or bowl, made of either gold or brass. 
 
 ' I have seen many giants in my time/' thought 
 Hercules, : 'but never one that would need to 
 drink his wine out of a cup like this! r ' 
 
 The waves tumbled the bowl onward till it 
 touched the shore a short distance from where 
 Hercules was standing. It was clear that this 
 marvelous cup had been sent to carry him across 
 the sea. 
 
 At once he climbed over the brim and settled 
 down on his lion's skin for a little rest. 
 
 His nap had lasted a good while, when the cup 
 hit against a rock. The noise awoke Hercules, 
 who started up and gazed around, wondering 
 where he was. He soon found that the bowl 
 had floated across the sea and was coming near 
 the shore of an island. 
 
 There he saw a giant as tall as a mountain. 
 Clouds rested about his waist like a girdle. 
 Most wonderful of all, he held up his hands 
 to support the sky, which, so far as Hercules 
 
328 
 
 could see through the clouds, was resting on 
 the giant's head. 
 
 Meanwhile the bright cup floated onward until 
 it touched the shore. Just then a breeze blew 
 away the clouds from the giant's face, and Her- 
 cules saw it, with all its great features : eyes 
 each of them as big as a lake, the nose a mile 
 long, and the mouth of the same width. 
 
 Poor fellow ! He seemed to have stood there 
 a long while. An old forest had been growing 
 and decaying at his feet, and huge oak trees 
 had forced themselves between his toes. The 
 giant looked down and, seeing Hercules, roared 
 in a voice that sounded like thunder, "Who are 
 you, down at my feet there? And whence do 
 you come in that little cup?' 
 
 ' I am Hercules ! " thundered back the hero, in 
 a voice nearly as loud as the giant's own. " And 
 I am seeking the garden of the Hesperides ! ' ; 
 
 ' Ho ! ho ! ho ! " roared the giant, in a fit of 
 laughter. ' That is a wise adventure. I am 
 Atlas, the mightiest giant in the world ! I hold 
 the sky upon my head ! " 
 
329 
 
 " So I see/' answered Hercules. "But can 
 you show me the way to the Garden of the 
 Hesperides? " 
 
 'What do you want there?" asked the 
 giant. 
 
 'I want three of the golden apples," shouted 
 Hercules, "for my cousin, the king." 
 
 'There is nobody but myself," quoth the 
 giant, : ' that can go to the Garden of the Hes- 
 perides and gather the golden apples. If it 
 were not for this little task of holding up the 
 sky, I would make half a dozen steps across 
 the sea and get them for you." 
 
 'You are very kind," replied Hercules. "Can 
 you not rest the sky upon a mountain?" 
 
 'None of them is high enough," said Atlas, 
 shaking his head. ' But if you were to take 
 your stand on the top of that nearest one, your 
 head would be nearly on a level with mine. 
 You seem to be a fellow of some strength. If 
 you will take my burden on your shoulders, 
 I will do your errand for you." 
 
 "Is the sky very heavy?" Hercules asked. 
 
 M7 
 
330 
 
 'Why, no, not at first," answered the giant. 
 " But it gets to be a little tiresome after a 
 thousand years ! r> 
 
 " And how long a time," asked the hero, 
 "will it take you to get the golden apples?" 
 
 " Oh, that will be done in a few moments," 
 said Atlas. ' I shall take ten or fifteen miles 
 at a stride, and be at the garden and back again 
 before your shoulders begin to ache." 
 
 'Well, then," answered Hercules, "I will climb 
 the mountain behind you there, and take your 
 burden." 
 
 Without more words the sky was shifted from 
 the shoulders of Atlas and placed upon those of 
 Hercules. When this was safely done the giant 
 laughed- 'Ho! ho! ho!" stretched himself, and 
 stepped into the sea. At the first stride he cov- 
 ered ten miles and the water came above his 
 ankles ; at the second stride the waves washed 
 about his knees ; and at the third he sank nearly 
 to his waist. This was the greatest depth of 
 the sea. 
 
 At last the huge shape faded from view. Now 
 
331 
 
 Hercules began to wonder what lie should 
 do in case Atlas should be drowned in the sea; 
 or if he should be stung to death by the dragon 
 with the hundred heads, which guarded the 
 golden apples of the Hesperides. How could 
 he ever get rid of the sky? It was already 
 beginning to feel heavy on his head and 
 shoulders. 
 
 To his great joy, a little while later he beheld 
 the huge giant, like a cloud on the far-off edge of 
 the sea. As Atlas came nearer he held up his 
 hand, in which Hercules could see three wonderful 
 golden apples, as big as pumpkins, all hanging 
 from one branch. 
 
 ' I am glad to see you again/' shouted Her- 
 cules, when the giant was within hearing. " So 
 you have the golden apples ?" 
 
 "Certainly, certainly," answered Atlas; "and 
 very fair apples they are. I took the finest that 
 grew on the tree, I can tell you." 
 
 'I heartily thank you for your trouble," said 
 Hercules, " and now, as I have a long way to go, 
 and the king, my cousin, is in a hurry for the 
 
332 
 
 fruit, will you be kind enough to take the sky 
 off my shoulders again?" 
 
 " Can I not carry the golden apples to the king 
 more quickly than you?" asked the giant. "As 
 his majesty is in such a hurry to get them, I 
 promise you to take my longest strides. Besides, 
 I have no wish to burden myself with the sky 
 just now." 
 
 'What!' shouted Hercules, in great anger, 
 "do you intend to make me bear this burden 
 forever? " 
 
 'We shall see about that, one of these days," 
 answered the giant. ' You ought not to complain 
 if you have to bear it the next hundred years, 
 or perhaps the next thousand. I bore it a good 
 while longer. You are a very strong man, and 
 you will never have a better chance to prove it. 
 You will be talked about, I can tell you." 
 
 'Well," answered Hercules, 'just take the 
 sky on your head for a minute, will you? If I 
 am to spend many centuries here I must make 
 a cushion of my lion's skin for the weight to 
 rest upon." 
 
333 
 
 ' That 's no more than fair, and Til do it ! r> 
 quoth the giant. ' For just five minutes, then, 
 I'll take back the sky, but only for five minutes, 
 remember ! I have no idea of spending another 
 thousand years as I spent the last." 
 
 So the stupid old giant threw down the golden 
 apples and took back the sky upon his own 
 head and shoulders, where it belonged. Hercules 
 picked up the three golden apples, that were as 
 big as pumpkins, and set out on his journey 
 homeward. He paid no heed to the thundering 
 voice of the giant, who bellowed after him to 
 come back. 
 
 There stands the giant to this day ; or at any 
 rate, there stands the mountain as tall as he, 
 which bears his name. When the thunder rum- 
 bles we may imagine it to be the voice of Giant 
 Atlas bellowing after Hercules. 
 
 Where did the golden apples grow ? 
 
 How were they guarded ? 
 
 Where did the huge bowl take Hercules ? 
 
 Who got the apples from the garden ? Why ? 
 
 How did Hercules get the golden apples from Atlas ? 
 
334 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Give other words for returned, huge, weary, shaggy, 
 shuddered, hastened, presently, tuft, strangled, gleamed, 
 marvelous, l)rim, girdle, mightiest, bellowing What is 
 meant by iveb-footed ? ' Thanking his lucky stars " means 
 being glad; "of a sudden," at once; "get out of my 
 clutch," get out of my hands. Tell how the " foaming 
 ocean " looked. What is an island ? " At a stride " means 
 at one step ; ft on a level," even with ; derjth, deepness. 
 
 2. Give the sound of ur in burden. In journey, our = ur. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 
 Hesperides (he's peVi dez) : maidens who watched the gar- 
 den of the golden apples 
 dragon (drag'un) : a large serpent with wings, spoken of 
 
 in fables and stories ; not real 
 journey (jur'ni) : a long trip 
 disappear (dis a per') : pass from sight 
 humor (hu/mer) : state of mind, disposition 
 Atlas (at'las) : a giant who had to support the heavens on 
 
 his head and shoulders 
 intend (in t8nd') : have in mind, plan 
 complain (komplan'): find fault 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 asking hero get 
 
 For spelling see page 392. 
 
335 
 
 MY TREASURES 
 
 ROBERT Louis STEVENSON 
 
 These nuts, that I keep in the back of the nest 
 Where all my lead soldiers are lying at rest, 
 Were gathered in autumn by nursie and me 
 In a wood with a well by the side of the sea. 
 
 This whistle we made (and how clearly it sounds !) 
 By the side of a field at the end of the grounds, 
 Of a branch of a plane, with a knife of my own ; 
 It was nursie who made it, and nursie alone ! 
 
336 
 
 The stone, with the white and the yellow and gray, 
 We discovered I cannot tell how far away ; 
 And I carried it back although weary and cold, 
 For though father denies it, I'm sure it is gold. 
 
 But of all my treasures the last is the king, 
 For there 's very few children possess such a thing ; 
 And that is a chisel, both handle and blade, 
 Which a man who was really a carpenter made. 
 
 Name the treasures. 
 
 Why did the boy like to count over his treasures ? 
 
 Which did he like best? Why? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 Tell what you know of Robert Louis Stevenson. Recite 
 some of the Stevenson poems that you know. Plane., a 
 spreading tree with, broad leaves. Give other words for 
 discovered, weary, possess. Denies, says is not true. How 
 should you say the second line of the fourth stanza? 
 Stevenson used "there's" to show that a little child was 
 talking. How should the child have said it ? 
 
