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| author | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 04:45:22 -0700 |
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| committer | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 04:45:22 -0700 |
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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/14766-0.txt b/14766-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0646dec --- /dev/null +++ b/14766-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4360 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 14766 *** + +Transcriber's Notes: + +Welcome to the schoolroom of 1900. The moral tone is +plain. "She is kind to the old blind man." + +The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful +than some contemporary alternatives. Much is left to the +teacher. Explanations given in the text are enough to get +started teaching a child to read and write. Counting in +Roman numerals is included as a bonus in the form of lesson +numbers. + +There is no text version because much of the material uses +specialized characters that have no ASCI equivalent. +Wherever possible the "ASCI" text has been converted. + +The "non-ASCI" text remains as images. The "non-ASCI" +text is approximated in text boxes to right of the image, as +are script images. + +The form of contractions includes a space. The +contemporary word "don't" was rendered as "do n't". + +The author, not listed in the text is William Holmes +McGuffey. + +Don Kostuc + + +ECLECTIC EDUCATIONAL SERIES. + + + +MCGUFFEY'S(R) + + +THIRD + + +ECLECTIC READER. + + +REVISED EDITION. + + + + + + +McGuffey Editions and Colophon are Trademarks of + + + +JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC. + +NEW YORK--CHICHESTER--WEINHEIM--BRISBANE--SINGAPORE--TORONTO + + +The long continued popularity of MCGUFFEY'S +READERS is sufficient evidence of the positive merits of +the books. The aim of this revision has been to preserve +unimpaired the distinctive features of the series, and at the +same time to present the matter in a new dress, with new +type, new illustrations, and with a considerable amount of +new matter. +Spelling exercises are continued through the first half of +the THIRD READER. These exercises, with those furnished +in the two lower books, are exhaustive of the words +employed in the reading lessons. Words are not repeated in +the vocabularies. +In the latter half of the book, definitions are introduced. It +is hoped that the teacher will extend this defining exercise to +all the words of the lesson liable to be misunderstood. The +child should define the word in his own language sufficiently +to show that he has a mastery of the word in its use. +Drills in articulation and emphasis should be given with +every lesson. The essentials of good reading are not to be +taught by one or two lessons. Constant drill on good +exercises, with frequent exhibitions of the correct method +from the teacher, will be found more effectual than any form +prescribed in type. +If the pupils are not familiar with the diacritical marks, +they should be carefully taught; such instruction constitutes +an excellent drill on articulation, and enables the pupils to +use the dictionary with intelligence. +Copyright, 1879, by VAN ANTWERP, BRAGG & Co. +Copyright, 1896, by AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY. +Copyright, 1907 and 1920, by H. H. VAIL. +(ii) MG 30 60 REV. +EP 308 + +CONTENTS + +INTRODUCTORY MATTER PAGE. +ARTICULATION 5 +EMPHASIS 10 +PUNCTUATION 11 + +SELECTIONS IN PROSE AND POETRY. + +LESSON +1. The Shepherd Boy 13 +2. Johnny's First Snowstorm 15 +3. Let It rain 18 +4. Castle-building 20 +5. Castle-building 22 +6. Lend a Hand (Script) 25 +7. The Truant 27 +8. The White Kitten 29 +9. The Beaver 31 +10. The Young Teacher 34 +11. The Blacksmith 38 +12. A Walk in the Garden 39 +13. The Wolf 42 +14. The Little Bird's Song 44 +15. Harry and Annie 46 +16. Bird Friends 48 +17. What the Minutes say 51 +18. The Widow and the Merchant 52 +19. The Birds Set Free 54 +20. A Moment too Late 66 +21. Humming Birds 67 +22. The Wind and the Sun 59 +23. Sunset (Script) 61 +24. Beautiful Hands 52 +25. Things to Remember 65 +26. Three Little Mice 67 +Z7. The New Year 69 +28. The Clock and the Sundial 72 +29. Remember 74 +(iii) + +iv CONTENTS. + +LESSON PAGE. +30. Courage and Cowardice 76 +31. Weighing an Elephant 78 +32. The Soldier 82 +33. The Echo 83 +34. George's Feast 86 +35. The Lord's Prayer 90 +An Evening: Prayer (Script.) 91 +36. Finding the Owner 92 +37. Bats 95 +38. A Summer Day 98 +39. I will Think of It 101 +40. Charlie and Rob 104 +41. Ray and his Kite 107 +42. Beware of the First Drink 111 +43. Speak Gently 114 +44. The Seven Sticks 115 +45. The Mountain Sister 117 +46. Harry and the Guidepost 121 +47. The Money Amy didn't Earn 123 +48. Who Made the Stars? 126 +49. Deeds of Kindness 128 +50. The Alarm Clock 130 +51. Spring 132 +52. True Courage 134 +53. The Old Clock 137 +54. The Waves 139 +55. Don't Kill the Birds 143 +56. When to Say No 144 +57. Which Loved Best? 146 +58. John Carpenter 147 +59. Persevere 151 +60. The Contented Boy 151 +61. Little Gustava 156 +62. The Insolent Boy 158 +63. We are Seven 163 +64. Mary's Dime 167 +65. Mary Dow 169 +66. The Little Loaf 172 +67. Susie and Rover 174 +68. The Violet. 178 +69. No Crown for Me 180 +70. Young Soldiers 184 +71. How Willie Got out of the Shaft 187 +72. The Pert Chicken 191 +73. Indian Corn 193 +74. The Snowbird's Song 197 +75. Mountains 200 +76. A Child's Hymn 203 +77. Holding the Fort 204 +78. The Little People 207 +79. Good Night 208 + +INTRODUCTION. + +ARTICULATION. + +A distinct articulation can only be gained by constant and +careful practice of the elementary sounds. +Whenever a word is imperfectly enunciated, the teacher +should call attention to the sounds composing the spoken +word. +If the pupil fails to sound any element correctly, as in the +case of lisping, the fault can be overcome by calling +attention to the correct position of the organs of speech, and +insisting upon exact execution. Except in case of +malformation of these organs, every pupil should sound each +element correctly before such drill should cease. + + +TABLE OF VOCALS. + +LONG SOUNDS. + + + + + + 6 ECLECTIC SERIES, + +SHORT SOUNDS. + + +DIPHTHONGS. + + +TABLE OF SUBVOCALS. + + +TABLE OF ASPIRATES. + + + + THIRD READER. 7 + +NOTE.-The above forty-five sounds are those most +employed in the English language. Some of these sounds are +represented by other letters, as shown in the following table. + +TABLE OF SUBSTITUTES. + + +EXERCISES IN ARTICULATION. + +The following exercises may be used for drill after the +tables are fully understood. Pronounce the word first; then, +the sound indicated. + + 8 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +EXERCISE I. + + + THIRD READER. 9 + + + + 10 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +EMPHASIS. + +NOTE.--If the pupil has received proper oral instruction, +he has been taught to understand what he has read, and has +already acquired the habit of emphasizing words. He is now +prepared for a more formal introduction to the SUBJECT of +emphasis, and for more particular attention to its first +PRINCIPLES. This lesson, and the examples given, should +be repeatedly practiced. +In reading and in talking, we always speak some words +with more force than others. We do this, because the +meaning of what we say depends most upon these words. +If I wish to know whether it is George or his brother who +is sick, I speak the words George and brother with more +force than the other words. I say, Is it George or his brother +who is sick? +This greater force with which we speak the words is called +EMPHASIS. +The words upon which emphasis is put, are sometimes +printed in slanting letters, called Italics,* and sometimes in +CAPITALS. +The words printed in Italics in the following questions and +answers, should be read with more force than the other +words, that is, with emphasis. +Did you ride to town yesterday? No, my brother, did. +Did yon ride to town yesterday? No, I walked. + +* Italics are also used for other purposes, though most +frequently for emphasis. + + THIRD READER. 11 + +Did you ride to town yesterday? No, I went into the +country. +Did you ride to town yesterday? No, I went the day before. +Have you seen James or John lately? I have seen James, +but not John. +Did you say there were four eggs in the nest, or three? +There were only three eggs, not four. +Were the eggs white or blue? The eggs were white, not +blue. +Had the boy a hat on his head, or a cap? He had a cap on, +not a hat. + +PUNCTUATION. + +Punctuation should be thoroughly studied by the pupil, in +order that he may become perfectly familiar with the marks +and pauses found in the reading lessons of this volume. + +MARKS AND PAUSES. + +These marks are used to point off written or printed matter +into sentences and parts of sentences, and thus to assist the +reader in obtaining the meaning of the writer. They seldom +indicate the length of the pause to be made; this must be +determined by the sense. +A Hyphen (-) is used between syllables in a word divided at +the end of a line; as, "be-cause," "ques-tion," and between the +parts of a compound word; as, +Rocking-chair, good-by. + + 12 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +The Comma (,), Semicolon (;), and Colon (:) mark +grammatical divisions in a sentence; as, +God is good; for he gives us all things. +Be wise to-day, my child: 't is madness to defer. + +A Period (.) is placed at the end of a sentence; as, +God is love. Life is short. +Or is used after an abbreviation; as, +Dr. Murphy. Jan. 10, 1879. + +An Interrogation Point (?) denotes a question; as, +Has he come? Who are you? + +An Exclamation Point (!) denotes strong feeling; as, +O Absalom! my son! my son! + +The Dash (--) is used where there is a sudden break or +pause in a sentence; as, +The truth has power--such is God's will--to make us better. + +Quotation Marks (" ") denote the words of another; as, +God said, "Let there be light." + +An Apostrophe (') denotes that a letter or letters are left +out; as, +O'er, for over; 't is, for it is. +And is also used to show ownership; as, +The man's hat. Helen's book. + + +MCGUFFEY'S + +THIRD READER. + +LESSON I. + + +THE SHEPHERD BOY. + +1. Little Roy led his sheep down to pasture, +And his cows, by the side of the brook; + +(13) + + 14 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +But his cows never drank any water, + And his sheep never needed a crook. + +2. For the pasture was gay as a garden, + And it glowed with a flowery red; +But the meadows had never a grass blade, + And the brooklet--it slept in its bed: + +3. And it lay without sparkle or murmur, + Nor reflected the blue of the skies; +But the music was made by the shepherd, + And the sparkle was all in his eyes. + +4. Oh, he sang like a bird in the summer! + And, if sometimes you fancied a bleat, +That, too, was the voice of the shepherd, + And not of the lambs at his feet. + +5. And the glossy brown cows were so gentle + That they moved at the touch of his hand +O'er the wonderful, rosy-red meadow, + And they stood at the word of command. + +6. So he led all his sheep to the pasture, + And his cows, by the side of the brook; +Though it rained, yet the rain never pattered + O'er the beautiful way that they took. + +7. And it was n't in Fairyland either, + But a house in the midst of the town, +Where Roy, as he looked from the window, + Saw the silvery drops trickle down. + + THIRD READER. 15 + +8. For his pasture was only a table, + With its cover so flowery fair, +And his brooklet was just a green ribbon, + That his sister had lost from her hair. + +9. And his cows were but glossy horse-chestnuts, + That had grown on his grandfather's tree; +And his sheep only snowy-white pebbles, + He had brought from the shore of the sea. + +10. And at length when the shepherd was weary, + And had taken his milk and his bread, +And his mother had kissed him and tucked him, + And had bid him "good night" in his bed; + +11. Then there entered his big brother Walter, + While the shepherd was soundly asleep, +And he cut up the cows into baskets, + And to jackstones turned all of the sheep. + +Emily S. Oakey. + +LESSON II. + + +JOHNNY'S FIRST SNOWSTORM. + +1. Johnny Reed was a little boy who never +had seen a snowstorm till he was six years old. +Before this, he had lived in a warm country, +where the sun shines down on beautiful + + 16 ECLECTIC SERIES. +orange groves, and fields always sweet with flowers. +2. But now he had come to visit his grandmother, who +lived where the snow falls in winter. Johnny was standing at +the window when the snow came down. + +3. "O mamma!" he cried, joyfully, "do come quick, and +see these little white birds flying down from heaven." +4. "They are not birds, Johnny," said mamma, smiling. +5. "Then maybe the little angels are losing their feathers! +Oh! do tell me what it is; is it sugar? Let me taste it," said + + THIRD READER. 17 +Johnny. But when he tasted it, he gave a little jump--it was +so cold. +6. "That is only snow, Johnny," said his mother. +7. "What is snow, mother?" +8. "The snowflakes, Johnny, are little drops of water that +fall from the clouds. But the air through which they pass is +so cold it freezes them, and they come down turned into +snow." +9. As she said this, she brought out an old black hat from +the closet. "See, Johnny! I have caught a snowflake on this +hat. Look quick through this glass, and you will see how +beautiful it is." +10. Johnny looked through the glass. There lay the pure, +feathery snowflake like a lovely little star. +11. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star!" he cried in delight. "Oh! +please show me more snow-flakes, mother." +12. So his mother caught several more, and they were all +beautiful. +13. The next day Johnny had a fine play in the snow, and +when he carne in, he said, "I love snow; and I think +snowballs are a great deal prettier than oranges." + + +3, + + 18 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON III. + + + +LET IT RAIN. + +Rose. See how it rains! Oh dear, dear, dear! how dull it is! +Must I stay in doors all day? +Father. Why, Rose, are you sorry that you had any bread +and butter for breakfast, this morning? +Rose. Why, father, what a question! I should be sorry, +indeed, if I could not get any. +Father. Are you sorry, my daughter, when you see the +flowers and the trees growing in the garden? +Rose. Sorry? No, indeed. Just now, I wished very much to +go out and see them,--they look so pretty. +Father. Well, are you sorry when you see the horses, +cows, or sheep drinking at the brook to quench their thirst? +Rose. Why, father, you must think I am a cruel girl, to +wish that the poor horses that work so hard, the beautiful +cows that + + THIRD READER. 19 +give so much nice milk, and the pretty lambs should always +be thirsty. +Father. Do you not think they would die, if they had no +water to drink? +Rose. Yes, sir, I am sure they would. How shocking to +think of such a thing! +Father. I thought little Rose was sorry it rained. Do you +think the trees and flowers would grow, if they never had +any water on them? +Rose. No, indeed, father, they would be dried up by the +sun. Then we should not have any pretty flowers to look at, +and to make wreaths of for mother. +Father. I thought you were sorry it rained. Rose, what is +our bread made of? +Rose. It is made of flour, and the flour is made from +wheat, which is ground in the mill. +Father. Yes, Rose, and it was rain that helped to make the +wheat grow, and it was water that turned the mill to grind the +wheat. I thought little Rose was sorry it rained. +Rose. I did not think of all these things, father. I am truly +very glad to see the rain falling. + + 20 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON IV. + + +CASTLE-BUILDING. + +1. "O pussy!" cried Herbert, in a voice of anger and +dismay, as the blockhouse he was building fell in sudden +ruin. The playful cat had rubbed against his mimic castle, + + THIRD READER. 21 +and tower and wall went rattling down upon the floor. +2. Herbert took up one of the blocks and threw it fiercely +at pussy. Happily, it passed over her and did no harm. His +hand was reaching for another block, when his little sister +Hetty sprang toward the cat, and caught her up. +3. "No, no, no!" said she, "you sha'n't hurt pussy! +She did n't mean to do it!" +4. Herbert's passion was over quickly, and, sitting down +upon the floor, he covered his face with his hands, and began +to cry. +5. "What a baby!" said Joe, his elder brother, who was +reading on the sofa. "Crying over spilled milk does no good. +Build it up again." +6. "No, I won't," said Herbert, and he went on crying. +7. "What's all the trouble here?" exclaimed papa, as he +opened the door and came in. +8. "Pussy just rubbed against Herbert's castle, and it fell +down," answered Hetty. "But she did n't mean to do it; she +did n't know it would fall, did she, papa?" +9. "Why, no! And is that all the trouble?" + + 22 ECLECTIC SERIES. +10. "Herbert!" his papa called, and held out his hands. +"Come." The little boy got up from the floor, and came +slowly, his eyes full of tears, and stood by his father. +11. "There is a better way than this, my boy," said papa. +"If you had taken that way, your heart would have been light +already. I should have heard you singing over your blocks +instead of crying. Shall I show you that way?" +12. Herbert nodded his head, and papa sat down on the +floor by the pile of blocks, with his little son by his side, and +began to lay the foundation for a new castle. + +LESSON V. + + + +CASTLE-BUILDING. +(CONCLUDED) + +1. Soon, Herbert was as much interested in castle-building +as he had been a little while before. He began to sing over +his work. All his trouble was gone. + + THIRD READER. 23 +2. "This is a great deal better than crying, is n't it?" said +papa. +3. "Crying for what?" asked Herbert, forgetting his grief +of a few minutes before. +4. "Because pussy knocked your castle over." +5. "Oh!" A shadow flitted across his face, but was gone in +a moment, and he went on building as eagerly as ever. +6. "I told him not to cry over spilled milk," said Joe, +looking down from his place on the sofa. +7. "I wonder if you did n't cry when your kite string +broke," retorted Herbert. +8. "Losing a kite is quite another thing," answered Joe, a +little dashed. "The kite was gone forever; but your blocks +were as good as before, and you had only to build again." +9. "I do n't see," said papa, "that crying was of any more +use in your case then in Herbert's. Sticks and paper are easily +found, and you had only to go to work and make another +kite." Joe looked down at his book, and went on reading. By +this time the castle was finished. +10. "It is ever so much nicer than the one + + 24 ECLECTIC SERIES. +pussy knocked down," said Hetty. And so thought Herbert, +as he looked at it proudly from all sides. +11. "If pussy knocks that down, I'll-" +12. "Build it up again," said papa, finishing the sentence +for his little boy. + +13. "But, papa, pussy must not knock my castles down. I +can't have it," spoke out Herbert, knitting his forehead. +14. "You must watch her, then. Little boys, as well as +grown up people, have to be often on their guard. If you go +into the street, you have to look out for the carriages, so as +not to be run over, and you have to keep out of people's way. +15. "In the house, if you go about heedlessly, you will be +very apt to run against some one. I have seen a careless child +dash suddenly into a room just as a servant was leaving it +with a tray of dishes in her hands. A crash followed." + + THIRD READER. 25 +16. "It was I, was n't it?" said Hetty. +17. "Yes, I believe it was, and I hope it will never happen +again." +18. Papa now left the room, saying, "I do n't want any +more of this crying over spilled milk, as Joe says. If your +castles get knocked down, build them up again." + +LESSON VI. + + + +LEND A HAND. + + + + + + + + +26 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + + + + + + THIRD READER. 27 + +LESSON VII. + + + +THE TRUANT. +1. James Brown was ten years old when his parents sent +him to school. It was not far from his home, and therefore +they sent him by himself. +2. But, instead of going to school, he was in the habit of +playing truant. He would go into the fields, or spend his time +with idle boys. +3. But this was not all. When he went home, he would +falsely tell his mother that he had been to school, and had +said his lessons very well. +4. One fine morning, his mother told James to make haste +home from school, for she wished, after he had come back, +to take him to his aunt's. +5. But, instead of minding her, he went off to the water, +where there were some boats. There he met plenty of idle +boys. +6. Some of these boys found that James + + 28 ECLECTIC SERIES, +had money, which his aunt had given him; and he was led by +them to hire a boat, and to go with them upon the water. +7. Little did James think of the danger into which he was +running. Soon the wind began to blow, and none of them +knew how to manage the boat. + +8. For some time, they struggled against the wind and the +tide. At last, they became so tired that they could row no +longer. +9. A large wave upset the boat, and they were all thrown +into the water. Think of James Brown, the truant, at this +time! +10. He was far from home, known by no one. His parents +were ignorant of his danger. + + THIRD READER. 29 +He was struggling in the water, on the point of being +drowned. +11. Some men, however, saw the boys, and went out to +them in a boat. They reached them just in time to save them +from a watery grave. +12. They were taken into a house, where their clothes +were dried. After a while, they were sent home to their +parents. +13. James was very sorry for his conduct, and he was +never known to be guilty of the same thing again. +14. He became regular at school, learned to attend to his +books, and, above all, to obey his parents perfectly. + +LESSON VIII. + + + +THE WHITE KITTEN. + +1. My little white kitten's asleep on my knee; +As white as the snow or the lilies is she; + She wakes up with a pur + When I stroke her soft fur: +Was there ever another white kitten like her? + + 30 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +2. My little white kitten now wants to go out +And frolic, with no one to watch her about; + "Little kitten," I say, + "Just an hour you may stay, +And be careful in choosing your places to play." + + + +3. But night has come down, when I hear a loud "mew;" +I open the door, and my kitten comes through; + My white kitten! ah me! + Can it really be she-- +This ill-looking, beggar-like cat that I see? + +4. What ugly, gray streaks on her side and her back! +Her nose, once as pink as a rosebud, is black! + Oh, I very well know, + Though she does not say so, +She has been where white kittens ought never to go. + + THIRD READER. 31 + +5. If little good children intend to do right, +If little white kittens would keep themselves white, + It is needful that they + Should this counsel obey, +And be careful in choosing their places to play. + +LESSON IX. + + +THE BEAVER. + +1. The beaver is found chiefly in North America. It is +about three and a half feet long, including the flat, paddle- +shaped tail, which is a foot in length. +2. The long, shining hair on the back is chestnut-colored, +while the fine, soft fur that lies next the skin, is grayish +brown. +3. Beavers build themselves most curious huts to live in, +and quite frequently a great number of these huts are placed +close together, like the buildings in a town. +4. They always build their huts on the banks of rivers or +lakes, for they swim much + + 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. +more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the +water. +5. When they build on the bank of a running stream, they +make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the +water at the height they wish. +6. These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and +the branches of trees. They are sometimes six or seven +hundred feet in length, and are so constructed that they look +more like the work of man than of little dumb beasts. +7. Their huts are made of the same material as the dams, +and are round in shape. The walls are very thick, and the +roofs are finished off with a thick layer of mud, sticks, and +leaves. +8. They commence building their houses late in the +summer, but do not get them finished before the early frosts. +The freezing makes them tighter and stronger. +9. They obtain the wood for their dams and huts by +gnawing through the branches of trees, and even through the +trunks of small ones, with their sharp front teeth. They peel +off the bark, and lay it up in store for winter food. + + THIRD READER. 33 +10. The fur of the beaver is highly prized. The men who +hunt these animals are called trappers. +11. A gentleman once saw five young beavers playing. +They would leap on the trunk of a tree that lay near a beaver +dam, and would push one another off into the water. + +12. He crept forward very cautiously, and was about to +fire on the little creatures; but their amusing tricks reminded +him so much of some little children he knew at home, that he +thought it would be inhuman to kill them. So he left them +without even disturbing their play. + +3,3 + + 34 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON X. + + + +THE YOUNG TEACHER. + +1. Charles Rose lived in the country with his father, who +taught him to read and to write. +2. Mr. Rose told his son that, when his morning lessons +were over, he might amuse himself for one hour as he +pleased. +3. There was a river near by. On its bank stood the hut of a +poor fisherman, who lived by selling fish. +4. His careful wife kept her wheel going early and late. +They both worked very hard to keep themselves above want. +5. But they were greatly troubled lest their only son +should never learn to read and to write. They could not teach +him themselves, and they were too poor to send him to +school. +6. Charles called at the hut of this fisherman one day, to +inquire about his dog, which was missing. + + THIRD READER. 35 +7. He found the little boy, whose name was Joe, sitting by +the table, on which he was making marks with a piece of +chalk. Charles asked him whether he was drawing pictures. + +8. "No, I am trying to write," said little Joe, "but I know +only two words. Those I saw upon a sign, and I am trying to +write them." +9. "If I could only learn to read and write," said he, "I +should be the happiest boy in the world." + + 36 ECLECTIC SERIES. +10. "Then I will make you happy," said Charles. "I am +only a little boy, but I can teach you that. +11. "My father gives me an hour every day for myself. +Now, if you will try to learn, you shall soon know how to +read and to write." +12. Both Joe and his mother were ready to fall on their +knees to thank Charles. They told him it was what they +wished above all things. +13. So, on the next day when the hour came, Charles put +his book in his pocket, and went to teach Joe. Joe learned +very fast, and Charles soon began to teach him how to write. +14. Some time after, a gentleman called on Mr. Rose, and +asked him if he knew where Charles was. Mr. Rose said that +he was taking a walk, he supposed. +15. "I am afraid," said the gentleman, "that he does not +always amuse himself thus. I often see him go to the house +of the fisherman. I fear he goes out in their boat." +16. Mr. Rose was much troubled. He had told Charles that +he must never venture on the river, and he thought he could +trust him. + + THIRD READER. 37 +17. The moment the gentleman left, Mr. Rose went in +search of his son. He went to the river, and walked up and +down, in hope of seeing the boat. +18. Not seeing it, he grew uneasy. He thought Charles +must have gone a long way off. Unwilling to leave without +learning something of him, he went to the hut. +19. He put his head in at the window, which was open. +There a pleasant sight met his eyes. +20. Charles was at the table, ruling a copybook Joe was +reading to him, while his mother was spinning in the corner. +21. Charles was a little confused. He feared his father +might not be pleased; but he had no need to be uneasy, for +his father was delighted. +22. The next day, his father took him to town, and gave +him books for himself and Joe, with writing paper, pens, and +ink. +23. Charles was the happiest boy in the world when he +came home. He ran to Joe, his hands filled with parcels, and +his heart beating with joy. + + 38 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XI. + + + +THE BLACKSMITH. + +1. Clink, clink, clinkerty clink! +We begin to hammer at morning's blink, +And hammer away +Till the busy day, +Like us, aweary, to rest shall sink. + +2. Clink, clink, clinkerty clink! +From labor and care we never will shrink; +But our fires we'll blow +Till our forges glow +With light intense, while our eyelids wink. + + THIRD READER. 39 + +3. Clink, clink, clinkerty clink; +The chain we'll forge with many a link. +We'll work each form +While the iron is warm, +With strokes as fast as we can think. + +4. Clink, clink, clinkerty clink! +Our faces may be as black as ink, +But our hearts are true +As man ever knew, +And kindly of all we shall ever think. + +LESSON XII. + + + +A WALK IN THE GARDEN. + +1. Frank was one day walking with his mother, when they +came to a pretty garden. Frank looked in, and saw that it had +clean gravel walks, and beds of beautiful flowers all in +bloom. +2. He called to his mother, and said, "Mother, come and +look at this pretty garden. I wish I might open the gate, and +walk in." + + 40 ECLECTIC SERIES. +3. The gardener, being near, heard what Frank said, and +kindly invited him and his mother to come into the garden. +4. Frank's mother thanked the man. Turning to her son, +she said, "Frank, if I take you to walk in this garden, you +must take care not to meddle with anything in it." + +5. Frank walked along the neat gravel paths, and looked at +everything, but touched nothing that he saw. +6. He did not tread on any of the borders, and was careful +that his clothes should not brush the tops of the flowers, lest +he might break them. + + THIRD READER. 41 +7. The gardener was much pleased with Frank, because he +was so careful not to do mischief. He showed him the seeds, +and told him the name of many of the flowers and plants. +8. While Frank was admiring the beauty of a flower, a boy +came to the gate, and finding it locked, he shook it hard. But +it would not open. Then he said, "Let me in; let me in; will +you not let me in this garden?" +9. "No, indeed," said the gardener, "I will not let you in, I +assure you; for when I let you in yesterday, you meddled +with my flowers, and pulled some of my rare fruit. I do not +choose to let a boy into my garden who meddles with the +plants." +10. The boy looked ashamed, and when he found that the +gardener would not let him in, he went slowly away. +11. Frank saw and felt how much happier a boy may be by +not meddling with what does not belong to him. +12. He and his mother then continued their walk in the +garden, and enjoyed the day very much. Before they left, the +gardener gave each of them some pretty flowers. + +42 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XIII. + + +THE WOLF. +1. A boy was once taking care of some sheep, not far from +a forest. Near by was a village, and he was told to call for +help if there was any danger. +2. One day, in order to have some fun, he cried out, with +all his might, "The wolf is coming! the wolf is coming!" +3. The men came running with clubs and axes to destroy +the wolf. As they saw nothing they went home again, and +left John laughing in his sleeve. +4. As he had had so much fun this time, John cried out +again, the next day, "The wolf! the wolf!" +5. The men came again, but not so many as the first time. +Again they saw no trace of the wolf; so they shook their +heads, and went back. +6. On the third day, the wolf came in earnest. John cried in +dismay, "Help! help! + + THIRD READER. 43 +the wolf! the wolf!" But not a single man came to help him. +7. The wolf broke into the flock, and killed + +a great many sheep. Among them was a beautiful lamb, +which belonged to John. +8. Then he felt very sorry that he had deceived his friends +and neighbors, and grieved over the loss of his pet lamb. + +The truth itself is not believed, +From one who often has deceived. + +44 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XIV. + + + + +THE LITTLE BIRD'S SONG. + +1. A little bird, with feathers brown, +Sat singing on a tree; +The song was very soft and low, +But sweet as it could be. + +2. The people who were passing by, +Looked up to see the bird + + THIRD READER. 45 + +That made the sweetest melody +That ever they had heard. +3. But all the bright eyes looked in vain; +Birdie was very small, +And with his modest, dark-brown coat, +He made no show at all. +4. "Why, father," little Gracie said +"Where can the birdie be? +If I could sing a song like that, +I'd sit where folks could see." +5. "I hope my little girl will learn +A lesson from the bird, +And try to do what good she can, +Not to be seen or heard. +6. "This birdie is content to sit +Unnoticed on the way, +And sweetly sing his Maker's praise +From dawn to close of day. +7. "So live, my child, all through your life, +That, be it short or long, +Though others may forget your looks, +They'll not forget your song." + +46 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XV. + + + + +HARRY AND ANNIE. +1. Harry and Annie lived a mile from town, but they went +there to school every day. It was a pleasant walk down the +lane, and through the meadow by the pond. +2. I hardly know whether they liked it better in summer or +in winter. They used to pretend that they were travelers +exploring a new country, and would scatter leaves on + + THIRD READER. 47 +the road that they might find their way back again. +3. When the ice was thick and firm, they went across the +pond. But their mother did not like to have them do this +unless some one was with them. +4. "Do n't go across the pond to-day, children," she said, +as she kissed them and bade them good-by one morning; "it +is beginning to thaw." +5. "All right, mother," said Harry, not very good- +naturedly, for he was very fond of running and sliding on the +ice. When they came to the pond, the ice looked hard and +safe. +6. "There," said he to his sister, "I knew it had n't thawed +any. Mother is always afraid we shall be drowned. Come +along, we will have a good time sliding. The school bell will +not ring for an hour at least." +7. "But you promised mother," said Annie. +8. "No, I did n't. I only said 'All right,' and it is all right." +9. "I did n't say anything; so I can do as I like," said +Annie. +10. So they stepped on the ice, and started to go across the +pond. They had not gone + + + 48 ECLECTIC SERIES. +far before the ice gave way, and they fell into the water. +11. A man who was at work near the shore, heard the +screams of the children, and plunged into the water to save +them. Harry managed to get to the shore without any help, +but poor Annie was nearly drowned before the man could +reach her. +12. Harry went home almost frozen, and told his mother +how disobedient he had been. He remembered the lesson +learned that day as long as he lived. + +LESSON XVI. + + +BIRD FRIENDS. +1. I once knew a man who was rich in his love for birds, +and in their love for him. He lived in the midst of a grove +full of all kinds of trees. He had no wife or children in his +home. +2. He was an old man with gray beard, blue and kind eyes, +and a voice that the + + THIRD READER. 49 +birds loved; and this was the way he made them his friends. +3. While he was at work with a rake on his nice walks in +the grove, the birds came + +close to him to pick up the worms in the fresh earth he dug +up. At first, they kept a rod or two from him, but they soon +found he was a kind man, and would not hurt them, but liked +to have them near him. +3. 4. + + 50 ECLECTIC SERIES. +4. They knew this by his kind eyes and voice, which tell +what is in the heart. So, day by day their faith in his love +grew in them. +5. They came close to the rake. They would hop on top of +it to be first at the worm. They would turn up their eyes into +his when he spoke to them, as if they said, "He is a kind +man; he loves us; we need not fear him." +6. All the birds of the grove were soon his fast friends. +They were on the watch for him, and would fly down from +the green tree tops to greet him with their chirp. +7. When he had no work on the walks to do with his rake +or his hoe, he took crusts of bread with him, and dropped the +crumbs on the ground. Down they would dart on his head +and feet to catch them as they fell from his hand. +8 He showed me how they loved him. He put a crust of +bread in his mouth, with one end of it out of his lips. Down +they came like bees at a flower, and flew off with it crumb +by crumb. +9. When they thought he slept too long in the morning, +they would fly in and sit + + THIRD READER. 51 +on the bedpost, and call him up with their chirp. +10. They went with him to church, and while he said his +prayers and sang his hymns in it, they sat in the trees, and +sang their praises to the same good God who cares for them +as he does for us. +11. Thus the love and trust of birds were a joy to him all +his life long; and such love and trust no boy or girl can fail to +win with the same kind heart, voice, and eye that he had. + +Adapted from Elihu Burritt. + + + +LESSON XVII. + +WHAT THE MINUTES SAY. + +1. We are but minutes--little things! +Each one furnished with sixty wings, +With which we fly on our unseen track, +And not a minute ever comes back. + +2. We are but minutes; use us well, +For how we are used we must one day tell. +Who uses minutes, has hours to use; +Who loses minutes, whole years must lose. + + 52 ECLECTIC SERIES + +LESSON XVIII. + + + + +THE WIDOW AND THE MERCHANT. +1. A merchant, who was very fond of music, was asked by +a poor widow to give her some assistance. Her husband, who +was a musician, had died, and left her very poor indeed. +2. The merchant saw that the widow and her daughter, +who was with her, were in great + + THIRD READER. 53 +distress. He looked with pity into their pale faces, and was +convinced by their conduct that their sad story was true. +3. "How much do you want, my good woman?" said the +merchant. +4. "Five dollars will save us," said the poor widow, with +some hesitation. +5. The merchant sat down at his desk, took a piece of +paper, wrote a few lines on it, and gave it to the widow with +the words, "Take it to the bank you see on the other side of +the street." +6. The grateful widow and her daughter, without stopping +to read the note, hastened to the bank. The banker at once +counted out fifty dollars instead of five, and passed them to +the widow. +7. She was amazed when she saw so much money. "Sir, +there is a mistake here," she said. "You have given me fifty +dollars, and I asked for only five." +8. The banker looked at the note once more, and said, +"The check calls for fifty dollars." +9. "It is a mistake--indeed it is," said the widow. +10. The banker then asked her to wait + + 54 ECLECTIC SERIES. +a few minutes, while he went to see the merchant who gave +her the note. +11. "Yes." said the merchant, when he had heard the +banker's story, "I did make a mistake. I wrote fifty instead of +five hundred. Give the poor widow five hundred dollars, for +such honesty is poorly rewarded with even that sum." +LESSON XIX. + +THE BIRDS SET FREE. +1. A man was walking one day through a large city. On a +street corner he saw a boy with a number of small birds for +sale, in a cage. +2. He looked with sadness upon the little prisoners flying +about the cage, peeping through the wires, beating them with +their wings, and trying to get out. +3. He stood for some time looking at the birds. At last he +said to the boy, "How much do you ask for your birds?" + + THIRD READER. 55 +4. "Fifty cents apiece, sir," said the boy. "I do not mean +how much apiece," said the man, "but how much for all of +them? I want to buy them all." +5. The boy began to count, and found they came to five +dollars. "There is your money," + +said the man. The boy took it, well pleased with his +morning's trade. +6. No sooner was the bargain settled than the man opened +the cage door, and let all the birds fly away. +7. The boy, in great surprise, cried, "What did you do that +for, sir? You have lost all your birds." + + 56 ECLECTIC SERIES. +8. "I will tell you why I did it," said the man. "I was shut +up three years in a French prison, as a prisoner of war, and I +am resolved never to see anything in prison which I can +make free." +LESSON XX. + + +A MOMENT TOO LATE. + +1. A moment too late, my beautiful bird, +A moment too late are you now; +The wind has your soft, downy nest disturbed-- +The nest that you hung on the bough. + +2. A moment too late; that string in your bill, +Would have fastened it firmly and strong; +But see, there it goes, rolling over the hill! +Oh, you staid a moment too long. + +3. A moment, one moment too late, busy bee; +The honey has dropped from the flower: +No use to creep under the petals and see; +It stood ready to drop for an hour. + +4. A moment too late; had you sped on your wing, +The honey would not have been gone; + + THIRD READER. 57 + +Now you see what a very, a very sad thing + 'T is to stay a moment too long. + +5. Little girl, never be a moment too late, +It will soon end in trouble or crime; +Better be an hour early, and stand and wait, +Than a moment behind the time. + +6. If the bird and the bee, little boy, were too late, +Remember, as you play along +On your way to school, with pencil and slate, +Never stay a moment too long. + +LESSON XXI. + + +HUMMING BIRDS. +1. The most beautiful humming birds are found in the +West Indies and South America. The crest of the tiny head of +one of these shines like a sparkling crown of colored light. +2. The shades of color that adorn its breast, are equally +brilliant. As the bird + + 58 ECLECTIC SERIES. +flits from one object to another, it looks more like a bright +flash of sunlight than it does like a living being. +3. But, you ask, why are they called humming birds? It is +because they make a soft, humming noise by the rapid +motion of their wings--a motion so rapid, that as they fly you +can only see that they have wings. +4. One day when walking in the woods, I found the nest of +one of the smallest humming birds. It was about half the size +of a very small hen's egg, and + + THIRD READER. 59 +was attached to a twig no thicker than a steel knitting needle. +5. It seemed to have been made of cotton fibers, and was +covered with the softest bits of leaf and bark. It had two eggs +in it, quite white, and each about as large as a small +sugarplum. +6. When you approach the spot where one of these birds +has built its nest, it is necessary to be careful. The mother +bird will dart at you and try to peck your eyes. Its sharp beak +may hurt your eyes most severely, and even destroy the +sight. +7. The poor little thing knows no other way of defending +its young, and instinct teaches it that you might carry off its +nest if you could find it. + +LESSON XXII. + + + +THE WIND AND THE SUN. +A FABLE. +1. A dispute once arose between the Wind and the Sun, as +to which was the stronger. + + 60 ECLECTIC SERIES. +2. To decide the matter, they agreed to try their power on +a traveler. That party which should first strip him of his +cloak, was to win the day. +3. The Wind began. He blew a cutting blast, which tore up +the mountain oaks by their roots, and made the whole forest +look like a wreck. +4. But the traveler, though at first he could scarcely keep +his cloak on his back, ran under a hill for shelter, and +buckled his mantle about him more closely. +5. The Wind having thus tried his utmost power in vain, +the Sun began. +6. Bursting through a thick cloud, he darted his sultry +beams so forcibly upon the traveler's head, that the poor +fellow was almost melted. +7. "This," said he, "is past all bearing. It is so hot, that one +might as well be in an oven." +8. So he quickly threw off his cloak, and went into the +shade of a tree to cool himself. +9. This fable teaches us, that gentle means will often +succeed where forcible ones will fail. + + THIRD READER. 61 + +LESSON XXIII. + + + + +SUNSET. + + + + 62 ECLECTIC SERIES, + + + +LESSON XXIV. + + + +BEAUTIFUL HANDS. +1. "O Miss Roberts! what coarse-looking hands Mary +Jessup has!" said Daisy Marvin, as she walked home from +school with her teacher. + + THIRD READER. 63 +2. "In my opinion, Daisy, Mary's hands are the prettiest in +he class." +3. "Why, Miss Roberts, they are as red and hard as they +can be. How they would look if she were to try to play on a +piano!" exclaimed Daisy. +4. Miss Roberts took Daisy's hands in hers, and said, +"Your hands are very soft and white, Daisy--just the hands to +look beautiful on a piano; yet they lack one beauty that +Mary's hands have. Shall I tell you what the difference is?" +5. "Yes, please, Miss Roberts." +6. "Well, Daisy, Mary's hands are always busy. They wash +dishes; they make fires; they hang out clothes, and help to +wash them, too; they sweep, and dust, and sew; they are +always trying to help her poor, hard-working mother. +7. "Besides, they wash and dress the children; they mend +their toys and dress their dolls; yet, they find time to bathe +the head of the little girl who is so sick in the next house to +theirs. +8. "They are full of good deeds to every living thing. I +have seen them patting the tired horse and the lame dog in +the street. + + 64 ECLECTIC SERIES, + + +They are always ready to help those who need help." +9. "I shall never think Mary's hands are ugly any more, +Miss Roberts." +10. "I am glad to hear you say that, Daisy; and I must tell +you that they are beautiful because they do their work gladly +and cheerfully." +11. "O Miss Roberts! I feel so ashamed of myself, and so +sorry," said Daisy, looking into her teacher's face with +tearful eyes. + + THIRD READER. 65 +12. "Then, my dear, show your sorrow by deeds of +kindness. The good alone are really beautiful." + +LESSON XXV. + +THINGS TO REMEMBER. +1. When you rise in the morning, remember who kept you +from danger during the night. Remember who watched over +you while you slept, and whose sun shines around you, and +gives you the sweet light of day. +2. Let God have the thanks of your heart, for his kindness +and his care; and pray for his protection during the wakeful +hours of day. +3. Remember that God made all creatures to be happy, and +will do nothing that may prevent their being so, without +good reason for it. +4. When you are at the table, do not eat in a greedy +manner, like a pig. Eat quietly, +3,5 + +66 ECLECTIC SERIES. +and do not reach forth your hand for the food, but ask some +one to help you. +5. Do not become peevish and pout, because you do not +get a part of everything. Be satisfied with what is given you. +6. Avoid a pouting face, angry looks, and angry words. Do +not slam the doors. Go quietly up and down stairs; and never +make a loud noise about the house. +7. Be kind and gentle in your manners; not like the +howling winter storm, but like the bright summer morning. +8. Do always as your parents bid you. Obey them with a +ready mind, and with a pleasant face. +9. Never do anything that you would be afraid or ashamed +that your parents should know. Remember, if no one else +sees you, God does, from whom you can not hide even your +most secret thought. +10. At night, before you go to sleep, think whether you +have done anything that was wrong during the day, and pray +to God to forgive you. If anyone has done you wrong, +forgive him in your heart. +11. If you have not learned something useful, or been in +some way useful, during + + THIRD READER. 67 +the past day, think that it is a day lost, and be very sorry for +it. +12. Trust in the Lord, and He will guide you in the way of +good men. The path of the just is as the shining light that +shineth more and more unto the perfect day. +13. We must do all the good we can to all men, for this is +well pleasing in the sight of God. He delights to see his +children walk in love, and do good one to another. + +LESSON XXVI. + +THREE LITTLE MICE. +1. I will tell you the story of three little mice, +If you will keep still and listen to me, +Who live in a cage that is cozy and nice, +And are just as cunning as cunning can be. +They look very wise, with their pretty red eyes, +That seem just exactly like little round beads; +They are white as the snow, and stand up in a row +Whenever we do not attend to their needs;-- + + 68 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +2. Stand up in a row in a comical way,-- +Now folding their forepaws as if saying, "please;" +Now rattling the lattice, as much as to say, +"We shall not stay here without more bread and +cheese," +They are not at all shy, as you'll find, if you try +To make them run up in their chamber to bed; +If they do n't want to go, why, they won't go--ah! no, +Though you tap with your finger each queer little +head. +3. One day as I stood by the side of the cage, +Through the bars there protruded a funny, round tail; + + THIRD READER. 69 + +Just for mischief I caught it, and soon; in a rage, +Its owner set up a most pitiful wail. +He looked in dismay,--there was something to pay,-- +But what was the matter he could not make out; +What was holding him so, when he wanted to go +To see what his brothers upstairs were about? + +4. But soon from the chamber the others rushed down, +Impatient to learn what the trouble might be; +I have not a doubt that each brow wore a frown, +Only frowns on their brows are not easy to see. +For a moment they gazed, perplexed and amazed; +Then began both together to--gnaw off the tail! +So, quick I released him,--do you think that it pleased +him? +And up the small staircase they fled like a gale. +Julia C. R. Dorr. +LESSON XXVII. + +THE NEW YEAR. +1. One pleasant New-year morning, Edward rose, and +washed and dressed himself + + 70 ECLECTIC SERIES. +in haste. He wanted to be first to wish a happy New Year. +2. He looked in every room, and shouted the words of +welcome. He ran into the + +street, to repeat them to those he might meet. +3. When he came back, his father gave him two bright, +new silver dollars. +4. His face lighted up as he took them. He had wished for +a long time to buy some pretty books that he had seen at the +bookstore. + + THIRD READER. 71 +5. He left the house with a light heart, intending to buy the +books. +6. As he ran down the street, he saw a poor German +family, the father, mother, and three children shivering with +cold. +7. "I wish you a happy New Year," said Edward, as he +was gayly passing on. The man shook his head. +8. "You do not belong to this country," said Edward. The +man again shook his head, for he could not understand or +speak our language. +9. But he pointed to his mouth, and to the children, as if to +say, "These little ones have had nothing to eat for a long +time." +10. Edward quickly understood that these poor people +were in distress. He took out his dollars, and gave one to the +man, and the other to his wife. +11. How their eyes sparkled with gratitude! They said +something in their language, which doubtless meant, "We +thank you a thousand times, and will remember you in our +prayers." +12. When Edward came home, his father asked what +books he had bought. He hung his head a moment, but +quickly looked up. + + 72 ECLECTIC SERIES. +13. "I have bought no books," said he, "I gave my money +to some poor people, who seemed to be very hungry and +wretched. +14. "I think I can wait for my books till next New Year. +Oh, if you had seen how glad they were to receive the +money!" +15. "My dear boy;" said his father, "here is a whole bundle +of books. I give them to you, more as a reward for your +goodness of heart than as a New-year gift. +16. "I saw you give the money to the poor German family. +It was no small sum for a little boy to give cheerfully. +17. "Be thus ever ready to help the poor, and wretched, +and distressed; and every year of your life will be to you a +happy New Year." +LESSON XXVIII. + + +THE CLOCK AND THE SUNDIAL. +A FABLE. +1. One gloomy day, the clock on a church steeple, looking +down on a sundial, said, + + THIRD READER. 73 +"How stupid it is in you to stand there all the while like a +stock! +2. "You never tell the hour till a bright sun looks forth +from the sky, and gives you leave. I go merrily round, day +and night, in summer and winter the same, without asking +his leave. +3. "I tell the people the time to rise, to go to dinner, and to +come to church. + + + 74 ECLECTIC SERIES. +4. "Hark! I am going to strike now; one, two, three, four. +There it is for you. How silly you look! You can say +nothing." +5. The sun, at that moment, broke forth from behind a +cloud, and showed, by the sundial, that the clock was half an +hour behind the right time. +6. The boasting clock now held his tongue, and the dial +only smiled at his folly. +7. MORAL.--Humble modesty is more often right than a +proud and boasting spirit. + +LESSON XXIX. + + +REMEMBER. +1. Remember, child, remember, +That God is in the sky; +That He looks down on all we do, +With an ever-wakeful eye. + +2. Remember, oh remember, +That, all the day and night, +He sees our thoughts and actions +With an ever-watchful sight. + + THIRD READER. 75 + +3. Remember, child, remember, +That God is good and true; +That He wishes us to always be +Like Him in all we do. + +4. Remember that He ever hates +A falsehood or a lie; +Remember He will punish, too, +The wicked, by and by. + +5. Remember, oh remember, +That He is like a friend, +And wishes us to holy be, +And happy, in the end. + +6. Remember, child, remember, +To pray to Him in heaven; +And if you have been doing wrong, +Oh, ask to be forgiven. + +7. Be sorry, in your little prayer, +And whisper in his ear; +Ask his forgiveness and his love. +And He will surely hear. + +8. Remember, child, remember, +That you love, with all your might, + + 76 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +The God who watches o'er us, +And gives us each delight; +Who guards us ever through the day, +And saves us in the night. + +LESSON XXX.. + + + +COURAGE AND COWARDICE. +1. Robert and Henry were going home from school, when, +on turning a corner, Robert cried out, "A fight! let us go and +see!" + + ECLECTIC READER. 77 +2. "No," said Henry; "let us go quietly home and not +meddle with this quarrel. We have nothing to do with it, and +may get into mischief." +3. "You are a coward, and afraid to go," said Robert, and +off he ran. Henry went straight home, and in the afternoon +went to school, as usual. +4. But Robert had told all the boys that Henry was a +coward, and they laughed at him a great deal. +5. Henry had learned, however, that true courage is shown +most in bearing reproach when not deserved, and that he +ought to be afraid of nothing but doing wrong. +6. A few days after, Robert was bathing with some +schoolmates, and got out of his depth. He struggled, and +screamed for help, but all in vain. +7. The boys who had called Henry a coward, got out of the +water as fast as they could, but they did not even try to help +him. +8. Robert was fast sinking, when Henry threw off his +clothes, and sprang into the water. He reached Robert just as +he was sinking the last time. + + 78 ECLECTIC SERIES. +9. By great effort, and with much danger to himself, he +brought Robert to thc shore, and thus saved his life. +10. Robert and his schoolmates were ashamed at having +called Henry a coward. They owned that he had more +courage than any of them. +11. Never be afraid to do good, but always fear to do evil. + +LESSON XXXI. + + + +WEIGHING AN ELEPHANT. +1. "An eastern king," said Teddy's mother, "had been +saved from some great danger. To show his gratitude for +deliverance, he vowed he would give to the poor the weight +of his favorite elephant in silver." +2. "Oh! what a great quantity that would be," cried Lily, +opening her eyes very wide. +"But how could you weigh an elephant?" + + THIRD READER. 