Imatges de pàgina
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Strove, tried, endeavored, made exertions.
Flew, hastened, jumped, sprang, rushed.

Is young a primitive or derivative word? How many words can you mention that are derived from young? What word is the opposite of young? Of fast? Poor? Old? Out? Nigh? Come? Which word in this lesson contains the greatest number of letters?

The Wolf and the Kid.-A FABLE..

1. ONCE on a time when an old Goat went out to seek for some food, she shut up her young kid at home, bade him be sure to keep the door fast, and not let any one in till she came back, and then to look out and see who was there; for, Bill," said she, "if you do not mind what I say, there are some fierce rogues in the fields, who will rush in and eat you up at once."

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2. "Well, well,” said Bill; “and if you had not told me, I think I should have had the sense to take care what I did."

3. The good old Goat set out; but she had not been gone a great while, when the same rogue of a Wolf who eat up the poor Lamb, and had heard all that had been said, came and knocked at the door.

4. "Who is there?" cries Bill. "My dear," says the Wolf, who strove to talk like the old Goat, "it is I, your poor old ma."

5. On this the young kid did not look out, as he had been told to do: but drew up the latch, and so in flew the Wolf, and made an end of him in a short time..

MORAL.

6. We should not fail to pay as much heed as we can to what is said to us by those who know more than we do, what is for our good; for if we do not mind them, but make light of what they say, we shall be sure to smart for it.

What would have happened, if the young goat had obeyed his mother? If all children obeyed their parents and teachers, what would be the consequence?

LESSON 3.

DEFINITIONS.

Pledge, something given for security, a pawn.

Dams, mothers, female parents.
Strange, uncommon, wonderful.

Plague, trouble, injure, tease.

What kind of word is Wolves? Said? Made? Broke? From what is broke derived? What word is the opposite of bind? Short? Stronger? Out? Sweet? Brutes? Lost? Killed? Cheats? To what class do the words in this leson belong? What is the meaning of monosyllable?

The Wolves and the Sheep.-A FABLE.

1. ONCE in old times, the Wolves and the Sheep had been in a state of war; as, to be sure, they are to this day. But at last the Wolves said they would be glad to make peace, if some pledge was given on each side to bind it fast.

2. So the Sheep were to give up their Dogs, and the Wolves were to give up their young ones; but in a short time the young Wolves made a strange noise, as well they might, for want of their Dams. On this the old ones, in great haste, cried out, that the Sheep had broke the peace.

3. "Poor sweet babes," said they, "how those vile brutes scratch them, and bite them, and plague them!" and with that they fell on the Sheep (as they had now lost their Dogs,) and soon killed most of them.

MORAL.

4. We should not, in any case, trust men who are known to be thieves or cheats.

By whom are dogs employed in taking care of sheep?

Have we any shepherds in this country? Did the sheep act wisely in giving up the dogs which guarded them? Did the Wolves believe that the Sheep were hurting their young ones?

LESSON 4.

DEFINITIONS.

Wicked, vicious, bad, sinful.
Found, saw, discovered, perceived.
Earnest, in sincerity, in truth, reality.

Is help a primitive or derivative word? How many words can you mention that are derived from help? How many derivative words in the first verse? What is the opposite of Come? Of laughed? Loud? True? Up? Which word in this lesson do you think is most difficult to spell?

The Lying Boy.—A FABLE.

1. A WICKED young boy, who kept sheep, took great pains to make fools of all the poor folks who were at work near him in the fields. "Help! help!" he cried. "O pray come and help me; the Wolf will kill my poor sheep! Oh, the Wolf! the Wolf!"

2. But as soon as the good folks came up, and found that no Wolf was there, the Boy laughed at them, and called them all the fools he could think of; and this he did many times.

3. But at last the Wolf did come in a great rage, and the young rogue then cried out for help in earnest, as loud as he could.

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4. The people, it is true, all heard him; but as he had put the cheat on them so often, not one would come near him: so the Wolf killed first this sheep, and then that; and as the Boy went to beat him off, he flew on him too, and tore him limb from limb.

MORAL.

5. When a Boy or a Girl is once known to tell lies, no one will trust them though they should speak the truth.

Was this boy unjustly punished for his wickedness? What was the difference between the number of Wolves and Sheep that Noah received into the ark?-(See Genesis Chap. 7, verse 2.)

LESSON 5.

DEFINITIONS.

Fright-ened, terrified, scared, alarmed.
Dread-ful, awful, terrible, frightful.
Flapped, to strike, to make a noise.
De-múre, modest, humble, sober, downcast.

What kind of a word is frightened? From what is it derived? How many words can you mention that are derived from fright? What word is the opposite of love? Long? Narrow? Horrid? Which word in this lesson contains the greatest number of syllables? To what class of words does it belong?

The Young Mouse.—A. FABLE.

1. A SILLY young Mouse, who had seen but little of the world, came running one day to his mother in great haste; "Oh Mother" said he; "I am frightened almost to death! I have seen the most dreadful creature that ever

was.

2. He has a fierce look, and struts about on two legs; on his head grows a strange piece of flesh, and another under his throat, as red as blood.

3. He flapped his arms against his sides in a great rage, and then stretching out his head, he screamed at me with such a shrill and frightful voice, that I trem

bled in every joint, and was glad to run away as fast as I could.

4. If I had not been scared as I was by this ugly monster, I should have paid my respects to the sweetest creature in the world. She had a nice fur skin on her back, finely streaked with black and grey; and her looks so modest and so humble, that I thought in my heart I could have fallen in love with her.

5. Besides this, the dear creature had a fine long tail, which she tossed about with such an air, and with a look so very earnest, and so wishful, that I believe she was just going to speak to me, if that horrid monster had not scared me away."

6. "Ah! my dear child," said the mother, "you have, indeed, had a narrow escape; but not from that horrid monster you were so much afraid of, which in truth was only a harmless fowl, and would have done you no manner of harm.

7. But from that dear sweet creature, of whom you are so fond, you have had a narrow escape, which was no other than the dreadful CAT; who looks, it is true, gentle and demure enough but with no other view than to feast herself on the flesh of mice.

MORAL.

We must not judge of a person's merit from his looks, for a handsome outside sometimes covers a wicked heart.

Beneath a fair alluring guise,

A hidden danger often lies.

In what respects do a bird and a cat resemble each other? In what respects do they differ? In what respects do a cat and a mouse resemble cach other? Which is most useful to us, a dog or a cat? Why?

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