337 
 
 A STORY OF THE CAVE PEOPLE 
 
 MARLBOROUGH CHURCHILL 
 
 A CAVE FAMILY 
 
 Many thousands of years ago, in a cave on 
 the side of a hill overlooking a great forest, 
 there lived a family of four people a father, 
 a mother, and a boy and a girl. The boy's 
 name was Mono and the girl's name was Ula. 
 
 In the forests around the cave, strange looking 
 animals roamed. 
 
 There was the saber-tooth, an immense cat 
 with two great saber-shaped teeth in his upper 
 jaw. 
 
 Then there was the mammoth, another beast 
 with remarkable teeth. He was a huge elephant, 
 covered with long, thick hair and having great 
 tusks that curved upward like crescents. These 
 he used in digging up saplings and bushes so 
 that he could eat the roots. 
 
 Then there were many other animals, some 
 like those of today and others that are now 
 extinct. The people used to hunt some of these 
 
338 
 
 animals and kill them with stone-headed clubs 
 and flint-headed javelins, but they never thought 
 of taming any of them. 
 
 Mono had a cloak of wolf skin and Ula had 
 a coat of fawn skin. They slept on piles of 
 skins with a bison hide on top. 
 
 The cave-father wore a cloak made of the skin 
 of a grizzly bear, and a necklace of its teeth and 
 claws ; and he was looked upon by the cave people 
 as a mighty hunter. 
 
 But there was another man who wore a cloak 
 of cave-bear skin with a necklace of teeth and 
 claws. The cave bear is now extinct, but it was 
 even larger than the grizzly bear, and the man 
 who wore his skin was looked upon as the 
 mightiest hunter of them all. 
 
 A CAVE SUPPER 
 
 One day TJla's father came home with a dead 
 deer on his shoulders and laid it down before 
 the mouth of the cave. He began to skin it 
 with a flint knife. 
 
 A flint knife is a poor sort of tool compared 
 
339 
 
 with a steel knife. This knife was well polished, 
 but it had a thick blade, so that it could not 
 be made very sharp. It was wonderful what a 
 man could do with it when he knew how to 
 use it. 
 
 Ula was watching her father skin the deer 
 when Mono came out of the woods and up to 
 the mouth of the cave. 
 
 'Where is your deer? 7 ' asked his father. 
 
 'I found two," said Mono, : 'but each time 
 my javelin missed." 
 
 He looked sad, and his father noticed it. 
 
 'It will happen so," he said, "but you should 
 not have come home without a deer at this time 
 of day. When I was your age I should not have 
 been home until sunset." 
 
 "A lion was following me. I was afraid," 
 said Mono. 
 
 ' He was afraid of you or he would have 
 attacked you boldly," said his father. ' He was 
 waiting for night. There is no use in being 
 afraid of a beast so long as he is afraid of 
 you." 
 
340 
 
 r 'But suppose I had sprained my ankle," said 
 Mono; "then I might not have been able to get 
 home before darkness came on." 
 
 ' You should then have built a fire," said his 
 father. ' Wild beasts are afraid of fire. You 
 had your flints and tinder, had you not?" 
 
 'No," answered Mono, hanging his head with 
 shame. 
 
 " Oh, you forgot them again ! " said his father. 
 For a while nobody said anything. 
 
 That night for supper the family had part of 
 the deer roasted over the fire on a wooden spit, 
 and nothing more. But, never having been used 
 to anything better, they were quite happy. 
 
 NIGHT IN THE CAVE 
 
 When they went to bed they left the fire 
 burning in the mouth of the cave, to keep wild 
 beasts from visiting them. 
 
 It was a summer night, but the summers 
 were cool in that country, and they were used 
 to sleeping in a close, smoky air. 
 
341 
 
 In the middle of the night TJla awoke. A 
 hyena was laughing outside, but she was not 
 afraid of him. 
 
 After a while he became quiet and she was 
 just falling off to sleep when she heard the 
 long howl of a wolf in the distance. 
 
 Another wolf answered, and then another. 
 She was afraid of them. She knew that when 
 game was scarce they were apt to move in 
 great packs and attack people. However, the 
 howling of the waives grew fainter and at last 
 stopped altogether. 
 
 Next time she awoke she was still more 
 afraid. She heard nothing at first. All was 
 very still. Then she heard a slight noise just 
 outside the cave mouth. 
 
 At first she thought it w^as a leaf falling, but 
 other noises followed, stopped, and began again. 
 She knew that it was the soft footfall of an 
 animal walking close to the mouth of the cave. 
 
 It was near morning, and the fire was low. 
 Nothing was left of it but a few embers, and 
 these gave but little light. 
 
342 
 
 Ula raised herself on her elbow and looked 
 over these embers into the darkness beyond. 
 
 At first she could see nothing but a wall of 
 blackness. Then she saw two balls of light about 
 three feet above the ground. They went away 
 and came back again. 
 
 A slight breeze caused two or three of the 
 embers to burst into flame. Then she saw two 
 white streaks under the two balls of light, - 
 just for a moment; then there was nothing 
 but a black wall again. But she knew then 
 that a saber-tooth was walking up and down 
 in front of the cave. 
 
 She knew that the right thing to do was to 
 put more wood on the fire, but she was afraid 
 that while she was doing it the huge cat might 
 spring. However,* she knew some one who would 
 not be afraid, so she crept to her father's side and 
 shook him. He was wide awake in an instant. 
 That was the way with the cave-dwellers. 
 
 She told him what she had seen, and with his 
 flint-headed spear in his hand, he went to the fire 
 and put on more wood. 
 
344 
 
 Soon it was blazing merrily. ' He won't cross 
 that," said the cave-father, and went back to 
 sleep again. Ula was no longer afraid and she 
 went to sleep, too. When she woke again the 
 sky was light and her mother was getting 
 breakfast. 
 
 THE FIRST ARTIST 
 
 The next day Mono came home again without 
 any game, but he had something with him that 
 interested him and Ula as much as if he had 
 brought home a deer. It was a piece of red ocher. 
 
 He showed her how he could make a mark 
 with it on the white cliffs that formed the walls 
 of the cave. He went on making marks until 
 suddenly she jumped and screamed with delight. 
 
 ' What is the matter? " asked her mother, who 
 was half asleep by the fire. 
 
 " See what he has made ! r ' cried Ula, clapping 
 her hands with joy. 
 
 The mother came and looked. ' Why, it 's a 
 reindeer! 7 ' said she. 
 
 'I knew you would know what it was!' ; 
 cried Ula. 
 
345 
 
 It was a crude drawing, but these two had 
 never seen a picture before, and so it was won- 
 derful to them. Mono's father had to be called, 
 and he too thought it was wonderful. 
 
 But you know how provoking fathers can be 
 about casting cold water on things. ' If it were 
 as easy for you to get a real deer as it is for 
 you to draw one, you would be a great hunter,' 7 
 he said. 
 
 'He will be a great hunter yet/ 7 said the 
 mother. 
 
 "Yes," said Ula. 
 
 'I did not get home until sunset this time," 
 said Mono. 
 
 He went on drawing, and again every one could 
 tell the picture - - Ula before it w^as half finished. 
 
 " Oh," she said, "it looks just like the one 
 that came here last night! 7 ' 
 
 'If it had teeth like that, it must have been 
 huge, 77 said the father. 
 
 Then Mono tried his hand again, but this 
 time the picture was not so good. The mother 
 thought it was a lion. The father thought it was 
 
346 
 
 a hippopotamus. : ' Any one can see that it is a 
 bird of some kind/ 7 said Ula. 
 
 Mono was good-natured. ' I would not have 
 known what it was myself if someone else had 
 drawn it,' 7 he said. 'I heard some of them roar- 
 ing in the great swamp today. Tomorrow I will 
 go down there and watch them. Then I shall 
 be able to draw one." 
 
 " Oh, mammoths ! r< said the mother. ' Now 
 that you have told me what it is, I see that it 
 does look very much like a mammoth. 7 ' 
 
 'I hope," said his father, " that you will not 
 let this new idea turn your head. You had better 
 learn more about killing deer before you study 
 how to draw mammoths." 
 
 'Don't let him go, papa," said Ula. 'He 
 might get hurt." 
 
 ' The boy must learn not to be afraid of ani- 
 mals," said the father. ' If this new idea of his 
 is going to teach him that, it is a good one." 
 
 'You must be very careful, my son, 77 said 
 his mother. 
 
 " Oh, yes, I will be very careful, 77 said Mono. 
 
347 
 THE MAMMOTH HUNT 
 
 Next day, long before sunset, Mono came home 
 from his mammoth hunt. You can guess how 
 happy his mother and sister were when they 
 saw him. 
 
 He brought great news with him. He had 
 found a mammoth caught in the great swamp. 
 Knowing their weight, mammoths were very care- 
 ful as to where they trusted themselves. But this 
 one had gone too close to the edge of a deep 
 pond where the bank was rotten, and it had 
 given way. He had slid into the deep mud and 
 could not get out. 
 
 The next day Mono led nearly all the men 
 and boys that lived within ten miles to the 
 place where the mammoth lay. Tired out by his 
 struggles, he had fallen over on his side. 
 
 With their flint knives and spears they bled 
 the mammoth to death. This was better for the 
 poor beast than starving or being eaten alive 
 by other beasts. 
 
 The whole neighborhood had a great feast 
 and plenty of fine, thick skin for sandals. These 
 
348 
 
 sandals were pieces of skin wrapped round their 
 feet and ankles and tied with thongs of leather. 
 
 The tusks were carried to Mono's cave and 
 put on each side of the entrance as ornaments. 
 Mono's father was told over and over again that 
 his son would become a great hunter. The cave- 
 father smiled but said nothing. 
 
