22

In the city lived Martin Avdyeitch, a shoemaker. He lived in a basement, in a little room with one window. Through the window he used to watch the people passing by; although only their feet could be seen, yet by the boots Martin Avdyeitch recognized their owners. Few pairs of boots in this district had not been in his hands several times. Some he would half-sole, some he would patch, some he would stitch around, and occasionally he would also put on new uppers. And through the window he quite often recognized his work. Avdyeitch had plenty to do, because he was a faithful workman, used good material, did not make exorbitant charges, and kept his word. If he could finish an order by a certain time, he accepted it; if not, he did not deceive you-he told you so beforehand. And all knew Avdyeitch, and he was never out of work. LYOFF TOLSTOI: Where Love Is [abridged].

The old shoemaker, seeing that your boots are made in America, invites you to take a seat in his shop and talks to you of Russia. Write his description of it, using from memory not fewer than eight of the words above.

But Europe held forth all the charms of storied and poetical association. There were to be seen the masterpieces of art, the refinements of highly cultured society, the quaint peculiarity of ancient and local custom. My native country was full of youthful promise; Europe was rich in the accumulated treasures of age. Her very ruins told the history of times gone by, and every mouldering stone was a chronicle. I longed to wander o'er the scenes of renowned achievement, to tread, as it were, in the footsteps of antiquity; to loiter about the ruined castle; to meditate on the falling tower, to escape, in short, from the commonplace realities of the present, and lose myself among the shadowy grandeurs of the past.

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- WASHINGTON IRVING: The Sketch Book.

24

SONG: ON MAY MORNING

Now the bright morning star, day's harbinger,
Comes dancing from the east, and leads with her
The flowery May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip, and the pale primrose.
Hail, bounteous May, that doth inspire
Mirth and youth and warm desire!
Woods and groves are of thy dressing,
Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing,
Thus we salute thee with our early song,
And welcome thee, and wish thee long.

Oh, the strawberry days! how vividly they come back to me ! The smell of the clover in the fields, of blooming rye on the hills, of the wild grape beside the woods, and of the sweet honeysuckle above the house. The first hot, moist days. The daisies and the buttercups; the songs of the birds, their first reckless jollity and lovemaking over; the full tender foliage of the trees; the bees swarming, and the air strung with resonant musical chords; the time of the sweetest and most succulent grass. Indeed, the strawberry belongs to the juiciest time of the year.

- JOHN BURROUGHS: The Strawberry [abridged].

Well had the boding tremblers learned to trace
The day's disasters in his morning face;
Full well they laughed with counterfeited glee
At all his jokes, for many a joke had he;
Full well the busy whisper circling round,
Conveyed the dismal tidings when he frowned.
Yet he was kind, or, if severe in aught,
The love he bore to learning was in fault;
The village all declared how much he knew -
"Twas certain he could write and cipher too;
Lands he could measure, terms and tides presage,
And even the story ran that he could gauge;
In arguing, too, the parson owned his skill,
For even though vanquished, he could argue still;
While words of learned length and thundering sound
Amazed the gazing rustics ranged around,

And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew
That one small head could carry all he knew.

OLIVER GOLDSMITH: The Deserted Village.

The idea of chivalry is the basis of the social life of modern times. How vital and fundamental it is may be inferred from the large number of words that it has given to our common speech. A whole family of words clusters about this parent word chivalry, and you will be interested in tracing their relationship in your dictionary.

NOTE: Read the Preface and the Suggestions to Teachers.