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diff --git a/old/52044-0.txt b/old/52044-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8c62403..0000000 --- a/old/52044-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5783 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wide Awake Third Reader, by Clara Murray - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Wide Awake Third Reader - -Author: Clara Murray - -Release Date: May 11, 2016 [EBook #52044] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WIDE AWAKE THIRD READER *** - - - - -Produced by Emmy, MWS and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - -THE WIDE AWAKE THIRD READER - - - - -The Wide Awake Series - - - THE WIDE AWAKE PRIMER, 30 cents - THE WIDE AWAKE FIRST READER, 30 cents - THE WIDE AWAKE SECOND READER, 35 cents - THE WIDE AWAKE THIRD READER, 40 cents - -[Illustration: THE CHILDREN SCRUB THEIR WOODEN SHOES. - -(From “Dutch Children.”)] - - - - - THE WIDE AWAKE - - THIRD READER - - - BY - - CLARA MURRAY - - AUTHOR OF “THE WIDE AWAKE PRIMER,” “THE WIDE AWAKE FIRST - READER,” “THE WIDE AWAKE SECOND READER,” ETC. - - - [Illustration] - - - BOSTON - LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY - 1912 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1908, - BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY. - - _All rights reserved._ - - - Printers - S. J. PARKHILL & CO., BOSTON, U.S.A. - - - - -PREFACE - - -IN this, the third reader of the series, great care has been taken, -not only in selecting material suited to the needs and ability of the -pupil, but also to arrange the selections so that he may develop the -habit of acquiring interesting facts as he reads. - -In the first two grades the children need to learn the mechanics of -reading,—the recognition of words, the ability to find out _new_ words -for themselves by means of phonics, correct pronunciation, enunciation, -inflection, expression, etc., but in this grade especial stress may be -laid on _learning by reading_,—getting the fact and remembering it. -This prepares the pupil for the actual work of studying, when he is -given a book and asked for the first time to “learn the lessons.” The -questions at the end of many of the lessons should be read and answered -by the pupil after he has read the selection. His answers should be -thoughtfully prepared and correctly stated. - -Especial attention is called to the fact that the selections in this -book are almost exclusively copyrighted material, and have never been -and cannot be used in other series of readers. This avoids the tiresome -repetition of stories, read first in one book and then again and again -in others. - -Many of the selections are valuable from a literary standpoint, and the -pupils will read with real enjoyment stories by Laura Richards, Mary E. -Wilkins, Anna von Rydingsvärd, Helen Hunt Jackson, and other authors, -noted for their skill in writing stories for children. - -The selections which deal especially with child life and interests in -other countries will broaden the child’s view of the world, prepare him -for the study of geography, and help him to be a wide awake child, just -the child whom this Wide Awake Series is intended to develop. - - * * * * * - -The selections, “Little Grandmother’s Shoes,” “Children of -a Sunny Land,” “The Little Plant,” “The Little Goatherds,” -“Great-Great-Grandma’s Christmas in England,” “The Whipping Boy,” -“The Christmas Spruce Tree,” “The Eve of St. Nicholas,” “The Little -Turkeys,” “The Children of Armenia,” “Ahmow,—the Wolf,” “The Emperor -and the Peasant,” and “The Christmas Monks,” are used by arrangement -with the Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Company. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - ALL THE CHILDREN OF ALL THE WORLD 9 - THE SONG SPARROW’S WORK _Etta Austin Blaisdell_ 15 - DUTCH CHILDREN 20 - A LITTLE DUTCH GIRL _Edith Colby Banfield_ 25 - THE GREAT FEAST _Laura E. Richards_ 26 - LITTLE GRANDMOTHER’S SHOES 30 - LITTLE-FOLK LAND _Edith Colby Banfield_ 33 - CHILDREN OF A SUNNY LAND - A STRANGE MILK WAGON 35 - A RIDE IN A CHAIR 36 - THE CARNIVAL 39 - THE LITTLE PLANT _Anna von Rydingsvärd_ 42 - TWO WAYS _Laura E. Richards_ 44 - A SONG IN THE WOODS _Louise C. Moulton_ 46 - HOW THE CORN GREW _Julia Dalrymple_ 47 - “DO YOU KNOW?” _Edith Colby Banfield_ 51 - THE LITTLE GOATHERDS 52 - SWISS CHILDREN 56 - LULLABY-LAND _Edith Colby Banfield_ 60 - THE STONE BLOCKS _Laura E. Richards_ 61 - GREAT-GREAT-GRANDMA’S CHRISTMAS IN ENGLAND 63 - THE WHIPPING BOY 69 - THE CHRISTMAS SPRUCE TREE _Anna von Rydingsvärd_ 72 - A ROSE _Emily Dickinson_ 76 - THE EVE OF ST. NICHOLAS 77 - ROBIN REDBREAST _William Allingham_ 81 - “THE LITTLE TURKEYS” - IN SCHOOL 83 - AT HOME 88 - “GILLYFLOWER GENTLEMAN” _Laura E. Richards_ 91 - THE RULER _Laura E. Richards_ 93 - THE MOON _Edith Colby Banfield_ 95 - THE CHILDREN OF ARMENIA 96 - ARMENIAN HOMES 100 - THE NEST _Helen Hunt Jackson_ 104 - AHMOW—THE WOLF _Frederick Schwatka_ 106 - ESKIMO CHILDREN 113 - THE DREAM-SHIP _Blanche M. Channing_ 117 - A TRIP TO JAPAN _Charlotte Chaffee Gibson_ 118 - URASHIMA _Charlotte Chaffee Gibson_ 125 - A DAY _Emily Dickinson_ 130 - THE ANTS’ MONDAY DINNER _Helen Hunt Jackson_ 131 - MY ANT’S COW _Helen Hunt Jackson_ 139 - COLORADO SNOW-BIRDS _Helen Hunt Jackson_ 148 - THE PETERKINS’ EXCURSION AFTER MAPLE SYRUP _Lucretia P. Hale_ 153 - THE GRASS _Emily Dickinson_ 164 - SUNSET _Emily Dickinson_ 165 - THE BABY SQUIRRELS _Julia A. Schwartz_ 166 - THE BABY THAT SLEEPS IN A POCKET _Julia A. Schwartz_ 180 - THE EMPEROR AND THE PEASANT _Anna von Rydingsvärd_ 194 - THE CHRISTMAS MONKS _Mary E. Wilkins_ - THE GARDEN 203 - PETER AND THE PRINCE 206 - THE PRETTIEST DOLL 210 - CHRISTMAS GIFTS 214 - - - - -THE WIDE AWAKE THIRD READER - - - - -ALL THE CHILDREN OF ALL THE WORLD - - -I wish you would try to think this morning about all the children in -all the world. - -[Illustration] - -There are thousands and thousands of them, and they are doing all sorts -of things this very minute. - -Some of them are wide awake and some are in bed and fast asleep. Some -are in school and some are playing out of doors. - -Some live in such hot countries that they lie in the shade of big palm -trees to keep cool. Others are in such a cold country that they see -nothing but ice and snow, and they are dressed in furs from head to -foot. - -When you read stories about the children in other lands, do they seem -to you like fairy stories? - -I want you to know that all these children are real boys and girls, and -they work and play and have happy times together, just as you do. - -Perhaps when you read about the children in the far North you will wish -that you were an Eskimo boy, living in a snow hut, wearing thick furs, -and riding over the fields of snow in a sled drawn by dogs. - -Or perhaps you would rather be a little Indian and live in a wigwam in -the forest, learning to paddle a canoe, and to fish and hunt. - -While you are here in this beautiful schoolroom, learning to read and -write and draw and sing, there are thousands of other children who -never saw a schoolhouse, and who will grow up to be men and women -without even learning to read. - -You can read stories about these people, and as you grow older perhaps -you will know more about them, but they will probably never hear of you. - -Of course, there are many thousands of children everywhere who are in -school this morning. - -Think of all the boys and girls in every town in the whole United -States, who see the flag with its stars and stripes floating over their -schoolhouses, and who learn to sing “America.” - -In France the children wave a flag of red, white and blue, and learn -a song about their country, but their flag is not like yours, and you -could not understand one word of their French song. - -The little English children sing a song about their country and their -king which you could understand, and they read in books like yours. But -then, there are the children who live in Germany, and learn to read in -German, and the children who live in Italy and read Italian books, and -many, many others. - -Oh, there are so many children in the world! - -In Japan and China the children use the queerest books that you ever -saw. The words go up and down the page, and the stories begin at the -end of the book, and at the bottom of the page. The words look like -this:— - -[Illustration] - -Did you ever see such funny words? - -The boys and girls in these other countries do not go to school all of -the time. They have holidays and vacations, and they play out of doors -in the long summer days and the cold winter weather, just as you do. - -You would enjoy playing with these children, even if you could not talk -with them. I know you would like to fly big kites with the boys in -Japan, or skate down the canals with the little Dutch boys. - -And as for dolls! I am sure there are as many dolls in the world as -there are little girls, and perhaps more, because some little girls -have so many dolls that they cannot play with all of them. - -[Illustration] - -You would like to play with the queer Chinese dolls in their beautiful -silken robes, or with the Eskimo dolls that are carved out of bone and -are dressed in furs and sealskin. - -The Indian girl has wooden dolls dressed in bright blankets, with beads -and feathers. The little French girl has a big wax doll, with blue eyes -that shut when she lies down, and pop open when she sits up again. She -wears beautiful gowns and big hats with feathers and ribbons. - -Wouldn’t it be fun to have a dolls’ party to-day, if the dolls from all -over the world could come? - -These dolls might be dressed in furs, or silks, or blankets; they might -be made of wax, or bone, or wood. But if they could talk they would -tell you that the little girl who owns them loves them, and that, -whether she lives in a snow hut or a tent in the desert, she has a -loving father and mother and a happy childhood. - - * * * * * - -Are there many children in all the world? - -What are some of them doing this very minute? - -If you should go to school in Germany, what would you have to do first? - -What does a little German child have to do when he first goes to school -in our country? - -Tell all the things you can that all the children in the world do -almost every day. - - - - -THE SONG SPARROW’S WORK - - -In the forest where the birds live there is always work to do. - -[Illustration] - -The woodpecker is a carpenter. He climbs up and down the trees and -chops a hole in the trunk of one of them to make his home. - -The crow flies down to the ground, and walks about in the fields. - -He is the birds’ farmer. Toward evening, when he cries, “Caw! Caw!” he -means that the earth needs rain. - -The owl is the night policeman. He watches the rats and mice, and keeps -them out of the farmer’s fields. - -The kingbirds are the soldiers. They fight the birds that come over -from the next forest, and drive them away. - -The hawks have sharp eyes, and can see a long way. They are the scouts, -and tell the soldiers when the enemy is coming. - -The whip-poor-wills can see in the night, so they are the birds’ night -watchmen. - -The orioles are weavers. They weave their nests, and hang them in the -tallest trees. - -One of the birds is a thief, and steals eggs from the nests of the -other birds, but I shall not tell you _his_ name. - -So all of the birds have work to do in the forest. - -What do the song birds do? Ah! they have their work, too. They sing -cheerfully while the other birds work, and make the hours short and the -day happy. - -They sing of the goodness of God, and of the beauty in the forest and -sky. - -If there were no song birds, the workers might forget all of these -lovely things. Then their hearts would be as hard as the tree the -woodpecker is chopping. - -One spring morning the song birds were singing so beautifully that -every one listened. - -The woodpeckers cried, “Plitt! plitt!” The crows screamed, “Rah! rah!” -and the blackbirds laughed with glee. This meant that they liked the -songs. - -In the nests were many baby birds. They liked to hear the songs, too, -so they stretched up their little heads. - -But _they_ could not understand the songs about the sky and the forest. -You see, they had not seen these things yet, and they did not know -what the songs meant. - -The poor babies drooped their heads and were very sad. - -[Illustration] - -There was one bird who thought of the babies in the nests, for he had a -kind heart, and loved little things. - -“I will fly down and sing for them,” he thought; “perhaps it will make -them happy.” - -So he flew into a little bush, quite near the ground, and sang the -sweetest song he knew. Over and over again he sang it, and the babies -in the nests listened all the time. - -“He is singing about the warm sunshine,” said the baby robins. - -“He is singing about rocking in this beautiful cradle,” said the baby -orioles. - -Then, as the song grew sweeter and sweeter, “Listen, listen!” they -cried. “Now he is singing about our mother. That is the best song of -all.” - -So the song sparrow sang in the little bush, telling the babies about -the sun and the breezes and their mothers’ love. - -He waked them in the morning; he sang them to sleep at night. - -Have you never heard him singing, “Sweet, sweet, sweet, loving little -mother, sweet”? - - —_Etta Austin Blaisdell._ - - - - -DUTCH CHILDREN - - -How would you like to go to Holland with me to visit the little Dutch -children? - -First we must go to New York City in a railroad train and then get on -board of one of the big ships that cross the ocean. - -We shall have to travel over the water five or six days and nights in -this big ship, and then ride a long way, after we come to land. - -When the Pilgrims came to this country, nearly three hundred years ago, -they crossed the same ocean, but it took them many weeks. They were in -a small sailing vessel, and had to come very slowly. - -On board of this big ship you will find a great many things to do -and see. There are several hundred people on the vessel, and it is -interesting to watch them. There are books to read, and games to play, -and the days will go very swiftly. - -Most of the time you will not be able to see land in any direction. -All you can see is the sun and the sky and the ocean with big waves -rolling and tossing about. - -I wonder what you will notice the very first thing when you reach -Holland. - -[Illustration] - -Perhaps you will see a group of children running down the street with -their wooden shoes clacking on the stone walks. - -Or perhaps you will see some girls standing at a corner knitting -stockings, or a boy driving a dog harnessed to a little cart. - -If you take a train and ride through the country you will see many -strange things. - -There are big windmills everywhere, with long arms, and sails to catch -the wind. These mills turn wheels to pump water and grind corn and saw -wood. In Holland there are no rivers with falls and swift currents to -turn the mill wheels. - -In some towns there are canals instead of streets, with bridges for the -people to cross from one side to the other. - -In summer there are many boats going up and down the canals, but in -winter the water in the canals freezes, and then everybody skates. -Think what fun it must be to skate to church, to skate to market, to -skate to school, and then skate home again! - -A great many of the poor children in Holland wear wooden shoes when -they are out of doors. When they go into the house they take off their -shoes and leave them at the door. You can tell, by counting the pairs -of shoes at the door, how many children there are in the house. - -Every week the children scrub their wooden shoes with soap and water -until they are almost as white as snow; then they dry them in the sun, -or before the fire in the big open fireplace. - -These wooden shoes make fine boats, and sometimes the boys take them -off and sail them in the canals. The little girls use them for doll -carriages, or play they are beds, and tuck their dolls into them for a -nap. - -If you were walking down a village street in Holland you might see a -red silk ball, or a pink silk one, hanging at the front door of one -of the houses. This is to show that there is a little new baby in the -house. If the ball is red, the baby is a boy; if it is pink, the baby -is a girl. - -There are very good schools in Holland, and all the children go to -school and learn to read and write and sing, just as you do. But their -reading and singing would sound very strange to you, and you could not -read one word of their writing. - -The Dutch children have vacations and holidays, of course. The holiday -they like best of all is Santa Claus Day. It comes on the sixth day of -December, and is very much like our Christmas Day. - -The boys and girls put their wooden shoes in front of the fireplace, -on the hearth, just as you hang your stocking near the chimney, and -Santa Claus rides over the roofs of the houses on a big horse and drops -presents down the chimney into the little shoes. - - * * * * * - -How would you go from your home to New York City? How long would it -take? - -What would you like to see in Holland? - -What would you see that you never saw before? - -Why do the people in Holland build windmills? - -What kind of shoes do many of the children wear? - -What season would you like best if you were in Holland? Why? - - - - -A LITTLE DUTCH GIRL - - - Were you a little Dutch girl - You’d be, perhaps, as sweet - As now you are, my darling, - And very much more neat! - - You’d be a little housewife, - And even at your play - You’d take your knitting needles, - And knit and knit away! - - You’d never be forgetting - To feed your pussy-cat, - And she, like Holland pussies, - Would grow so sleek and fat. - - But were you, dear, a Gretchen, - You’d live across the sea, - And so would be, my dearie, - No kind of use to me. - —_Edith Colby Banfield._ - - - - -THE GREAT FEAST - - -Once the Play Angel came into a nursery where four little children sat -on the floor with sad and troubled faces. - -“What is the matter, children?” asked the Play Angel. - -“We wanted to have a great feast,” said the child whose nursery it was. - -“Yes, that would be delightful,” said the Play Angel. - -“But there is only one cooky!” said the child whose nursery it was. - -“And it is a very small cooky!” said his little cousin. - -“Not big enough for me!” said the child whose nursery it was. - -The other two children said nothing, but they looked at the cooky with -big round eyes, and their mouths went up in the middle and down at the -sides. - -“Well,” said the Play Angel, “let us have the feast just the same. I -think we can manage it.” - -She broke the cooky into four pieces, and gave one piece to the -littlest child. - -[Illustration] - -“See,” she said. “This is a roast chicken. It is just as brown and -crisp as it can be. There is cranberry sauce on one side, and on the -other a little mountain of mashed potato. It must be a volcano, it -smokes so. Do you see?” - -“Yes,” said the littlest child, and his mouth went down in the middle -and up at the corners. - -The Play Angel gave a piece to the next child. - -“Here,” she said, “is a little pie. Outside, as you see, it is brown -and crusty, and inside it is all chicken, and ham, and jelly, and -hard-boiled eggs. Did you ever see such a pie?” - -“No, I never did,” said the child. - -“Now here,” said the Angel to the third child, “is a round cake. The -frosting is half an inch thick, and inside there are chopped nuts and -raisins. It is the prettiest cake I ever saw, and the best.” - -“So it is,” said the third child. - -Then the Angel gave the last piece to the child whose nursery it was. - -“My dear,” she said, “just look! Here is an ice-cream rabbit. He is -snowy white outside, with eyes of red sugar; see his long ears, and his -little tail. Inside, I think you will find he is pink. - -“Now, when I clap my hands and count one, two, three, you must eat the -feast all up. One—two,—three!” - -So the children ate the feast all up. - -“There,” said the Angel, “did you ever see such a grand feast?” - -“No, we never did!” said all the four children together. - -“And there are some crumbs left over,” said the Angel. “Come, and we -will give them to the brother birds.” - -“But you didn’t have any,” said the child whose nursery it was. - -“Oh, yes!” said the Angel, “I had it all.” - - —_Laura E. Richards._ - - * * * * * - - Small service is true service while it lasts. - Of humblest friends, bright creature, scorn not one. - The daisy, by the shadow that it casts, - Protects the lingering dewdrop from the sun. - —_William Wordsworth._ - - - - -LITTLE GRANDMOTHER’S SHOES - - -“But, Grandmother,” said little May, holding up the tiny pair of -calf-skin shoes, “were these your very _best_ shoes? Didn’t you have -any shiny black ones, with a tassel on, like mine? - -[Illustration] - -“And where did you buy them, Grandmother? Did Columbus bring them with -him in his ship?” - -“No, dear; Columbus didn’t bring Grandma’s shoes in his ship. He sailed -back to Spain again three hundred years before these shoes were made. - -“Bring your chair and sit down by me. I will tell you all about these -little worn-out shoes of mine. - -“When I was a little girl,” began Grandmother, “children did not wear -shoes all the time. They went barefoot in the summer, except when they -were dressed up. One pair of shoes had to last a whole year. - -“When we went to church we used to go barefoot, carrying our shoes in -our hands. At the foot of the hill we washed our feet in the brook and -put on our shoes and stockings. - -“Our shoes did not wear out very fast; and if we lost a shoe, we had to -go barefoot till the shoemaker came again.” - -“Oh, dear!” sighed May, “how dreadful! Who was the shoemaker, -Grandmother, and when did he come?” - -“The shoemaker,” Grandmother replied, “was a very important man when I -was a little girl. ‘Shoe week’ was a busy week in the family. - -“I can remember how glad we all were when father said, ‘The shoemaker -will be here to-morrow.’ - -“That night the shoe bench was brought down from the attic and placed -in a warm corner of the kitchen. - -“Father and mother made a list of the shoes that were needed. We -children talked about our new shoes and the shoemaker until we fell -asleep. - -“Early in the morning the shoemaker appeared. He carried his bag of -tools and a roll of leather on his back. By seven o’clock he was seated -at his bench, hard at work. - -“We children used to sit on the floor beside him and watch him work. -First he measured our feet and drew some paper patterns. Then he cut -out the leather. - -“He punched holes along the edges of the leather with a sharp awl; then -the shoe was ready to sew. - -“For his sewing he used a long waxed thread, with a stiff bristle at -each end for a needle. All day long he would sit at his bench, putting -the needles into the holes and pulling the thread through, till the -shoe was sewed firmly. - -“When all our shoes were made, he packed his bag and said good-by for -another year.” - - - - -LITTLE-FOLK LAND - - - The children all go looking - In vain for Fairyland, - Where little folk have dwelling, - And wander hand in hand; - Where silvery small voices - Ring clear upon the air, - Where magic little whispers - Work wonders everywhere; - - Where flower fields are forests, - For tiny feet to tread; - Where one has lived a life-time - Before the day is fled. - For this dear wondrous country - The children look in vain; - They find but empty flowers, - Through sun and summer rain. - - It is the grown folks only - Have eyes for Fairyland, - Where little people wander, - And toddle hand in hand; - Where happy voices prattle, - And whisper secrets strange; - Where tiny sprites by magic - To bigger fairies change; - - Where dancing little figures - Get lost amid the flowers; - Where days as years are measured, - And minutes count for hours. - It is the grown folk only - Can find the land of elves; - How could the children guess it? - The fairies are themselves. - —_Edith Colby Banfield._ - - - - -CHILDREN OF A SUNNY LAND - - -I—A STRANGE MILK WAGON - -Domingo and his sister Marikena live in a warm, sunny land. It is the -land of Brazil, where there are fruits and flowers all the year, and it -is always summer. - -Domingo and Marikena love the sunshine, and the birds and flowers. - -They like to play out of doors in the early morning and at night, but -at noon it is too hot, and every one takes a nap. - -When they go to the woods they do not see crows and blue jays and -woodpeckers. Instead, there are gorgeous parrots and beautiful -humming-birds that are almost as large as robins. - -Perhaps they see monkeys in the palm trees; and, instead of acorns, -they find cocoanuts. - -In their schoolroom they sing all their lessons. Is not that a merry -way? But it would seem strange to you because you could not understand -one word they say. You see, they do not speak English, and they could -not talk with you. - -Every morning the two children are up very early and out on the balcony -watching for something. Soon they call out, “_leite, leite_,” which -means, “milk, milk.” - -And what do you suppose they see? Not a wagon filled with glass jars or -tin cans. Oh, no! It is only two or three cows being driven down the -street by a woman. - -The woman stops the cows in front of Domingo’s house, and milks one of -them while the children watch her. How sweet and fresh this milk is! I -wish you could have some every morning, too! - - -II—A RIDE IN A CHAIR - -Domingo and Marikena are going with their mother to visit their cousin. - -They have had their afternoon nap and it is not too hot out of doors -now, as it is nearly four o’clock. - -If you were going to pay a visit you would walk or ride in a car or -carriage, would you not? - -But Domingo and Marikena are not going in either of those ways. It is -too hot to walk, and the streetcars do not go up the hill where their -aunt lives, so they will ride in a chair. - -[Illustration] - -The chairs are large and have big, soft cushions. They have a cover -overhead and curtains on all sides, and are carried by four men. - -The two children ride in one chair; their mother in another. The -curtains are drawn down, but Domingo peeps out as they ride through the -city streets. - -When they reach the cousin’s house they do not rap on the door or ring -a bell. The mother claps her hands, and when the aunt sees them she -says, “Enter and welcome. The house and all it contains is yours.” - -Is not that a strange way of saying, “I am glad to see you. Will you -come in?” - -They sit in the parlor and while they talk they sip coffee from tiny -cups. Before they come away they walk in the garden, where there are -beautiful flowers and fountains, tall palm trees, and rubber trees with -blossoms like yellow lilies. - -The chair-men wait and the children ride home again, but it is dark, -and they can see only the lights in the houses. The chair swings back -and forth like a cradle as the men trot down the hill into the city. - -They sing as they go, and the song is a low, sweet tune like a lullaby. -Marikena puts her head on the cushions and almost falls asleep. - -Domingo nods and dreams of the fruit and the flowers and the funny pet -monkey his cousin had in the garden. Oh! the days are long and happy in -Brazil, and the children have merry times. - - -III—THE CARNIVAL - -“The Carnival, the Carnival,” shouted Domingo one morning. “This is the -first day of the Carnival.” - -Then he ran to find Marikena. “Look, Sister,” he cried, “I am a clown -this year. What are you?” - -“I am a fairy,” she replied. “See my cap and wand. And here is a bag -full of sugarplums and sweetmeats. I can hang the bag over my shoulder.” - -“See these big pockets,” said her brother. “They are bigger than a bag -and they are just full of goodies. I like to be a clown, because I can -have such big pockets. Take that!” and he threw a handful of sugarplums -into her lap. - -Just then there was a clapping of hands at the door and the children -ran to the balcony. - -In Brazil the Carnival is held on the three days before Lent, and -every one has a holiday. The cities are beautifully decorated, and men, -women and children wear odd costumes and masks. - -Some of them are dressed to look like monkeys, some like parrots, and -some like clowns. Some wear gay dresses and funny masks, and others -wear ugly skins of animals and hideous masks. - -[Illustration] - -The children often carry wreaths and garlands of flowers; and there is -always music and feasting and dancing in the streets. - -Every one has pockets, bags, or baskets full of sugarplums, sweetmeats, -bonbons and flowers. - -These they throw at every one they meet, laughing merrily if they make -a good hit. - -The children think it is great fun to pelt each other with sugarplums -and flowers. It is as good as snow-balling, only they can never have -snow battles because they never have any snow. - -The Carnival is the best time of all the year in Brazil, or at least -Domingo and Marikena think so. - - * * * * * - -Where do Domingo and Marikena live? - -When do they play out of doors? - -What do they see in the woods? - -How is the milk brought to their house? - -When they go visiting, what do they ride in? - -What did their aunt say when they went to call on her? What did they do -at their aunt’s house? - -What do some of the people wear on Carnival days? - -What do they carry in their pockets? What do they throw at each other? - - - - -THE LITTLE PLANT - - -On the edge of the forest stood a tiny plant. It was only six inches -tall. - -The ground around it was so cold and hard that it could not grow -taller. It had stood there many years, sad and sorrowful. - -“Grow and be beautiful,” said the forest sternly, but the plant did not -grow. - -“Do you not wish to grow?” said the blue jay. Then he began to tell the -little plant how lazy and useless it was. But his words went into one -ear and out of the other. - -Still the plant did not grow. - -“Grow! grow!” roared the wind. “Grow tall and straight. I will teach -you to obey. Grow! grow!” - -Then the wind lashed the tiny plant with its cold wings, and beat its -branches to the ground. But the poor thing came near dying and did not -grow at all. - -“Do grow,” said the sun. “Grow and be beautiful. I will help you.” - -Then the sun warmed the earth around the plant, and gentle showers fell -on it from the clouds. - -[Illustration] - -Now the little twigs began to grow, and the tiny plant became a -beautiful birch tree, with green leaves and snow-white bark. - - —_Anna von Rydingsvärd._ - - - - -TWO WAYS - - -Two little weeds grew on a bank by the roadside. - -All summer they had been drinking the dew and sunshine, and had been -very happy. - -But now autumn had come, with gray skies and winds that nipped and -pinched them. - -[Illustration] - -“We shall die soon,” said one little weed. - -“I should like to do something pleasant before I die, just to show what -a happy time I have had. I think I will turn red, and then people will -see how I feel.” - -“You will be very foolish to waste your strength in any such nonsense!” -said the other little weed. “I shall live as long as I can, and hug -the brown bank here.” - -So the first little weed turned bright scarlet, and was so pretty that -every one looked at it. - -By and by there came down the road a most beautiful maiden. - -When she saw the scarlet leaves she picked them and put them in her -hair. - -This made the little weed so happy that he died for pure joy. - -The second little weed lived on, and turned slowly brown, like the bank. - -“He was so foolish!” he said, speaking of the weed that turned scarlet. -“He put all his strength into turning red, and so he died.” - -“I was proud of him,” said the brown bank. “He did what he could, and -people loved him.” - -“Yes, but I am alive, and stay with you!” said the weed. - -“Much I care!” said the bank. - - —_Laura E. Richards._ - - - - -A SONG IN THE WOOD - - - I found a shy little violet root - Half hid in the woods, on a day of spring, - And a bird flew over, and looked at it, too, - And for joy, as he looked, he began to sing. - - The sky was the tenderest blue above,— - And the flower like a bit of the sky below; - And between them the wonderful winds of God - On heavenly errands went to and fro. - - Away from the summer, and out of the South - The bird had followed a whisper true, - As out from the brown and desolate sod - Stepped the shy little blossom, with eyes of blue. - - And he sang to her, in the young spring day, - Of all the joy in the world astir; - And her beauty and fragrance answered him, - While the spring and he bent over her. - - —_Louise Chandler Moulton._ - - - - -HOW THE CORN GREW - - -Little Me Too walked to the right, then to the left, along the sidewalk -in front of the house. - -As he walked he sang with all his might about the ocean, and the summer -time, and any other pleasant thing that came into his head. - -He made it up as he went along, and grew quite out of breath at last, -and had to stop. - -Just as he had got his breath and was meaning to begin all over again, -he saw something very small and yellow on the edge of the walk. - -Then he began to sing the song of whatever it might be that was so -small and yellow. - -This is what he sang:— - - “I wonder what this is. - I guess it is a kernel of corn. - I wonder how it came here - All alone by itself. - I guess I don’t know. - I wonder if it can be planted - In the grass in our yard. - Yes!” - -When he said “Yes!” he stooped down and dug a hole in the ground in the -dooryard with his fingers. - -Then he put the kernel of corn in the hole and covered it over with -dirt. - -Afterwards he stood up and sang at the top of his voice, “Now I guess -it will grow!” - -Of course it grew! - -After a few days it poked itself up through the earth to make Little Me -Too remember. For Little Me Too had forgotten all about it. - -When he saw it poking its head up through the grass, he didn’t remember -even then that it was the kernel of corn. - -It had changed. - -When he put it into the ground and covered it with dirt, it was yellow -and hard. - -Now it was green and soft. It looked somewhat like the rest of the -grass,—but not _just_ like it, or Little Me Too wouldn’t have noticed -it. - -[Illustration] - -When he saw it he said, “There’s a grass that wants to be different. -Perhaps it’s the grandfather grass.” - -He let it alone, and he got the man with the lawn mower to let it -alone. That gave it a good chance to grow. - -It grew just as fast as it could, and as soon as it was big enough it -showed Little Me Too that it was no grandfather grass, but a cornstalk. - -The man with the lawn mower said so. - -Then it was that Little Me Too remembered. When he remembered, he said, -“Yes, it grew.” - -When it had grown to be taller than Little Me Too, people walking along -the sidewalk would look at it, and say, “What a fine garden!” - -The mother said, “I am glad it is something that can’t find its way -into the nursery.” - -Little Me Too it was who first saw the ear of corn growing on the stalk. - -He showed it to some people, and there were others who saw it without -having it shown to them. - -Each of them asked for a bite from it when it should be ripe. - -Little Me Too said “yes,” to them all. - -When he had said “yes” to thirty-one people, his mother said, “Don’t -say ‘yes’ to any more people; you won’t have corn enough for them all.” - -Little Me Too promised not to say “yes” again, but sometimes he -forgot, and by the time the corn was ripe he had said “yes” to fifty -people. - -But he had plenty of corn, for it was an ear of pop corn. - -After it was popped over the nursery fire it filled a big, big bowl. - - —_Julia Dalrymple._ - - - - -“DO YOU KNOW?” - - - Do you know - That you can go - In the early morning light - When the dew is on the grass - And find the little cobweb tents - The fairies sleep in all the night? - - But, alas, you’ll find no traces - Of their little fairy faces! - - —_Edith Colby Banfield._ - - - - -THE LITTLE GOATHERDS - - -Louis and Marie live among the mountains in Switzerland. These -mountains are very high and are called the Swiss Alps. - -The cold winds sweep down the mountain-side and rush through the -valleys. Sometimes it blows so hard that it almost blows the thatched -roofs off the houses. - -But the mountain people know all about these strong winds. What do you -suppose they do to keep the roof from blowing away? They lay heavy -stones on the roof to keep it in place. - -The winters are long and cold; and it snows and snows! You never saw -such deep drifts nor such big fields of ice. - -But the summer is beautiful,—the sky is blue and the sun is bright; and -far away the mountain peaks are capped with glistening snow. - -Then the grass is green and the flowers blossom everywhere. These are -happy days for the children. - -In summer Louis and Marie go out every morning with the goats. Marie -is just a tiny bit of a girl only four years old, but Louis is a big -boy. He is almost nine, and that is very old when one has such a little -sister. - -Louis lets the goats out of their yard. They jump and run and caper -about, and Marie hides behind her mother’s dress. She is afraid of the -goats at first. - -One of the big goats always runs to the vineyard, he is so fond of -grapes. Louis drives him out with a long stick. - -Then the whole herd runs to the wheat field, and Louis runs after them, -shouting at them and driving them away toward the mountain pasture. - -Marie runs along with him and Patte Blanche goes, too. Patte Blanche is -their dog, and his name means White Foot. - -When the goats reach the pasture land they clamber over the rocks and -eat the moss and the bushes and the sweet, green grass. - -Louis and Marie pick the flowers that grow on the mountain-side, and -play little games with the stones. They watch the goats, too, and talk -about them. Sometimes a goat wanders too far away and then Louis sends -White Foot to drive her back to the others. - -[Illustration] - -At noon the children eat their lunch of barley-bread and cheese, and -White Foot sits beside them and eats the bits they give him. - -There is always so much to do and so much to see that the days seem -very short. Soon it is time for White Foot to drive the goats down -from the rocks and the little company starts for home. - -One night a very funny thing happened when they were on their way home. - -The goats were wandering along, nibbling at the green grass, and the -children were following them down the path, when they saw a strange -man sitting on a log. The man was fast asleep and his head nodded and -bobbed up and down. - -Just as Louis saw him, one of the goats spied him, too, and what do -you think she did? She trotted along, ran up behind him and butted him -right off the log. Of course the man waked up and I think he was going -to be very angry, but the goat put her fore feet up on the log and -looked as if she wanted to laugh. - -The children laughed, and so the man laughed, too. Then he walked home -with them and helped them drive the goats into their yard. - -Louis and Marie will never forget how funny the goat looked trying to -laugh at the man, and they like to tell the story over and over again. - - - - -SWISS CHILDREN - - -You have just read a story about Louis and Marie, who live among the -mountains of Switzerland. - -Switzerland is a land of mountains and valleys and many beautiful lakes -and rivers. - -Most of the people live in the valleys and keep cattle, sheep, and -goats. - -In the springtime thousands of cattle are driven up into the mountains -to stay all summer. - -Many of the people go up into the mountains, too, and live in little -huts. The men and boys take care of the cattle, and the women make -butter and cheese. - -The cows wear bells which tinkle as they walk, and the music of all the -bells, in the stillness of the mountains, is very beautiful. - -In the fall the men drive the cattle down into the valleys again. When -they reach the villages their friends come out to meet them, and every -one has a holiday. The children think this is one of the best days in -all the year. They like to hear the bells ring out their welcome; -they like to see the flags and banners waving from the windows and the -house-tops. They sing and dance and shout and are very merry. - -[Illustration] - -At night there is a feast in the village square, and perhaps they like -this best of all. - -Many of the houses in Switzerland are very small and are made of wood. -These little houses are called chalets. - -Louis and Marie live in a tiny chalet on the side of a steep mountain. -Their father owns a farm and has cows and sheep and goats, and ever so -many geese. - -You never saw such a farm in all your life. The mountain is so steep -that the fields and pastures seem to be tipped up on edge, and it looks -as if the horses would fall off when the farmer is plowing the fields, -but they never do. - -Louis has a pet dog. He harnesses his dog to a little wagon and drives -him up and down the road. Sometimes he gives Marie a ride in the wagon. - -Louis goes to the village school, and Marie will have to go as soon as -she is six years old. There are very good schools in Switzerland, and -the children learn the same things that you learn in your school. - -These children have many odd playthings and toys carved out of wood. -They have wooden whistles and horns, and little wooden goats and bears. -Marie has a tiny chalet, almost like the one she lives in, which she -calls her “playhouse.” - -The toys the children like best are the ones that have a music box -in them. The Swiss people make all kinds of music boxes and put them -in all kinds of things, in chairs and tables and clocks, and even in -plates. - -While the boys are learning to carve, the girls learn to embroider on -linen and to make lace. - -Very often the Swiss girls sit outside the door of their chalet making -lace which they sell to the people who are travelling through the -mountains. - - * * * * * - -Where do Louis and Marie live? - -What does their father do? - -Where do the cattle live in the summer? - -Who takes care of them? - -What do the women make, up in the mountains? - -Which holiday do the Swiss children like best? - -What do they do on this day? - -What is a Swiss cottage called? - -Why do people like to travel in Switzerland? - -If you should go there, what would you like to see? - -What would you like to buy? - - - - -LULLABY-LAND - - - Where is the road to Lullaby-land? - Where is the ferry to Dreamland-shore? - Here, little wanderer, take my hand, - Mother will show thee to Lullaby-land, - Mother will ferry her darling o’er - The sweet rocking waters to Dreamland-shore. - - Soft lie the shadows in Lullaby-land, - Soft lap the waters by Dreamland-shore, - Sweet is the sound on that far-away strand - Of little keels grating along the sand, - And tenderly stealeth the moonlight o’er - The dear little children on Dreamland-shore. - - Here, little weary one, take my hand, - Soon shall my dearie be far afloat; - Mother’s lap is Lullaby-land, - Mother’s arms are the empty boat, - Waiting to carry her darling o’er - The sweet rocking waters to Dreamland-shore. - - —_Edith Colby Banfield._ - - - - -THE STONE BLOCKS - - -“Why is your little sister crying, dear?” asked the Play Angel. “I -thought you were taking care of her.” - -[Illustration] - -“So I am, taking beautiful care of her,” said the child. “But the more -beautiful care I take, the more she cries. She does not like to have me -take care of her.” - -“Let me see,” said the Play Angel, and she sat down on the nursery -floor. “Now show me what you have been doing.” - -“Look,” said the child. “First I showed her all my dolls, and then all -my dolls’ dresses. Now I have given her my new stone blocks to play -with, but she will not play with them. She puts them in her mouth and -cries.” - -“Perhaps she is hungry!” said the Play Angel. - -So she took a piece of bread and gave it to the baby. The baby stopped -crying and ate the bread, and laughed and crowed. - -“See!” said the Angel. “Now she is happy. Remember, dear, that when -babies are hungry, stone blocks do them no good.” - -“You are a very clever angel to know that,” said the child. - -“You are a rather foolish child,” said the Angel, “or you would have -found it out for yourself.” - - —_Laura E. Richards._ - - - - -GREAT-GREAT-GRANDMA’S CHRISTMAS IN ENGLAND - - -Betty and Percy sat up until eleven o’clock that Christmas Eve. It was -such a merry time! - -They saw the men bring in the Yule log. It was so big that it took -three men to carry it, and then they had to bring it in on their -shoulders. - -[Illustration] - -At one end of the hall was a large fireplace. I think you never saw one -like it. Pots and kettles hung over the fire, and on each side were -seats where the children could sit and eat apples and tell stories. You -see, it was a very big fireplace. - -The men rolled the Yule log into the fireplace and lighted the fire. -How the sparks flew! How the fire roared up the chimney! - -It lighted the great hall. It shone on the oak table where the supper -was laid. - -On the supper table were two wax candles. These candles were almost as -tall as you are. They were wreathed with holly. - -These were the Christmas candles and they burned the whole evening. The -hall was trimmed with holly and mistletoe. The holly had bright green -leaves and red berries, and the mistletoe had white berries. - -A big bunch of mistletoe hung down from the ceiling before the fire. If -anyone happened to stand under the mistletoe, she was kissed. - -How many times Betty was kissed! First her father caught her under the -mistletoe, then Uncle Edward, and then Grandpa. - -At eleven o’clock Nurse said that Betty and Percy must go to bed. They -did not like to go one bit. - -There was a fire in the fireplace in Betty’s bedroom, but it was very -cold. In Great-Great-Grandma’s time there were no such things as stoves -and furnaces. - -Nurse undressed Betty, and then the little girl climbed up the steps -into her bed. It was so big and high that she had to climb up five -steps to get into it. - -Then Nurse drew the curtains of the bed to keep out the cold. - -Betty was almost asleep when she heard the Waits singing. The Waits -always sang under the windows on Christmas Eve. - -“Open the lattice, please, Nurse,” she said. - -So Nurse opened one of the windows. It opened like a door, and had -panes of glass which were small and diamond-shaped. - -The house Betty lived in was very, very large, and was called a castle. - -This is what the Waits were singing:— - - “God rest ye, merry gentlemen, - Let nothing you dismay, - For Jesus Christ our Saviour - Was born upon this day.” - -Betty did not hear the next verse, because her eyes were shut and she -was fast asleep. - -When she waked up in the morning, the first thing she heard was another -Christmas carol. - -She slid down the side of the bed and ran to the window. - -It was a lovely Christmas morning. The trees and ground and walks were -covered with snow. How it glistened in the sunshine! - -The singers were standing in a row under the window. There were seven -of them, and they were all children from the village whom Betty had -seen when she was driving with her mother. - -How they were bundled up, and their cheeks were as red as roses! - -They were singing this Christmas carol:— - - “I saw three ships come sailing in, - On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day; - I saw three ships come sailing in, - On Christmas Day in the morning.” - -“Quick, quick, Nurse,” said Betty. “Please dress me as quickly as you -can. I must run down with the Christmas boxes.” - -[Illustration: PLEASE DRESS ME AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN.] - -So Nurse hurried, and Betty hurried, and in a little while she was -ready, with a sprig of holly in her dress, and a bit of mistletoe in -her hair. - -Percy was ready, too, and they ran down the long staircase into the -wide hall. - -The Yule log was still burning,—it had burned all night. The door was -opened, and the little singers came in to warm themselves by the fire. - -Betty and Percy gave each of them a “Christmas box.” It wasn’t a box, -it was a gift; but a Christmas gift was called a Christmas box in those -days. - -After the singers had looked at their gifts and had eaten a slice of -plum cake, they went home. - -I cannot tell you everything that Betty and Percy did that day, but you -may be sure they had a good time. - -I must tell you about the Christmas dinner. It was served in the hall, -on the big oak table that stood before the fire. - -When dinner was ready they did not ring a bell, but the cook knocked -three times with his rolling-pin on the door. - -Two men stood in the hall, and when they heard the three knocks they -sounded their trumpets, the doors were opened, and all the family -marched in to dinner. - -I do not know just what they had to eat, but I know they had roast -goose, and a plum pudding just as you do at Christmas time. - -After dinner the children played games. And what do you think they -played? First they played “Puss-puss-in-the-corner,” and then -“Blind-man’s-buff.” - -Isn’t it strange that Great-Great-Grandma should have played the very -games you play, on that Christmas night more than two hundred years -ago? - - - - -THE WHIPPING BOY - - -Many years ago there was a little boy living in England whose name was -Edward. Of course there have been many boys in England by the name of -Edward, but they are not so well known as this boy, for he was the son -of a king. - -[Illustration] - -Edward’s father was King Henry the Eighth, and Edward was called Edward -the Sixth when he became King of England. - -King Henry was very fond of his children and did not like to have them -punished, so he had a little “whipping boy” for each one of them. - -Whenever one of the Princes or Princesses did anything naughty, the -whipping boy was punished. - -Sometimes he had to stand in the corner for a whole hour. Sometimes -he was sent to bed without any supper, and sometimes he had to have a -whipping. - -Prince Edward’s whipping boy was Edward Brown. He lived in the castle -and played with the Prince every day. The two boys were very fond of -each other, and the Prince did not like to have his friend punished. - -So he tried to be good, but there are so many things a Prince must not -do! - -A Prince must not throw his toys out of the castle window. He must -never get angry at his brothers and sisters and quarrel with them. He -must learn his lessons every day. - -He must be polite and obedient to the King and Queen, to all the -Gentlemen in Waiting and Ladies in Waiting, to the Head Nurse and all -the Under Nurses, and to his Tutor and all his teachers. - -Oh! it is very hard to be a good Prince! - -Sometimes Edward Brown had to be punished more than once while the -boys were at play, and sometimes Prince Edward was quite good all day -long. - -One day the Prince did something that was very wrong; and when his -Tutor would have punished the whipping boy, Edward took the cane from -his hand and said, “Sir, you shall whip me for this. It is my command. -I did wrong. I should be punished.” - -When Prince Edward was nine years old, his father died, and the Prince -was made King of England. - -Perhaps you would like to know how he was dressed when he went to be -crowned. He wore a suit of white velvet, embroidered with diamonds, -pearls, and rubies. His cap was white velvet, and his coat was cloth of -silver. - -He rode on a white horse through the city and the people shouted, “Long -live King Edward.” - - - - -THE CHRISTMAS SPRUCE TREE - - -Among the tall trees in the forest grew a little spruce tree. It was no -taller than a man, and that is very short for a tree. - -The other trees near it grew so tall and had such large branches that -the poor little tree could not grow at all. - -She liked to listen when the other trees were talking, but it often -made her sad. - -“I am king of the forest,” said the oak. “Look at my huge trunk and my -branches. How they reach up toward heaven! I furnish planks for men -from which they build their ships. Then I defy the storm on the ocean -as I did the thunder in the forest.” - -“And I go with you over the foaming waves,” said the tall straight -pine. “I hold up the flapping sails when the ships fly over the ocean.” - -“And we warm the houses when winter comes and the cold north wind -drives the snow before him,” said the birches. - -“We have the same work to do,” said a tall fir tree, and she bowed -gracefully, drooping her branches toward the ground. - -[Illustration] - -The little spruce tree heard the other trees talking about their work -in the world. This made her sad, and she thought, “What work can I do? -What will become of me?” - -But she could not think of any way in which she could be useful. She -decided to ask the other trees in the forest. - -So she asked the oak, the pine and the fir, but they were so proud and -stately they did not even hear her. - -Then she asked the beautiful white birch that stood near by. “You have -no work to do,” said the birch, “because you can never grow large -enough. Perhaps you might be a Christmas tree, but that is all.” - -“What is a Christmas tree?” asked the little spruce. - -“I do not know exactly,” replied the birch. “Sometimes when the days -are short and cold, and the ground is covered with snow, men come out -here into the forest. They look at all the little spruce trees and -choose the prettiest, saying, ‘This will do for a Christmas tree.’ - -“Then they chop it down and carry it away. What they do with it I -cannot tell.” - -The little spruce asked the rabbit that hopped over the snow, the owls -that slept in the pines, and the squirrels that came to find nuts and -acorns. - -But no one knew more than the birch tree. No one could tell what men -did with the Christmas trees. - -Then the little spruce tree wept because she had no work to do and -could not be of any use in the world. - -The tears hardened into clear, round drops, which we call gum. - -At last a boy came into the forest with an axe in his hand. He looked -the little tree all over. “Perhaps this will do for a Christmas tree,” -he said. So he chopped it down, laid it on a sled, and dragged it home. - -The next day the boy sold the tree, and it was taken into a large room -and dressed up with pop corn and gilded nuts and candles. Packages of -all sizes and shapes, and tiny bags filled with candy, were tied on its -branches. - -The tree was trembling with the excitement, but she stood as still as -she could. “What if I should drop some of this fruit,” she thought. - -When it began to grow dark, every one left the room and the tree was -alone. It began to feel lonely and to think sad thoughts. - -Soon the door opened and a lady came in. She lighted all the candles. - -How light and glowing it was then! - -The tree had never even dreamed of anything so beautiful! - -Then the children came and danced about the tree, singing a Christmas -song. The father played on his violin, and the baby sat in her mother’s -arms, smiling and cooing. - -“Now I know what I was made for,” thought the spruce tree; “I was -intended to give joy to the little ones, because I, myself, am so small -and humble.” - - —_Anna von Rydingsvärd._ - - - - -A ROSE - - - A sepal, petal, and a thorn - Upon a common summer’s morn, - A flash of dew, a bee or two, - A breeze - A caper in the trees,— - And I’m a rose! - - —_Emily Dickinson._ - - - - -THE EVE OF ST. NICHOLAS - - -It was the Eve of St. Nicholas. In Germany St. Nicholas’s Day comes on -the sixth of December. - -The children were in the nursery. On the hearth before the fireplace, -were five little sugar shoes. - -Thekla was filling her shoe with oats. Max put rye in his shoe. Hans -put an apple in his, and Gretchen filled hers with lumps of sugar. - -Betty, the poor little girl who sometimes helped in the kitchen, had -only a bit of brown bread to put in her shoe. - -The children were expecting St. Nicholas, who always comes on a white -horse, and the things in the shoes were for the horse to eat. - -As the clock struck six there was a loud knock at the door. - -Aunt Hilda opened the door, and in came St. Nicholas. He was very tall -and had a long white beard. He wore a long black robe and a red and -white cap, with a big red tassel. - -“Dear little children,” he said, “it will soon be Christmas. I have -come to find the good children. I shall bring gifts to them on -Christmas Eve. Has Thekla learned to knit?” - -[Illustration] - -“Yes, indeed,” said her mother. “See this pair of stockings she has -knit for Hans.” - -“They are very well made,” said St. Nicholas. “I shall surely bring a -gift for Thekla. Has Hans learned to get up early?” - -“We have not had to call him for six weeks,” said his father. - -“Good,” said St. Nicholas. “Has Max learned his multiplication tables?” - -“Max is trying very hard,” said Aunt Hilda. “He knows all but the nines -and twelves.” - -“And the dear little Gretchen?” said St. Nicholas, patting the baby’s -golden curls. - -They all smiled, and the mother said, “The dear little Gretchen is -always sweet and good.” - -“Well, well, I shall certainly bring many beautiful gifts to this -house,” said St. Nicholas. - -“And don’t forget little Betty,” said Aunt Hilda. - -So the good Saint took the oats, the rye and the apple, the lumps of -sugar, and the bit of brown bread out of the sugar shoes and went out -into the night. I suppose he gave them to his horse. - -“St. Nicholas has eyes like Uncle Max,” said Thekla. - -“He smiled like Uncle Max, too,” said her brother. - -St. Nicholas kept his word. On Christmas Eve there was a Christmas tree -in the parlor. On it there were many beautiful gifts, and little Betty -was not forgotten. - -The next night the children hung gifts on the same tree for father, -mother, Uncle Max, Aunt Hilda, and the dear Grandfather. - -Each one of the children had something of his very own for Grandfather. - -Thekla had knit a warm scarf for him. Max can carve in wood, so he had -made a stout cane and had carved it very handsomely. - -Hans drew a picture for him, and the dear little Gretchen gave him two -of her very best kisses. - -Oh, it was a very happy Christmas! - - - - -ROBIN REDBREAST - - - Good-by, good-by to summer! - For summer’s nearly done; - The garden smiling faintly, - Cool breezes in the sun; - Our thrushes now are silent, - Our swallows flown away,— - But Robin’s here, in coat of brown, - And ruddy breast-knot gay, - Robin, Robin Redbreast, - O Robin dear! - Robin sings so sweetly - In the falling of the year. - - Bright yellow, red, and orange, - The leaves come down in hosts; - The trees are Indian princes, - But soon they’ll turn to ghosts; - The leathery pears and apples - Hang russet on the bough; - It’s autumn, autumn, autumn late, - ’Twill soon be winter now. - Robin, Robin Redbreast, - O Robin dear! - And what will this poor Robin do? - For pinching days are near. - - The fireside for the cricket, - The wheat stack for the mouse, - When trembling night-winds whistle - And moan all round the house. - The frosty ways like iron, - The branches plumed with snow,— - Alas! in winter dead and dark, - Where can poor Robin go? - Robin, Robin Redbreast, - O Robin dear! - And a crumb of bread for Robin, - His little heart to cheer! - - —_William Allingham._ - - - - -“THE LITTLE TURKEYS” - -IN SCHOOL - - -The “little Turkeys” that I am going to tell you about are the children -that live in a far away land called Turkey. - -To reach this land you would have to travel many hundreds of miles in -railroad trains and big ships. - -In fact it is almost as far away as China, and that, you know, is -farther away than you can imagine. - -The “little Turkeys” are very interesting, and they would think your -way of living just as strange as you will think theirs is. - -To begin at the very beginning, the tiny baby doesn’t wear any dresses. -He is wrapped round and round, body, legs, and arms, with cloths, until -he looks like a dry-goods bundle. - -Every baby wears a gay little bonnet, usually bright green, because the -favorite color of the Turks is green. - -The Turkish baby is often hung up in a little cloth hammock, but -sometimes he is rocked to sleep in a wooden cradle. - -The cradle is a long wooden box on low rockers with high carved ends. - -In the Sultan’s treasure house is a cradle of solid gold, decorated -with pearls, diamonds, and rubies. This is the cradle in which the baby -princes are rocked; and it is very beautiful, as you can easily imagine. - -When the boy baby is about a year old he is placed in charge of a man -nurse, if the father is not too poor. This man takes care of him until -he is six years old. - -Then the boy is given a new suit of clothes and a pony, and he is ready -to go to school. Almost all of the boys in Turkey ride on horse-back. I -think you would like that. - -The new suit may be big baggy trousers, with an embroidered shirt and -short jacket. Or it may be long full trousers of gay striped calico, -and a little jacket, quilted in puffy squares. - -Every boy wears on his head a red fez with a black tassel. - -In his new suit, the boy starts off for school on his pony, and his -brothers go with him. The bells on the pony jingle, the boys shout and -sing, and it is a very merry procession. - -[Illustration] - -The schoolhouse stands near the church. Inside, it is very plain. There -is a blackboard hung from the ceiling, a shelf for books and slates, -and one for a water jar. - -There is a little shelf for the teacher’s pipe, and a place where he -makes coffee over a tiny lamp. For the teacher smokes and sips coffee -while the children study their lessons. - -The children sit cross-legged on mats on the floor, and study out loud, -bending their bodies back and forth all the time. Perhaps they think -this helps them to remember. - -They learn their letters, and very queer letters you would think them, -out of the Koran. They have no other book until they know this one by -heart, and can repeat it and write it. - -Then they learn a little arithmetic and a very little geography. - -In olden times the girls did not go to school at all, but stayed at -home learning to keep house, sew, and embroider. They were also taught -to weave cloth and to make beautiful rugs. - -Now there are many schools for girls, as well as high schools and -colleges for both girls and boys. - -The noise of the studying is stopped once during the day. At noon the -time for prayer is called out from the tower of the church. Then all -is quiet for a few minutes while teacher and pupils kneel to say the -midday prayer. - -Then the candy-man appears with all sorts of sweets on trays. The -candies are called “Turkish delights.” They are “pasty, creamy, crackly -things, made from rose-leaves, violets, nuts, dates and grapes, mixed -with honey, sugar, syrup and spices.” - -Doesn’t that sound good enough to eat? - - * * * * * - -Where do the “little Turkeys” live? - -How would you reach their country? - -Describe the Turkish baby’s cradle. - -Describe the princes’ cradle. - -How does the Turkish boy go to school? - -Tell what you can about the school. - -What does the candy-man sell? - -What are the candies made of, and what are they called? - - - - -“THE LITTLE TURKEYS” - -AT HOME - - -Little boys who like to lie in bed in the morning would not like to -live in Turkey. - -All the grown people and all the children have to get up twice every -day. - -[Illustration] - -They get up first at day-break, wash their faces and hands, and repeat -their morning prayer. Then they go back to bed. - -Two hours later they rise, wash, and have their coffee. Breakfast is -served two hours later still. - -After breakfast the father goes to work and the mother gets the -children ready for school. - -The children have their lunch at school, as I told you. Dinner is -served at night. If there are gentlemen to dine with the father, only -the sons sit at the table. The mother and daughters dine in another -room. - -After dinner every one has a good time. The children play games, and -sometimes the older people play with them. They are also fond of story -telling, and tell wonderful stories of battle and adventure. - -Then the family goes to bed on the floor. That is, they lay mattresses -on the floor and cover themselves with blankets. - -Every one goes to church on Friday. The boys sit with their father, and -the girls sit with their mother in a gallery where they cannot be seen. -At the entrance to the church they wash their hands and feet and put on -a pair of slippers. - -After church the children play games of tag, or hide-and-seek. They -have few toys. The girls have dolls, and the boys have marbles or -balls. The marbles are nothing but a kind of round nut. - -They do not have the holidays you do, but there are a few feast days, -when they have a very good time. One of the feasts is like our Easter, -only it lasts three days. Then there are merry-go-rounds in the -squares, and ponies to ride on for a penny. - -The girls have new dresses of red, blue and yellow silk, and the boys -have gay little uniforms. - -The candy-men walk the streets with big trays piled high with sweets, -and every one eats a great deal too much candy. - -Should you like to live in Turkey, or do you like your own country best? - - * * * * * - -Tell what the “Little Turkeys” do in the morning. - -What do the children do after dinner? - -What toys do they have? What games do they play? - -Where do the Turkish people sleep? - -Would you like to live in Turkey? Why? - - - - -“GILLYFLOWER GENTLEMAN” - - -“Why do you play alone, dear,” asked the Play Angel, “and look so sadly -over your shoulder at the other children?” - -[Illustration] - -“Because they are so selfish!” said the child. “They will not play with -me.” - -“Oh, what a pity!” said the Angel. “Tell me all about it.” - -“I want to play one game, and they all want to play another!” said the -child. “It is very unkind of them.” - -“Did you ever play Gillyflower Gentleman?” asked the Angel. - -“No,” said the child. “What is it?” - -“You shall see,” said the Angel. “Let us ask the others if they know -it.” - -The other children did not know it, but they were eager to learn, and -soon they were all playing Gillyflower Gentleman. They played till all -their breath was gone, and they had to sit down on the haycocks to rest. - -“That was a fine game!” said the first child. “I will play yours now, -if you wish me to.” - -“We were just going to tell you that we would play yours,” said the -other