40

WELCOME, LITTLE ROBIN.

bus seron pit oled llaw bluow

WELCOME, LITTLE ROBIN.

On a cold winter day a poor little robin once came to a window. Some children who saw it opened the window very gently, and the robin came hopping into the room. The children fed it with crumbs, and then let it fly away again. During the winter it came back several times to its little friends; but when the warm weather came, it flew away to the woods.

WELCOME, little Robin.

With the scarlet breast!

In this winter weather

Cold must be your nest.
Hopping o'er the carpet,
Picking up the crumbs,
Robin knows the children

Love him when he comes.

WELCOME, LITTLE ROBIN. Is the story true, Robin, You were once so good To the little orphans

Sleeping in the wood? Did you see them lying,

Pale, and cold, and still, And strew leaves above them With your little bill?

Whether true or not, Robin,
We are glad to see
How you trust us children,
Walking in so free.
Hopping o'er the carpet,
Picking up the crumbs,
Robin knows the children
Love him when he comes.

And though little Robin
Has no gift of speech,

Yet he can a lesson

To the children teach ;Still to trust that blessings Will be richly given,

When they ask their Father

For their bread from heaven.

41

"HOP, hop, hop!" shouted little Henry, as he was playing in a field near a wood,

Hop, hop, hop!" came an echo in reply. "Who is there?" asked Henry in surprise, for he had never heard an echo before.

"Who is there?" replied the echo. "Foolish fellow!" cried Henry at the top of his voice.

"Foolish fellow!" was the reply from the wood.

At this, Henry got very angry, and called out many ugly names. The voice from the wood repeated every word.

Now when Henry could not see who it was that was speaking from the wood, he ran away home and told his father that a boy hid in the wood had called him bad names !

"Ah, Henry!" said his father, "you have heard nothing but the echo of your own words. The bad names came first from your own lips. Had you used kind and gentle words, you would have had kind and gentle. words in return. Remember that kind words bring back kind echoes."

WHO taught the bird to build her nest
Of softest wool, and hay, and moss?
Who taught her how to weave it best,
And lay the tiny twigs across?

Who taught the busy bee to fly
Amongst the sweetest herbs and flowers,
And lay her store of honey by,
Providing food for winter hours?

Who taught the little ant the way
Her narrow cell so well to bore,
And through the pleasant summer day
To gather up her winter store ?—

"Twas God who taught them all the way,
And gave these little creatures skill;
And teaches children when they pray,
To know and do His heavenly will.

"WHY do you stand staring at me in that way? Do you not know who I am?

"You don't? Well, then, I shall tell you. I am a white owl.

"Oh! you thought I was a cat, did you? Did you ever see a cat with a pair of wings and only two feet!