 Compare the home of the cave family with the home of 
 today (with your own home). 
 
 What food did they have ? 
 
 What tools ? 
 
 How did they keep wild animals away ? 
 
 What shows that in their play cave children were some- 
 what like children of today ? 
 
 How did the men hunt great animals without guns ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Saber-shaped means shaped like a curved sword; 
 " tusks that curved upward like crescents," large teeth 
 shaped like the new moon ; saplings, small trees. Name 
 some animals of the cave time. What animals are now 
 extinct ? What is meant by flint-headed f What tools were 
 made of flint? "Bison hide" is the skin of a bison, or 
 buffalo. What is a fawn? Tinder means a small piece 
 of wood to catch the spark from the flint ; " a wooden 
 spit," a pointed rod for holding meat while it is being 
 
349 
 
 roasted ; " game was scarce," there were very few animals 
 to be found for food ; embers, pieces of lighted wood ; saber- 
 tooth, a saber-toothed tiger; " crude drawings," simple, 
 unfinished drawings. Give other words for pack, fainter, 
 slight. " Tired out by his struggles " means tired out from 
 trying to get out of the mud ; thongs, straps of leather. 
 
 2. Find words in the story where ea = a, ea = a, ea = e, 
 ea = e, ei = a, ue = e, ie = i, aw = 6, ir = ur, ear = ur, and 
 ur = ur. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 immense (i m8ns') :. huge, very large 
 mammoth (mam'oth) : a very large elephant not living now 
 remarkable (re mar'ka b'l) : strange, wonderful 
 extinct (Sks tlnkt') : no longer to be found 
 javelins (jaVlmz) : light spears to be thrown by hand 
 bison (bi'sun) : a kind of buffalo 
 attacked (a takt') : fell upon with force 
 hyena (hi e'na) ; a wild animal like a wolf that seeks its 
 
 food at night 
 
 ocher (o'ker) : a kind of clay used in making paints 
 provoking (pro vok'ing) : tending to make angry 
 ornaments (or'na ments) : objects of beauty 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 careful Mono Ula 
 
 For spelling see page 392. 
 
350 
 
 LOTUS AND RAINBOW 
 
 CAROLINE B. CHURCHILL 
 PART I 
 
 Long before Joseph's brethren went down into 
 Egypt to buy corn there lived on the banks of the 
 Nile two children, a boy and a girl. The boy was 
 about twelve years old and the girl was two years 
 younger. Her name was Lotus, and his, Rainbow, 
 for in those days the Egyptians used names which 
 had a meaning. All names had meanings at one 
 time, though the meanings now are often lost. 
 
 The boy and girl were very close friends and 
 they liked to be together. Sometimes they sat 
 on a great stone by the river and talked. Some- 
 times they threw pebbles into the water. Often 
 they watched the hippopotamuses and crocodiles 
 swimming about, and the flamingoes and ibises 
 flying and wading. 
 
 Lotus was quite an artist, and she would bring 
 her paint and brush and papyrus to the rock 
 and make pictures of what she saw. Rainbow 
 was never tired of watching her. 
 
351 
 
 Though she lived in Egypt, Lotus never painted 
 any pyramids. It seems queer to think there was 
 a time when there were no pyramids in Egypt. 
 But no one had ever seen a pyramid in the days 
 when Lotus lived. Nor were there any temples 
 or palaces or cities of any great size or splendor. 
 There was no kingdom of Egypt then, but one 
 king ruled over the northern, and one over the 
 southern part. All along the Nile were villages 
 of mud-walled houses thatched with straw and 
 leaves. Each of these villages had its chief who 
 was a vassal of the king. 
 
 Sometimes Lotus painted gazelles, for the 
 country was so wild that she often saw them 
 coming to the river to drink ; and once she saw 
 a lion, but she was so frightened that she never 
 thought of painting him. Eainbow was not with 
 her that day. If he had been, she would not have 
 been so frightened, for though he was only twelve 
 years old, he was a fine bowman and skillful at 
 wielding the spear and throwing the club. His 
 arrows and spear were tipped with copper, for 
 the Egyptians had no steel. 
 
352 
 
 There were baboons living among the rocks, but 
 of these she could not get a good picture. They 
 were so lively that they would never stand still. 
 
 One day when she had grown tired of painting 
 the same things over and over, she sat for a long 
 while on the rock, looking across the river. Rain- 
 bow lay on the sand at her feet. A new idea came 
 to her. She painted something and handed it to 
 him. " That is you! " she said. " Oh," said he, 
 smiling, " of course it is. It is a rainbow." 
 
 It was painted in four colors, red, yellow, green, 
 and blue. 
 
 ;t Now," he said, "paint yourself." 
 
 She did so. 
 
 " Good ! " said Rainbow. 
 
 She tore the piece of papyrus in two and 
 handed him the piece that had the lotus on it. 
 
 'Keep that," she said, "and every time you 
 look at it, it will remind you of me." 
 
 'Keep the other piece yourself," he said, 
 ' that it may remind you of me." 
 
 She smiled. ''I will do so," she said, "but I 
 shall not need it to remind me of you." 
 
353 
 
 LOTUS AND RAINBOW 
 PART II 
 
 Lotus lived in the best house in the village, 
 for her father, Ibis, was the chief. When she 
 came home that night Ibis said to her, " I don't 
 want you to speak to Rainbow again. " 
 
 " Why not? " asked Lotus. 
 
 "Because," said her father, "he is my enemy, 
 and I intend to kill him." 
 
 "Oh!" cried Lotus. 
 
 'Yes," said her father, 'I had a dream last 
 night, in which he met me on the river bank. 
 He had grown to be a man. He fitted an arrow 
 to his bowstring and raised his bow to shoot 
 me. I could do nothing to defend myself. If I let 
 him grow up he will kill me and be chief in 
 my stead." 
 
 'He would never do that," cried Lotus, "he 
 thinks too much of me." 
 
 ' What would that matter to him if he thought 
 that he could be chief?" said her father. 'The 
 only safe thing to do is to put him out of the 
 
354 
 
 way. He is a well-favored boy and will make a 
 fine sacrifice to Ra. Tomorrow is the day for 
 choosing a victim. I will speak to the chief priest 
 and tell him to select Rainbow." 
 
 Lotus wanted to cry. She knew what her 
 father's words meant. The priests would seize 
 Rainbow, take him to the temple, and after a 
 long ceremony kill him on the altar of the ter- 
 rible god Ra, - - a monstrous idol with the body 
 of a man and the head of a hawk. 
 
 Presently Lotus went to the door. 
 
 'Where are you going ?" asked her father. 
 
 Lotus said nothing. 
 
 " Come back/ 7 said the chief. 'I have told 
 you too much to let you go out/ 7 
 
 'May I not go out for fresh air?" asked 
 Lotus. 
 
 " Wait," said Ibis. Then he called, "Asp, Asp ! " 
 
 'Here, master," answered a voice outside, and 
 an old woman entered the house. 
 
 " Go with my daughter," said Ibis. " She wants 
 to take the air. Let her go where she pleases, 
 but see that she speaks to no one." 
 
355 
 
 ' If she does, let my head be the forfeit/ 7 said 
 the old woman. 
 
 'I will not go out yet," said Lotus. 
 
 Her father smiled. 
 
 'I thought so/' he said. 
 
 Lotus sat down and rested her chin in her 
 hand while the tears ran slowly down her 
 face. 
 
 Asp began to make the fire and cook the 
 supper. After a while Lotus painted by the light 
 of the fire. This picture looks like the picture 
 that she painted. 
 
356 
 
 ' I wish I could think of something that he 
 would be more sure to understand/' she said to 
 herself. "But alas, I can't/' 
 
 After supper she said to Asp, " Come, we will 
 go out." 
 
 They took a long walk through the village. 
 Finally Lotus saw Rainbow. She went toward 
 him and he came to meet her. 
 
 " Ah!' : he said, "you are out late." She put 
 her finger to her lip. 
 
 "She is forbidden to speak," said Asp. 
 
 " Oh," said Rainbow. 
 
 Just then, as Lotus passed him, he felt some- 
 thing pushed into his hand. Asp turned a 
 moment later and saw him looking at a bit of 
 bark. She thought nothing of that. 
 
 " Come, we will go home," said Lotus. 
 
 'Very well," said the old woman. 
 
 The moon had risen by that time, and it was 
 almost as light as day. Rainbow looked at the 
 paper intently. 
 
 'Why was she forbidden to speak?" he said 
 to himself. ' But one thing is clear. She could 
 
357 
 
 not speak and had something she wanted to tell 
 me, so she has given me this. What does it mean ? " 
 
 He puzzled over it for a while. 
 
 'I am this," he said, " this figure with the 
 rainbow over its head. Who is this pushing me? 
 Ah ! I know. The bird over his head is like an 
 ibis. It is Ibis, her father. And here is Ra. 
 I know him by his hawk's head. And the thing 
 below him must be his. altar. And Lotus is 
 weeping. Oh ! ' ; 
 
 His face went pale in the moonlight. 
 
 'I am to be a sacrifice to Ra," he said, "and 
 tomorrow is the choosing day." 
 
 Then he looked at the other figures. 
 
 ' I am running away and Lotus dancing with 
 joy," he said. 'But I will not run. I know 
 a better way. I will take a boat. I have owed 
 my uncle a visit for a long while. Now I shall 
 pay him a longer visit than he expects." 
 
