McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader

Part 6

10. "'Pray, do not frighten my horse!' exclaimed the infirm driver. 'Turn out, then! turn out!' was the answer, which was followed by repeated cracks and blows from the long whip of the 'grand sleigh,' with showers of snowballs, and three tremendous hurrahs from the boys.

11. "The terror of the old man and his horse was increased, and the latter ran away with him, to the great danger of his life. He contrived, however, to stop his horse just in season to prevent his being dashed against a loaded wagon. A short distance brought him to the house of his son. That son, boys, is your instructor, and that 'old fellow,' was your teacher's father!"

12. When the boys perceived how rude and unkind their conduct appeared from another point of view, they were very much ashamed of their thoughtlessness, and most of them had the manliness to apologize to their teacher for what they had done.

DEFINITIONS.-l. Pop'u-lous, full of inhabitants. 2. Ex-cur'-sion, a pleasure trip. In'ci-dents, things that happen, events. 5. War'rant, to declare with assurance. 6. Cap-sized', upset. 7. Ven'er-a-ble, deserving of honor and respect. 8. Blunt'ed, dulled.

EXERCISES.--Repeat the boys' story of the sleigh ride. The teacher's story. Were the boys ill-natured or only thoughtless? Is thoughtlessness any excuse for rudeness or unkindness?

XX. FREAKS OF THE FROST. (63)

By Hannah Flagg Gould, who was born at Lancaster, Vermont, in 1789. She published several volumes of poems (one for children) and one collection of prose articles, entitled "Gathered Leaves." She died in 1865.

1. The Frost looked forth one still, clear night, And whispered, "Now I shall be out of sight; So through the valley and over the height In silence I'll take my way; I will not go on, like that blustering train, The wind and the snow, the hail and the rain, Who make so much bustle and noise in vain, But I'll be as busy as they."

2. Then he flew to the mountain, and powdered its crest; He lit on the trees, and their boughs he dressed In diamond beads; and over the breast Of the quivering lake, he spread A coat of mail, that it need not fear The downward point of many a spear, That he hung on its margin, far and near, Where a rock could rear its head.

3. He went to the windows of those who slept, And over each pane, like a fairy, crept; Wherever he breathed, wherever he stepped, By the light of the morn were seen Most beautiful things; there were flowers and trees; There were bevies of birds, and swarms of bees; There were cities with temples and towers, and these All pictured in silver sheen.

4. But he did one thing that was hardly fair; He peeped in the cupboard, and, finding there That all had forgotten for him to prepare, "Now just to set them a-thinking, I'll bite this basket of fruit," said he, "This costly pitcher I'll burst in three; And the glass of water they've left for me Shall 'tchick!' to tell them I'm drinking."

DEFINITIONS.--l. Blus'ter-ing, being noisy and loud. Bus'tle, stir. 2. Crest, the top. Quiv'er-ing, trembling, shaking. Mar'gin, edge, border. 3. Bev'ies, flocks. Pic'tured, painted. Sheen, brightness, splendor of appearance.

EXERCISES.--What did the frost say? What did he do to the mountain? The trees? The lake? What is a "coat of mail"? What did he do to the window? The pitcher?

XXI. WASTE NOT, WANT NOT. (64)

1. Mr. Jones. Boys, if you have nothing to do, will you unpack these parcels for me?

2. The two parcels were exactly alike, both of them well tied up with good whipcord. Ben took his parcel to the table, and began to examine the knot, and then to untie it.

3. John took the other parcel, and tried first at one corner, and then at the other, to pull off the string. But the cord had been too well secured, and he only drew the knots tighter.

4. John. I wish these people would not tie up their parcels so tightly, as if they were never to be undone. Why, Ben, how did you get yours undone? What is in your parcel? I wonder what is in mine! I wish I could get the string off. I will cut it.

5. Ben. Oh, no, do not cut it, John! Look, what a nice cord this is, and yours is the same. It is a pity to cut it.

6. John. Pooh! what signifies a bit of pack thread?

7. Ben. It is whipcord.

8. John. Well, whipcord then! what signifies a bit of whipcord? You can get a piece of whipcord twice as long as that for three cents; and who cares for three cents? Not I, for one. So, here it goes.

