*** 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

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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.

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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.

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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?



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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."

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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.

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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.

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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?"

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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

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