 He looked at the picture. 'You have saved 
 me, Lotus," he said. 'I know that you are a 
 clever girl, but I never knew before how clever 
 you are. Alas that I must leave you ! ' : 
 
358 
 
 LOTUS AND RAINBOW 
 PART III 
 
 Great was the delight of Lotus, and very much 
 enraged was her father, when next morning Rain- 
 bow was nowhere to be found. During the night he 
 had crossed the river to a village on the other side, 
 where his -uncle was chief ; so there he was safe. 
 
 At first Ibis believed that Asp had deceived 
 him ; and he threatened to have her thrown to the 
 crocodiles, but Lotus swore by the great god Ra 
 that she had spoken to no one during her walk. 
 Neither her father nor the old woman ever knew 
 how Rainbow had been warned. 
 
 The two friends were very sad for a while at 
 being separated, but they used to talk to each 
 other by means of paintings, and as time went 
 on they became more and more skillful in 
 expressing their thoughts. After a while they 
 taught this painting to others, and the simple 
 art of writing began to spread along the Nile. 
 
 Rainbow was finally able to go back to his old 
 home, and he and Lotus were able to see each 
 other as often as they liked. 
 
359 
 
 Why did Lotus's father wish to kill Rainbow ? 
 
 How did he plan to kill him ? 
 
 What did Ibis forbid Lotus to do? 
 
 How did she manage to warn Rainbow ? 
 
 How did he escape? How does the story end? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Do you know the story of " Joseph and his Breth- 
 ren " ? Tell it. " Papyrus bark," part of the papyrus plant 
 used for writing or painting. Try to find a picture of the 
 pyramids of Egypt either in a book or in a museum. 
 Splendor means beauty ; thatched, covered ; vassal, a sub- 
 ject of the king ; skillful, apt, clever. What are baboons ? 
 How does a lotus flower look ? Well-favored means hand- 
 some ; sacrifice, an offering; victim, a person sacrificed to a 
 god. Give another word for select. Intently, thoughtfully; 
 enraged, angered; " expressing their thoughts," telling 
 their thoughts by means of pictures; "art of writing," 
 putting speech into words on paper. 
 
 2. Find and write ten words which have letters not heard. 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 
 flamingoes (fla min'goz) : large water birds having long 
 
 necks and legs 
 
 ibises (I'bls Sz) : water birds having long, curved bills 
 gazelles (ga zSlz') : small deer 
 ceremony (seVe mo ni) : a religious service 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 : 
 something nothing writing smiling looking being 
 For spelling see page 392. 
 
360 
 
 HIAWATHA'S PICTURE-WRITING 
 HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW 
 
 In the poem of Hiawatha, Longfellow has put 
 together the most beautiful stories of our Amer- 
 ican Indians. In the early part of the poem, 
 stories are told of the four winds, of flowers, of 
 animals, of the rainbow, and of the moon. 
 
 As Hiawatha grows older he is made the hero 
 of many adventures, such as the killing of the 
 red deer. To him also is given honor for many 
 discoveries, as the use of Indian corn for food. 
 
 When he grew to be a man, Hiawatha introduced 
 the art of picture-writing to the Indians, just as 
 Mono did many years before to the cave-dwellers. 
 
 Here are some lines from the poem that tell 
 about the picture-writing: 
 
 In those days said Hiawatha, 
 
 :t Lo 1 how all things fade and perish ! . . . 
 
 On the grave-posts of our fathers 
 Are no signs, no figures painted; 
 Who are in those graves we know not, 
 Only know they are our fathers. . . . 
 
361 
 
 Face to face we speak together, 
 But we cannot speak w^hen absent, 
 Cannot send our voices from us 
 To the friends that dwell afar off; 
 Cannot send a secret message, 
 But the bearer learns our secret. . . ." 
 
 Thus said Hiawatha, walking 
 In the solitary forest, 
 Pondering, musing in the forest, 
 On the welfare of his people. 
 
 From his pouch he took his colors, 
 Took his paints of different colors, 
 On the smooth bark of a birch-tree, 
 Painted many shapes and figures, 
 Wonderful and mystic figures, 
 And each figure had a meaning, 
 Each some w r ord or thought suggested. 
 
 For the earth he drew a straight line, 
 For the sky a bow above it; 
 White the space between for daytime, 
 Filled with little stars for night-time ; 
 On the left a point for sunrise, 
 
 M7 
 
362 
 
 On the right a point for sunset, 
 On the top a point for noontide, 
 And for rain and cloudy weather 
 Waving lines descending from it. 
 
 Footprints pointing toward a wigwam 
 
 Were a sign of invitation, 
 
 
 
 Were a sign of guests assembling; 
 Bloody hands with palms uplifted 
 Were a symbol of destruction, 
 Were a hostile sign and symbol. 
 
 Thus it was that Hiawatha, 
 In his wisdom, taught the people 
 All the mysteries of painting, 
 All the art of Picture-Writirig, 
 On the smooth bark of the birch-tree 
 On the white skin of the reindeer, 
 On the grave-posts of the village. 
 
 Repeat all the stories you can remember about Hiawa- 
 tha's childhood. 
 
 What gift did he give to his people when a man ? 
 
 What two reasons are given why the Indians needed 
 a written language? 
 
364 
 
 What kind of writing did Hiawatha use ? 
 What were the word pictures for earth, sky, day, 
 night, sunrise, sunset, noon, rain, an invitation, enemies ? 
 
 HELPS TO STUDY 
 
 1. Give other words for perish, dwell, learns. " Solitary 
 forest," lonely, silent forest, without people ; " pondering, 
 musing," thinking about; "welfare of his people," good 
 of his people. Give another word for pouch. What mate- 
 rials did the Indians use for drawing and painting ? 
 " Mystic figures," signs having a secret meaning. Go to 
 the library and read Kipling's " Story of Picture Writing." 
 
 2. Find words in the story where ai = a, ew = oo, y = i, 
 ow = o, ue = e, ou = ow, and au = 6. 
 
 V 
 
 Pronounce these words, using charts, pages 365-373 : 
 solitary (sol'i ta ri) : lonely 
 suggested (sug j8st'8d) : called up in the mind 
 descending (de sgnd'mg) : going down 
 invitation (in vita/shun) : asking for a person's company 
 assembling (a sgm'bling) : coming together 
 symbol (sfm'bol) : sign, that which stands for something 
 destruction (de struk'shun) : ruin by enemies 
 hostile (h5s'til) : warlike 
 mysteries : (mis'tSr iz) : things unknown 
 
 Pronounce these words, using dictionary, pages 374-377 I 
 word figure point 
 
 For spelling see page 392. 
 
365 
 
 PHONETIC CHARTS 
 
 CONSONANT SOUNDS 
 
 FIRST YEAR FIRST HALF 
 
 (To be used by children for reference) 
 
 sandy 
 
 lies 
 
 fire 
 
 five 
 
 s 
 
 s 
 
 f 
 
 V 
 
 moon 
 
 Pittypat 
 
 bill 
 
 spin 
 
 m 
 
 P 
 
 b 
 
 n 
 
 tart 
 
 and 
 
 his 
 
 while 
 
 t 
 
 d 
 
 h 
 
 wh 
 
 wee 
 
 rain 
 
 little 
 
 could 
 
 w 
 
 r 
 
 1 
 
 c 
 
 kite 
 
 good 
 
 Jack 
 
 swing 
 
 k 
 
 g 
 
 j 
 
 ing 
 
 thing 
 
 then 
 
 Shuffle 
 
 children 
 
 th 
 
 th 
 
 sh 
 
 ch 
 
366 
 
 BLEND CONSONANTS AND VOWEL SOUNDS 
 FIKST YEAR SECOND HALF 
 
 thee 
 
 spin 
 
 is 
 
 stop 
 
 baby 
 
 ee 
 
 sp 
 
 i 
 
 st 
 
 a 
 
 slumber 
 
 elf 
 
 swing 
 
 chap 
 
 % 
 
 si 
 
 6 
 
 sw 
 
 a 
 
 fl 
 
 go 
 
 plot 
 
 fun 
 
 trot 
 
 white 
 
 
 
 pl 
 
 u 
 
 tr 
 
 I 
 
 dreams 
 
 dark 
 
 flock 
 
 green 
 
 duty 
 
 dr 
 
 a 
 
 
 
 gr 
 
 u 
 
 a = a in baby 
 
 I = i in white 
 
 a = a in chap 
 
 1 = 1 in is 
 
 a = a in dark 
 
 
 
 = in go 
 
 
 o = o in flock 
 
 ee = ee in thee 
 
 
 e = e in me 
 
 u = u in duty 
 
 e = e in elf 
 
 ii = u in fun 
 
367 
 
 VOWEL AND CONSONANT SOUNDS 
 SECOND YEAR, FIRST HALF 
 
 strong 
 
 full 
 
 size 
 
 quite 
 
 ng 
 
 u 
 
 z 
 
 qu = kw 
 
 yellow 
 
 all 
 
 noise 
 
 boys 
 
 y 
 
 a 
 
 oi 
 
 oy 
 
 moon 
 
 dew 
 
 chew 
 
 hood 
 
 oo 
 
 ew = u 
 
 ew=oo 
 
 do 
 
 short 
 
 fox 
 
 out 
 
 ice 
 
 6 = aw 
 
 x = ks 
 
 ou 
 
 c 
 
 oo = oo in moon 
 
 do = oo in hood 
 
 6 = o in short 
 
 u in full = do in hood 
 a in all = 6 in short 
 ew in dew = u in duty 
 ew in chew = oo in moon 
 