79 +asked Teddy, who was a quiet, thoughtful boy +3. "There was the difficulty," said his mother. "The wise +and learned men of the court stroked their long beards, and +talked the matter over, but no one found out how to weigh +the elephant. +4. "At last, a poor old sailor found safe and simple means +by which to weigh the enormous beast. The thousands and +thousands of pieces of silver were counted out to the people; +and crowds of the poor were relieved by the clever thought +of the sailor." +5. "O mamma," said Lily, "do tell us what it was!" +6. "Stop, stop!" said Teddy. "I want to think for myself-- +think hard--and find out how an elephant's weight could be +known, with little trouble and expense." +7. "I am well pleased," said his mother, "that my little boy +should set his mind to work on the subject. If he can find out +the sailor's secret before night, he shall have that orange for +his pains." +8. The boy thought hard and long. Lily laughed at her +brother's grave looks, as he sat leaning his head on his hands. +Often + + 80 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + + +she teased him with the question, "Can you weigh an +elephant, Teddy?" +9. At last, while eating his supper, Teddy suddenly cried +out, "I have it now!" +10. "Do you think so?" asked his mother. +11. "How would you do it," asked Lily. + + THIRD READER. 81 +12. "First, I would have a big boat brought very close to +the shore, and would have planks laid across, so that the +elephant could walk right into it." +13. "Oh, such a great, heavy beast would make it sink low +in the water," said Lily. +14. "Of course it would," said her brother. Then I would +mark on the outside of the boat the exact height to which the +water had risen all around it while the elephant was inside. +Then he should march on shore, leaving the boat quite +empty." +15. "But I do n't see the use of all this," said Lily. +16. "Do n't you?" cried Teddy, in surprise. "Why, I should +then bring the heaps of silver, and throw them into the boat +till their weight would sink it to the mark made by the +elephant. That would show that the weight of each was the +same." +17. "How funny!" cried Lily; "you would make a +weighing machine of the boat?" +18. "That is my plan," said Teddy. +19. "That was the sailor's plan," said his mother. "You +have earned the orange, my boy;" and she gave it to him with +a smile. +Adapted from A. L. O. E. +3,6. + + 82 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XXXII. + + +THE SOLDIER. + +1. A soldier! a soldier! I'm longing to he: +The name and the life of a soldier for me! +I would not be living at ease and at play; +True honor and glory I'd win in my day. + +2. A soldier! a soldier! in armor arrayed; +My weapons in hand, of no contest afraid; +I'd ever be ready to strike the first blow, +And to fight my way through the ranks of the foe. + +3. But then, let me tell you, no blood would I shed, +No victory seek o'er the dying and dead; +A far braver soldier than this would I be; +A warrior of Truth, in the ranks of the free. + +4. A soldier! a soldier! Oh, then, let me be! +My friends, I invite you, enlist now with me. +Truth's bands shall be mustered, love's foes shall +give way! +Let's up, and be clad in our battle array! +J. G. Adams. + + THIRD READER. 83 + +LESSON XXXIII. + + + +THE ECHO. +1. As Robert was one day rambling about, he happened to +cry out, "Ho, ho!" He instantly heard coming back from a +hill near by, the same words, "Ho, ho!" +2. In great surprise, he said with a loud voice, "Who are +you?" Upon this, the same words came back, "Who are +you?" +3. Robert now cried out harshly, "You must be a very +foolish fellow." "Foolish fellow!" came back from the hill. +4. Robert became angry, and with loud and fierce words +went toward the spot whence the sounds came. The words all +came back to him in the same angry tone. +5. He then went into the thicket, and looked for the boy +who, as he thought, was mocking him; but he could find +nobody anywhere. +6. When he went home, he told his mothe + +84 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + + +that some boy had hid himself in the wood, for the purpose +of mocking him. +7. "Robert," said his mother, "you are angry with yourself +alone. You heard nothing but your own words." +8. "Why, mother, how can that be?" said Robert. "Did you +never hear an echo?" asked his mother. "An echo, dear +mother? No, ma'am. What is it?" +9. "I will tell you," said his mother. "You know, when you +play with your ball, + + THIRD READER. 85 +and throw it against the side of a house, it bounds back to +you." "Yes, mother," said he, "and I catch it again." +10. "Well," said his mother, "if I were in the open air, by +the side of a hill or a large barn, and should speak very loud, +my voice would be sent back, so that I could hear again the +very words which I spoke. +11. "That, my son, is an echo. When you thought some +one was mocking you, it was only the hill before you, +echoing, or sending back, your own voice. +12. "The bad boy, as you thought it was, spoke no more +angrily than yourself. If you had spoken kindly, you would +have heard a kind reply. +13. "Had you spoken in a low, sweet, gentle tone, the +voice that came back would have been as low, sweet, and +gentle as your own. +14. "The Bible says, 'A soft answer turneth away wrath.' +Remember this when you are at play with your school mates. +15. "If any of them should be offended, and speak in a +loud, angry tone, remember the echo, and let your words be +soft and kind." + +86 ECLECTIC SERIES. +16. "When you come home from school, and find your +little brother cross and peevish, speak mildly to him. You +will soon see a smile on his lips, and find that his tones will +become mild and sweet. +17. "Whether you are in the fields or in the woods, at +school or at play, at home or abroad, remember, +The good and the kind, +By kindness their love ever proving, +Will dwell with the pure and the loving." + +LESSON XXXIV. + +GEORGE'S FEAST. +1. George's mother was very poor. Instead of having +bright, blazing fires in winter, she had nothing to burn but +dry sticks, which George picked up from under the trees and +hedges. +2. One fine day in July, she sent George to the woods, +which were about two miles from the village in which she +lived. He + + THIRD READER. 87 +was to stay there all day, to get as much wood as he could +collect. +3. It was a bright, sunny day, and George worked very +hard; so that by the time the + +sun was high, he was hot, and wished for a cool place where +he might rest and eat his dinner. +4. While he hunted about the bank he saw among the moss +some fine, wild strawberries, which were a bright scarlet +with ripeness. + + 88 ECLECTIC SERIES. +5. "How good these will be with my bread and butter!" +thought George; and lining his little cap with leaves, he set +to work eagerly to gather all he could find, and then seated +himself by the brook. +6. It was a pleasant place, and George felt happy and +contented. He thought how much his mother would like to +see him there, and to be there herself, instead of in her dark, +close room in the village. +7. George thought of all this, and just as he was lifting the +first strawberry to his mouth, he said to himself, "How much +mother would like these;" and he stopped, and put the +strawberry back again. +8. "Shall I save them for her?" said he, thinking how much +they would refresh her, yet still looking at them with a +longing eye. +9. "I will eat half, and take the other half to her," said he at +last; and he divided them into two heaps. But each heap +looked so small, that he put them together again. +10. "I will only taste one," thought he; but, as he again +lifted it to his mouth, he saw that he had taken the finest, and +he put it back. "I will keep them all for her," + + THIRD READER. 89 +said he, and he covered them up nicely, till he should go +home. +11. When the sun was beginning to sink, George set out +for home. How happy he felt, then, that he had all his +strawberries for his sick mother. The nearer he came to his +home, the less he wished to taste them. +12. Just as he had thrown down his wood, he heard his +mother's faint voice calling him from the next room. "Is that +you, George? I am glad you have come, for I am thirsty, and +am longing for some tea." +13. George ran in to her, and joyfully offered his wild +strawberries. "And you saved them for your sick mother, did +you?" said she, laying her hand fondly on his head, while the +tears stood in her eyes. "God will bless you for all this, my +child." +14. Could the eating of the strawberries have given +George half the happiness he felt at this moment? + + + + 90 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XXXV. + + + +THE LORD'S PRAYER. + +1. Our Father in heaven, +We hallow thy name; +May thy kingdom holy +On earth be the same; +Oh, give to us daily +Our portion of bread; +It is from thy bounty, +That all must be fed. + +2. Forgive our transgressions. +And teach us to know +The humble compassion +That pardons each foe; +Keep us from temptation, +From weakness and sin, +And thine be the glory +Forever! Amen! + + THIRD READER. 91 +AN EVENING PRAYER. + + + + +92 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + + + +LESSON XXXVI. + + + + + +FINDING THE OWNER. +1. "It's mine," said Fred, showing a white handled +pocketknife, with every blade perfect and shining. "Just what +I've always + + THIRD READER. 93 +wanted." And he turned the prize over and over with evident +satisfaction. +2. "I guess I know who owns it," said Tom, looking at it +with a critical eye. + +3. "I guess you do n't," was the quick response. "It is n't +Mr. Raymond's," said Fred, shooting wide of the mark. +4. "I know that; Mr. Raymond's is twice as large," +observed Tom, going on with his drawing lesson. +5. Do you suppose Fred took any comfort in that knife? +Not a bit of comfort did he take. He was conscious all the +time of having something in his possession that did + + 94 ECLECTIC SERIES. +not belong to him; and Tom's suspicion interfered sadly with +his enjoyment. +6. Finally, it became such a torment to him, that he had +serious thoughts of burning it, or burying it, or giving it +away; but a better plan suggested itself. +7. "Tom," said he, one day at recess, "did n't you say you +thought you knew who owned that knife I found?" +8. "Yes, I did; it looked like Doctor Perry's." And Tom ran +off to his play, without giving the knife another thought. +9. Dr. Perry's! Why, Fred would have time to go to the +doctor's office before recess closed: so he started in haste, +and found the old gentleman getting ready to visit a patient. +"Is this yours?" cried Fred, in breathless haste, holding up +the cause of a week's anxiety. +10. "It was," said the doctor; "but I lost it the other day." +11. "I found it," said Fred, "and have felt like a thief ever +since. Here, take it; I've got to run." +12. "Hold on!" said the doctor. "I've got a new one, and +you are quite welcome to this." + + THIRD READER. 95 +13. "Am I? May I? Oh! thank you!" And with what a +different feeling he kept it from that which he had +experienced for a week! + +LESSON XXXVII. + +BATS. +1. Bats are very strange little animals, having hair like +mice, and wings like birds. During the day, they live in +crevices of rocks, in caves, and in other dark places. +2. At night, they go forth in search of food; and, no doubt, +you have seen them flying + +96 ECLECTIC SERIES. +about, catching such insects as happen to be out rather late at +night. +3. The wings of a bat have no quills. They are only thin +pieces of skin stretched upon a framework of bones. Besides +this, it may be said that while he is a quadruped, he can rise +into the air and fly from place to place like a bird. +4. There is a funny fable about the bat, founded upon this +double character of beast and bird, which I will tell you. +5. An owl was once prowling about, when he came across +a bat. So he caught him in his claws, and was about to +devour him. Upon this, the bat began to squeal terribly; and +he said to the owl, "Pray, what do you take me for, that you +use me thus?" +6. "Why, you are a bird, to be sure," said the owl, "and I +am fond of birds. I love dearly to break their little bones." +7. "Well," said the bat, "I thought there was some mistake. +I am no bird. Do n't you see, Mr. Owl, that I have no +feathers, and that I am covered with hair like a mouse?" +8. "Sure enough," said the owl, in great surprise; "I see it +now. Really, I took you + + THIRD READER. 97 +for a bird, but it appears you are only a kind of mouse. I ate a +mouse last night, and it gave me the nightmare. I can't bear +mice! Bah! it makes me sick to think of it." So the owl let the +bat go. + +9. The very next night, the bat encountered another +danger. He was snapped up by puss, who took him for a +mouse, and immediately prepared to eat him. +10. "I beg you to stop one moment," said the bat. "Pray, +Miss Puss, what do you suppose I am?" "A mouse, to be +sure!" said the cat. "Not at all," said the bat, spreading his +long wings. +11. "Sure enough," said the cat: "you seem to be a bird, +though your feathers are +3,7. + + 98 ECLECTIC SERIES. +not very fine. I eat birds sometimes, but I am tired of them +just now, having lately devoured four young robins; so you +may go. But, bird or mouse, it will be your best policy to +keep out of my way hereafter." +12. The meaning of this fable is, that a person playing a +double part may sometimes escape danger; but he is always, +like the bat, a creature that is disgusting to everybody, and +shunned by all. +S. G. Goodrich--Adapted. + +LESSON XXXVIII. + + + +A SUMMER DAY. + +1. This is the way the morning dawns: +Rosy tints on flowers and trees, +Winds that wake the birds and bees, +Dewdrops on the fields and lawns-- +This is the way the morning dawns. + +2. This is the way the sun comes up: +Gold on brook and glossy leaves, + + THIRD READER. 99 + +Mist that melts above the sheaves, +Vine, and rose, and buttercup-- +This is the way the sun comes up. + + 0 + +3. This is the way the river flows: +Here a whirl, and there a dance; +Slowly now, then, like a lance, +Swiftly to the sea it goes-- +This is the way the river flows. + + 100 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +4. This is the way the rain comes down: +Tinkle, tinkle, drop by drop, +Over roof and chimney top; +Boughs that bend, and skies that frown-- +This is the way the rain comes down. + +5. This is the way the birdie sings: +"Baby birdies in the nest, +You I surely love the best; +Over you I fold my wings"-- +This is the way the birdie sings. + +6. This is the way the daylight dies: +Cows are lowing in the lane, +Fireflies wink on hill and plain; +Yellow, red, and purple skies-- +This is the way the daylight dies. +George Cooper. + + + + THIRD READER. 101 + +LESSON XXXIX. + + + + +I WILL THINK OF IT. +1. "I will think of it." It is easy to say this; but do you +know what great things have come from thinking? +2. We can not see our thoughts, or hear, or taste, or feel +them; and yet what mighty power they have! +3. Sir Isaac Newton was seated in his garden on a +summer's evening, when he saw an apple fall from a tree. He +began to think, and, in trying to find out why the apple fell, +discovered how the earth, sun, moon, and stars are kept in +their places. +4. A boy named James Watt sat quietly by the fireside, +watching the lid of the tea kettle as it moved up and down. +He began to think; he wanted to find out why the steam in +the kettle moved the heavy lid. + + 102 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +5. From that time he went on thinking and thinking; and +when he became a man, he improved the steam engine so +much that it could, with the greatest ease, do the work of +many horses. +6. When you see a steamboat, a steam mill, or a +locomotive, remember that it would never have been built if +it had not been for the hard thinking of some one. +7. A man named Galileo was once standing in the +cathedral of Pisa, when he saw a chandelier swaying to and +fro. + + THIRD READER. 103 +8. This set him thinking, and it led to the invention of the +pendulum. +9. James Ferguson was a poor Scotch shepherd boy. Once, +seeing the inside of a watch, he was filled with wonder. +"Why should I not make a watch?" thought he. +10. But how was he to get the materials out of which to +make the wheels and the mainspring? He soon found how to +get them: he made the mainspring out of a piece of +whalebone. He then made a wooden clock which kept good +time. +11. He began, also, to copy pictures with a pen, and +portraits with oil colors. In a few years, while still a small +boy, he earned money enough to support his father. +12. When he became a man, he went to London to live. +Some of the wisest men in England, and the king himself, +used to attend his lectures. His motto was, "I will think of it;" +and he made his thoughts useful to himself and the world. +13. Boys, when you have a difficult lesson to learn, do n't +feel discouraged, and ask some one to help you before +helping yourselves. Think, and by thinking you will learn +how to think to some purpose. + + 104 ECLECTIC SERIES. +LESSON XL. +CHARLIE AND ROB. +1. "Do n't you hate splitting wood?" asked Charlie, as he +sat down on a log to hinder Rob for a while. +2. "No, I rather like it. When I get hold of a tough old +fellow, I say, 'See here, now, you think you're the stronger, +and are going to beat me; so I'll split you up into kindling +wood." +3. "Pshaw!" said Charlie, laughing; "and it's only a stick +of wood." +4. "Yes; but you see I pretend it's a lesson, or a tough job +of any kind, and it's nice to conquer it." +5. "I do n't want to conquer such things; I do n't care what +becomes of them. I wish I were a man, and a rich one." +6. "Well, Charlie, if you live long enough you'll be a man, +without wishing for it; and as for the rich part, I mean to be +that myself." +7. "You do. How do you expect to get your money? By +sawing wood?" +8. "May be--some of it; that's as good a + + THIRD READER. 105 + + + +way as any, so long as it lasts. I do n't care how I get rich, +you know, so that it's in an honest and useful way." +9. "I'd like to sleep over the next ten years, and wake up to +find myself a young man with a splendid education and +plenty of money." + + 106 ECLECTIC SERIES. +10. "Humph! I am not sleepy--a night at a time is enough +for me. I mean to work the next ten years. You see there are +things that you've got to work out--you can't sleep them out." +11. "I hate work," said Charlie, "that is, such work as +sawing and splitting wood, and doing chores. I'd like to do +some big work, like being a clerk in a bank or something of +that sort." +12. "Wood has to be sawed and split before it can be +burned," said Rob. "I do n't know but I'll be a clerk in a bank +some time; I'm working towards it. I'm keeping father's +accounts for him." +13. How Charlie laughed! "I should think that was a long +way from being a bank clerk. I suppose your father sells two +tables and six chairs, some days, does n't he?" +14. "Sometimes more than that, and sometimes not so +much," said Rob, in perfect good humor. +15. "I did n't say I was a bank clerk now. I said I was +working towards it. Am I not nearer it by keeping a little bit +of a book than I should be if I did n't keep any book at all?" + + THIRD READER. 107 +16. "Not a whit--such things happen," said Charlie, as he +started to go. +17. Now, which of these boys, do you think, grew up to be +a rich and useful man, and which of them joined a party of +tramps before he was thirty years old? + + + +LESSON XLI. + +RAY AND HIS KITE. +1. Ray was thought to be an odd boy. You will think him +so, too, when you have read this story. +2. Ray liked well enough to play with the boys at school; +yet he liked better to be alone under the shade of some tree, +reading a fairy tale or dreaming daydreams. But there was +one sport that he liked as well as his companions; that was +kiteflying. +3. One day when he was flying his kite, he said to himself, +"I wonder if anybody ever tried to fly a kite at night. It seems + + 108 ECLECTIC SERIES. +to me it would be nice. But then, if it were very dark, the kite +could not be seen. What if I should fasten a light to it, +though? That would make it show. I'll try it this very night." +4. As soon as it was dark, without saying a word to +anybody, he took his kite and lantern, and went to a large, +open lot, about a quarter of a mile from his home. "Well," +thought he, "this is queer. How lonely and still it seems +without any other boys around! But I am going to fly my +kite, anyway." +5. So he tied the lantern, which was made of tin punched +full of small holes, to the tail of his kite. Then he pitched the +kite, and, + + + THIRD READER. 109 +after several attempts, succeeded in making it rise. Up it +went, higher and higher, as Ray let out the string. When the +string was all unwound, he tied it to a fence; and then he +stood and gazed at his kite as it floated high up in the air. +6. While Ray was enjoying his sport, some people who +were out on the street in the village, saw a strange light in +the sky. They gathered in groups to watch it. Now it was still +for a few seconds, then it seemed to be jumping up and +down; then it made long sweeps back and forth through the +air. +7. "What can it be?" said one person. "How strange!" said +another. "It can not be a comet; for comets have tails," said a +third. "Perhaps it's a big firefly," said another. +8. At last some of the men determined to find out what +this strange light was--whether it was a hobgoblin dancing in +the air, or something dropped from the sky. So off they +started to get as near it as they could. +9. While this was taking place, Ray, who had got tired of +standing, was seated in a fence corner, behind a tree. He +could see + + 110 ECLECTIC SERIES. +the men as they approached; but they did not see him. +10. When they were directly under the light, and saw what +it was, they looked at each other, laughing, and said, "This is +some boy's trick; and it has fooled us nicely. Let us keep the +secret, and have our share of the joke." +11. Then they laughed again, and went back to the village; +and some of the simple people there have not yet found out +what that strange light was. +12. When thc men had gone, Ray thought it was time for +him to go; so he wound up his string, picked up his kite and +lantern, and went home. His mother had been wondering +what had become of him. +13. When she heard what he had been doing, she hardly +knew whether to laugh or scold; but I think she laughed, and +told him that it was time for him to go to bed. + + + + THIRD READER. 111 + +LESSON XLII. +BEWARE OF THE FIRST DRINK. + +1. "Uncle Philip, as the day is fine, will you take a walk +with us this morning?" +2. "Yes, boys. Let me get my hat and cane, and we will +take a ramble. I will tell you a story as we go. Do you know +poor old Tom Smith?" +3. "Know him! Why, Uncle Philip, everybody knows him. +He is such a shocking drunkard, and swears so horribly." +4. "Well, I have known him ever since we were boys +together. There was not a more decent, well-behaved boy +among us. After he left school, his father died, and he was +put into a store in the city. There, he fell into bad company. +5. "Instead of spending his evenings in reading, he would +go to the theater and to balls. He soon learned to play cards, +and of course to play for money. He lost more than he could +pay. +6. "He wrote to his poor mother, and told her his losses. +She sent him money to pay his debts, and told him to come +home. + + 112 ECLECTIC SERIES. +7. "He did come home. After all, he might still have been +useful and happy, for his friends were willing to forgive the +past. For a time, things went on well. He married a lovely +woman, gave up his bad habits, and was doing well. +8. "But one thing, boys, ruined him forever. In the city, he +had learned to take strong drink, and he said to me once, that +when a man begins to drink, he never knows where it will +end. 'Therefore,' said Tom, 'beware of the first drink!' +9. "It was not long before he began to follow his old habit. +He knew the danger, but it seemed as if he could not resist +his desire to drink. His poor mother soon died of grief and +shame. His lovely wife followed her to the grave. +10. "He lost the respect of all, went on from bad to worse, +and has long been a perfect sot. Last night, I had a letter +from the city, stating that Tom Smith had been found guilty +of stealing, and sent to the state prison for ten years. +11. "There I suppose he will die, for he is now old. It is +dreadful to think to what an end he has come. I could not but +think, + + THIRD READER. 113 +as I read the letter, of what he said to me years ago, 'Beware +of the first drink!' +12. "Ah, my dear boys, when old Uncle Philip is gone, +remember that he told you + +the story of Tom Smith, and said to you, 'Beware of the first +drink!' The man who does this will never be a drunkard." + + + + 114 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XLIII. + +SPEAK GENTLY. + +1. Speak gently; it is better far +To rule by love than fear: +Speak gently; let no harsh words mar +The good we might do here. + +2. Speak gently to the little child; +Its love be sure to gain; +Teach it in accents soft and mild; +It may not long remain. + +3. Speak gently to the aged one; +Grieve not the careworn heart: +The sands of life are nearly run; +Let such in peace depart. + +4. Speak gently, kindly, to the poor; +Let no harsh tone be heard; +They have enough they must endure, +Without an unkind word. + +5. Speak gently to the erring; know +They must have toiled in vain; +Perhaps unkindness made them so; +Oh, win them back again. + + THIRD READER. 115 + +6. Speak gently: 'tis a little thing +Dropped in the heart's deep well; +The good, the joy, which it may bring, +Eternity shall tell. +George Washington Langford. + + + + +LESSON XLIV. + +THE SEVEN STICKS. +1. A man had seven sons, who were always quarreling. +They left their studies and work, to quarrel among +themselves. Some bad men were looking forward to the +death of their father, to cheat them out of their property by +making them quarrel about it. +2. The good old man, one day, called his sons around him. +He laid before them seven sticks, which were bound +together. He said, "I will pay a hundred dollars to the one +who can break this bundle." +3. Each one strained every nerve to break the bundle. +After a long but vain trial, they all said that it could not be +done. + + 116 ECLECTIC SERIES. +4. "And yet, my boys," said the father, "nothing is easier +to do." He then untied the bundle, and broke the sticks, one +by one, with perfect ease. + +5. "Ah!" said his sons, "it is easy enough to do it so; +anybody could do it in that way." +6. Their father replied, "As it is with these sticks, so is it +with you, my sons. So + + THIRD READER. 117 +long as you hold fast together and aid each other, you will +prosper, and none can injure you. +7. "But if the bond of union be broken, it will happen to +you just as it has to these sticks, which lie here broken on the +ground." + +Home, city, country, all are prosperous found, +When by the powerful link of union bound. + + + +LESSON XLV. +THE MOUNTAIN SISTER. +1. The home of little Jeannette is far away, high up among +the mountains. Let us call her our mountain sister. +2. There are many things you would like to hear about her, +but I can only tell you now how she goes with her father and +brother, in the autumn, to help gather nuts for the long +winter. + + 118 ECLECTIC SERIES. +3. A little way down the mountain side is a chestnut wood. +Did you ever see a chestnut tree? In the spring its branches +are covered with bunches of creamy flowers, like long +tassels. All the hot summer these are turning into sweet nuts, +wrapped safely in large, prickly, green balls. +4. But when the frost of autumn comes, these prickly balls +turn brown, and crack open. Then you may see inside one, +two, three, and even four, sweet, brown nuts. +5. When her father says, one night at supper time, "I think +there will be a frost tonight," Jeannette knows very well what +to do. She dances away early in the evening to her little bed, +made in a box built up against the wall. +6. Soon she falls asleep to dream about + + + THIRD READER. 119 +the chestnut wood, and the little brook that springs from rock +to rock down under the tall, dark trees. She wakes with the +first daylight, and is out of bed in a minute, when she hears +her father's cheerful call, "Come, children; it is time to be +off." +7. Their dinner is ready in a large basket. The donkey +stands before the door with great bags for the nuts hanging at +each side. They go merrily over the crisp, white frost to the +chestnut trees. How the frost has opened the burs! It has +done half their work for them already. +8. How they laugh and sing, and shout to each other as +they fill their baskets! The sun looks down through the +yellow leaves; the rocks give them mossy seats; the birds +and squirrels wonder what these strange people are doing in +their woods. +9. Jeannette really helps, though she is only a little girl; +and her father says at night, that his Jane is a dear, good +child. This makes her very happy. She thinks about it at +night, when she says her prayers. Then she goes to sleep to +dream of the merry autumn days. +10. Such is our little mountain sister, and + + 120 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +here is a picture of her far-away home. The mountain life is +ever a fresh and happy one. + + + + THIRD READER. 121 + +LESSON XLVI. + +HARRY AND THE GUIDEPOST. + +1. The night was dark, the sun was hid +Beneath the mountain gray, +And not a single star appeared +To shoot a silver ray. + +2. Across the heath the owlet flew, +And screamed along the blast; +And onward, with a quickened step, +Benighted Harry passed. + +3. Now, in thickest darkness plunged, +He groped his way to find; +And now, he thought he saw beyond, +A form of horrid kind. + +4. In deadly white it upward rose, +Of cloak and mantle bare, +And held its naked arms across, +To catch him by the hair. + +5. Poor Harry felt his blood run cold, +At what before him stood; +But then, thought he, no harm, I'm sure, +Can happen to the good. + + 122 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +6. So, calling all his courage up, +He to the monster went; +And eager through the dismal gloom +His piercing eyes he bent. + +7. And when he came well nigh the ghost +That gave him such affright, +He clapped his hands upon his side, +And loudly laughed outright. + +8. For 't was a friendly guidepost stood, +His wandering steps to guide; +And thus he found that to the good, +No evil could betide. + + + + THIRD READER. 123 + +9. Ah well, thought he, one thing I've learned, +Nor shall I soon forget; +Whatever frightens me again, +I'll march straight up to it. + +10. And when I hear an idle tale, +Of monster or of ghost, +I'll tell of this, my lonely walk, +And one tall, white guidepost. + + + + +LESSON XLVII. + +THE MONEY AMY DID N'T EARN. + +1. Amy was a dear little girl, but she was too apt to waste +time in getting ready to do her tasks, instead of doing them at +once as she ought. + + 124 ECLECTIC SERIES. +2. In the village in which she lived, Mr. Thornton kept a +store where he sold fruit of all kinds, including berries in +their season. One day he said to Amy, whose parents were +quite poor, "Would you like to earn some money? " +3. "Oh, yes," replied she, "for I want some new shoes, and +papa has no money to buy them with." +4. "Well, Amy," said Mr. Thorhton, "I noticed some fine, +ripe blackberries in Mr. Green's pasture to-day, and he said +that anybody was welcome to them. I will pay you thirteen +cents a quart for all you will pick for me." +5. Amy was delighted at the thought of earning some +money; so she ran home to get a basket, intending to go +immediately to pick the berries. +6. Then she thought she would like to know how much +money she would get if she picked five quarts. With the help +of her slate and pencil, she found out that she would get +sixty-five cents. +7. "But supposing I should pick a dozen quarts," thought +she, "how much should I earn then?" "Dear me," she said, +after + + THIRD READER. 125 +figuring a while, "I should earn a dollar and fifty-six cents." +8. Amy then found out what Mr. Thornton would pay her +for fifty, a hundred, and two hundred quarts. It took her some +time to + +do this, and then it was so near dinner time that she had to +stay at home until afternoon. +9. As soon as dinner was over, she took + + 126 ECLECTIC SERIES, +her basket and hurried to the pasture. Some boys had been +there before dinner, and all the ripe berries were picked. She +could not find enough to fill a quart measure. +10. As Amy went home, she thought of what her teacher +had often told her--"Do your task at once; then think about +it," for "one doer is worth a hundred dreamers." + + + +LESSON XLVIII. +WHO MADE THE STARS? + +1. "Mother, who made the stars, which light +The beautiful blue sky? +Who made the moon, so clear and bright, +That rises up so high?" + +2. "'T was God, my child, the Glorious One, +He formed them by his power; +He made alike the brilliant sun, +And every leaf and flower. + + THIRD READER. 127 + +3. "He made your little feet to walk; +Your sparkling eyes to see; +Your busy, prattling tongue to talk, +And limbs so light and free. + +4. "He paints each fragrant flower that blows, +With loveliness and bloom; +He gives the violet and the rose +Their beauty and perfume. + +5. "Our various wants his hands supply; +He guides us every hour; +We're kept beneath his watchful eye, +And guarded by his power. + +6. "Then let your little heart, my love, +Its grateful homage pay +To that kind Friend, who, from above, +Thus guides you every day. + +7. "In all the changing scenes of time, +On Him our hopes depend; +In every age, in every clime, +Our Father and our Friend." + + + + 128 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XLIX. +DEEDS OF KINDNESS. +1. One day, as two little boys were walking along the +road, they overtook a woman carrying a large basket of +apples. +2. The boys thought the woman looked very pale and +tired; so they said, "Are you going to town? If you are, we +will carry your basket." +3. "Thank you," replied the woman, "you are very kind: +you see I am weak and ill." Then she told them that she was +a widow, and had a lame son to support. +4. She lived in a cottage three miles away, and was now +going to market to sell the apples which grew on the only +tree in her little garden. She wanted the money to pay her +rent. +5. "We are going the same way you are," said the boys. +"Let us have the basket;" and they took hold of it, one on +each side, and trudged along with merry hearts. +6. The poor widow looked glad, and said that she hoped +their mother would not be angry with them. "Oh, no," they +replied; + + THIRD READER. 129 +"our mother has taught us to be kind to everybody, and to be +useful in any way that we can." +7. She then offered to give them a few of the ripest apples +for their trouble. "No, + +thank you," said they; "we do not want any pay for what we +have done." +8. When the widow got home, she told her lame son what +had happened on the road, +3. 9. + + 130 ECLECTIC SERIES. +and they were both made happier that day by the kindness of +the two boys. +9. The other day, I saw a little girl stop and pick up a piece +of orange peel, which she threw into the gutter. "I wish the +boys would not throw orange peel on the sidewalk," said she. +"Some one may tread upon it, and fall." +10. "That is right, my dear," I said. "It is a little thing for +you to do what you have done, but it shows that you have a +thoughtful mind and a feeling heart." +11. Perhaps some may say that these are little things. So +they are; but we must not wait for occasions to do great +things. We must begin with little labors of love. + + +LESSON L. +THE ALARM CLOCK. +1. A lady, who found it not easy to wake in the morning as +early as she wished, + + THIRD READER. 131 +bought an alarm clock. These clocks are so made as to strike +with a loud whirring noise at any hour the owner pleases to +set them. +2. The lady placed her clock at the head of the bed, and at +the right time she found herself roused by the long, rattling +sound. +3. She arose at once, and felt better all day for her early +rising. This lasted for some weeks. The alarm clock +faithfully did its duty, and was plainly heard so long as it +was obeyed. +4. But, after a time, the lady grew tired of early rising. +When she was waked by the noise, she merely turned over in +bed, and slept again. +5. In a few days, the clock ceased to rouse her from her +sleep. It spoke just as loudly as ever; but she did not hear it, +because she had been in the habit of not obeying it. +6. Finding that she might as well be without it, she +resolved that when she heard the sound she would jump up. +7. Just so it is with conscience. If we will obey its voice, +even in the most trifling things, we can always hear it, clear +and strong. + + 132 ECLECTIC SERIES. +8. But if we allow ourselves to do what we have some +fears may not be quite right, we shall grow more and more +sleepy, until the voice of conscience has no longer power to +wake as. + + + +LESSON LI. + +SPRING. + +1. The alder by the river +Shakes out her powdery curls; +The willow buds in silver +For little boys and girls. + +2. The little birds fly over, +And oh, how sweet they sing! +To tell the happy children +That once again 't is Spring. + + THIRD READER. 133 + +3. The gay green grass comes creeping +So soft beneath their feet; +The frogs begin to ripple +A music clear and sweet. + +4. And buttercups are coming, +And scarlet columbine, +And in the sunny meadows +The dandelions shine. + +5. And just as many daisies +As their soft hands can hold, +The little ones may gather, +All fair in white and gold. + +6. Here blows the warm red clover, +There peeps the violet blue; +Oh, happy little children! +God made them all for you. +Celia Thaxter. + + + + + + +134 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON LII. +TRUE COURAGE. +One cold winter's day, three boys were passing by a +schoolhouse. The oldest was a bad boy. always in trouble +himself, and trying to get others into trouble. The youngest, +whose name was George, was a very good boy. +George wished to do right, but was very much wanting in +courage. The other boys were named Henry and James. As +they walked along, they talked as follows: +Henry. What fun it would be to throw a snowball against +the schoolroom door, and make the teacher and scholars all +jump! +James. You would jump, if you should. If the teacher did +not catch you and whip you, he would tell your father, and +you would get a whipping then; and that would make you +jump higher than the scholars, I think. +Henry. Why, we would get so far off, before the teacher +could come to the door, that he could not tell who we are. +Here is a snowball just as hard as ice, and George + + THIRD READER. 135 +would as soon throw it against the door as not. +James. Give it to him, and see. He would not dare to +throw it. +Henry. Do you think George is a coward? You do not +know him as well as I do. + +Here, George, take this snowball, and show James that you +are not such a coward as he thinks you are. +George. I am not afraid to throw it; but I do not want to. I +do not see that it + + 136 ECLECTIC SERIES. +will do any good, or that there will be any fun in it. +James. There! I told you he would not dare to throw it. +Henry. Why, George, are you turning coward? I thought +you did not fear anything. Come, save your credit, and throw +it. I know you are not afraid. +George. Well, I am not afraid to throw. Give me the +snowball. I would as soon throw it as not. +Whack! went the snowball against the door; and the boys +took to their heels. Henry was laughing as heartily as he +could, to think what a fool he had made of George. +George had a whipping for his folly, as he ought to have +had. He was such a coward, that he was afraid of being +called a coward. He did not dare refuse to do as Henry told +him, for fear that he would be laughed at. +If he had been really a brave boy, he would have said, +"Henry, do you suppose that I am so foolish as to throw that +snowball, just because you want to have me? You may throw +your own snowballs, if you please!" + + THIRD READER. 137 +Henry would, perhaps, have laughed at him, and called +him a coward. +But George would have said, "Do you think that 1 care for +your laughing? I do not think it right to throw the snowball. I +will not do that which 1 think to be wrong, if the whole town +should join with you in laughing." +This would have been real courage. Henry would have +seen, at once, that it would do no good to laugh at a boy who +had so bold a heart. You must have this fearless spirit, or you +will get into trouble, and will be, and ought to be, disliked by +all. + + +LESSON LIII. + +THE OLD CLOCK. + +1. In the old, old hall the old clock stands, +And round and round move the steady hands; +With its tick, tick, tick, both night and day, +While seconds and minutes pass away. + + 138 ECLECTIC SERIES, + +2. At the old, old clock oft wonders Nell, +For she can't make out what it has to tell; + + + +She has ne'er yet read, in prose or rhyme, +That it marks the silent course of time. + +3. When I was a child, as Nell is now, +And long ere Time had wrinkled my brow, +The old, old clock both by night and day +Said,--"Tick, tick, tick!" Time passes away. + + THIRD READER. 139 + + + +LESSON LIV. +THE WAVES. +1. "Where are we to go?" said the little waves to the great, +deep sea. +"Go, my darlings, to the yellow sands: you will find work +to do there." +2. "I want to play," said one little wave; "I want to see +who can jump the highest." +"No; come on, come on," said an earnest wave; "mother +must be right. I want to work." +3. "Oh, I dare not go," said another; "look at those great, +black rocks close to the sands; I dare not go there, for they +will tear me to pieces." +4. "Take my hand, sister," said the earnest wave; "let us go +on together. How glorious it is to do some work." +5. "Shall we ever go back to mother?" "Yes, when our +work is done." + + 140 ECLECTIC SERIES. +6. So one and all hurried on. Even the little wave that +wanted to play, pressed on, and thought that work might be +fun after all. The timid ones did not like to be left behind, +and they became earnest as they got nearer the sands. +7. After all, it was fun, pressing on one after another-- +jumping, laughing, running on to the broad, shining sands. +8. First, they came in their course to a great sand castle. +Splash, splash! they all + + + THIRD READER. 141 +went over it, and down it came. "Oh, what fun!" they cried. +9. "Mother told me to bring these seaweeds; I will find a +pretty place for them," said one--and she ran a long way over +the sands, and left them among the pebbles. The pebbles +cried, "We are glad you are come. We wanted washing." +10. "Mother sent these shells; I do n't know where to put +them," said a little fretful wave. "Lay them one by one on the +sand, and do not break them," said the eldest wave. +11. And the little one went about its work, and learned to +be quiet and gentle, for fear of breaking the shells. +12. "Where is my work?" said a great, full-grown wave. +"this is mere play. The little ones can do this and laugh over +it. Mother said there was work for me." And he came down +upon some large rocks. +13. Over the rocks and into a pool he went, and he heard +the fishes say, "The sea is coming. Thank you, great sea; you +always send a big wave when a storm is nigh. Thank you, +kind wave; we are all ready for you now." + + 142 ECLECTIC SERIES. +14. Then the waves all went back over the wet sands, +slowly and carelessly, for they were tired. +15. "All my shells are safe," said one. +16. And, "My seaweeds are left behind," said another. +17. "I washed all of the pebbles," said a third. +18. "And I--I only broke on a rock, and splashed into a +pool," said the one that was so eager to work. "I have done +no good, mother--no work at all" +19. "Hush!" said the sea. And they heard a child that was +walking on the shore, say, "O mother, the sea has been here! +Look, how nice and clean the sand is, and how clear the +water is in that pool." +20. Then the sea, said, "Hark!" and far away they heard +the deep moaning of the coming storm. +21. "Come, my darlings," said she; "you have done your +work, now let the storm do its work." + + + THIRD READER. 143 + +LESSON LV. + +DO N'T KILL THE BIRDS. + +1. Do n't kill the birds! the little birds, +That sing about your door +Soon as the joyous Spring has come, +And chilling storms are o'er. + +2. The little birds! how sweet they sing! +Oh, let them joyous live; +And do not seek to take the life +Which you can never give. + +3. Do n't kill the birds! the pretty birds, +That play among the trees; + + 144 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +For earth would be a cheerless place, +If it were not for these. + +4. The little birds! how fond they play! +Do not disturb their sport; +But let them warble forth their songs, +Till winter cuts them short. + +5. Do n't kill the birds! the happy birds, +That bless the field and grove; +So innocent to look upon, +They claim our warmest love. + +6. The happy birds, the tuneful birds, +How pleasant 't is to see! +No spot can be a cheerless place +Where'er their presence be. + + + + + +LESSON LVI. + +WHEN TO SAY NO. + +1. Though "No" is a very little word, it is not always easy +to say it; and the not doing so, often causes trouble. + + THIRD READER. 145 +2. When we are asked to stay away from school, and +spend in idleness or mischief the time which ought to be +spent in study, we should at once say "No." +3. When we are urged to loiter on our way to school, and +thus be late, and interrupt our teacher and the school, we +should say "No." When some schoolmate wishes us to +whisper or play in the schoolroom, we should say "No." +4. When we are tempted to use angry or wicked words, we +should remember that the eye of God is always upon us, and +should say "No." +5. When we have done anything wrong, and are tempted +to conceal it by falsehood, we should say "No, we can not +tell a lie; it is wicked and cowardly." +6. If we are asked to do anything which we know to be +wrong, we should not fear to say "No." +7. If we thus learn to say "No," we shall avoid much +trouble, and be always safe. + + + +3.10. + +146 ECLECTIC SERIES. +LESSON LVII. +WHICH LOVED BEST? + +"I love you, mother," said little John; +Then, forgetting work, his cap went on, +And he was off to the garden swing, +Leaving his mother the wood to bring. + + +2. "I love you, mother," said rosy Nell; +"I love you better than tongue can tell;" + + THIRD READER. 147 + +Then she teased and pouted full half the day, +Till her mother rejoiced when she went to play. + +3. "I love you, mother," said little Fan; + "To-day I'll help you all I can; +How glad I am that school does n't keep!" +So she rocked the baby till it fell asleep. + +4. Then, stepping softly, she took the broom, +And swept the floor, and dusted the room; +Busy and happy all day was she, +Helpful and cheerful as child could be. + +5. "I love you, mother," again they said-- +Three little children going to bed; +How do you think that mother guessed +Which of them really loved her best? +Joy Allison. + +LESSON LVIII. + +JOHN CARPENTER. +1. John Carpenter did not like to buy toys that somebody +else had made. He liked the fun of making them himself. The +thought that they were his own work delighted him. +2. Tom Austin, one of his playmates, thought a toy was +worth nothing unless it cost a great deal of money. He never +tried to make anything, but bought all his toys. + + 148 ECLECTIC SERIES. +3. "Come and look at my horse," said he, one day. "It cost +a dollar, and it is such a beauty! Come and see it." +4. John was soon admiring his friend's + +horse; and he was examining it carefully, to see how it was +made. The same evening he began to make one for himself. +5. He went into the wood shed, and picked + + THIRD READER. 149 +out two pieces of wood--one for the head of his horse, the +other for the body. It took him two or three days to shape +them to his satisfaction. +6. His father gave him a bit of red leather for a bridle, and +a few brass nails, and his mother found a bit of old fur with +which he made a mane and tail for his horse. +7. But what about the wheels? This puzzled him. At last +he thought he would go to a turner's shop, and see if he could +not get some round pieces of wood which might suit his +purpose. +8. He found a large number of such pieces among the +shavings on the floor, and asked permission to take a few of +them. The turner asked him what he wanted them for, and he +told him about his horse. +9. "Oh," said the man, laughing, "if you wish it, I will +make some wheels for your horse. But mind, when it is +finished, you must let me see it." +10. John promised to do so, and he soon ran home with +the wheels in his pocket. The next evening, he went to the +turner's shop with his horse all complete, and was told that +he was an ingenious little fellow + +150 ECLECTIC SERIES. +11. Proud of this compliment, he ran to his friend Tom, +crying, "Now then, Tom, here is my horse,--look!" +12. "Well, that is a funny horse," said Tom; "where did +you buy it?" "I did n't buy it," replied John; I made it." +13. "You made it yourself! Oh, well, it's a good horse for +you to make. But it is not so good as mine. Mine cost a +dollar, and yours did n't cost anything." +14. "It was real fun to make it, though," said John, and +away he ran with his horse rolling after him. +15. Do you want to know what became of John? Well, I +will tell you. He studied hard in school, and was called the +best scholar in his class. When he left school, he went to +work in a machine shop. He is now a master workman, and +will soon have a shop of his own. + + + THIRD READER. 151 + +LESSON LIX. + +PERSEVERE. + +1. The fisher who draws in his net too soon, +Won't have any fish to sell; +The child who shuts up his book too soon, +Won't learn any lessons well. + +2. If you would have your learning stay, +Be patient,--do n't learn too fast: +The man who travels a mile each day, +May get round the world at last. + + +LESSON LX. + +THE CONTENTED BOY. +Mr. Lenox was one morning riding by himself. He got off +from his horse to look at something on the roadside. The +horse broke away from him, and ran off. Mr. Lenox ran after +him, but soon found that he could not catch him. +A little boy at work in a field near the road, heard the +horse. As soon as he saw him running from his master, the +boy ran + + 152 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +very quickly to the middle of the road, and, catching the +horse by thc bridle, stopped him till Mr. Lenox came up. +Mr. Lenox. Thank you, my good boy, you have caught my +horse very nicely. What shall I give you for your trouble? +Boy. I want nothing, sir. +Mr. L. You want nothing? So much the better for you. +Few men can say as much. But what were you doing in the +field? +B. I was rooting up weeds, and tending the sheep that +were feeding on turnips. +Mr. L. Do you like to work? +B. Yes, sir, very well, this fine weather. +Mr. L. But would you not rather play? +B. This is not hard work. It is almost as good as play. +Mr. L. Who set you to work? +B. My father, sir. +Mr. L. What is your name? +B. Peter Hurdle, sir. +Mr. L. How old are you? +B. Eight years old, next June. +Mr. L. How long have you been here? +B. Ever since six o'clock this morning. +Mr. L. Are you not hungry? +B. Yes, sir, but I shall go to dinner soon. + + THIRD READER. 153 + +Mr. L. If you had a dime now, what would you do with it? +B. I do n't know, sir. I never had so much. +Mr. L. Have you no playthings? + + 154 ECLECTIC SERIES. +B. Playthings? What are they? +Mr. L. Such things as ninepins, marbles, tops, and wooden +horses. +B. No, sir. Tom and I play at football in winter, and I have +a jumping rope. I had a hoop, but it is broken. +Mr. L. Do you want nothing else? +B. I have hardly time to play with what I have. I have to +drive the cows, and to run on errands, and to ride the horses +to the fields, and that is as good as play. +Mr. L. You could get apples and cakes, if you had money, +you know. +B. I can have apples at home. As for cake, I do not want +that. My mother makes me a pie now and then, which is as +good. +Mr. L. Would you not like a knife to cut sticks? +B. I have one. Here it is. Brother Tom gave it to me. +Mr. L. Your shoes are full of holes. Do n't you want a new +pair? +B. I have a better pair for Sundays. +Mr. L. But these let in water. +B. I do not mind that, sir. +Mr. L. Your hat is all torn, too. +B. I have a better one at home. + + THIRD READER. 155 +Mr. L. What do yon do when it rains? +B. If it rains very hard when I am in the field, I get under a +tree for shelter. +Mr. L. What do you do, if you are hungry before it is time +to go home? +B. I sometimes eat a raw turnip. +Mr. L. But if there is none? +B. Then I do as well as I can without. I work on, and never +think of it. +Mr. L. Why, my little fellow, I am glad to see that you are +so contented. Were you ever at school? +B. No, sir. But father means to send me next winter. +Mr. L. You will want books then. +B. Yes, sir; each boy has a Spelling Book, a Reader, and a +Testament. +Mr. L. Then I will give them to you. Tell your father so, +and that it is because you are an obliging, contented little +boy. +B. I will, sir. Thank you. +Mr. L. Good by, Peter. +B. Good morning, sir. +Dr. John Aiken + + + 156 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON LXI. + +LITTLE GUSTAVA. + +1. Little Gustava sits in the sun, +Safe in the porch, and the little drops run +From the icicles under the eaves so fast, +For the bright spring sun shines warm at last, +And glad is little Gustava. + +2. She wears a quaint little scarlet cap, +And a little green bowl she holds in her lap, +Filled with bread and milk to the brim, +And a wreath of marigolds round the rim: +"Ha! ha!" laughs little Gustava. + +3. Up comes her little gray, coaxing cat, +With her little pink nose, and she mews, "What's that ?" +Gustava feeds her,--she begs for more, +And a little brown hen walks in at the door: +"Good day!" cries little Gustava. + +4. She scatters crumbs for the little brown hen, +There comes a rush and a flutter, and then +Down fly her little white doves so sweet, +With their snowy wings and their crimson feet: +"Welcome!" cries little Gustava. + +5. So dainty and eager they pick up the crumbs. +But who is this through the doorway comes? + + THIRD READER. 