children. So they played both the games, and the Play Angel went -back to her work. - - —_Laura E. Richards._ - - - - -THE RULER - - -It was time for the Child to have lessons. The father gave him a sheet -of paper, smooth and white; a pencil, and a ruler. - -[Illustration] - -“Write as well as you can,” he said, “and be sure you keep the lines -straight!” - -The Child admired the ruler very much. “I will put it up on the wall,” -he said, “where I can see it always.” - -So he put it up on the wall, and the sunbeams sparkled on it. - -“It must be pure gold,” said the Child; “there is nothing else so -beautiful in the world.” And then he began his task. - -By and by the lesson time was over, and the father came to see what had -been done. - -The Child showed him the paper on which he had written his task. Up and -down went the lines, here and there, from side to side of the sheet, -which was covered with sprawling, straggling letters. There were spots, -too, where he had tried to rub out something. It was not a pretty page. - -“What is this?” asked the father. “Where is your ruler?” - -“There it is,” said the Child. “It is up on the wall. It was so -beautiful that I put it up there where I could see it all the time. See -where it hangs! But it does not seem as bright as it was.” - -“No,” said the father. “It would have been brighter if you had used it.” - -“But I admired it very much,” said the Child. - -“But your lines are crooked,” said the father. - - —_Laura E. Richards (Adapted)._ - - - - -THE MOON - - - There’s a throne in the east and a throne in the west, - And the royal heavens lie between. - For the golden sun is a sceptred king, - And the moon is his crownéd queen. - A lonely queen is the silver moon, - Though the dimpling stars her maidens are; - She passes among them silently - As she follows her lord afar. - —_Edith Colby Banfield._ - - - - -THE CHILDREN OF ARMENIA - - -When you were a very little boy did you have a “Noah’s Ark” for a -plaything? And do you remember the story of “Noah and his Ark?” - -This story tells, you remember, about a severe storm, when it rained -forty days and forty nights and all the land was flooded. - -But Noah had built an ark and invited two animals of every kind, and a -few persons, to live in his ark during the flood. - -When the storms were over, the ark rested on a mountain, and this was -Mount Ararat. - -Mount Ararat is in the country of Armenia, and in this country lives a -very interesting people. - -Armenia is a mountainous country and Mount Ararat is the highest of all -the mountains. It is so high that it has a snow cap all the year round, -even during the hottest part of the summer. - -The Armenian children are often very pretty, with black hair, black -eyes, and round, red cheeks. They are bright and anxious to learn, and -they often ride a long way on donkey-back to get to the church schools. - -[Illustration] - -The schools are not free like the school you go to, and often the -parents have to pay the school with grain and cheese because they have -no money. - -There is a free school near every church, and the priest is the -teacher. Here the little boys and girls learn the Armenian alphabet, -and also study reading, writing, geography, and grammar. - -The mirigs (mothers) of the little Armenians have to wake them very -early, for they have to go to school at seven. - -They sit cross-legged on the floor, and study their lessons aloud. All -the children carry a lunch from home, and they eat together in another -little room, still sitting on the floor. - -Boys and girls go to the same school until they are ten or twelve -years old; then the girls go to a different school. Here they learn -dressmaking and embroidery. The materials are supplied by the school, -and at the end of the year the articles are sold and the money goes to -the school. - -The boys do not earn money for the school, but they have to sing in the -church on Sunday. - -When school closes at night the children form in line, with their hands -folded, and march to their homes. The line stops at each house where a -child lives, while the little one bids his friends good-night. - -In winter there are deep snows, and then Hagop (Jacob) and Garabet -(George) and the other boys build snowmen and have snowball battles. - -But in summer they work more than they play, for they have to go up to -the mountains with herds of goats. A few women go to cook for them, and -they all live in huts built of boughs. - -The girls have rag dolls, with painted eyes, nose and mouth, and very -red cheeks. These dolls are dressed just like the little girls, with -gaily colored dresses of red, green, purple, or yellow. Their hair is -braided in long braids, and strung with beads and coins. - - * * * * * - -Where is Mount Ararat? - -Tell the story of Noah and his Ark. - -What is the highest mountain in Armenia? - -What covers the top of this mountain? - -What is the Armenian word for “mamma?” - -What do the children learn in the church schools? - -How do the children go home from school? - -What do the boys do in winter? In summer? - - - - -ARMENIAN HOMES - - -Hagop and Garabet live at the foot of Mount Ararat in a small village. - -Their father is very poor and cannot afford to build a house, so they -live in a hut, built of mud, with walls three feet thick. - -The inside of the house is plastered with chopped straw and mud mixed -together. The mud roof is flat and is kept smooth by rolling it often -with a stone, or treading it with bare feet. Hagop and Garabet think it -is great fun to go up on the roof after it rains and tread the soft mud -with their bare feet. Then their father rolls it with a big round stone -until it is smooth and firm. - -There are many huts like this in Armenia, and they are often half under -ground, with the earth that has been dug out piled up around them. A -village of such dwellings looks a good deal like a village of huge -ant-hills. - -There is only one door for the people and animals. Animals? Yes, -animals. For in winter the poor people let the animals come into the -room with them, and almost every family has at least a few goats. - -There is a fireplace in the middle of the earth floor for cooking, but -there is no chimney, and the room is very smoky. - -The mother makes big thin sheets of blanket bread and bakes it before -the fire. Sometimes she makes little cakes of the bread and spreads -them with thick cream. - -The children drink goats’ milk with their bread, and once in a long -while they have a few raisins. - -There are no windows in the hut, instead there are a few holes for -light; and there are no tables, no chairs, no beds, no bureaus. In fact -there is no furniture except some mats and blankets. Hagop’s mother -weaves the mats and blankets herself. The children like to watch the -patterns grow on the rugs as the mother weaves the colored threads back -and forth. - -The people sit on the mats in the daytime and at night they roll -themselves in the blankets and sleep on these same mats. - -Of course the rich people in the towns and cities have much more -comfortable houses, and they often have beautiful carved furniture and -handsome rugs. But these houses have flat roofs, too, and in summer -every one, rich or poor, lives on the roofs. - -[Illustration] - -There all the work is done; the women weave rugs or make beautiful -lace; the little girls play with their dolls; and at night the mats are -spread and the family sleep under the stars. - -I do not believe I should like to live in Armenia, but I should enjoy -sleeping out of doors on the warm summer nights, watching the twinkling -stars until I fell asleep. - - * * * * * - -Describe the house where Hagop and Garabet live. - -What does a village of these huts look like? - -Where do the goats live? - -What makes the house smoky? - -What do the children have to eat and drink? - -Describe the inside of the house where Hagop and Garabet live. - -Where do the people live in the summer time? - -Where do they sleep in summer? In winter? - -Tell all the things you can that Hagop’s mother has to do. - - - - -THE NEST - - - Under the apple tree, somebody said, - “Look at that robin’s nest overhead! - All of sharp sticks, and of mud, and clay— - What a rough home for a summer day!” - Gaunt stood the apple tree, gaunt and bare, - And creaked in the winds which blustered there. - The nest was wet with the April rain; - The clay ran down in an ugly stain; - Little it looked, I must truly say, - Like a lovely home for a summer day. - - Up in the apple tree, somebody laughed, - “Little you know of the true home-craft. - Laugh if you like, at my sticks and clay; - They’ll make a good home for a summer day. - May turns the apple tree pink and white, - Sunny all day, and fragrant all night. - My babies will never feel the showers, - For rain can’t get through these feathers of ours. - Snug under my wings they will cuddle and creep, - The happiest babies awake or asleep,” - Said the robin-mother, flying away - After more of the sticks and mud and clay. - - Under the apple tree somebody sighed, - “Ah me, the blunder of folly and pride! - The roughest small house of mud or clay - Might be a sweet home for a summer day, - Sunny and fragrant all day, all night, - With only good cheer for fragrance and light; - And the bitterest storms of grief and pain - Will beat and break on that home in vain, - Where a true-hearted mother broods alway, - And makes the whole year like a summer day.” - —_Helen Hunt Jackson._ - - - - -AHMOW—THE WOLF - - -I - -Little Ahmow was an Eskimo boy. He lived with his parents on the bleak -northern shore of Hudson Bay. - -During the long Arctic winter these Eskimos kill the walrus which live -at the edge of the ice. In the short summer they hunt them on the -islands near the shore. - -The walrus meat is cut into strips and sewed up in bags made of the -walrus skin. This is to keep the dogs from stealing and eating it. - -The walrus oil is put into casks to be used in the dark winter months -for heat and light. - -Ahmow’s father killed many walrus every summer and stored the meat and -oil on the islands. Then in the winter he rode over on the ice to get -it. - -One cold winter day, when Ahmow was ten years old, his father said, -“To-morrow I shall go to the island for oil.” - -“We need meat, too,” said his wife, “and food for the dogs.” - -“May I go with you, father?” said Ahmow. “I will help you all I can.” - -[Illustration] - -“No,” answered Nannook. “It is far and you are only a boy.” - -Ahmow begged so hard that at last his father said he might go. - -“But it will be a long cold ride, and there are often bears and wolves -on the island.” - -So Ahmow dressed himself in his new reindeer suit that his mother had -made, and pulled his sealskin cap well over his ears. - -He helped his father get ready for the long, cold journey. First they -put a thick coating of ice on the sledge-runners. Then they filled two -sealskin bags with food and water. - -They called the dogs and harnessed them to the sledge. There were eight -of them, and they could run like the wind. - -Last of all Ahmow crawled into the house, bade his mother good-by, and -brought out the long whip. - -Nannook wrapped his little boy in a bearskin, cracked his whip over the -dogs, and away they flew over the ice. Oh, how happy Ahmow was! - - -II - -After a while the dogs stopped running and began to trot, and Ahmow -looked about over the vast fields of ice. - -Not a tree, not a house, not a person was in sight. As far as he could -see there was nothing but ice and snow. Everything was still and white -in the dim light. - -When they had nearly reached the island, what did they see but a huge -polar bear! He was prowling around the oil casks, looking for something -to eat. - -Nannook unharnessed the dogs at once. “Go,” he cried, and they raced -across the ice after the bear. - -The bear was so big and clumsy that he could not run fast. The dogs -soon surrounded him, and held him until Nannook came running up to -shoot him. - -Ahmow helped his father skin the bear and cut up the meat. Then they -loaded the sledge with a cask of oil, some walrus meat, the bearskin, -and part of the bear meat. - -After eating their luncheon, Ahmow was again rolled up in the bear rug, -and they started for home. Nannook walked beside the sledge. The dogs -walked too, because the load was so heavy. - -When they were nearly halfway home, Nannook saw some reindeer. - -“Watch the dogs, Ahmow,” he said, “and I will try to shoot one of -those reindeer. Then we can have a fine dinner.” - -So he took the gun and ran swiftly over the snow. Soon he was out of -sight, and Ahmow was alone with the dogs. - -The little boy played with the dogs at first, but after a while they -curled up and went to sleep. - -Ahmow was sleepy, too, and it was so warm in the bear rug that he -almost went to sleep. - -All at once he heard a growl, then a dog barked. Ahmow was wide awake -and listening. “What is it, Naka?” he said to the dog that barked. - -Naka barked again, and the hair stood up straight on his back. - -Ahmow stood up and looked about. There was a fierce, hungry-looking -wolf coming toward him! He looked again! One, two, three, four wolves -were leaping over the snow! - -The boy threw off the rug, and seized his father’s whip and walrus -spear. “Come here,” he called to the dogs. “Come here to the sledge.” - -Then, as the wolves came nearer, he jumped into the cask of meat. - -[Illustration] - -One big wolf ran up to the sledge. Ahmow leaned over and struck him -with the whip with all his might. The wolf howled and turned back. - -Another wolf would have killed one of the dogs, but Ahmow threw out a -big piece of bear meat. The wolf seized the meat and began to eat it. - -Now a third wolf came up to the sledge. Just then Ahmow saw his father -running toward him. - -“He will drive the wolves away,” he thought, “but I should like to kill -one if I can.” - -So he held the spear as he had seen his father hold it. As the wolf -came nearer, he raised it. As the wolf jumped, he threw it with all his -might right into the wide-open mouth. There was a howl, a growl, and -then the wolf tried to run away. But Ahmow wound the spear line around -the sledge post and held it tight. - -Nannook shot two of the wolves, but the one that had the meat got away -with it. - -Then as he ran to the sledge, “Look, father,” cried Ahmow. “See this -fine wolf, with the sharp nose, and the bushy tail. He is held fast -with the walrus line, and he has eaten the walrus spear.” - -“Well done, lad,” said his father. “You will be a good hunter. Now, -you shall have a spear of your own and you shall go with me on the big -hunts.” - -So from that day the boy was a hunter, and the people in the village -called him “Ahmow,” which means, “little wolf.” - - —_Frederick Schwatka._ - - - - -ESKIMO CHILDREN - - -The Eskimos live in Greenland. I am sure you would wonder why it is -called “Greenland,” for it is almost never “green.” Nearly all the year -round the ground is covered with ice and snow, so that it seems as if -“Whiteland” would be a better name. - -[Illustration] - -It is so cold in Greenland that the Eskimos have to wear very warm -clothing. The boys and girls and men and women dress very much alike. -They wear trousers made of bearskin and coats made of sealskin. Their -stockings are like leggings and are made of birdskin, with soft -feathers inside to keep their feet warm. Over these they wear sealskin -boots, which are long enough to cover their knees. - -It is so cold in Greenland that trees cannot grow. If you think of all -the ways in which we use the wood from our forest trees you will wonder -what the Eskimos can do without them. - -We build houses of wood, but the Eskimos make theirs of blocks of ice -and snow. - -We burn wood in our stoves. The Eskimos burn oil and fat which they get -from the walrus and the seal. They burn this oil in a lamp which gives -them all the light and heat they have. - -Our beds, chairs and tables are made of wood. The Eskimos have no beds. -They sleep on bearskin rugs. - -They have no tables and no chairs. A big bowl made of bone is set on -the floor, and the family sit around the bowl on bearskins, and eat out -of it. - -There are no stores in Greenland, no churches, and no schools. -Everything that a family needs has to be provided by the father or -the mother. The father goes hunting and fishing, to get food to eat, -and oil to burn, and skins to wear. He catches fish, and kills bears, -seals, walrus, and reindeer. Sometimes in the summer he kills a few -birds. - -The mother helps cut up the meat, and sometimes she cooks it, but much -of the meat and fat is eaten raw. From the skins and furs she makes all -the clothing for her family. - -As there are no schools the Eskimo children never learn to read or -write, but they like to hear their mother and father tell stories, and -they learn these stories so that they can tell them to their children. - -Every one in Greenland has a sled. The runners are made of bone, and -the top is made of sealskin. Dogs draw these sleds over the snow, and -they can run very fast and very far. - -The boys and girls have very few toys, but they like to play games, and -they have many good times. - -The girls have dolls made of bone, and the boys play a game with a ball -and stick made of bone. - -But the boys like to hunt and fish. They have small boats made of bone -and sealskin, and paddles made of bone. Of course they can use these -boats only in the short summer time, as the water is frozen the rest of -the year. When they go hunting they carry spears, and a bow and arrows. - - * * * * * - -Do you think you would like to live in Greenland? - -Name ten things that you have that the Eskimo children have never seen. - -Tell five things that you can do that the little Eskimos cannot do. - -What do we have to eat that the Eskimos cannot have? - -Why do the Eskimos build their houses of snow? How is the house heated? - -Of what is their clothing made? - -How do they cook and eat their food? - -What do the Eskimo children do for fun? - - - - -THE DREAM-SHIP - - - The Dream-ship minds no stormy gales, - Her masts are all of gold, - With splendor of wide silken sails, - Red-rosy, fold on fold. - They spread below, they spread aloft, - They’re never reefed nor furled, - And they will bear us safe and soft, - The other side the world. - - We shall not see the shadow crew - That work among the spars, - But watch the topmast sailing through - The shoals of shining stars. - From point to point of silver light, - Through purple gulfs and bays, - As we below a-gliding go - Along the water-ways. - —_Blanche M. Channing._ - - - - -A TRIP TO JAPAN - - -There are so many things to tell you about “Nippon,” as the Japanese -call their country, that I do not know where to begin. - -But first of all I must tell you how we landed. There were six of -us,—Charlotte and Alice and Fred, their father and mother, and I,—and -we had come all the way across the Pacific Ocean in a big ship. - -Our ship was anchored out in the harbor, and we were told we might go -ashore. - -We wondered if we were expected to swim, but it seemed too far for that. - -You can imagine how glad we were when we looked over the side of the -ship and saw a great many little boats waiting for us. - -A stairway was hung out over the side of the ship, and we walked down -into the little boats, just as we walk down stairs in our houses. - -Then the trunks were lowered by ropes into little Japanese rowboats, -called sampans, and we waved “good-by” to the captain and all our -friends on the ship. - -[Illustration] - -Did you ever go to sleep and dream you were in a doll’s country, where -you seemed like a giant? Alice said she knew now just how that other -Alice felt in her visit to Wonderland, for she never saw such tiny -little people, and such tiny little houses, and even such tiny little -trees. - -When we got on shore we found queer little two-wheeled carriages, drawn -by men instead of horses. The carriages are called jinrikishas, and are -just big enough for one person. - -We each got into one of these carriages and the jinrikisha boys picked -up the shafts and trotted off like nice little ponies. - -These boys wear dark-blue trousers that fit their legs very tightly, -and a short blue jacket with flowing sleeves, and on their back is a -Chinese letter painted in white, which is their employer’s name. - -On their feet they wear straw sandals which they kick off, when they -are worn out, as a horse casts his shoe. The hat is a funny round straw -disk, covered with white, which makes them look like toadstools. - -The houses, as I said, are very tiny, not much larger than your -playhouses, and the walls are all made of sliding screens that can be -pushed aside, leaving the house open. - -The floors are covered with matting, which is as soft as cushions, but -there is no furniture anywhere to be seen, for the Japanese sit on the -floor and sleep on the floor, and their tables are tiny little trays. - -The houses are spotlessly clean, for no Japanese would think of going -into a house with his shoes on, any more than you would walk over your -mother’s chairs and cushions in your shoes. - -One day we went to see a wonderful image. We rode out to it in -jinrikishas, and we each had two ’rikisha boys to pull us. We sped -along at a rapid pace, for the boys are so well trained that they make -nearly as good time as a horse, and a day’s run is sometimes as much as -forty miles. - -We had a regular Japanese “tiffin,” or lunch, at a little Japanese inn -that had a pretty garden all around it. We took off our shoes at the -door just as the Japanese do, and walked across the soft, matted floor. - -A screen was drawn aside for us to enter, and then closed again, -leaving us in a little room. Here we all squatted on our heels, as -nearly like a Japanese as our stiff muscles would let us, for, without -being trained, it is hard to shut up like a jackknife. - -[Illustration] - -Then pretty little Japanese girls stole in noiselessly, bringing us -trays of food, one for each person, and knelt down beside us to uncover -our dishes and wait on us. - -In one tiny bowl was some vegetable soup, in another some rice, and in -a third some fish, which