368 
 
 VOWEL AND CONSONANT SOUNDS 
 SECOND YEAR SECOND HALF 
 
 page 
 
 done 
 
 thief 
 ie = e 
 
 died 
 
 dolly 
 7=1 
 
 o in done = u in fun 
 ie in died = i in white 
 
 ie in thief = e in me 
 y in dolly = 1 in is 
 
 WORDS TO PRONOUNCE 
 
 cane shake age shade 
 fan catch rabbit clap 
 bar lard chart father 
 rmd China ice ripe 
 ill prick visit pitch 
 fuse pure music tune 
 under hub brush hutch 
 c6rn sort cord scorch 
 all stall chalk warms 
 quite queen quit quill 
 fox vex next mix exit 
 thief chief field pier 
 died pie lie flies tie 
 
 keep steel weed screen 
 even he these eve the 
 elf fret egg desk then 
 open go drone home old 
 5ff trot rod drop dock 
 tool boot goose shoot 
 good wool stood wooden 
 dew stew new few mews 
 chew flew drew screws 
 full pull bush bull put 
 done other some month 
 dolly happy fairy pony 
 ice face page gem gill 
 
369 
 
 EQUIVALENT SOUNDS 
 THIKD YEAR FIKST HALF 
 
 glass 
 
 care 
 
 my 
 
 eye 
 
 was 
 
 a 
 
 a 
 
 y = I 
 
 eye = i 
 
 a = 6 
 
 roaring 
 
 follow 
 
 beneath 
 
 people 
 
 many 
 
 oa = o 
 
 ow = 6 
 
 ea = e 
 
 eo = e 
 
 a = 6 
 
 heads 
 
 Geoffrey 
 
 minute 
 
 rough 
 
 says 
 
 ea = 6 
 
 eo = g 
 
 U = l 
 
 ou = u 
 
 ay = e 
 
 nurse 
 
 bird 
 
 her 
 
 to 
 
 you 
 
 ur = ur 
 
 ir = ur 
 
 er = ur 
 
 = 00 
 
 ou = oo 
 
 shoulder 
 
 sure 
 
 caught 
 
 thought 
 
 laid 
 
 ou = o 
 
 u = oo 
 
 au = 6 
 
 ou = 6 
 
 ai = a 
 
 pay 
 
 great 
 
 true 
 
 shoe 
 
 friend 
 
 ay = a 
 
 ea = a 
 
 ue = oo 
 
 oe = 6o 
 
 ie = e 
 
 there 
 
 wear 
 
 sew 
 
 should 
 
 reindeer 
 
 e = a 
 
 ea = a 
 
 ew = 6 
 
 011=66 
 
 ei = a 
 
370 
 
 EQUIVALENT SOUNDS (CONTINUED) 
 
 build 
 ui = i 
 
 blood guard early broad 
 oo = u ua = a ear = ur oa = 6 
 
 laid 
 
 pay 
 
 great 
 reindeer 
 
 ai = a in baby 
 ay = a in baby 
 
 shoulder ou = o in go 
 sew ew = o in go 
 
 ea a in baby 
 ei = a in baby 
 
 was a = o in flock 
 
 guard 
 
 ua = a in dark 
 
 dawns aw = 6 in short 
 
 there 
 wear 
 
 e = a in care 
 ea = a in care 
 
 caught au o in short 
 thought ou = 6 in short 
 broad oa = 6 in short 
 
 beneath 
 people 
 
 . 
 
 ea e in me 
 eo = e in me 
 
 to o = oo in moon 
 
 many 
 heads 
 Geoffrey 
 says 
 friend 
 
 a = e in elf 
 ea = e in elf 
 eo = e in elf 
 ay = e in elf 
 
 J'UU UU <JU 111 111UU11 
 
 sure u = oo in moon 
 true ue = oo in moon 
 shoe oe = oo in moon 
 
 ie = e in elf 
 
 should ou = do in hood 
 
 my 
 eye 
 
 y = I in white 
 eye = I in white 
 
 rough ou = u in fun 
 blood oo = u in fun 
 
 minute 
 build 
 
 u = i in is 
 ui = i in is 
 
 nurse ur = ur in urn 
 hirrl ir fir in firn 
 
 roaring 
 follow 
 
 oa = o in go 
 ow = o in go 
 
 her er = ur in urn 
 early ear = ur in urn 
 
371 
 
 WORDS TO PRONOUNCE 
 
 ate 
 
 ail bay 
 
 break 
 
 neigh 
 
 ark 
 
 father 
 
 palm 
 
 guard 
 
 fare 
 
 where 
 
 pear 
 
 chair 
 
 be 
 
 sea 
 
 beak 
 
 people 
 
 end 
 
 den 
 
 any 
 
 read 
 
 bread 
 
 leopard 
 
 says 
 
 friend 
 
 like 
 
 spy 
 
 flying 
 
 eye 
 
 him 
 
 busy 
 
 build 
 
 guilt 
 
 bone 
 
 oak 
 
 goat 
 
 blow 
 
 soul 
 
 mould 
 
 sews 
 
 sewing 
 
 chop 
 
 block 
 
 what 
 
 swan 
 
 core 
 
 lawn 
 
 draw 
 
 cause 
 
 saucer 
 
 ought 
 
 cough 
 
 broad 
 
 boot 
 
 do 
 
 wound 
 
 rule 
 
 good 
 
 would 
 
 could 
 
 should 
 
 Susan 
 
 hue 
 
 beauty 
 
 view 
 
 bud 
 
 couple 
 
 double 
 
 flood 
 
 burn 
 
 sir 
 
 fern 
 
 heard 
 
 fast 
 
 ask 
 
 bath 
 
 ant 
 
 pathway 
 
 craft 
 
 dance 
 
 grass 
 
372 
 
 EQUIVALENT SOUNDS 
 
 THIRD YEAR SECOND HALF 
 
 sofa 
 a 
 
 married 
 ie = l 
 
 prettier 
 e = l 
 
 donkey 
 ey = i 
 
 captain 
 ai = i 
 
 laughed 
 au = a 
 
 world 
 or = ur 
 
 journey 
 our = ur 
 
 buy 
 uy = 1 
 
 chorus 
 ch = k 
 
 machine 
 i = e 
 
 Aeolus 
 ae = e 
 
 key 
 ey = e 
 
 bargain 
 ai = e 
 
 guest 
 ue = e 
 
 they 
 ey = a 
 
 after 
 er = gr 
 
 fruit 
 ui = oo 
 
 beautiful 
 eau = u 
 
 treasure 
 s = zh 
 
 (voice of sh) 
 
 they ey = a in baby 
 
 captain ai = I in is 
 married ie = i in is 
 prettier e = i in is 
 donkey ey = i in is 
 
 laughed au = a in dark 
 
 again a = a in sofa 
 
 machine i 
 Aeolus ae 
 key ey 
 
 = e in me 
 
 
 fruit ui = oo in moon 
 
 e in me 
 = e in me 
 
 beautiful eau = u in duty 
 
 bargain ai = e in elf 
 guest ue = e in elf 
 
 world or = ur in urn 
 journey our = ur in urn 
 
 matter er = er in after 
 
 chorus ch = k in kite 
 
 buy uy = I in white 
 
 treasure s = zh (voice of sh) 
 
373 
 
 WORDS TO PRONOUNCE 
 
 (Read across) 
 
 make pail play great reins they 
 hark guard laughed aunt heart baa 
 sofa again away about giant 
 
 he see pea people machine ^Eolus Phoebe key 
 
 field seize 
 met any read friend bargain guest leopard 
 
 says bury 
 after matter supper winter 
 
 ice pie my buy aye 
 
 ship system England married build been busy 
 
 women pretty forfeit money carriage 
 
 soon fruit do shoe two wound Sioux sure 
 
 duty cue beautiful few 
 
 burn bird her pearls world journey 
 
 chorus 
 
 school chord 
 
 treasure 
 
 pleasure measure 
 
374 
 
 LITTLE DICTIONARY 
 
 To THE PUPILS. The dictionary is used to find the meanings of 
 words which you do not understand. Another use of the dictionary 
 is for the pronunciation of words. In this book the hard words are 
 printed at the end of each lesson, with their meanings. 
 
 You will also find at the end of each lesson a list of words 
 under the heading : " Pronounce these words, using dictionary." 
 The words listed are those which are often pronounced incorrectly. 
 
 We can learn how to use the dictionary by finding and pronounc- 
 ing these easy words, and at the same time we may learn to speak 
 good English. You are asked to find some of these words several 
 times, that you may be sure of their pronunciation. 
 
 To find a word in this little dictionary, notice the first two letters 
 of the word. Then turn to the column where the words begin with 
 the same letter as your word. Look down the column till you find 
 words that begin with the first two letters of your word. 
 
 If you do not remember the marks over the letters, find them in 
 the key to pronunciation printed below. 
 