157 + +Little Scotch terrier, little dog Rags, +Looks in her face, and his funny tail wags: +"Ha! ha!" laughs little Gustava. + + + +6. "You want some breakfast, too?" and down +She sets her bowl on the brick floor brown, +And little dog Rags drinks up her milk, +While she strokes his shaggy locks, like silk: +"Dear Rags!" says little Gustava. + +7. Waiting without stood sparrow and crow, +Cooling their feet in the melting snow. + + 158 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +"Won't you come in, good folk?" she cried, +But they were too bashful, and staid outside, +Though "Pray come in!" cried Gustava. + +8. So the last she threw them, and knelt on the mat, +With doves, and biddy, and dog, and cat. +And her mother came to the open house door: +"Dear little daughter, I bring you some more, +My merry little Gustava." + +9. Kitty and terrier, biddy and doves, +All things harmless Gustava loves, +The shy, kind creatures 't is joy to feed, +And, oh! her breakfast is sweet indeed +To happy little Gustava! +Celia Thaxter. + + + + +LESSON LXII. + +THE INSOLENT BOY. + +1. James Selton was one of the most insolent boys in the +village where he lived. He would rarely pass people in the +street without being guilty of some sort of abuse. + + THIRD READER. 159 +2. If a person were well dressed he would cry out, +"Dandy!" If a person's clothes were dirty or torn, he would +throw stones at him, and annoy him in every way. +3. One afternoon, just as the school was dismissed, a +stranger passed through the village. His dress was plain and +somewhat old, but neat and clean. He carried a cane in his +hand, on the end of which was a bundle, and he wore a +broad-brimmed hat. +4. No sooner did James see the stranger, than he winked to +his playmates, and said, "Now for some fun!" He then +silently went toward the stranger from behind, and, knocking +off his hat, ran away. +5. The man turned and saw him, but James was out of +hearing before he could speak. The stranger put on his hat, +and went on his way. Again did James approach; but this +time, the man caught him by the arm, and held him fast. +6. However, he contented himself with looking James a +moment in the face, and then pushed him from him. No +sooner did the naughty boy find himself free again, than he +began to pelt the stranger with dirt and stones. + + 160 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +7. But he was much frightened when the "rowdy," as he +foolishly called the man, was struck on the head by a brick, +and badly hurt. All the boys now ran away, and James +skulked across the fields to his home. +8. As he drew near the house, his sister Caroline came out +to meet him, holding up + + THIRD READER. 161 +a beautiful gold chain and some new books for him to see. +9. She told James, as fast as she could talk, that their +uncle, who had been away several years, had come home, +and was now in the house; that he had brought beautiful +presents for the whole family; that he had left his carriage at +the tavern, a mile or two off, and walked on foot, so as to +surprise his brother, their father. +10. She said, that while he was coming through the +village, some wicked boys threw stones at him, and hit him +just over the eye, and that mother had bound up the wound. +"But what makes you look so pale?" asked Caroline, +changing her tone. +11. The guilty boy told her that nothing was the matter +with him; and running into the house, he went upstairs into +his chamber. Soon after, he heard his father calling him to +come down. Trembling from head to foot, he obeyed. When +he reached the parlor door, he stood, fearing to enter. +12. His mother said, "James, why do you not come in? +You are not usually so bashful. See this beautiful watch, +which your uncle has brought for you." +3, 11. + + 162 ECLECTIC SERIES, +13. What a sense of shame did James now feel! Little +Caroline seized his arm, and pulled him into the room. But +he hung down his head, and covered his face with his hands. +14. His uncle went up to him, and kindly taking away his +hands, said, "James, will you not bid me welcome?" But +quickly starting back, he cried, "Brother, this is not your son. +It is the boy who so shamefully insulted me in the street!" +15. With surprise and grief did the good father and mother +learn this. His uncle was ready to forgive him, and forget the +injury. But his father would never permit James to have the +gold watch, nor the beautiful books, which his uncle had +brought for him. +16. The rest of the children were loaded with presents. +James was obliged to content himself with seeing them +happy. He never forgot this lesson so long as he lived. It +cured him entirely of his low and insolent manners. + + + + THIRD READER. 163 + +LESSON LXIII. + +WE ARE SEVEN. + +1. I met a little cottage girl: +She was eight years old, she said; +Her hair was thick with many a curl, +That clustered round her head. + +2. She had a rustic, woodland air, +And she was wildly clad: +Her eyes were fair, and very fair;-- +Her beauty made me glad. + +3. "Sisters and brothers, little maid, +How many may you be?" +"How many? Seven in all," she said, +And, wondering, looked at me. + +4. "And where are they? I pray you tell." +She answered, "Seven are we; +And two of us at Conway dwell, +And two are gone to sea. + + l64 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +5. "Two of us in the churchyard lie, +My sister and my brother; +And, in the churchyard cottage, I +Dwell near them with my mother," + + + +6. "You say that two at Conway dwell, +And two are gone to sea, +Yet ye are seven! I pray you tell, +Sweet maid, how this may be." + + THIRD READER. 165 + +7. Then did the little maid reply, +"Seven boys and girls are we; +Two of us in the churchyard lie, +Beneath the churchyard tree." + +8. "You run about, my little maid, +Your limbs, they are alive; +If two are in the churchyard laid, +Then ye are only five." + +9. "Their graves are green, they may be seen," +The little maid replied, +"Twelve steps or more from mother's door, +And they are side by side. + +10. "My stockings there I often knit, +My kerchief there I hem; +And there upon the ground I sit, +And sing a song to them. + +11. "And often after sunset, sir, +When it is light and fair, +I take my little porringer, +And eat my supper there. + +12. "The first that died was sister Jane; +In bed she moaning lay, + +166 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +Till God released her from her pain; +And then she went away. + +13. "So in the churchyard she was laid; +And, when the grass was dry, +Together round her grave we played, +My brother John and I. + +14. "And when the ground was white with snow, +And I could run and slide, +My brother John was forced to go, +And he lies by her side." + +15. "How many are you, then?" said I, +"If they two are in heaven?" +Quick was the little maid's reply, +"O master! we are seven." + +16. "But they are dead; those two are dead! +Their spirits are in heaven!" +'T was throwing words away: for still +The little maid would have her will, +And said, "Nay, we are seven." +William Wordsworth. + + + + + THIRD READER. 167 + +LESSON LXIV. + +MARY'S DIME. +1. There! I have drawn the chairs into the right corners, +and dusted the room nicely. How cold papa and mamma will +be when they return from their long ride! It is not time to +toast the bread yet, and I am tired of reading. +2. What shall I do? Somehow, I can't help thinking about +the pale face of that little beggar girl all the time. I can see +the glad light filling her eyes, just as plain as I did when I +laid the dime in her little dirty hand. +3. How much I had thought of that dime, too! Grandpa +gave it to me a whole month ago, and I had kept it ever since +in my red box upstairs; but those sugar apples looked so +beautiful, and were so cheap--only a dime apiece--that I +made up my mind to have one. +4. I can see her--the beggar girl, I mean--as she stood +there in front of the store, in her old hood and faded dress, +looking at the candies laid all in a row. I wonder + +168 ECLECTIC SERIES. +what made me say, "Little girl, what do you want?" +5. How she stared at me, just as if nobody had spoken +kindly to her before. I guess + +she thought I was sorry for her, for she said, so earnestly and +sorrowfully, "I was thinking how good one of those +gingerbread rolls would taste. I have n't had anything to eat +to-day." + + THIRD READER. 169 +6. Now, I thought to myself, "Mary Williams, you have +had a good breakfast and a good dinner this day, and this +poor girl has not had a mouthful. You can give her your +dime; she needs it a great deal more than you do." +7. I could not resist that little girl's sorrowful, hungry +look--so I dropped the dime right into her hand, and, without +waiting for her to speak, walked straight away. I'm so glad I +gave her the dime, if I did have to go without the apple lying +there in the window, and looking just like a real one. + + + +LESSON LXV. +MARY DOW. + +1. "Come in, little stranger," I said, +As she tapped at my half open door; +While the blanket, pinned over her head, +Just reached to the basket she bore. + +170 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +2. A look full of innocence fell +From her modest and pretty blue eye, +As she said, "I have matches to sell, +And hope you are willing to buy. + + + +3. "A penny a bunch is the price, +I think you'll not find it too much; +They are tied up so even and nice, +And ready to light with a touch." + +4. I asked, "'What's your name, little girl?" +"'Tis Mary," said she, "Mary Dow;" + + THIRD READER. 171 + +And carelessly tossed off a curl, +That played on her delicate brow. + +5. "My father was lost on the deep; +The ship never got to the shore; +And mother is sad, and will weep, +To hear the wind blow and sea roar. + +6. "She sits there at home, without food, +Beside our poor, sick Willy's bed; +She paid all her money for wood, +And so I sell matches for bread. + +7. "I'd go to the yard and get chips, +But then it would make me too sad +To see the men building the ships, +And think they had made one so bad. + +8. "But God, I am sure, who can take +Such fatherly care of a bird, +Will never forget nor forsake +The children who trust in his word. + +9. "And now, if I only can sell +The matches I brought out to-day, +I think I shall do very well, +And we shall rejoice at the pay." + + 172 ECLECTIC SERIES, + +10. "Fly home, little bird," then I thought, +"Fly home, full of joy, to your nest;" +For I took all the matches she brought, +And Mary may tell you the rest. + + + +LESSON LXVI. +THE LITTLE LOAF. +1. Once when there was a famine, a rich baker sent for +twenty of the poorest children in the town, and said to them, +"In this basket there is a loaf for each of you. Take it, and +come back to me every day at this hour till God sends us +better times." +2. The hungry children gathered eagerly about the basket, +and quarreled for the bread, because each wished to have the +largest loaf. At last they went away without even thanking +the good gentleman. +3. But Gretchen, a poorly-dressed little girl, did not +quarrel or struggle with the rest, + + THIRD READER. 173 + + + +but remained standing modestly in the distance. When the +ill-behaved girls had left, she took the smallest loaf, which +alone was left in the basket, kissed the gentleman's hand, and +went home. +4. The next day the children were as ill behaved as before, +and poor, timid Gretchen received a loaf scarcely half the +size of the one she got the first day. When she came home, +and her mother cut the loaf open, many new, shining pieces +of silver fell out of it. + + 174 ECLECTIC SERIES. +5. Her mother was very much alarmed, and said, "Take +the money back to the good gentleman at once, for it must +have got into the dough by accident. Be quick, Gretchen! be +quick!" +6. But when the little girl gave the rich man her mother's +message, he said, "No, no, my child, it was no mistake. I had +the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf to reward you. +Always be as contented, peaceable, and grateful as you now +are. Go home now, and tell your mother that the money is +your own." + + +LESSON LXVII. + +SUSIE AND ROVER. +1. "Mamma," said Susie Dean, one summer's morning, +"may I go to the woods, and pick berries?" + + THIRD READER. 175 +2. "Yes," replied Mrs. Dean, "but you must take Rover +with you." +3. Susie brought her little basket, and her mother put up a +nice lunch for her. She tied down the cover, and fastened a +tin cup to it. +4. The little girl called Rover--a great Newfoundland +dog--and gave him a tin pail to carry. "If I bring it home +full, mamma," she said, "won't you make some berry +cakes for tea?" +5. Away she tripped, singing as she went down the lane +and across the pasture. When she got to the woods, she put +her dinner basket down beside a tree, and began to pick +berries. +6. Rover ran about, chasing a squirrel or a rabbit now and +then, but never straying far from Susie. +7. The tin pail was not a very small one. By the time it +was two thirds full, Susie began to feel hungry, and thought +she would eat her lunch. +8. Rover came and took his place at her side as soon as +she began to eat. Did she not give him some of the lunch? +No, she was in a selfish mood, and did no such thing. + + 176 ECLECTIC SERIES. +9. "There, Rover, run away! there's a good dog," she said; +but Rover staid near her, watching her steadily with his clear +brown eves. + +10. The meat he wanted so much, was soon eaten up; and +all he got of the nice dinner, was a small crust of gingerbread +that Susie threw away. +11. After dinner, Susie played a while by + + THIRD READER. 177 +the brook. She threw sticks into the water, and Rover swam +in and brought them back. Then she began to pick berries +again. +12. She did not enjoy the afternoon as she did the +morning. The sunshine was as bright, the berries were as +sweet and plentiful, and she was neither tired nor hungry. +13. But good, faithful Rover was hungry, and she had not +given him even one piece of meat. She tried to forget how +selfish she had been; but she could not do so, and quite early +she started for home. +14. When she was nearly out of the woods, a rustling in +the underbrush attracted her attention. "I wonder if that is a +bird or a squirrel," said she to herself. "If I can catch it, how +glad I shall be!" +15. She tried to make her way quietly through the +underbrush; but what was her terror when she saw it large +snake coiled up before her, prepared for a spring! +16. She was so much frightened that she could not move; +but brave Rover saw the snake, and, springing forward, +seized it by the neck and killed it. +17. When the faithful dog came and rubbed his head +against her hand, Susie put her +3, 12. + +178 ECLECTIC SERIES. +arms 'round his neck, and burst into tears. "O Rover," she +cried, "you dear, good dog! How sorry I am that I was so +selfish!" +18. Rover understood the tone of her voice, if he did not +understand her words, and capered about in great glee, +barking all the time. You may be sure that he had a plentiful +supper that evening. +19. Susie never forgot the lesson of that day. She soon +learned to be on her guard against a selfish spirit, and +became a happier and more lovable little girl. +Mrs. M. O. Johnson--Adapted. + + +LESSON LXVIII. +THE VIOLET. + +1. Down in a green and shady bed, +A modest violet grew; +Its stalk was bent, it hung its head, +As if to hide from view + + THIRD READER. 179 + + + +2. And yet it was a lovely flower, +Its colors bright and fair; +It might have graced a rosy bower +Instead of hiding there. + +3. Yet there it was content to bloom, +In modest tints arrayed, +And there it spread its sweet perfume, +Within the silent shade. + +4. Then let me to the valley go, +This pretty flower to see; +That I may also learn to grow +In sweet humility. +Jane Taylor. + + 180 ECLECTIC SERIES. +LESSON LXIX. +NO CROWN FOR ME. +1. "Will you come with us, Susan?" cried several little +girls to a schoolmate. "We are going to the woods; do come, +too." +2. "I should like to go with you very much," replied +Susan, with a sigh; "but I can not finish the task grandmother +set me to do." +3. "How tiresome it must be to stay at home to work on a +holiday!" said one of the girls, with a toss of her head. +"Susan's grandmother is too strict." +4. Susan heard this remark, and, as she bent her head over +her task, she wiped away a tear, and thought of the pleasant +afternoon the girls would spend gathering wild flowers in the +woods. +5. Soon she said to herself, "What harm can there be in +moving the mark grandmother put in the stocking? The +woods must be very beautiful to-day, and how I should like +to be in them!" +6. "Grandmother," said she, a few minutes afterwards, "I +am ready, now." "What, so + + THIRD READER. 181 +soon, Susan?" Her grandmother took the work, and looked at +it very closely. +7. "True, Susan," said she, laying great stress on each +word; "true, I count twenty turns from the mark; and, as you +have never deceived me, you may go and amuse yourself as +you like the rest of the day." +8. Susan's cheeks were scarlet, and she did not say, +"Thank you." As she left the cottage, she walked slowly +away, not singing as usual. +9. "Why, here is Susan!" the girls cried, when she joined +their company; "but what is the matter? Why have you left +your dear, old grandmother?" they tauntingly added. +10. "There is nothing the matter." As Susan repeated these +words, she felt that she was trying to deceive herself. She +had acted a lie. At the same time she remembered her +grandmother's words, "You have never deceived me." +11. "Yes, I have deceived her," said she to herself. "If she +knew all, she would never trust me again." +12. When the little party had reached an open space in the +woods, her companions ran about enjoying themselves; but +Susan sat on + + 182 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +the grass, wishing she were at home confessing her fault. +13. After a while Rose cried out, "Let us make a crown of +violets, and put it on the head of the best girl here." +14. "It will be easy enough to make the crown, but not so +easy to decide who is to wear it," said Julia. +15. "Why, Susan is to wear it, of course," said Rose: "is +she not said to be the best girl in school and the most +obedient at home?" +16. "Yes, yes; the crown shall be for Susan," + + THIRD READER. 183 +cried the other girls, and they began to make the crown. It +was soon finished. +17. "Now, Susan," said Rose, "put it on in a very dignified +way, for you are to be our queen." +18. As these words were spoken, the crown was placed on +her head. In a moment she snatched it off, and threw it on the +ground, saying, "No crown for me; I do not deserve it." +19. The girls looked at her with surprise. "I have deceived +my grandmother," said she, while tears flowed down her +cheeks. "I altered the mark she put in the stocking, that I +might join you in the woods." +20. "Do you call that wicked?" asked one of the girls. +"I am quite sure it is; and I have been miserable all the +time I have been here." +21. Susan now ran home, and as soon as she got there she +said, with a beating heart, "O grandmother! I deserve to be +punished, for I altered the mark you put in the stocking. Do +forgive me; I am very sorry and unhappy." +22. "Susan," said her grandmother, "I knew it all the time; +but I let you go out, hoping + + 184 ECLECTIC SERIES. +that your own conscience would tell you of your sin. I am so +glad that you have confessed your fault and your sorrow." +23. "When shall I be your own little girl again?" "Now," +was the quick reply, and Susan's grandmother kissed her +forehead. + + + +LESSON LXX. + +YOUNG SOLDIERS. + +1. Oh, were you ne'er a schoolboy, +And did you never train, +And feel that swelling of the heart +You ne'er can feel again? + +2. Did you never meet, far down the street, +With plumes and banners gay, +While the kettle, for the kettledrum, +Played your march, march away? + + THIRD READER. 185 + + + +3. It seems to me but yesterday, +Nor scarce so long ago, +Since all our school their muskets took, +To charge the fearful foe. + +4. Our muskets were of cedar wood, +With ramrods bright and new; +With bayonets forever set, +And painted barrels, too. + +5. We charged upon a flock of geese, +And put them all to flight-- +Except one sturdy gander +That thought to show us fight. + + 186 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +6. But, ah! we knew a thing or two; +Our captain wheeled the van; +We routed him, we scouted him, +Nor lost a single man! + +7. Our captain was as brave a lad +As e'er commission bore; +And brightly shone his new tin sword; +A paper cap he wore. + +8. He led us up the steep hillside, +Against the western wind, +While the cockerel plume that decked his head +Streamed bravely out behind. + +9. We shouldered arms, we carried arms, +We charged the bayonet; +And woe unto the mullein stalk +That in our course we met! + + + + THIRD READER. 187 + +10. At two o'clock the roll we called, +And till the close of day, +With fearless hearts, though tired limbs, +We fought the mimic fray,-- +Till the supper bell, from out the dell, +Bade us march, march away. + + + +LESSON LXXI. + +HOW WILLIE GOT OUT OF THE SHAFT. +1. Willie's aunt sent him for a birthday present a little +writing book. There was a place in the book for a pencil. +Willie thought a great deal of this little book, and always +kept it in his pocket. +2. One day, his mother was very busy, and he called his +dog, and said, "Come, Caper, let us have a play." + + 188 ECLECTIC SERIES. +3. When Willie's mother missed him, she went to the door +and looked out, and could not see him anywhere; but she +knew that Caper was with him, and thought they would +come back before long. +4. She waited an, hour, and still they did not come. When +she came to the gate by the road, she met Mr. Lee, and told +him how long Willie had been gone. Mr. Lee thought he +must have gone to sleep under the trees. So they went to all +the trees under which Willie was in the habit of playing, but +he was nowhere to be found. +5. By this time the sun had gone down. The news that +Willie was lost soon spread over the neighborhood, and all +the men and women turned out to hunt. They hunted all +night. +6. The next morning the neighbors were gathered round, +and all were trying to think what to do next, when Caper +came bounding into the room. There was a string tied round +his neck, and a bit of paper tied to it. +7. Willie's father, Mr. Lee, took the paper, and saw that it +was a letter from Willie. He read it aloud. It said, "O father! +come to me. I am in the big hole in the pasture." + + THIRD READER. 189 +8. Everybody ran at once to the far corner of the pasture; +and there was Willie, alive and well, in the shaft. Oh, how +glad he was when his father caught him in his arms, and +lifted him out! + +9. Now I will tell you how Willie came to be in the shaft. +He and Caper went to the pasture field, and came to the edge +of the shaft and sat down. In bending over + + 190 ECLECTIC SERIES. +to see how deep it was, he lost his balance, and fell in. He +tried very hard to get out, but could not. +10. When the good little dog saw that his master was in +the shaft, he would not leave him, but ran round and round, +reaching down and trying to pull him out. But while Caper +was pulling Willie by the coat sleeves, a piece of sod gave +way under his feet, and he fell in too. +11. Willie called for his father and mother as loud as he +could call; but he was so far away from the house that no one +could hear him. +12. He cried and called till it was dark, and then he lay +down on the ground, and Caper lay down close beside him. +It was not long before Willie cried himself to sleep. +13. When he awoke it was morning, and he began to think +of a way to get out. The little writing book that his aunt had +given him, was in his pocket. He took it out, and, after a +good deal of trouble, wrote the letter to his father. +14. Then he tore the leaf out, and took a string out of his +pocket, and tied it round Caper's neck, and tied the letter to +the + + THIRD READER. 191 +string. Then he lifted the dog up, and helped him out, and +said to him, "Go home, Caper, go home!" The little dog +scampered away, and was soon at home. + + + +LESSON LXXII. +THE PERT CHICKEN. + +1. There was once a pretty chicken; +But his friends were very few, +For he thought that there was nothing +In the world but what he knew: +So he always, in the farmyard, +Had a very forward way, +Telling all the hens and turkeys +What they ought to do and say. +"Mrs. Goose," he said, "I wonder +That your goslings you should let +Go out paddling in the water; +It will kill them to get wet." + + 192 ECLECTIC SERIES, + + + +2. "I wish, my old Aunt Dorking," +He began to her, one day, +"That you would n't sit all summer +In your nest upon the hay. +Won't you come out to the meadow, +Where the grass with seeds is filled?" +"If I should," said Mrs. Dorking, +"Then my eggs would all get chilled." +"No, they wo n't," replied the chicken, +"And no matter if they do; +Eggs are really good for nothing; +What's an egg to me or you?" + +3. "What's an egg!" said Mrs. Dorking, +"Can it be you do not know + + THIRD READER. 193 + +You yourself were in an eggshell +Just one little month ago? +And, if kind wings had not warmed you, +You would not be out to-day, +Telling hens, and geese, and turkeys, +What they ought to do and say! + +4. "To be very wise, and show it, +Is a pleasant thing, no doubt; +But, when young folks talk to old folks, +They should know what they're about." +Marian Douglas. + + + +LESSON LXXIII. + +INDIAN CORN. + +1. Few plants are more useful to man than Indian corn, or +maize. No grain, except rice, is used to so great an extent as +an article of food. In some countries corn is almost the only +food eaten by the people. + +3, 13 + + 194 ECLECTIC SERIES. +2. Do you know why it is called Indian corn? It is because +the American Indians were the first corn growers. Columbus +found this grain widely cultivated by them when he +discovered the New World. They pounded it in rude, stone +bowls, and thus made a coarse flour, which they mixed with +water and baked. +3. Indian corn is now the leading crop in the United +States. In whatever part of this land we live, we see corn +growing every year in its proper season. Yet how few can +tell the most simple and important facts about its planting +and its growth! +4. Corn, to do well, must have a rich soil and a warm +climate. It is a tender plant, and is easily injured by cold +weather. The seed corn does not sprout, but rots, if the +ground is cold and wet. +5. To prepare land properly for planting corn, the soil is +made fine by plowing, and furrows are run across the field +four feet apart each way. At every point where these furrows +cross, the farmer drops from four to seven grains of seed +corn. These are then covered with about two inches of earth, +and thus form "hills" of corn. + + THIRD READER. 195 +6. In favorable weather, the tender blades push through +the ground in ten days or two weeks; then the stalks mount +up rapidly, and the long, streamer-like leaves unfold +gracefully from day to day. Corn must be carefully cultivated +while the plants are small. After they begin to shade the +ground, they need but little hoeing or plowing. +7. The moisture and earthy matter, drawn through the +roots, become sap. This passes through the stalk, and enters +the leaves. There a great change takes place which results in +the starting of the ears and the growth of the grain. +8. The maize plant bears two kinds of flowers,--male and +female. The two are widely separated. The male flowers are +on the tassel; the fine silk threads which surround the ear, +and peep out from the end of the husks, are the female +flowers. +9. Each grain on the cob is the starting point for a thread +of silk; and, unless the thread receives some particle of the +dust which falls from the tassel flowers, the kernel with +which it is connected will not grow. +10. The many uses of Indian corn and its products are +worthy of note. The green + + 196 ECLECTIC SERIES. +stalks and leaves make excellent fodder for cattle. The ripe +grain is used all over the earth as food for horses, pigs, and +poultry. Nothing is better for fattening stock. +11. Green corn, or "roasting ears," hulled corn and +hominy, New England hasty pudding, and succotash are +favorite dishes with many persons. Then there are parched +corn and pop corn--the delight of long winter evenings. +12. Cornstarch is an important article of commerce. Sirup +and sugar are made from the juice of the stalk, and oil and +alcohol from the ripened grain. Corn husks are largely used +for filling + + + THIRD READER. 197 +mattresses, and are braided into mats, baskets, and other +useful articles. +13. Thus it will be seen how varied are the uses of Indian +corn. And besides being so useful, the plant is very beautiful. +The sight of a large cornfield in the latter part of summer, +with all its green banners waving and its tasseled plumes +nodding, is one to admire, and not to be forgotten. + + +LESSON LXXIV. +THE SNOWBIRD'S SONG. + +1. The ground was all covered with snow one day, +And two little sisters were busy at play, +When a snowbird was sitting close by on a tree, +And merrily singing his chick-a-de-dee. + + 198 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +2. He had not been singing that tune very long +Ere Emily heard him, so loud was his song; +"O sister, look out of the window!" said she; +"Here's a dear little bird singing chick-a-de-dee. + + + +3. "Poor fellow! he walks in the snow and the sleet, +And has neither stockings nor shoes on his feet: +I wonder what makes him so full of his glee; +He's all the time singing his chick-a-de-dee. + +4. "If I were a barefooted snowbird, I know, +I would not stay out in the cold and the snow; +I pity him so! oh, how cold he must be! +And yet he keeps singing his chick-a-de-dee. + + THIRD READER. 199 + +5. "O mother; do get him some stockings, and shoes, +And a nice little frock, and a hat if he choose: +I wish he'd come into the parlor, and see +How warm we would make him, poor chick-a-de-dee!" + +6. The bird had flown down for some sweet crumbs of bread, +And heard every word little Emily said: +"What a figure I'd make in that dress" thought he, +And laughed as he warbled his chick-a-de-dee. + +7. "I am grateful," said he, "for the wish you express, +But have no occasion for such a fine dress; +I rather remain with my little limbs free, +Than to hobble about, singing chick-a-de-dee. + +8. "There is One, my dear child, though I can not tell who, +Has clothed me already, and warm enough, too. +Good morning! Oh, who are so happy as we?" +And away he flew, singing his chick-a-de-dee. +F. C. Woodworth. + + + + + + + + 200 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON LXXV. +MOUNTAINS. +1. The Himalayas are the highest mountains on our globe, +They are in Asia, and separate India from Thibet. They +extend in a continuous line for more than a thousand miles. +2. If you ever ascend one of these mountains from the +plain below, you will have to cross an unhealthy border, +twenty miles in width. It is, in fact, a swamp caused by the +waters overflowing the river banks. +3. The soil of this swampy border is covered with trees +and shrubs, where the tiger, the elephant, and other animals +find secure retreat. Beyond this border, you will reach +smiling valleys and noble forests. +4. As you advance onward and upward, you will get +among bolder and more rugged scenes. The sides of the +mountains are very steep, sometimes well wooded to quite a +height, but sometimes quite barren. +5. In crossing a river you must be content with three ropes +for a bridge. You will find the streets of the towns to be +simply stairs + + THIRD READER. 201 +cut out of the rock, and see the houses rising in tiers. +6. The pathways into Thibet, among these mountains, are +mere tracks by the side of + +foaming torrents. Often, as you advance, you will find every +trace of the path swept away by the failing of rocks and earth +from above. + +202 ECLECTIC SERIES. +7. Sometimes you will find posts driven into the mountain +side, upon which branches of trees and earth are spread. This +forms a trembling foothold for the traveler. +8. In the Andes, in South America, the sure-footed mule is +used to carry travelers. Quite often a chasm must be crossed +that is many feet wide and hundreds of feet deep. The mule +will leap across this chasm, but not until it is sure it can +make a safe jump. +9. "One day," says a traveler, "I went by the worst pass +over the Andes Mountains. The path for seventy yards was +very narrow, and at one point it was washed entirely away. +On one side the rock brushed my shoulder, and on the other +side my foot overhung the precipice." +10. The guide told this man, after he was safely over the +pass, that, to his knowledge, four hundred mules had fallen +over that precipice, and in many instances travelers had lost +their lives at that terrible spot. + + + THIRD READER. 203 + + + + +LESSON LXXVI. + +A CHILD'S HYMN. + +1. God make my life a little light, +Within the world to glow; +A little flame that burneth bright +Wherever I may go. + +2. God make my life a little flower, +That giveth joy to all, +Content to bloom in native bower, +Although its place be small. + +3. God make my life a little song, +That comforteth the sad; +That helpeth others to be strong, +And makes the singer glad. + +4. God make my life a little hymn +Of tenderness and praise; +Of faith--that never waxeth dim +In all His wondrous ways. + +204 ECLECTIC SERIES, + +LESSON LXXVII. +HOLDING THE FORT. +1. While Genie was walking slowly down street one day, +she heard an odd rapping on the pavement behind her. +Looking round, she saw Rob Grey hobbling on crutches. +2. "Why, what is the matter?" cried Genie. "I have n't seen +you for a week, and now you are walking in that way." +3. "I shall have to walk in this way as much as a week +longer, Genie. I sprained my ankle by stopping too quick-- +no, not too quick, either, for there was something in my +way." +"What was it?" asked Genie. +4. "One of the Commandments," replied Rob. "You +remember how that lecturer talked to us about 'holding the +fort'? Well, I thought I should like to do it; but it's a pretty +long war, you know--all a lifetime, and no vacations-- +furloughs, I think they call them." +5. "If there was nothing to fight, we should not need to be +soldiers," said Genie. +6. "Well, I thought I would try; but the + + THIRD READER. 205 +first day, when we came out of the schoolhouse, Jack Lee +snatched my books out of my hand, and threw them into the +mud. +7. "I started after him as fast as I could run. I meant to +throw him where he had + +thrown the books, when, all of a sudden, I thought of the +Commandment about returning good for evil. +8. "I stopped short--so short, that, somehow, + + 206 ECLECTIC SERIES. +my foot twisted under me. So, you see, it was one of the +commandments." +9. "If one must stumble at them, it is a good thing to fall +on the right side," said Genie, with a wise nod of her head. +10. "The whole thing puzzles me, and makes me feel-- +well, like giving it up," said Rob. "It might have served me +right when I was chasing Jack; but when I thought of the +Commandment, I really tried to do the right thing." +11. "You did do it, Rob," said Genie. "You 'held the fort' +that time. Why, do n't you see--you are only a wounded +soldier." +12. "I never thought of that," said Rob. "If I believe that +way--" He began to whistle, and limped off to school without +finishing the sentence. But Genie knew, by the way he +behaved that day, that he had made up his mind to hold the +fort. + + + THIRD READER. 207 + +LESSON LXXVIII. + +THE LITTLE PEOPLE. + +1. A dreary place would be this earth, +Were there no little people in it; +The song of life would lose its mirth, +Were there no children to begin it; + +2. No little forms, like buds to grow, +And make the admiring heart surrender; +No little hands on breast and brow, +To keep the thrilling love chords tender. + +3. The sterner souls would grow more stern, +Unfeeling nature more inhuman, +And man to utter coldness turn, +And woman would be less than woman. + +4. Life's song, indeed, would lose its charm, +Were there no babies to begin it; +A doleful place this world would be, +Were there no little people in it. + +John G. Whittier. + + + + 208 THIRD READER. + +LESSON LXXIX. + +GOOD NIGHT. + +1. The sun is hidden from our sight, +The birds are sleeping sound; +'T is time to say to all, "Good night!" +And give a kiss all round. + +2. Good night, my father, mother, dear! +Now kiss your little son; +Good night, my friends, both far and near! +Good night to every one. + +3. Good night, ye merry, merry birds! +Sleep well till morning light; +Perhaps, if you could sing in words, +You would have said, "Good night!" + +4. To all my pretty flowers, good night! +You blossom while I sleep; +And all the stars, that shine so bright, +With you their watches keep. + +5. The moon is lighting up the skies, +The stars are sparkling there; +'T is time to shut our weary eyes, +And say our evening prayer. +Mrs. Follen. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader +by William Holmes McGuffey + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 14766 *** diff --git a/14766-doc.doc b/14766-doc.doc Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..539e982 --- /dev/null +++ b/14766-doc.doc diff --git a/14766-doc.zip b/14766-doc.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..efc6212 --- /dev/null +++ b/14766-doc.zip diff --git a/14766-pdf.pdf b/14766-pdf.pdf Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..c1d91eb --- /dev/null +++ b/14766-pdf.pdf diff --git a/14766-pdf.zip b/14766-pdf.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..f26b629 --- /dev/null +++ b/14766-pdf.zip diff --git a/14766.txt b/14766.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..02ded7c --- /dev/null +++ b/14766.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4747 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader +by William Holmes McGuffey + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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 + + +Title: McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader + +Author: William Holmes McGuffey + +Release Date: January 23, 2005 [EBook #14766] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MCGUFFEY'S THIRD ECLECTIC READER *** + + + + +Produced by Don Kostuch + + + + + + +Transcriber's Notes: + +Welcome to the schoolroom of 1900. The moral tone is +plain. "She is kind to the old blind man." + +The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful +than some contemporary alternatives. Much is left to the +teacher. Explanations given in the text are enough to get +started teaching a child to read and write. Counting in +Roman numerals is included as a bonus in the form of lesson +numbers. + +There is no text version because much of the material uses +specialized characters that have no ASCI equivalent. +Wherever possible the "ASCI" text has been converted. + +The "non-ASCI" text remains as images. The "non-ASCI" +text is approximated in text boxes to right of the image, as +are script images. + +The form of contractions includes a space. The +contemporary word "don't" was rendered as "do n't". + +The author, not listed in the text is William Holmes +McGuffey. + +Don Kostuc + + +ECLECTIC EDUCATIONAL SERIES. + + + +MCGUFFEY'S(R) + + +THIRD + + +ECLECTIC READER. + + +REVISED EDITION. + + + + + + +McGuffey Editions and Colophon are Trademarks of + + + +JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC. + +NEW YORK--CHICHESTER--WEINHEIM--BRISBANE--SINGAPORE--TORONTO + + +The long continued popularity of MCGUFFEY'S +READERS is sufficient evidence of the positive merits of +the books. The aim of this revision has been to preserve +unimpaired the distinctive features of the series, and at the +same time to present the matter in a new dress, with new +type, new illustrations, and with a considerable amount of +new matter. +Spelling exercises are continued through the first half of +the THIRD READER. These exercises, with those furnished +in the two lower books, are exhaustive of the words +employed in the reading lessons. Words are not repeated in +the vocabularies. +In the latter half of the book, definitions are introduced. It +is hoped that the teacher will extend this defining exercise to +all the words of the lesson liable to be misunderstood. The +child should define the word in his own language sufficiently +to show that he has a mastery of the word in its use. +Drills in articulation and emphasis should be given with +every lesson. The essentials of good reading are not to be +taught by one or two lessons. Constant drill on good +exercises, with frequent exhibitions of the correct method +from the teacher, will be found more effectual than any form +prescribed in type. +If the pupils are not familiar with the diacritical marks, +they should be carefully taught; such instruction constitutes +an excellent drill on articulation, and enables the pupils to +use the dictionary with intelligence. +Copyright, 1879, by VAN ANTWERP, BRAGG & Co. +Copyright, 1896, by AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY. +Copyright, 1907 and 1920, by H. H. VAIL. +(ii) MG 30 60 REV. +EP 308 + +CONTENTS + +INTRODUCTORY MATTER PAGE. +ARTICULATION 5 +EMPHASIS 10 +PUNCTUATION 11 + +SELECTIONS IN PROSE AND POETRY. + +LESSON +1. The Shepherd Boy 13 +2. Johnny's First Snowstorm 15 +3. Let It rain 18 +4. Castle-building 20 +5. Castle-building 22 +6. Lend a Hand (Script) 25 +7. The Truant 27 +8. The White Kitten 29 +9. The Beaver 31 +10. The Young Teacher 34 +11. The Blacksmith 38 +12. A Walk in the Garden 39 +13. The Wolf 42 +14. The Little Bird's Song 44 +15. Harry and Annie 46 +16. Bird Friends 48 +17. What the Minutes say 51 +18. The Widow and the Merchant 52 +19. The Birds Set Free 54 +20. A Moment too Late 66 +21. Humming Birds 67 +22. The Wind and the Sun 59 +23. Sunset (Script) 61 +24. Beautiful Hands 52 +25. Things to Remember 65 +26. Three Little Mice 67 +Z7. The New Year 69 +28. The Clock and the Sundial 72 +29. Remember 74 +(iii) + +iv CONTENTS. + +LESSON PAGE. +30. Courage and Cowardice 76 +31. Weighing an Elephant 78 +32. The Soldier 82 +33. The Echo 83 +34. George's Feast 86 +35. The Lord's Prayer 90 +An Evening: Prayer (Script.) 91 +36. Finding the Owner 92 +37. Bats 95 +38. A Summer Day 98 +39. I will Think of It 101 +40. Charlie and Rob 104 +41. Ray and his Kite 107 +42. Beware of the First Drink 111 +43. Speak Gently 114 +44. The Seven Sticks 115 +45. The Mountain Sister 117 +46. Harry and the Guidepost 121 +47. The Money Amy didn't Earn 123 +48. Who Made the Stars? 126 +49. Deeds of Kindness 128 +50. The Alarm Clock 130 +51. Spring 132 +52. True Courage 134 +53. The Old Clock 137 +54. The Waves 139 +55. Don't Kill the Birds 143 +56. When to Say No 144 +57. Which Loved Best? 146 +58. John Carpenter 147 +59. Persevere 151 +60. The Contented Boy 151 +61. Little Gustava 156 +62. The Insolent Boy 158 +63. We are Seven 163 +64. Mary's Dime 167 +65. Mary Dow 169 +66. The Little Loaf 172 +67. Susie and Rover 174 +68. The Violet. 178 +69. No Crown for Me 180 +70. Young Soldiers 184 +71. How Willie Got out of the Shaft 187 +72. The Pert Chicken 191 +73. Indian Corn 193 +74. The Snowbird's Song 197 +75. Mountains 200 +76. A Child's Hymn 203 +77. Holding the Fort 204 +78. The Little People 207 +79. Good Night 208 + +INTRODUCTION. + +ARTICULATION. + +A distinct articulation can only be gained by constant and +careful practice of the elementary sounds. +Whenever a word is imperfectly enunciated, the teacher +should call attention to the sounds composing the spoken +word. +If the pupil fails to sound any element correctly, as in the +case of lisping, the fault can be overcome by calling +attention to the correct position of the organs of speech, and +insisting upon exact execution. Except in case of +malformation of these organs, every pupil should sound each +element correctly before such drill should cease. + + +TABLE OF VOCALS. + +LONG SOUNDS. + + + + + + 6 ECLECTIC SERIES, + +SHORT SOUNDS. + + +DIPHTHONGS. + + +TABLE OF SUBVOCALS. + + +TABLE OF ASPIRATES. + + + + THIRD READER. 7 + +NOTE.-The above forty-five sounds are those most +employed in the English language. Some of these sounds are +represented by other letters, as shown in the following table. + +TABLE OF SUBSTITUTES. + + +EXERCISES IN ARTICULATION. + +The following exercises may be used for drill after the +tables are fully understood. Pronounce the word first; then, +the sound indicated. + + 8 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +EXERCISE I. + + + THIRD READER. 9 + + + + 10 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +EMPHASIS. + +NOTE.--If the pupil has received proper oral instruction, +he has been taught to understand what he has read, and has +already acquired the habit of emphasizing words. He is now +prepared for a more formal introduction to the SUBJECT of +emphasis, and for more particular attention to its first +PRINCIPLES. This lesson, and the examples given, should +be repeatedly practiced. +In reading and in talking, we always speak some words +with more force than others. We do this, because the +meaning of what we say depends most upon these words. +If I wish to know whether it is George or his brother who +is sick, I speak the words George and brother with more +force than the other words. I say, Is it George or his brother +who is sick? +This greater force with which we speak the words is called +EMPHASIS. +The words upon which emphasis is put, are sometimes +printed in slanting letters, called Italics,* and sometimes in +CAPITALS. +The words printed in Italics in the following questions and +answers, should be read with more force than the other +words, that is, with emphasis. +Did you ride to town yesterday? No, my brother, did. +Did yon ride to town yesterday? No, I walked. + +* Italics are also used for other purposes, though most +frequently for emphasis. + + THIRD READER. 11 + +Did you ride to town yesterday? No, I went into the +country. +Did you ride to town yesterday? No, I went the day before. +Have you seen James or John lately? I have seen James, +but not John. +Did you say there were four eggs in the nest, or three? +There were only three eggs, not four. +Were the eggs white or blue? The eggs were white, not +blue. +Had the boy a hat on his head, or a cap? He had a cap on, +not a hat. + +PUNCTUATION. + +Punctuation should be thoroughly studied by the pupil, in +order that he may become perfectly familiar with the marks +and pauses found in the reading lessons of this volume. + +MARKS AND PAUSES. + +These marks are used to point off written or printed matter +into sentences and parts of sentences, and thus to assist the +reader in obtaining the meaning of the writer. They seldom +indicate the length of the pause to be made; this must be +determined by the sense. +A Hyphen (-) is used between syllables in a word divided at +the end of a line; as, "be-cause," "ques-tion," and between the +parts of a compound word; as, +Rocking-chair, good-by. + + 12 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +The Comma (,), Semicolon (;), and Colon (:) mark +grammatical divisions in a sentence; as, +God is good; for he gives us all things. +Be wise to-day, my child: 't is madness to defer. + +A Period (.) is placed at the end of a sentence; as, +God is love. Life is short. +Or is used after an abbreviation; as, +Dr. Murphy. Jan. 10, 1879. + +An Interrogation Point (?) denotes a question; as, +Has he come? Who are you? + +An Exclamation Point (!) denotes strong feeling; as, +O Absalom! my son! my son! + +The Dash (--) is used where there is a sudden break or +pause in a sentence; as, +The truth has power--such is God's will--to make us better. + +Quotation Marks (" ") denote the words of another; as, +God said, "Let there be light." + +An Apostrophe (') denotes that a letter or letters are left +out; as, +O'er, for over; 't is, for it is. +And is also used to show ownership; as, +The man's hat. Helen's book. + + +MCGUFFEY'S + +THIRD READER. + +LESSON I. + + +THE SHEPHERD BOY. + +1. Little Roy led his sheep down to pasture, +And his cows, by the side of the brook; + +(13) + + 14 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +But his cows never drank any water, + And his sheep never needed a crook. + +2. For the pasture was gay as a garden, + And it glowed with a flowery red; +But the meadows had never a grass blade, + And the brooklet--it slept in its bed: + +3. And it lay without sparkle or murmur, + Nor reflected the blue of the skies; +But the music was made by the shepherd, + And the sparkle was all in his eyes. + +4. Oh, he sang like a bird in the summer! + And, if sometimes you fancied a bleat, +That, too, was the voice of the shepherd, + And not of the lambs at his feet. + +5. And the glossy brown cows were so gentle + That they moved at the touch of his hand +O'er the wonderful, rosy-red meadow, + And they stood at the word of command. + +6. So he led all his sheep to the pasture, + And his cows, by the side of the brook; +Though it rained, yet the rain never pattered + O'er the beautiful way that they took. + +7. And it was n't in Fairyland either, + But a house in the midst of the town, +Where Roy, as he looked from the window, + Saw the silvery drops trickle down. + + THIRD READER. 15 + +8. For his pasture was only a table, + With its cover so flowery fair, +And his brooklet was just a green ribbon, + That his sister had lost from her hair. + +9. And his cows were but glossy horse-chestnuts, + That had grown on his grandfather's tree; +And his sheep only snowy-white pebbles, + He had brought from the shore of the sea. + +10. And at length when the shepherd was weary, + And had taken his milk and his bread, +And his mother had kissed him and tucked him, + And had bid him "good night" in his bed; + +11. Then there entered his big brother Walter, + While the shepherd was soundly asleep, +And he cut up the cows into baskets, + And to jackstones turned all of the sheep. + +Emily S. Oakey. + +LESSON II. + + +JOHNNY'S FIRST SNOWSTORM. + +1. Johnny Reed was a little boy who never +had seen a snowstorm till he was six years old. +Before this, he had lived in a warm country, +where the sun shines down on beautiful + + 16 ECLECTIC SERIES. +orange groves, and fields always sweet with flowers. +2. But now he had come to visit his grandmother, who +lived where the snow falls in winter. Johnny was standing at +the window when the snow came down. + +3. "O mamma!" he cried, joyfully, "do come quick, and +see these little white birds flying down from heaven." +4. "They are not birds, Johnny," said mamma, smiling. +5. "Then maybe the little angels are losing their feathers! +Oh! do tell me what it is; is it sugar? Let me taste it," said + + THIRD READER. 17 +Johnny. But when he tasted it, he gave a little jump--it was +so cold. +6. "That is only snow, Johnny," said his mother. +7. "What is snow, mother?" +8. "The snowflakes, Johnny, are little drops of water that +fall from the clouds. But the air through which they pass is +so cold it freezes them, and they come down turned into +snow." +9. As she said this, she brought out an old black hat from +the closet. "See, Johnny! I have caught a snowflake on this +hat. Look quick through this glass, and you will see how +beautiful it is." +10. Johnny looked through the glass. There lay the pure, +feathery snowflake like a lovely little star. +11. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star!" he cried in delight. "Oh! +please show me more snow-flakes, mother." +12. So his mother caught several more, and they were all +beautiful. +13. The next day Johnny had a fine play in the snow, and +when he carne in, he said, "I love snow; and I think +snowballs are a great deal prettier than oranges." + + +3, + + 18 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON III. + + + +LET IT RAIN. + +Rose. See how it rains! Oh dear, dear, dear! how dull it is! +Must I stay in doors all day? +Father. Why, Rose, are you sorry that you had any bread +and butter for breakfast, this morning? +Rose. Why, father, what a question! I should be sorry, +indeed, if I could not get any. +Father. Are you sorry, my daughter, when you see the +flowers and the trees growing in the garden? +Rose. Sorry? No, indeed. Just now, I wished very much to +go out and see them,--they look so pretty. +Father. Well, are you sorry when you see the horses, +cows, or sheep drinking at the brook to quench their thirst? +Rose. Why, father, you must think I am a cruel girl, to +wish that the poor horses that work so hard, the beautiful +cows that + + THIRD READER. 19 +give so much nice milk, and the pretty lambs should always +be thirsty. +Father. Do you not think they would die, if they had no +water to drink? +Rose. Yes, sir, I am sure they would. How shocking to +think of such a thing! +Father. I thought little Rose was sorry it rained. Do you +think the trees and flowers would grow, if they never had +any water on them? +Rose. No, indeed, father, they would be dried up by the +sun. Then we should not have any pretty flowers to look at, +and to make wreaths of for mother. +Father. I thought you were sorry it rained. Rose, what is +our bread made of? +Rose. It is made of flour, and the flour is made from +wheat, which is ground in the mill. +Father. Yes, Rose, and it was rain that helped to make the +wheat grow, and it was water that turned the mill to grind the +wheat. I thought little Rose was sorry it rained. +Rose. I did not think of all these things, father. I am truly +very glad to see the rain falling. + + 20 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON IV. + + +CASTLE-BUILDING. + +1. "O pussy!" cried Herbert, in a voice of anger and +dismay, as the blockhouse he was building fell in sudden +ruin. The playful cat had rubbed against his mimic castle, + + THIRD READER. 21 +and tower and wall went rattling down upon the floor. +2. Herbert took up one of the blocks and threw it fiercely +at pussy. Happily, it passed over her and did no harm. His +hand was reaching for another block, when his little sister +Hetty sprang toward the cat, and caught her up. +3. "No, no, no!" said she, "you sha'n't hurt pussy! +She did n't mean to do it!" +4. Herbert's passion was over quickly, and, sitting down +upon the floor, he covered his face with his hands, and began +to cry. +5. "What a baby!" said Joe, his elder brother, who was +reading on the sofa. "Crying over spilled milk does no good. +Build it up again." +6. "No, I won't," said Herbert, and he went on crying. +7. "What's all the trouble here?" exclaimed papa, as he +opened the door and came in. +8. "Pussy just rubbed against Herbert's castle, and it fell +down," answered Hetty. "But she did n't mean to do it; she +did n't know it would fall, did she, papa?" +9. "Why, no! And is that all the trouble?" + + 22 ECLECTIC SERIES. +10. "Herbert!" his papa called, and held out his hands. +"Come." The little boy got up from the floor, and came +slowly, his eyes full of tears, and stood by his father. +11. "There is a better way than this, my boy," said papa. +"If you had taken that way, your heart would have been light +already. I should have heard you singing over your blocks +instead of crying. Shall I show you that way?" +12. Herbert nodded his head, and papa sat down on the +floor by the pile of blocks, with his little son by his side, and +began to lay the foundation for a new castle. + +LESSON V. + + + +CASTLE-BUILDING. +(CONCLUDED) + +1. Soon, Herbert was as much interested in castle-building +as he had been a little while before. He began to sing over +his work. All his trouble was gone. + + THIRD READER. 