was cooked for us, though to have been truly -Japanese we should have eaten it raw. - -Of course there was tea. Everywhere you go they give you tea in wee -cups without handles; just about a thimbleful, without cream and -without sugar; not at all as we drink it at home. - -But with all this feast before us, there was nothing to eat it with but -two funny little chopsticks, and terrible times we had trying to manage -those little sticks that serve the Japanese so well, but which seemed -bewitched the minute we got them between our fingers. - -After trying a long time we would get a mouthful, as we thought, firmly -fixed between the chopsticks, but just as we would open our mouths to -take it in, the bewitched chopsticks would give a twitch, and down the -whole thing would fall again. - -So, though we spent much time over it, we ate very little, and we all -agreed that it is better to eat with forks as we do in America. - -After tiffin we went to a silk factory, for a great deal of silk is -manufactured in Japan. There we found over three thousand girls and -women busy unrolling the cocoons. The silk is woven in another place, -and rolled in neat rolls, ready for sale. - -Most of the way we rode along the beach, where we could see the -fishermen in their boats, and in one boat was a boy we called Urashima, -for when we looked for him a second time he had disappeared. - - —_Charlotte Chaffee Gibson._ - - * * * * * - -What do the Japanese call their country? - -Where was the big ship anchored? - -How did the passengers get from the ship to the shore? - -What is a jinrikisha? How is it drawn? - -Describe a Japanese house. - -What is the Japanese word for lunch? - -What did the children have to eat at the inn? - -What did they have to eat it with? - -Where did they go after “tiffin?” - -What would you like to do if you should go to Japan? - - - - -URASHIMA - - -Urashima was a fisher-boy who lived long ago in Japan. - -One day he went out in his boat, and after he had been fishing a little -while, he felt something very heavy tugging at his line. - -He gave a hard pull and got it up into his boat. Then he found that it -was a big tortoise with such a funny old wrinkled face that he burst -out laughing when he saw it. - -In Japan a tortoise lives a thousand years, so Urashima thought it -would be a shame to kill this funny old fellow, when he might have so -long to live. Besides, a small fish would suit him just as well for -dinner, so he threw the tortoise back into the sea, and meant to go on -fishing. - -But somehow the air seemed too heavy and drowsy, just as it does on a -summer’s day, and Urashima fell asleep. - -While he was sleeping a beautiful maiden rose out of the water and got -into the boat with him. Urashima waked, and when he saw her he thought -she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. - -The maiden spoke to him. “Urashima,” she said, “you thought you caught -a tortoise a little while ago, but it was really me. My father had sent -me in disguise to see if you were a good, kind boy. - -“We know now that you are kind-hearted, as you spared the life of the -old tortoise. So I am going to take you with me to the Dragon Palace, -where my father, the Sea King, and I live. There you shall marry me, -and we shall be very happy.” - -[Illustration: I AM GOING TO TAKE YOU WITH ME TO THE DRAGON PALACE.] - -Urashima gladly consented, and they floated away till they came to a -wonderful palace at the bottom of the sea. - -This palace was all built of the most beautiful pink and white coral, -and was studded with diamonds and pearls. - -The leaves of the trees were emeralds, with berries of rubies and -sapphires; and the fishes’ scales were of pure silver and gold. - -All this was given to Urashima, and the beautiful princess became his -wife. Any boy would be happy in such a palace, and Urashima was happy -for three years. - -Then he said to the princess, “I must go to see my father and mother, -and my brothers and sisters, but I will return again to you.” - -This made the poor princess very sad, for she did not wish to have -Urashima go away. - -But when she saw how much he wished to go, she gave him a little box to -take with him, telling him under no conditions to open it, for if he -did he could never return to her. - -So Urashima started off, and soon found himself on the shore where he -had lived. But everything seemed strangely different. Even the people -were different and looked at him in a curious way. - -He could not seem to find his way home, so he asked two men whom he met -if they could tell him how to reach the house of Urashima’s parents. - -“Urashima!” they cried. “Why, he was drowned out fishing about four -hundred years ago, and not even his body was found. His father and -mother are buried over there.” - -Then they moved away hastily, for they thought he must be insane. - -[Illustration] - -Poor Urashima could not think what to do. He began to think that the -Dragon Palace must be a part of Fairyland, where a day is the same as a -year on earth, and he wished to return to it. But how could he find the -way? - -He could not remember how he had come. - -Suddenly he thought of the box that the princess had given him, and -forgetting that he had promised not to open it, he pulled open the lid, -hoping to learn the way back. - -There was nothing in the box but a fleecy white cloud that floated -softly up into the blue sky. - -Then, too late, he remembered what the princess had said, and he called -and called the cloud to come back. He even ran along the beach trying -to catch it. - -But soon he could not call, for his breath came shorter and shorter, -his hair turned white, and his back became weak and bent. - -Finally he fell down on the beach, crushed by the weight of his four -hundred years. - - —_Charlotte Chaffee Gibson._ - - - - -A DAY - - - I’ll tell you how the sun rose,— - A ribbon at a time. - The steeples swam in amethyst, - The news like squirrels ran. - - The hills untied their bonnets, - The bobolinks begun, - Then I said softly to myself, - “That must have been the sun!” - - * * * * * - - But how he set, I know not. - There seemed a purple stile - Which little yellow boys and girls - Were climbing all the while. - - Till when they reached the other side, - A dominie in gray - Put gently up the evening bars, - And led the flock away. - —_Emily Dickinson._ - - - - -THE ANTS’ MONDAY DINNER - - -How did I know what the ants had for dinner last Monday? It is odd that -I should have known, but I’ll tell you how it happened. - -I was sitting under a big pine tree, high up on a hillside. The -hillside was more than seven thousand feet above the sea, and that -is higher than many mountains which people travel hundreds of miles -to look at. But this hillside was in Colorado, so there was nothing -wonderful in being up so high. - -I had been watching the great mountains with snow on them, and the -great forests of pine trees—miles and miles of them—so close together -that it looks as if you could lie down on their tops and not fall -through; and my eyes were tired with looking at such great, grand -things, so many miles off. - -So I looked down on the ground where I was sitting, and watched the -ants which were running about everywhere, as busy and restless as if -they had the whole world on their shoulders. - -Suddenly I saw a tiny caterpillar, which seemed to be bounding along in -a very strange way. In a second more I saw an ant seize hold of him and -begin to drag him off. - -The caterpillar was three times as long as the ant, and his body was -more than twice as large round as the biggest part of the ant’s body. - -“Ho! ho! Mr. Ant,” said I, “you needn’t think you’re going to be strong -enough to drag that fellow very far.” - -Why, it was about the same thing as if you or I should drag off a -calf, which was kicking and struggling all the time; only that the -calf hasn’t half so many legs to catch hold of things with as the -caterpillar had. - -Poor caterpillar! how he did try to get away! But the ant never gave -him a second’s time to take a good grip of anything; and he was cunning -enough, too, to drag him on his side, so that he couldn’t use his legs -very well. - -Up and down, and under and over stones and sticks; in and out of -tufts of grass; up to the very top of the tallest blades, and then -down again; over gravel and sand, and across bridges of pine needles -from stone to stone; backward all the way ran that ant, dragging the -caterpillar after him. - -I watched him very closely, thinking, of course, he must be going -toward his house. Presently he darted up the trunk of a pine tree. - -“Dear me!” said I, “ants don’t live in trees! What does this mean?” - -The bark of the tree was all broken and jagged, and full of seams -twenty times as deep as the height of the ant’s body. But he didn’t -mind; down one side and up the other he went. - -They must have been awful chasms to him, and yet he never once stopped -or went a bit slower. I had to watch the ant very closely, not to lose -sight of him altogether. - -I began to think that he was merely trying to kill the caterpillar; -that, perhaps, he didn’t mean to eat him, after all. How did I know but -some ants might hunt caterpillars, just as some men hunt deer, for -fun, and not at all because they need food? - -If I had been sure of this, I would have spoiled Mr. Ant’s sport for -him very soon, you may be sure, and set the poor caterpillar free. But -I never heard of an ant’s being cruel; and if it were really for dinner -for his family that he was working so hard, I thought he ought to be -helped, and not hindered. - -[Illustration] - -Just then I heard a sharp cry overhead. I looked up, and there was an -enormous hawk, sailing round in circles, with two small birds flying -after him. They were pouncing down on his head, and then darting away, -and all the time making shrill cries of fright and hatred. - -I knew very well what that meant. Mr. Hawk was also out trying to do -some marketing for his dinner. He had his eye on some little birds in -their nest, and there were the father and mother birds driving him away. - -You wouldn’t have believed that two such little birds could drive off -such a big creature as the hawk, but they did. They seemed to fairly -buzz round his head just as flies buzz round a horse’s head. - -At last he gave up the quest and flew off so far that he vanished in -the blue sky, and the little birds came skimming home again into the -forest. - -“Well, well,” said I, “the little people are stronger than the big -ones, after all! Where has my ant gone?” - -Sure enough! It hadn’t been two minutes that I had been watching -the hawk and the birds, but in that two minutes the ant and the -caterpillar had disappeared. At last I found them,—where do you think? -In a fold of my coat, on which I was sitting! - -The ant was running round and round the caterpillar. I shook the fold -out, and as soon as the cloth lay straight and smooth, the ant fastened -his nippers into his prey and started off as fast as ever. - -I suppose if I could have seen his face, and had understood the -language of ants’ features, I should have seen plainly written there, -“Dear me, what sort of a country was that I tumbled into?” - -By this time the caterpillar had had the breath pretty well knocked out -of his body, and was so limp and helpless that the ant was not afraid -of his getting away from him. So he stopped now and then to rest. - -Sometimes he would spring on the caterpillar’s back, and stretch -himself out there; sometimes he would stand still on one side and look -at him sharply, keeping one nipper on his head. - -All the time he was working steadily in one direction; he was headed -for home I felt certain. - -It astonished me very much, at first, that none of the ants he met took -any notice of him; they all went on their own way, and never took so -much as a sniff at the caterpillar. - -But pretty soon I said to myself, “You stupid woman, not to suppose -that ants can be as well behaved as people! When you passed Mr. Jones -yesterday, you didn’t peep into his market-basket, nor touch the -cabbage he had under his arm.” - -Presently the ant dropped the caterpillar, and ran on a few steps—I -mean inches—to meet another ant who was coming towards him. They put -their heads close together for a second. - -I could not hear what they said, but I could easily imagine, for they -both ran quickly back to the caterpillar, and one took him by the head -and the other by the tail, and then they lugged him along finely. It -was only a few steps, however, to the ant’s house; that was the reason -he happened to meet this friend just coming out. - -The door was a round hole in the ground, about as big as my little -finger. Several ants were standing in the doorway, watching these -two come up with the caterpillar. They all took hold as soon as the -caterpillar was on the doorstep, and almost before I knew he was there, -they had tumbled him down, heels over head, into the ground, and that -was the last I saw of him. - -The oddest thing was, how the ants came running home from all -directions. I don’t believe there was any dinner bell rung, though -there might have been one too fine for my ears to hear; but in a -minute, I counted thirty-three ants running down that hole. I fancied -they looked as hungry as wolves. - -I had a great mind to dig down into the hole with a stick, and see what -had become of the caterpillar. But I thought it wasn’t quite fair to -take the roof off a man’s house to find out how he cooks his beef for -dinner; so I sat still and wondered whether they would eat him all up -or whether they would leave any for Tuesday; then I went home to my own -dinner. - - —_Helen Hunt Jackson._ - - - - -MY ANT’S COW - - -My Ant lives in the country and keeps a cow. I am ashamed to say that, -although I have always known she was a most interesting person, I never -went to see her until last week. - -I am afraid I should not have gone then, if I had not found an account -of her, and her house, and her cow, in a book which I was reading. - -“Dear me,” said I, “and there she has been living so near me all this -time, and I never have been to call on her.” - -To tell the truth, it was much worse than that; I had often met her in -the street, and had taken such a dislike to her looks that I always -brushed by as quickly as possible without speaking to her. - -I had great difficulty in finding her house, though it is quite large. -She belongs to a very peculiar family; they prefer to live in the dark; -so they have no windows in their houses, only doors; and the doors are -nothing but holes in the roof. - -The houses are built in the shape of a mound, and are not more than -ten inches high. They are built out of old bits of wood, dead leaves, -straw, old bones; in short, every sort of old thing that they find, -they stick in the walls of their houses. Their best rooms are all down -cellar; and dark enough they must be on a rainy day, when the doors are -always kept shut tight. - -But I ought to have told you about my Ant herself before I told you -about her house. When you hear what an odd person she is, you will not -be surprised that she lives in such an outlandish house. - -To begin with, I must tell you that she belongs to a family that never -does any work. - -You’d never suppose so, to see her. I really think she is the -queerest-looking creature I ever met. - -In the first place, her skin is of a dark brown color, darker than an -Indian’s, and she has six legs. Of course she can walk three times as -fast as if she had only two,—but I would rather go slower and be more -like other people. - -She has frightful jaws, with which she does all sorts of things besides -eating. She uses them for scissors, tweezers, pickaxes, knife and fork, -and in case of a battle, for swords. - -[Illustration] - -Then she has growing out of the front part of her head two long slender -horns, which she keeps moving about all the time, and with which she -touches everything she wishes to understand. - -The first thing she does, when she meets you, is to bend both -these horns straight towards you, and feel of you. It is quite -disagreeable,—almost as bad as shaking hands with strangers. - -My Ant’s name is Fornica Rufa. If I knew her better I should call her -Ant Ru, for short. But I do not expect ever to know her very well. She -evidently does not like to be intimate with anybody but her own family; -and I am not surprised, for I was never in any house so overrun with -people as hers is. I wondered how they knew themselves apart. - -When I went to see her last week I found her just going out, and I -thought perhaps that was one reason that she didn’t take any more -notice of me. - -“How do you do, Ant?” said I. “I am spending the summer near by, and -thought I would like to become acquainted with you. I hear you have a -very curious cow, and I have a great desire to see it.” - -“Humph!” said she, and snapped her horns up and down, as she always -does when she is displeased, I find. - -“I hope it will not give you any trouble to show her to me. You must -be very proud of having such a fine cow. Perhaps you are on the way to -milking now, and if so I should be most happy to go with you.” - -“Humph!” said my Ant again. At least I think that was what she said. It -looked like it, but I can’t say that I heard any sound. - -But she turned short on her heels (I suppose she has heels), and -plunged into the woods at the right, stopping and looking back at me as -if she expected me to follow. So I stepped along after her as fast as I -could, and said, “Thank you; I suppose this is the way to the pasture.” - -My Ant said nothing, but went ahead, snapping her horns furiously. - -“Oh, well,” thought I to myself, “you are an uncivil Ant. Even if I -have come simply out of curiosity, you might be a little more polite -in your own house, or at least on your own grounds, which is the same -thing. I sha’n’t speak to you again.” - -That’s about all the conversation I have ever had with my Ant. But she -took me to the pasture, and I saw her cow. - -I am almost afraid to tell you where the pasture was, and what the cow -was; but if you don’t believe me, you can look in books written about -such things, and they will prove to you that every word I say is true. - -The pasture was the stalk of a green brier; and there stood, not only -my Ant’s cow, but as many as five hundred others, all feeding away upon -it. You have seen millions of them in your lives, for you must know -that they are nothing but little green plant-lice, like those that we -find on our rosebushes, and that we try in every possible way to get -rid of. - -Who would ever suppose there could be anything for which these little -green plant-lice could serve as cows! I assure you it is true, and if -you live in the country you can see it for yourself; but you will have -to look through a magnifying glass to see them milked. - -Think of looking through a magnifying glass at anybody’s cow! I looked -at my Ant’s for an hour, and it seemed to me I hardly winked, I was so -much interested in the curious sight. - -Its skin was smooth as satin and of a most beautiful light green color. -It had six legs, and little hooks at the end, instead of hoofs. The -oddest thing of all was that the horns were not on its head, but at the -other end of its body, where the tail would have been if it had had a -tail like any other cow. - -The horns were hollow tubes, and it is out of them that the milk comes, -a drop at a time. The milk is meant for the little plant-lice to drink -before they are old enough to hook their six legs on to stalks and -leaves, and feed on sap. - -But I think that in any place where there are many of my Ant’s race, -the little plant-lice must fare badly, for the Ants are so fond of this -milk that sometimes they carry off whole herds of the plant-lice and -shut them up in chambers in their houses. There they feed them as we do -cows in barns, and go and milk them whenever they please. - -“Oh, dear Ant,” said I to my Ant, “do pray milk your cow! I have such a -desire to see how you do it.” - -She did not appear to understand me, and I dare say if she had she -would not have done it any sooner. But presently I saw her go up behind -her cow, and begin to tap her gently on her back, just at the place -where the horns grew out. - -The cow did not look round nor stop eating, but in a moment out came a -tiny drop of liquid from the tip of each tube. My Ant picked it up with -her wonderful horns and whisked it into her mouth as quickly as you -would a sugarplum. - -Then she went on to the next cow and milked that in the same manner, -and then to a third one. She took only two drops from each one. Perhaps -that is all that this kind of a cow can give at a time. - -There were several of her friends there at the same time doing their -milking; and I could not help thinking how easy it would be for the -great herd of cows to kill my Ant and all her race, if they chose. But -it is thought by wise people who have studied these wonderful things -that the cows are fond of being milked in this way, and would be sorry -to be left alone by themselves. - -After my Ant had finished her supper, she stood still watching the cows -for some time. I thought perhaps she would be in a better humor after -having had so much to eat, and might possibly feel like talking with -me. But she never once opened her mouth, though I sat there an hour and -a half. - -At last it began to grow dark, and as I had quite a long walk to take, -I knew I must go, or I should not get home in time for my own supper of -milk. - -“Good-night, Ant,” said I. “I have had a charming visit. I am very -much obliged to you for showing me your cow. I think she is the most -wonderful creature I ever saw. I should be very happy to see you at my -house.” - -“Humph!” said my Ant. - - —_Helen Hunt Jackson._ - - - - -COLORADO SNOW-BIRDS - - - I’ll tell you how the snow-birds come, - Here in our Winter days; - They make me think of chickens, - With their cunning little ways. - -[Illustration] - - We go to bed at night, and leave - The ground all bare and brown, - And not a single snow-bird - To be seen in all the town. - - But when we wake at morning - The ground with snow