 KEY TO PRONUNCIATION 
 
 a as in ate 
 3, as in Celt 
 a as in dark 
 
 e as in me 
 8 as in 81 f 
 er as in after 
 
 o as in go 
 5 as in not 
 6 as in short 
 
 th as in thing 
 (breath) 
 th as in then 
 
 a as in ask 
 a as in care 
 
 I as in white 
 
 6 as in soft 
 oo as in moon 
 
 (voice) 
 
 a as in sofa 
 
 I as in Is 
 
 do as in hood 
 ou as in out 
 
 u as in duty 
 u as in fun 
 
 
 
 oi as in noise 
 
 ur as in urn 
 
375 
 
 after (after) 
 
 afterwards (after werdz) 
 
 again (a gen') 
 
 against (a genst') 
 
 ah (a) 
 
 alone (a Ion') 
 
 Ame-ya (a'ma-ya) 
 
 armor (ar'mer) 
 
 arrow (ar'o) 
 
 ask (ask) 
 
 asked (askt) 
 
 asking (ask'mg) 
 
 ate (at) 
 
 aunt (ant) 
 
 aye (i) 
 
 backward (bak'werd) 
 bade (bad) 
 basket (bas'ket) 
 because (be k6z') 
 being (be'mg) 
 birds (burdz) 
 birth (burth) 
 brass (bras) 
 burst (burst) 
 
 careful (kar'fool) 
 carefully (kar'fool i) 
 castles (kas'lz) 
 
 catches (katch'ez) 
 clamor (klam'er) 
 clothes (klothz) 
 coming (kum'ing) 
 cost (kost) 
 croquet (kro ka') 
 dirt (durt) 
 dirty (dur'ti) 
 dogs (dogz) 
 drowned (dround) 
 dumplings (dump'lmgz) 
 duty (du'ti) 
 dwarf (dwSrf) 
 
 early (ur'li) 
 earth (urth) 
 either (e'ther) 
 enough (e nuf 
 
 faster (fast'er) 
 fault (folt) 
 fellow fel'o) 
 figure (fig'ur) 
 first (furst) 
 flying (fli'ing) 
 forbade (for bad') 
 forehead (for'ed) 
 forward (foVwerd) 
 
376 
 
 gayly (ga'li) 
 gently (jen'tli) 
 get (get) 
 glass (glas) 
 glasses (glas'ez) 
 gliding (glid'ing) 
 glory (glo'ri) 
 God (god) 
 going (go'ing) 
 gone (gon) 
 grass (gras) 
 gutters (gut'erz) 
 
 half (haf ) 
 
 half -past (haf -past') 
 heard (hurd) 
 hero (he'ro) 
 hurt (hurt) 
 
 join (join) 
 joined (joind) 
 just (just) 
 
 kettle (kef'l) 
 kindly (kind'K) 
 knew (nu) 
 
 last (last) 
 laughing (laf ' ing) 
 learn (lurn) 
 
 learned (lurnd) 
 length (length) 
 lighted (Ht'gd) 
 looking (Idok'mg) 
 losing (looz'mg) 
 lying (li'ing) 
 
 mere (mer) 
 mischief (mis'chif ) 
 Mono (mo'no) 
 
 naught (not) 
 neither (ne'ther) 
 nothing (nuth'ing) 
 
 off (of) 
 offer (of'er) 
 officers (of'i serz) 
 often (of'n) 
 once (wuns) 
 only (on'li) 
 other (uth'er) 
 our (our) 
 
 pass (pas) 
 past (past) 
 path (path) 
 pearl (purl) 
 perhaps (perhaps') 
 person (pur'sun) 
 point (point) 
 
377 
 
 rather (rath'er) 
 rivers (riv'erz) 
 
 sauce (s6s) 
 saw (so) 
 search (surch) 
 served (survd) 
 singing (singling) 
 sir (stir) 
 
 sliding (slid'mg) 
 smiling (smil'ing) 
 snout (snout) 
 soar (sor) 
 soft (soft) 
 softly (soft'li) 
 something (sum'thmg) 
 song (song) 
 squirrels (skwur'elz) 
 staff (staf) 
 
 stockings (stok'mgz) 
 strewed (strood) 
 strong (strong) 
 sword (sord) 
 
 tempo (tein'po) 
 things (thingz) 
 thought (thot) 
 
 thrones (thronz) 
 toward (tord) 
 towards (tordz) 
 true (troo) 
 turned (ttirnd) 
 twenty (twen'ti) 
 
 Ula (u'la) 
 voice (vois) 
 
 whole (hoi) 
 widow (wid'o) 
 willow (wiVo) 
 window (win'do) 
 word (wurd) 
 world (wurld) 
 worst (wurst) 
 worth (wurth) 
 worthy (wurtb'i) 
 wounded (woond'ed) 
 writing (rit'ing) 
 
 yellow (yel'o) 
 yesterday (yes'ter da) 
 young (yung) 
 
 M; 
 
378 
 
 REVIEW SPELLING 
 
 SECOND YEAR FIRST HALF 
 
 (To be used by the children) 
 
 COMMON AND USEFUL WORDS 
 
 bubbles 
 
 once 
 
 monkey 
 
 from 
 
 pipe 
 
 with 
 
 good 
 
 kittens 
 
 soap 
 
 eye 
 
 of 
 
 mittens 
 
 and 
 
 was 
 
 go 
 
 what 
 
 the 
 
 him 
 
 father 
 
 who 
 
 to 
 
 garden 
 
 happy 
 
 for 
 
 miller 
 
 flower 
 
 home 
 
 this 
 
 baker 
 
 were 
 
 very 
 
 both 
 
 rolls 
 
 she 
 
 grass 
 
 fox 
 
 his 
 
 as 
 
 star 
 
 too 
 
 in 
 
 plant 
 
 been 
 
 pocket 
 
 it 
 
 over 
 
 dew 
 
 after 
 
 boy 
 
 said 
 
 horses 
 
 work 
 
 cents 
 
 your 
 
 cows 
 
 many 
 
 you 
 
 pretty 
 
 have 
 
 camel 
 
 little 
 
 girls 
 
 has 
 
 want 
 
 mother 
 
 here 
 
 there 
 
 tent 
 
 her 
 
 us 
 
 where 
 
 put 
 
 one 
 
 on 
 
 baby 
 
 cabbage 
 
 are 
 
 donkey 
 
 love 
 
 other 
 
379 
 
 leaf any shall build 
 
 dog stone could buy 
 
 two does fast off 
 
 birds if sir new 
 
 barn busy broom down 
 
 ever food these up 
 
 much ants door stairs 
 
 such when clouds town 
 
 is turnips motor downstairs 
 
 house bear knee downtown 
 
 blue must Mary upstairs 
 
 nor only goes uptown 
 
 PHONETIC WORDS 
 
 (Not all phonetic words are given, but some of each group learned) 
 
 fill way bin make 
 
 sill gray thin wake 
 
 bill he spin cake 
 
 pill me peep lake 
 
 blow the deep snake 
 
 tow she sheep not 
 
 flow why wee dot 
 
 show by see lot 
 
 man spy tree got 
 
 van fly feet trot 
 
 ran try meet nde 
 
 bran sky beet tide 
 
 day in sleet hide 
 
 hay pin sweet wide 
 
380 
 
 pride 
 slide 
 
 far 
 bar 
 car 
 look 
 book 
 cook 
 hook 
 
 cow 
 
 now 
 
 long 
 
 sits 
 pits 
 nest 
 west 
 chest 
 
 fun 
 sun 
 gun 
 run 
 that 
 sat 
 bat 
 rat 
 drop 
 top 
 hop 
 chop 
 gem 
 hem 
 them 
 stem 
 pick 
 sick 
 lick 
 thick 
 stick 
 
 cold 
 fold 
 gold 
 hold 
 bold 
 
 good 
 wood 
 stood 
 
 Pig 
 fig 
 big 
 dig 
 get 
 set 
 wet 
 yet 
 town 
 down 
 brown 
 
 bell 
 tell 
 well 
 shell 
 spell 
 
 fore 
 sore 
 more 
 wore 
 store 
 back 
 pack 
 tack 
 black 
 quack 
 
 cut 
 but 
 nut 
 fox 
 box 
 am 
 ham 
 jam 
 ram 
 swam 
 clam 
 "had 
 sad 
 glad 
 night 
 right 
 light 
 green 
 seen 
 screen 
 
 cock 
 rock 
 lock 
 block 
 clock 
 
 iind 
 mind 
 kind 
 wind 
 blind 
 grind 
 song 
 
 wild 
 mild 
 child 
 land 
 sand 
 stand 
 
 then 
 men 
 hen 
 when 
 how 
 
381 
 
 sea 
 tea 
 flea 
 
 country 
 
 grapes 
 
 lambs 
 
 fruit 
 
 saw 
 
 oh 
 
 fingers 
 
 thunder 
 
 sharp 
 
 rain 
 
 corn 
 
 warm 
 
 our 
 
 fourth 
 
 which 
 
 every 
 
 April 
 
 June 
 
 four 
 
 Sunday 
 
 Monday 
 
 Friday 
 
 hare 
 
 share 
 
 lays 
 
 pare 
 
 ways 
 
 plays 
 
 care 
 
 days 
 
 stays 
 
 SECOND YEAE SECOND HALF 
 
 COMMON AND 
 
 USEFUL WORDS 
 
 
 died 
 
 long 
 
 thing 
 
 ill 
 
 people 
 
 heard 
 
 Wednesday 
 
 shadow 
 
 voice 
 
 Thursday 
 
 crowd 
 
 echo 
 
 Saturday 
 
 burst 
 
 ugly 
 
 Tuesday 
 
 water 
 
 ho 
 
 some 
 
 asked 
 
 brother 
 
 second 
 
 they 
 
 sister 
 
 minute 
 
 into 
 
 watch 
 
 twelve 
 
 grandmother 
 
 while 
 
 month 
 
 caught 
 
 their 
 
 seven 
 
 rabbit 
 
 swallow 
 
 hour 
 
 before 
 
 summer 
 
 says 
 
 wrong 
 
 again 
 
 age 
 
 first 
 
 away 
 
 clothes 
 
 foot 
 
 done 
 
 dressed 
 
 George 
 
 come 
 
 company 
 
 forest 
 
 cheese 
 
 wicked 
 
 answer 
 
 mouse 
 
 always 
 
 polite 
 
 frogs 
 
 aunt 
 
 silly 
 
 toads 
 
 rude 
 
 began 
 
 bread 
 
382 
 
 city 
 
 yellow 
 
 stop 
 
 soup 
 
 chased 
 
 orange 
 
 harm 
 
 coffee 
 
 built 
 
 violet 
 
 out 
 
 butter 
 
 drive 
 
 fairy 
 
 listen 
 
 sailor 
 
 about 
 
 hung 
 
 stole 
 
 write 
 
 wolf 
 
 never 
 
 cruel 
 
 salt 
 
 help 
 
 span 
 
 eggs 
 
 read 
 
 hard 
 
 bow 
 
 plum 
 
 wish 
 
 drum 
 
 sun 
 
 wool 
 
 nurse 
 
 upon 
 
 children 
 
 none 
 
 next 
 
 so 
 
 supper 
 
 know 
 
 dozen 
 
 crooked 
 
 woman 
 
 feel 
 
 yard 
 
 teach 
 
 child 
 
 knew 
 
 pond 
 
 learn 
 
 peach 
 
 grandson 
 
 swim 
 
 left 
 
 river 
 
 corner 
 
 milk 
 
 walk 
 
 tried 
 
 table 
 
 tallow 
 
 crab 
 
 wash 
 
 angry 
 
 above 
 
 rainbow 
 
 sang 
 
 doing 
 
 held 
 
 chase 
 
 also 
 
 'stove 
 
 used 
 
 turn 
 
 another 
 
 cloth 
 
 lamp 
 
 each 
 
 sport 
 
 bowl 
 
 room 
 
 low 
 
 great 
 
 eyes 
 
 gas 
 
 
 