23 +2. "This is a great deal better than crying, is n't it?" said +papa. +3. "Crying for what?" asked Herbert, forgetting his grief +of a few minutes before. +4. "Because pussy knocked your castle over." +5. "Oh!" A shadow flitted across his face, but was gone in +a moment, and he went on building as eagerly as ever. +6. "I told him not to cry over spilled milk," said Joe, +looking down from his place on the sofa. +7. "I wonder if you did n't cry when your kite string +broke," retorted Herbert. +8. "Losing a kite is quite another thing," answered Joe, a +little dashed. "The kite was gone forever; but your blocks +were as good as before, and you had only to build again." +9. "I do n't see," said papa, "that crying was of any more +use in your case then in Herbert's. Sticks and paper are easily +found, and you had only to go to work and make another +kite." Joe looked down at his book, and went on reading. By +this time the castle was finished. +10. "It is ever so much nicer than the one + + 24 ECLECTIC SERIES. +pussy knocked down," said Hetty. And so thought Herbert, +as he looked at it proudly from all sides. +11. "If pussy knocks that down, I'll-" +12. "Build it up again," said papa, finishing the sentence +for his little boy. + +13. "But, papa, pussy must not knock my castles down. I +can't have it," spoke out Herbert, knitting his forehead. +14. "You must watch her, then. Little boys, as well as +grown up people, have to be often on their guard. If you go +into the street, you have to look out for the carriages, so as +not to be run over, and you have to keep out of people's way. +15. "In the house, if you go about heedlessly, you will be +very apt to run against some one. I have seen a careless child +dash suddenly into a room just as a servant was leaving it +with a tray of dishes in her hands. A crash followed." + + THIRD READER. 25 +16. "It was I, was n't it?" said Hetty. +17. "Yes, I believe it was, and I hope it will never happen +again." +18. Papa now left the room, saying, "I do n't want any +more of this crying over spilled milk, as Joe says. If your +castles get knocked down, build them up again." + +LESSON VI. + + + +LEND A HAND. + + + + + + + + +26 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + + + + + + THIRD READER. 27 + +LESSON VII. + + + +THE TRUANT. +1. James Brown was ten years old when his parents sent +him to school. It was not far from his home, and therefore +they sent him by himself. +2. But, instead of going to school, he was in the habit of +playing truant. He would go into the fields, or spend his time +with idle boys. +3. But this was not all. When he went home, he would +falsely tell his mother that he had been to school, and had +said his lessons very well. +4. One fine morning, his mother told James to make haste +home from school, for she wished, after he had come back, +to take him to his aunt's. +5. But, instead of minding her, he went off to the water, +where there were some boats. There he met plenty of idle +boys. +6. Some of these boys found that James + + 28 ECLECTIC SERIES, +had money, which his aunt had given him; and he was led by +them to hire a boat, and to go with them upon the water. +7. Little did James think of the danger into which he was +running. Soon the wind began to blow, and none of them +knew how to manage the boat. + +8. For some time, they struggled against the wind and the +tide. At last, they became so tired that they could row no +longer. +9. A large wave upset the boat, and they were all thrown +into the water. Think of James Brown, the truant, at this +time! +10. He was far from home, known by no one. His parents +were ignorant of his danger. + + THIRD READER. 29 +He was struggling in the water, on the point of being +drowned. +11. Some men, however, saw the boys, and went out to +them in a boat. They reached them just in time to save them +from a watery grave. +12. They were taken into a house, where their clothes +were dried. After a while, they were sent home to their +parents. +13. James was very sorry for his conduct, and he was +never known to be guilty of the same thing again. +14. He became regular at school, learned to attend to his +books, and, above all, to obey his parents perfectly. + +LESSON VIII. + + + +THE WHITE KITTEN. + +1. My little white kitten's asleep on my knee; +As white as the snow or the lilies is she; + She wakes up with a pur + When I stroke her soft fur: +Was there ever another white kitten like her? + + 30 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +2. My little white kitten now wants to go out +And frolic, with no one to watch her about; + "Little kitten," I say, + "Just an hour you may stay, +And be careful in choosing your places to play." + + + +3. But night has come down, when I hear a loud "mew;" +I open the door, and my kitten comes through; + My white kitten! ah me! + Can it really be she-- +This ill-looking, beggar-like cat that I see? + +4. What ugly, gray streaks on her side and her back! +Her nose, once as pink as a rosebud, is black! + Oh, I very well know, + Though she does not say so, +She has been where white kittens ought never to go. + + THIRD READER. 31 + +5. If little good children intend to do right, +If little white kittens would keep themselves white, + It is needful that they + Should this counsel obey, +And be careful in choosing their places to play. + +LESSON IX. + + +THE BEAVER. + +1. The beaver is found chiefly in North America. It is +about three and a half feet long, including the flat, paddle- +shaped tail, which is a foot in length. +2. The long, shining hair on the back is chestnut-colored, +while the fine, soft fur that lies next the skin, is grayish +brown. +3. Beavers build themselves most curious huts to live in, +and quite frequently a great number of these huts are placed +close together, like the buildings in a town. +4. They always build their huts on the banks of rivers or +lakes, for they swim much + + 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. +more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the +water. +5. When they build on the bank of a running stream, they +make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the +water at the height they wish. +6. These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and +the branches of trees. They are sometimes six or seven +hundred feet in length, and are so constructed that they look +more like the work of man than of little dumb beasts. +7. Their huts are made of the same material as the dams, +and are round in shape. The walls are very thick, and the +roofs are finished off with a thick layer of mud, sticks, and +leaves. +8. They commence building their houses late in the +summer, but do not get them finished before the early frosts. +The freezing makes them tighter and stronger. +9. They obtain the wood for their dams and huts by +gnawing through the branches of trees, and even through the +trunks of small ones, with their sharp front teeth. They peel +off the bark, and lay it up in store for winter food. + + THIRD READER. 33 +10. The fur of the beaver is highly prized. The men who +hunt these animals are called trappers. +11. A gentleman once saw five young beavers playing. +They would leap on the trunk of a tree that lay near a beaver +dam, and would push one another off into the water. + +12. He crept forward very cautiously, and was about to +fire on the little creatures; but their amusing tricks reminded +him so much of some little children he knew at home, that he +thought it would be inhuman to kill them. So he left them +without even disturbing their play. + +3,3 + + 34 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON X. + + + +THE YOUNG TEACHER. + +1. Charles Rose lived in the country with his father, who +taught him to read and to write. +2. Mr. Rose told his son that, when his morning lessons +were over, he might amuse himself for one hour as he +pleased. +3. There was a river near by. On its bank stood the hut of a +poor fisherman, who lived by selling fish. +4. His careful wife kept her wheel going early and late. +They both worked very hard to keep themselves above want. +5. But they were greatly troubled lest their only son +should never learn to read and to write. They could not teach +him themselves, and they were too poor to send him to +school. +6. Charles called at the hut of this fisherman one day, to +inquire about his dog, which was missing. + + THIRD READER. 35 +7. He found the little boy, whose name was Joe, sitting by +the table, on which he was making marks with a piece of +chalk. Charles asked him whether he was drawing pictures. + +8. "No, I am trying to write," said little Joe, "but I know +only two words. Those I saw upon a sign, and I am trying to +write them." +9. "If I could only learn to read and write," said he, "I +should be the happiest boy in the world." + + 36 ECLECTIC SERIES. +10. "Then I will make you happy," said Charles. "I am +only a little boy, but I can teach you that. +11. "My father gives me an hour every day for myself. +Now, if you will try to learn, you shall soon know how to +read and to write." +12. Both Joe and his mother were ready to fall on their +knees to thank Charles. They told him it was what they +wished above all things. +13. So, on the next day when the hour came, Charles put +his book in his pocket, and went to teach Joe. Joe learned +very fast, and Charles soon began to teach him how to write. +14. Some time after, a gentleman called on Mr. Rose, and +asked him if he knew where Charles was. Mr. Rose said that +he was taking a walk, he supposed. +15. "I am afraid," said the gentleman, "that he does not +always amuse himself thus. I often see him go to the house +of the fisherman. I fear he goes out in their boat." +16. Mr. Rose was much troubled. He had told Charles that +he must never venture on the river, and he thought he could +trust him. + + THIRD READER. 37 +17. The moment the gentleman left, Mr. Rose went in +search of his son. He went to the river, and walked up and +down, in hope of seeing the boat. +18. Not seeing it, he grew uneasy. He thought Charles +must have gone a long way off. Unwilling to leave without +learning something of him, he went to the hut. +19. He put his head in at the window, which was open. +There a pleasant sight met his eyes. +20. Charles was at the table, ruling a copybook Joe was +reading to him, while his mother was spinning in the corner. +21. Charles was a little confused. He feared his father +might not be pleased; but he had no need to be uneasy, for +his father was delighted. +22. The next day, his father took him to town, and gave +him books for himself and Joe, with writing paper, pens, and +ink. +23. Charles was the happiest boy in the world when he +came home. He ran to Joe, his hands filled with parcels, and +his heart beating with joy. + + 38 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XI. + + + +THE BLACKSMITH. + +1. Clink, clink, clinkerty clink! +We begin to hammer at morning's blink, +And hammer away +Till the busy day, +Like us, aweary, to rest shall sink. + +2. Clink, clink, clinkerty clink! +From labor and care we never will shrink; +But our fires we'll blow +Till our forges glow +With light intense, while our eyelids wink. + + THIRD READER. 39 + +3. Clink, clink, clinkerty clink; +The chain we'll forge with many a link. +We'll work each form +While the iron is warm, +With strokes as fast as we can think. + +4. Clink, clink, clinkerty clink! +Our faces may be as black as ink, +But our hearts are true +As man ever knew, +And kindly of all we shall ever think. + +LESSON XII. + + + +A WALK IN THE GARDEN. + +1. Frank was one day walking with his mother, when they +came to a pretty garden. Frank looked in, and saw that it had +clean gravel walks, and beds of beautiful flowers all in +bloom. +2. He called to his mother, and said, "Mother, come and +look at this pretty garden. I wish I might open the gate, and +walk in." + + 40 ECLECTIC SERIES. +3. The gardener, being near, heard what Frank said, and +kindly invited him and his mother to come into the garden. +4. Frank's mother thanked the man. Turning to her son, +she said, "Frank, if I take you to walk in this garden, you +must take care not to meddle with anything in it." + +5. Frank walked along the neat gravel paths, and looked at +everything, but touched nothing that he saw. +6. He did not tread on any of the borders, and was careful +that his clothes should not brush the tops of the flowers, lest +he might break them. + + THIRD READER. 41 +7. The gardener was much pleased with Frank, because he +was so careful not to do mischief. He showed him the seeds, +and told him the name of many of the flowers and plants. +8. While Frank was admiring the beauty of a flower, a boy +came to the gate, and finding it locked, he shook it hard. But +it would not open. Then he said, "Let me in; let me in; will +you not let me in this garden?" +9. "No, indeed," said the gardener, "I will not let you in, I +assure you; for when I let you in yesterday, you meddled +with my flowers, and pulled some of my rare fruit. I do not +choose to let a boy into my garden who meddles with the +plants." +10. The boy looked ashamed, and when he found that the +gardener would not let him in, he went slowly away. +11. Frank saw and felt how much happier a boy may be by +not meddling with what does not belong to him. +12. He and his mother then continued their walk in the +garden, and enjoyed the day very much. Before they left, the +gardener gave each of them some pretty flowers. + +42 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XIII. + + +THE WOLF. +1. A boy was once taking care of some sheep, not far from +a forest. Near by was a village, and he was told to call for +help if there was any danger. +2. One day, in order to have some fun, he cried out, with +all his might, "The wolf is coming! the wolf is coming!" +3. The men came running with clubs and axes to destroy +the wolf. As they saw nothing they went home again, and +left John laughing in his sleeve. +4. As he had had so much fun this time, John cried out +again, the next day, "The wolf! the wolf!" +5. The men came again, but not so many as the first time. +Again they saw no trace of the wolf; so they shook their +heads, and went back. +6. On the third day, the wolf came in earnest. John cried in +dismay, "Help! help! + + THIRD READER. 43 +the wolf! the wolf!" But not a single man came to help him. +7. The wolf broke into the flock, and killed + +a great many sheep. Among them was a beautiful lamb, +which belonged to John. +8. Then he felt very sorry that he had deceived his friends +and neighbors, and grieved over the loss of his pet lamb. + +The truth itself is not believed, +From one who often has deceived. + +44 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XIV. + + + + +THE LITTLE BIRD'S SONG. + +1. A little bird, with feathers brown, +Sat singing on a tree; +The song was very soft and low, +But sweet as it could be. + +2. The people who were passing by, +Looked up to see the bird + + THIRD READER. 45 + +That made the sweetest melody +That ever they had heard. +3. But all the bright eyes looked in vain; +Birdie was very small, +And with his modest, dark-brown coat, +He made no show at all. +4. "Why, father," little Gracie said +"Where can the birdie be? +If I could sing a song like that, +I'd sit where folks could see." +5. "I hope my little girl will learn +A lesson from the bird, +And try to do what good she can, +Not to be seen or heard. +6. "This birdie is content to sit +Unnoticed on the way, +And sweetly sing his Maker's praise +From dawn to close of day. +7. "So live, my child, all through your life, +That, be it short or long, +Though others may forget your looks, +They'll not forget your song." + +46 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XV. + + + + +HARRY AND ANNIE. +1. Harry and Annie lived a mile from town, but they went +there to school every day. It was a pleasant walk down the +lane, and through the meadow by the pond. +2. I hardly know whether they liked it better in summer or +in winter. They used to pretend that they were travelers +exploring a new country, and would scatter leaves on + + THIRD READER. 47 +the road that they might find their way back again. +3. When the ice was thick and firm, they went across the +pond. But their mother did not like to have them do this +unless some one was with them. +4. "Do n't go across the pond to-day, children," she said, +as she kissed them and bade them good-by one morning; "it +is beginning to thaw." +5. "All right, mother," said Harry, not very good- +naturedly, for he was very fond of running and sliding on the +ice. When they came to the pond, the ice looked hard and +safe. +6. "There," said he to his sister, "I knew it had n't thawed +any. Mother is always afraid we shall be drowned. Come +along, we will have a good time sliding. The school bell will +not ring for an hour at least." +7. "But you promised mother," said Annie. +8. "No, I did n't. I only said 'All right,' and it is all right." +9. "I did n't say anything; so I can do as I like," said +Annie. +10. So they stepped on the ice, and started to go across the +pond. They had not gone + + + 48 ECLECTIC SERIES. +far before the ice gave way, and they fell into the water. +11. A man who was at work near the shore, heard the +screams of the children, and plunged into the water to save +them. Harry managed to get to the shore without any help, +but poor Annie was nearly drowned before the man could +reach her. +12. Harry went home almost frozen, and told his mother +how disobedient he had been. He remembered the lesson +learned that day as long as he lived. + +LESSON XVI. + + +BIRD FRIENDS. +1. I once knew a man who was rich in his love for birds, +and in their love for him. He lived in the midst of a grove +full of all kinds of trees. He had no wife or children in his +home. +2. He was an old man with gray beard, blue and kind eyes, +and a voice that the + + THIRD READER. 49 +birds loved; and this was the way he made them his friends. +3. While he was at work with a rake on his nice walks in +the grove, the birds came + +close to him to pick up the worms in the fresh earth he dug +up. At first, they kept a rod or two from him, but they soon +found he was a kind man, and would not hurt them, but liked +to have them near him. +3. 4. + + 50 ECLECTIC SERIES. +4. They knew this by his kind eyes and voice, which tell +what is in the heart. So, day by day their faith in his love +grew in them. +5. They came close to the rake. They would hop on top of +it to be first at the worm. They would turn up their eyes into +his when he spoke to them, as if they said, "He is a kind +man; he loves us; we need not fear him." +6. All the birds of the grove were soon his fast friends. +They were on the watch for him, and would fly down from +the green tree tops to greet him with their chirp. +7. When he had no work on the walks to do with his rake +or his hoe, he took crusts of bread with him, and dropped the +crumbs on the ground. Down they would dart on his head +and feet to catch them as they fell from his hand. +8 He showed me how they loved him. He put a crust of +bread in his mouth, with one end of it out of his lips. Down +they came like bees at a flower, and flew off with it crumb +by crumb. +9. When they thought he slept too long in the morning, +they would fly in and sit + + THIRD READER. 51 +on the bedpost, and call him up with their chirp. +10. They went with him to church, and while he said his +prayers and sang his hymns in it, they sat in the trees, and +sang their praises to the same good God who cares for them +as he does for us. +11. Thus the love and trust of birds were a joy to him all +his life long; and such love and trust no boy or girl can fail to +win with the same kind heart, voice, and eye that he had. + +Adapted from Elihu Burritt. + + + +LESSON XVII. + +WHAT THE MINUTES SAY. + +1. We are but minutes--little things! +Each one furnished with sixty wings, +With which we fly on our unseen track, +And not a minute ever comes back. + +2. We are but minutes; use us well, +For how we are used we must one day tell. +Who uses minutes, has hours to use; +Who loses minutes, whole years must lose. + + 52 ECLECTIC SERIES + +LESSON XVIII. + + + + +THE WIDOW AND THE MERCHANT. +1. A merchant, who was very fond of music, was asked by +a poor widow to give her some assistance. Her husband, who +was a musician, had died, and left her very poor indeed. +2. The merchant saw that the widow and her daughter, +who was with her, were in great + + THIRD READER. 53 +distress. He looked with pity into their pale faces, and was +convinced by their conduct that their sad story was true. +3. "How much do you want, my good woman?" said the +merchant. +4. "Five dollars will save us," said the poor widow, with +some hesitation. +5. The merchant sat down at his desk, took a piece of +paper, wrote a few lines on it, and gave it to the widow with +the words, "Take it to the bank you see on the other side of +the street." +6. The grateful widow and her daughter, without stopping +to read the note, hastened to the bank. The banker at once +counted out fifty dollars instead of five, and passed them to +the widow. +7. She was amazed when she saw so much money. "Sir, +there is a mistake here," she said. "You have given me fifty +dollars, and I asked for only five." +8. The banker looked at the note once more, and said, +"The check calls for fifty dollars." +9. "It is a mistake--indeed it is," said the widow. +10. The banker then asked her to wait + + 54 ECLECTIC SERIES. +a few minutes, while he went to see the merchant who gave +her the note. +11. "Yes." said the merchant, when he had heard the +banker's story, "I did make a mistake. I wrote fifty instead of +five hundred. Give the poor widow five hundred dollars, for +such honesty is poorly rewarded with even that sum." +LESSON XIX. + +THE BIRDS SET FREE. +1. A man was walking one day through a large city. On a +street corner he saw a boy with a number of small birds for +sale, in a cage. +2. He looked with sadness upon the little prisoners flying +about the cage, peeping through the wires, beating them with +their wings, and trying to get out. +3. He stood for some time looking at the birds. At last he +said to the boy, "How much do you ask for your birds?" + + THIRD READER. 55 +4. "Fifty cents apiece, sir," said the boy. "I do not mean +how much apiece," said the man, "but how much for all of +them? I want to buy them all." +5. The boy began to count, and found they came to five +dollars. "There is your money," + +said the man. The boy took it, well pleased with his +morning's trade. +6. No sooner was the bargain settled than the man opened +the cage door, and let all the birds fly away. +7. The boy, in great surprise, cried, "What did you do that +for, sir? You have lost all your birds." + + 56 ECLECTIC SERIES. +8. "I will tell you why I did it," said the man. "I was shut +up three years in a French prison, as a prisoner of war, and I +am resolved never to see anything in prison which I can +make free." +LESSON XX. + + +A MOMENT TOO LATE. + +1. A moment too late, my beautiful bird, +A moment too late are you now; +The wind has your soft, downy nest disturbed-- +The nest that you hung on the bough. + +2. A moment too late; that string in your bill, +Would have fastened it firmly and strong; +But see, there it goes, rolling over the hill! +Oh, you staid a moment too long. + +3. A moment, one moment too late, busy bee; +The honey has dropped from the flower: +No use to creep under the petals and see; +It stood ready to drop for an hour. + +4. A moment too late; had you sped on your wing, +The honey would not have been gone; + + THIRD READER. 57 + +Now you see what a very, a very sad thing + 'T is to stay a moment too long. + +5. Little girl, never be a moment too late, +It will soon end in trouble or crime; +Better be an hour early, and stand and wait, +Than a moment behind the time. + +6. If the bird and the bee, little boy, were too late, +Remember, as you play along +On your way to school, with pencil and slate, +Never stay a moment too long. + +LESSON XXI. + + +HUMMING BIRDS. +1. The most beautiful humming birds are found in the +West Indies and South America. The crest of the tiny head of +one of these shines like a sparkling crown of colored light. +2. The shades of color that adorn its breast, are equally +brilliant. As the bird + + 58 ECLECTIC SERIES. +flits from one object to another, it looks more like a bright +flash of sunlight than it does like a living being. +3. But, you ask, why are they called humming birds? It is +because they make a soft, humming noise by the rapid +motion of their wings--a motion so rapid, that as they fly you +can only see that they have wings. +4. One day when walking in the woods, I found the nest of +one of the smallest humming birds. It was about half the size +of a very small hen's egg, and + + THIRD READER. 59 +was attached to a twig no thicker than a steel knitting needle. +5. It seemed to have been made of cotton fibers, and was +covered with the softest bits of leaf and bark. It had two eggs +in it, quite white, and each about as large as a small +sugarplum. +6. When you approach the spot where one of these birds +has built its nest, it is necessary to be careful. The mother +bird will dart at you and try to peck your eyes. Its sharp beak +may hurt your eyes most severely, and even destroy the +sight. +7. The poor little thing knows no other way of defending +its young, and instinct teaches it that you might carry off its +nest if you could find it. + +LESSON XXII. + + + +THE WIND AND THE SUN. +A FABLE. +1. A dispute once arose between the Wind and the Sun, as +to which was the stronger. + + 60 ECLECTIC SERIES. +2. To decide the matter, they agreed to try their power on +a traveler. That party which should first strip him of his +cloak, was to win the day. +3. The Wind began. He blew a cutting blast, which tore up +the mountain oaks by their roots, and made the whole forest +look like a wreck. +4. But the traveler, though at first he could scarcely keep +his cloak on his back, ran under a hill for shelter, and +buckled his mantle about him more closely. +5. The Wind having thus tried his utmost power in vain, +the Sun began. +6. Bursting through a thick cloud, he darted his sultry +beams so forcibly upon the traveler's head, that the poor +fellow was almost melted. +7. "This," said he, "is past all bearing. It is so hot, that one +might as well be in an oven." +8. So he quickly threw off his cloak, and went into the +shade of a tree to cool himself. +9. This fable teaches us, that gentle means will often +succeed where forcible ones will fail. + + THIRD READER. 61 + +LESSON XXIII. + + + + +SUNSET. + + + + 62 ECLECTIC SERIES, + + + +LESSON XXIV. + + + +BEAUTIFUL HANDS. +1. "O Miss Roberts! what coarse-looking hands Mary +Jessup has!" said Daisy Marvin, as she walked home from +school with her teacher. + + THIRD READER. 63 +2. "In my opinion, Daisy, Mary's hands are the prettiest in +he class." +3. "Why, Miss Roberts, they are as red and hard as they +can be. How they would look if she were to try to play on a +piano!" exclaimed Daisy. +4. Miss Roberts took Daisy's hands in hers, and said, +"Your hands are very soft and white, Daisy--just the hands to +look beautiful on a piano; yet they lack one beauty that +Mary's hands have. Shall I tell you what the difference is?" +5. "Yes, please, Miss Roberts." +6. "Well, Daisy, Mary's hands are always busy. They wash +dishes; they make fires; they hang out clothes, and help to +wash them, too; they sweep, and dust, and sew; they are +always trying to help her poor, hard-working mother. +7. "Besides, they wash and dress the children; they mend +their toys and dress their dolls; yet, they find time to bathe +the head of the little girl who is so sick in the next house to +theirs. +8. "They are full of good deeds to every living thing. I +have seen them patting the tired horse and the lame dog in +the street. + + 64 ECLECTIC SERIES, + + +They are always ready to help those who need help." +9. "I shall never think Mary's hands are ugly any more, +Miss Roberts." +10. "I am glad to hear you say that, Daisy; and I must tell +you that they are beautiful because they do their work gladly +and cheerfully." +11. "O Miss Roberts! I feel so ashamed of myself, and so +sorry," said Daisy, looking into her teacher's face with +tearful eyes. + + THIRD READER. 65 +12. "Then, my dear, show your sorrow by deeds of +kindness. The good alone are really beautiful." + +LESSON XXV. + +THINGS TO REMEMBER. +1. When you rise in the morning, remember who kept you +from danger during the night. Remember who watched over +you while you slept, and whose sun shines around you, and +gives you the sweet light of day. +2. Let God have the thanks of your heart, for his kindness +and his care; and pray for his protection during the wakeful +hours of day. +3. Remember that God made all creatures to be happy, and +will do nothing that may prevent their being so, without +good reason for it. +4. When you are at the table, do not eat in a greedy +manner, like a pig. Eat quietly, +3,5 + +66 ECLECTIC SERIES. +and do not reach forth your hand for the food, but ask some +one to help you. +5. Do not become peevish and pout, because you do not +get a part of everything. Be satisfied with what is given you. +6. Avoid a pouting face, angry looks, and angry words. Do +not slam the doors. Go quietly up and down stairs; and never +make a loud noise about the house. +7. Be kind and gentle in your manners; not like the +howling winter storm, but like the bright summer morning. +8. Do always as your parents bid you. Obey them with a +ready mind, and with a pleasant face. +9. Never do anything that you would be afraid or ashamed +that your parents should know. Remember, if no one else +sees you, God does, from whom you can not hide even your +most secret thought. +10. At night, before you go to sleep, think whether you +have done anything that was wrong during the day, and pray +to God to forgive you. If anyone has done you wrong, +forgive him in your heart. +11. If you have not learned something useful, or been in +some way useful, during + + THIRD READER. 67 +the past day, think that it is a day lost, and be very sorry for +it. +12. Trust in the Lord, and He will guide you in the way of +good men. The path of the just is as the shining light that +shineth more and more unto the perfect day. +13. We must do all the good we can to all men, for this is +well pleasing in the sight of God. He delights to see his +children walk in love, and do good one to another. + +LESSON XXVI. + +THREE LITTLE MICE. +1. I will tell you the story of three little mice, +If you will keep still and listen to me, +Who live in a cage that is cozy and nice, +And are just as cunning as cunning can be. +They look very wise, with their pretty red eyes, +That seem just exactly like little round beads; +They are white as the snow, and stand up in a row +Whenever we do not attend to their needs;-- + + 68 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +2. Stand up in a row in a comical way,-- +Now folding their forepaws as if saying, "please;" +Now rattling the lattice, as much as to say, +"We shall not stay here without more bread and +cheese," +They are not at all shy, as you'll find, if you try +To make them run up in their chamber to bed; +If they do n't want to go, why, they won't go--ah! no, +Though you tap with your finger each queer little +head. +3. One day as I stood by the side of the cage, +Through the bars there protruded a funny, round tail; + + THIRD READER. 69 + +Just for mischief I caught it, and soon; in a rage, +Its owner set up a most pitiful wail. +He looked in dismay,--there was something to pay,-- +But what was the matter he could not make out; +What was holding him so, when he wanted to go +To see what his brothers upstairs were about? + +4. But soon from the chamber the others rushed down, +Impatient to learn what the trouble might be; +I have not a doubt that each brow wore a frown, +Only frowns on their brows are not easy to see. +For a moment they gazed, perplexed and amazed; +Then began both together to--gnaw off the tail! +So, quick I released him,--do you think that it pleased +him? +And up the small staircase they fled like a gale. +Julia C. R. Dorr. +LESSON XXVII. + +THE NEW YEAR. +1. One pleasant New-year morning, Edward rose, and +washed and dressed himself + + 70 ECLECTIC SERIES. +in haste. He wanted to be first to wish a happy New Year. +2. He looked in every room, and shouted the words of +welcome. He ran into the + +street, to repeat them to those he might meet. +3. When he came back, his father gave him two bright, +new silver dollars. +4. His face lighted up as he took them. He had wished for +a long time to buy some pretty books that he had seen at the +bookstore. + + THIRD READER. 71 +5. He left the house with a light heart, intending to buy the +books. +6. As he ran down the street, he saw a poor German +family, the father, mother, and three children shivering with +cold. +7. "I wish you a happy New Year," said Edward, as he +was gayly passing on. The man shook his head. +8. "You do not belong to this country," said Edward. The +man again shook his head, for he could not understand or +speak our language. +9. But he pointed to his mouth, and to the children, as if to +say, "These little ones have had nothing to eat for a long +time." +10. Edward quickly understood that these poor people +were in distress. He took out his dollars, and gave one to the +man, and the other to his wife. +11. How their eyes sparkled with gratitude! They said +something in their language, which doubtless meant, "We +thank you a thousand times, and will remember you in our +prayers." +12. When Edward came home, his father asked what +books he had bought. He hung his head a moment, but +quickly looked up. + + 72 ECLECTIC SERIES. +13. "I have bought no books," said he, "I gave my money +to some poor people, who seemed to be very hungry and +wretched. +14. "I think I can wait for my books till next New Year. +Oh, if you had seen how glad they were to receive the +money!" +15. "My dear boy;" said his father, "here is a whole bundle +of books. I give them to you, more as a reward for your +goodness of heart than as a New-year gift. +16. "I saw you give the money to the poor German family. +It was no small sum for a little boy to give cheerfully. +17. "Be thus ever ready to help the poor, and wretched, +and distressed; and every year of your life will be to you a +happy New Year." +LESSON XXVIII. + + +THE CLOCK AND THE SUNDIAL. +A FABLE. +1. One gloomy day, the clock on a church steeple, looking +down on a sundial, said, + + THIRD READER. 73 +"How stupid it is in you to stand there all the while like a +stock! +2. "You never tell the hour till a bright sun looks forth +from the sky, and gives you leave. I go merrily round, day +and night, in summer and winter the same, without asking +his leave. +3. "I tell the people the time to rise, to go to dinner, and to +come to church. + + + 74 ECLECTIC SERIES. +4. "Hark! I am going to strike now; one, two, three, four. +There it is for you. How silly you look! You can say +nothing." +5. The sun, at that moment, broke forth from behind a +cloud, and showed, by the sundial, that the clock was half an +hour behind the right time. +6. The boasting clock now held his tongue, and the dial +only smiled at his folly. +7. MORAL.--Humble modesty is more often right than a +proud and boasting spirit. + +LESSON XXIX. + + +REMEMBER. +1. Remember, child, remember, +That God is in the sky; +That He looks down on all we do, +With an ever-wakeful eye. + +2. Remember, oh remember, +That, all the day and night, +He sees our thoughts and actions +With an ever-watchful sight. + + THIRD READER. 75 + +3. Remember, child, remember, +That God is good and true; +That He wishes us to always be +Like Him in all we do. + +4. Remember that He ever hates +A falsehood or a lie; +Remember He will punish, too, +The wicked, by and by. + +5. Remember, oh remember, +That He is like a friend, +And wishes us to holy be, +And happy, in the end. + +6. Remember, child, remember, +To pray to Him in heaven; +And if you have been doing wrong, +Oh, ask to be forgiven. + +7. Be sorry, in your little prayer, +And whisper in his ear; +Ask his forgiveness and his love. +And He will surely hear. + +8. Remember, child, remember, +That you love, with all your might, + + 76 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +The God who watches o'er us, +And gives us each delight; +Who guards us ever through the day, +And saves us in the night. + +LESSON XXX.. + + + +COURAGE AND COWARDICE. +1. Robert and Henry were going home from school, when, +on turning a corner, Robert cried out, "A fight! let us go and +see!" + + ECLECTIC READER. 77 +2. "No," said Henry; "let us go quietly home and not +meddle with this quarrel. We have nothing to do with it, and +may get into mischief." +3. "You are a coward, and afraid to go," said Robert, and +off he ran. Henry went straight home, and in the afternoon +went to school, as usual. +4. But Robert had told all the boys that Henry was a +coward, and they laughed at him a great deal. +5. Henry had learned, however, that true courage is shown +most in bearing reproach when not deserved, and that he +ought to be afraid of nothing but doing wrong. +6. A few days after, Robert was bathing with some +schoolmates, and got out of his depth. He struggled, and +screamed for help, but all in vain. +7. The boys who had called Henry a coward, got out of the +water as fast as they could, but they did not even try to help +him. +8. Robert was fast sinking, when Henry threw off his +clothes, and sprang into the water. He reached Robert just as +he was sinking the last time. + + 78 ECLECTIC SERIES. +9. By great effort, and with much danger to himself, he +brought Robert to thc shore, and thus saved his life. +10. Robert and his schoolmates were ashamed at having +called Henry a coward. They owned that he had more +courage than any of them. +11. Never be afraid to do good, but always fear to do evil. + +LESSON XXXI. + + + +WEIGHING AN ELEPHANT. +1. "An eastern king," said Teddy's mother, "had been +saved from some great danger. To show his gratitude for +deliverance, he vowed he would give to the poor the weight +of his favorite elephant in silver." +2. "Oh! what a great quantity that would be," cried Lily, +opening her eyes very wide. +"But how could you weigh an elephant?" + + THIRD READER. 79 +asked Teddy, who was a quiet, thoughtful boy +3. "There was the difficulty," said his mother. "The wise +and learned men of the court stroked their long beards, and +talked the matter over, but no one found out how to weigh +the elephant. +4. "At last, a poor old sailor found safe and simple means +by which to weigh the enormous beast. The thousands and +thousands of pieces of silver were counted out to the people; +and crowds of the poor were relieved by the clever thought +of the sailor." +5. "O mamma," said Lily, "do tell us what it was!" +6. "Stop, stop!" said Teddy. "I want to think for myself-- +think hard--and find out how an elephant's weight could be +known, with little trouble and expense." +7. "I am well pleased," said his mother, "that my little boy +should set his mind to work on the subject. If he can find out +the sailor's secret before night, he shall have that orange for +his pains." +8. The boy thought hard and long. Lily laughed at her +brother's grave looks, as he sat leaning his head on his hands. +Often + + 80 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + + +she teased him with the question, "Can you weigh an +elephant, Teddy?" +9. At last, while eating his supper, Teddy suddenly cried +out, "I have it now!" +10. "Do you think so?" asked his mother. +11. "How would you do it," asked Lily. + + THIRD READER. 81 +12. "First, I would have a big boat brought very close to +the shore, and would have planks laid across, so that the +elephant could walk right into it." +13. "Oh, such a great, heavy beast would make it sink low +in the water," said Lily. +14. "Of course it would," said her brother. Then I would +mark on the outside of the boat the exact height to which the +water had risen all around it while the elephant was inside. +Then he should march on shore, leaving the boat quite +empty." +15. "But I do n't see the use of all this," said Lily. +16. "Do n't you?" cried Teddy, in surprise. "Why, I should +then bring the heaps of silver, and throw them into the boat +till their weight would sink it to the mark made by the +elephant. That would show that the weight of each was the +same." +17. "How funny!" cried Lily; "you would make a +weighing machine of the boat?" +18. "That is my plan," said Teddy. +19. "That was the sailor's plan," said his mother. "You +have earned the orange, my boy;" and she gave it to him with +a smile. +Adapted from A. L. O. E. +3,6. + + 82 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XXXII. + + +THE SOLDIER. + +1. A soldier! a soldier! I'm longing to he: +The name and the life of a soldier for me! +I would not be living at ease and at play; +True honor and glory I'd win in my day. + +2. A soldier! a soldier! in armor arrayed; +My weapons in hand, of no contest afraid; +I'd ever be ready to strike the first blow, +And to fight my way through the ranks of the foe. + +3. But then, let me tell you, no blood would I shed, +No victory seek o'er the dying and dead; +A far braver soldier than this would I be; +A warrior of Truth, in the ranks of the free. + +4. A soldier! a soldier! Oh, then, let me be! +My friends, I invite you, enlist now with me. +Truth's bands shall be mustered, love's foes shall +give way! +Let's up, and be clad in our battle array! +J. G. Adams. + + THIRD READER. 83 + +LESSON XXXIII. + + + +THE ECHO. +1. As Robert was one day rambling about, he happened to +cry out, "Ho, ho!" He instantly heard coming back from a +hill near by, the same words, "Ho, ho!" +2. In great surprise, he said with a loud voice, "Who are +you?" Upon this, the same words came back, "Who are +you?" +3. Robert now cried out harshly, "You must be a very +foolish fellow." "Foolish fellow!" came back from the hill. +4. Robert became angry, and with loud and fierce words +went toward the spot whence the sounds came. The words all +came back to him in the same angry tone. +5. He then went into the thicket, and looked for the boy +who, as he thought, was mocking him; but he could find +nobody anywhere. +6. When he went home, he told his mothe + +84 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + + +that some boy had hid himself in the wood, for the purpose +of mocking him. +7. "Robert," said his mother, "you are angry with yourself +alone. You heard nothing but your own words." +8. "Why, mother, how can that be?" said Robert. "Did you +never hear an echo?" asked his mother. "An echo, dear +mother? No, ma'am. What is it?" +9. "I will tell you," said his mother. "You know, when you +play with your ball, + + THIRD READER. 85 +and throw it against the side of a house, it bounds back to +you." "Yes, mother," said he, "and I catch it again." +10. "Well," said his mother, "if I were in the open air, by +the side of a hill or a large barn, and should speak very loud, +my voice would be sent back, so that I could hear again the +very words which I spoke. +11. "That, my son, is an echo. When you thought some +one was mocking you, it was only the hill before you, +echoing, or sending back, your own voice. +12. "The bad boy, as you thought it was, spoke no more +angrily than yourself. If you had spoken kindly, you would +have heard a kind reply. +13. "Had you spoken in a low, sweet, gentle tone, the +voice that came back would have been as low, sweet, and +gentle as your own. +14. "The Bible says, 'A soft answer turneth away wrath.' +Remember this when you are at play with your school mates. +15. "If any of them should be offended, and speak in a +loud, angry tone, remember the echo, and let your words be +soft and kind." + +86 ECLECTIC SERIES. +16. "When you come home from school, and find your +little brother cross and peevish, speak mildly to him. You +will soon see a smile on his lips, and find that his tones will +become mild and sweet. +17. "Whether you are in the fields or in the woods, at +school or at play, at home or abroad, remember, +The good and the kind, +By kindness their love ever proving, +Will dwell with the pure and the loving." + +LESSON XXXIV. + +GEORGE'S FEAST. +1. George's mother was very poor. Instead of having +bright, blazing fires in winter, she had nothing to burn but +dry sticks, which George picked up from under the trees and +hedges. +2. One fine day in July, she sent George to the woods, +which were about two miles from the village in which she +lived. He + + THIRD READER. 87 +was to stay there all day, to get as much wood as he could +collect. +3. It was a bright, sunny day, and George worked very +hard; so that by the time the + +sun was high, he was hot, and wished for a cool place where +he might rest and eat his dinner. +4. While he hunted about the bank he saw among the moss +some fine, wild strawberries, which were a bright scarlet +with ripeness. + + 88 ECLECTIC SERIES. +5. "How good these will be with my bread and butter!" +thought George; and lining his little cap with leaves, he set +to work eagerly to gather all he could find, and then seated +himself by the brook. +6. It was a pleasant place, and George felt happy and +contented. He thought how much his mother would like to +see him there, and to be there herself, instead of in her dark, +close room in the village. +7. George thought of all this, and just as he was lifting the +first strawberry to his mouth, he said to himself, "How much +mother would like these;" and he stopped, and put the +strawberry back again. +8. "Shall I save them for her?" said he, thinking how much +they would refresh her, yet still looking at them with a +longing eye. +9. "I will eat half, and take the other half to her," said he at +last; and he divided them into two heaps. But each heap +looked so small, that he put them together again. +10. "I will only taste one," thought he; but, as he again +lifted it to his mouth, he saw that he had taken the finest, and +he put it back. "I will keep them all for her," + + THIRD READER. 89 +said he, and he covered them up nicely, till he should go +home. +11. When the sun was beginning to sink, George set out +for home. How happy he felt, then, that he had all his +strawberries for his sick mother. The nearer he came to his +home, the less he wished to taste them. +12. Just as he had thrown down his wood, he heard his +mother's faint voice calling him from the next room. "Is that +you, George? I am glad you have come, for I am thirsty, and +am longing for some tea." +13. George ran in to her, and joyfully offered his wild +strawberries. "And you saved them for your sick mother, did +you?" said she, laying her hand fondly on his head, while the +tears stood in her eyes. "God will bless you for all this, my +child." +14. Could the eating of the strawberries have given +George half the happiness he felt at this moment? + + + + 90 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XXXV. + + + +THE LORD'S PRAYER. + +1. Our Father in heaven, +We hallow thy name; +May thy kingdom holy +On earth be the same; +Oh, give to us daily +Our portion of bread; +It is from thy bounty, +That all must be fed. + +2. Forgive our transgressions. +And teach us to know +The humble compassion +That pardons each foe; +Keep us from temptation, +From weakness and sin, +And thine be the glory +Forever! Amen! + + THIRD READER. 91 +AN EVENING PRAYER. + + + + +92 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + + + +LESSON XXXVI. + + + + + +FINDING THE OWNER. +1. "It's mine," said Fred, showing a white handled +pocketknife, with every blade perfect and shining. "Just what +I've always + + THIRD READER. 93 +wanted." And he turned the prize over and over with evident +satisfaction. +2. "I guess I know who owns it," said Tom, looking at it +with a critical eye. + +3. "I guess you do n't," was the quick response. "It is n't +Mr. Raymond's," said Fred, shooting wide of the mark. +4. "I know that; Mr. Raymond's is twice as large," +observed Tom, going on with his drawing lesson. +5. Do you suppose Fred took any comfort in that knife? +Not a bit of comfort did he take. He was conscious all the +time of having something in his possession that did + + 94 ECLECTIC SERIES. +not belong to him; and Tom's suspicion interfered sadly with +his enjoyment. +6. Finally, it became such a torment to him, that he had +serious thoughts of burning it, or burying it, or giving it +away; but a better plan suggested itself. +7. "Tom," said he, one day at recess, "did n't you say you +thought you knew who owned that knife I found?" +8. "Yes, I did; it looked like Doctor Perry's." And Tom ran +off to his play, without giving the knife another thought. +9. Dr. Perry's! Why, Fred would have time to go to the +doctor's office before recess closed: so he started in haste, +and found the old gentleman getting ready to visit a patient. +"Is this yours?" cried Fred, in breathless haste, holding up +the cause of a week's anxiety. +10. "It was," said the doctor; "but I lost it the other day." +11. "I found it," said Fred, "and have felt like a thief ever +since. Here, take it; I've got to run." +12. "Hold on!" said the doctor. "I've got a new one, and +you are quite welcome to this." + + THIRD READER. 95 +13. "Am I? May I? Oh! thank you!" And with what a +different feeling he kept it from that which he had +experienced for a week! + +LESSON XXXVII. + +BATS. +1. Bats are very strange little animals, having hair like +mice, and wings like birds. During the day, they live in +crevices of rocks, in caves, and in other dark places. +2. At night, they go forth in search of food; and, no doubt, +you have seen them flying + +96 ECLECTIC SERIES. +about, catching such insects as happen to be out rather late at +night. +3. The wings of a bat have no quills. They are only thin +pieces of skin stretched upon a framework of bones. Besides +this, it may be said that while he is a quadruped, he can rise +into the air and fly from place to place like a bird. +4. There is a funny fable about the bat, founded upon this +double character of beast and bird, which I will tell you. +5. An owl was once prowling about, when he came across +a bat. So he caught him in his claws, and was about to +devour him. Upon this, the bat began to squeal terribly; and +he said to the owl, "Pray, what do you take me for, that you +use me thus?" +6. "Why, you are a bird, to be sure," said the owl, "and I +am fond of birds. I love dearly to break their little bones." +7. "Well," said the bat, "I thought there was some mistake. +I am no bird. Do n't you see, Mr. Owl, that I have no +feathers, and that I am covered with hair like a mouse?" +8. "Sure enough," said the owl, in great surprise; "I see it +now. Really, I took you + + THIRD READER. 97 +for a bird, but it appears you are only a kind of mouse. I ate a +mouse last night, and it gave me the nightmare. I can't bear +mice! Bah! it makes me sick to think of it." So the owl let the +bat go. + +9. The very next night, the bat encountered another +danger. He was snapped up by puss, who took him for a +mouse, and immediately prepared to eat him. +10. "I beg you to stop one moment," said the bat. "Pray, +Miss Puss, what do you suppose I am?" "A mouse, to be +sure!" said the cat. "Not at all," said the bat, spreading his +long wings. +11. "Sure enough," said the cat: "you seem to be a bird, +though your feathers are +3,7. + + 98 ECLECTIC SERIES. +not very fine. I eat birds sometimes, but I am tired of them +just now, having lately devoured four young robins; so you +may go. But, bird or mouse, it will be your best policy to +keep out of my way hereafter." +12. The meaning of this fable is, that a person playing a +double part may sometimes escape danger; but he is always, +like the bat, a creature that is disgusting to everybody, and +shunned by all. +S. G. Goodrich--Adapted. + +LESSON XXXVIII. + + + +A SUMMER DAY. + +1. This is the way the morning dawns: +Rosy tints on flowers and trees, +Winds that wake the birds and bees, +Dewdrops on the fields and lawns-- +This is the way the morning dawns. + +2. This is the way the sun comes up: +Gold on brook and glossy leaves, + + THIRD READER. 99 + +Mist that melts above the sheaves, +Vine, and rose, and buttercup-- +This is the way the sun comes up. + + 0 + +3. This is the way the river flows: +Here a whirl, and there a dance; +Slowly now, then, like a lance, +Swiftly to the sea it goes-- +This is the way the river flows. + + 100 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +4. This is the way the rain comes down: +Tinkle, tinkle, drop by drop, +Over roof and chimney top; +Boughs that bend, and skies that frown-- +This is the way the rain comes down. + +5. This is the way the birdie sings: +"Baby birdies in the nest, +You I surely love the best; +Over you I fold my wings"-- +This is the way the birdie sings. + +6. This is the way the daylight dies: +Cows are lowing in the lane, +Fireflies wink on hill and plain; +Yellow, red, and purple skies-- +This is the way the daylight dies. +George Cooper. + + + + THIRD READER. 101 + +LESSON XXXIX. + + + + +I WILL THINK OF IT. +1. "I will think of it." It is easy to say this; but do you +know what great things have come from thinking? +2. We can not see our thoughts, or hear, or taste, or feel +them; and yet what mighty power they have! +3. Sir Isaac Newton was seated in his garden on a +summer's evening, when he saw an apple fall from a tree. He +began to think, and, in trying to find out why the apple fell, +discovered how the earth, sun, moon, and stars are kept in +their places. +4. A boy named James Watt sat quietly by the fireside, +watching the lid of the tea kettle as it moved up and down. +He began to think; he wanted to find out why the steam in +the kettle moved the heavy lid. + + 102 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +5. From that time he went on thinking and thinking; and +when he became a man, he improved the steam engine so +much that it could, with the greatest ease, do the work of +many horses. +6. When you see a steamboat, a steam mill, or a +locomotive, remember that it would never have been built if +it had not been for the hard thinking of some one. +7. A man named Galileo was once standing in the +cathedral of Pisa, when he saw a chandelier swaying to and +fro. + + THIRD READER. 103 +8. This set him thinking, and it led to the invention of the +pendulum. +9. James Ferguson was a poor Scotch shepherd boy. Once, +seeing the inside of a watch, he was filled with wonder. +"Why should I not make a watch?" thought he. +10. But how was he to get the materials out of which to +make the wheels and the mainspring? He soon found how to +get them: he made the mainspring out of a piece of +whalebone. He then made a wooden clock which kept good +time. +11. He began, also, to copy pictures with a pen, and +portraits with oil colors. In a few years, while still a small +boy, he earned money enough to support his father. +12. When he became a man, he went to London to live. +Some of the wisest men in England, and the king himself, +used to attend his lectures. His motto was, "I will think of it;" +and he made his thoughts useful to himself and the world. +13. Boys, when you have a difficult lesson to learn, do n't +feel discouraged, and ask some one to help you before +helping yourselves. Think, and by thinking you will learn +how to think to some purpose. + + 104 ECLECTIC SERIES. +LESSON XL. +CHARLIE AND ROB. +1. "Do n't you hate splitting wood?" asked Charlie, as he +sat down on a log to hinder Rob for a while. +2. "No, I rather like it. When I get hold of a tough old +fellow, I say, 'See here, now, you think you're the stronger, +and are going to beat me; so I'll split you up into kindling +wood." +3. "Pshaw!" said Charlie, laughing; "and it's only a stick +of wood." +4. "Yes; but you see I pretend it's a lesson, or a tough job +of any kind, and it's nice to conquer it." +5. "I do n't want to conquer such things; I do n't care what +becomes of them. I wish I were a man, and a rich one." +6. "Well, Charlie, if you live long enough you'll be a man, +without wishing for it; and as for the rich part, I mean to be +that myself." +7. "You do. How do you expect to get your money? By +sawing wood?" +8. "May be--some of it; that's as good a + + THIRD READER. 