is white, - And with the snow, the snow-birds - Must have travelled all the night; - - For the streets and yards are full of them, - The dainty little things, - With snow-white breasts, and soft brown heads, - And speckled russet wings. - - Not here and there a snow-bird, - As we see them at the East, - But in great flocks, like grasshoppers, - By hundreds, at the least, - - They push and crowd and jostle, - And twitter as they feed, - And hardly lift their heads up, - For fear to miss a seed. - - What ’tis they eat, nobody seems - To know or understand; - The seeds are much too fine to see, - All sifted in the sand. - - But winds last Summer scattered them, - All thickly on these plains; - The little snow-birds have no barns, - But God protects their grains. - - . . . . . . . - - Some flocks count up to thousands, - I know, and when they fly, - Their tiny wings make rustle, - As if a wind went by. - - They go as quickly as they come, - Go in a night or day; - Soon as the snow has melted off, - The darlings fly away, - - But come again, again, again, - All winter with each snow; - Brave little armies, through the cold; - Swift back and forth they go. - - I always wondered where they lived - In summer, till last year - I stumbled on them in their home, - High in the upper air; - - ’Way up among the clouds it was, - A many thousand feet, - But on the mountain-side gay flowers - Were blooming fresh and sweet. - -[Illustration] - - Great pine trees’ swaying branches - Gave cool and fragrant shade; - And here, we found, the snow-birds - Their summer home had made. - - “Oh, lucky little snow-birds!” - We said, “to know so well, - In summer time and winter time, - Your destined place to dwell— - - “To journey, nothing doubting, - Down to the barren plains, - Where harvests are all over, - To find your garnered grains! - - “Oh, precious little snow-birds! - If we were half as wise, - If we were half as trusting - To the Father in the skies,— - - “He would feed us, though the harvests - Had ceased throughout the land, - And hold us, all our lifetime, - In the hollow of his hand!” - —_Helen Hunt Jackson._ - - - - -THE PETERKINS’ EXCURSION AFTER MAPLE SYRUP - - -The Peterkins had decided not to go to Egypt. - -Of course the little boys were very much disappointed, so Mr. Peterkin -said that he would take them out into the woods to get some maple syrup -instead. But it was almost as difficult to arrange an excursion for -maple sugar as to arrange for a trip to Egypt. - -You see, sugar can not be made until it is warm enough to make the sap -run. On the other hand, it must be cold enough for snow, as you can -only reach the woods on snow-sleds. - -Now, if there were sun enough for the sap to rise, it would melt the -snow; and if it were cold enough for sledding, it must be too cold for -the syrup. The little boys, however, said there always had been maple -sugar every spring,—they had eaten it; why shouldn’t there be this -spring? - -Elizabeth Eliza said that this was probably old sugar they had -eaten,—you never could tell in the shops. - -Mrs. Peterkin thought there must be fresh sugar once in a while, as -the old sugar would be eaten up. She felt the same about chickens. She -never could understand why there were only the old, tough ones in the -market, when there were certainly fresh young broods to be seen around -the farmhouses every year. - -She supposed the market-men had begun with the old, tough fowls, and so -they had to go on so. She wished they had begun the other way; and she -had done her best to have the family eat up the old fowls, hoping they -might, some day, get down to the young ones. - -As to the weather, she suggested they should go to Grandfather’s the -day before. But how can you go the day before, when you don’t know the -day? - -All were much delighted, therefore, when Hiram appeared with the -wood-sled, one evening, to take them, as early as possible the next -day, to their grandfather’s. - -He said that the sap had started, the kettles had been on some time, -there had been a slight snow for sleighing, and to-morrow promised to -be a fine day. - -[Illustration] - -It was decided that he should take the little boys and Elizabeth Eliza -in the wood-sled; the others would follow later, in the carryall. - -Mrs. Peterkin thought it would be safer to have some of the party go on -wheels, in case of a thaw the next day. - -A brilliant sun awoke them in the morning. The wood-sled was filled -with hay, to make it warm and comfortable, and an armchair was tied in -for Elizabeth Eliza. - -The little boys put on their India-rubber boots and their red mittens. -Elizabeth Eliza took a shawl, a hot brick, and a big bag of cookies, -and they started off. - -In passing the school-house the little boys saw five of their friends, -who had reached the school door a full hour before the time. They asked -these five boys to go with them, but Elizabeth Eliza thought they ought -to inquire if their parents would be willing they should go, as they -all expected to spend the night at Grandfather’s. - -Hiram thought it would take too much time to ask all the parents; if -the sun kept on shining so brightly, the snow would be gone before they -would reach the woods. - -But the little boys said that most of these boys lived in a row, and -Elizabeth Eliza felt she ought not to take the boys away for all night -without asking their parents. - -At each place they were obliged to stop for tippets and great-coats -and India-rubber boots for the little boys. At the Harrimans’, too, the -Harriman girls insisted on dressing up the wood-sled with evergreens, -and made one of the boys bring the Christmas tree that was leaning up -against the barn, to set it up in the back of the sled, over Elizabeth -Eliza. - -All this took a good deal of time; and when they reached the highroad -again, the snow was indeed fast melting. Elizabeth Eliza thought they -ought to turn back, but Hiram said they would find the sleighing better -farther up among the hills. - -The armchair joggled about a good deal, and the Christmas tree creaked -and swayed, and Hiram was obliged to stop once in a while and tie in -the chair and the tree more firmly. - -But the warm sun was very pleasant, the eight little boys were very -lively, and the sleigh bells jingled gaily as they went on. - -It was so late when they reached the wood-road that Hiram decided they -had better not go up the hill to their grandfather’s, but turn off into -the woods. - -“Your grandfather will be up at the sugar camp by this time,” he -declared. - -Elizabeth Eliza was afraid the carryall would miss them, and thought -they had better wait. Hiram did not like to wait longer, and said that -one or two of the little boys could stop to show the way. - -But it was so difficult to decide which little boys should stay that he -gave it up. So he explained that there was a lunch hidden somewhere in -the straw; and the little boys thought this was a good time to eat it, -so they decided to stop in the sun at the corner of the road. - -Elizabeth Eliza felt a little jounced in the armchair, and was glad of -a rest; and the boys soon discovered a good lunch,—just what might have -been expected from Grandfather’s,—apple pie and doughnuts, and plenty -of them! “It is lucky we brought so many little boys!” they exclaimed. - -Hiram, however, began to grow impatient. “There’ll be no snow left,” he -exclaimed, “and no afternoon for the syrup!” - -But far in the distance the Peterkin carryall was seen slowly -approaching through the snow, Solomon John waving a red handkerchief. -The little boys waved back, and Hiram turned the sled into the -wood-road, but he drove slowly, as Elizabeth Eliza still feared that by -some accident the family might miss them. - -[Illustration] - -It was difficult for the carryall to follow in the deep but soft snow, -in among the trunks of the trees and over piles of leaves hidden in the -snow. - -At last they reached the edge of a meadow. On the high bank above it -stood a row of maples, and back of which was a little shanty with smoke -coming out of its chimney. The little boys screamed with delight, but -there was no reply. Nobody there! - -“The folks all gone!” exclaimed Hiram; “then we must be late.” And he -proceeded to pull out a large silver watch from a side pocket. It was -so large that he seldom was at the pains to pull it out, as it took -time; but when he had succeeded at last, and looked at it, he started. - -“Late, indeed! It is four o’clock, and we were to have been here by -eleven; they have given you up.” - -The little boys wanted to force in the door; but Hiram said it was no -use,—they wouldn’t understand what to do, and he should have to see to -the horses,—and it was too late, and very likely the men had carried -off all the syrup. - -But he thought a minute, as they all stood in silence and gloom; and -then he guessed they might find some sugar at Deacon Spear’s, close -by, on the back road, and that would be better than nothing. - -Mrs. Peterkin was pretty cold, and glad not to wait in the darkening -wood; so the eight little boys walked through the wood-path, Hiram -leading the way; and slowly the carryall followed. - -They reached Deacon Spear’s at length; but only Mrs. Spear was at home. -She was very deaf, but could explain that the family had taken all -their syrup to the sugar festival. - -“We might go to the festival,” exclaimed the boys. - -“It would be very well,” said Mrs. Peterkin, “to eat our fresh syrup -there.” - -But Mrs. Spear could not tell where the festival was to be, as she had -not heard; perhaps they might know at Squire Ramsay’s. - -Squire Ramsay’s was on their way to Grandfather’s, so they stopped -there. They were told that the “Squire’s folks” had all gone with their -syrup to the festival. The man who was chopping wood did not know where -the festival was to be. - -“They’ll know at your grandfather’s,” said Mrs. Peterkin, from the -carryall. - -“Yes, go on to your grandfather’s,” advised Mr. Peterkin, “for I -think I felt a drop of rain.” So they made the best of their way to -Grandfather’s. - -At the moment they reached the door of the house, a party of young -people whom Elizabeth Eliza knew came by in sleighs. She had met them -all when visiting at her grandfather’s. - -“Come along with us,” they shouted; “we are all going down to the sugar -festival.” - -“That is what we have come for,” said Mr. Peterkin. - -“Where is it?” asked Solomon John. - -“It is down your way,” was the reply. - -“It is in your own New Hall,” said another. “We have sent down all our -syrup. The Spears and Ramsays and Doolittles have gone on with theirs. -No time to stop; there’s good sleighing on the old road.” - -Hiram said he could take them back with the wood-sled, when he heard -there was sleighing on the old road. So it was decided that the whole -party should go in the wood-sled, with the exception of Mr. Peterkin, -who would follow on with the carryall. - -Mrs. Peterkin would take the armchair, and cushions were put in for -Elizabeth Eliza, and more apple pie for all. No more drops of rain -appeared, though the clouds were thickening over the setting sun. - -“All the way back again,” sighed Mrs. Peterkin, “when we might have -stayed at home all day, and gone quietly out to the New Hall!” But the -little boys thought the sledding was great fun,—and the apple pie! “And -we did see the kettle through the cracks of the shanty!” - - —_Lucretia P. Hale._ - - - - -THE GRASS - - - The grass so little has to do,— - A sphere of simple green, - With only butterflies to brood, - And bees to entertain, - - And stir all day to pretty tunes - The breezes fetch along, - And hold the sunshine in its lap, - And bow to everything; - -[Illustration] - - And thread the dews all night, like pearls, - And make itself so fine,— - A duchess were too common - For such a noticing. - - And even when it dies, to pass - In odors so divine, - As lowly spices gone to sleep, - Or amulets of pine. - - And then to dwell in sovereign barns, - And dream the days away,— - The grass so little has to do, - I wish I were the hay. - —_Emily Dickinson._ - - - - -SUNSET - - - Where ships of purple gently toss - On seas of daffodil, - Fantastic sailors mingle, - And then—the wharf is still. - —_Emily Dickinson._ - - - - -THE BABY SQUIRRELS - - -The four baby squirrels were tired of staying in their soft nest in the -hollow tree. They wanted to find out what was going on in the world -outside. - -As they cuddled together in the shadowy hole they could hear the -queerest sounds. They cocked their heads curiously at the rustling -and whispering of the wind among the leaves. They heard chirping and -singing, and a silvery tinkle, tinkle from the brook. - -Once a bee flew buzzing right over their heads, and made them clutch -one another in terror. - -One morning, when the old mother squirrel was away hunting for birds’ -eggs to eat, the smallest baby crept to the mouth of the hole and -peeped out with his round bright eyes. - -All around and above him there were wonderful green things flickering -and fluttering. Twinkles of sunlight danced through the leaves and -dazzled him. Something soft and cool blew back the new bristles on his -lips and ruffled his satiny red fur. - -He was so much interested that he sat there, staring and staring, till -the other little ones began to squeak and scold him for shutting out -the light. - -[Illustration] - -After he crept down again to the nest the others climbed up, one by -one, and looked out. They blinked and winked at each wonderful sight; -they sniffed the strange odors, and twitched their eager little heads -at every new sound. - -The scream of a blue jay in the tree-top above them sent them -scampering inside again, to cuddle close together in the darkest -corner. It was fun to see something new and exciting, even if it did -make them shiver all over. - -Soon the mother squirrel came springing from branch to branch to reach -the hollow. - -How the babies squeaked and chattered in welcome! Very likely they told -her about the wonderful sights and sounds in the strange world outside -the hole. - -The smallest one clasped his fore paws around her neck, and coaxed her -to let them all go out to find more interesting things. It was stupid -there in the dark nest, with nothing to watch except the patch of light -across the opening above them. - -The old squirrel knew that the little ones were not strong enough yet -to leave the nest. - -To be sure, they had grown and changed very much since the first days. -Then they had been ugly little creatures, like tiny pug dogs, with big -heads, no fur, and their eyes tight shut. - -Now they were half as big as she was herself. Their eyes were like -jewels, and their red fur was smooth as satin. - -But their tails, with only fringes of hair along the sides, were not -nearly so fluffy as the mother’s. Her tail was long and plumy. It -curved so gracefully over her back that she seemed to be sitting in its -shadow. One name of the squirrel is “shadow-tail.” - -For a few weeks longer the four babies scrambled about the doorway and -looked longingly out at the wonderful green tree-world. They did not -dare to step out upon the slender branches, for fear of falling off. - -It made them feel dizzy to look away down to the ground below. They did -not know how to cling to the limbs with their feet while they balanced -themselves with their tails. - -When the young squirrels were almost strong enough to learn to run and -climb in the tree, the mother began to build another home higher up the -trunk. The old nest was growing too warm for comfort, as summer brought -the long sunny hours. - -The squirrel father was not there to help his mate. - -The mother squirrel thought the tree belonged to her, and that she -needed all the room in the hollow for her little ones. She chased him -off to live in the woods with all the other squirrel fathers till the -babies were big enough to take care of themselves. - -The mother squirrel worked on the new nest in the early morning. She -bit off leafy twigs and carried them to the top of the tree. There, -where two branches forked, she packed the sticks and leaves together in -a loose ball. - -Then she pushed a doorway through, at one side or another, just as she -happened to be standing. - -This was not such a neat home as one in the next tree. That other -mother squirrel built her new nest of strips of bark tied together with -ribbons of soft fibre. Over the doorway she hung a curtain of bark, and -lifted it up carefully whenever she went inside. - -At last the new home was ready. The old mother hurried down to the -hollow and called the babies to come out and follow her. They stepped -out, one after another, just as carefully as they could. - -The smallest baby came last. He dug his claws into the bark and hung -on. The branch seemed so narrow that he trembled from fear of falling. - -The tree swayed in the wind. The branch bounced up and down, and a -leaf blew in his face. The poor little fellow shut his eyes, because -everything seemed to be whirling round and round. - -When he opened his eyes again he saw the three other little ones -climbing up the trunk above him. They clutched the bark with their -claws, and moved forward, one paw at a time. - -The mother was running on ahead of them. Every few steps she turned -around to coax them on faster. - -Finally they reached a narrow branch which led over to the new nest. -They crawled out on it, lifting one foot and then setting it down -before lifting another. - -The farther they crept the narrower the branch grew under them. Their -little paws began to slip over the smoother bark. The one in front -tried to turn around, but he was afraid of falling. So they all three -scrambled backwards to the safe trunk. - -[Illustration] - -The mother ran back to them, and chattered and scolded. Again and again -they started out over the branch, and then went scrambling back. - -When at last the mother had coaxed them across to the nest she looked -around for the smallest baby. There he was, away down at the door of -the old nest. - -The old squirrel was tired out. Her fur was ruffled and her ears -drooped. She ran down to the nest and began to scold the little -fellow. He sat up and put his paws around her to let him stay there. - -But she started him up the trunk and pushed him along to the branch. -Then she took hold of him by the neck and carried him across to the new -home. - -After that the little ones were taken out every morning to practise -climbing. Little by little they learned to balance themselves on the -branches. Their tails were fluffy enough by this time to be of use in -balancing. - -First to one side, then to the other, each baby tilted his tail as he -crept along, step by step. Every day they could move a little faster. -Finally they were able to chase one another up and down, from branch to -branch. - -They went running around the trunks, skipping and leaping from twig to -twig, and jumping from one tree to another, even through the air. - -Sometimes one or another missed his footing after a reckless jump. -Often he caught hold of a branch below by a single toe and lifted -himself up to a firmer foothold. - -Or, if there was no branch within reach, he spread out his fur, and -flattened his tail, and went sailing down to the ground, almost as if -he could fly. They never seemed to get hurt. - -The little squirrels seemed to be always doing something. They turned -somersaults in the grass, or swung by one paw from the tip of a tough -branch. - -There was always something to do or to see. Now they chattered at a -blue jay, or chased a toad for the fun of watching him hop. Now they -caught beetles or scolded at a fox slinking along through the woods. -And every day there was the excitement of finding something to eat. - -The babies lived on milk till they were almost as heavy as their -mother. Then she began to feed them with fruit and buds and grubs, -which she first chewed for them. - -Like the beavers and the hares and rabbits, each had four chisel teeth -in the front of its mouth. They needed to gnaw hard nuts or bark every -day to keep these teeth from growing too long. - -The young squirrels were three months old in July and were then big -enough to take care of themselves. Away they scampered from the old -home tree and found new homes in stumps and hollows. The smallest one -used to curl up in an old robin’s nest to sleep at night. - -All day long they were as busy as they could be. There were cones to be -gathered from the evergreens. The little squirrels ran up the trees in -a hurry, and, cutting off the cones with their sharp teeth, tossed them -over their shoulders to the ground. Every few minutes they scurried -down to bury the cones under the pine needles for the winter. - -Sometimes a drop of sticky pitch from the cut stems was rubbed against -their fur. That made them so uncomfortable that they had to stop and -lick it off. - -The squirrels loved to be clean. Ever since they were tiny babies, with -their new red fur, they always helped one another with washing their -faces and combing their tails with their claws. - -They were careful to run along logs over a muddy spot. If one happened -to get wet he dried himself with his fluffy tail. - -When they were tired of eating seeds and twigs they hunted for grubs. -Clinging to the bark of a dead tree, they listened till they heard -something gnawing beneath the surface. Then, tearing off the bark in -ragged pieces, they pounced upon the flat whitish grub beneath and ate -him up. - -But the best time of all came in the autumn when nuts were ripe. Then -what fun the little squirrels had! Early every morning out popped -the little heads from the hollow stumps and logs. The big round eyes -twinkled eagerly in every direction. Then, whisk! they were out, with a -bark and a squeak! - -Scampering to the top of a tree, each one took a flying leap to the -next tree. Up and down they followed the squirrel-paths through the -woods till they reached the grove, where the nuts were ripening. - -It was a busy place, with little wings fluttering and little feet -pattering, and yellow leaves drifting down in the sunshine. All the -squirrels scurried to and fro, picking one nut here, and another