Imatges de pàgina
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Father. I must confess, I have brought with me something far more curious and valuable than any of these little gifts which you have received. It is too good to present to you, but I will give you a description of it, and then you may be allowed to inspect it.

This small instrument displays the most perfect ingenuity and beauty of workmanship: from its extreme delicacy, it is so liable to injury, that a sort of light curtain, adorned with a beautiful fringe, is always provided, and so placed, as to fall on the approach of the slightest danger.

By a slight movement, the person it belongs to, can ascertain with considerable accuracy, the size, color, and shape of any article whatever. The owner is thus saved from the necessity of asking a thousand questions, and trying a variety of experiments which would otherwise be necessary.

George. If they are such useful things, I wonder that every body, who can at all afford it, does not have one. F. They are not so uncommon as you may suppose; I myself happen to know several individuals who are possessed of one or two of them.

Charles. How large is it, Father; could I hold it in my hand.

F. You could-but I should be sorry to trust mine with you! You will be surprised to hear that this little instrument can be darted to a great distance, without any injury, or the least danger of losing it.

C. Well, I cannot understand you at all; but do tell us, father, what it is chiefly used for.

F. It has been found very serviceable in deciphering old manuscripts, and indeed is not without its use in modern prints. It will assist us in acquiring all sorts of knowledge, and without it, some of the most sublime parts of creation would have been matters of mere conjecture. It is of a very penetrating quality, and can sometimes discover secrets which could be detected by no other means; it must be owned, however, it is equally prone to reveal them

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C. What, can it speak then?

F. It is sometimes said to do so, especially when it meets one of its own species.

George. What color are they?

F. They vary considerably in this respect; mine, I believe, is of a darkish color, but, to confess the truth, I never saw it in my life.

G. "Never saw it!" but why don't you look at it? F. I should be in great danger of losing it, if I did; and in that case, I could not obtain another, as nobody would be willing to part with such a thing.

G. Then how did you get this one, father?

F. I am so fortunate as to have more than one; but how I got them I really cannot recollect.

C. But, father, you said you brought them from London to-night.

F. So I did: I should be sorry if I had left them behind me.

C. and G. Do, father, tell us the name of this curious instrument.

F. It is called an EYE.

it.

LESSON 37.

DEFINITIONS.

Per-súa-ded, induced, made willing, convinced.
As-sás-sin, one who kills by surprise or secretly.
In-stant-ly, quickly, immediately, at the moment.
Sus-pí-cion, the act of suspecting, a belief that he had done

What kind of word is Par-is? Bón-dy? Directly? Digging? What word is the opposite of forest? Followed? Directly? Believed? Leaving? How many trisyllables in this lesson? Polysyllables?

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The Dog and the Assassin.-J. SCALIGER.

1. MANY years ago, a French gentleman of distinction, travelling alone through the forest of Bon'-dy, in France, was murdered and buried under a tree. His dog, an English blood-hound, went to. the house of a friend of his master in Par'-is, and by howling, looking towards the door, and pulling at his coat, made him understand that he wished to be followed.

2. Having persuaded the man to go with him, he led the way directly to the tree, under which he began to scratch the earth and to howl most piteously. On diging the spot, the body of the murdered man was found.

3. A long time after this, the dog met the assassin in the midst of a crowd, and instantly seizing him by the throat, would have killed him had not others come to his assistance. He was kind to every person, but this man; whenever he saw him he always attacked him with the greatest fury, and was several times near killing him.

4. This excited suspicion;-and the king, Louis the Eighth, having himself been a witness of the fact, determined that the case should be decided by a battle be

tween the man and the dog. In those days, they did not have trials by "judge and jury," as we have now, but decided causes by single combat, for at that time, it was believed that God would always protect the innocent, and punish the guilty, and that therefore, it would be leaving the case to the judgement of Heaven.

5. The place appointed for the combat, was a large field, where the king and his nobles could see it. The man had a club to defend himself with, and the dog was allowed an empty barrel with one head out, into which he could run when he became tired.

6. Every thing being ready the dog was untied, and in a moment he tried to seize his enemy. But the man for a while kept him off with his club, the dog at the same time avoiding his blows by jumping away when he was about to strike.

7. After sometime, the guilty man grew weary, and could defend himself no longer, and the dog springing forward seized him by the throat, and threw him on the ground.

8. The man now confessed in the presence of the king and his nobles, that he had killed the dog's master, and buried him under the tree, where his body was found. Soon after, this cruel and wicked man suffered the punishment due to the awful crime of murder.

LESSON 38.

DEFINITIONS.

Re-túrn-ing, coming back, or going back.

Ob-strúct-ed, stopped, interrupted, blocked up.
Fer-ried, carried over water in a boat.

Hab-i-tá-tion, a place to live in, a house, dwelling.
Hós-pi-ta-ble, kind to strangers without reward.
Tráv-el-ler, a person on a journey.

What kind of word is returning? Overtaken? What is the opposite of water? Western? Hospitable? Followed?

Poor? Even? Ill-looking? How many polysyllables in this lesson? Trisyllables? Dissyllables?

The Man who was Hospitable.

1. "As I was returning from one of the Western States," says Judge Hall, "I was overtaken by the night, and found my path obstructed by a river. Seeing a house on the opposite side, I called for help.”

2. "A half naked, dirty, ill-looking fellow came down, and with some trouble ferried me over. I followed him to his habitation. It was a cabin of the meanest kind, being made of logs, and had but one room. There were seven or eight persons in the family, and every thing looked as if they were very poor."

3. "After drinking a bowl of milk, which I merely called for by way of excuse for paying him a little more for his trouble, I asked him what was his price for ferrying me over the river; to which he pleasantly replied, that he never took money for helping a traveller on his way."

4. "Then let me pay you for your milk," said I, “I never sell milk,” replied he. "But" said I, urging him, "I would much rather pay you; I have money enough," "Well," said he; "I have milk enough; so we are even. I have as good a right to give you milk, as you have to give me money."

Do you know which the Western States are? Would you have done as the man did in refusing pay? Would the man have been hospitable if he had asked a great price for helping the judge? Did you ever read of any other man who was hospitable?

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Night-in-gale, a small bird that sings in the night.
Gold-finch, a bird so called from the color of its wings.

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