"Fair sir," said the wise man, "answer me this question: If, instead of being a boy, it had pleased God that you should be a bird, what kind of bird would you rather be?"

"Because the starling is good-mannered and kind, and a joy to every one who sees it. It is saving of what belongs to it, and never robs its neighbor.'

Then the wise men talked with one another for a little while. They talked of the answers which the three princes had given, and of the manner in which each had spoken. When they had agreed among themselves, they spoke to the king.

"Sir," they said, "we have talked with your sons, and we have learned what will be the destiny of each. Your eldest son, Robert, will be bold and gallant, and thoughtless of every one but himself. He will do some great deeds; but in the end his foes will overcome him and he will die in prison.

"The second son, William, will be as brave and strong as the eagle; but he will be feared and hated for his cruel deeds. He will live a selfish, wicked life, and will die a shameful death.

"The youngest son, Henry, will be prudent and peaceful. He will make war only when forced to do

SO.

He will be loved at home and respected abroad. He will gain much wealth and die in peace."

Years passed, and the three boys had grown to be men. King William lay upon his deathbed, and again he thought of what his sons would do when he was gone. He remembered what the wise men had told him, but he did not believe it to be true. So he declared that Robert should have the lands which he held in France, that William Rufus should be king of England, and that Henry should have no land at all, but only a chest full of gold.

Nevertheless, in the end things happened very much as the wise men had foretold.

Robert was bold and reckless, like the hawk which he so much admired. He lost all the lands that his father had left him, and was at last shut up in a dungeon and kept there till he died.

William was so overbearing and cruel that all his people feared and hated him. He lived a wicked life, and was killed while hunting in the forest.

Henry had not only a chest of gold, but he became in time the king of England, and the ruler of all the lands his father had held in France.

WORD STUDY: Learn to spell and pronounce: Conqueror, Rufus, Beauclerc (bo'klärk), favorite.

THANKSGIVING AT THE FARM

The apples were all gathered; the yellow pumpkins had been brought in from the field; the corn had been husked. There had been an abundant harvest, and everybody was happy. The six children who were visiting at the farm were full of glee, for Thanksgiving Day was near at hand.

What a bustle there was in the kitchen! And, oh, the pies and cakes and other good things that Aunt Mary was baking for the great feast! Everybody was busy. The little girls helped with the milk and butter,

they sorted the cranberries, they put the dishes in order. The boys brought in the wood to feed the fire under the big oven; they washed the potatoes, they cracked the nuts, they ran on errands.

When there was nothing else for the children to do, they sat on the kitchen steps and snuffed the sweet odors with which the air was filled. And when, at last, the day itself came, their appetites were so sharpened that they could hardly wait for the dinner hour. "I wonder if the Pilgrims were as hungry on Thanksgiving morning as we are," said Ned.

“The Pilgrims? Who are they?" asked Tommy, whose knowledge of history was very slight.

"Why, they were the people who first thought of Thanksgiving," said Dorothy. "They were so happy that they invited the Indians to eat dinner with them, and they gave thanks for three days."

"Whoo-ee! I wish I had been there," said Tommy. At last the dinner bell tinkled, and the six children took their places quietly around the table.

"Just look at that turkey!" whispered Henry, as they sat impatiently waiting for Uncle John to do the carving. "Did you ever see so fine a bird?"

"And see the pies!" said Rose. "I never knew they had so many different kinds of pie - apple, and mince, and pumpkin, and-"

"And huckleberry, and custard!" interrupted Tommy. 'Well, I picked the huckleberries," said Ned.

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"And I pared the apples," said Rose.

"And I fed the turkey," said Henry. "That's why he is so fat."

"Children," said Uncle John, as he finished serving the plates, "do you know what is the best way to have a good time on Thanksgiving Day?"

"Oh, yes!" cried Ned. "It's to eat a good dinner!"

"I think that the best way to have a good time is to help somebody else," said Bessie, speaking now for the first time.

"Let's hear about it, Bessie," said Aunt Mary; and all the others echoed, "Let's hear about it!"

Then, while the boys and girls were doing ample justice to the turkey and the cranberries, Bessie in a clear, sweet voice recited the following poem:

A GOOD TIME

Said good Grandfather Gay,

"On a Thanksgiving day,

If you want a good time, give something away."

So he sent a fat turkey to shoemaker Price,

And the shoemaker said, "What a big bird! How nice!

And with such a good dinner I ought

To give Widow Lee the small chicken I bought."

FOURTH READER- -6