 
 key 
 
 PHONETIC WOEDS 
 
 (Not all phonetic words are given, but some of each group learned) 
 
 field yield red mast 
 
 wield bed sled past 
 
 shield 
 
 bed 
 fed 
 
 red 
 sled 
 fast 
 
 last 
 
383 
 
 sheet 
 fleet 
 greet 
 street 
 
 pound 
 ground 
 trap 
 nap 
 cap 
 strap 
 rose 
 nose 
 hose 
 close 
 
 slice 
 
 slit 
 laid 
 maid 
 paid 
 braid 
 
 son 
 ton 
 won 
 
 year 
 near 
 dear 
 clear 
 
 went 
 bent 
 tent 
 spent 
 
 speak 
 beak 
 leak 
 weak 
 
 end 
 mend 
 bend 
 spend 
 
 at 
 hat 
 rat 
 flat 
 made 
 wade 
 shade 
 line 
 mine 
 shine 
 
 place 
 face 
 race 
 lace 
 space 
 ship 
 tip 
 dip 
 whip 
 slip 
 
 same 
 name 
 game 
 frame 
 
 nioon 
 noon 
 soon 
 spoon 
 time 
 dime 
 lime 
 chime 
 
 bleat 
 heat 
 neat 
 wheat 
 
 for 
 nor 
 or 
 to 
 do 
 who 
 
 rain 
 pain 
 chain 
 train 
 plain 
 
 hung 
 lung 
 rung 
 stung 
 wrung 
 head 
 dead 
 read 
 lead 
 tread 
 bread 
 
 week 
 seek 
 leek 
 cheek 
 
 think 
 sink 
 pink 
 drink 
 
 clean 
 mean 
 bean 
 lean 
 
 flower 
 power 
 shower 
 
 ice 
 mice 
 rice 
 
 it 
 bit 
 hit 
 
 round 
 sound 
 
384 
 
 THIRD YEAR FIEST HALF 
 COMMON AND USEFUL WORDS 
 
 Indian 
 
 silk 
 
 neck 
 
 family 
 
 pillow 
 
 gardener 
 
 rooster 
 
 cousin 
 
 beyond 
 
 teacher 
 
 parrot 
 
 vote 
 
 playthings 
 
 school 
 
 comb 
 
 breakfast 
 
 pleasant 
 
 ladder 
 
 roof 
 
 yourself 
 
 alive 
 
 climb 
 
 between 
 
 winter 
 
 trunk 
 
 half 
 
 friend 
 
 furrow 
 
 animals 
 
 eleven 
 
 turtle 
 
 soldier 
 
 afraid 
 
 number 
 
 mouth 
 
 palace 
 
 world 
 
 wise 
 
 visit 
 
 ladies 
 
 earth 
 
 last 
 
 until 
 
 queen 
 
 lion 
 
 bridge 
 
 daughter 
 
 cloak 
 
 surprise 
 
 market 
 
 drowned 
 
 suit 
 
 behind 
 
 cried 
 
 cattle 
 
 fairies 
 
 along 
 
 story 
 
 blood 
 
 please 
 
 kept 
 
 cradle 
 
 Moses 
 
 funny 
 
 tired 
 
 really 
 
 army 
 
 shelf 
 
 quiet 
 
 swept 
 
 potatoes 
 
 Lincoln 
 
 chipmunk 
 
 early 
 
 pepper 
 
 stream 
 
 because 
 
 safe 
 
 penny 
 
 wagon 
 
 babies 
 
 deer 
 
 dukes 
 
 March 
 
 brave 
 
 sure 
 
 pumpkin 
 
 boots 
 
 bank 
 
 gander 
 
 nothing 
 
 oxen 
 
 wife 
 
 goose 
 
 turkey 
 
 snowflake 
 
 vinegar 
 
 geese 
 
 ginger 
 
 puddles 
 
 mutton 
 
 front 
 
 widow 
 
 laugh 
 
 knock 
 
 mile 
 
 yesterday 
 
 oven 
 
385 
 
 Christmas 
 
 silver 
 
 acorns 
 
 birthday 
 
 mantel 
 
 golden 
 
 prancing 
 
 present 
 
 some 
 
 honest 
 
 perhaps 
 
 doctor 
 
 princess 
 
 steel 
 
 banners 
 
 sleeve 
 
 jewels 
 
 squirrels 
 
 waving 
 
 stripes 
 
 bottom 
 
 evening 
 
 swords 
 
 broad 
 
 plate 
 
 wigwam 
 
 powder 
 
 bombs 
 
 farewell 
 
 candle 
 
 smoke 
 
 whose 
 
 straight 
 
 lilies 
 
 flags 
 
 rainbow 
 
 PHONETIC WOKDS 
 
 dawns 
 all 
 morning 
 "Tie" 
 eye 
 
 head 
 red 
 
 great 
 laid 
 
 pulled 
 could 
 took 
 
 bird 
 hurt 
 her 
 
 taste 
 
 pay 
 
 shoe 
 poor 
 true 
 sure 
 who 
 
 daughter 
 water 
 dreams 
 seems 
 
 was 
 of 
 
 young 
 duck 
 
 roaring 
 follow 
 
 through 
 proof 
 
 know 
 go 
 
 bees 
 people 
 weary 
 
 tongue 
 dusted 
 loved 
 
 tomorrow 
 only 
 goat 
 roar 
 
 pretty 
 brim 
 "find 
 sky 
 
 many 
 beds 
 
 basket 
 path 
 
 believe 
 feast 
 
 threw 
 soon 
 
 minute 
 little 
 happy 
 
 thought 
 short 
 
 airing 
 wear 
 fellow 
 sew 
 
 reindeer 
 saying 
 
 flying 
 cried 
 wild 
 
 tease 
 sleep 
 
 choose 
 truly 
 
386 
 
 THIKD YEAR SECOND HALF 
 
 COMMON AND USEFUL WORDS 
 
 parents 
 
 beside 
 
 master 
 
 London 
 
 return 
 
 cities 
 
 frozen 
 
 money 
 
 thousand 
 
 plain 
 
 score 
 
 axes 
 
 spoonful 
 
 giant 
 
 husband 
 
 easy 
 
 hundred 
 
 fifth 
 
 toward 
 
 question 
 
 honey 
 
 sixth 
 
 signal 
 
 grace 
 
 carried 
 
 quarrel 
 
 wonder 
 
 pious 
 
 clever 
 
 peace 
 
 thorn 
 
 rule 
 
 royal 
 
 color 
 
 village 
 
 branches 
 
 pound 
 
 else 
 
 forfeit 
 
 unhappy 
 
 crush 
 
 message 
 
 proud 
 
 needles 
 
 rafts 
 
 kingdom 
 
 loads 
 
 glitter 
 
 smooth 
 
 close 
 
 island 
 
 leaves 
 
 church 
 
 quite 
 
 gentle 
 
 lucky 
 
 hoofs 
 
 slave 
 
 blossoms 
 
 fresh 
 
 candy 
 
 wedge 
 
 autumn 
 
 bare 
 
 coal 
 
 court 
 
 spring 
 
 fountain 
 
 iron 
 
 crown 
 
 ridges 
 
 arbors 
 
 shooting 
 
 trouble 
 
 break 
 
 circle 
 
 stable 
 
 throat 
 
 high 
 
 dwarf 
 
 coach 
 
 hunters 
 
 sparrow 
 
 scents 
 
 lawn 
 
 hounds 
 
 feathers 
 
 wand 
 
 kissing 
 
 crane 
 
 magpie 
 
 favorite 
 
 chorus 
 
 ought 
 
 layer 
 
 Mildred 
 
 counterpane 
 
 crept 
 
 sheriff 
 
 circus 
 
 planted 
 
 hole 
 
 thieves 
 
 reason 
 
387 
 
 Edith 
 
 bargain 
 
 spurs 
 
 staff 
 
 ruby 
 
 bunches 
 
 daffodils 
 
 brass 
 
 shepherd 
 
 peddler 
 
 beauty 
 
 armor 
 
 icicles 
 
 poured 
 
 right 
 
 ewes 
 
 staring 
 
 banana 
 
 snail 
 
 goodness 
 
 greasy 
 
 image 
 
 creature 
 
 surely 
 
 stranger 
 
 body 
 
 saucepan 
 
 dwell 
 
 business 
 
 truthful 
 
 sneezing 
 
 oil 
 
 already 
 
 quietly 
 
 kitchen 
 
 nostrils 
 
 comfort 
 
 forgive 
 
 nursing 
 
 traveler 
 
 sorrow 
 
 eagle 
 
 manners 
 
 coughed 
 
 tailor 
 
 steamers 
 
 croquet 
 
 buzzed 
 
 girdle 
 
 castles 
 
 hurried 
 
 arrows 
 
 death 
 
 guest 
 
 hearth 
 
 tracks 
 
 obey 
 
 few 
 
 sodden 
 
 shoot 
 
 idle 
 
 alphabet 
 
 without 
 
 aimed 
 
 beautiful 
 
 chimney 
 
 thread 
 
 flesh 
 
 squirrels 
 
 basins 
 
 dimples 
 
 cord 
 
 poppies 
 
 border 
 
 thumb 
 
 wasp 
 
 trumpet 
 