105 + + + +way as any, so long as it lasts. I do n't care how I get rich, +you know, so that it's in an honest and useful way." +9. "I'd like to sleep over the next ten years, and wake up to +find myself a young man with a splendid education and +plenty of money." + + 106 ECLECTIC SERIES. +10. "Humph! I am not sleepy--a night at a time is enough +for me. I mean to work the next ten years. You see there are +things that you've got to work out--you can't sleep them out." +11. "I hate work," said Charlie, "that is, such work as +sawing and splitting wood, and doing chores. I'd like to do +some big work, like being a clerk in a bank or something of +that sort." +12. "Wood has to be sawed and split before it can be +burned," said Rob. "I do n't know but I'll be a clerk in a bank +some time; I'm working towards it. I'm keeping father's +accounts for him." +13. How Charlie laughed! "I should think that was a long +way from being a bank clerk. I suppose your father sells two +tables and six chairs, some days, does n't he?" +14. "Sometimes more than that, and sometimes not so +much," said Rob, in perfect good humor. +15. "I did n't say I was a bank clerk now. I said I was +working towards it. Am I not nearer it by keeping a little bit +of a book than I should be if I did n't keep any book at all?" + + THIRD READER. 107 +16. "Not a whit--such things happen," said Charlie, as he +started to go. +17. Now, which of these boys, do you think, grew up to be +a rich and useful man, and which of them joined a party of +tramps before he was thirty years old? + + + +LESSON XLI. + +RAY AND HIS KITE. +1. Ray was thought to be an odd boy. You will think him +so, too, when you have read this story. +2. Ray liked well enough to play with the boys at school; +yet he liked better to be alone under the shade of some tree, +reading a fairy tale or dreaming daydreams. But there was +one sport that he liked as well as his companions; that was +kiteflying. +3. One day when he was flying his kite, he said to himself, +"I wonder if anybody ever tried to fly a kite at night. It seems + + 108 ECLECTIC SERIES. +to me it would be nice. But then, if it were very dark, the kite +could not be seen. What if I should fasten a light to it, +though? That would make it show. I'll try it this very night." +4. As soon as it was dark, without saying a word to +anybody, he took his kite and lantern, and went to a large, +open lot, about a quarter of a mile from his home. "Well," +thought he, "this is queer. How lonely and still it seems +without any other boys around! But I am going to fly my +kite, anyway." +5. So he tied the lantern, which was made of tin punched +full of small holes, to the tail of his kite. Then he pitched the +kite, and, + + + THIRD READER. 109 +after several attempts, succeeded in making it rise. Up it +went, higher and higher, as Ray let out the string. When the +string was all unwound, he tied it to a fence; and then he +stood and gazed at his kite as it floated high up in the air. +6. While Ray was enjoying his sport, some people who +were out on the street in the village, saw a strange light in +the sky. They gathered in groups to watch it. Now it was still +for a few seconds, then it seemed to be jumping up and +down; then it made long sweeps back and forth through the +air. +7. "What can it be?" said one person. "How strange!" said +another. "It can not be a comet; for comets have tails," said a +third. "Perhaps it's a big firefly," said another. +8. At last some of the men determined to find out what +this strange light was--whether it was a hobgoblin dancing in +the air, or something dropped from the sky. So off they +started to get as near it as they could. +9. While this was taking place, Ray, who had got tired of +standing, was seated in a fence corner, behind a tree. He +could see + + 110 ECLECTIC SERIES. +the men as they approached; but they did not see him. +10. When they were directly under the light, and saw what +it was, they looked at each other, laughing, and said, "This is +some boy's trick; and it has fooled us nicely. Let us keep the +secret, and have our share of the joke." +11. Then they laughed again, and went back to the village; +and some of the simple people there have not yet found out +what that strange light was. +12. When thc men had gone, Ray thought it was time for +him to go; so he wound up his string, picked up his kite and +lantern, and went home. His mother had been wondering +what had become of him. +13. When she heard what he had been doing, she hardly +knew whether to laugh or scold; but I think she laughed, and +told him that it was time for him to go to bed. + + + + THIRD READER. 111 + +LESSON XLII. +BEWARE OF THE FIRST DRINK. + +1. "Uncle Philip, as the day is fine, will you take a walk +with us this morning?" +2. "Yes, boys. Let me get my hat and cane, and we will +take a ramble. I will tell you a story as we go. Do you know +poor old Tom Smith?" +3. "Know him! Why, Uncle Philip, everybody knows him. +He is such a shocking drunkard, and swears so horribly." +4. "Well, I have known him ever since we were boys +together. There was not a more decent, well-behaved boy +among us. After he left school, his father died, and he was +put into a store in the city. There, he fell into bad company. +5. "Instead of spending his evenings in reading, he would +go to the theater and to balls. He soon learned to play cards, +and of course to play for money. He lost more than he could +pay. +6. "He wrote to his poor mother, and told her his losses. +She sent him money to pay his debts, and told him to come +home. + + 112 ECLECTIC SERIES. +7. "He did come home. After all, he might still have been +useful and happy, for his friends were willing to forgive the +past. For a time, things went on well. He married a lovely +woman, gave up his bad habits, and was doing well. +8. "But one thing, boys, ruined him forever. In the city, he +had learned to take strong drink, and he said to me once, that +when a man begins to drink, he never knows where it will +end. 'Therefore,' said Tom, 'beware of the first drink!' +9. "It was not long before he began to follow his old habit. +He knew the danger, but it seemed as if he could not resist +his desire to drink. His poor mother soon died of grief and +shame. His lovely wife followed her to the grave. +10. "He lost the respect of all, went on from bad to worse, +and has long been a perfect sot. Last night, I had a letter +from the city, stating that Tom Smith had been found guilty +of stealing, and sent to the state prison for ten years. +11. "There I suppose he will die, for he is now old. It is +dreadful to think to what an end he has come. I could not but +think, + + THIRD READER. 113 +as I read the letter, of what he said to me years ago, 'Beware +of the first drink!' +12. "Ah, my dear boys, when old Uncle Philip is gone, +remember that he told you + +the story of Tom Smith, and said to you, 'Beware of the first +drink!' The man who does this will never be a drunkard." + + + + 114 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XLIII. + +SPEAK GENTLY. + +1. Speak gently; it is better far +To rule by love than fear: +Speak gently; let no harsh words mar +The good we might do here. + +2. Speak gently to the little child; +Its love be sure to gain; +Teach it in accents soft and mild; +It may not long remain. + +3. Speak gently to the aged one; +Grieve not the careworn heart: +The sands of life are nearly run; +Let such in peace depart. + +4. Speak gently, kindly, to the poor; +Let no harsh tone be heard; +They have enough they must endure, +Without an unkind word. + +5. Speak gently to the erring; know +They must have toiled in vain; +Perhaps unkindness made them so; +Oh, win them back again. + + THIRD READER. 115 + +6. Speak gently: 'tis a little thing +Dropped in the heart's deep well; +The good, the joy, which it may bring, +Eternity shall tell. +George Washington Langford. + + + + +LESSON XLIV. + +THE SEVEN STICKS. +1. A man had seven sons, who were always quarreling. +They left their studies and work, to quarrel among +themselves. Some bad men were looking forward to the +death of their father, to cheat them out of their property by +making them quarrel about it. +2. The good old man, one day, called his sons around him. +He laid before them seven sticks, which were bound +together. He said, "I will pay a hundred dollars to the one +who can break this bundle." +3. Each one strained every nerve to break the bundle. +After a long but vain trial, they all said that it could not be +done. + + 116 ECLECTIC SERIES. +4. "And yet, my boys," said the father, "nothing is easier +to do." He then untied the bundle, and broke the sticks, one +by one, with perfect ease. + +5. "Ah!" said his sons, "it is easy enough to do it so; +anybody could do it in that way." +6. Their father replied, "As it is with these sticks, so is it +with you, my sons. So + + THIRD READER. 117 +long as you hold fast together and aid each other, you will +prosper, and none can injure you. +7. "But if the bond of union be broken, it will happen to +you just as it has to these sticks, which lie here broken on the +ground." + +Home, city, country, all are prosperous found, +When by the powerful link of union bound. + + + +LESSON XLV. +THE MOUNTAIN SISTER. +1. The home of little Jeannette is far away, high up among +the mountains. Let us call her our mountain sister. +2. There are many things you would like to hear about her, +but I can only tell you now how she goes with her father and +brother, in the autumn, to help gather nuts for the long +winter. + + 118 ECLECTIC SERIES. +3. A little way down the mountain side is a chestnut wood. +Did you ever see a chestnut tree? In the spring its branches +are covered with bunches of creamy flowers, like long +tassels. All the hot summer these are turning into sweet nuts, +wrapped safely in large, prickly, green balls. +4. But when the frost of autumn comes, these prickly balls +turn brown, and crack open. Then you may see inside one, +two, three, and even four, sweet, brown nuts. +5. When her father says, one night at supper time, "I think +there will be a frost tonight," Jeannette knows very well what +to do. She dances away early in the evening to her little bed, +made in a box built up against the wall. +6. Soon she falls asleep to dream about + + + THIRD READER. 119 +the chestnut wood, and the little brook that springs from rock +to rock down under the tall, dark trees. She wakes with the +first daylight, and is out of bed in a minute, when she hears +her father's cheerful call, "Come, children; it is time to be +off." +7. Their dinner is ready in a large basket. The donkey +stands before the door with great bags for the nuts hanging at +each side. They go merrily over the crisp, white frost to the +chestnut trees. How the frost has opened the burs! It has +done half their work for them already. +8. How they laugh and sing, and shout to each other as +they fill their baskets! The sun looks down through the +yellow leaves; the rocks give them mossy seats; the birds +and squirrels wonder what these strange people are doing in +their woods. +9. Jeannette really helps, though she is only a little girl; +and her father says at night, that his Jane is a dear, good +child. This makes her very happy. She thinks about it at +night, when she says her prayers. Then she goes to sleep to +dream of the merry autumn days. +10. Such is our little mountain sister, and + + 120 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +here is a picture of her far-away home. The mountain life is +ever a fresh and happy one. + + + + THIRD READER. 121 + +LESSON XLVI. + +HARRY AND THE GUIDEPOST. + +1. The night was dark, the sun was hid +Beneath the mountain gray, +And not a single star appeared +To shoot a silver ray. + +2. Across the heath the owlet flew, +And screamed along the blast; +And onward, with a quickened step, +Benighted Harry passed. + +3. Now, in thickest darkness plunged, +He groped his way to find; +And now, he thought he saw beyond, +A form of horrid kind. + +4. In deadly white it upward rose, +Of cloak and mantle bare, +And held its naked arms across, +To catch him by the hair. + +5. Poor Harry felt his blood run cold, +At what before him stood; +But then, thought he, no harm, I'm sure, +Can happen to the good. + + 122 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +6. So, calling all his courage up, +He to the monster went; +And eager through the dismal gloom +His piercing eyes he bent. + +7. And when he came well nigh the ghost +That gave him such affright, +He clapped his hands upon his side, +And loudly laughed outright. + +8. For 't was a friendly guidepost stood, +His wandering steps to guide; +And thus he found that to the good, +No evil could betide. + + + + THIRD READER. 123 + +9. Ah well, thought he, one thing I've learned, +Nor shall I soon forget; +Whatever frightens me again, +I'll march straight up to it. + +10. And when I hear an idle tale, +Of monster or of ghost, +I'll tell of this, my lonely walk, +And one tall, white guidepost. + + + + +LESSON XLVII. + +THE MONEY AMY DID N'T EARN. + +1. Amy was a dear little girl, but she was too apt to waste +time in getting ready to do her tasks, instead of doing them at +once as she ought. + + 124 ECLECTIC SERIES. +2. In the village in which she lived, Mr. Thornton kept a +store where he sold fruit of all kinds, including berries in +their season. One day he said to Amy, whose parents were +quite poor, "Would you like to earn some money? " +3. "Oh, yes," replied she, "for I want some new shoes, and +papa has no money to buy them with." +4. "Well, Amy," said Mr. Thorhton, "I noticed some fine, +ripe blackberries in Mr. Green's pasture to-day, and he said +that anybody was welcome to them. I will pay you thirteen +cents a quart for all you will pick for me." +5. Amy was delighted at the thought of earning some +money; so she ran home to get a basket, intending to go +immediately to pick the berries. +6. Then she thought she would like to know how much +money she would get if she picked five quarts. With the help +of her slate and pencil, she found out that she would get +sixty-five cents. +7. "But supposing I should pick a dozen quarts," thought +she, "how much should I earn then?" "Dear me," she said, +after + + THIRD READER. 125 +figuring a while, "I should earn a dollar and fifty-six cents." +8. Amy then found out what Mr. Thornton would pay her +for fifty, a hundred, and two hundred quarts. It took her some +time to + +do this, and then it was so near dinner time that she had to +stay at home until afternoon. +9. As soon as dinner was over, she took + + 126 ECLECTIC SERIES, +her basket and hurried to the pasture. Some boys had been +there before dinner, and all the ripe berries were picked. She +could not find enough to fill a quart measure. +10. As Amy went home, she thought of what her teacher +had often told her--"Do your task at once; then think about +it," for "one doer is worth a hundred dreamers." + + + +LESSON XLVIII. +WHO MADE THE STARS? + +1. "Mother, who made the stars, which light +The beautiful blue sky? +Who made the moon, so clear and bright, +That rises up so high?" + +2. "'T was God, my child, the Glorious One, +He formed them by his power; +He made alike the brilliant sun, +And every leaf and flower. + + THIRD READER. 127 + +3. "He made your little feet to walk; +Your sparkling eyes to see; +Your busy, prattling tongue to talk, +And limbs so light and free. + +4. "He paints each fragrant flower that blows, +With loveliness and bloom; +He gives the violet and the rose +Their beauty and perfume. + +5. "Our various wants his hands supply; +He guides us every hour; +We're kept beneath his watchful eye, +And guarded by his power. + +6. "Then let your little heart, my love, +Its grateful homage pay +To that kind Friend, who, from above, +Thus guides you every day. + +7. "In all the changing scenes of time, +On Him our hopes depend; +In every age, in every clime, +Our Father and our Friend." + + + + 128 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XLIX. +DEEDS OF KINDNESS. +1. One day, as two little boys were walking along the +road, they overtook a woman carrying a large basket of +apples. +2. The boys thought the woman looked very pale and +tired; so they said, "Are you going to town? If you are, we +will carry your basket." +3. "Thank you," replied the woman, "you are very kind: +you see I am weak and ill." Then she told them that she was +a widow, and had a lame son to support. +4. She lived in a cottage three miles away, and was now +going to market to sell the apples which grew on the only +tree in her little garden. She wanted the money to pay her +rent. +5. "We are going the same way you are," said the boys. +"Let us have the basket;" and they took hold of it, one on +each side, and trudged along with merry hearts. +6. The poor widow looked glad, and said that she hoped +their mother would not be angry with them. "Oh, no," they +replied; + + THIRD READER. 129 +"our mother has taught us to be kind to everybody, and to be +useful in any way that we can." +7. She then offered to give them a few of the ripest apples +for their trouble. "No, + +thank you," said they; "we do not want any pay for what we +have done." +8. When the widow got home, she told her lame son what +had happened on the road, +3. 9. + + 130 ECLECTIC SERIES. +and they were both made happier that day by the kindness of +the two boys. +9. The other day, I saw a little girl stop and pick up a piece +of orange peel, which she threw into the gutter. "I wish the +boys would not throw orange peel on the sidewalk," said she. +"Some one may tread upon it, and fall." +10. "That is right, my dear," I said. "It is a little thing for +you to do what you have done, but it shows that you have a +thoughtful mind and a feeling heart." +11. Perhaps some may say that these are little things. So +they are; but we must not wait for occasions to do great +things. We must begin with little labors of love. + + +LESSON L. +THE ALARM CLOCK. +1. A lady, who found it not easy to wake in the morning as +early as she wished, + + THIRD READER. 131 +bought an alarm clock. These clocks are so made as to strike +with a loud whirring noise at any hour the owner pleases to +set them. +2. The lady placed her clock at the head of the bed, and at +the right time she found herself roused by the long, rattling +sound. +3. She arose at once, and felt better all day for her early +rising. This lasted for some weeks. The alarm clock +faithfully did its duty, and was plainly heard so long as it +was obeyed. +4. But, after a time, the lady grew tired of early rising. +When she was waked by the noise, she merely turned over in +bed, and slept again. +5. In a few days, the clock ceased to rouse her from her +sleep. It spoke just as loudly as ever; but she did not hear it, +because she had been in the habit of not obeying it. +6. Finding that she might as well be without it, she +resolved that when she heard the sound she would jump up. +7. Just so it is with conscience. If we will obey its voice, +even in the most trifling things, we can always hear it, clear +and strong. + + 132 ECLECTIC SERIES. +8. But if we allow ourselves to do what we have some +fears may not be quite right, we shall grow more and more +sleepy, until the voice of conscience has no longer power to +wake as. + + + +LESSON LI. + +SPRING. + +1. The alder by the river +Shakes out her powdery curls; +The willow buds in silver +For little boys and girls. + +2. The little birds fly over, +And oh, how sweet they sing! +To tell the happy children +That once again 't is Spring. + + THIRD READER. 133 + +3. The gay green grass comes creeping +So soft beneath their feet; +The frogs begin to ripple +A music clear and sweet. + +4. And buttercups are coming, +And scarlet columbine, +And in the sunny meadows +The dandelions shine. + +5. And just as many daisies +As their soft hands can hold, +The little ones may gather, +All fair in white and gold. + +6. Here blows the warm red clover, +There peeps the violet blue; +Oh, happy little children! +God made them all for you. +Celia Thaxter. + + + + + + +134 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON LII. +TRUE COURAGE. +One cold winter's day, three boys were passing by a +schoolhouse. The oldest was a bad boy. always in trouble +himself, and trying to get others into trouble. The youngest, +whose name was George, was a very good boy. +George wished to do right, but was very much wanting in +courage. The other boys were named Henry and James. As +they walked along, they talked as follows: +Henry. What fun it would be to throw a snowball against +the schoolroom door, and make the teacher and scholars all +jump! +James. You would jump, if you should. If the teacher did +not catch you and whip you, he would tell your father, and +you would get a whipping then; and that would make you +jump higher than the scholars, I think. +Henry. Why, we would get so far off, before the teacher +could come to the door, that he could not tell who we are. +Here is a snowball just as hard as ice, and George + + THIRD READER. 135 +would as soon throw it against the door as not. +James. Give it to him, and see. He would not dare to +throw it. +Henry. Do you think George is a coward? You do not +know him as well as I do. + +Here, George, take this snowball, and show James that you +are not such a coward as he thinks you are. +George. I am not afraid to throw it; but I do not want to. I +do not see that it + + 136 ECLECTIC SERIES. +will do any good, or that there will be any fun in it. +James. There! I told you he would not dare to throw it. +Henry. Why, George, are you turning coward? I thought +you did not fear anything. Come, save your credit, and throw +it. I know you are not afraid. +George. Well, I am not afraid to throw. Give me the +snowball. I would as soon throw it as not. +Whack! went the snowball against the door; and the boys +took to their heels. Henry was laughing as heartily as he +could, to think what a fool he had made of George. +George had a whipping for his folly, as he ought to have +had. He was such a coward, that he was afraid of being +called a coward. He did not dare refuse to do as Henry told +him, for fear that he would be laughed at. +If he had been really a brave boy, he would have said, +"Henry, do you suppose that I am so foolish as to throw that +snowball, just because you want to have me? You may throw +your own snowballs, if you please!" + + THIRD READER. 137 +Henry would, perhaps, have laughed at him, and called +him a coward. +But George would have said, "Do you think that 1 care for +your laughing? I do not think it right to throw the snowball. I +will not do that which 1 think to be wrong, if the whole town +should join with you in laughing." +This would have been real courage. Henry would have +seen, at once, that it would do no good to laugh at a boy who +had so bold a heart. You must have this fearless spirit, or you +will get into trouble, and will be, and ought to be, disliked by +all. + + +LESSON LIII. + +THE OLD CLOCK. + +1. In the old, old hall the old clock stands, +And round and round move the steady hands; +With its tick, tick, tick, both night and day, +While seconds and minutes pass away. + + 138 ECLECTIC SERIES, + +2. At the old, old clock oft wonders Nell, +For she can't make out what it has to tell; + + + +She has ne'er yet read, in prose or rhyme, +That it marks the silent course of time. + +3. When I was a child, as Nell is now, +And long ere Time had wrinkled my brow, +The old, old clock both by night and day +Said,--"Tick, tick, tick!" Time passes away. + + THIRD READER. 139 + + + +LESSON LIV. +THE WAVES. +1. "Where are we to go?" said the little waves to the great, +deep sea. +"Go, my darlings, to the yellow sands: you will find work +to do there." +2. "I want to play," said one little wave; "I want to see +who can jump the highest." +"No; come on, come on," said an earnest wave; "mother +must be right. I want to work." +3. "Oh, I dare not go," said another; "look at those great, +black rocks close to the sands; I dare not go there, for they +will tear me to pieces." +4. "Take my hand, sister," said the earnest wave; "let us go +on together. How glorious it is to do some work." +5. "Shall we ever go back to mother?" "Yes, when our +work is done." + + 140 ECLECTIC SERIES. +6. So one and all hurried on. Even the little wave that +wanted to play, pressed on, and thought that work might be +fun after all. The timid ones did not like to be left behind, +and they became earnest as they got nearer the sands. +7. After all, it was fun, pressing on one after another-- +jumping, laughing, running on to the broad, shining sands. +8. First, they came in their course to a great sand castle. +Splash, splash! they all + + + THIRD READER. 141 +went over it, and down it came. "Oh, what fun!" they cried. +9. "Mother told me to bring these seaweeds; I will find a +pretty place for them," said one--and she ran a long way over +the sands, and left them among the pebbles. The pebbles +cried, "We are glad you are come. We wanted washing." +10. "Mother sent these shells; I do n't know where to put +them," said a little fretful wave. "Lay them one by one on the +sand, and do not break them," said the eldest wave. +11. And the little one went about its work, and learned to +be quiet and gentle, for fear of breaking the shells. +12. "Where is my work?" said a great, full-grown wave. +"this is mere play. The little ones can do this and laugh over +it. Mother said there was work for me." And he came down +upon some large rocks. +13. Over the rocks and into a pool he went, and he heard +the fishes say, "The sea is coming. Thank you, great sea; you +always send a big wave when a storm is nigh. Thank you, +kind wave; we are all ready for you now." + + 142 ECLECTIC SERIES. +14. Then the waves all went back over the wet sands, +slowly and carelessly, for they were tired. +15. "All my shells are safe," said one. +16. And, "My seaweeds are left behind," said another. +17. "I washed all of the pebbles," said a third. +18. "And I--I only broke on a rock, and splashed into a +pool," said the one that was so eager to work. "I have done +no good, mother--no work at all" +19. "Hush!" said the sea. And they heard a child that was +walking on the shore, say, "O mother, the sea has been here! +Look, how nice and clean the sand is, and how clear the +water is in that pool." +20. Then the sea, said, "Hark!" and far away they heard +the deep moaning of the coming storm. +21. "Come, my darlings," said she; "you have done your +work, now let the storm do its work." + + + THIRD READER. 143 + +LESSON LV. + +DO N'T KILL THE BIRDS. + +1. Do n't kill the birds! the little birds, +That sing about your door +Soon as the joyous Spring has come, +And chilling storms are o'er. + +2. The little birds! how sweet they sing! +Oh, let them joyous live; +And do not seek to take the life +Which you can never give. + +3. Do n't kill the birds! the pretty birds, +That play among the trees; + + 144 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +For earth would be a cheerless place, +If it were not for these. + +4. The little birds! how fond they play! +Do not disturb their sport; +But let them warble forth their songs, +Till winter cuts them short. + +5. Do n't kill the birds! the happy birds, +That bless the field and grove; +So innocent to look upon, +They claim our warmest love. + +6. The happy birds, the tuneful birds, +How pleasant 't is to see! +No spot can be a cheerless place +Where'er their presence be. + + + + + +LESSON LVI. + +WHEN TO SAY NO. + +1. Though "No" is a very little word, it is not always easy +to say it; and the not doing so, often causes trouble. + + THIRD READER. 145 +2. When we are asked to stay away from school, and +spend in idleness or mischief the time which ought to be +spent in study, we should at once say "No." +3. When we are urged to loiter on our way to school, and +thus be late, and interrupt our teacher and the school, we +should say "No." When some schoolmate wishes us to +whisper or play in the schoolroom, we should say "No." +4. When we are tempted to use angry or wicked words, we +should remember that the eye of God is always upon us, and +should say "No." +5. When we have done anything wrong, and are tempted +to conceal it by falsehood, we should say "No, we can not +tell a lie; it is wicked and cowardly." +6. If we are asked to do anything which we know to be +wrong, we should not fear to say "No." +7. If we thus learn to say "No," we shall avoid much +trouble, and be always safe. + + + +3.10. + +146 ECLECTIC SERIES. +LESSON LVII. +WHICH LOVED BEST? + +"I love you, mother," said little John; +Then, forgetting work, his cap went on, +And he was off to the garden swing, +Leaving his mother the wood to bring. + + +2. "I love you, mother," said rosy Nell; +"I love you better than tongue can tell;" + + THIRD READER. 147 + +Then she teased and pouted full half the day, +Till her mother rejoiced when she went to play. + +3. "I love you, mother," said little Fan; + "To-day I'll help you all I can; +How glad I am that school does n't keep!" +So she rocked the baby till it fell asleep. + +4. Then, stepping softly, she took the broom, +And swept the floor, and dusted the room; +Busy and happy all day was she, +Helpful and cheerful as child could be. + +5. "I love you, mother," again they said-- +Three little children going to bed; +How do you think that mother guessed +Which of them really loved her best? +Joy Allison. + +LESSON LVIII. + +JOHN CARPENTER. +1. John Carpenter did not like to buy toys that somebody +else had made. He liked the fun of making them himself. The +thought that they were his own work delighted him. +2. Tom Austin, one of his playmates, thought a toy was +worth nothing unless it cost a great deal of money. He never +tried to make anything, but bought all his toys. + + 148 ECLECTIC SERIES. +3. "Come and look at my horse," said he, one day. "It cost +a dollar, and it is such a beauty! Come and see it." +4. John was soon admiring his friend's + +horse; and he was examining it carefully, to see how it was +made. The same evening he began to make one for himself. +5. He went into the wood shed, and picked + + THIRD READER. 149 +out two pieces of wood--one for the head of his horse, the +other for the body. It took him two or three days to shape +them to his satisfaction. +6. His father gave him a bit of red leather for a bridle, and +a few brass nails, and his mother found a bit of old fur with +which he made a mane and tail for his horse. +7. But what about the wheels? This puzzled him. At last +he thought he would go to a turner's shop, and see if he could +not get some round pieces of wood which might suit his +purpose. +8. He found a large number of such pieces among the +shavings on the floor, and asked permission to take a few of +them. The turner asked him what he wanted them for, and he +told him about his horse. +9. "Oh," said the man, laughing, "if you wish it, I will +make some wheels for your horse. But mind, when it is +finished, you must let me see it." +10. John promised to do so, and he soon ran home with +the wheels in his pocket. The next evening, he went to the +turner's shop with his horse all complete, and was told that +he was an ingenious little fellow + +150 ECLECTIC SERIES. +11. Proud of this compliment, he ran to his friend Tom, +crying, "Now then, Tom, here is my horse,--look!" +12. "Well, that is a funny horse," said Tom; "where did +you buy it?" "I did n't buy it," replied John; I made it." +13. "You made it yourself! Oh, well, it's a good horse for +you to make. But it is not so good as mine. Mine cost a +dollar, and yours did n't cost anything." +14. "It was real fun to make it, though," said John, and +away he ran with his horse rolling after him. +15. Do you want to know what became of John? Well, I +will tell you. He studied hard in school, and was called the +best scholar in his class. When he left school, he went to +work in a machine shop. He is now a master workman, and +will soon have a shop of his own. + + + THIRD READER. 151 + +LESSON LIX. + +PERSEVERE. + +1. The fisher who draws in his net too soon, +Won't have any fish to sell; +The child who shuts up his book too soon, +Won't learn any lessons well. + +2. If you would have your learning stay, +Be patient,--do n't learn too fast: +The man who travels a mile each day, +May get round the world at last. + + +LESSON LX. + +THE CONTENTED BOY. +Mr. Lenox was one morning riding by himself. He got off +from his horse to look at something on the roadside. The +horse broke away from him, and ran off. Mr. Lenox ran after +him, but soon found that he could not catch him. +A little boy at work in a field near the road, heard the +horse. As soon as he saw him running from his master, the +boy ran + + 152 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +very quickly to the middle of the road, and, catching the +horse by thc bridle, stopped him till Mr. Lenox came up. +Mr. Lenox. Thank you, my good boy, you have caught my +horse very nicely. What shall I give you for your trouble? +Boy. I want nothing, sir. +Mr. L. You want nothing? So much the better for you. +Few men can say as much. But what were you doing in the +field? +B. I was rooting up weeds, and tending the sheep that +were feeding on turnips. +Mr. L. Do you like to work? +B. Yes, sir, very well, this fine weather. +Mr. L. But would you not rather play? +B. This is not hard work. It is almost as good as play. +Mr. L. Who set you to work? +B. My father, sir. +Mr. L. What is your name? +B. Peter Hurdle, sir. +Mr. L. How old are you? +B. Eight years old, next June. +Mr. L. How long have you been here? +B. Ever since six o'clock this morning. +Mr. L. Are you not hungry? +B. Yes, sir, but I shall go to dinner soon. + + THIRD READER. 153 + +Mr. L. If you had a dime now, what would you do with it? +B. I do n't know, sir. I never had so much. +Mr. L. Have you no playthings? + + 154 ECLECTIC SERIES. +B. Playthings? What are they? +Mr. L. Such things as ninepins, marbles, tops, and wooden +horses. +B. No, sir. Tom and I play at football in winter, and I have +a jumping rope. I had a hoop, but it is broken. +Mr. L. Do you want nothing else? +B. I have hardly time to play with what I have. I have to +drive the cows, and to run on errands, and to ride the horses +to the fields, and that is as good as play. +Mr. L. You could get apples and cakes, if you had money, +you know. +B. I can have apples at home. As for cake, I do not want +that. My mother makes me a pie now and then, which is as +good. +Mr. L. Would you not like a knife to cut sticks? +B. I have one. Here it is. Brother Tom gave it to me. +Mr. L. Your shoes are full of holes. Do n't you want a new +pair? +B. I have a better pair for Sundays. +Mr. L. But these let in water. +B. I do not mind that, sir. +Mr. L. Your hat is all torn, too. +B. I have a better one at home. + + THIRD READER. 155 +Mr. L. What do yon do when it rains? +B. If it rains very hard when I am in the field, I get under a +tree for shelter. +Mr. L. What do you do, if you are hungry before it is time +to go home? +B. I sometimes eat a raw turnip. +Mr. L. But if there is none? +B. Then I do as well as I can without. I work on, and never +think of it. +Mr. L. Why, my little fellow, I am glad to see that you are +so contented. Were you ever at school? +B. No, sir. But father means to send me next winter. +Mr. L. You will want books then. +B. Yes, sir; each boy has a Spelling Book, a Reader, and a +Testament. +Mr. L. Then I will give them to you. Tell your father so, +and that it is because you are an obliging, contented little +boy. +B. I will, sir. Thank you. +Mr. L. Good by, Peter. +B. Good morning, sir. +Dr. John Aiken + + + 156 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON LXI. + +LITTLE GUSTAVA. + +1. Little Gustava sits in the sun, +Safe in the porch, and the little drops run +From the icicles under the eaves so fast, +For the bright spring sun shines warm at last, +And glad is little Gustava. + +2. She wears a quaint little scarlet cap, +And a little green bowl she holds in her lap, +Filled with bread and milk to the brim, +And a wreath of marigolds round the rim: +"Ha! ha!" laughs little Gustava. + +3. Up comes her little gray, coaxing cat, +With her little pink nose, and she mews, "What's that ?" +Gustava feeds her,--she begs for more, +And a little brown hen walks in at the door: +"Good day!" cries little Gustava. + +4. She scatters crumbs for the little brown hen, +There comes a rush and a flutter, and then +Down fly her little white doves so sweet, +With their snowy wings and their crimson feet: +"Welcome!" cries little Gustava. + +5. So dainty and eager they pick up the crumbs. +But who is this through the doorway comes? + + THIRD READER. 157 + +Little Scotch terrier, little dog Rags, +Looks in her face, and his funny tail wags: +"Ha! ha!" laughs little Gustava. + + + +6. "You want some breakfast, too?" and down +She sets her bowl on the brick floor brown, +And little dog Rags drinks up her milk, +While she strokes his shaggy locks, like silk: +"Dear Rags!" says little Gustava. + +7. Waiting without stood sparrow and crow, +Cooling their feet in the melting snow. + + 158 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +"Won't you come in, good folk?" she cried, +But they were too bashful, and staid outside, +Though "Pray come in!" cried Gustava. + +8. So the last she threw them, and knelt on the mat, +With doves, and biddy, and dog, and cat. +And her mother came to the open house door: +"Dear little daughter, I bring you some more, +My merry little Gustava." + +9. Kitty and terrier, biddy and doves, +All things harmless Gustava loves, +The shy, kind creatures 't is joy to feed, +And, oh! her breakfast is sweet indeed +To happy little Gustava! +Celia Thaxter. + + + + +LESSON LXII. + +THE INSOLENT BOY. + +1. James Selton was one of the most insolent boys in the +village where he lived. He would rarely pass people in the +street without being guilty of some sort of abuse. + + THIRD READER. 159 +2. If a person were well dressed he would cry out, +"Dandy!" If a person's clothes were dirty or torn, he would +throw stones at him, and annoy him in every way. +3. One afternoon, just as the school was dismissed, a +stranger passed through the village. His dress was plain and +somewhat old, but neat and clean. He carried a cane in his +hand, on the end of which was a bundle, and he wore a +broad-brimmed hat. +4. No sooner did James see the stranger, than he winked to +his playmates, and said, "Now for some fun!" He then +silently went toward the stranger from behind, and, knocking +off his hat, ran away. +5. The man turned and saw him, but James was out of +hearing before he could speak. The stranger put on his hat, +and went on his way. Again did James approach; but this +time, the man caught him by the arm, and held him fast. +6. However, he contented himself with looking James a +moment in the face, and then pushed him from him. No +sooner did the naughty boy find himself free again, than he +began to pelt the stranger with dirt and stones. + + 160 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +7. But he was much frightened when the "rowdy," as he +foolishly called the man, was struck on the head by a brick, +and badly hurt. All the boys now ran away, and James +skulked across the fields to his home. +8. As he drew near the house, his sister Caroline came out +to meet him, holding up + + THIRD READER. 161 +a beautiful gold chain and some new books for him to see. +9. She told James, as fast as she could talk, that their +uncle, who had been away several years, had come home, +and was now in the house; that he had brought beautiful +presents for the whole family; that he had left his carriage at +the tavern, a mile or two off, and walked on foot, so as to +surprise his brother, their father. +10. She said, that while he was coming through the +village, some wicked boys threw stones at him, and hit him +just over the eye, and that mother had bound up the wound. +"But what makes you look so pale?" asked Caroline, +changing her tone. +11. The guilty boy told her that nothing was the matter +with him; and running into the house, he went upstairs into +his chamber. Soon after, he heard his father calling him to +come down. Trembling from head to foot, he obeyed. When +he reached the parlor door, he stood, fearing to enter. +12. His mother said, "James, why do you not come in? +You are not usually so bashful. See this beautiful watch, +which your uncle has brought for you." +3, 11. + + 162 ECLECTIC SERIES, +13. What a sense of shame did James now feel! Little +Caroline seized his arm, and pulled him into the room. But +he hung down his head, and covered his face with his hands. +14. His uncle went up to him, and kindly taking away his +hands, said, "James, will you not bid me welcome?" But +quickly starting back, he cried, "Brother, this is not your son. +It is the boy who so shamefully insulted me in the street!" +15. With surprise and grief did the good father and mother +learn this. His uncle was ready to forgive him, and forget the +injury. But his father would never permit James to have the +gold watch, nor the beautiful books, which his uncle had +brought for him. +16. The rest of the children were loaded with presents. +James was obliged to content himself with seeing them +happy. He never forgot this lesson so long as he lived. It +cured him entirely of his low and insolent manners. + + + + THIRD READER. 163 + +LESSON LXIII. + +WE ARE SEVEN. + +1. I met a little cottage girl: +She was eight years old, she said; +Her hair was thick with many a curl, +That clustered round her head. + +2. She had a rustic, woodland air, +And she was wildly clad: +Her eyes were fair, and very fair;-- +Her beauty made me glad. + +3. "Sisters and brothers, little maid, +How many may you be?" +"How many? Seven in all," she said, +And, wondering, looked at me. + +4. "And where are they? I pray you tell." +She answered, "Seven are we; +And two of us at Conway dwell, +And two are gone to sea. + + l64 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +5. "Two of us in the churchyard lie, +My sister and my brother; +And, in the churchyard cottage, I +Dwell near them with my mother," + + + +6. "You say that two at Conway dwell, +And two are gone to sea, +Yet ye are seven! I pray you tell, +Sweet maid, how this may be." + + THIRD READER. 165 + +7. Then did the little maid reply, +"Seven boys and girls are we; +Two of us in the churchyard lie, +Beneath the churchyard tree." + +8. "You run about, my little maid, +Your limbs, they are alive; +If two are in the churchyard laid, +Then ye are only five." + +9. "Their graves are green, they may be seen," +The little maid replied, +"Twelve steps or more from mother's door, +And they are side by side. + +10. "My stockings there I often knit, +My kerchief there I hem; +And there upon the ground I sit, +And sing a song to them. + +11. "And often after sunset, sir, +When it is light and fair, +I take my little porringer, +And eat my supper there. + +12. "The first that died was sister Jane; +In bed she moaning lay, + +166 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +Till God released her from her pain; +And then she went away. + +13. "So in the churchyard she was laid; +And, when the grass was dry, +Together round her grave we played, +My brother John and I. + +14. "And when the ground was white with snow, +And I could run and slide, +My brother John was forced to go, +And he lies by her side." + +15. "How many are you, then?" said I, +"If they two are in heaven?" +Quick was the little maid's reply, +"O master! we are seven." + +16. "But they are dead; those two are dead! +Their spirits are in heaven!" +'T was throwing words away: for still +The little maid would have her will, +And said, "Nay, we are seven." +William Wordsworth. + + + + + THIRD READER. 167 + +LESSON LXIV. + +MARY'S DIME. +1. There! I have drawn the chairs into the right corners, +and dusted the room nicely. How cold papa and mamma will +be when they return from their long ride! It is not time to +toast the bread yet, and I am tired of reading. +2. What shall I do? Somehow, I can't help thinking about +the pale face of that little beggar girl all the time. I can see +the glad light filling her eyes, just as plain as I did when I +laid the dime in her little dirty hand. +3. How much I had thought of that dime, too! Grandpa +gave it to me a whole month ago, and I had kept it ever since +in my red box upstairs; but those sugar apples looked so +beautiful, and were so cheap--only a dime apiece--that I +made up my mind to have one. +4. I can see her--the beggar girl, I mean--as she stood +there in front of the store, in her old hood and faded dress, +looking at the candies laid all in a row. I wonder + +168 ECLECTIC SERIES. +what made me say, "Little girl, what do you want?" +5. How she stared at me, just as if nobody had spoken +kindly to her before. I guess + +she thought I was sorry for her, for she said, so earnestly and +sorrowfully, "I was thinking how good one of those +gingerbread rolls would taste. I have n't had anything to eat +to-day." + + THIRD READER. 169 +6. Now, I thought to myself, "Mary Williams, you have +had a good breakfast and a good dinner this day, and this +poor girl has not had a mouthful. You can give her your +dime; she needs it a great deal more than you do." +7. I could not resist that little girl's sorrowful, hungry +look--so I dropped the dime right into her hand, and, without +waiting for her to speak, walked straight away. I'm so glad I +gave her the dime, if I did have to go without the apple lying +there in the window, and looking just like a real one. + + + +LESSON LXV. +MARY DOW. + +1. "Come in, little stranger," I said, +As she tapped at my half open door; +While the blanket, pinned over her head, +Just reached to the basket she bore. + +170 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +2. A look full of innocence fell +From her modest and pretty blue eye, +As she said, "I have matches to sell, +And hope you are willing to buy. + + + +3. "A penny a bunch is the price, +I think you'll not find it too much; +They are tied up so even and nice, +And ready to light with a touch." + +4. I asked, "'What's your name, little girl?" +"'Tis Mary," said she, "Mary Dow;" + + THIRD READER. 171 + +And carelessly tossed off a curl, +That played on her delicate brow. + +5. "My father was lost on the deep; +The ship never got to the shore; +And mother is sad, and will weep, +To hear the wind blow and sea roar. + +6. "She sits there at home, without food, +Beside our poor, sick Willy's bed; +She paid all her money for wood, +And so I sell matches for bread. + +7. "I'd go to the yard and get chips, +But then it would make me too sad +To see the men building the ships, +And think they had made one so bad. + +8. "But God, I am sure, who can take +Such fatherly care of a bird, +Will never forget nor forsake +The children who trust in his word. + +9. "And now, if I only can sell +The matches I brought out to-day, +I think I shall do very well, +And we shall rejoice at the pay." + + 172 ECLECTIC SERIES, + +10. "Fly home, little bird," then I thought, +"Fly home, full of joy, to your nest;" +For I took all the matches she brought, +And Mary may tell you the rest. + + + +LESSON LXVI. +THE LITTLE LOAF. +1. Once when there was a famine, a rich baker sent for +twenty of the poorest children in the town, and said to them, +"In this basket there is a loaf for each of you. Take it, and +come back to me every day at this hour till God sends us +better times." +2. The hungry children gathered eagerly about the basket, +and quarreled for the bread, because each wished to have the +largest loaf. At last they went away without even thanking +the good gentleman. +3. But Gretchen, a poorly-dressed little girl, did not +quarrel or struggle with the rest, + + THIRD READER. 173 + + + +but remained standing modestly in the distance. When the +ill-behaved girls had left, she took the smallest loaf, which +alone was left in the basket, kissed the gentleman's hand, and +went home. +4. The next day the children were as ill behaved as before, +and poor, timid Gretchen received a loaf scarcely half the +size of the one she got the first day. When she came home, +and her mother cut the loaf open, many new, shining pieces +of silver fell out of it. + + 174 ECLECTIC SERIES. +5. Her mother was very much alarmed, and said, "Take +the money back to the good gentleman at once, for it must +have got into the dough by accident. Be quick, Gretchen! be +quick!" +6. But when the little girl gave the rich man her mother's +message, he said, "No, no, my child, it was no mistake. I had +the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf to reward you. +Always be as contented, peaceable, and grateful as you now +are. Go home now, and tell your mother that the money is +your own." + + +LESSON LXVII. + +SUSIE AND ROVER. +1. "Mamma," said Susie Dean, one summer's morning, +"may I go to the woods, and pick berries?" + + THIRD READER. 175 +2. "Yes," replied Mrs. Dean, "but you must take Rover +with you." +3. Susie brought her little basket, and her mother put up a +nice lunch for her. She tied down the cover, and fastened a +tin cup to it. +4. The little girl called Rover--a great Newfoundland +dog--and gave him a tin pail to carry. "If I bring it home +full, mamma," she said, "won't you make some berry +cakes for tea?" +5. Away she tripped, singing as she went down the lane +and across the pasture. When she got to the woods, she put +her dinner basket down beside a tree, and began to pick +berries. +6. Rover ran about, chasing a squirrel or a rabbit now and +then, but never straying far from Susie. +7. The tin pail was not a very small one. By the time it +was two thirds full, Susie began to feel hungry, and thought +she would eat her lunch. +8. Rover came and took his place at her side as soon as +she began to eat. Did she not give him some of the lunch? +No, she was in a selfish mood, and did no such thing. + + 176 ECLECTIC SERIES. +9. "There, Rover, run away! there's a good dog," she said; +but Rover staid near her, watching her steadily with his clear +brown eves. + +10. The meat he wanted so much, was soon eaten up; and +all he got of the nice dinner, was a small crust of gingerbread +that Susie threw away. +11. After dinner, Susie played a while by + + THIRD READER. 177 +the brook. She threw sticks into the water, and Rover swam +in and brought them back. Then she began to pick berries +again. +12. She did not enjoy the afternoon as she did the +morning. The sunshine was as bright, the berries were as +sweet and plentiful, and she was neither tired nor hungry. +13. But good, faithful Rover was hungry, and she had not +given him even one piece of meat. She tried to forget how +selfish she had been; but she could not do so, and quite early +she started for home. +14. When she was nearly out of the woods, a rustling in +the underbrush attracted her attention. "I wonder if that is a +bird or a squirrel," said she to herself. "If I can catch it, how +glad I shall be!" +15. She tried to make her way quietly through the +underbrush; but what was her terror when she saw it large +snake coiled up before her, prepared for a spring! +16. She was so much frightened that she could not move; +but brave Rover saw the snake, and, springing forward, +seized it by the neck and killed it. +17. When the faithful dog came and rubbed his head +against her hand, Susie put her +3, 12. + +178 ECLECTIC SERIES. +arms 'round his neck, and burst into tears. "O Rover," she +cried, "you dear, good dog! How sorry I am that I was so +selfish!" +18. Rover understood the tone of her voice, if he did not +understand her words, and capered about in great glee, +barking all the time. You may be sure that he had a plentiful +supper that evening. +19. Susie never forgot the lesson of that day. She soon +learned to be on her guard against a selfish spirit, and +became a happier and more lovable little girl. +Mrs. M. O. Johnson--Adapted. + + +LESSON LXVIII. +THE VIOLET. + +1. Down in a green and shady bed, +A modest violet grew; +Its stalk was bent, it hung its head, +As if to hide from view + + THIRD READER. 179 + + + +2. And yet it was a lovely flower, +Its colors bright and fair; +It might have graced a rosy bower +Instead of hiding there. + +3. Yet there it was content to bloom, +In modest tints arrayed, +And there it spread its sweet perfume, +Within the silent shade. + +4. Then let me to the valley go, +This pretty flower to see; +That I may also learn to grow +In sweet humility. +Jane Taylor. + + 180 ECLECTIC SERIES. +LESSON LXIX. +NO CROWN FOR ME. +1. "Will you come with us, Susan?" cried several little +girls to a schoolmate. "We are going to the woods; do come, +too." +2. "I should like to go with you very much," replied +Susan, with a sigh; "but I can not finish the task grandmother +set me to do." +3. "How tiresome it must be to stay at home to work on a +holiday!" said one of the girls, with a toss of her head. +"Susan's grandmother is too strict." +4. Susan heard this remark, and, as she bent her head over +her task, she wiped away a tear, and thought of the pleasant +afternoon the girls would spend gathering wild flowers in the +woods. +5. Soon she said to herself, "What harm can there be in +moving the mark grandmother put in the stocking? The +woods must be very beautiful to-day, and how I should like +to be in them!" +6. "Grandmother," said she, a few minutes afterwards, "I +am ready, now." "What, so + + THIRD READER. 181 +soon, Susan?" Her grandmother took the work, and looked at +it very closely. +7. "True, Susan," said she, laying great stress on each +word; "true, I count twenty turns from the mark; and, as you +have never deceived me, you may go and amuse yourself as +you like the rest of the day." +8. Susan's cheeks were scarlet, and she did not say, +"Thank you." As she left the cottage, she walked slowly +away, not singing as usual. +9. "Why, here is Susan!" the girls cried, when she joined +their company; "but what is the matter? Why have you left +your dear, old grandmother?" they tauntingly added. +10. "There is nothing the matter." As Susan repeated these +words, she felt that she was trying to deceive herself. She +had acted a lie. At the same time she remembered her +grandmother's words, "You have never deceived me." +11. "Yes, I have deceived her," said she to herself. "If she +knew all, she would never trust me again." +12. When the little party had reached an open space in the +woods, her companions ran about enjoying themselves; but +Susan sat on + + 182 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +the grass, wishing she were at home confessing her fault. +13. After a while Rose cried out, "Let us make a crown of +violets, and put it on the head of the best girl here." +14. "It will be easy enough to make the crown, but not so +easy to decide who is to wear it," said Julia. +15. "Why, Susan is to wear it, of course," said Rose: "is +she not said to be the best girl in school and the most +obedient at home?" +16. "Yes, yes; the crown shall be for Susan," + + THIRD READER. 