5 10 24 THE SCHOOL “LITTLE girl, where do you go to school, And when do you go, little girl? Over the grass, from dawn to dark, Your feet are in a whirl : You and the cat jump here and there, You and the robins sing; But what do you do in the spelling book? Thus the little girl answered, Only stopping to cling To my finger a minute, As a bird on the wing Catches a twig of sumach, And stops to twitter and swing, – "When the daisies' eyes are a-twinkle And the kiss of the wind is cool; 5 10 15 When morning's breath blows out the stars, Then do I go to school!". "My school roof is the dappled sky; Afloat in the dewy air. Kind Nature is the Madame; Thus the little girl answered, In her musical outdoor tone: I was a man full grown; But the next time that she goes to school, - FITZ-HUGH LUDLOW. su'mach, a bush that bears red berries; dap'pled, spotted; mu'si cal, sweet sounding, like music; glen, a deep valley; eaves, the lower edges of a roof; dog's-eared, worn and frayed, like the edges of a much used book. Who says the first stanza? What question does he ask? Do you think the little girl would learn much in such a school? Who was the teacher? Tell some of the things that you would learn in such a school. Read the line that tells that the man would like to go with her. Why did he wish to go? 25 THE TIGER AND THE SHADOW THERE was a "salt-lick" in the jungle to which all the beasts of the forest resorted, but they were greatly afraid because of an old tiger which killed one of them every day. At length, therefore, Plando the Mouse deer said 5 to the tiger, "Why not permit me to bring you a beast every day, to save you from hunting for your food?" The tiger agreed, and Plando went off to make arrangements with the beasts. But he could not persuade any of them to go, and after three days he set off, taking nobody with him but Kuwis, the smallest of Flying Squirrels. 10 On their arrival Plando said to the tiger, "I could not bring you any of the other beasts 15 because the way was blocked by an old fat tiger with a Flying Squirrel sitting astride its muzzle." On hearing this the tiger exclaimed, “Let us go and find it and drive it away." The three therefore set out, the Flying Squirrel 20 perched upon the tiger's muzzle and the Mouse On deer sitting astride upon its hind quarters. reaching the river, the Mouse deer pointed to the tiger's likeness in the water and exclaimed: "Look there! That is the fat old tiger that I saw." 5 On hearing this, the tiger sprang into the river to attack his own shadow, and was drowned. -SKEAT'S Fables and Folk-Tales from an Eastern Forest. salt-lick, a place where animals go to lick the earth for the salt in it; Plan'do; Squir'rel; Ku'wis; a stride', with the legs one on each side; muz'zle, the nose and mouth of an animal; at tack', to fight; re sort'ed, went frequently; per mit', allow; ar riv'al. 1. A tiger was caught. 2. Tigers were caught. 3. A squirrel was shot. 4. Squirrels were shot. Is "was " used when we speak of one tiger or of more than one? Is "were "used with one or more than one? Why is 66 was" used in the third sentence and "were " in the fourth? Fill the blanks in the following sentences with "was or There ——a salt-lick in the jungle. The beasts afraid to come to it. An old tiger—always on the watch for them. The mouse deer very smart. Flying squirrels very small. A flying squirrel — perched upon the tiger's muzzle. THE ASS IN THE LION'S SKIN All AN Ass once found a Lion's skin which the hunters had left out in the sun to dry. He put it on and went toward his native village. fled at his approach, both men and animals, and he was a proud Ass that day. In his delight he 5 lifted up his voice and brayed, but then every one knew him, and his owner came up and gave him a sound cudgeling for the fright he had caused. And shortly afterward a Fox came up to him and said, "Ah, I knew you by your voice." Fine clothes may disguise, but silly words will disclose a fool. - Esop's Fables. 10 |