 machine 
 
 teeth 
 
 deer 
 
 chickens 
 
 skylark 
 
 forehead 
 
 nineteen 
 
 himself 
 
 sighing 
 
 battle 
 
 fifteen 
 
 verses 
 
 promise 
 
 shield 
 
 sandals 
 
 weary 
 
 suppose 
 
 helmet 
 
 temple 
 
 breathe 
 
 meadow 
 
 pasture 
 
 pledge 
 
 western 
 
 breath 
 
 valley 
 
 grove 
 
 breast 
 
 broken 
 
 seized 
 
 stone 
 
 dying 
 
 hedge 
 
 tender 
 
 heart 
 
 herself 
 
 claws 
 
 ruddy 
 
 inch 
 
388 
 
 pair 
 
 huge 
 
 power 
 
 saddle 
 
 welcome 
 
 maidens 
 
 robes 
 
 excuse 
 
 wrapped 
 
 streets 
 
 witch 
 
 proud 
 
 mantle 
 
 begged 
 
 pale 
 
 mount 
 
 spider 
 
 dashed 
 
 fair 
 
 buckles 
 
 cliffs 
 
 foamed 
 
 rich 
 
 picture 
 
 bronze 
 
 poison 
 
 Washington 
 
 velvet 
 
 bathed 
 
 throne 
 
 president 
 
 wrist 
 
 deeds 
 
 noble 
 
 carriage 
 
 shirt 
 
 club 
 
 dizzy 
 
 George 
 
 
 sofa 
 
 across 
 
 pearls 
 
 third 
 
 farmer 
 
 miller 
 
 PHONETIC SPELLING 
 
 (Words having equivalent sounds) 
 
 spear 
 
 beast 
 
 elephant 
 
 rough 
 
 prisoner 
 
 emperor 
 
 pieces 
 
 queer 
 
 "foul 
 
 owl 
 
 merchant 
 journey 
 
 merry 
 
 sunny 
 
 mountain 
 
 captain 
 
389 
 
 SPELLING 
 
 FOUKTH YEAR 
 
 (To be used by the children) 
 
 The number in front of the words corresponds to the 
 number of the last page of the selection from which the 
 spelling words have been taken. 
 
 Use and write these words in sentences. 
 
 5. servants 
 thimble 
 closely 
 enough 
 suffer 
 pencil 
 
 12. cowards 
 centipede 
 coral 
 goblet 
 rebound 
 lanterns 
 
 14. pine tree 
 rice shop 
 indoors 
 plenty 
 bamboo 
 sulk 
 
 18. whistles 
 shelves 
 
 vessels 
 narrow 
 kindly 
 dough 
 
 22. conquer 
 quickly 
 danger 
 weapons 
 statue 
 except 
 
 27. council 
 covered 
 hungry 
 hidden 
 agreed 
 squaw 
 
 29. millions 
 brethren 
 wrangle 
 indeed 
 
 exceed 
 
 flame 
 35. anything 
 
 stuffed 
 
 barley 
 
 tasted 
 
 sauce 
 
 broth 
 41. dealer 
 
 trinket 
 
 greedy 
 
 property 
 
 value 
 
 worth 
 46. Chinese 
 
 orchard 
 
 bushels 
 
 yonder 
 
 better 
 
 glory 
 
390 
 
 53. basketful 
 
 customer 
 
 commenced 
 
 currants 
 
 noticed 
 
 136. petticoats 
 
 bayonets 
 
 107. mischief 
 
 gentleman 
 
 sewing 
 
 necklace 
 
 December 
 
 shocked 
 
 diamonds 
 
 shilling 
 
 squeaked 
 
 chariot 
 
 pudding 
 
 56. scattered 
 
 copper 
 
 parasol 
 
 remember 
 
 shrub 
 
 postman 
 
 moment 
 
 apron 
 
 whisper 
 
 pillar 
 
 surf 
 
 engines 
 
 board 
 
 109. showers 
 
 however 
 
 tying 
 
 smiling 
 
 check 
 
 60. mattresses 
 
 July 
 
 sizes 
 
 something 
 
 111. gliding 
 
 144. harnessed 
 
 bedstead 
 
 sliding 
 
 handsome 
 
 bedchamber 
 
 skaters 
 
 curtains 
 
 unless 
 
 113. stocking 
 
 goddess 
 
 quilts 
 
 handful 
 
 cinder 
 
 62. bridegroom 
 
 dropped 
 
 globe 
 
 cleaned 
 
 pinned 
 
 boast 
 
 wedding 
 
 empty 
 
 oath 
 
 merry 
 
 125. hollow 
 
 149. breathed 
 
 72. happily 
 
 buried 
 
 furnace 
 
 anchors 
 
 guessed 
 
 flannel 
 
 clovers 
 
 disappointed 
 
 miners 
 
 cellar 
 
 borrowed 
 
 safety 
 
 rudder 
 
 package 
 
 shaft 
 
 wharf 
 
 tobacco 
 
 153. northern 
 
 73. newspapers 
 
 parlor 
 
 musket 
 
 countryman 
 
 hurrah 
 
 voyage 
 
391 
 
 naval 
 
 comrade 
 
 angrily 
 
 167. shoulders 
 
 signed 
 
 quails 
 
 whiskers 
 
 attack 
 
 price 
 
 curious 
 
 pardon 
 
 225. vegetables 
 
 stupid 
 
 guard 
 
 opening 
 
 tunnel 
 
 202. Benjamin 
 
 prove 
 
 center 
 
 sixteen 
 
 enter 
 
 dozing 
 
 button 
 
 228. started 
 
 shrink 
 
 invent 
 
 stroll 
 
 label 
 
 wooden 
 
 remain 
 
 181. thirteen 
 
 toil 
 
 rushed 
 
 railway 
 
 207. guilty 
 
 judge 
 
 gallons 
 
 harbor 
 
 worst 
 
 capital 
 
 memory 
 
 238. Richard 
 
 history 
 
 plunge 
 
 divided 
 
 English 
 
 course 
 
 visitor 
 
 French 
 
 soar 
 
 leader 
 
 puzzle 
 
 210. grindstone 
 
 heavy 
 
 lesson 
 
 myself 
 
 honor 
 
 Paris 
 
 almost 
 
 243. scratched 
 
 Rome 
 
 truant 
 
 seventy 
 
 Nile 
 
 kettle 
 
 growled 
 
 192. blacksmith 
 
 rascal 
 
 wolves 
 
 horseback 
 
 217. shoemaker 
 
 birch 
 
 victory 
 
 coachman 
 
 torch 
 
 village 
 
 leather 
 
 251. festival 
 
 forge 
 
 errand 
 
 invited 
 
 197. regiment 
 
 wager 
 
 uniform 
 
 telegram 
 
 vexed 
 
 figures 
 
 Vermont 
 
 221. nearest 
 
 brains 
 
392 
 
 flea 
 
 tower 
 
 334. cushion 
 
 envy 
 
 soil 
 
 weight 
 
 254. amused 
 
 290. handkerchiefs 
 
 scales 
 
 clumsy 
 
 pocket-books 
 
 dragon 
 
 whale 
 
 parade 
 
 beard 
 
 ached 
 
 thief 
 
 ocean 
 
 259. backward 
 
 296. rhinoceros 
 
 waist 
 
 brook 
 
 porcupine 
 
 hero 
 
 bushy 
 
 crocodile 
 
 349. polished 
 
 goal 
 
 wrinkles 
 
 drawing 
 
 266. antlers 
 
 holiday 
 
 ankles 
 
 melted 
 
 quills 
 
 happen 
 
 chief 
 
 jungles 
 
 knives 
 
 since 
 
 pupils 
 
 knife 
 
 277. wisdom 
 
 304. perform 
 
 tusks 
 
 listen 
 
 couple 
 
 fawn 
 
 altar 
 
 punish 
 
 359. pebbles 
 
 flood 
 
 settle 
 
 artist 
 
 guide 
 
 defend 
 
 wading 
 
 odor 
 
 group 
 
 simple 
 
 282. kindness 
 
 nerve 
 
 brush 
 
 locusts 
 
 arena 
 
 idol 
 
 twenty 
 
 316. toothache 
 
 364. painted 
 
 choice 
 
 headache 
 
 weather 
 
 chisel 
 
 roasted 
 
 absent 
 
 hammer 
 
 stewed 
 
 graves 
 
 David 
 
 purple 
 
 pouch 
 
 cedar 
 
 cotton 
 
 palms 
 
 286. families 
 
 uncles 
 
 
 crowded 
 
 shawl 
 
 
YC 49891 
 
 541279 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY