Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Master. Why did you beat Polly? It is like a sneak to beat a lit-tle girl.

Tom. She called me names, and so I hit her. Polly. He began be-cause I had on an old bon-net, and he said I should wear a hat, and he threw my bon-net over the wall, so I said he was a thief.

Master. You should not have said that, but have come to me, and I would have made him pay for your bon-net; and now I hope he will beg your par-don, and tell you he is sor-ry for hav-ing been so rude to a little girl.

[blocks in formation]

АH! there it lies !-and now it's dead;

The shot went through its pretty head,
And broke its shining wing.

How dull and dim its closing eyes!
How cold and stiff, and still it lies,
Poor harmless little thing!

How little thought its pretty breast
This morning, when it left its nest
Hid in the springing corn,

To find some breakfast for its young,
And pipe away its morning song,
It never should return !

Poor little bird! If people knew
The sorrows little birds go through,
I think not even boys

Would ever call it sport and fun
To stand and fire a frightful gun
For nothing but the noise.

TOO LATE AT SCHOOL.

Governess. Kate, you are too late to-day, you are half-an-hour af-ter your time. You must have heard the clock strike nine be-fore you left home.

Kate. Please, Ma'am, mo-ther kept me, that is why I am late.

so ?

Governess. Has she sent me any note to say

Kate. She want-ed me about fa-ther's breakfast; but she did not write a note.

Governess. But he goes out to work at eight o'clock.

Kate. Yes; but I had to see a-bout his break-fast.

Governess. But what had that to do with your not be-ing here till near ten o'clock? I fear you have been at play. Now speak the truth at once, or I shall call and see your mother.

Kate. I only went a bit down the lane with Nel-ly Jones, to help her to car-ry her ba-by, he is so hea-vy.

Governess. Now, Kate, you see you be-gan by mak-ing a false ex-cuse a-bout your father's break-fast. You knew ve-ry well that that was not the cause of your be-ing so late.

Kate. Please, Ma'am, but I did get fa-ther's break-fast for him. I did not tell a sto-ry.

Governess. Yes you did, when you said it was that made you late. If you had told me at first that you had been with Nel-ly, I should not have been as an-gry as I am now.

BAD NEEDLE-WORK.

Governess. This is ve-ry bad work, Sal-ly. It must come out.

Sally. I can-not do it a-ny bet-ter. I did try.

Governess. The rest of the girls can work bet-ter, so why can-not you do as well as they do?

Sally. My thread is so coarse, it makes it look bad.

Governess. Why did not you ask me for some fin-er?

Sally. And my nee-dle is too big, and I have no thim-ble.

Governess. Do not keep mak-ing so ma-ny ex-cuses, Sally. You know none of them are true. You knew you could have had all you want-ed, if you had said so.

Sally. But I have quite lost my thim-ble.

I think there was a hole in my bag, and it must have fall-en out as I came to school, and no-body will lend me one.

Governess. No, I know they will not, for you ne-ver give back a-ny thing that is lent to you-you for-get it; so no one likes to lend you a nee-dle, or a pen-cil, or a-ny thing. So I shall tell your mo-ther she must not give you any pence for sweet-stuff till she has got six-pence for a thim-ble, and then you will, I hope, take more care of it.

Sally. I have got a mo-ney box at home, and I think there is e-nough in it to buy a thim-ble. If there is, will that do?

Governess. Oh yes, if you do some nice work, and then you will have no need to make sil-ly ex-cuses.

[blocks in formation]

I Do not like to go to bed,
Sleepy little Harry said;

So, naughty Mary, go away,-
I will not come at all, I say.

O what a silly little fellow !

I should be quite ashamed to tell her-
Then Mary, you must come, and carry
This very foolish little Harry.

The little birds are better taught,
They go to roosting when they ought;
And all the ducks and geese, you know,
They went to bed an hour ago.

The little beggar in the street,
That wanders with his naked feet,
And has not where to lay his head,
Oh! he'd be glad to go to bed.

BUTTERFLIES.

Mother. Do come in to dinner, Ann; it has been rea-dy so long. What have you been do-ing?

Ann. I have been out in the field, and I have caught so ma-ny pret-ty but-ter-flies. On-ly look at them-blue, and white, and red, and brown.

Mother. But you will hurt them if you keep them tight tied up in your hand-ker-chief. Ann. No, I do not think so. If I untie them they will fly away.

Mother. And why do you not let them fly? Ann. Be-cause I want to look at them. I mean to put them un-der a glass, and then I can see them.

Mother. They will soon die under a glass. Ann. Oh, I shall feed them, and give them

su-gar.

Mother. I do not think that they will eat sugar.

« AnteriorContinuar »