183 +cried the other girls, and they began to make the crown. It +was soon finished. +17. "Now, Susan," said Rose, "put it on in a very dignified +way, for you are to be our queen." +18. As these words were spoken, the crown was placed on +her head. In a moment she snatched it off, and threw it on the +ground, saying, "No crown for me; I do not deserve it." +19. The girls looked at her with surprise. "I have deceived +my grandmother," said she, while tears flowed down her +cheeks. "I altered the mark she put in the stocking, that I +might join you in the woods." +20. "Do you call that wicked?" asked one of the girls. +"I am quite sure it is; and I have been miserable all the +time I have been here." +21. Susan now ran home, and as soon as she got there she +said, with a beating heart, "O grandmother! I deserve to be +punished, for I altered the mark you put in the stocking. Do +forgive me; I am very sorry and unhappy." +22. "Susan," said her grandmother, "I knew it all the time; +but I let you go out, hoping + + 184 ECLECTIC SERIES. +that your own conscience would tell you of your sin. I am so +glad that you have confessed your fault and your sorrow." +23. "When shall I be your own little girl again?" "Now," +was the quick reply, and Susan's grandmother kissed her +forehead. + + + +LESSON LXX. + +YOUNG SOLDIERS. + +1. Oh, were you ne'er a schoolboy, +And did you never train, +And feel that swelling of the heart +You ne'er can feel again? + +2. Did you never meet, far down the street, +With plumes and banners gay, +While the kettle, for the kettledrum, +Played your march, march away? + + THIRD READER. 185 + + + +3. It seems to me but yesterday, +Nor scarce so long ago, +Since all our school their muskets took, +To charge the fearful foe. + +4. Our muskets were of cedar wood, +With ramrods bright and new; +With bayonets forever set, +And painted barrels, too. + +5. We charged upon a flock of geese, +And put them all to flight-- +Except one sturdy gander +That thought to show us fight. + + 186 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +6. But, ah! we knew a thing or two; +Our captain wheeled the van; +We routed him, we scouted him, +Nor lost a single man! + +7. Our captain was as brave a lad +As e'er commission bore; +And brightly shone his new tin sword; +A paper cap he wore. + +8. He led us up the steep hillside, +Against the western wind, +While the cockerel plume that decked his head +Streamed bravely out behind. + +9. We shouldered arms, we carried arms, +We charged the bayonet; +And woe unto the mullein stalk +That in our course we met! + + + + THIRD READER. 187 + +10. At two o'clock the roll we called, +And till the close of day, +With fearless hearts, though tired limbs, +We fought the mimic fray,-- +Till the supper bell, from out the dell, +Bade us march, march away. + + + +LESSON LXXI. + +HOW WILLIE GOT OUT OF THE SHAFT. +1. Willie's aunt sent him for a birthday present a little +writing book. There was a place in the book for a pencil. +Willie thought a great deal of this little book, and always +kept it in his pocket. +2. One day, his mother was very busy, and he called his +dog, and said, "Come, Caper, let us have a play." + + 188 ECLECTIC SERIES. +3. When Willie's mother missed him, she went to the door +and looked out, and could not see him anywhere; but she +knew that Caper was with him, and thought they would +come back before long. +4. She waited an, hour, and still they did not come. When +she came to the gate by the road, she met Mr. Lee, and told +him how long Willie had been gone. Mr. Lee thought he +must have gone to sleep under the trees. So they went to all +the trees under which Willie was in the habit of playing, but +he was nowhere to be found. +5. By this time the sun had gone down. The news that +Willie was lost soon spread over the neighborhood, and all +the men and women turned out to hunt. They hunted all +night. +6. The next morning the neighbors were gathered round, +and all were trying to think what to do next, when Caper +came bounding into the room. There was a string tied round +his neck, and a bit of paper tied to it. +7. Willie's father, Mr. Lee, took the paper, and saw that it +was a letter from Willie. He read it aloud. It said, "O father! +come to me. I am in the big hole in the pasture." + + THIRD READER. 189 +8. Everybody ran at once to the far corner of the pasture; +and there was Willie, alive and well, in the shaft. Oh, how +glad he was when his father caught him in his arms, and +lifted him out! + +9. Now I will tell you how Willie came to be in the shaft. +He and Caper went to the pasture field, and came to the edge +of the shaft and sat down. In bending over + + 190 ECLECTIC SERIES. +to see how deep it was, he lost his balance, and fell in. He +tried very hard to get out, but could not. +10. When the good little dog saw that his master was in +the shaft, he would not leave him, but ran round and round, +reaching down and trying to pull him out. But while Caper +was pulling Willie by the coat sleeves, a piece of sod gave +way under his feet, and he fell in too. +11. Willie called for his father and mother as loud as he +could call; but he was so far away from the house that no one +could hear him. +12. He cried and called till it was dark, and then he lay +down on the ground, and Caper lay down close beside him. +It was not long before Willie cried himself to sleep. +13. When he awoke it was morning, and he began to think +of a way to get out. The little writing book that his aunt had +given him, was in his pocket. He took it out, and, after a +good deal of trouble, wrote the letter to his father. +14. Then he tore the leaf out, and took a string out of his +pocket, and tied it round Caper's neck, and tied the letter to +the + + THIRD READER. 191 +string. Then he lifted the dog up, and helped him out, and +said to him, "Go home, Caper, go home!" The little dog +scampered away, and was soon at home. + + + +LESSON LXXII. +THE PERT CHICKEN. + +1. There was once a pretty chicken; +But his friends were very few, +For he thought that there was nothing +In the world but what he knew: +So he always, in the farmyard, +Had a very forward way, +Telling all the hens and turkeys +What they ought to do and say. +"Mrs. Goose," he said, "I wonder +That your goslings you should let +Go out paddling in the water; +It will kill them to get wet." + + 192 ECLECTIC SERIES, + + + +2. "I wish, my old Aunt Dorking," +He began to her, one day, +"That you would n't sit all summer +In your nest upon the hay. +Won't you come out to the meadow, +Where the grass with seeds is filled?" +"If I should," said Mrs. Dorking, +"Then my eggs would all get chilled." +"No, they wo n't," replied the chicken, +"And no matter if they do; +Eggs are really good for nothing; +What's an egg to me or you?" + +3. "What's an egg!" said Mrs. Dorking, +"Can it be you do not know + + THIRD READER. 193 + +You yourself were in an eggshell +Just one little month ago? +And, if kind wings had not warmed you, +You would not be out to-day, +Telling hens, and geese, and turkeys, +What they ought to do and say! + +4. "To be very wise, and show it, +Is a pleasant thing, no doubt; +But, when young folks talk to old folks, +They should know what they're about." +Marian Douglas. + + + +LESSON LXXIII. + +INDIAN CORN. + +1. Few plants are more useful to man than Indian corn, or +maize. No grain, except rice, is used to so great an extent as +an article of food. In some countries corn is almost the only +food eaten by the people. + +3, 13 + + 194 ECLECTIC SERIES. +2. Do you know why it is called Indian corn? It is because +the American Indians were the first corn growers. Columbus +found this grain widely cultivated by them when he +discovered the New World. They pounded it in rude, stone +bowls, and thus made a coarse flour, which they mixed with +water and baked. +3. Indian corn is now the leading crop in the United +States. In whatever part of this land we live, we see corn +growing every year in its proper season. Yet how few can +tell the most simple and important facts about its planting +and its growth! +4. Corn, to do well, must have a rich soil and a warm +climate. It is a tender plant, and is easily injured by cold +weather. The seed corn does not sprout, but rots, if the +ground is cold and wet. +5. To prepare land properly for planting corn, the soil is +made fine by plowing, and furrows are run across the field +four feet apart each way. At every point where these furrows +cross, the farmer drops from four to seven grains of seed +corn. These are then covered with about two inches of earth, +and thus form "hills" of corn. + + THIRD READER. 195 +6. In favorable weather, the tender blades push through +the ground in ten days or two weeks; then the stalks mount +up rapidly, and the long, streamer-like leaves unfold +gracefully from day to day. Corn must be carefully cultivated +while the plants are small. After they begin to shade the +ground, they need but little hoeing or plowing. +7. The moisture and earthy matter, drawn through the +roots, become sap. This passes through the stalk, and enters +the leaves. There a great change takes place which results in +the starting of the ears and the growth of the grain. +8. The maize plant bears two kinds of flowers,--male and +female. The two are widely separated. The male flowers are +on the tassel; the fine silk threads which surround the ear, +and peep out from the end of the husks, are the female +flowers. +9. Each grain on the cob is the starting point for a thread +of silk; and, unless the thread receives some particle of the +dust which falls from the tassel flowers, the kernel with +which it is connected will not grow. +10. The many uses of Indian corn and its products are +worthy of note. The green + + 196 ECLECTIC SERIES. +stalks and leaves make excellent fodder for cattle. The ripe +grain is used all over the earth as food for horses, pigs, and +poultry. Nothing is better for fattening stock. +11. Green corn, or "roasting ears," hulled corn and +hominy, New England hasty pudding, and succotash are +favorite dishes with many persons. Then there are parched +corn and pop corn--the delight of long winter evenings. +12. Cornstarch is an important article of commerce. Sirup +and sugar are made from the juice of the stalk, and oil and +alcohol from the ripened grain. Corn husks are largely used +for filling + + + THIRD READER. 197 +mattresses, and are braided into mats, baskets, and other +useful articles. +13. Thus it will be seen how varied are the uses of Indian +corn. And besides being so useful, the plant is very beautiful. +The sight of a large cornfield in the latter part of summer, +with all its green banners waving and its tasseled plumes +nodding, is one to admire, and not to be forgotten. + + +LESSON LXXIV. +THE SNOWBIRD'S SONG. + +1. The ground was all covered with snow one day, +And two little sisters were busy at play, +When a snowbird was sitting close by on a tree, +And merrily singing his chick-a-de-dee. + + 198 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +2. He had not been singing that tune very long +Ere Emily heard him, so loud was his song; +"O sister, look out of the window!" said she; +"Here's a dear little bird singing chick-a-de-dee. + + + +3. "Poor fellow! he walks in the snow and the sleet, +And has neither stockings nor shoes on his feet: +I wonder what makes him so full of his glee; +He's all the time singing his chick-a-de-dee. + +4. "If I were a barefooted snowbird, I know, +I would not stay out in the cold and the snow; +I pity him so! oh, how cold he must be! +And yet he keeps singing his chick-a-de-dee. + + THIRD READER. 199 + +5. "O mother; do get him some stockings, and shoes, +And a nice little frock, and a hat if he choose: +I wish he'd come into the parlor, and see +How warm we would make him, poor chick-a-de-dee!" + +6. The bird had flown down for some sweet crumbs of bread, +And heard every word little Emily said: +"What a figure I'd make in that dress" thought he, +And laughed as he warbled his chick-a-de-dee. + +7. "I am grateful," said he, "for the wish you express, +But have no occasion for such a fine dress; +I rather remain with my little limbs free, +Than to hobble about, singing chick-a-de-dee. + +8. "There is One, my dear child, though I can not tell who, +Has clothed me already, and warm enough, too. +Good morning! Oh, who are so happy as we?" +And away he flew, singing his chick-a-de-dee. +F. C. Woodworth. + + + + + + + + 200 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON LXXV. +MOUNTAINS. +1. The Himalayas are the highest mountains on our globe, +They are in Asia, and separate India from Thibet. They +extend in a continuous line for more than a thousand miles. +2. If you ever ascend one of these mountains from the +plain below, you will have to cross an unhealthy border, +twenty miles in width. It is, in fact, a swamp caused by the +waters overflowing the river banks. +3. The soil of this swampy border is covered with trees +and shrubs, where the tiger, the elephant, and other animals +find secure retreat. Beyond this border, you will reach +smiling valleys and noble forests. +4. As you advance onward and upward, you will get +among bolder and more rugged scenes. The sides of the +mountains are very steep, sometimes well wooded to quite a +height, but sometimes quite barren. +5. In crossing a river you must be content with three ropes +for a bridge. You will find the streets of the towns to be +simply stairs + + THIRD READER. 201 +cut out of the rock, and see the houses rising in tiers. +6. The pathways into Thibet, among these mountains, are +mere tracks by the side of + +foaming torrents. Often, as you advance, you will find every +trace of the path swept away by the failing of rocks and earth +from above. + +202 ECLECTIC SERIES. +7. Sometimes you will find posts driven into the mountain +side, upon which branches of trees and earth are spread. This +forms a trembling foothold for the traveler. +8. In the Andes, in South America, the sure-footed mule is +used to carry travelers. Quite often a chasm must be crossed +that is many feet wide and hundreds of feet deep. The mule +will leap across this chasm, but not until it is sure it can +make a safe jump. +9. "One day," says a traveler, "I went by the worst pass +over the Andes Mountains. The path for seventy yards was +very narrow, and at one point it was washed entirely away. +On one side the rock brushed my shoulder, and on the other +side my foot overhung the precipice." +10. The guide told this man, after he was safely over the +pass, that, to his knowledge, four hundred mules had fallen +over that precipice, and in many instances travelers had lost +their lives at that terrible spot. + + + THIRD READER. 203 + + + + +LESSON LXXVI. + +A CHILD'S HYMN. + +1. God make my life a little light, +Within the world to glow; +A little flame that burneth bright +Wherever I may go. + +2. God make my life a little flower, +That giveth joy to all, +Content to bloom in native bower, +Although its place be small. + +3. God make my life a little song, +That comforteth the sad; +That helpeth others to be strong, +And makes the singer glad. + +4. God make my life a little hymn +Of tenderness and praise; +Of faith--that never waxeth dim +In all His wondrous ways. + +204 ECLECTIC SERIES, + +LESSON LXXVII. +HOLDING THE FORT. +1. While Genie was walking slowly down street one day, +she heard an odd rapping on the pavement behind her. +Looking round, she saw Rob Grey hobbling on crutches. +2. "Why, what is the matter?" cried Genie. "I have n't seen +you for a week, and now you are walking in that way." +3. "I shall have to walk in this way as much as a week +longer, Genie. I sprained my ankle by stopping too quick-- +no, not too quick, either, for there was something in my +way." +"What was it?" asked Genie. +4. "One of the Commandments," replied Rob. "You +remember how that lecturer talked to us about 'holding the +fort'? Well, I thought I should like to do it; but it's a pretty +long war, you know--all a lifetime, and no vacations-- +furloughs, I think they call them." +5. "If there was nothing to fight, we should not need to be +soldiers," said Genie. +6. "Well, I thought I would try; but the + + THIRD READER. 205 +first day, when we came out of the schoolhouse, Jack Lee +snatched my books out of my hand, and threw them into the +mud. +7. "I started after him as fast as I could run. I meant to +throw him where he had + +thrown the books, when, all of a sudden, I thought of the +Commandment about returning good for evil. +8. "I stopped short--so short, that, somehow, + + 206 ECLECTIC SERIES. +my foot twisted under me. So, you see, it was one of the +commandments." +9. "If one must stumble at them, it is a good thing to fall +on the right side," said Genie, with a wise nod of her head. +10. "The whole thing puzzles me, and makes me feel-- +well, like giving it up," said Rob. "It might have served me +right when I was chasing Jack; but when I thought of the +Commandment, I really tried to do the right thing." +11. "You did do it, Rob," said Genie. "You 'held the fort' +that time. Why, do n't you see--you are only a wounded +soldier." +12. "I never thought of that," said Rob. "If I believe that +way--" He began to whistle, and limped off to school without +finishing the sentence. But Genie knew, by the way he +behaved that day, that he had made up his mind to hold the +fort. + + + THIRD READER. 207 + +LESSON LXXVIII. + +THE LITTLE PEOPLE. + +1. A dreary place would be this earth, +Were there no little people in it; +The song of life would lose its mirth, +Were there no children to begin it; + +2. No little forms, like buds to grow, +And make the admiring heart surrender; +No little hands on breast and brow, +To keep the thrilling love chords tender. + +3. The sterner souls would grow more stern, +Unfeeling nature more inhuman, +And man to utter coldness turn, +And woman would be less than woman. + +4. Life's song, indeed, would lose its charm, +Were there no babies to begin it; +A doleful place this world would be, +Were there no little people in it. + +John G. Whittier. + + + + 208 THIRD READER. + +LESSON LXXIX. + +GOOD NIGHT. + +1. The sun is hidden from our sight, +The birds are sleeping sound; +'T is time to say to all, "Good night!" +And give a kiss all round. + +2. Good night, my father, mother, dear! +Now kiss your little son; +Good night, my friends, both far and near! +Good night to every one. + +3. Good night, ye merry, merry birds! +Sleep well till morning light; +Perhaps, if you could sing in words, +You would have said, "Good night!" + +4. To all my pretty flowers, good night! +You blossom while I sleep; +And all the stars, that shine so bright, +With you their watches keep. + +5. The moon is lighting up the skies, +The stars are sparkling there; +'T is time to shut our weary eyes, +And say our evening prayer. +Mrs. Follen. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader +by William Holmes McGuffey + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MCGUFFEY'S THIRD ECLECTIC READER *** + +***** This file should be named 14766.txt or 14766.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/4/7/6/14766/ + +Produced by Don Kostuch + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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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 + + +Title: McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader + +Author: William Holmes McGuffey + +Release Date: January 23, 2005 [EBook #14766] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MCGUFFEY'S THIRD ECLECTIC READER *** + + + + +Produced by Don Kostuch + + + + + + +Transcriber's Notes: + +Welcome to the schoolroom of 1900. The moral tone is +plain. "She is kind to the old blind man." + +The exercises are still suitable, and perhaps more helpful +than some contemporary alternatives. Much is left to the +teacher. Explanations given in the text are enough to get +started teaching a child to read and write. Counting in +Roman numerals is included as a bonus in the form of lesson +numbers. + +There is no text version because much of the material uses +specialized characters that have no ASCI equivalent. +Wherever possible the "ASCI" text has been converted. + +The "non-ASCI" text remains as images. The "non-ASCI" +text is approximated in text boxes to right of the image, as +are script images. + +The form of contractions includes a space. The +contemporary word "don't" was rendered as "do n't". + +The author, not listed in the text is William Holmes +McGuffey. + +Don Kostuc + + +ECLECTIC EDUCATIONAL SERIES. + + + +MCGUFFEY'S(R) + + +THIRD + + +ECLECTIC READER. + + +REVISED EDITION. + + + + + + +McGuffey Editions and Colophon are Trademarks of + + + +JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC. + +NEW YORK--CHICHESTER--WEINHEIM--BRISBANE--SINGAPORE--TORONTO + + +The long continued popularity of MCGUFFEY'S +READERS is sufficient evidence of the positive merits of +the books. The aim of this revision has been to preserve +unimpaired the distinctive features of the series, and at the +same time to present the matter in a new dress, with new +type, new illustrations, and with a considerable amount of +new matter. +Spelling exercises are continued through the first half of +the THIRD READER. These exercises, with those furnished +in the two lower books, are exhaustive of the words +employed in the reading lessons. Words are not repeated in +the vocabularies. +In the latter half of the book, definitions are introduced. It +is hoped that the teacher will extend this defining exercise to +all the words of the lesson liable to be misunderstood. The +child should define the word in his own language sufficiently +to show that he has a mastery of the word in its use. +Drills in articulation and emphasis should be given with +every lesson. The essentials of good reading are not to be +taught by one or two lessons. Constant drill on good +exercises, with frequent exhibitions of the correct method +from the teacher, will be found more effectual than any form +prescribed in type. +If the pupils are not familiar with the diacritical marks, +they should be carefully taught; such instruction constitutes +an excellent drill on articulation, and enables the pupils to +use the dictionary with intelligence. +Copyright, 1879, by VAN ANTWERP, BRAGG & Co. +Copyright, 1896, by AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY. +Copyright, 1907 and 1920, by H. H. VAIL. +(ii) MG 30 60 REV. +EP 308 + +CONTENTS + +INTRODUCTORY MATTER PAGE. +ARTICULATION 5 +EMPHASIS 10 +PUNCTUATION 11 + +SELECTIONS IN PROSE AND POETRY. + +LESSON +1. The Shepherd Boy 13 +2. Johnny's First Snowstorm 15 +3. Let It rain 18 +4. Castle-building 20 +5. Castle-building 22 +6. Lend a Hand (Script) 25 +7. The Truant 27 +8. The White Kitten 29 +9. The Beaver 31 +10. The Young Teacher 34 +11. The Blacksmith 38 +12. A Walk in the Garden 39 +13. The Wolf 42 +14. The Little Bird's Song 44 +15. Harry and Annie 46 +16. Bird Friends 48 +17. What the Minutes say 51 +18. The Widow and the Merchant 52 +19. The Birds Set Free 54 +20. A Moment too Late 66 +21. Humming Birds 67 +22. The Wind and the Sun 59 +23. Sunset (Script) 61 +24. Beautiful Hands 52 +25. Things to Remember 65 +26. Three Little Mice 67 +Z7. The New Year 69 +28. The Clock and the Sundial 72 +29. Remember 74 +(iii) + +iv CONTENTS. + +LESSON PAGE. +30. Courage and Cowardice 76 +31. Weighing an Elephant 78 +32. The Soldier 82 +33. The Echo 83 +34. George's Feast 86 +35. The Lord's Prayer 90 +An Evening: Prayer (Script.) 91 +36. Finding the Owner 92 +37. Bats 95 +38. A Summer Day 98 +39. I will Think of It 101 +40. Charlie and Rob 104 +41. Ray and his Kite 107 +42. Beware of the First Drink 111 +43. Speak Gently 114 +44. The Seven Sticks 115 +45. The Mountain Sister 117 +46. Harry and the Guidepost 121 +47. The Money Amy didn't Earn 123 +48. Who Made the Stars? 126 +49. Deeds of Kindness 128 +50. The Alarm Clock 130 +51. Spring 132 +52. True Courage 134 +53. The Old Clock 137 +54. The Waves 139 +55. Don't Kill the Birds 143 +56. When to Say No 144 +57. Which Loved Best? 146 +58. John Carpenter 147 +59. Persevere 151 +60. The Contented Boy 151 +61. Little Gustava 156 +62. The Insolent Boy 158 +63. We are Seven 163 +64. Mary's Dime 167 +65. Mary Dow 169 +66. The Little Loaf 172 +67. Susie and Rover 174 +68. The Violet. 178 +69. No Crown for Me 180 +70. Young Soldiers 184 +71. How Willie Got out of the Shaft 187 +72. The Pert Chicken 191 +73. Indian Corn 193 +74. The Snowbird's Song 197 +75. Mountains 200 +76. A Child's Hymn 203 +77. Holding the Fort 204 +78. The Little People 207 +79. Good Night 208 + +INTRODUCTION. + +ARTICULATION. + +A distinct articulation can only be gained by constant and +careful practice of the elementary sounds. +Whenever a word is imperfectly enunciated, the teacher +should call attention to the sounds composing the spoken +word. +If the pupil fails to sound any element correctly, as in the +case of lisping, the fault can be overcome by calling +attention to the correct position of the organs of speech, and +insisting upon exact execution. Except in case of +malformation of these organs, every pupil should sound each +element correctly before such drill should cease. + + +TABLE OF VOCALS. + +LONG SOUNDS. + + + + + + 6 ECLECTIC SERIES, + +SHORT SOUNDS. + + +DIPHTHONGS. + + +TABLE OF SUBVOCALS. + + +TABLE OF ASPIRATES. + + + + THIRD READER. 7 + +NOTE.-The above forty-five sounds are those most +employed in the English language. Some of these sounds are +represented by other letters, as shown in the following table. + +TABLE OF SUBSTITUTES. + + +EXERCISES IN ARTICULATION. + +The following exercises may be used for drill after the +tables are fully understood. Pronounce the word first; then, +the sound indicated. + + 8 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +EXERCISE I. + + + THIRD READER. 9 + + + + 10 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +EMPHASIS. + +NOTE.--If the pupil has received proper oral instruction, +he has been taught to understand what he has read, and has +already acquired the habit of emphasizing words. He is now +prepared for a more formal introduction to the SUBJECT of +emphasis, and for more particular attention to its first +PRINCIPLES. This lesson, and the examples given, should +be repeatedly practiced. +In reading and in talking, we always speak some words +with more force than others. We do this, because the +meaning of what we say depends most upon these words. +If I wish to know whether it is George or his brother who +is sick, I speak the words George and brother with more +force than the other words. I say, Is it George or his brother +who is sick? +This greater force with which we speak the words is called +EMPHASIS. +The words upon which emphasis is put, are sometimes +printed in slanting letters, called Italics,* and sometimes in +CAPITALS. +The words printed in Italics in the following questions and +answers, should be read with more force than the other +words, that is, with emphasis. +Did you ride to town yesterday? No, my brother, did. +Did yon ride to town yesterday? No, I walked. + +* Italics are also used for other purposes, though most +frequently for emphasis. + + THIRD READER. 11 + +Did you ride to town yesterday? No, I went into the +country. +Did you ride to town yesterday? No, I went the day before. +Have you seen James or John lately? I have seen James, +but not John. +Did you say there were four eggs in the nest, or three? +There were only three eggs, not four. +Were the eggs white or blue? The eggs were white, not +blue. +Had the boy a hat on his head, or a cap? He had a cap on, +not a hat. + +PUNCTUATION. + +Punctuation should be thoroughly studied by the pupil, in +order that he may become perfectly familiar with the marks +and pauses found in the reading lessons of this volume. + +MARKS AND PAUSES. + +These marks are used to point off written or printed matter +into sentences and parts of sentences, and thus to assist the +reader in obtaining the meaning of the writer. They seldom +indicate the length of the pause to be made; this must be +determined by the sense. +A Hyphen (-) is used between syllables in a word divided at +the end of a line; as, "be-cause," "ques-tion," and between the +parts of a compound word; as, +Rocking-chair, good-by. + + 12 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +The Comma (,), Semicolon (;), and Colon (:) mark +grammatical divisions in a sentence; as, +God is good; for he gives us all things. +Be wise to-day, my child: 't is madness to defer. + +A Period (.) is placed at the end of a sentence; as, +God is love. Life is short. +Or is used after an abbreviation; as, +Dr. Murphy. Jan. 10, 1879. + +An Interrogation Point (?) denotes a question; as, +Has he come? Who are you? + +An Exclamation Point (!) denotes strong feeling; as, +O Absalom! my son! my son! + +The Dash (--) is used where there is a sudden break or +pause in a sentence; as, +The truth has power--such is God's will--to make us better. + +Quotation Marks (" ") denote the words of another; as, +God said, "Let there be light." + +An Apostrophe (') denotes that a letter or letters are left +out; as, +O'er, for over; 't is, for it is. +And is also used to show ownership; as, +The man's hat. Helen's book. + + +MCGUFFEY'S + +THIRD READER. + +LESSON I. + + +THE SHEPHERD BOY. + +1. Little Roy led his sheep down to pasture, +And his cows, by the side of the brook; + +(13) + + 14 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +But his cows never drank any water, + And his sheep never needed a crook. + +2. For the pasture was gay as a garden, + And it glowed with a flowery red; +But the meadows had never a grass blade, + And the brooklet--it slept in its bed: + +3. And it lay without sparkle or murmur, + Nor reflected the blue of the skies; +But the music was made by the shepherd, + And the sparkle was all in his eyes. + +4. Oh, he sang like a bird in the summer! + And, if sometimes you fancied a bleat, +That, too, was the voice of the shepherd, + And not of the lambs at his feet. + +5. And the glossy brown cows were so gentle + That they moved at the touch of his hand +O'er the wonderful, rosy-red meadow, + And they stood at the word of command. + +6. So he led all his sheep to the pasture, + And his cows, by the side of the brook; +Though it rained, yet the rain never pattered + O'er the beautiful way that they took. + +7. And it was n't in Fairyland either, + But a house in the midst of the town, +Where Roy, as he looked from the window, + Saw the silvery drops trickle down. + + THIRD READER. 15 + +8. For his pasture was only a table, + With its cover so flowery fair, +And his brooklet was just a green ribbon, + That his sister had lost from her hair. + +9. And his cows were but glossy horse-chestnuts, + That had grown on his grandfather's tree; +And his sheep only snowy-white pebbles, + He had brought from the shore of the sea. + +10. And at length when the shepherd was weary, + And had taken his milk and his bread, +And his mother had kissed him and tucked him, + And had bid him "good night" in his bed; + +11. Then there entered his big brother Walter, + While the shepherd was soundly asleep, +And he cut up the cows into baskets, + And to jackstones turned all of the sheep. + +Emily S. Oakey. + +LESSON II. + + +JOHNNY'S FIRST SNOWSTORM. + +1. Johnny Reed was a little boy who never +had seen a snowstorm till he was six years old. +Before this, he had lived in a warm country, +where the sun shines down on beautiful + + 16 ECLECTIC SERIES. +orange groves, and fields always sweet with flowers. +2. But now he had come to visit his grandmother, who +lived where the snow falls in winter. Johnny was standing at +the window when the snow came down. + +3. "O mamma!" he cried, joyfully, "do come quick, and +see these little white birds flying down from heaven." +4. "They are not birds, Johnny," said mamma, smiling. +5. "Then maybe the little angels are losing their feathers! +Oh! do tell me what it is; is it sugar? Let me taste it," said + + THIRD READER. 17 +Johnny. But when he tasted it, he gave a little jump--it was +so cold. +6. "That is only snow, Johnny," said his mother. +7. "What is snow, mother?" +8. "The snowflakes, Johnny, are little drops of water that +fall from the clouds. But the air through which they pass is +so cold it freezes them, and they come down turned into +snow." +9. As she said this, she brought out an old black hat from +the closet. "See, Johnny! I have caught a snowflake on this +hat. Look quick through this glass, and you will see how +beautiful it is." +10. Johnny looked through the glass. There lay the pure, +feathery snowflake like a lovely little star. +11. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star!" he cried in delight. "Oh! +please show me more snow-flakes, mother." +12. So his mother caught several more, and they were all +beautiful. +13. The next day Johnny had a fine play in the snow, and +when he carne in, he said, "I love snow; and I think +snowballs are a great deal prettier than oranges." + + +3, + + 18 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON III. + + + +LET IT RAIN. + +Rose. See how it rains! Oh dear, dear, dear! how dull it is! +Must I stay in doors all day? +Father. Why, Rose, are you sorry that you had any bread +and butter for breakfast, this morning? +Rose. Why, father, what a question! I should be sorry, +indeed, if I could not get any. +Father. Are you sorry, my daughter, when you see the +flowers and the trees growing in the garden? +Rose. Sorry? No, indeed. Just now, I wished very much to +go out and see them,--they look so pretty. +Father. Well, are you sorry when you see the horses, +cows, or sheep drinking at the brook to quench their thirst? +Rose. Why, father, you must think I am a cruel girl, to +wish that the poor horses that work so hard, the beautiful +cows that + + THIRD READER. 19 +give so much nice milk, and the pretty lambs should always +be thirsty. +Father. Do you not think they would die, if they had no +water to drink? +Rose. Yes, sir, I am sure they would. How shocking to +think of such a thing! +Father. I thought little Rose was sorry it rained. Do you +think the trees and flowers would grow, if they never had +any water on them? +Rose. No, indeed, father, they would be dried up by the +sun. Then we should not have any pretty flowers to look at, +and to make wreaths of for mother. +Father. I thought you were sorry it rained. Rose, what is +our bread made of? +Rose. It is made of flour, and the flour is made from +wheat, which is ground in the mill. +Father. Yes, Rose, and it was rain that helped to make the +wheat grow, and it was water that turned the mill to grind the +wheat. I thought little Rose was sorry it rained. +Rose. I did not think of all these things, father. I am truly +very glad to see the rain falling. + + 20 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON IV. + + +CASTLE-BUILDING. + +1. "O pussy!" cried Herbert, in a voice of anger and +dismay, as the blockhouse he was building fell in sudden +ruin. The playful cat had rubbed against his mimic castle, + + THIRD READER. 21 +and tower and wall went rattling down upon the floor. +2. Herbert took up one of the blocks and threw it fiercely +at pussy. Happily, it passed over her and did no harm. His +hand was reaching for another block, when his little sister +Hetty sprang toward the cat, and caught her up. +3. "No, no, no!" said she, "you sha'n't hurt pussy! +She did n't mean to do it!" +4. Herbert's passion was over quickly, and, sitting down +upon the floor, he covered his face with his hands, and began +to cry. +5. "What a baby!" said Joe, his elder brother, who was +reading on the sofa. "Crying over spilled milk does no good. +Build it up again." +6. "No, I won't," said Herbert, and he went on crying. +7. "What's all the trouble here?" exclaimed papa, as he +opened the door and came in. +8. "Pussy just rubbed against Herbert's castle, and it fell +down," answered Hetty. "But she did n't mean to do it; she +did n't know it would fall, did she, papa?" +9. "Why, no! And is that all the trouble?" + + 22 ECLECTIC SERIES. +10. "Herbert!" his papa called, and held out his hands. +"Come." The little boy got up from the floor, and came +slowly, his eyes full of tears, and stood by his father. +11. "There is a better way than this, my boy," said papa. +"If you had taken that way, your heart would have been light +already. I should have heard you singing over your blocks +instead of crying. Shall I show you that way?" +12. Herbert nodded his head, and papa sat down on the +floor by the pile of blocks, with his little son by his side, and +began to lay the foundation for a new castle. + +LESSON V. + + + +CASTLE-BUILDING. +(CONCLUDED) + +1. Soon, Herbert was as much interested in castle-building +as he had been a little while before. He began to sing over +his work. All his trouble was gone. + + THIRD READER. 23 +2. "This is a great deal better than crying, is n't it?" said +papa. +3. "Crying for what?" asked Herbert, forgetting his grief +of a few minutes before. +4. "Because pussy knocked your castle over." +5. "Oh!" A shadow flitted across his face, but was gone in +a moment, and he went on building as eagerly as ever. +6. "I told him not to cry over spilled milk," said Joe, +looking down from his place on the sofa. +7. "I wonder if you did n't cry when your kite string +broke," retorted Herbert. +8. "Losing a kite is quite another thing," answered Joe, a +little dashed. "The kite was gone forever; but your blocks +were as good as before, and you had only to build again." +9. "I do n't see," said papa, "that crying was of any more +use in your case then in Herbert's. Sticks and paper are easily +found, and you had only to go to work and make another +kite." Joe looked down at his book, and went on reading. By +this time the castle was finished. +10. "It is ever so much nicer than the one + + 24 ECLECTIC SERIES. +pussy knocked down," said Hetty. And so thought Herbert, +as he looked at it proudly from all sides. +11. "If pussy knocks that down, I'll-" +12. "Build it up again," said papa, finishing the sentence +for his little boy. + +13. "But, papa, pussy must not knock my castles down. I +can't have it," spoke out Herbert, knitting his forehead. +14. "You must watch her, then. Little boys, as well as +grown up people, have to be often on their guard. If you go +into the street, you have to look out for the carriages, so as +not to be run over, and you have to keep out of people's way. +15. "In the house, if you go about heedlessly, you will be +very apt to run against some one. I have seen a careless child +dash suddenly into a room just as a servant was leaving it +with a tray of dishes in her hands. A crash followed." + + THIRD READER. 25 +16. "It was I, was n't it?" said Hetty. +17. "Yes, I believe it was, and I hope it will never happen +again." +18. Papa now left the room, saying, "I do n't want any +more of this crying over spilled milk, as Joe says. If your +castles get knocked down, build them up again." + +LESSON VI. + + + +LEND A HAND. + + + + + + + + +26 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + + + + + + THIRD READER. 27 + +LESSON VII. + + + +THE TRUANT. +1. James Brown was ten years old when his parents sent +him to school. It was not far from his home, and therefore +they sent him by himself. +2. But, instead of going to school, he was in the habit of +playing truant. He would go into the fields, or spend his time +with idle boys. +3. But this was not all. When he went home, he would +falsely tell his mother that he had been to school, and had +said his lessons very well. +4. One fine morning, his mother told James to make haste +home from school, for she wished, after he had come back, +to take him to his aunt's. +5. But, instead of minding her, he went off to the water, +where there were some boats. There he met plenty of idle +boys. +6. Some of these boys found that James + + 28 ECLECTIC SERIES, +had money, which his aunt had given him; and he was led by +them to hire a boat, and to go with them upon the water. +7. Little did James think of the danger into which he was +running. Soon the wind began to blow, and none of them +knew how to manage the boat. + +8. For some time, they struggled against the wind and the +tide. At last, they became so tired that they could row no +longer. +9. A large wave upset the boat, and they were all thrown +into the water. Think of James Brown, the truant, at this +time! +10. He was far from home, known by no one. His parents +were ignorant of his danger. + + THIRD READER. 29 +He was struggling in the water, on the point of being +drowned. +11. Some men, however, saw the boys, and went out to +them in a boat. They reached them just in time to save them +from a watery grave. +12. They were taken into a house, where their clothes +were dried. After a while, they were sent home to their +parents. +13. James was very sorry for his conduct, and he was +never known to be guilty of the same thing again. +14. He became regular at school, learned to attend to his +books, and, above all, to obey his parents perfectly. + +LESSON VIII. + + + +THE WHITE KITTEN. + +1. My little white kitten's asleep on my knee; +As white as the snow or the lilies is she; + She wakes up with a pur + When I stroke her soft fur: +Was there ever another white kitten like her? + + 30 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +2. My little white kitten now wants to go out +And frolic, with no one to watch her about; + "Little kitten," I say, + "Just an hour you may stay, +And be careful in choosing your places to play." + + + +3. But night has come down, when I hear a loud "mew;" +I open the door, and my kitten comes through; + My white kitten! ah me! + Can it really be she-- +This ill-looking, beggar-like cat that I see? + +4. What ugly, gray streaks on her side and her back! +Her nose, once as pink as a rosebud, is black! + Oh, I very well know, + Though she does not say so, +She has been where white kittens ought never to go. + + THIRD READER. 31 + +5. If little good children intend to do right, +If little white kittens would keep themselves white, + It is needful that they + Should this counsel obey, +And be careful in choosing their places to play. + +LESSON IX. + + +THE BEAVER. + +1. The beaver is found chiefly in North America. It is +about three and a half feet long, including the flat, paddle- +shaped tail, which is a foot in length. +2. The long, shining hair on the back is chestnut-colored, +while the fine, soft fur that lies next the skin, is grayish +brown. +3. Beavers build themselves most curious huts to live in, +and quite frequently a great number of these huts are placed +close together, like the buildings in a town. +4. They always build their huts on the banks of rivers or +lakes, for they swim much + + 32 ECLECTIC SERIES. +more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the +water. +5. When they build on the bank of a running stream, they +make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the +water at the height they wish. +6. These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and +the branches of trees. They are sometimes six or seven +hundred feet in length, and are so constructed that they look +more like the work of man than of little dumb beasts. +7. Their huts are made of the same material as the dams, +and are round in shape. The walls are very thick, and the +roofs are finished off with a thick layer of mud, sticks, and +leaves. +8. They commence building their houses late in the +summer, but do not get them finished before the early frosts. +The freezing makes them tighter and stronger. +9. They obtain the wood for their dams and huts by +gnawing through the branches of trees, and even through the +trunks of small ones, with their sharp front teeth. They peel +off the bark, and lay it up in store for winter food. + + THIRD READER. 33 +10. The fur of the beaver is highly prized. The men who +hunt these animals are called trappers. +11. A gentleman once saw five young beavers playing. +They would leap on the trunk of a tree that lay near a beaver +dam, and would push one another off into the water. + +12. He crept forward very cautiously, and was about to +fire on the little creatures; but their amusing tricks reminded +him so much of some little children he knew at home, that he +thought it would be inhuman to kill them. So he left them +without even disturbing their play. + +3,3 + + 34 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON X. + + + +THE YOUNG TEACHER. + +1. Charles Rose lived in the country with his father, who +taught him to read and to write. +2. Mr. Rose told his son that, when his morning lessons +were over, he might amuse himself for one hour as he +pleased. +3. There was a river near by. On its bank stood the hut of a +poor fisherman, who lived by selling fish. +4. His careful wife kept her wheel going early and late. +They both worked very hard to keep themselves above want. +5. But they were greatly troubled lest their only son +should never learn to read and to write. They could not teach +him themselves, and they were too poor to send him to +school. +6. Charles called at the hut of this fisherman one day, to +inquire about his dog, which was missing. + + THIRD READER. 35 +7. He found the little boy, whose name was Joe, sitting by +the table, on which he was making marks with a piece of +chalk. Charles asked him whether he was drawing pictures. + +8. "No, I am trying to write," said little Joe, "but I know +only two words. Those I saw upon a sign, and I am trying to +write them." +9. "If I could only learn to read and write," said he, "I +should be the happiest boy in the world." + + 36 ECLECTIC SERIES. +10. "Then I will make you happy," said Charles. "I am +only a little boy, but I can teach you that. +11. "My father gives me an hour every day for myself. +Now, if you will try to learn, you shall soon know how to +read and to write." +12. Both Joe and his mother were ready to fall on their +knees to thank Charles. They told him it was what they +wished above all things. +13. So, on the next day when the hour came, Charles put +his book in his pocket, and went to teach Joe. Joe learned +very fast, and Charles soon began to teach him how to write. +14. Some time after, a gentleman called on Mr. Rose, and +asked him if he knew where Charles was. Mr. Rose said that +he was taking a walk, he supposed. +15. "I am afraid," said the gentleman, "that he does not +always amuse himself thus. I often see him go to the house +of the fisherman. I fear he goes out in their boat." +16. Mr. Rose was much troubled. He had told Charles that +he must never venture on the river, and he thought he could +trust him. + + THIRD READER. 37 +17. The moment the gentleman left, Mr. Rose went in +search of his son. He went to the river, and walked up and +down, in hope of seeing the boat. +18. Not seeing it, he grew uneasy. He thought Charles +must have gone a long way off. Unwilling to leave without +learning something of him, he went to the hut. +19. He put his head in at the window, which was open. +There a pleasant sight met his eyes. +20. Charles was at the table, ruling a copybook Joe was +reading to him, while his mother was spinning in the corner. +21. Charles was a little confused. He feared his father +might not be pleased; but he had no need to be uneasy, for +his father was delighted. +22. The next day, his father took him to town, and gave +him books for himself and Joe, with writing paper, pens, and +ink. +23. Charles was the happiest boy in the world when he +came home. He ran to Joe, his hands filled with parcels, and +his heart beating with joy. + + 38 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XI. + + + +THE BLACKSMITH. + +1. Clink, clink, clinkerty clink! +We begin to hammer at morning's blink, +And hammer away +Till the busy day, +Like us, aweary, to rest shall sink. + +2. Clink, clink, clinkerty clink! +From labor and care we never will shrink; +But our fires we'll blow +Till our forges glow +With light intense, while our eyelids wink. + + THIRD READER. 39 + +3. Clink, clink, clinkerty clink; +The chain we'll forge with many a link. +We'll work each form +While the iron is warm, +With strokes as fast as we can think. + +4. Clink, clink, clinkerty clink! +Our faces may be as black as ink, +But our hearts are true +As man ever knew, +And kindly of all we shall ever think. + +LESSON XII. + + + +A WALK IN THE GARDEN. + +1. Frank was one day walking with his mother, when they +came to a pretty garden. Frank looked in, and saw that it had +clean gravel walks, and beds of beautiful flowers all in +bloom. +2. He called to his mother, and said, "Mother, come and +look at this pretty garden. I wish I might open the gate, and +walk in." + + 40 ECLECTIC SERIES. +3. The gardener, being near, heard what Frank said, and +kindly invited him and his mother to come into the garden. +4. Frank's mother thanked the man. Turning to her son, +she said, "Frank, if I take you to walk in this garden, you +must take care not to meddle with anything in it." + +5. Frank walked along the neat gravel paths, and looked at +everything, but touched nothing that he saw. +6. He did not tread on any of the borders, and was careful +that his clothes should not brush the tops of the flowers, lest +he might break them. + + THIRD READER. 41 +7. The gardener was much pleased with Frank, because he +was so careful not to do mischief. He showed him the seeds, +and told him the name of many of the flowers and plants. +8. While Frank was admiring the beauty of a flower, a boy +came to the gate, and finding it locked, he shook it hard. But +it would not open. Then he said, "Let me in; let me in; will +you not let me in this garden?" +9. "No, indeed," said the gardener, "I will not let you in, I +assure you; for when I let you in yesterday, you meddled +with my flowers, and pulled some of my rare fruit. I do not +choose to let a boy into my garden who meddles with the +plants." +10. The boy looked ashamed, and when he found that the +gardener would not let him in, he went slowly away. +11. Frank saw and felt how much happier a boy may be by +not meddling with what does not belong to him. +12. He and his mother then continued their walk in the +garden, and enjoyed the day very much. Before they left, the +gardener gave each of them some pretty flowers. + +42 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XIII. + + +THE WOLF. +1. A boy was once taking care of some sheep, not far from +a forest. Near by was a village, and he was told to call for +help if there was any danger. +2. One day, in order to have some fun, he cried out, with +all his might, "The wolf is coming! the wolf is coming!" +3. The men came running with clubs and axes to destroy +the wolf. As they saw nothing they went home again, and +left John laughing in his sleeve. +4. As he had had so much fun this time, John cried out +again, the next day, "The wolf! the wolf!" +5. The men came again, but not so many as the first time. +Again they saw no trace of the wolf; so they shook their +heads, and went back. +6. On the third day, the wolf came in earnest. John cried in +dismay, "Help! help! + + THIRD READER. 43 +the wolf! the wolf!" But not a single man came to help him. +7. The wolf broke into the flock, and killed + +a great many sheep. Among them was a beautiful lamb, +which belonged to John. +8. Then he felt very sorry that he had deceived his friends +and neighbors, and grieved over the loss of his pet lamb. + +The truth itself is not believed, +From one who often has deceived. + +44 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XIV. + + + + +THE LITTLE BIRD'S SONG. + +1. A little bird, with feathers brown, +Sat singing on a tree; +The song was very soft and low, +But sweet as it could be. + +2. The people who were passing by, +Looked up to see the bird + + THIRD READER. 45 + +That made the sweetest melody +That ever they had heard. +3. But all the bright eyes looked in vain; +Birdie was very small, +And with his modest, dark-brown coat, +He made no show at all. +4. "Why, father," little Gracie said +"Where can the birdie be? +If I could sing a song like that, +I'd sit where folks could see." +5. "I hope my little girl will learn +A lesson from the bird, +And try to do what good she can, +Not to be seen or heard. +6. "This birdie is content to sit +Unnoticed on the way, +And sweetly sing his Maker's praise +From dawn to close of day. +7. "So live, my child, all through your life, +That, be it short or long, +Though others may forget your looks, +They'll not forget your song." + +46 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XV. + + + + +HARRY AND ANNIE. +1. Harry and Annie lived a mile from town, but they went +there to school every day. It was a pleasant walk down the +lane, and through the meadow by the pond. +2. I hardly know whether they liked it better in summer or +in winter. They used to pretend that they were travelers +exploring a new country, and would scatter leaves on + + THIRD READER. 47 +the road that they might find their way back again. +3. When the ice was thick and firm, they went across the +pond. But their mother did not like to have them do this +unless some one was with them. +4. "Do n't go across the pond to-day, children," she said, +as she kissed them and bade them good-by one morning; "it +is beginning to thaw." +5. "All right, mother," said Harry, not very good- +naturedly, for he was very fond of running and sliding on the +ice. When they came to the pond, the ice looked hard and +safe. +6. "There," said he to his sister, "I knew it had n't thawed +any. Mother is always afraid we shall be drowned. Come +along, we will have a good time sliding. The school bell will +not ring for an hour at least." +7. "But you promised mother," said Annie. +8. "No, I did n't. I only said 'All right,' and it is all right." +9. "I did n't say anything; so I can do as I like," said +Annie. +10. So they stepped on the ice, and started to go across the +pond. They had not gone + + + 48 ECLECTIC SERIES. +far before the ice gave way, and they fell into the water. +11. A man who was at work near the shore, heard the +screams of the children, and plunged into the water to save +them. Harry managed to get to the shore without any help, +but poor Annie was nearly drowned before the man could +reach her. +12. Harry went home almost frozen, and told his mother +how disobedient he had been. He remembered the lesson +learned that day as long as he lived. + +LESSON XVI. + + +BIRD FRIENDS. +1. I once knew a man who was rich in his love for birds, +and in their love for him. He lived in the midst of a grove +full of all kinds of trees. He had no wife or children in his +home. +2. He was an old man with gray beard, blue and kind eyes, +and a voice that the + + THIRD READER. 49 +birds loved; and this was the way he made them his friends. +3. While he was at work with a rake on his nice walks in +the grove, the birds came + +close to him to pick up the worms in the fresh earth he dug +up. At first, they kept a rod or two from him, but they soon +found he was a kind man, and would not hurt them, but liked +to have them near him. +3. 4. + + 50 ECLECTIC SERIES. +4. They knew this by his kind eyes and voice, which tell +what is in the heart. So, day by day their faith in his love +grew in them. +5. They came close to the rake. They would hop on top of +it to be first at the worm. They would turn up their eyes into +his when he spoke to them, as if they said, "He is a kind +man; he loves us; we need not fear him." +6. All the birds of the grove were soon his fast friends. +They were on the watch for him, and would fly down from +the green tree tops to greet him with their chirp. +7. When he had no work on the walks to do with his rake +or his hoe, he took crusts of bread with him, and dropped the +crumbs on the ground. Down they would dart on his head +and feet to catch them as they fell from his hand. +8 He showed me how they loved him. He put a crust of +bread in his mouth, with one end of it out of his lips. Down +they came like bees at a flower, and flew off with it crumb +by crumb. +9. When they thought he slept too long in the morning, +they would fly in and sit + + THIRD READER. 