there. - -They sat on the branches, with their bushy tails curving over their -backs, and held the nuts in their fore paws to nibble. The smallest -baby could open the hardest walnut and clean it out in less than a -minute. - -All the while the blue jays and the thrifty chipmunks were gathering -nuts and corn, and hiding their stores for the winter. That seemed so -interesting that the squirrels gathered some, too. - -Autumn passed away, and the days grew colder. In the woods the leaves -were all fallen and the branches were stripped bare of nuts. - -Every morning when the squirrels poked out their heads the air nipped -their noses. Frost sparkled on the dead grass. The chipmunks had crept -into their holes for the winter, and most of the birds had flown away -south. - -The squirrels were not quite so gay now as in the autumn days, when -they danced upon the branches and whistled and chuckled over the good -things to eat and the curious sights to see. They slept with their warm -tails wrapped over their noses. - -[Illustration] - -They still ran busily through the tree-tops, except when snow or icy -rain kept them shut within their holes. They ate all the nuts they -could find, and dug up the buried pine cones. They climbed the hemlock -trees and ate the seeds. - -Once the smallest squirrel happened to dig up a heap of nuts from -between two stones under the snow. He could not remember whether he had -hidden them himself or not. How he squealed when he saw them! - -Late in the winter the squirrels had eaten all the nuts and cones -within reach. They were so hungry on many a day that they tried to -creep into a chipmunk’s hole and steal his store of food. But he was -smaller than they were, and he had wisely made one bend in his tunnel -too small for them to pass. - -Then they had to live on bark and seeds till spring started the tender -green plants to growing. - -The squirrels gnawed the bark of the maple trees and drank the sweet -sap that came oozing out. Later there were elm buds to nibble and -birds’ eggs to suck. The woods were once more green with juicy leaves. - -All the squirrels went to housekeeping. Soon in almost every tree there -was a family of squirrels peeping out with their round, bright eyes. - - —_Julia A. Schwartz._ - - - - -THE BABY THAT SLEEPS IN A POCKET - - -For days and days the baby opossums lay crowded close together in their -mother’s furry pocket. They slept and drank milk, and grew and grew -till their eyes began to open. - -It was dark all around them, but above their heads a gray line showed -where light was stealing in over the edge of the pocket. - -The biggest baby opossum looked up with his little bright eyes. He -wanted to see more. So he crawled up, clambering over the soft tiny -bodies of the eleven other babies. - -Some of them wriggled and squirmed under his little bare feet. After -slipping back once or twice he reached the edge and poked his pointed -white snout outside. - -He could not see anything because he was under his mother, and her long -fur hung down over him. She was lying on a nest of grasses in a hollow -tree. - -That was where she stayed all day long while the sun was shining. Every -night at dusk she climbed down the rough trunk and went to hunt for -something to eat. - -When she felt the tiny claws of her baby clutching her fur she looked -down between her fore paws at the little mouse-like fellow. - -Then with her smooth pink hands she gently pushed him back into the -pocket and closed the opening. He was not big enough yet to come out of -the warm dark nursery. - -So for a week longer he cuddled down beside the others, while they all -slept and drank more milk and grew stronger every hour. - -The biggest baby was so restless that he scrambled around and crowded -the others. Once he caught hold of a tiny tail between the thumbs and -fingers of his hind feet, and pulled till the little one squeaked. His -fore feet were like tiny hands without any thumbs. - -At last, one day, he saw the edge of the pocket open a crack. He was -so glad that he climbed up as fast as he could scramble, and pushed -outside. He held on to his mother’s fur with all four feet. - -When she reached down to smell him the bristles on her lips tickled his -nose. Then he climbed around upon her back and twisted his tail about -hers to hold him steady. - -He looked like a mouse with his long tail, his black ears, his bright -eyes twinkling in his little white face, and his pointed nose. - -In a few minutes another and another baby followed the big brother and -clung there on the mother’s furry back. It must have seemed a noisy -place to them, for in the pocket they had heard only the soft rustling -and scratching of the mother’s feet on the nest. - -Now they could hear a chirping, and a squeaking, and a rattling of -branches. They crowded close together in fright at the scream of a blue -jay, as it chased a chattering red squirrel through the tree-top. - -Then a sudden loud thump—thump—thump of a woodpecker hammering on the -bark of the tree sent them tumbling back to the nursery in a hurry. - -After this the whole family climbed out every day to play about on the -mother’s back. The biggest baby liked to curl his small tail about her -large one, and then swing off head downward. - -Sometimes he pushed the others down just for the fun of seeing them -scramble up again, hand over hand, clutching the long fur. - -Of course he was the first one to poke his head out every day. Once he -woke from a nap in the pocket and started to climb outside. - -But he stopped halfway, hanging to the edge with both fore feet. It -was nearly evening, and the mother opossum was clambering down the -tree-trunk to go hunting for her supper. - -The baby held on tightly while she trotted away through the woods. Now -and then a leaf rustled or a stick cracked under her feet. Sleepy birds -were twittering in their nests. - -The mother pricked her ears and listened, for she ate eggs and young -birds whenever she could find them. She had not tasted an egg this -spring, because she could not climb very nimbly with her pocket full -of babies. - -Soon she came to a swamp, and splash, splash, splash! the mud went -flying. It spattered the baby’s face and made him cough. - -[Illustration] - -Then he heard the croakings of dozens of frogs, and it frightened him -so that he slid back into the nursery with his brothers. - -The mother was trying to catch a frog to eat. Now she jumped this way, -and now she jumped that way. Such a jounce as the babies felt when she -gave a spring for a big green fellow sitting on a log. - -She caught him, too, but the jounce almost knocked the breath out of -the twelve soft bodies in her pocket. - -Every day the babies stayed outside the nursery for a longer time, -though they were always ready to hurry back at the mother’s first -warning grunt. - -They kept growing bigger, too, till one night they could not all crowd -into the pocket. Then they cuddled together on her back, with their -tails twisted around hers. - -In this way they rode through the woods when she went hunting. They -watched with their bright eyes while she turned over rotting logs with -her snout to catch the grubs underneath. - -Sometimes she rooted in the ground for sprouting acorns, or nipped off -mouthfuls of tender grass. Once she caught a young rabbit. Then how -excited the little opossums were! And how they all squeaked and hissed -together as they rode trotting home. - -By this time they had cut their teeth,—fifty sharp little teeth in -each hungry mouth. Then the mother picked some sweet red berries, and -taught the hungry babies how to eat them. They learned to chew the -juicy roots that she dug in the field. - -The babies were greedy little things. She was a good and patient -mother. Of course, as long as they were small enough to stay in her -pocket she carried them everywhere with her. Even when they grew as -large as rats they rode on her back through the woods. These twelve fat -babies were so heavy that sometimes she staggered and stumbled under -the load. - -One night when all the babies were trotting along on their own feet -they saw gleaming red eyes in the dark bushes before them. Something -round and furry snarled and sprang at them. - -They all ran under their mother as quick as a wink. She ruffled her -long grayish hair above them. When the animal jumped at her she -growled, and hissed, and scratched, and bit, till he ran limping away. - -On another evening a big dog came galloping up before they could -scramble into a tree. His red tongue was hanging out of his mouth -between his white teeth. As soon as he caught sight of the opossums he -made a dash to catch them. Instantly they all fell down and rolled over -just as if they were dead. - -There they lay, with their eyes shut, their paws limber, their tails -limp. They seemed to stop breathing. The dog smelled them and pushed -them with his cold nose. - -But they kept perfectly still and did not move even an eyelash. They -were pretending to be dead. It was one trick that they all knew without -being taught. - -The minute the dog walked away they all jumped up and scampered into a -tree. When the dog turned his head and saw them he ran back and leaped -up to reach them. - -But all the opossums were safe enough now. While he was jumping and -barking below they clung fast in the tree with their hand-like feet. -They wound their tails about the branches above to hold more securely. - -The little opossums learned to climb all sorts of trees, rough or -smooth. It was easier to climb the rough trees because they could dig -their nails farther into the bark. - -[Illustration] - -The biggest baby could walk along the springiest limb, even if it kept -teetering up and down in the wind. When he felt like it he swung by his -tail the longest time without getting dizzy. - -All summer long the twelve little opossums stayed with their mother. -During the day they slept cuddled in the hollow tree. Every night, -after sunset, the mother and her twelve children set off on their -hunting. - -Down through the marsh they trotted. Some waded into the mud to catch -frogs, while others chased mud turtles over the shore. Some hunted for -berries and others nosed for acorns under the oaks. - -It was beautiful there in the woods at night. When the stars twinkled -overhead and the soft wind rustled in the tree-tops the little ones -frisked and frolicked. - -They hid under the shadowy bushes or jumped hither and thither to snap -at the fluttering moths. - -But on stormy evenings they plodded on in the rain, their wet fur -drooping. With their noses close to the ground they hunted till they -found a few mouthfuls to eat. Then they went back to the cosy hollow -for a longer nap, after licking their pink hands and washing their -faces, just as kittens do. - -One night, in autumn, the old mother opossum felt the nip of frost in -the air. Then she knew that the persimmons were ready to be eaten. -Away through the woods she hurried, with the young ones trotting after -her. - -She led the way past the marsh and over the hill to a thicket of -trees tangled with wild grapevines. There on the branches the round -persimmons were shining yellow in the moonlight. - -Up the trees eleven of the babies scrambled hungrily, and, hanging by -their tails, stuffed the fruit into their wide mouths. Ah! But wasn’t -it delicious! Better than anything they had ever tasted before in all -their short lives. - -Then the biggest baby, who had stopped to gobble ripe grapes, heard -them munching so greedily. One look sent him hurrying after the others. -He was sorry enough that he had wasted any time eating wild grapes. - -Night after night, till the little persimmons were gone, the opossums -hurried away to the thicket, and ate and ate till they could eat no -longer. They grew so fat that they puffed and panted when trotting home -again in the gray light of the frosty dawn. - -Soon the ground was frozen hard over the juicy roots. All the fruit -left in the woods hung wrinkled and frost-bitten. The worms and toads -crawled into their holes for the winter. The beetles disappeared, and -the spiders curled up in their hiding places to sleep through the cold -weather. Most of the birds flew away south. - -[Illustration] - -One by one each little opossum wandered off by himself, and made a nest -in a cosy hole or a hollow stump. There he dozed all day and often -slept through the night without stirring out. - -Now and then one of them caught a mouse or dug up a frozen root to -nibble. Sometimes they tore rotten logs apart to get at the grubs. - -In the beginning of the winter the little opossums were so fat that -they could live three or four weeks without eating or drinking. When -the cold winds blew, and the snow fell, they cuddled down in their warm -nests and slept the time away. But many a night they woke up hungry. -And every day their round furry bodies were a little thinner, till at -last, spring melted the snow and ice everywhere. - -There was plenty to eat by that time, with all the green things -growing. There were buds to nibble and beetles to catch. There were -frogs croaking in the marsh, and berries were ripening in the field. - -The twelve little opossums were grown up now, and knew how to take care -of themselves. Their mother had another family of babies in her furry -pocket. - -Sometimes she met her other children roaming beside the marsh to catch -frogs. One evening they saw a little pointed nose, and two twinkling -bright eyes, peeping over the edge of her pocket. - - —_Julia A. Schwartz._ - - * * * * * - - Will there really be a morning? - Is there such a thing as day? - Could I see it from the mountains - If I were as tall as they? - - Has it feet like water lilies? - Has it feathers like a bird? - Is it brought from famous countries - Of which I have never heard? - - Oh, some scholar! Oh, some sailor! - Oh, some wise man from the skies! - Please to tell a little pilgrim - Where the place called morning lies! - —_Emily Dickinson._ - - - - -THE EMPEROR AND THE PEASANT - - -I - -Once upon a time there was an Emperor of China, named Lee Wong. He -would have been a very good Emperor if he had not been spoiled by -kindness. - -If he cried when he was a baby, his nurse called all the nurses in the -palace. - -They called the attendants, and the attendants called the musicians. -The musicians played, the attendants danced, and the nurses walked up -and down wheeling the baby in his carriage until he stopped crying. -Sometimes this happened many times in one day. - -When Lee was a boy he had his own way in everything. If he played -soldier he was always the general. If he went to fly kites, he had the -ones that would fly the highest. - -Sometimes he wished to fly his kites when the wind did not blow. Then -the poor attendants had to blow with a huge bellows to make the kites -sail up into the air. - -[Illustration] - -If he wished it were summer in the winter-time, they filled his -playroom with beautiful plants and brought canaries and nightingales to -sing to him. - -In the hot summer days, if he longed for winter, they brought evergreen -trees to the playroom. They covered the branches with cotton sprinkled -with diamond dust to look like snow. They brought cakes of ice and -made a skating rink and jingled sleigh bells all day long while he -played. - -When he was a young man it was still worse. If he said anything, like, -“This is a sunny morning,” or “I think it will rain to-night,” every -one cried, “How wise!” “How wonderfully wise!” - -So you see the Emperor was spoiled, and this was very unfortunate. - -In China, just as in other places, every one longs for spring to come. - -One year the Emperor wanted the spring to come more than ever. He had -had a dull winter in his city palace and he wanted to go to his country -palace. - -“Command my brother, the Sun, to shine to-morrow,” he said, to his -attendants. “Command the spring to come, also. And be ready, all of -you, to go to the country to-morrow.” - -One of the attendants wrote the Emperor’s commands on the finest -Chinese paper and then burned it in the garden. He thought in this way -the commands might reach the sun. - -Perhaps they did; for the sun shone beautifully the next day, and the -Emperor and his attendants went to the country palace. - - -II - -The next morning the Emperor waked up very early. A little bird was -singing in the garden. It was a lovely day. - -The Emperor thought he would go out into the garden to hear the little -bird sing. - -He put on his silk dressing-gown, his silver shoes, and his gold crown. -It was only six o’clock, so no one was awake in the palace. - -When the Emperor went into the garden the bird flew into the forest and -sang still more sweetly. - -“How stupid I was,” thought the Emperor, “I ought to have commanded it -to stay here. Now I must go into the woods to see it.” - -So he opened the gate and went across the field. - -At the edge of the woods a peasant was plowing. - -“Good morning, peasant,” said the Emperor, “That must be an Emperor -bird singing in the forest, because it sings so sweetly.” - -“No, my lord,” said the peasant, taking off his cap, “that is a -blackbird.” - -“You may call it so,” said the Emperor; “but it is an Emperor bird if -I say so, because I am always right. It is as large as a swan, and its -feathers are like shining gold.” - -“No, my lord,” said the peasant, “it is small and black.” - -Just then the blackbird lighted on a post in the fence and began to -sing. It was easy to see that the peasant was right. - -“There must surely be something wrong,” said the Emperor, “because I -never make a mistake.” - -“But, my lord, the Emperor can make a mistake. Every one does that. -Your attendants may say that you are always right because they wish to -please you. Perhaps they even praise what you do, when it is wrong and -foolish.” - -“I can never believe that,” said the Emperor. - -“If you will do as I say,” replied the peasant, “I will prove that I -have told you the truth.” - - -III - -The Emperor promised to do this, although he could not believe he had -been deceived. - -Just then all the attendants came running across the field, for they -had waked up and missed the Emperor. - -Tears ran down their cheeks. They wished to have the Emperor think they -were weeping because he was gone. He did not know each one had an onion -in his handkerchief. - -“Command them to stop where they are,” the peasant whispered. - -The Emperor made them stop about twenty feet away, right in the middle -of a ditch. - -“We are weeping because of your absence, beloved Emperor,” said the -chief attendant. He wiped his eyes with his handkerchief, and all the -others did the same thing. - -“How do you dare to stand beside the Emperor, you peasant,” said the -Lord Marshal. “Go back to your plow!” - -[Illustration] - -“Say that I am standing beside my plow,” whispered the peasant. He was -really standing beside the Emperor, and the plow was thirty feet away. - -“Do you not see,” said the Emperor, “that he is standing beside the -plow?” - -“Oh, yes,” said one, “he is holding the plow with one hand.” - -“Yes, yes,” said another, “he is surely driving his oxen.” - -“Ask them,” whispered the peasant, “if they ever saw such white oxen.” - -Now the peasant’s oxen were coal black, without a single white spot on -them. - -“Have you ever seen such beautiful white oxen?” said the Emperor, -pointing to the black ones. - -“No, never,” said one, “they are indeed snow white.” - -“Yes,” said another, “they are whiter than snow. It hurts my eyes to -look at them, they are so white.” - -The Emperor knew now that they were not telling the truth, and he -decided to punish them. - -“Come here,” he called to some peasants who were plowing in the next -field. - -“There is nothing so pleasant as plowing,” he said to his attendants. - -“It is a great pleasure,” said one. - -“I enjoy it more than anything in the world,” said another. - -“I would rather plow than dance,” said a third. - -“I am very glad you think so, my lords,” said the Emperor. “These -peasants will be glad to have you plow for them. This is my command. -Begin at once!” - -There was no help for it. The courtiers did not dare to disobey, so -they took hold of the plows and tried to drive the oxen across the long -fields. - -I do not believe they plowed very well, for they had never touched a -plow before, and did not know how to drive oxen. - -But the peasant went to the palace and became the Emperor’s chief -counsellor. - -The Emperor had this story written on a block of marble in golden -letters, but few people can read it because it is written in Chinese, -and it is very hard to have to read Chinese. - - —_Anna von Rydingsvärd._ - - - - -THE CHRISTMAS MONKS - - -I—THE GARDEN - -Have you always wondered where the Christmas presents come from? Well, -I am going to tell you. - -Of course, every one knows that Santa Claus brings them. He comes in -a sleigh, driving eight reindeer, and carries the presents down the -chimney in a pack on his back. - -But where does _he_ get them? That is the question. And the answer -is,—in the garden of the Christmas Monks. - -This garden is in a beautiful valley far away. But I must not tell you -the name of the valley, for if I did you would all want to go there to -live. - -The Christmas Monks live in a stone castle covered with ivy and -evergreen vines. There are holly wreaths in every window, and over the -door is an arch, with “Merry Christmas” in evergreen letters. - -The Christmas Monks wear white robes embroidered with gold, and they -never go without a Christmas wreath on their heads. Every morning they -sing a Christmas carol, and every evening they ring a Christmas chime -on the bells. - -For dinner every day they have roast goose and plum pudding and mince -pie, and at night they set lighted candles in all of the windows. - -But the best place of all is the garden, for that is where the -Christmas presents grow. - -It is a very large garden and is divided into beds, just like our -vegetable gardens. Every spring the Monks go out to plow the ground and -plant the Christmas present seeds. - -There is one big bed for rocking-horses, another for drums, and another -for sleds. The bed for the balls is not so large, and the top bed is -quite small, because tops do not need much room when they are growing. - -The rocking-horse seed looks like tiny rocking-horses. The Monks drop -these seeds quite far apart, then they cover them up neatly with earth, -and put up a signpost with “Rocking-horses” on it in evergreen letters. - -Just so with the penny-trumpet seed, and the toy-furniture seed, the -sled seed, and all the others. - -Perhaps the prettiest part of the garden is the wax-doll bed. There are -other beds for the rag dolls and the china dolls, and the rubber dolls, -but, of course, wax dolls look much handsomer growing. - -Wax dolls have to be planted very early in the season. The Monks sow -them in rows in April and they begin to come up by the middle of May. - -First there is a glimmer of gold, or brown, or black hair. Then the -snowy foreheads appear, and the blue eyes and black eyes, and at last -all the pretty heads are out of the ground and nodding and smiling to -each other. - -With their pink cheeks and bright eyes and curly hair, there is nothing -so pretty as these little wax-doll heads peeping out of the ground. - -Slowly the dolls grow taller and taller, and by Christmas they are all -ready to gather. There they stand, swaying to and fro, their dresses -of pink or blue or white fluttering in the breeze. - -Just about the prettiest sight in the world is the bed of wax dolls in -the garden of the Christmas Monks at Christmas time. - - -II—PETER AND THE PRINCE - -All the children for miles around knew about this garden, of course, -but they had never seen it. There is a thick hedge of Christmas trees -all around it, and the gate where Santa Claus drives out is always -locked with a golden key the moment he goes through. - -So you can imagine what excitement there was among the boys when this -notice was hung out on the hedge of Christmas trees:— - - _Wanted_:—By the Christmas Monks, two _good_ boys to - help in garden work. Apply at the garden on April tenth. - -The notice was hung out about five o’clock in the evening, one day in -February. By noon the next day all the neighborhood had seen it and -read it. - -Oh, what fun it would be to work in the garden of the Christmas Monks! -There would be the dinner of roast goose and plum pudding every day. -There would be the Christmas bells and the Christmas candles every -night. And, of course, one could have all the toys he wanted, and pick -them out himself. - -So, from that very minute until the tenth of April, the boys were as -good,—as good as gold. - -Then, on the tenth of April, the big Santa Claus gate was opened, and -_such_ a crowd poured into the garden! The ground was plowed, but the -seed had not been planted, so they could walk about everywhere. - -Two of the Christmas Monks sat on a throne trimmed so thick with -evergreens that it looked like a bird’s nest. They wore Christmas -wreaths on their heads, and their eyes twinkled merrily. - -The little boys stood in a long row before them, and the fathers, -mothers, uncles, aunts, grandmothers, and grandfathers looked on. - -It was very sad! One boy had taken eggs from a bird’s nest; and -another had frightened a cat. One boy didn’t help his mother, and -another didn’t take good care of his little brother. - -At last there were only two boys left,—Peter and the Prince. - -Now Peter was really and truly a good boy, and always had been. And of -course every one said the Prince was a good boy, because a King’s son -must be good. So the Monks chose Peter and the Prince to work in the -garden. - -The next morning the two boys were dressed in white robes and green -wreaths like the Monks. Then the Prince was sent to plant Noah’s-Ark -seed and Peter was given picture-book seed. - -Up and down they went, scattering the seeds. Peter sang a little song -to himself, but the Prince grumbled because they had not given him -gold-watch seed. - -By noon Peter had planted all his picture books and fastened up the -card to mark them, but the Prince had planted only two rows of Noah’s -Arks. - -“We are going to have trouble with this boy,” said the Monks to each -other. “We shall have to punish him.” - -[Illustration] - -So that day the Prince had no Christmas dinner, and the next morning he -finished planting the Noah’s-Ark seed. - -But the very next day he was cross because he had to sow harmonicas -instead of toy pianos, and had to be punished again. And so it was -every other day through the whole summer. - -So the Prince was very unhappy and wished he could run away, but Peter -had never been so happy in his life. He worked like a bee all day, and -loved to watch the Christmas gifts grow and blossom. - -“They grow so slowly,” the Prince would say. “I thought I should have -a bushel of new toys every month and not one have I had yet.” Then he -would cry, and Peter would try to comfort him. - -At last one day the Prince found a ladder in the tool house. The Monks -were in the chapel, singing Christmas carols, and Peter was tuning the -penny trumpets. It was a fine chance to run away. The Prince put the -ladder against the Santa Claus gate, climbed up to the top, and slid -down on the outside. - - -III—THE PRETTIEST DOLL - -It was nearly Christmas now, and most of the toys had been gathered. -The rocking-horses were still growing, and a few of the largest dolls; -but the tops, balls, guns, blocks, and drums were all packed in baskets -ready for Santa Claus. - -One morning Peter was in the wax-doll bed, dusting the dolls. All of a -sudden he heard a sweet voice saying, “Oh, Peter!” - -He thought at first it was one of the dolls, but they could only say -“Papa!” and “Mamma!” - -“Here I am, Peter,” said the voice again, and what do you suppose Peter -saw? It was his own dear little lame sister. - -She was not any taller than the dolls around her, and she looked just -like one of them with her pink cheeks and yellow hair. She stood there -on her crutches, poor little thing, smiling lovingly at Peter. - -“Oh, you darling,” cried Peter, catching her up in his arms. “How did -you get in here?” - -“I saw one of the Monks going past our house, so I ran out and followed -him. When he came through the gate I came in, too, but he did not see -me.” - -“Well,” said Peter, “I don’t see what I can do with you. I can’t let -you out, because the gate is locked, and I don’t know what the Monks -will say.” - -“Oh, I know!” cried the little girl. “I’ll stay out here in the -garden. I can sleep every night in one of those beautiful dolls’ -cradles over there, and you can bring me something to eat.” - -“But the Monks come out every morning to look at the Christmas gifts, -and they will see you,” said her brother. - -“No, I’ll hide! Oh, Peter, here is a place where there isn’t any doll.” - -“Yes, that doll didn’t come up.” - -“Well, I’ll tell you what I’ll do! I’ll stand here where the doll -didn’t come up and try to look like one.” - -“Perhaps you can do that,” said Peter. He was such a good boy that he -didn’t want to do anything wrong, but he couldn’t help being glad to -see his dear little sister. - -He took food out to her every day, and she helped him in the garden. At -night he tucked her into one of the dolls’ cradles with lace pillows -and a quilt of rose-colored silk. - -So they went on, day after day, and they were just as happy as they -could be. Finally the day came for gathering the very last of the -Christmas gifts, because in six days it would be Christmas, and Santa -Claus had to start out in a day or two. - -[Illustration] - -So the Monks went into the garden to be sure that everything was -perfect, and one of them wore his spectacles. When he came to the bed -where the biggest dolls were growing, there stood Peter’s sister, -smiling and swinging on her crutches. - -“Why, what is that!” said the Monk. “I thought that doll didn’t come -up. There is a doll there—and a doll on crutches, too.” - -Then he put out his hand to touch the doll and she jumped,—she couldn’t -help it. The Monk jumped too, and his Christmas wreath fell off his -head. - -“The doll is alive!” he exclaimed. “I will pick her and show her to my -brothers.” - -[Illustration: THE GOOD FATHER TOOK PETER’S LITTLE SISTER, CRUTCHES AND -ALL, IN HIS ARMS.] - -Then the good father put on his Christmas wreath, took Peter’s little -sister, crutches and all, in his arms, and carried her into the chapel. - - -IV—CHRISTMAS GIFTS - -Soon the Monks came into the chapel to practise singing some new -Christmas carols. There sat the near-sighted Monk, holding the big doll -in his arms. - -“Behold a miracle,” he said, holding up the doll. “Thou wilt remember -that there was one doll planted which did not come up. Behold, in her -place I have found this doll on crutches, which is—alive!” - -“It is indeed a miracle,” said the Monk who was a doctor. He took the -child in his arms and looked at the twisted ankle. “I think I can -cure this lameness,” he said. - -“Take her, then,” said the abbot, “and we will sing our Christmas -carols joyously in her honor.” - -Peter, of course, heard the Monks talking about the miracle, and he -knew what it meant. He was very unhappy to think that he was deceiving -them. At the same time he did not dare to tell them for fear the doctor -would not try to cure his sister. - -He worked hard picking the Christmas presents, and getting them ready -for Santa Claus. - -On Christmas Eve he was called into the chapel. The walls were covered -with evergreen, and Christmas candles shone everywhere. There were -Christmas wreaths in all the windows, and the Monks were singing a -Christmas carol. - -On a chair covered with green branches sat Peter’s little sister, -dressed in white, with a wreath of holly berries on her head. - -When the carol was ended, the Monks formed in a line with the abbot at -the head. Each one had his hands full of the most beautiful Christmas -presents. The abbot held a wax doll, the biggest and prettiest that -grew in the garden. - -When he held it out to the little girl, she drew back, and said in her -sweet little voice, “Please, I’m not a miracle; I’m only Peter’s little -sister.” - -“Peter?” said the abbot; “the Peter who works in our garden?” - -“Yes,” said the little sister. - -The Monks looked at each other in dismay. This was not a miracle, it -was only Peter’s little sister! - -But the abbot of the Christmas Monks spoke to them. “This little girl -did not come up in the place of the wax doll, and she is not a miracle. -But she is sweet and beautiful, and we all love her.” - -“Yes,” said the Christmas Monks, and they laid their presents down -before her. - -Peter was so happy he danced for joy. And when he found his little -sister was cured of her lameness, he did not know what to do. - -In the afternoon he took his sister and went home to see his father -and mother. Santa Claus filled his sleigh with gifts and drove his -reindeer down to the cottage. - -Oh! it was such a happy day. There was so much to tell that they all -talked at once. There was so much to see that their eyes ached with -looking. - -But in the palace of the King it was very different. The Prince was -cross and unhappy. His old toys were broken. He was tired of his old -games. There was no one for him to play with, and he didn’t have one -single Christmas gift. - - —_Mary E. Wilkins (abridged and adapted)._ - - - - -PRONOUNCING KEY AND WORD LIST - - -The words in this list are divided into syllables and marked according -to Webster’s International Dictionary. The list includes all the more -difficult words which occur in the text. - - ā gāte - ă băt - ä cär - [a:] b[a:]ll - â câre - ȧ ȧsk - ạ whạt - [a=] anim[a=]l - [+a] sen[+a]te - - ē wē - ĕ gĕt - ẽ hẽr - [+e] [+e] vent - ê=ă thêre - [e=]=ā th[e=]y - - ī pīne - ĭ pĭn - ĩ sĩr - - ō nōte - ŏ nŏt - [o:] d[o:] - ọ wọlf - ȯ sȯn - ô ôr - [+o] [+o] bey - - ū ūse - ŭ cŭp - ṳ frṳit - û fûr - ụ fụll - [+u] [+u] nite - - ȳ mȳ - [)y] cit[)y] - - [=oo] b[=oo]t - [)oo] f[)oo]t - [oi)] [oi)]l - [oy)] b[oy)] - [ou)] [ou)]t - [ow)] c[ow)] - - c can - ç çent - g get - ġ ġem - s so - [s+] a[s+] - ṉ iṉk - th think - [th)] [th)]em - - The silent letters are printed in italic. - - - ăb´bȯt - ăc c[ou)]nt´ - ăc quā_i_nt´ĕd - ăd mīr_e_d´ - ăd vĕn´t[+u]r_e_ - ăd vī[s+]_e_d´ - ȧ fär´ - ăf fōrd´ - ȧ flō_a_t´ - ȧ frā_i_d´ - ȧft´ẽr wards (wẽrdz) - ȧ gainst´ (gĕnst) - Ä_h_´mō_w_ - ȧ līv_e_´ - [a:]l´mōst - ȧ lŏft´ - ȧ lōn_e_´ - ăl´pha bĕt (fȧ) - [)A]lps - [a:]l thō_ugh_´ - [a:]l t[o:] gĕth´ẽr - ăm´[+e] th[)y]st - ăm´[+u] lĕts - ăṉ´chored (kẽrd) - ān´ġĕl - ăn ȯth´ẽr - ăn´s_w_ẽred - anx´ious (ăṉk´shŭs) - ăp prō_a_ch´ĭng - [)A]r´[+a] răt - Ärc´tĭc - ȧ rĭth´m[+e] tĭc - Är mē´nĭ ȧ - är´tĭ cl_e_[s+] - ȧ shām_e_d´ - ȧ shōr_e_ - ȧs sur_e_´ (shṳr) - ȧ stĩr´ - ăs tŏn´ĭsh_e_d - ăt´tĭc - [a:]_w_l - - - băck´ward (wẽrd) - băl´[a=]nç_e_d - băl´c[+o] n[)y] - băn´nẽr[s+] - bâr_e_´f[)oo]t - bär´l_e_[)y] - băr´ren - b[+e] l_i_ēv_e_d´ - bĕnt - b[+e] wĭ_t_ch_e_d´ - bĩrch - blăck´bō_a_rd - blād_e_[s+] - blē_a_k - blŏs´sȯm[s+] - blŭn´dẽr - blŭs´tẽr_e_d - bŏb´[+o] lĭṉk - bôn´bôn[s+] - brā_i_d´ĕd - Brȧ zĭl´ - brĕ_a_k´f[a=]st - brĕ_a_st´_k_nŏt - brĕ_a_th - br[=ee]z_e_ - brĭ_d_ġ_e_ - brī´ẽr - brĭs´_t_l_e_ - br[=oo]d[s+] - bū´reau (rō) - bûrst - bŭt´tĕd - - - cä_l_f - căl´ĭ c[+o] - cȧ năl´ - cȧ nā´r[)y] - cȧ n[o:]_e_´ - cā´pẽr - cär´nĭ v[a=]l - căr´ȯl - cär´pĕn tĕr - căr´r[)y] [a:]ll - cärv_e_ - cȧsk - căs´_t_l_e_ - căt´ẽr pĭl lar - (lẽr) - căt´_t_le - çē_a_s_e_d - çē_i_l´ĭng - çĕl´lar (lẽr) - çẽr´t_a_ĭn l[)y] - cha let (shȧ l[+a]´) - chām´bẽr[s+] - chȧnç_e_ - chăp´ĕl - c_h_ă[s+]m - chăt´tẽr_e_d - chē_e_r´fụl l[)y] - chĭm´n_e_[)y] - Chī nē[s+]_e_´ - chĭp´mŭṉk - chĭ[s+]´ĕl - ch[=oo][s+]_e_ - chŏp´stĭcks - clăck´ĭng - clăm´bẽr - cl[a:]_w_[s+] - clā_y_ - clĕv´ẽr - cl[ow)]n - clŭm´[s+][)y] - clŭ_t_ch - cō_a_x - cŏb´wĕb - cō´c[+o]_a_ nŭt - c[+o] c[=oo]n´ - c[oi)]n[s+] - cŏl´lĕġ_e_ - Cŏl [+o] rä´dō - C[+o] lŭm´bŭs - cȯm´fort ȧ bl_e_ (fẽrt) - cŏm mȧnd´ - cȯm´pȧ n[)y] - cŏn di´tion (dĭsh´ŭn) - cŏn sĕnt´ - cŏn tā_i_n[s+]´ - cŏn vẽr sā´tion (shŭn) - c[=oo]´ĭng - côrn´st[a:]_l_k - cŏs´tūm_e_ - cō´[s+][)y] - c[ou)]n´sĕl or(ẽr) - cō_u_rt´ier (yẽr) - crā´dl_e_ - crăn´bĕr r[)y] - crē_a_´t[+u]r_e_ - crĭck´ĕt - crō_a_k - cr[)oo]k´ĕd - crō_w_ed - cr[ow)]n_e_d - crṳ´ĕl - crŭm_b_ - crŭ_t_ch´ĕs - cŭd´dl_e_ - cū rĭ ŏs´ĭ t[)y] - cū´rĭ _o_ŭs - cûrl_e_d - cŭr´r_e_nt - cûr´t_a_ĭn - cụ´sh_i_ȯn - - - dăf´f[+o] dĭl - dā_i_n´t[)y] - därk´_e_n ĭng - därt´ĕd - d[a:]_ugh_´tẽr - dē_a_´c_o_n - d[+e] çē_i_v´ĭng - D[+e] çĕm´bẽr - d[+e] çīd´ĕd - dĕc´[+o] rāt ĕd - dē fȳ´ - d[+e] li´cious (lĭsh´ŭs) - d[+e] lī_gh_t´fụl - d[e+] mūr_e_´ - dĕ[s+]´ẽrt - dĕs´[+o] l[+a]t_e_ - dĕs´tĭn_e_d - dĭm´plĭng - dĭ rĕc´tion (shŭn) - - - ē_a_´gẽr - ē_a_´gẽr l[)y] - ẽ_a_r´l[)y] - ẽ_a_rn - ē_a_´[s+]ĭ l[)y] - [=E]´ġ[)y]pt - [+e] lĕv´_e_n - ĕlv_e_[s+] - ĕm br[oi)]d´ẽr - ĕm´er [a=]ld - ĕm´pẽr or (ẽr) - ĕm pl[oy)]´er - ĕn´[+e] m[)y] - Eng´land (ĭṉ´gl[a=]nd) - Eng´lish (ĭṉ´glĭsh) - ĕn j[oy)]´ - [+e] nôr´m_o_ŭs - ē nough´ (nŭf) - ĕn´tẽr - ĕn tẽr tā_i_n´ - ĕr´r[a=]nd - [)E]s´kĭ mō - ĕv´ẽr [)y] where (hwâr) - ĕv´ĭ dĕnt l[)y] - ex ăct´l[)y] (ĕgz) - ĕx çĕpt´ - ĕx çīt_e_´m_e_nt - ĕx cûr´sion (shŭn) - ĕx pĕct´ĕd - ĕx plā_i_ned´ - eye´lȧsh (ī) - - - făc´t[+o] r[)y] - fā_i_nt´l[)y] - fâ_i_r´[)y] - făm´ĭ l[)y] - făn tȧs´tĭc - fā´vor ĭt_e_ (vẽr) - fē_a_st - fĕr´r[)y] - fĕs´tĭ v[a=]l - fĕ_t_ch - fĕz - fī´bre (bẽr) - f_i_ērç_e_ - fī´n[a=]l l[)y] - fīr_e_´plāç_e_ - fīrm´ẽr - fl[=ee]´çy - flĭck´ẽr ĭng - flȯ_o_d - flŭf´f[)y] - flŭt´tẽr ĭng - fō_l_k - fŏl´l[)y] - f[=oo]l´ĭsh - fŏnd - fōr_e_ - fŏr gŏt´t_e_n - Fôr´nĭ cȧ Rṳ´fȧ - fôr´ward (wẽrd) - f[ou)]n´t_a_ĭn - frā´gr[a=]nç_e_ - Frȧnç_e_ - frī_gh_t´_e_n - frī_gh_t´fụl - frŏst´ĭng - frō´z_e_n - fū´rĭ _o_ŭs l[)y] - fûrl_e_d - fûr´n[+a]ç_e_ - fûr´nĭsh - fûr´nĭ t[+u]r_e_ - fûr´r[)y] - - - gāl_e_[s+] - găl´lẽr [)y] - Găr´[+a] bĕt - gär´l[a=]nd - gär´nẽr_e_d - gä_u_nt - gā_y_´l[)y] - ġĕn´ẽr [a=]l - ġĕn´tl_e_ m[a=]n - ġ[+e] ŏg´rȧ phy (f[)y]) - Ġẽr´m[a=]n [)y] - g_h_ōsts - ġī´[a=]nt - gĭfts - gĭld´ĕd - ġĭl´l[)y] fl[ow)]´ẽr - glăd´l[)y] - glē_a_m´ĭng - gl[=ee] - glĭm´mẽr - glĭs´_te_n ĭng - gl[=oo]m - gŏb´bl_e_ - gôr´ġ_eo_ŭs - g[ow)]n[s+] - Grĕt´chĕn - - - Hā´gŏp - hăm´mŏck - hănd´sȯm_e_ - Hăn[s+] - hăr´bor (bẽr) - härd´_e_n_e_d - här mŏn´ĭ cȧ - här´nĕss - hās´tĭ l[)y] - hā´trĕd - h[a:]_w_k - hā_y_´cŏck - h_e_ärth - hĕ_a_v´[)y] - hẽrd - hĭd´[+e] _o_ŭs - Hŏl´l[a=]nd - hŏl´l[)y] - hōm_e_´-crȧft - hōst - h[ou)]s_e_´wīf_e_ - h[ow)]l - hūġ_e_ - hŭm´bl_e_ - hū´mor (mẽr) - humph (hŭmf) - hŭn´drĕd - hŭṉ´gr[)y] - hŭn´tẽr - - - ĭm´[+a]ġ_e_ - ĭm ăġ´ĭn_e_ - ĭm pā´tient (sh_e_nt) - ĭm pôr´t[a=]nt - ĭn quīr_e_´ - ĭn sān_e_´ - ĭn´st[a=]nt l[)y] - ĭn stĕ_a_d´ - ĭn tĕnd´ĕd - ĭn´tẽr ĕst ĭng - ĭn´tĭ m[+a]t_e_ - [)I]´t[a=]l [)y] - [)I] tăl´ian (y[a=]n) - - - jăck´ĕt - jăg´gĕd - J[+a] păn´ - jĭn rĭk´ĭ shȧ - jŏg´gl_e_d - j[ou)]nç_e_ - j_o_ûr´n_e_[)y] - j[oy)] - - - k[=ee]l[s+] - kẽr´nĕl - _k_n[=ee]l - _k_nŏck - Kō´r[a=]n - - - lăṉ´guag_e_ (gw[+a]j) - lăsh_e_d - lăt´tĭç_e_ - l[a:]_w_n - lā´z[)y] - lĕ_a_th´ẽr - lĕg´gĭng[s+] - l_e_ī´t[+e] - lĭd - liq´uid (lĭk´wĭd) - lĭṉ´gẽr ĭng - lĭmp - lĭs´_te_n - lōn_e_´l[)y] - l[ow)]´ẽr_e_d - lŭl´lȧ bȳ - lŭnch´_e_ȯn - - - măġ´ĭc - măg´nĭ fȳ ĭng - măn´[+a]ġ_e_ - măn [+u] făc´t[+u]r_e_ - mär´bl_e_ - Mâr ĭ k[e=]´nȧ - măsk - mȧ tē´rĭ [a=]l - măt´trĕss - mĕ_a_nt - meas´[+u]r_e_ (mĕzh) - mĭd´dā_y_ - mĭṉ´gl_e_ - mĭn´ute (ĭt) - mĭr´ȧ cl_e_ - mĭr´ĭg - mĭ[s+]´_t_le tō_e_ - mō_a_n - mȯṉ´k_e_[)y] - mȯṉk - m[ou)]n´t_a_ĭn _o_ŭs - m[ou)]th´fụl - mō_w_´ẽr - mŭl tĭ plĭ cā´tion (shŭn) - mŭnch´ĭng - mū [s+]ĭ´cian (sh[a=]n) - mŭs´_c_l_e_ - - - Nȧ´kȧ - Năn n[)oo]k´ - năr´rō_w_ - n[a:]_ugh_´t[)y] - nē_a_r´l[)y] - n[e=]_igh_´bor h[)oo]d (bẽr) - nī_gh_t´ĭn gāl_e_ - nĭm´bl[)y] - nĭp´pẽr[s+] - Nĭp´p[+o]n - Nō´ȧ_h_ - n[oi)][s+]_e_´lĕss l[)y] - nŏn´sĕns_e_ - nō´tĭç_e_ - nûr´sẽr [)y] - - - [+o] bē´dĭ _e_nt - [+o] b[e=]_y_´ - ō´dor (dẽr) - ŏf´_te_n - [+o] pŏs´sŭm - ō´rĭ ōl_e_ - [ou)]t lănd´ĭsh - ō vẽr hĕ_a_d´ - ō vẽr rŭn´ - - - pāç_e_ - Pȧ çĭf´ĭc - păck´[+a]ġ_e_ - păd´_d_l_e_ - păl´[+a]ç_e_ - pä_l_m - pān_e_ - pâr´_e_nt - păr´rȯt - pā´tient (sh_e_nt) - păt´tẽr ĭng - păt´tẽrn - pē_a_k - pẽ_a_rl - pẽ_a_[s+]´[a=]nt - p[+e] cūl´iar (yẽr) - pĕlt - pĕn´çĭl - pẽr hăps´ - pẽr sĭm´mȯn - pẽr´sȯn - Pĭl´grĭm[s+] - pĭnch_e_d - plăṉk - plȧs´tẽr_e_d - plĕa[s+]´[a=]nt - plŏd´dĕd - plūm_e_d - plŭnġ_e_d - pō´lar (lẽr) - p[+o] lic_e_´m[a=]n (lēs) - p[+o] līt_e_´ - pō´n[)y] - p[ou)]nç´ĭng - prăc´tĭç_e_ - prā_i_[s+]_e_ - prăt´_t_le - pre´cious (prĕsh´ŭs) - pr[+e] fẽr´ - prĕ[s+]´_e_nt l[)y] - pr[+e] tĕnd´ĭng - prīd_e_ - pr_i_ēst - prĭnç_e_ - prĭn´çĕss - prŏb´ȧ bl[)y] - prŏm´ĭs_e_d - pr[+o] tĕcts´ - pr[ou)]d - pr[ow)]´lĭng - pŭn´ĭsh_e_d - pûr´pl_e_ - - - qu[a:]r´rĕl - qu[=ee]r´ĕst - quĭlt´ĕd - - - rā_i_´[s+]_i_n - răp´ĭd - r[a:]_w_ - rē´[a=]l l[)y] - rē_a_´[s+]_o_n - rĕck´lĕss - r[=ee]f_e_d - r[e=]_i_n´d[=ee]r - r[+e] mĕm´bẽr - r[+e] pē_a_t´ - rĕst´lĕss - rō_a_r_e_d - rŏck´ẽr[s+] - rough´ĕst (rŭf) - r[oy)]´[a=]l - rṳ´bĭ_e_[s+] - rŭd´d[)y] - rṳl´ẽr - rŭs´sĕt - rŭs´_t_l_e_ - - - săm´păn[s+] - săn´d[a=]l - sap´phire (săf´īr) - scăm´pẽr_e_d - scärf - scär´lĕt - s_c_ĕp´tẽr_e_d - scôrn - sc[ou)]t - scrăm´bl_e_d - scr[=ee]n - scrŭb - scŭr´rĭ_e_d - sē_a_l´skĭn - sē_a_m[s+] - s[+e] cūr_e_´l[)y] - sē_i_z_e_ - sĕlf´ĭsh - sē´p[a=]l - sẽrv_e_d - sẽr´vĭç_e_ - sĕv´ẽr [a=]l - s[+e] vēr_e_´ - shȧfts - shăn´t[)y] - shō_a_l[s+] - sh[o:]_e_´māk ẽr - shōn_e_ - sīd_e_´w[a:]_l_k - sī_gh_ - sī´l_e_nt l[)y] - sĭlk´_e_n - sĭl´vẽr [)y] - skĭm´mĭng - slĕ_d_ġ_e_ - sl[e=]_igh_ - slīç_e_ - snärl_e_d - snĭff - sn[ou)]t - snŭg - sōl´dier (jẽr) - sȯm´ẽr s[a:]_u_lt - sȯm_e_´what (hwŏt) - sŏr´r[+o]_w_ fụl - sȯv´er _e_ĭ_g_n - Spā_i_n - spär´kl_e_d - spär[s+] - spē_a_r - spĕc´tȧ cl_e_[s+] - spī_e_d - splȧsh - splĕn´dor (dẽr) - spŏt´lĕss l[)y] - spr[a:]_w_l´ĭng - sprĭg - sprīt_e_s - spr[ou)]t´ĭng - sprṳç_e_ - squ[a:]t´tĕd - squē_a_k - squīr_e_ - squĩrm_e_d - stā_i_n - stâ_i_r´cās_e_ - stâ_i_r´wā_y_ - st[a:]_l_k - stāt_e_´l[)y] - stĕ_a_d´ĭ l[)y] - stĕ_a_lth - stẽrn´l[)y] - St. Nich´[+o] l[a=]s (sānt nĭk) - st[ou)]t - străg´glĭng - strā_igh_t - strănd - strānġ_e_ - strānġ_e_´l[)y] - strĕngth - strīp_e_s - strĭp´p_e_d - strŭg´glĭng - stŭd´dĕd - sŭd´dĕn ly - sŭg ġĕst´ĕd - sŭn´bē_a_m - sŭp plī_e_d´ - sŭp pō[s+]_e_´ - sŭr r[ou)]nd´ĕd - sw[a:]n - sw[a:]rm - swā_ye_d - swĭft´l[)y] - Swĭss - Switz´ẽr l[a=]nd (swĭts) - s[)y]r´ŭp - - - tȧsk - tăs´s_e_l - t[a:]_ugh_t - tĕn´dẽr l[)y] - thă_t_ch_e_d - th[a:]_w_ - Thĕk´lȧ - there´fōr_e_ ([th)]âr) - th_i_ēf - thĭck´ĕt - thĭm´bl_e_ fụl - th[ou)]´s[a=]nd - thrĕ_a_d - thrĭf´t[)y] - thrōn_e_ - thrŭsh´ĕ[s+] - tĭf´fĭn - tĭlt´ĕd - tĭṉ´kl_e_ - tī´n[)y] - tĭp´pĕt - tŏd´dl_e_ - tŏp´mȧst - tôr´t_o_ĭs_e_ - tō´ward (ẽrd) - t[ow)]´ẽr - trĕ_a_d´ĭng - trĕm´bl_e_d - trou´bled (trŭb´l_e_d) - tr[ou)]´[s+]ẽr[s+] - trŭm´pĕt - trṳth - tŭg´gĭng - Tûr´k_e_[)y] - Tûr´kĭsh - tū´tor (tẽr) - tw[=ee]´zẽr[s+] - twĭṉ´klĭng - twĭ_t_ch_e_d - - - ŭg´l[)y] - ŭn çĭv´ĭl - ŭn cȯv´ẽr - ŭn dẽr stănd´ - ŭn fôr´t[+u] n[+a]t_e_ - ŭn hăp´p[)y] - ŭn här´nĕss_e_d - ūn´ĭ fôrm - ŭn kīnd´ - [=U] rȧ shi´mȧ (shē) - ūs_e_´fụl - ūs_e_´lĕss - - - vā cā´tion - vā_i_n - vȧst - vĕġ´[+e] tȧ bl_e_ - vĕl´vĕt - vĭl´l[+a]ġ_e_ - vĭn_e_´yard (yẽrd) - vī´ō lĕt - vŏl cā´nō - - - wā_i_t - w[a:]l´nŭt - w[a:]l´rŭs - w[a:]nd - w[a:]n´dẽr ẽr - wē_a_´r[)y] - wē_a_v_e_ - wĕl´cȯm_e_ - wĕpt - wharf (hw[a:]rf) - what ĕv´ẽr (hwŏt) - wheth´ẽr (hwĕth) - whirl´ĭng (hwĩrl) - whis´pẽr_e_d (hwĭs) - wĭg´w[a:]m - wī[s+]_e_´l[)y] - wọlv_e_[s+] - wȯn´dẽr fụl - wȯn´dẽr l[a=]nd - wȯn´dr_o_ŭs - w[)oo]d´pĕck ẽr - worse (wûrs) - wound (w[=oo]nd) - wō´v_e_n - _w_rē_a_th[s+] - _w_rĭg´gl_e_d - _w_rĭṉ´kl_e_d - - - yĕs´tẽr dā_y_ - yūl_e_ - - * * * * * - -Transcriber’s Notes: - -Page 210, [on)] changed to [ou)] - -Page 219, the final “e” was made italic to match form of silent letters -(ȧs sur_e_´) - -Page 219, italics removed from e as it is not silent (băr´ren) - -Page 221, the final “e” was made italic to match form of silent letters -(lăṉ´guag_e_) - -Page 222, the final “e” was made italic to match form of silent letters -(p[+o] lic_e_´m[a=]n) - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Wide Awake Third Reader, by Clara Murray - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WIDE AWAKE THIRD READER *** - -***** This file should be named 52044-0.txt or 52044-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/0/4/52044/ - -Produced by Emmy, MWS and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - 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