9. So he took out his knife, and cut it in several places.

10. Mr. Jones. Well, my boys, have you undone the parcels for me?

11. John. Yes, sir; here is the parcel.

12. Ben. And here is my parcel, father, and here is also the string.

13. Mr. Jones. You may keep the string, Ben.

14. Ben. Thank you, sir. What excellent whipcord it is!

15. Mr. Jones. And you, John, may keep your string, too, if it will be of any use to you.

16. John. It will be of no use to me, thank you, sir.

17. Mr. Jones. No, I am afraid not, if this is it.

18. A few weeks after this, Mr. Jones gave each of his sons a new top.

19. John. How is this, Ben? These tops have no strings. What shall we do for strings?

20. Ben. I have a string that will do very well for mine. And he pulled it out of his pocket.

21. John. Why, if that is not the whipcord! I wish I had saved mine.

22. A few days afterward, there was a shooting match, with bows and arrows, among the lads. The prize was a fine bow and arrows, to be given to the best marksman. "Come, come," said Master Sharp, "I am within one inch of the mark. I should like to see who will go nearer."

23. John drew his bow, and shot. The arrow struck within a quarter of an inch of Master Sharp's. "Shoot away," said Sharp; "but you must understand the rules. We settled them before you came. You are to have three shots with your own arrows. Nobody is to borrow or lend. So shoot away."

24. John seized his second arrow; "If I have any luck," said he;--but just as he pronounced the word "luck," the string broke, and the arrow fell from his hands.

25. Master Sharp. There! It is all over with you.

26. Ben. Here is my bow for him, and welcome.

27. Master Sharp. No, no, sir; that is not fair. Did you not hear the rules? There is to be no lending.

28. It was now Ben's turn to make his trial. His first arrow missed the mark; the second was exactly as near as John's first. Before venturing the last arrow, Ben very prudently examined the string of his bow; and, as he pulled it to try its strength, it snapped.

29. Master Sharp clapped his hands and danced for joy. But his dancing suddenly ceased, when careful Ben drew out of his pocket an excellent piece of cord, and began to tie it to the bow.

30. "The everlasting whipcord, I declare!" cried John. "Yes," said Ben, "I put it in my pocket today, because I thought I might want it."

31. Ben's last arrow won the prize; and when the bow and arrows were handed to him, John said, "How valuable that whipcord has been to you, Ben. I'll take care how I waste anything hereafter."

DEFINITIONS,--2. Ex-am'ine, to look at carefully. 6. Sig'ni--fies, to be important. 22. Marks'man, one who shoots well. 28. Pru'dent-ly, with proper caution. 29. Ceased, stopped. 30. Ev--er-last'ing, lasting always.

EXERCISES.--What is this lesson designed to teach? Which of the boys preserved his whipcord? What good did it do him? What did the other boy do with his? What was the consequence? What did he learn from it?

XXII. JEANNETTE AND JO. (67)

By Mary Mapes Dodge, who was born in New York City in 1838. She is the editor of the "St. Nicholas" magazine, and has written many stories for children.

1. Two girls I know--Jeannette and Jo, And one is always moping; The other lassie, come what may, Is ever bravely hoping.

2. Beauty of face and girlish grace Are theirs, for joy or sorrow; Jeannette takes brightly every day, And Jo dreads each to-morrow.

3. One early morn they watched the dawn-- I saw them stand together; Their whole day's sport, 't was very plain, Depended on the weather.

4. "'T will storm!" cried Jo. Jeannette spoke low; "Yes, but 't will soon be over." And, as she spoke, the sudden shower Came, beating down the clover.

5. "I told you so!" cried angry Jo: "It always is a-raining!" Then hid her face in dire despair, Lamenting and complaining.

6. But sweet Jeannette, quite hopeful yet,-- I tell it to her honor,-- Looked up and waited till the sun Came streaming in upon her.

7. The broken clouds sailed off in crowds, Across a sea of glory. Jeannette and Jo ran, laughing, in-- Which ends my simple story.

8. Joy is divine. Come storm, come shine, The hopeful are the gladdest; And doubt and dread, children, believe Of all things are the saddest.

9. In morning's light, let youth be bright; Take in the sunshine tender; Then, at the close, shall life's decline Be full of sunset splendor.

10. And ye who fret, try, like Jeannette, To shun all weak complaining; And not, like Jo, cry out too soon-- "It always is a-raining!"

