them. When they climbed up a steep hill, he used to carry the lambs which got tired in his arms; and when they were all eating their suppers in the field, he used to sit upon a stile and play them a tune, and sing to them; and so they were the hap-pi-est sheep and lambs in the whole world.

But every night when it grew dark and cold, this shep-herd called all his flock together, and drove them into the fold, and shut them up. There they lay as snug and warm as could be, and nothing could get in to hurt them. The dogs lay round on the outside to guard them, and to bark if any one came near; and in the morning the shep-herd opened the fold, and let them all out again.

Now, they were all very happy, as I told you, and loved the shepherd dearly that was so good to them, all except one foolish little lamb.

This lamb did not like to be shut up every night in the fold; and she came to her mother, who was a wise old sheep, and said to her, "I wonder why we are shut up so every night: the dogs are not shut up,

62

THE SILLY LITTLE LAMB.

and why should we be shut up? I think it is very hard, and I will get away if I can, for I like to run about where I please, and I think it is very pleasant in the woods by moon-light."

Then the old sheep said to her, "You are very silly, you little lamb; you had better stay in the fold. The shep-herd is so good to us that we should always do as he bids. us; and if you wander about by yourself, I daresay you will come to some harm."

"I daresay not," said the little lamb; and so, when the eve-ning came, and the shep-herd called them all to come into the fold, she would not come, but crept slily away, and hid herself. When the rest of the lambs were all in the fold and fast asleep, she came out, and jumped, and frisked, and danced about. At last she got out of the field, and went into a forest full of trees, when a very fierce wolf came rushing out of a cave, and howled very loud.

Then the silly little lamb wished she had been shut up in the fold; but the fold was a great way off. The wolf soon saw her, and seized her, and carried her away to a dismal

den all covered with bones and blood. There the wolf had two cubs, and the wolf said to them, " Here, I have brought you a young fat lamb;" and so the cubs took her, and growled over her a little while, and then tore her to pieces and ate her up.

READING AND SPELLING COLUMNS.

What is a shepherd? What did the shepherd in the lesson give his sheep and lambs? What did he do to the tired ones? How amuse them at supper-time? What did he do with them at night? What guarded their fold?

Fool-ish.
Fierce.
A-sleep'.

How did they feel? What did one lamb dislike? What did it do? Who forbade her to do it? Where did it go to? Who caught it? Where take it to? What was in the place? What should the lamb have done?

WRITE-The shepherd is so good to us that we should ways do as he bids us.

Write the names of boys at school.

"DEAR mother," said a little fish,

"Pray, is not that a fly?

I'm very hungry, and I wish

You'd let me go and try."

64

THE SILLY LITTLE FISH.

"My dear sweet child," the mother cried,

And started from her nook,
"That horrid fly is put to hide
The sharpness of a hook."

Now, as I've heard, this little trout
Was young and foolish too,
And so he thought he'd venture out
To see if it was true.

And round about the hook he played,
With many a longing look,
And-"Dear me," to himself he said,
"I'm sure that's not a hook."

'I can but give one little pluck;
Let's see, and so I will."

So on he went, and lo! it stuck
Quite through his little gill.
And as he faint and fainter grew,
With hollow voice he cried,
"Dear mother, had I minded you,
I need not thus have died."

READING AND SPELLING COLUMNS.

How are fish caught? What Did it obey? What happened? is put on hooks to catch them? Where did the hook catch the What did the trout think it saw? trout? What did it say when Who warned it not to take it? dying?

WRITE-Dear mother, had I minded you,
I need not thus have died.

SCRIPT EXERCISE.

Write the names of beasts that you know.

A BAD boy found a bird's nest on a tree, and taking the eggs out of it, he carried them away.

The birds came back to the nest, and were sorry to find that it had been robbed by some bad boy.

So he took the eggs, and hid them away in the room where he slept, and where he thought no one could find them.

A few weeks after this, he was going by the tree where the nest was made, and he saw the birds flying around it as if they were at home.

He climbed up into the tree, and found that the birds had laid three eggs more. These he did not take, but said to himself that he would wait till the young birds were hatched.

So he watched the nest, and went to see it very often. At last he found three little birds in the nest; and when they had grown to be so large that they were