51 +on the bedpost, and call him up with their chirp. +10. They went with him to church, and while he said his +prayers and sang his hymns in it, they sat in the trees, and +sang their praises to the same good God who cares for them +as he does for us. +11. Thus the love and trust of birds were a joy to him all +his life long; and such love and trust no boy or girl can fail to +win with the same kind heart, voice, and eye that he had. + +Adapted from Elihu Burritt. + + + +LESSON XVII. + +WHAT THE MINUTES SAY. + +1. We are but minutes--little things! +Each one furnished with sixty wings, +With which we fly on our unseen track, +And not a minute ever comes back. + +2. We are but minutes; use us well, +For how we are used we must one day tell. +Who uses minutes, has hours to use; +Who loses minutes, whole years must lose. + + 52 ECLECTIC SERIES + +LESSON XVIII. + + + + +THE WIDOW AND THE MERCHANT. +1. A merchant, who was very fond of music, was asked by +a poor widow to give her some assistance. Her husband, who +was a musician, had died, and left her very poor indeed. +2. The merchant saw that the widow and her daughter, +who was with her, were in great + + THIRD READER. 53 +distress. He looked with pity into their pale faces, and was +convinced by their conduct that their sad story was true. +3. "How much do you want, my good woman?" said the +merchant. +4. "Five dollars will save us," said the poor widow, with +some hesitation. +5. The merchant sat down at his desk, took a piece of +paper, wrote a few lines on it, and gave it to the widow with +the words, "Take it to the bank you see on the other side of +the street." +6. The grateful widow and her daughter, without stopping +to read the note, hastened to the bank. The banker at once +counted out fifty dollars instead of five, and passed them to +the widow. +7. She was amazed when she saw so much money. "Sir, +there is a mistake here," she said. "You have given me fifty +dollars, and I asked for only five." +8. The banker looked at the note once more, and said, +"The check calls for fifty dollars." +9. "It is a mistake--indeed it is," said the widow. +10. The banker then asked her to wait + + 54 ECLECTIC SERIES. +a few minutes, while he went to see the merchant who gave +her the note. +11. "Yes." said the merchant, when he had heard the +banker's story, "I did make a mistake. I wrote fifty instead of +five hundred. Give the poor widow five hundred dollars, for +such honesty is poorly rewarded with even that sum." +LESSON XIX. + +THE BIRDS SET FREE. +1. A man was walking one day through a large city. On a +street corner he saw a boy with a number of small birds for +sale, in a cage. +2. He looked with sadness upon the little prisoners flying +about the cage, peeping through the wires, beating them with +their wings, and trying to get out. +3. He stood for some time looking at the birds. At last he +said to the boy, "How much do you ask for your birds?" + + THIRD READER. 55 +4. "Fifty cents apiece, sir," said the boy. "I do not mean +how much apiece," said the man, "but how much for all of +them? I want to buy them all." +5. The boy began to count, and found they came to five +dollars. "There is your money," + +said the man. The boy took it, well pleased with his +morning's trade. +6. No sooner was the bargain settled than the man opened +the cage door, and let all the birds fly away. +7. The boy, in great surprise, cried, "What did you do that +for, sir? You have lost all your birds." + + 56 ECLECTIC SERIES. +8. "I will tell you why I did it," said the man. "I was shut +up three years in a French prison, as a prisoner of war, and I +am resolved never to see anything in prison which I can +make free." +LESSON XX. + + +A MOMENT TOO LATE. + +1. A moment too late, my beautiful bird, +A moment too late are you now; +The wind has your soft, downy nest disturbed-- +The nest that you hung on the bough. + +2. A moment too late; that string in your bill, +Would have fastened it firmly and strong; +But see, there it goes, rolling over the hill! +Oh, you staid a moment too long. + +3. A moment, one moment too late, busy bee; +The honey has dropped from the flower: +No use to creep under the petals and see; +It stood ready to drop for an hour. + +4. A moment too late; had you sped on your wing, +The honey would not have been gone; + + THIRD READER. 57 + +Now you see what a very, a very sad thing + 'T is to stay a moment too long. + +5. Little girl, never be a moment too late, +It will soon end in trouble or crime; +Better be an hour early, and stand and wait, +Than a moment behind the time. + +6. If the bird and the bee, little boy, were too late, +Remember, as you play along +On your way to school, with pencil and slate, +Never stay a moment too long. + +LESSON XXI. + + +HUMMING BIRDS. +1. The most beautiful humming birds are found in the +West Indies and South America. The crest of the tiny head of +one of these shines like a sparkling crown of colored light. +2. The shades of color that adorn its breast, are equally +brilliant. As the bird + + 58 ECLECTIC SERIES. +flits from one object to another, it looks more like a bright +flash of sunlight than it does like a living being. +3. But, you ask, why are they called humming birds? It is +because they make a soft, humming noise by the rapid +motion of their wings--a motion so rapid, that as they fly you +can only see that they have wings. +4. One day when walking in the woods, I found the nest of +one of the smallest humming birds. It was about half the size +of a very small hen's egg, and + + THIRD READER. 59 +was attached to a twig no thicker than a steel knitting needle. +5. It seemed to have been made of cotton fibers, and was +covered with the softest bits of leaf and bark. It had two eggs +in it, quite white, and each about as large as a small +sugarplum. +6. When you approach the spot where one of these birds +has built its nest, it is necessary to be careful. The mother +bird will dart at you and try to peck your eyes. Its sharp beak +may hurt your eyes most severely, and even destroy the +sight. +7. The poor little thing knows no other way of defending +its young, and instinct teaches it that you might carry off its +nest if you could find it. + +LESSON XXII. + + + +THE WIND AND THE SUN. +A FABLE. +1. A dispute once arose between the Wind and the Sun, as +to which was the stronger. + + 60 ECLECTIC SERIES. +2. To decide the matter, they agreed to try their power on +a traveler. That party which should first strip him of his +cloak, was to win the day. +3. The Wind began. He blew a cutting blast, which tore up +the mountain oaks by their roots, and made the whole forest +look like a wreck. +4. But the traveler, though at first he could scarcely keep +his cloak on his back, ran under a hill for shelter, and +buckled his mantle about him more closely. +5. The Wind having thus tried his utmost power in vain, +the Sun began. +6. Bursting through a thick cloud, he darted his sultry +beams so forcibly upon the traveler's head, that the poor +fellow was almost melted. +7. "This," said he, "is past all bearing. It is so hot, that one +might as well be in an oven." +8. So he quickly threw off his cloak, and went into the +shade of a tree to cool himself. +9. This fable teaches us, that gentle means will often +succeed where forcible ones will fail. + + THIRD READER. 61 + +LESSON XXIII. + + + + +SUNSET. + + + + 62 ECLECTIC SERIES, + + + +LESSON XXIV. + + + +BEAUTIFUL HANDS. +1. "O Miss Roberts! what coarse-looking hands Mary +Jessup has!" said Daisy Marvin, as she walked home from +school with her teacher. + + THIRD READER. 63 +2. "In my opinion, Daisy, Mary's hands are the prettiest in +he class." +3. "Why, Miss Roberts, they are as red and hard as they +can be. How they would look if she were to try to play on a +piano!" exclaimed Daisy. +4. Miss Roberts took Daisy's hands in hers, and said, +"Your hands are very soft and white, Daisy--just the hands to +look beautiful on a piano; yet they lack one beauty that +Mary's hands have. Shall I tell you what the difference is?" +5. "Yes, please, Miss Roberts." +6. "Well, Daisy, Mary's hands are always busy. They wash +dishes; they make fires; they hang out clothes, and help to +wash them, too; they sweep, and dust, and sew; they are +always trying to help her poor, hard-working mother. +7. "Besides, they wash and dress the children; they mend +their toys and dress their dolls; yet, they find time to bathe +the head of the little girl who is so sick in the next house to +theirs. +8. "They are full of good deeds to every living thing. I +have seen them patting the tired horse and the lame dog in +the street. + + 64 ECLECTIC SERIES, + + +They are always ready to help those who need help." +9. "I shall never think Mary's hands are ugly any more, +Miss Roberts." +10. "I am glad to hear you say that, Daisy; and I must tell +you that they are beautiful because they do their work gladly +and cheerfully." +11. "O Miss Roberts! I feel so ashamed of myself, and so +sorry," said Daisy, looking into her teacher's face with +tearful eyes. + + THIRD READER. 65 +12. "Then, my dear, show your sorrow by deeds of +kindness. The good alone are really beautiful." + +LESSON XXV. + +THINGS TO REMEMBER. +1. When you rise in the morning, remember who kept you +from danger during the night. Remember who watched over +you while you slept, and whose sun shines around you, and +gives you the sweet light of day. +2. Let God have the thanks of your heart, for his kindness +and his care; and pray for his protection during the wakeful +hours of day. +3. Remember that God made all creatures to be happy, and +will do nothing that may prevent their being so, without +good reason for it. +4. When you are at the table, do not eat in a greedy +manner, like a pig. Eat quietly, +3,5 + +66 ECLECTIC SERIES. +and do not reach forth your hand for the food, but ask some +one to help you. +5. Do not become peevish and pout, because you do not +get a part of everything. Be satisfied with what is given you. +6. Avoid a pouting face, angry looks, and angry words. Do +not slam the doors. Go quietly up and down stairs; and never +make a loud noise about the house. +7. Be kind and gentle in your manners; not like the +howling winter storm, but like the bright summer morning. +8. Do always as your parents bid you. Obey them with a +ready mind, and with a pleasant face. +9. Never do anything that you would be afraid or ashamed +that your parents should know. Remember, if no one else +sees you, God does, from whom you can not hide even your +most secret thought. +10. At night, before you go to sleep, think whether you +have done anything that was wrong during the day, and pray +to God to forgive you. If anyone has done you wrong, +forgive him in your heart. +11. If you have not learned something useful, or been in +some way useful, during + + THIRD READER. 67 +the past day, think that it is a day lost, and be very sorry for +it. +12. Trust in the Lord, and He will guide you in the way of +good men. The path of the just is as the shining light that +shineth more and more unto the perfect day. +13. We must do all the good we can to all men, for this is +well pleasing in the sight of God. He delights to see his +children walk in love, and do good one to another. + +LESSON XXVI. + +THREE LITTLE MICE. +1. I will tell you the story of three little mice, +If you will keep still and listen to me, +Who live in a cage that is cozy and nice, +And are just as cunning as cunning can be. +They look very wise, with their pretty red eyes, +That seem just exactly like little round beads; +They are white as the snow, and stand up in a row +Whenever we do not attend to their needs;-- + + 68 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +2. Stand up in a row in a comical way,-- +Now folding their forepaws as if saying, "please;" +Now rattling the lattice, as much as to say, +"We shall not stay here without more bread and +cheese," +They are not at all shy, as you'll find, if you try +To make them run up in their chamber to bed; +If they do n't want to go, why, they won't go--ah! no, +Though you tap with your finger each queer little +head. +3. One day as I stood by the side of the cage, +Through the bars there protruded a funny, round tail; + + THIRD READER. 69 + +Just for mischief I caught it, and soon; in a rage, +Its owner set up a most pitiful wail. +He looked in dismay,--there was something to pay,-- +But what was the matter he could not make out; +What was holding him so, when he wanted to go +To see what his brothers upstairs were about? + +4. But soon from the chamber the others rushed down, +Impatient to learn what the trouble might be; +I have not a doubt that each brow wore a frown, +Only frowns on their brows are not easy to see. +For a moment they gazed, perplexed and amazed; +Then began both together to--gnaw off the tail! +So, quick I released him,--do you think that it pleased +him? +And up the small staircase they fled like a gale. +Julia C. R. Dorr. +LESSON XXVII. + +THE NEW YEAR. +1. One pleasant New-year morning, Edward rose, and +washed and dressed himself + + 70 ECLECTIC SERIES. +in haste. He wanted to be first to wish a happy New Year. +2. He looked in every room, and shouted the words of +welcome. He ran into the + +street, to repeat them to those he might meet. +3. When he came back, his father gave him two bright, +new silver dollars. +4. His face lighted up as he took them. He had wished for +a long time to buy some pretty books that he had seen at the +bookstore. + + THIRD READER. 71 +5. He left the house with a light heart, intending to buy the +books. +6. As he ran down the street, he saw a poor German +family, the father, mother, and three children shivering with +cold. +7. "I wish you a happy New Year," said Edward, as he +was gayly passing on. The man shook his head. +8. "You do not belong to this country," said Edward. The +man again shook his head, for he could not understand or +speak our language. +9. But he pointed to his mouth, and to the children, as if to +say, "These little ones have had nothing to eat for a long +time." +10. Edward quickly understood that these poor people +were in distress. He took out his dollars, and gave one to the +man, and the other to his wife. +11. How their eyes sparkled with gratitude! They said +something in their language, which doubtless meant, "We +thank you a thousand times, and will remember you in our +prayers." +12. When Edward came home, his father asked what +books he had bought. He hung his head a moment, but +quickly looked up. + + 72 ECLECTIC SERIES. +13. "I have bought no books," said he, "I gave my money +to some poor people, who seemed to be very hungry and +wretched. +14. "I think I can wait for my books till next New Year. +Oh, if you had seen how glad they were to receive the +money!" +15. "My dear boy;" said his father, "here is a whole bundle +of books. I give them to you, more as a reward for your +goodness of heart than as a New-year gift. +16. "I saw you give the money to the poor German family. +It was no small sum for a little boy to give cheerfully. +17. "Be thus ever ready to help the poor, and wretched, +and distressed; and every year of your life will be to you a +happy New Year." +LESSON XXVIII. + + +THE CLOCK AND THE SUNDIAL. +A FABLE. +1. One gloomy day, the clock on a church steeple, looking +down on a sundial, said, + + THIRD READER. 73 +"How stupid it is in you to stand there all the while like a +stock! +2. "You never tell the hour till a bright sun looks forth +from the sky, and gives you leave. I go merrily round, day +and night, in summer and winter the same, without asking +his leave. +3. "I tell the people the time to rise, to go to dinner, and to +come to church. + + + 74 ECLECTIC SERIES. +4. "Hark! I am going to strike now; one, two, three, four. +There it is for you. How silly you look! You can say +nothing." +5. The sun, at that moment, broke forth from behind a +cloud, and showed, by the sundial, that the clock was half an +hour behind the right time. +6. The boasting clock now held his tongue, and the dial +only smiled at his folly. +7. MORAL.--Humble modesty is more often right than a +proud and boasting spirit. + +LESSON XXIX. + + +REMEMBER. +1. Remember, child, remember, +That God is in the sky; +That He looks down on all we do, +With an ever-wakeful eye. + +2. Remember, oh remember, +That, all the day and night, +He sees our thoughts and actions +With an ever-watchful sight. + + THIRD READER. 75 + +3. Remember, child, remember, +That God is good and true; +That He wishes us to always be +Like Him in all we do. + +4. Remember that He ever hates +A falsehood or a lie; +Remember He will punish, too, +The wicked, by and by. + +5. Remember, oh remember, +That He is like a friend, +And wishes us to holy be, +And happy, in the end. + +6. Remember, child, remember, +To pray to Him in heaven; +And if you have been doing wrong, +Oh, ask to be forgiven. + +7. Be sorry, in your little prayer, +And whisper in his ear; +Ask his forgiveness and his love. +And He will surely hear. + +8. Remember, child, remember, +That you love, with all your might, + + 76 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +The God who watches o'er us, +And gives us each delight; +Who guards us ever through the day, +And saves us in the night. + +LESSON XXX.. + + + +COURAGE AND COWARDICE. +1. Robert and Henry were going home from school, when, +on turning a corner, Robert cried out, "A fight! let us go and +see!" + + ECLECTIC READER. 77 +2. "No," said Henry; "let us go quietly home and not +meddle with this quarrel. We have nothing to do with it, and +may get into mischief." +3. "You are a coward, and afraid to go," said Robert, and +off he ran. Henry went straight home, and in the afternoon +went to school, as usual. +4. But Robert had told all the boys that Henry was a +coward, and they laughed at him a great deal. +5. Henry had learned, however, that true courage is shown +most in bearing reproach when not deserved, and that he +ought to be afraid of nothing but doing wrong. +6. A few days after, Robert was bathing with some +schoolmates, and got out of his depth. He struggled, and +screamed for help, but all in vain. +7. The boys who had called Henry a coward, got out of the +water as fast as they could, but they did not even try to help +him. +8. Robert was fast sinking, when Henry threw off his +clothes, and sprang into the water. He reached Robert just as +he was sinking the last time. + + 78 ECLECTIC SERIES. +9. By great effort, and with much danger to himself, he +brought Robert to thc shore, and thus saved his life. +10. Robert and his schoolmates were ashamed at having +called Henry a coward. They owned that he had more +courage than any of them. +11. Never be afraid to do good, but always fear to do evil. + +LESSON XXXI. + + + +WEIGHING AN ELEPHANT. +1. "An eastern king," said Teddy's mother, "had been +saved from some great danger. To show his gratitude for +deliverance, he vowed he would give to the poor the weight +of his favorite elephant in silver." +2. "Oh! what a great quantity that would be," cried Lily, +opening her eyes very wide. +"But how could you weigh an elephant?" + + THIRD READER. 79 +asked Teddy, who was a quiet, thoughtful boy +3. "There was the difficulty," said his mother. "The wise +and learned men of the court stroked their long beards, and +talked the matter over, but no one found out how to weigh +the elephant. +4. "At last, a poor old sailor found safe and simple means +by which to weigh the enormous beast. The thousands and +thousands of pieces of silver were counted out to the people; +and crowds of the poor were relieved by the clever thought +of the sailor." +5. "O mamma," said Lily, "do tell us what it was!" +6. "Stop, stop!" said Teddy. "I want to think for myself-- +think hard--and find out how an elephant's weight could be +known, with little trouble and expense." +7. "I am well pleased," said his mother, "that my little boy +should set his mind to work on the subject. If he can find out +the sailor's secret before night, he shall have that orange for +his pains." +8. The boy thought hard and long. Lily laughed at her +brother's grave looks, as he sat leaning his head on his hands. +Often + + 80 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + + +she teased him with the question, "Can you weigh an +elephant, Teddy?" +9. At last, while eating his supper, Teddy suddenly cried +out, "I have it now!" +10. "Do you think so?" asked his mother. +11. "How would you do it," asked Lily. + + THIRD READER. 81 +12. "First, I would have a big boat brought very close to +the shore, and would have planks laid across, so that the +elephant could walk right into it." +13. "Oh, such a great, heavy beast would make it sink low +in the water," said Lily. +14. "Of course it would," said her brother. Then I would +mark on the outside of the boat the exact height to which the +water had risen all around it while the elephant was inside. +Then he should march on shore, leaving the boat quite +empty." +15. "But I do n't see the use of all this," said Lily. +16. "Do n't you?" cried Teddy, in surprise. "Why, I should +then bring the heaps of silver, and throw them into the boat +till their weight would sink it to the mark made by the +elephant. That would show that the weight of each was the +same." +17. "How funny!" cried Lily; "you would make a +weighing machine of the boat?" +18. "That is my plan," said Teddy. +19. "That was the sailor's plan," said his mother. "You +have earned the orange, my boy;" and she gave it to him with +a smile. +Adapted from A. L. O. E. +3,6. + + 82 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XXXII. + + +THE SOLDIER. + +1. A soldier! a soldier! I'm longing to he: +The name and the life of a soldier for me! +I would not be living at ease and at play; +True honor and glory I'd win in my day. + +2. A soldier! a soldier! in armor arrayed; +My weapons in hand, of no contest afraid; +I'd ever be ready to strike the first blow, +And to fight my way through the ranks of the foe. + +3. But then, let me tell you, no blood would I shed, +No victory seek o'er the dying and dead; +A far braver soldier than this would I be; +A warrior of Truth, in the ranks of the free. + +4. A soldier! a soldier! Oh, then, let me be! +My friends, I invite you, enlist now with me. +Truth's bands shall be mustered, love's foes shall +give way! +Let's up, and be clad in our battle array! +J. G. Adams. + + THIRD READER. 83 + +LESSON XXXIII. + + + +THE ECHO. +1. As Robert was one day rambling about, he happened to +cry out, "Ho, ho!" He instantly heard coming back from a +hill near by, the same words, "Ho, ho!" +2. In great surprise, he said with a loud voice, "Who are +you?" Upon this, the same words came back, "Who are +you?" +3. Robert now cried out harshly, "You must be a very +foolish fellow." "Foolish fellow!" came back from the hill. +4. Robert became angry, and with loud and fierce words +went toward the spot whence the sounds came. The words all +came back to him in the same angry tone. +5. He then went into the thicket, and looked for the boy +who, as he thought, was mocking him; but he could find +nobody anywhere. +6. When he went home, he told his mothe + +84 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + + +that some boy had hid himself in the wood, for the purpose +of mocking him. +7. "Robert," said his mother, "you are angry with yourself +alone. You heard nothing but your own words." +8. "Why, mother, how can that be?" said Robert. "Did you +never hear an echo?" asked his mother. "An echo, dear +mother? No, ma'am. What is it?" +9. "I will tell you," said his mother. "You know, when you +play with your ball, + + THIRD READER. 85 +and throw it against the side of a house, it bounds back to +you." "Yes, mother," said he, "and I catch it again." +10. "Well," said his mother, "if I were in the open air, by +the side of a hill or a large barn, and should speak very loud, +my voice would be sent back, so that I could hear again the +very words which I spoke. +11. "That, my son, is an echo. When you thought some +one was mocking you, it was only the hill before you, +echoing, or sending back, your own voice. +12. "The bad boy, as you thought it was, spoke no more +angrily than yourself. If you had spoken kindly, you would +have heard a kind reply. +13. "Had you spoken in a low, sweet, gentle tone, the +voice that came back would have been as low, sweet, and +gentle as your own. +14. "The Bible says, 'A soft answer turneth away wrath.' +Remember this when you are at play with your school mates. +15. "If any of them should be offended, and speak in a +loud, angry tone, remember the echo, and let your words be +soft and kind." + +86 ECLECTIC SERIES. +16. "When you come home from school, and find your +little brother cross and peevish, speak mildly to him. You +will soon see a smile on his lips, and find that his tones will +become mild and sweet. +17. "Whether you are in the fields or in the woods, at +school or at play, at home or abroad, remember, +The good and the kind, +By kindness their love ever proving, +Will dwell with the pure and the loving." + +LESSON XXXIV. + +GEORGE'S FEAST. +1. George's mother was very poor. Instead of having +bright, blazing fires in winter, she had nothing to burn but +dry sticks, which George picked up from under the trees and +hedges. +2. One fine day in July, she sent George to the woods, +which were about two miles from the village in which she +lived. He + + THIRD READER. 87 +was to stay there all day, to get as much wood as he could +collect. +3. It was a bright, sunny day, and George worked very +hard; so that by the time the + +sun was high, he was hot, and wished for a cool place where +he might rest and eat his dinner. +4. While he hunted about the bank he saw among the moss +some fine, wild strawberries, which were a bright scarlet +with ripeness. + + 88 ECLECTIC SERIES. +5. "How good these will be with my bread and butter!" +thought George; and lining his little cap with leaves, he set +to work eagerly to gather all he could find, and then seated +himself by the brook. +6. It was a pleasant place, and George felt happy and +contented. He thought how much his mother would like to +see him there, and to be there herself, instead of in her dark, +close room in the village. +7. George thought of all this, and just as he was lifting the +first strawberry to his mouth, he said to himself, "How much +mother would like these;" and he stopped, and put the +strawberry back again. +8. "Shall I save them for her?" said he, thinking how much +they would refresh her, yet still looking at them with a +longing eye. +9. "I will eat half, and take the other half to her," said he at +last; and he divided them into two heaps. But each heap +looked so small, that he put them together again. +10. "I will only taste one," thought he; but, as he again +lifted it to his mouth, he saw that he had taken the finest, and +he put it back. "I will keep them all for her," + + THIRD READER. 89 +said he, and he covered them up nicely, till he should go +home. +11. When the sun was beginning to sink, George set out +for home. How happy he felt, then, that he had all his +strawberries for his sick mother. The nearer he came to his +home, the less he wished to taste them. +12. Just as he had thrown down his wood, he heard his +mother's faint voice calling him from the next room. "Is that +you, George? I am glad you have come, for I am thirsty, and +am longing for some tea." +13. George ran in to her, and joyfully offered his wild +strawberries. "And you saved them for your sick mother, did +you?" said she, laying her hand fondly on his head, while the +tears stood in her eyes. "God will bless you for all this, my +child." +14. Could the eating of the strawberries have given +George half the happiness he felt at this moment? + + + + 90 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XXXV. + + + +THE LORD'S PRAYER. + +1. Our Father in heaven, +We hallow thy name; +May thy kingdom holy +On earth be the same; +Oh, give to us daily +Our portion of bread; +It is from thy bounty, +That all must be fed. + +2. Forgive our transgressions. +And teach us to know +The humble compassion +That pardons each foe; +Keep us from temptation, +From weakness and sin, +And thine be the glory +Forever! Amen! + + THIRD READER. 91 +AN EVENING PRAYER. + + + + +92 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + + + +LESSON XXXVI. + + + + + +FINDING THE OWNER. +1. "It's mine," said Fred, showing a white handled +pocketknife, with every blade perfect and shining. "Just what +I've always + + THIRD READER. 93 +wanted." And he turned the prize over and over with evident +satisfaction. +2. "I guess I know who owns it," said Tom, looking at it +with a critical eye. + +3. "I guess you do n't," was the quick response. "It is n't +Mr. Raymond's," said Fred, shooting wide of the mark. +4. "I know that; Mr. Raymond's is twice as large," +observed Tom, going on with his drawing lesson. +5. Do you suppose Fred took any comfort in that knife? +Not a bit of comfort did he take. He was conscious all the +time of having something in his possession that did + + 94 ECLECTIC SERIES. +not belong to him; and Tom's suspicion interfered sadly with +his enjoyment. +6. Finally, it became such a torment to him, that he had +serious thoughts of burning it, or burying it, or giving it +away; but a better plan suggested itself. +7. "Tom," said he, one day at recess, "did n't you say you +thought you knew who owned that knife I found?" +8. "Yes, I did; it looked like Doctor Perry's." And Tom ran +off to his play, without giving the knife another thought. +9. Dr. Perry's! Why, Fred would have time to go to the +doctor's office before recess closed: so he started in haste, +and found the old gentleman getting ready to visit a patient. +"Is this yours?" cried Fred, in breathless haste, holding up +the cause of a week's anxiety. +10. "It was," said the doctor; "but I lost it the other day." +11. "I found it," said Fred, "and have felt like a thief ever +since. Here, take it; I've got to run." +12. "Hold on!" said the doctor. "I've got a new one, and +you are quite welcome to this." + + THIRD READER. 95 +13. "Am I? May I? Oh! thank you!" And with what a +different feeling he kept it from that which he had +experienced for a week! + +LESSON XXXVII. + +BATS. +1. Bats are very strange little animals, having hair like +mice, and wings like birds. During the day, they live in +crevices of rocks, in caves, and in other dark places. +2. At night, they go forth in search of food; and, no doubt, +you have seen them flying + +96 ECLECTIC SERIES. +about, catching such insects as happen to be out rather late at +night. +3. The wings of a bat have no quills. They are only thin +pieces of skin stretched upon a framework of bones. Besides +this, it may be said that while he is a quadruped, he can rise +into the air and fly from place to place like a bird. +4. There is a funny fable about the bat, founded upon this +double character of beast and bird, which I will tell you. +5. An owl was once prowling about, when he came across +a bat. So he caught him in his claws, and was about to +devour him. Upon this, the bat began to squeal terribly; and +he said to the owl, "Pray, what do you take me for, that you +use me thus?" +6. "Why, you are a bird, to be sure," said the owl, "and I +am fond of birds. I love dearly to break their little bones." +7. "Well," said the bat, "I thought there was some mistake. +I am no bird. Do n't you see, Mr. Owl, that I have no +feathers, and that I am covered with hair like a mouse?" +8. "Sure enough," said the owl, in great surprise; "I see it +now. Really, I took you + + THIRD READER. 97 +for a bird, but it appears you are only a kind of mouse. I ate a +mouse last night, and it gave me the nightmare. I can't bear +mice! Bah! it makes me sick to think of it." So the owl let the +bat go. + +9. The very next night, the bat encountered another +danger. He was snapped up by puss, who took him for a +mouse, and immediately prepared to eat him. +10. "I beg you to stop one moment," said the bat. "Pray, +Miss Puss, what do you suppose I am?" "A mouse, to be +sure!" said the cat. "Not at all," said the bat, spreading his +long wings. +11. "Sure enough," said the cat: "you seem to be a bird, +though your feathers are +3,7. + + 98 ECLECTIC SERIES. +not very fine. I eat birds sometimes, but I am tired of them +just now, having lately devoured four young robins; so you +may go. But, bird or mouse, it will be your best policy to +keep out of my way hereafter." +12. The meaning of this fable is, that a person playing a +double part may sometimes escape danger; but he is always, +like the bat, a creature that is disgusting to everybody, and +shunned by all. +S. G. Goodrich--Adapted. + +LESSON XXXVIII. + + + +A SUMMER DAY. + +1. This is the way the morning dawns: +Rosy tints on flowers and trees, +Winds that wake the birds and bees, +Dewdrops on the fields and lawns-- +This is the way the morning dawns. + +2. This is the way the sun comes up: +Gold on brook and glossy leaves, + + THIRD READER. 99 + +Mist that melts above the sheaves, +Vine, and rose, and buttercup-- +This is the way the sun comes up. + + 0 + +3. This is the way the river flows: +Here a whirl, and there a dance; +Slowly now, then, like a lance, +Swiftly to the sea it goes-- +This is the way the river flows. + + 100 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +4. This is the way the rain comes down: +Tinkle, tinkle, drop by drop, +Over roof and chimney top; +Boughs that bend, and skies that frown-- +This is the way the rain comes down. + +5. This is the way the birdie sings: +"Baby birdies in the nest, +You I surely love the best; +Over you I fold my wings"-- +This is the way the birdie sings. + +6. This is the way the daylight dies: +Cows are lowing in the lane, +Fireflies wink on hill and plain; +Yellow, red, and purple skies-- +This is the way the daylight dies. +George Cooper. + + + + THIRD READER. 101 + +LESSON XXXIX. + + + + +I WILL THINK OF IT. +1. "I will think of it." It is easy to say this; but do you +know what great things have come from thinking? +2. We can not see our thoughts, or hear, or taste, or feel +them; and yet what mighty power they have! +3. Sir Isaac Newton was seated in his garden on a +summer's evening, when he saw an apple fall from a tree. He +began to think, and, in trying to find out why the apple fell, +discovered how the earth, sun, moon, and stars are kept in +their places. +4. A boy named James Watt sat quietly by the fireside, +watching the lid of the tea kettle as it moved up and down. +He began to think; he wanted to find out why the steam in +the kettle moved the heavy lid. + + 102 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +5. From that time he went on thinking and thinking; and +when he became a man, he improved the steam engine so +much that it could, with the greatest ease, do the work of +many horses. +6. When you see a steamboat, a steam mill, or a +locomotive, remember that it would never have been built if +it had not been for the hard thinking of some one. +7. A man named Galileo was once standing in the +cathedral of Pisa, when he saw a chandelier swaying to and +fro. + + THIRD READER. 103 +8. This set him thinking, and it led to the invention of the +pendulum. +9. James Ferguson was a poor Scotch shepherd boy. Once, +seeing the inside of a watch, he was filled with wonder. +"Why should I not make a watch?" thought he. +10. But how was he to get the materials out of which to +make the wheels and the mainspring? He soon found how to +get them: he made the mainspring out of a piece of +whalebone. He then made a wooden clock which kept good +time. +11. He began, also, to copy pictures with a pen, and +portraits with oil colors. In a few years, while still a small +boy, he earned money enough to support his father. +12. When he became a man, he went to London to live. +Some of the wisest men in England, and the king himself, +used to attend his lectures. His motto was, "I will think of it;" +and he made his thoughts useful to himself and the world. +13. Boys, when you have a difficult lesson to learn, do n't +feel discouraged, and ask some one to help you before +helping yourselves. Think, and by thinking you will learn +how to think to some purpose. + + 104 ECLECTIC SERIES. +LESSON XL. +CHARLIE AND ROB. +1. "Do n't you hate splitting wood?" asked Charlie, as he +sat down on a log to hinder Rob for a while. +2. "No, I rather like it. When I get hold of a tough old +fellow, I say, 'See here, now, you think you're the stronger, +and are going to beat me; so I'll split you up into kindling +wood." +3. "Pshaw!" said Charlie, laughing; "and it's only a stick +of wood." +4. "Yes; but you see I pretend it's a lesson, or a tough job +of any kind, and it's nice to conquer it." +5. "I do n't want to conquer such things; I do n't care what +becomes of them. I wish I were a man, and a rich one." +6. "Well, Charlie, if you live long enough you'll be a man, +without wishing for it; and as for the rich part, I mean to be +that myself." +7. "You do. How do you expect to get your money? By +sawing wood?" +8. "May be--some of it; that's as good a + + THIRD READER. 105 + + + +way as any, so long as it lasts. I do n't care how I get rich, +you know, so that it's in an honest and useful way." +9. "I'd like to sleep over the next ten years, and wake up to +find myself a young man with a splendid education and +plenty of money." + + 106 ECLECTIC SERIES. +10. "Humph! I am not sleepy--a night at a time is enough +for me. I mean to work the next ten years. You see there are +things that you've got to work out--you can't sleep them out." +11. "I hate work," said Charlie, "that is, such work as +sawing and splitting wood, and doing chores. I'd like to do +some big work, like being a clerk in a bank or something of +that sort." +12. "Wood has to be sawed and split before it can be +burned," said Rob. "I do n't know but I'll be a clerk in a bank +some time; I'm working towards it. I'm keeping father's +accounts for him." +13. How Charlie laughed! "I should think that was a long +way from being a bank clerk. I suppose your father sells two +tables and six chairs, some days, does n't he?" +14. "Sometimes more than that, and sometimes not so +much," said Rob, in perfect good humor. +15. "I did n't say I was a bank clerk now. I said I was +working towards it. Am I not nearer it by keeping a little bit +of a book than I should be if I did n't keep any book at all?" + + THIRD READER. 107 +16. "Not a whit--such things happen," said Charlie, as he +started to go. +17. Now, which of these boys, do you think, grew up to be +a rich and useful man, and which of them joined a party of +tramps before he was thirty years old? + + + +LESSON XLI. + +RAY AND HIS KITE. +1. Ray was thought to be an odd boy. You will think him +so, too, when you have read this story. +2. Ray liked well enough to play with the boys at school; +yet he liked better to be alone under the shade of some tree, +reading a fairy tale or dreaming daydreams. But there was +one sport that he liked as well as his companions; that was +kiteflying. +3. One day when he was flying his kite, he said to himself, +"I wonder if anybody ever tried to fly a kite at night. It seems + + 108 ECLECTIC SERIES. +to me it would be nice. But then, if it were very dark, the kite +could not be seen. What if I should fasten a light to it, +though? That would make it show. I'll try it this very night." +4. As soon as it was dark, without saying a word to +anybody, he took his kite and lantern, and went to a large, +open lot, about a quarter of a mile from his home. "Well," +thought he, "this is queer. How lonely and still it seems +without any other boys around! But I am going to fly my +kite, anyway." +5. So he tied the lantern, which was made of tin punched +full of small holes, to the tail of his kite. Then he pitched the +kite, and, + + + THIRD READER. 109 +after several attempts, succeeded in making it rise. Up it +went, higher and higher, as Ray let out the string. When the +string was all unwound, he tied it to a fence; and then he +stood and gazed at his kite as it floated high up in the air. +6. While Ray was enjoying his sport, some people who +were out on the street in the village, saw a strange light in +the sky. They gathered in groups to watch it. Now it was still +for a few seconds, then it seemed to be jumping up and +down; then it made long sweeps back and forth through the +air. +7. "What can it be?" said one person. "How strange!" said +another. "It can not be a comet; for comets have tails," said a +third. "Perhaps it's a big firefly," said another. +8. At last some of the men determined to find out what +this strange light was--whether it was a hobgoblin dancing in +the air, or something dropped from the sky. So off they +started to get as near it as they could. +9. While this was taking place, Ray, who had got tired of +standing, was seated in a fence corner, behind a tree. He +could see + + 110 ECLECTIC SERIES. +the men as they approached; but they did not see him. +10. When they were directly under the light, and saw what +it was, they looked at each other, laughing, and said, "This is +some boy's trick; and it has fooled us nicely. Let us keep the +secret, and have our share of the joke." +11. Then they laughed again, and went back to the village; +and some of the simple people there have not yet found out +what that strange light was. +12. When thc men had gone, Ray thought it was time for +him to go; so he wound up his string, picked up his kite and +lantern, and went home. His mother had been wondering +what had become of him. +13. When she heard what he had been doing, she hardly +knew whether to laugh or scold; but I think she laughed, and +told him that it was time for him to go to bed. + + + + THIRD READER. 111 + +LESSON XLII. +BEWARE OF THE FIRST DRINK. + +1. "Uncle Philip, as the day is fine, will you take a walk +with us this morning?" +2. "Yes, boys. Let me get my hat and cane, and we will +take a ramble. I will tell you a story as we go. Do you know +poor old Tom Smith?" +3. "Know him! Why, Uncle Philip, everybody knows him. +He is such a shocking drunkard, and swears so horribly." +4. "Well, I have known him ever since we were boys +together. There was not a more decent, well-behaved boy +among us. After he left school, his father died, and he was +put into a store in the city. There, he fell into bad company. +5. "Instead of spending his evenings in reading, he would +go to the theater and to balls. He soon learned to play cards, +and of course to play for money. He lost more than he could +pay. +6. "He wrote to his poor mother, and told her his losses. +She sent him money to pay his debts, and told him to come +home. + + 112 ECLECTIC SERIES. +7. "He did come home. After all, he might still have been +useful and happy, for his friends were willing to forgive the +past. For a time, things went on well. He married a lovely +woman, gave up his bad habits, and was doing well. +8. "But one thing, boys, ruined him forever. In the city, he +had learned to take strong drink, and he said to me once, that +when a man begins to drink, he never knows where it will +end. 'Therefore,' said Tom, 'beware of the first drink!' +9. "It was not long before he began to follow his old habit. +He knew the danger, but it seemed as if he could not resist +his desire to drink. His poor mother soon died of grief and +shame. His lovely wife followed her to the grave. +10. "He lost the respect of all, went on from bad to worse, +and has long been a perfect sot. Last night, I had a letter +from the city, stating that Tom Smith had been found guilty +of stealing, and sent to the state prison for ten years. +11. "There I suppose he will die, for he is now old. It is +dreadful to think to what an end he has come. I could not but +think, + + THIRD READER. 113 +as I read the letter, of what he said to me years ago, 'Beware +of the first drink!' +12. "Ah, my dear boys, when old Uncle Philip is gone, +remember that he told you + +the story of Tom Smith, and said to you, 'Beware of the first +drink!' The man who does this will never be a drunkard." + + + + 114 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XLIII. + +SPEAK GENTLY. + +1. Speak gently; it is better far +To rule by love than fear: +Speak gently; let no harsh words mar +The good we might do here. + +2. Speak gently to the little child; +Its love be sure to gain; +Teach it in accents soft and mild; +It may not long remain. + +3. Speak gently to the aged one; +Grieve not the careworn heart: +The sands of life are nearly run; +Let such in peace depart. + +4. Speak gently, kindly, to the poor; +Let no harsh tone be heard; +They have enough they must endure, +Without an unkind word. + +5. Speak gently to the erring; know +They must have toiled in vain; +Perhaps unkindness made them so; +Oh, win them back again. + + THIRD READER. 115 + +6. Speak gently: 'tis a little thing +Dropped in the heart's deep well; +The good, the joy, which it may bring, +Eternity shall tell. +George Washington Langford. + + + + +LESSON XLIV. + +THE SEVEN STICKS. +1. A man had seven sons, who were always quarreling. +They left their studies and work, to quarrel among +themselves. Some bad men were looking forward to the +death of their father, to cheat them out of their property by +making them quarrel about it. +2. The good old man, one day, called his sons around him. +He laid before them seven sticks, which were bound +together. He said, "I will pay a hundred dollars to the one +who can break this bundle." +3. Each one strained every nerve to break the bundle. +After a long but vain trial, they all said that it could not be +done. + + 116 ECLECTIC SERIES. +4. "And yet, my boys," said the father, "nothing is easier +to do." He then untied the bundle, and broke the sticks, one +by one, with perfect ease. + +5. "Ah!" said his sons, "it is easy enough to do it so; +anybody could do it in that way." +6. Their father replied, "As it is with these sticks, so is it +with you, my sons. So + + THIRD READER. 117 +long as you hold fast together and aid each other, you will +prosper, and none can injure you. +7. "But if the bond of union be broken, it will happen to +you just as it has to these sticks, which lie here broken on the +ground." + +Home, city, country, all are prosperous found, +When by the powerful link of union bound. + + + +LESSON XLV. +THE MOUNTAIN SISTER. +1. The home of little Jeannette is far away, high up among +the mountains. Let us call her our mountain sister. +2. There are many things you would like to hear about her, +but I can only tell you now how she goes with her father and +brother, in the autumn, to help gather nuts for the long +winter. + + 118 ECLECTIC SERIES. +3. A little way down the mountain side is a chestnut wood. +Did you ever see a chestnut tree? In the spring its branches +are covered with bunches of creamy flowers, like long +tassels. All the hot summer these are turning into sweet nuts, +wrapped safely in large, prickly, green balls. +4. But when the frost of autumn comes, these prickly balls +turn brown, and crack open. Then you may see inside one, +two, three, and even four, sweet, brown nuts. +5. When her father says, one night at supper time, "I think +there will be a frost tonight," Jeannette knows very well what +to do. She dances away early in the evening to her little bed, +made in a box built up against the wall. +6. Soon she falls asleep to dream about + + + THIRD READER. 119 +the chestnut wood, and the little brook that springs from rock +to rock down under the tall, dark trees. She wakes with the +first daylight, and is out of bed in a minute, when she hears +her father's cheerful call, "Come, children; it is time to be +off." +7. Their dinner is ready in a large basket. The donkey +stands before the door with great bags for the nuts hanging at +each side. They go merrily over the crisp, white frost to the +chestnut trees. How the frost has opened the burs! It has +done half their work for them already. +8. How they laugh and sing, and shout to each other as +they fill their baskets! The sun looks down through the +yellow leaves; the rocks give them mossy seats; the birds +and squirrels wonder what these strange people are doing in +their woods. +9. Jeannette really helps, though she is only a little girl; +and her father says at night, that his Jane is a dear, good +child. This makes her very happy. She thinks about it at +night, when she says her prayers. Then she goes to sleep to +dream of the merry autumn days. +10. Such is our little mountain sister, and + + 120 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +here is a picture of her far-away home. The mountain life is +ever a fresh and happy one. + + + + THIRD READER. 121 + +LESSON XLVI. + +HARRY AND THE GUIDEPOST. + +1. The night was dark, the sun was hid +Beneath the mountain gray, +And not a single star appeared +To shoot a silver ray. + +2. Across the heath the owlet flew, +And screamed along the blast; +And onward, with a quickened step, +Benighted Harry passed. + +3. Now, in thickest darkness plunged, +He groped his way to find; +And now, he thought he saw beyond, +A form of horrid kind. + +4. In deadly white it upward rose, +Of cloak and mantle bare, +And held its naked arms across, +To catch him by the hair. + +5. Poor Harry felt his blood run cold, +At what before him stood; +But then, thought he, no harm, I'm sure, +Can happen to the good. + + 122 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +6. So, calling all his courage up, +He to the monster went; +And eager through the dismal gloom +His piercing eyes he bent. + +7. And when he came well nigh the ghost +That gave him such affright, +He clapped his hands upon his side, +And loudly laughed outright. + +8. For 't was a friendly guidepost stood, +His wandering steps to guide; +And thus he found that to the good, +No evil could betide. + + + + THIRD READER. 123 + +9. Ah well, thought he, one thing I've learned, +Nor shall I soon forget; +Whatever frightens me again, +I'll march straight up to it. + +10. And when I hear an idle tale, +Of monster or of ghost, +I'll tell of this, my lonely walk, +And one tall, white guidepost. + + + + +LESSON XLVII. + +THE MONEY AMY DID N'T EARN. + +1. Amy was a dear little girl, but she was too apt to waste +time in getting ready to do her tasks, instead of doing them at +once as she ought. + + 124 ECLECTIC SERIES. +2. In the village in which she lived, Mr. Thornton kept a +store where he sold fruit of all kinds, including berries in +their season. One day he said to Amy, whose parents were +quite poor, "Would you like to earn some money? " +3. "Oh, yes," replied she, "for I want some new shoes, and +papa has no money to buy them with." +4. "Well, Amy," said Mr. Thorhton, "I noticed some fine, +ripe blackberries in Mr. Green's pasture to-day, and he said +that anybody was welcome to them. I will pay you thirteen +cents a quart for all you will pick for me." +5. Amy was delighted at the thought of earning some +money; so she ran home to get a basket, intending to go +immediately to pick the berries. +6. Then she thought she would like to know how much +money she would get if she picked five quarts. With the help +of her slate and pencil, she found out that she would get +sixty-five cents. +7. "But supposing I should pick a dozen quarts," thought +she, "how much should I earn then?" "Dear me," she said, +after + + THIRD READER. 125 +figuring a while, "I should earn a dollar and fifty-six cents." +8. Amy then found out what Mr. Thornton would pay her +for fifty, a hundred, and two hundred quarts. It took her some +time to + +do this, and then it was so near dinner time that she had to +stay at home until afternoon. +9. As soon as dinner was over, she took + + 126 ECLECTIC SERIES, +her basket and hurried to the pasture. Some boys had been +there before dinner, and all the ripe berries were picked. She +could not find enough to fill a quart measure. +10. As Amy went home, she thought of what her teacher +had often told her--"Do your task at once; then think about +it," for "one doer is worth a hundred dreamers." + + + +LESSON XLVIII. +WHO MADE THE STARS? + +1. "Mother, who made the stars, which light +The beautiful blue sky? +Who made the moon, so clear and bright, +That rises up so high?" + +2. "'T was God, my child, the Glorious One, +He formed them by his power; +He made alike the brilliant sun, +And every leaf and flower. + + THIRD READER. 127 + +3. "He made your little feet to walk; +Your sparkling eyes to see; +Your busy, prattling tongue to talk, +And limbs so light and free. + +4. "He paints each fragrant flower that blows, +With loveliness and bloom; +He gives the violet and the rose +Their beauty and perfume. + +5. "Our various wants his hands supply; +He guides us every hour; +We're kept beneath his watchful eye, +And guarded by his power. + +6. "Then let your little heart, my love, +Its grateful homage pay +To that kind Friend, who, from above, +Thus guides you every day. + +7. "In all the changing scenes of time, +On Him our hopes depend; +In every age, in every clime, +Our Father and our Friend." + + + + 128 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON XLIX. +DEEDS OF KINDNESS. +1. One day, as two little boys were walking along the +road, they overtook a woman carrying a large basket of +apples. +2. The boys thought the woman looked very pale and +tired; so they said, "Are you going to town? If you are, we +will carry your basket." +3. "Thank you," replied the woman, "you are very kind: +you see I am weak and ill." Then she told them that she was +a widow, and had a lame son to support. +4. She lived in a cottage three miles away, and was now +going to market to sell the apples which grew on the only +tree in her little garden. She wanted the money to pay her +rent. +5. "We are going the same way you are," said the boys. +"Let us have the basket;" and they took hold of it, one on +each side, and trudged along with merry hearts. +6. The poor widow looked glad, and said that she hoped +their mother would not be angry with them. "Oh, no," they +replied; + + THIRD READER. 129 +"our mother has taught us to be kind to everybody, and to be +useful in any way that we can." +7. She then offered to give them a few of the ripest apples +for their trouble. "No, + +thank you," said they; "we do not want any pay for what we +have done." +8. When the widow got home, she told her lame son what +had happened on the road, +3. 9. + + 130 ECLECTIC SERIES. +and they were both made happier that day by the kindness of +the two boys. +9. The other day, I saw a little girl stop and pick up a piece +of orange peel, which she threw into the gutter. "I wish the +boys would not throw orange peel on the sidewalk," said she. +"Some one may tread upon it, and fall." +10. "That is right, my dear," I said. "It is a little thing for +you to do what you have done, but it shows that you have a +thoughtful mind and a feeling heart." +11. Perhaps some may say that these are little things. So +they are; but we must not wait for occasions to do great +things. We must begin with little labors of love. + + +LESSON L. +THE ALARM CLOCK. +1. A lady, who found it not easy to wake in the morning as +early as she wished, + + THIRD READER. 