XXIII. THE LION. (69)

1. The lion is often called the "king of beasts," His height varies from three to four feet, and he is from six to nine feet long. His coat is of it yellowish brown or tawny color, and about his neck is a great shaggy mane which gives his head a majestic appearance.

2. The strength of the lion is so great that he can easily crush the skulls of such animals as the horse or ox with one blow of his paw. No one who has not seen the teeth of a full grown lion taken out of their sockets can have any idea of their real size; one of them forms a good handful, and might easily be mistaken for a small elephant's tooth.

3. The home of the lion is in the forests of Asia and Africa, where he is a terror to man and beast. He generally lies concealed during the day, but as darkness comes on he prowls about where other animals are accustomed to go for food or drink, and springs upon them unawares, with a roar that sounds like the rumble of thunder.

4. The lion sometimes lives to a great age. One by the name of Pompey died at London, in the year 1760, at the age of seventy years. If taken when young the lion can be tamed, and will even show marks of kindness to his keeper.

5. In a menagerie at Brussels, there was a cell where a large lion, called Danco, used to be kept. The cell happened to be in need of repair, and the keeper, whose name was William, desired a carpenter to come and mend it. The carpenter came, but was so afraid of the lion, that he would not go near the cell alone.

6. So William entered the cell, and led the lion to the upper part of it, while the other part was refitting. He played with the lion for some time; but, at last, being wearied, both he and the lion fell asleep. The carpenter went on with his work, and when he had finished he called out for William to come and see it.

7. He called again and again, but no William answered. The poor carpenter began to be frightened, lest the lion had made his dinner of the keeper, or else crushed him with his great paws. He crept round to the upper part of the cell, and there, looking through the railing, he saw the lion and William sleeping side by side as contentedly as two little brothers.

8. He was so astonished that he uttered a loud cry. The lion, awakened by the noise, stared at the carpenter with an eye of fury, and then placing his paw on the breast of his keeper, as if to say, "Touch him if you dare," the heroic beast lay down to sleep again. The carpenter was dreadfully alarmed, and, not knowing how he could rouse William, he ran out and related what he had seen.

9. Some people came, and, opening the door of the cell, Contrived to awaken the keeper, who, rubbing his eyes, quietly looked around him, and expressed himself very well satisfied with his nap. He took the lion's paw, shook it kindly, and then retired uninjured from the cell.

DEFINITIONS.--l. Ma-jes'tic, royal, noble. 3. Prowls, wanders in search of prey. Un-a-wares', unexpectedly. Rum'ble, a low heavy sound. 5. Men-ag'er-ie, a collection of wild animals. 6. Re-fit'ting, repairing. 8. He-ro'-ic, bold.

EXERCISES.--Describe the lion's appearance. What is said of his strength? His teeth? Describe the lion's home and habits. To what age do lions live? Can they be tamed? Relate the story about the lion Danco.

XXIV. STRAWBERRIES. (71)

By John Townsend Trowbridge, who was born at Ogden, N. Y., in 1827. He is a well-known author, and has written much for children both in poetry and prose.

1. Little Pearl Honeydew, six years old, From her bright ear parted the curls of gold; And laid her head on the strawberry bed, To hear what the red-cheeked berries said.

2. Their cheeks were blushing, their breath was sweet, She could almost hear their little hearts beat; And the tiniest, lisping, whispering sound That ever you heard, came up from the ground.

3. "Little friends," she said, "I wish I knew How it is you thrive on sun and dew!" And this is the story the berries told To little Pearl Honeydew, six years old.

4. "You wish you knew? And so do we. But we can't tell you, unless it be That the same Kind Power that cares for you Takes care of poor little berries, too.

5. "Tucked up snugly, and nestled below Our coverlid of wind-woven snow, We peep and listen, all winter long, For the first spring day and the bluebird's song.

6. "When the swallows fly home to the old brown shed, And the robins build on the bough overhead, Then out from the mold, from the darkness and cold, Blossom and runner and leaf unfold.

7. "Good children, then, if they come near, And hearken a good long while, may hear A wonderful tramping of little feet,-- So fast we grow in the summer heat.

8. "Our clocks are the flowers; and they count the hours Till we can mellow in suns and showers, With warmth of the west wind and heat of the south, A ripe red berry for a ripe red month.

9. "Apple blooms whiten, and peach blooms fall, And roses are gay by the garden wall, Ere the daisy's dial gives the sign That we may invite little Pearl to dine.