131 +bought an alarm clock. These clocks are so made as to strike +with a loud whirring noise at any hour the owner pleases to +set them. +2. The lady placed her clock at the head of the bed, and at +the right time she found herself roused by the long, rattling +sound. +3. She arose at once, and felt better all day for her early +rising. This lasted for some weeks. The alarm clock +faithfully did its duty, and was plainly heard so long as it +was obeyed. +4. But, after a time, the lady grew tired of early rising. +When she was waked by the noise, she merely turned over in +bed, and slept again. +5. In a few days, the clock ceased to rouse her from her +sleep. It spoke just as loudly as ever; but she did not hear it, +because she had been in the habit of not obeying it. +6. Finding that she might as well be without it, she +resolved that when she heard the sound she would jump up. +7. Just so it is with conscience. If we will obey its voice, +even in the most trifling things, we can always hear it, clear +and strong. + + 132 ECLECTIC SERIES. +8. But if we allow ourselves to do what we have some +fears may not be quite right, we shall grow more and more +sleepy, until the voice of conscience has no longer power to +wake as. + + + +LESSON LI. + +SPRING. + +1. The alder by the river +Shakes out her powdery curls; +The willow buds in silver +For little boys and girls. + +2. The little birds fly over, +And oh, how sweet they sing! +To tell the happy children +That once again 't is Spring. + + THIRD READER. 133 + +3. The gay green grass comes creeping +So soft beneath their feet; +The frogs begin to ripple +A music clear and sweet. + +4. And buttercups are coming, +And scarlet columbine, +And in the sunny meadows +The dandelions shine. + +5. And just as many daisies +As their soft hands can hold, +The little ones may gather, +All fair in white and gold. + +6. Here blows the warm red clover, +There peeps the violet blue; +Oh, happy little children! +God made them all for you. +Celia Thaxter. + + + + + + +134 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON LII. +TRUE COURAGE. +One cold winter's day, three boys were passing by a +schoolhouse. The oldest was a bad boy. always in trouble +himself, and trying to get others into trouble. The youngest, +whose name was George, was a very good boy. +George wished to do right, but was very much wanting in +courage. The other boys were named Henry and James. As +they walked along, they talked as follows: +Henry. What fun it would be to throw a snowball against +the schoolroom door, and make the teacher and scholars all +jump! +James. You would jump, if you should. If the teacher did +not catch you and whip you, he would tell your father, and +you would get a whipping then; and that would make you +jump higher than the scholars, I think. +Henry. Why, we would get so far off, before the teacher +could come to the door, that he could not tell who we are. +Here is a snowball just as hard as ice, and George + + THIRD READER. 135 +would as soon throw it against the door as not. +James. Give it to him, and see. He would not dare to +throw it. +Henry. Do you think George is a coward? You do not +know him as well as I do. + +Here, George, take this snowball, and show James that you +are not such a coward as he thinks you are. +George. I am not afraid to throw it; but I do not want to. I +do not see that it + + 136 ECLECTIC SERIES. +will do any good, or that there will be any fun in it. +James. There! I told you he would not dare to throw it. +Henry. Why, George, are you turning coward? I thought +you did not fear anything. Come, save your credit, and throw +it. I know you are not afraid. +George. Well, I am not afraid to throw. Give me the +snowball. I would as soon throw it as not. +Whack! went the snowball against the door; and the boys +took to their heels. Henry was laughing as heartily as he +could, to think what a fool he had made of George. +George had a whipping for his folly, as he ought to have +had. He was such a coward, that he was afraid of being +called a coward. He did not dare refuse to do as Henry told +him, for fear that he would be laughed at. +If he had been really a brave boy, he would have said, +"Henry, do you suppose that I am so foolish as to throw that +snowball, just because you want to have me? You may throw +your own snowballs, if you please!" + + THIRD READER. 137 +Henry would, perhaps, have laughed at him, and called +him a coward. +But George would have said, "Do you think that 1 care for +your laughing? I do not think it right to throw the snowball. I +will not do that which 1 think to be wrong, if the whole town +should join with you in laughing." +This would have been real courage. Henry would have +seen, at once, that it would do no good to laugh at a boy who +had so bold a heart. You must have this fearless spirit, or you +will get into trouble, and will be, and ought to be, disliked by +all. + + +LESSON LIII. + +THE OLD CLOCK. + +1. In the old, old hall the old clock stands, +And round and round move the steady hands; +With its tick, tick, tick, both night and day, +While seconds and minutes pass away. + + 138 ECLECTIC SERIES, + +2. At the old, old clock oft wonders Nell, +For she can't make out what it has to tell; + + + +She has ne'er yet read, in prose or rhyme, +That it marks the silent course of time. + +3. When I was a child, as Nell is now, +And long ere Time had wrinkled my brow, +The old, old clock both by night and day +Said,--"Tick, tick, tick!" Time passes away. + + THIRD READER. 139 + + + +LESSON LIV. +THE WAVES. +1. "Where are we to go?" said the little waves to the great, +deep sea. +"Go, my darlings, to the yellow sands: you will find work +to do there." +2. "I want to play," said one little wave; "I want to see +who can jump the highest." +"No; come on, come on," said an earnest wave; "mother +must be right. I want to work." +3. "Oh, I dare not go," said another; "look at those great, +black rocks close to the sands; I dare not go there, for they +will tear me to pieces." +4. "Take my hand, sister," said the earnest wave; "let us go +on together. How glorious it is to do some work." +5. "Shall we ever go back to mother?" "Yes, when our +work is done." + + 140 ECLECTIC SERIES. +6. So one and all hurried on. Even the little wave that +wanted to play, pressed on, and thought that work might be +fun after all. The timid ones did not like to be left behind, +and they became earnest as they got nearer the sands. +7. After all, it was fun, pressing on one after another-- +jumping, laughing, running on to the broad, shining sands. +8. First, they came in their course to a great sand castle. +Splash, splash! they all + + + THIRD READER. 141 +went over it, and down it came. "Oh, what fun!" they cried. +9. "Mother told me to bring these seaweeds; I will find a +pretty place for them," said one--and she ran a long way over +the sands, and left them among the pebbles. The pebbles +cried, "We are glad you are come. We wanted washing." +10. "Mother sent these shells; I do n't know where to put +them," said a little fretful wave. "Lay them one by one on the +sand, and do not break them," said the eldest wave. +11. And the little one went about its work, and learned to +be quiet and gentle, for fear of breaking the shells. +12. "Where is my work?" said a great, full-grown wave. +"this is mere play. The little ones can do this and laugh over +it. Mother said there was work for me." And he came down +upon some large rocks. +13. Over the rocks and into a pool he went, and he heard +the fishes say, "The sea is coming. Thank you, great sea; you +always send a big wave when a storm is nigh. Thank you, +kind wave; we are all ready for you now." + + 142 ECLECTIC SERIES. +14. Then the waves all went back over the wet sands, +slowly and carelessly, for they were tired. +15. "All my shells are safe," said one. +16. And, "My seaweeds are left behind," said another. +17. "I washed all of the pebbles," said a third. +18. "And I--I only broke on a rock, and splashed into a +pool," said the one that was so eager to work. "I have done +no good, mother--no work at all" +19. "Hush!" said the sea. And they heard a child that was +walking on the shore, say, "O mother, the sea has been here! +Look, how nice and clean the sand is, and how clear the +water is in that pool." +20. Then the sea, said, "Hark!" and far away they heard +the deep moaning of the coming storm. +21. "Come, my darlings," said she; "you have done your +work, now let the storm do its work." + + + THIRD READER. 143 + +LESSON LV. + +DO N'T KILL THE BIRDS. + +1. Do n't kill the birds! the little birds, +That sing about your door +Soon as the joyous Spring has come, +And chilling storms are o'er. + +2. The little birds! how sweet they sing! +Oh, let them joyous live; +And do not seek to take the life +Which you can never give. + +3. Do n't kill the birds! the pretty birds, +That play among the trees; + + 144 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +For earth would be a cheerless place, +If it were not for these. + +4. The little birds! how fond they play! +Do not disturb their sport; +But let them warble forth their songs, +Till winter cuts them short. + +5. Do n't kill the birds! the happy birds, +That bless the field and grove; +So innocent to look upon, +They claim our warmest love. + +6. The happy birds, the tuneful birds, +How pleasant 't is to see! +No spot can be a cheerless place +Where'er their presence be. + + + + + +LESSON LVI. + +WHEN TO SAY NO. + +1. Though "No" is a very little word, it is not always easy +to say it; and the not doing so, often causes trouble. + + THIRD READER. 145 +2. When we are asked to stay away from school, and +spend in idleness or mischief the time which ought to be +spent in study, we should at once say "No." +3. When we are urged to loiter on our way to school, and +thus be late, and interrupt our teacher and the school, we +should say "No." When some schoolmate wishes us to +whisper or play in the schoolroom, we should say "No." +4. When we are tempted to use angry or wicked words, we +should remember that the eye of God is always upon us, and +should say "No." +5. When we have done anything wrong, and are tempted +to conceal it by falsehood, we should say "No, we can not +tell a lie; it is wicked and cowardly." +6. If we are asked to do anything which we know to be +wrong, we should not fear to say "No." +7. If we thus learn to say "No," we shall avoid much +trouble, and be always safe. + + + +3.10. + +146 ECLECTIC SERIES. +LESSON LVII. +WHICH LOVED BEST? + +"I love you, mother," said little John; +Then, forgetting work, his cap went on, +And he was off to the garden swing, +Leaving his mother the wood to bring. + + +2. "I love you, mother," said rosy Nell; +"I love you better than tongue can tell;" + + THIRD READER. 147 + +Then she teased and pouted full half the day, +Till her mother rejoiced when she went to play. + +3. "I love you, mother," said little Fan; + "To-day I'll help you all I can; +How glad I am that school does n't keep!" +So she rocked the baby till it fell asleep. + +4. Then, stepping softly, she took the broom, +And swept the floor, and dusted the room; +Busy and happy all day was she, +Helpful and cheerful as child could be. + +5. "I love you, mother," again they said-- +Three little children going to bed; +How do you think that mother guessed +Which of them really loved her best? +Joy Allison. + +LESSON LVIII. + +JOHN CARPENTER. +1. John Carpenter did not like to buy toys that somebody +else had made. He liked the fun of making them himself. The +thought that they were his own work delighted him. +2. Tom Austin, one of his playmates, thought a toy was +worth nothing unless it cost a great deal of money. He never +tried to make anything, but bought all his toys. + + 148 ECLECTIC SERIES. +3. "Come and look at my horse," said he, one day. "It cost +a dollar, and it is such a beauty! Come and see it." +4. John was soon admiring his friend's + +horse; and he was examining it carefully, to see how it was +made. The same evening he began to make one for himself. +5. He went into the wood shed, and picked + + THIRD READER. 149 +out two pieces of wood--one for the head of his horse, the +other for the body. It took him two or three days to shape +them to his satisfaction. +6. His father gave him a bit of red leather for a bridle, and +a few brass nails, and his mother found a bit of old fur with +which he made a mane and tail for his horse. +7. But what about the wheels? This puzzled him. At last +he thought he would go to a turner's shop, and see if he could +not get some round pieces of wood which might suit his +purpose. +8. He found a large number of such pieces among the +shavings on the floor, and asked permission to take a few of +them. The turner asked him what he wanted them for, and he +told him about his horse. +9. "Oh," said the man, laughing, "if you wish it, I will +make some wheels for your horse. But mind, when it is +finished, you must let me see it." +10. John promised to do so, and he soon ran home with +the wheels in his pocket. The next evening, he went to the +turner's shop with his horse all complete, and was told that +he was an ingenious little fellow + +150 ECLECTIC SERIES. +11. Proud of this compliment, he ran to his friend Tom, +crying, "Now then, Tom, here is my horse,--look!" +12. "Well, that is a funny horse," said Tom; "where did +you buy it?" "I did n't buy it," replied John; I made it." +13. "You made it yourself! Oh, well, it's a good horse for +you to make. But it is not so good as mine. Mine cost a +dollar, and yours did n't cost anything." +14. "It was real fun to make it, though," said John, and +away he ran with his horse rolling after him. +15. Do you want to know what became of John? Well, I +will tell you. He studied hard in school, and was called the +best scholar in his class. When he left school, he went to +work in a machine shop. He is now a master workman, and +will soon have a shop of his own. + + + THIRD READER. 151 + +LESSON LIX. + +PERSEVERE. + +1. The fisher who draws in his net too soon, +Won't have any fish to sell; +The child who shuts up his book too soon, +Won't learn any lessons well. + +2. If you would have your learning stay, +Be patient,--do n't learn too fast: +The man who travels a mile each day, +May get round the world at last. + + +LESSON LX. + +THE CONTENTED BOY. +Mr. Lenox was one morning riding by himself. He got off +from his horse to look at something on the roadside. The +horse broke away from him, and ran off. Mr. Lenox ran after +him, but soon found that he could not catch him. +A little boy at work in a field near the road, heard the +horse. As soon as he saw him running from his master, the +boy ran + + 152 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +very quickly to the middle of the road, and, catching the +horse by thc bridle, stopped him till Mr. Lenox came up. +Mr. Lenox. Thank you, my good boy, you have caught my +horse very nicely. What shall I give you for your trouble? +Boy. I want nothing, sir. +Mr. L. You want nothing? So much the better for you. +Few men can say as much. But what were you doing in the +field? +B. I was rooting up weeds, and tending the sheep that +were feeding on turnips. +Mr. L. Do you like to work? +B. Yes, sir, very well, this fine weather. +Mr. L. But would you not rather play? +B. This is not hard work. It is almost as good as play. +Mr. L. Who set you to work? +B. My father, sir. +Mr. L. What is your name? +B. Peter Hurdle, sir. +Mr. L. How old are you? +B. Eight years old, next June. +Mr. L. How long have you been here? +B. Ever since six o'clock this morning. +Mr. L. Are you not hungry? +B. Yes, sir, but I shall go to dinner soon. + + THIRD READER. 153 + +Mr. L. If you had a dime now, what would you do with it? +B. I do n't know, sir. I never had so much. +Mr. L. Have you no playthings? + + 154 ECLECTIC SERIES. +B. Playthings? What are they? +Mr. L. Such things as ninepins, marbles, tops, and wooden +horses. +B. No, sir. Tom and I play at football in winter, and I have +a jumping rope. I had a hoop, but it is broken. +Mr. L. Do you want nothing else? +B. I have hardly time to play with what I have. I have to +drive the cows, and to run on errands, and to ride the horses +to the fields, and that is as good as play. +Mr. L. You could get apples and cakes, if you had money, +you know. +B. I can have apples at home. As for cake, I do not want +that. My mother makes me a pie now and then, which is as +good. +Mr. L. Would you not like a knife to cut sticks? +B. I have one. Here it is. Brother Tom gave it to me. +Mr. L. Your shoes are full of holes. Do n't you want a new +pair? +B. I have a better pair for Sundays. +Mr. L. But these let in water. +B. I do not mind that, sir. +Mr. L. Your hat is all torn, too. +B. I have a better one at home. + + THIRD READER. 155 +Mr. L. What do yon do when it rains? +B. If it rains very hard when I am in the field, I get under a +tree for shelter. +Mr. L. What do you do, if you are hungry before it is time +to go home? +B. I sometimes eat a raw turnip. +Mr. L. But if there is none? +B. Then I do as well as I can without. I work on, and never +think of it. +Mr. L. Why, my little fellow, I am glad to see that you are +so contented. Were you ever at school? +B. No, sir. But father means to send me next winter. +Mr. L. You will want books then. +B. Yes, sir; each boy has a Spelling Book, a Reader, and a +Testament. +Mr. L. Then I will give them to you. Tell your father so, +and that it is because you are an obliging, contented little +boy. +B. I will, sir. Thank you. +Mr. L. Good by, Peter. +B. Good morning, sir. +Dr. John Aiken + + + 156 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON LXI. + +LITTLE GUSTAVA. + +1. Little Gustava sits in the sun, +Safe in the porch, and the little drops run +From the icicles under the eaves so fast, +For the bright spring sun shines warm at last, +And glad is little Gustava. + +2. She wears a quaint little scarlet cap, +And a little green bowl she holds in her lap, +Filled with bread and milk to the brim, +And a wreath of marigolds round the rim: +"Ha! ha!" laughs little Gustava. + +3. Up comes her little gray, coaxing cat, +With her little pink nose, and she mews, "What's that ?" +Gustava feeds her,--she begs for more, +And a little brown hen walks in at the door: +"Good day!" cries little Gustava. + +4. She scatters crumbs for the little brown hen, +There comes a rush and a flutter, and then +Down fly her little white doves so sweet, +With their snowy wings and their crimson feet: +"Welcome!" cries little Gustava. + +5. So dainty and eager they pick up the crumbs. +But who is this through the doorway comes? + + THIRD READER. 157 + +Little Scotch terrier, little dog Rags, +Looks in her face, and his funny tail wags: +"Ha! ha!" laughs little Gustava. + + + +6. "You want some breakfast, too?" and down +She sets her bowl on the brick floor brown, +And little dog Rags drinks up her milk, +While she strokes his shaggy locks, like silk: +"Dear Rags!" says little Gustava. + +7. Waiting without stood sparrow and crow, +Cooling their feet in the melting snow. + + 158 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +"Won't you come in, good folk?" she cried, +But they were too bashful, and staid outside, +Though "Pray come in!" cried Gustava. + +8. So the last she threw them, and knelt on the mat, +With doves, and biddy, and dog, and cat. +And her mother came to the open house door: +"Dear little daughter, I bring you some more, +My merry little Gustava." + +9. Kitty and terrier, biddy and doves, +All things harmless Gustava loves, +The shy, kind creatures 't is joy to feed, +And, oh! her breakfast is sweet indeed +To happy little Gustava! +Celia Thaxter. + + + + +LESSON LXII. + +THE INSOLENT BOY. + +1. James Selton was one of the most insolent boys in the +village where he lived. He would rarely pass people in the +street without being guilty of some sort of abuse. + + THIRD READER. 159 +2. If a person were well dressed he would cry out, +"Dandy!" If a person's clothes were dirty or torn, he would +throw stones at him, and annoy him in every way. +3. One afternoon, just as the school was dismissed, a +stranger passed through the village. His dress was plain and +somewhat old, but neat and clean. He carried a cane in his +hand, on the end of which was a bundle, and he wore a +broad-brimmed hat. +4. No sooner did James see the stranger, than he winked to +his playmates, and said, "Now for some fun!" He then +silently went toward the stranger from behind, and, knocking +off his hat, ran away. +5. The man turned and saw him, but James was out of +hearing before he could speak. The stranger put on his hat, +and went on his way. Again did James approach; but this +time, the man caught him by the arm, and held him fast. +6. However, he contented himself with looking James a +moment in the face, and then pushed him from him. No +sooner did the naughty boy find himself free again, than he +began to pelt the stranger with dirt and stones. + + 160 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +7. But he was much frightened when the "rowdy," as he +foolishly called the man, was struck on the head by a brick, +and badly hurt. All the boys now ran away, and James +skulked across the fields to his home. +8. As he drew near the house, his sister Caroline came out +to meet him, holding up + + THIRD READER. 161 +a beautiful gold chain and some new books for him to see. +9. She told James, as fast as she could talk, that their +uncle, who had been away several years, had come home, +and was now in the house; that he had brought beautiful +presents for the whole family; that he had left his carriage at +the tavern, a mile or two off, and walked on foot, so as to +surprise his brother, their father. +10. She said, that while he was coming through the +village, some wicked boys threw stones at him, and hit him +just over the eye, and that mother had bound up the wound. +"But what makes you look so pale?" asked Caroline, +changing her tone. +11. The guilty boy told her that nothing was the matter +with him; and running into the house, he went upstairs into +his chamber. Soon after, he heard his father calling him to +come down. Trembling from head to foot, he obeyed. When +he reached the parlor door, he stood, fearing to enter. +12. His mother said, "James, why do you not come in? +You are not usually so bashful. See this beautiful watch, +which your uncle has brought for you." +3, 11. + + 162 ECLECTIC SERIES, +13. What a sense of shame did James now feel! Little +Caroline seized his arm, and pulled him into the room. But +he hung down his head, and covered his face with his hands. +14. His uncle went up to him, and kindly taking away his +hands, said, "James, will you not bid me welcome?" But +quickly starting back, he cried, "Brother, this is not your son. +It is the boy who so shamefully insulted me in the street!" +15. With surprise and grief did the good father and mother +learn this. His uncle was ready to forgive him, and forget the +injury. But his father would never permit James to have the +gold watch, nor the beautiful books, which his uncle had +brought for him. +16. The rest of the children were loaded with presents. +James was obliged to content himself with seeing them +happy. He never forgot this lesson so long as he lived. It +cured him entirely of his low and insolent manners. + + + + THIRD READER. 163 + +LESSON LXIII. + +WE ARE SEVEN. + +1. I met a little cottage girl: +She was eight years old, she said; +Her hair was thick with many a curl, +That clustered round her head. + +2. She had a rustic, woodland air, +And she was wildly clad: +Her eyes were fair, and very fair;-- +Her beauty made me glad. + +3. "Sisters and brothers, little maid, +How many may you be?" +"How many? Seven in all," she said, +And, wondering, looked at me. + +4. "And where are they? I pray you tell." +She answered, "Seven are we; +And two of us at Conway dwell, +And two are gone to sea. + + l64 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +5. "Two of us in the churchyard lie, +My sister and my brother; +And, in the churchyard cottage, I +Dwell near them with my mother," + + + +6. "You say that two at Conway dwell, +And two are gone to sea, +Yet ye are seven! I pray you tell, +Sweet maid, how this may be." + + THIRD READER. 165 + +7. Then did the little maid reply, +"Seven boys and girls are we; +Two of us in the churchyard lie, +Beneath the churchyard tree." + +8. "You run about, my little maid, +Your limbs, they are alive; +If two are in the churchyard laid, +Then ye are only five." + +9. "Their graves are green, they may be seen," +The little maid replied, +"Twelve steps or more from mother's door, +And they are side by side. + +10. "My stockings there I often knit, +My kerchief there I hem; +And there upon the ground I sit, +And sing a song to them. + +11. "And often after sunset, sir, +When it is light and fair, +I take my little porringer, +And eat my supper there. + +12. "The first that died was sister Jane; +In bed she moaning lay, + +166 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +Till God released her from her pain; +And then she went away. + +13. "So in the churchyard she was laid; +And, when the grass was dry, +Together round her grave we played, +My brother John and I. + +14. "And when the ground was white with snow, +And I could run and slide, +My brother John was forced to go, +And he lies by her side." + +15. "How many are you, then?" said I, +"If they two are in heaven?" +Quick was the little maid's reply, +"O master! we are seven." + +16. "But they are dead; those two are dead! +Their spirits are in heaven!" +'T was throwing words away: for still +The little maid would have her will, +And said, "Nay, we are seven." +William Wordsworth. + + + + + THIRD READER. 167 + +LESSON LXIV. + +MARY'S DIME. +1. There! I have drawn the chairs into the right corners, +and dusted the room nicely. How cold papa and mamma will +be when they return from their long ride! It is not time to +toast the bread yet, and I am tired of reading. +2. What shall I do? Somehow, I can't help thinking about +the pale face of that little beggar girl all the time. I can see +the glad light filling her eyes, just as plain as I did when I +laid the dime in her little dirty hand. +3. How much I had thought of that dime, too! Grandpa +gave it to me a whole month ago, and I had kept it ever since +in my red box upstairs; but those sugar apples looked so +beautiful, and were so cheap--only a dime apiece--that I +made up my mind to have one. +4. I can see her--the beggar girl, I mean--as she stood +there in front of the store, in her old hood and faded dress, +looking at the candies laid all in a row. I wonder + +168 ECLECTIC SERIES. +what made me say, "Little girl, what do you want?" +5. How she stared at me, just as if nobody had spoken +kindly to her before. I guess + +she thought I was sorry for her, for she said, so earnestly and +sorrowfully, "I was thinking how good one of those +gingerbread rolls would taste. I have n't had anything to eat +to-day." + + THIRD READER. 169 +6. Now, I thought to myself, "Mary Williams, you have +had a good breakfast and a good dinner this day, and this +poor girl has not had a mouthful. You can give her your +dime; she needs it a great deal more than you do." +7. I could not resist that little girl's sorrowful, hungry +look--so I dropped the dime right into her hand, and, without +waiting for her to speak, walked straight away. I'm so glad I +gave her the dime, if I did have to go without the apple lying +there in the window, and looking just like a real one. + + + +LESSON LXV. +MARY DOW. + +1. "Come in, little stranger," I said, +As she tapped at my half open door; +While the blanket, pinned over her head, +Just reached to the basket she bore. + +170 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +2. A look full of innocence fell +From her modest and pretty blue eye, +As she said, "I have matches to sell, +And hope you are willing to buy. + + + +3. "A penny a bunch is the price, +I think you'll not find it too much; +They are tied up so even and nice, +And ready to light with a touch." + +4. I asked, "'What's your name, little girl?" +"'Tis Mary," said she, "Mary Dow;" + + THIRD READER. 171 + +And carelessly tossed off a curl, +That played on her delicate brow. + +5. "My father was lost on the deep; +The ship never got to the shore; +And mother is sad, and will weep, +To hear the wind blow and sea roar. + +6. "She sits there at home, without food, +Beside our poor, sick Willy's bed; +She paid all her money for wood, +And so I sell matches for bread. + +7. "I'd go to the yard and get chips, +But then it would make me too sad +To see the men building the ships, +And think they had made one so bad. + +8. "But God, I am sure, who can take +Such fatherly care of a bird, +Will never forget nor forsake +The children who trust in his word. + +9. "And now, if I only can sell +The matches I brought out to-day, +I think I shall do very well, +And we shall rejoice at the pay." + + 172 ECLECTIC SERIES, + +10. "Fly home, little bird," then I thought, +"Fly home, full of joy, to your nest;" +For I took all the matches she brought, +And Mary may tell you the rest. + + + +LESSON LXVI. +THE LITTLE LOAF. +1. Once when there was a famine, a rich baker sent for +twenty of the poorest children in the town, and said to them, +"In this basket there is a loaf for each of you. Take it, and +come back to me every day at this hour till God sends us +better times." +2. The hungry children gathered eagerly about the basket, +and quarreled for the bread, because each wished to have the +largest loaf. At last they went away without even thanking +the good gentleman. +3. But Gretchen, a poorly-dressed little girl, did not +quarrel or struggle with the rest, + + THIRD READER. 173 + + + +but remained standing modestly in the distance. When the +ill-behaved girls had left, she took the smallest loaf, which +alone was left in the basket, kissed the gentleman's hand, and +went home. +4. The next day the children were as ill behaved as before, +and poor, timid Gretchen received a loaf scarcely half the +size of the one she got the first day. When she came home, +and her mother cut the loaf open, many new, shining pieces +of silver fell out of it. + + 174 ECLECTIC SERIES. +5. Her mother was very much alarmed, and said, "Take +the money back to the good gentleman at once, for it must +have got into the dough by accident. Be quick, Gretchen! be +quick!" +6. But when the little girl gave the rich man her mother's +message, he said, "No, no, my child, it was no mistake. I had +the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf to reward you. +Always be as contented, peaceable, and grateful as you now +are. Go home now, and tell your mother that the money is +your own." + + +LESSON LXVII. + +SUSIE AND ROVER. +1. "Mamma," said Susie Dean, one summer's morning, +"may I go to the woods, and pick berries?" + + THIRD READER. 175 +2. "Yes," replied Mrs. Dean, "but you must take Rover +with you." +3. Susie brought her little basket, and her mother put up a +nice lunch for her. She tied down the cover, and fastened a +tin cup to it. +4. The little girl called Rover--a great Newfoundland +dog--and gave him a tin pail to carry. "If I bring it home +full, mamma," she said, "won't you make some berry +cakes for tea?" +5. Away she tripped, singing as she went down the lane +and across the pasture. When she got to the woods, she put +her dinner basket down beside a tree, and began to pick +berries. +6. Rover ran about, chasing a squirrel or a rabbit now and +then, but never straying far from Susie. +7. The tin pail was not a very small one. By the time it +was two thirds full, Susie began to feel hungry, and thought +she would eat her lunch. +8. Rover came and took his place at her side as soon as +she began to eat. Did she not give him some of the lunch? +No, she was in a selfish mood, and did no such thing. + + 176 ECLECTIC SERIES. +9. "There, Rover, run away! there's a good dog," she said; +but Rover staid near her, watching her steadily with his clear +brown eves. + +10. The meat he wanted so much, was soon eaten up; and +all he got of the nice dinner, was a small crust of gingerbread +that Susie threw away. +11. After dinner, Susie played a while by + + THIRD READER. 177 +the brook. She threw sticks into the water, and Rover swam +in and brought them back. Then she began to pick berries +again. +12. She did not enjoy the afternoon as she did the +morning. The sunshine was as bright, the berries were as +sweet and plentiful, and she was neither tired nor hungry. +13. But good, faithful Rover was hungry, and she had not +given him even one piece of meat. She tried to forget how +selfish she had been; but she could not do so, and quite early +she started for home. +14. When she was nearly out of the woods, a rustling in +the underbrush attracted her attention. "I wonder if that is a +bird or a squirrel," said she to herself. "If I can catch it, how +glad I shall be!" +15. She tried to make her way quietly through the +underbrush; but what was her terror when she saw it large +snake coiled up before her, prepared for a spring! +16. She was so much frightened that she could not move; +but brave Rover saw the snake, and, springing forward, +seized it by the neck and killed it. +17. When the faithful dog came and rubbed his head +against her hand, Susie put her +3, 12. + +178 ECLECTIC SERIES. +arms 'round his neck, and burst into tears. "O Rover," she +cried, "you dear, good dog! How sorry I am that I was so +selfish!" +18. Rover understood the tone of her voice, if he did not +understand her words, and capered about in great glee, +barking all the time. You may be sure that he had a plentiful +supper that evening. +19. Susie never forgot the lesson of that day. She soon +learned to be on her guard against a selfish spirit, and +became a happier and more lovable little girl. +Mrs. M. O. Johnson--Adapted. + + +LESSON LXVIII. +THE VIOLET. + +1. Down in a green and shady bed, +A modest violet grew; +Its stalk was bent, it hung its head, +As if to hide from view + + THIRD READER. 179 + + + +2. And yet it was a lovely flower, +Its colors bright and fair; +It might have graced a rosy bower +Instead of hiding there. + +3. Yet there it was content to bloom, +In modest tints arrayed, +And there it spread its sweet perfume, +Within the silent shade. + +4. Then let me to the valley go, +This pretty flower to see; +That I may also learn to grow +In sweet humility. +Jane Taylor. + + 180 ECLECTIC SERIES. +LESSON LXIX. +NO CROWN FOR ME. +1. "Will you come with us, Susan?" cried several little +girls to a schoolmate. "We are going to the woods; do come, +too." +2. "I should like to go with you very much," replied +Susan, with a sigh; "but I can not finish the task grandmother +set me to do." +3. "How tiresome it must be to stay at home to work on a +holiday!" said one of the girls, with a toss of her head. +"Susan's grandmother is too strict." +4. Susan heard this remark, and, as she bent her head over +her task, she wiped away a tear, and thought of the pleasant +afternoon the girls would spend gathering wild flowers in the +woods. +5. Soon she said to herself, "What harm can there be in +moving the mark grandmother put in the stocking? The +woods must be very beautiful to-day, and how I should like +to be in them!" +6. "Grandmother," said she, a few minutes afterwards, "I +am ready, now." "What, so + + THIRD READER. 181 +soon, Susan?" Her grandmother took the work, and looked at +it very closely. +7. "True, Susan," said she, laying great stress on each +word; "true, I count twenty turns from the mark; and, as you +have never deceived me, you may go and amuse yourself as +you like the rest of the day." +8. Susan's cheeks were scarlet, and she did not say, +"Thank you." As she left the cottage, she walked slowly +away, not singing as usual. +9. "Why, here is Susan!" the girls cried, when she joined +their company; "but what is the matter? Why have you left +your dear, old grandmother?" they tauntingly added. +10. "There is nothing the matter." As Susan repeated these +words, she felt that she was trying to deceive herself. She +had acted a lie. At the same time she remembered her +grandmother's words, "You have never deceived me." +11. "Yes, I have deceived her," said she to herself. "If she +knew all, she would never trust me again." +12. When the little party had reached an open space in the +woods, her companions ran about enjoying themselves; but +Susan sat on + + 182 ECLECTIC SERIES. + + +the grass, wishing she were at home confessing her fault. +13. After a while Rose cried out, "Let us make a crown of +violets, and put it on the head of the best girl here." +14. "It will be easy enough to make the crown, but not so +easy to decide who is to wear it," said Julia. +15. "Why, Susan is to wear it, of course," said Rose: "is +she not said to be the best girl in school and the most +obedient at home?" +16. "Yes, yes; the crown shall be for Susan," + + THIRD READER. 183 +cried the other girls, and they began to make the crown. It +was soon finished. +17. "Now, Susan," said Rose, "put it on in a very dignified +way, for you are to be our queen." +18. As these words were spoken, the crown was placed on +her head. In a moment she snatched it off, and threw it on the +ground, saying, "No crown for me; I do not deserve it." +19. The girls looked at her with surprise. "I have deceived +my grandmother," said she, while tears flowed down her +cheeks. "I altered the mark she put in the stocking, that I +might join you in the woods." +20. "Do you call that wicked?" asked one of the girls. +"I am quite sure it is; and I have been miserable all the +time I have been here." +21. Susan now ran home, and as soon as she got there she +said, with a beating heart, "O grandmother! I deserve to be +punished, for I altered the mark you put in the stocking. Do +forgive me; I am very sorry and unhappy." +22. "Susan," said her grandmother, "I knew it all the time; +but I let you go out, hoping + + 184 ECLECTIC SERIES. +that your own conscience would tell you of your sin. I am so +glad that you have confessed your fault and your sorrow." +23. "When shall I be your own little girl again?" "Now," +was the quick reply, and Susan's grandmother kissed her +forehead. + + + +LESSON LXX. + +YOUNG SOLDIERS. + +1. Oh, were you ne'er a schoolboy, +And did you never train, +And feel that swelling of the heart +You ne'er can feel again? + +2. Did you never meet, far down the street, +With plumes and banners gay, +While the kettle, for the kettledrum, +Played your march, march away? + + THIRD READER. 185 + + + +3. It seems to me but yesterday, +Nor scarce so long ago, +Since all our school their muskets took, +To charge the fearful foe. + +4. Our muskets were of cedar wood, +With ramrods bright and new; +With bayonets forever set, +And painted barrels, too. + +5. We charged upon a flock of geese, +And put them all to flight-- +Except one sturdy gander +That thought to show us fight. + + 186 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +6. But, ah! we knew a thing or two; +Our captain wheeled the van; +We routed him, we scouted him, +Nor lost a single man! + +7. Our captain was as brave a lad +As e'er commission bore; +And brightly shone his new tin sword; +A paper cap he wore. + +8. He led us up the steep hillside, +Against the western wind, +While the cockerel plume that decked his head +Streamed bravely out behind. + +9. We shouldered arms, we carried arms, +We charged the bayonet; +And woe unto the mullein stalk +That in our course we met! + + + + THIRD READER. 187 + +10. At two o'clock the roll we called, +And till the close of day, +With fearless hearts, though tired limbs, +We fought the mimic fray,-- +Till the supper bell, from out the dell, +Bade us march, march away. + + + +LESSON LXXI. + +HOW WILLIE GOT OUT OF THE SHAFT. +1. Willie's aunt sent him for a birthday present a little +writing book. There was a place in the book for a pencil. +Willie thought a great deal of this little book, and always +kept it in his pocket. +2. One day, his mother was very busy, and he called his +dog, and said, "Come, Caper, let us have a play." + + 188 ECLECTIC SERIES. +3. When Willie's mother missed him, she went to the door +and looked out, and could not see him anywhere; but she +knew that Caper was with him, and thought they would +come back before long. +4. She waited an, hour, and still they did not come. When +she came to the gate by the road, she met Mr. Lee, and told +him how long Willie had been gone. Mr. Lee thought he +must have gone to sleep under the trees. So they went to all +the trees under which Willie was in the habit of playing, but +he was nowhere to be found. +5. By this time the sun had gone down. The news that +Willie was lost soon spread over the neighborhood, and all +the men and women turned out to hunt. They hunted all +night. +6. The next morning the neighbors were gathered round, +and all were trying to think what to do next, when Caper +came bounding into the room. There was a string tied round +his neck, and a bit of paper tied to it. +7. Willie's father, Mr. Lee, took the paper, and saw that it +was a letter from Willie. He read it aloud. It said, "O father! +come to me. I am in the big hole in the pasture." + + THIRD READER. 189 +8. Everybody ran at once to the far corner of the pasture; +and there was Willie, alive and well, in the shaft. Oh, how +glad he was when his father caught him in his arms, and +lifted him out! + +9. Now I will tell you how Willie came to be in the shaft. +He and Caper went to the pasture field, and came to the edge +of the shaft and sat down. In bending over + + 190 ECLECTIC SERIES. +to see how deep it was, he lost his balance, and fell in. He +tried very hard to get out, but could not. +10. When the good little dog saw that his master was in +the shaft, he would not leave him, but ran round and round, +reaching down and trying to pull him out. But while Caper +was pulling Willie by the coat sleeves, a piece of sod gave +way under his feet, and he fell in too. +11. Willie called for his father and mother as loud as he +could call; but he was so far away from the house that no one +could hear him. +12. He cried and called till it was dark, and then he lay +down on the ground, and Caper lay down close beside him. +It was not long before Willie cried himself to sleep. +13. When he awoke it was morning, and he began to think +of a way to get out. The little writing book that his aunt had +given him, was in his pocket. He took it out, and, after a +good deal of trouble, wrote the letter to his father. +14. Then he tore the leaf out, and took a string out of his +pocket, and tied it round Caper's neck, and tied the letter to +the + + THIRD READER. 191 +string. Then he lifted the dog up, and helped him out, and +said to him, "Go home, Caper, go home!" The little dog +scampered away, and was soon at home. + + + +LESSON LXXII. +THE PERT CHICKEN. + +1. There was once a pretty chicken; +But his friends were very few, +For he thought that there was nothing +In the world but what he knew: +So he always, in the farmyard, +Had a very forward way, +Telling all the hens and turkeys +What they ought to do and say. +"Mrs. Goose," he said, "I wonder +That your goslings you should let +Go out paddling in the water; +It will kill them to get wet." + + 192 ECLECTIC SERIES, + + + +2. "I wish, my old Aunt Dorking," +He began to her, one day, +"That you would n't sit all summer +In your nest upon the hay. +Won't you come out to the meadow, +Where the grass with seeds is filled?" +"If I should," said Mrs. Dorking, +"Then my eggs would all get chilled." +"No, they wo n't," replied the chicken, +"And no matter if they do; +Eggs are really good for nothing; +What's an egg to me or you?" + +3. "What's an egg!" said Mrs. Dorking, +"Can it be you do not know + + THIRD READER. 193 + +You yourself were in an eggshell +Just one little month ago? +And, if kind wings had not warmed you, +You would not be out to-day, +Telling hens, and geese, and turkeys, +What they ought to do and say! + +4. "To be very wise, and show it, +Is a pleasant thing, no doubt; +But, when young folks talk to old folks, +They should know what they're about." +Marian Douglas. + + + +LESSON LXXIII. + +INDIAN CORN. + +1. Few plants are more useful to man than Indian corn, or +maize. No grain, except rice, is used to so great an extent as +an article of food. In some countries corn is almost the only +food eaten by the people. + +3, 13 + + 194 ECLECTIC SERIES. +2. Do you know why it is called Indian corn? It is because +the American Indians were the first corn growers. Columbus +found this grain widely cultivated by them when he +discovered the New World. They pounded it in rude, stone +bowls, and thus made a coarse flour, which they mixed with +water and baked. +3. Indian corn is now the leading crop in the United +States. In whatever part of this land we live, we see corn +growing every year in its proper season. Yet how few can +tell the most simple and important facts about its planting +and its growth! +4. Corn, to do well, must have a rich soil and a warm +climate. It is a tender plant, and is easily injured by cold +weather. The seed corn does not sprout, but rots, if the +ground is cold and wet. +5. To prepare land properly for planting corn, the soil is +made fine by plowing, and furrows are run across the field +four feet apart each way. At every point where these furrows +cross, the farmer drops from four to seven grains of seed +corn. These are then covered with about two inches of earth, +and thus form "hills" of corn. + + THIRD READER. 195 +6. In favorable weather, the tender blades push through +the ground in ten days or two weeks; then the stalks mount +up rapidly, and the long, streamer-like leaves unfold +gracefully from day to day. Corn must be carefully cultivated +while the plants are small. After they begin to shade the +ground, they need but little hoeing or plowing. +7. The moisture and earthy matter, drawn through the +roots, become sap. This passes through the stalk, and enters +the leaves. There a great change takes place which results in +the starting of the ears and the growth of the grain. +8. The maize plant bears two kinds of flowers,--male and +female. The two are widely separated. The male flowers are +on the tassel; the fine silk threads which surround the ear, +and peep out from the end of the husks, are the female +flowers. +9. Each grain on the cob is the starting point for a thread +of silk; and, unless the thread receives some particle of the +dust which falls from the tassel flowers, the kernel with +which it is connected will not grow. +10. The many uses of Indian corn and its products are +worthy of note. The green + + 196 ECLECTIC SERIES. +stalks and leaves make excellent fodder for cattle. The ripe +grain is used all over the earth as food for horses, pigs, and +poultry. Nothing is better for fattening stock. +11. Green corn, or "roasting ears," hulled corn and +hominy, New England hasty pudding, and succotash are +favorite dishes with many persons. Then there are parched +corn and pop corn--the delight of long winter evenings. +12. Cornstarch is an important article of commerce. Sirup +and sugar are made from the juice of the stalk, and oil and +alcohol from the ripened grain. Corn husks are largely used +for filling + + + THIRD READER. 197 +mattresses, and are braided into mats, baskets, and other +useful articles. +13. Thus it will be seen how varied are the uses of Indian +corn. And besides being so useful, the plant is very beautiful. +The sight of a large cornfield in the latter part of summer, +with all its green banners waving and its tasseled plumes +nodding, is one to admire, and not to be forgotten. + + +LESSON LXXIV. +THE SNOWBIRD'S SONG. + +1. The ground was all covered with snow one day, +And two little sisters were busy at play, +When a snowbird was sitting close by on a tree, +And merrily singing his chick-a-de-dee. + + 198 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +2. He had not been singing that tune very long +Ere Emily heard him, so loud was his song; +"O sister, look out of the window!" said she; +"Here's a dear little bird singing chick-a-de-dee. + + + +3. "Poor fellow! he walks in the snow and the sleet, +And has neither stockings nor shoes on his feet: +I wonder what makes him so full of his glee; +He's all the time singing his chick-a-de-dee. + +4. "If I were a barefooted snowbird, I know, +I would not stay out in the cold and the snow; +I pity him so! oh, how cold he must be! +And yet he keeps singing his chick-a-de-dee. + + THIRD READER. 199 + +5. "O mother; do get him some stockings, and shoes, +And a nice little frock, and a hat if he choose: +I wish he'd come into the parlor, and see +How warm we would make him, poor chick-a-de-dee!" + +6. The bird had flown down for some sweet crumbs of bread, +And heard every word little Emily said: +"What a figure I'd make in that dress" thought he, +And laughed as he warbled his chick-a-de-dee. + +7. "I am grateful," said he, "for the wish you express, +But have no occasion for such a fine dress; +I rather remain with my little limbs free, +Than to hobble about, singing chick-a-de-dee. + +8. "There is One, my dear child, though I can not tell who, +Has clothed me already, and warm enough, too. +Good morning! Oh, who are so happy as we?" +And away he flew, singing his chick-a-de-dee. +F. C. Woodworth. + + + + + + + + 200 ECLECTIC SERIES. + +LESSON LXXV. +MOUNTAINS. +1. The Himalayas are the highest mountains on our globe, +They are in Asia, and separate India from Thibet. They +extend in a continuous line for more than a thousand miles. +2. If you ever ascend one of these mountains from the +plain below, you will have to cross an unhealthy border, +twenty miles in width. It is, in fact, a swamp caused by the +waters overflowing the river banks. +3. The soil of this swampy border is covered with trees +and shrubs, where the tiger, the elephant, and other animals +find secure retreat. Beyond this border, you will reach +smiling valleys and noble forests. +4. As you advance onward and upward, you will get +among bolder and more rugged scenes. The sides of the +mountains are very steep, sometimes well wooded to quite a +height, but sometimes quite barren. +5. In crossing a river you must be content with three ropes +for a bridge. You will find the streets of the towns to be +simply stairs + + THIRD READER. 201 +cut out of the rock, and see the houses rising in tiers. +6. The pathways into Thibet, among these mountains, are +mere tracks by the side of + +foaming torrents. Often, as you advance, you will find every +trace of the path swept away by the failing of rocks and earth +from above. + +202 ECLECTIC SERIES. +7. Sometimes you will find posts driven into the mountain +side, upon which branches of trees and earth are spread. This +forms a trembling foothold for the traveler. +8. In the Andes, in South America, the sure-footed mule is +used to carry travelers. Quite often a chasm must be crossed +that is many feet wide and hundreds of feet deep. The mule +will leap across this chasm, but not until it is sure it can +make a safe jump. +9. "One day," says a traveler, "I went by the worst pass +over the Andes Mountains. The path for seventy yards was +very narrow, and at one point it was washed entirely away. +On one side the rock brushed my shoulder, and on the other +side my foot overhung the precipice." +10. The guide told this man, after he was safely over the +pass, that, to his knowledge, four hundred mules had fallen +over that precipice, and in many instances travelers had lost +their lives at that terrible spot. + + + THIRD READER. 203 + + + + +LESSON LXXVI. + +A CHILD'S HYMN. + +1. God make my life a little light, +Within the world to glow; +A little flame that burneth bright +Wherever I may go. + +2. God make my life a little flower, +That giveth joy to all, +Content to bloom in native bower, +Although its place be small. + +3. God make my life a little song, +That comforteth the sad; +That helpeth others to be strong, +And makes the singer glad. + +4. God make my life a little hymn +Of tenderness and praise; +Of faith--that never waxeth dim +In all His wondrous ways. + +204 ECLECTIC SERIES, + +LESSON LXXVII. +HOLDING THE FORT. +1. While Genie was walking slowly down street one day, +she heard an odd rapping on the pavement behind her. +Looking round, she saw Rob Grey hobbling on crutches. +2. "Why, what is the matter?" cried Genie. "I have n't seen +you for a week, and now you are walking in that way." +3. "I shall have to walk in this way as much as a week +longer, Genie. I sprained my ankle by stopping too quick-- +no, not too quick, either, for there was something in my +way." +"What was it?" asked Genie. +4. "One of the Commandments," replied Rob. "You +remember how that lecturer talked to us about 'holding the +fort'? Well, I thought I should like to do it; but it's a pretty +long war, you know--all a lifetime, and no vacations-- +furloughs, I think they call them." +5. "If there was nothing to fight, we should not need to be +soldiers," said Genie. +6. "Well, I thought I would try; but the + + THIRD READER. 205 +first day, when we came out of the schoolhouse, Jack Lee +snatched my books out of my hand, and threw them into the +mud. +7. "I started after him as fast as I could run. I meant to +throw him where he had + +thrown the books, when, all of a sudden, I thought of the +Commandment about returning good for evil. +8. "I stopped short--so short, that, somehow, + + 206 ECLECTIC SERIES. +my foot twisted under me. So, you see, it was one of the +commandments." +9. "If one must stumble at them, it is a good thing to fall +on the right side," said Genie, with a wise nod of her head. +10. "The whole thing puzzles me, and makes me feel-- +well, like giving it up," said Rob. "It might have served me +right when I was chasing Jack; but when I thought of the +Commandment, I really tried to do the right thing." +11. "You did do it, Rob," said Genie. "You 'held the fort' +that time. Why, do n't you see--you are only a wounded +soldier." +12. "I never thought of that," said Rob. "If I believe that +way--" He began to whistle, and limped off to school without +finishing the sentence. But Genie knew, by the way he +behaved that day, that he had made up his mind to hold the +fort. + + + THIRD READER. 207 + +LESSON LXXVIII. + +THE LITTLE PEOPLE. + +1. A dreary place would be this earth, +Were there no little people in it; +The song of life would lose its mirth, +Were there no children to begin it; + +2. No little forms, like buds to grow, +And make the admiring heart surrender; +No little hands on breast and brow, +To keep the thrilling love chords tender. + +3. The sterner souls would grow more stern, +Unfeeling nature more inhuman, +And man to utter coldness turn, +And woman would be less than woman. + +4. Life's song, indeed, would lose its charm, +Were there no babies to begin it; +A doleful place this world would be, +Were there no little people in it. + +John G. Whittier. + + + + 208 THIRD READER. + +LESSON LXXIX. + +GOOD NIGHT. + +1. The sun is hidden from our sight, +The birds are sleeping sound; +'T is time to say to all, "Good night!" +And give a kiss all round. + +2. Good night, my father, mother, dear! +Now kiss your little son; +Good night, my friends, both far and near! +Good night to every one. + +3. Good night, ye merry, merry birds! +Sleep well till morning light; +Perhaps, if you could sing in words, +You would have said, "Good night!" + +4. To all my pretty flowers, good night! +You blossom while I sleep; +And all the stars, that shine so bright, +With you their watches keep. + +5. The moon is lighting up the skies, +The stars are sparkling there; +'T is time to shut our weary eyes, +And say our evening prayer. +Mrs. Follen. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader +by William Holmes McGuffey + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MCGUFFEY'S THIRD ECLECTIC READER *** + +***** This file should be named 14766.txt or 14766.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/4/7/6/14766/ + +Produced by Don Kostuch + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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