stop that stout strong man from go-ing by the hay-stack or throw-ing stuff on the stock in the gar-den. A-las! I see him stun the pig in the sty with his stick, and stab it as it lies. Ah! it lies stiff. Why does he stand now by the stump of the old ap-ple tree, and stamp on the ground so? Ah! now he sees Bill with a stake in his hand, and makes off by the stile.

The Robber Boy.

Tom Beck could not read, and, what is more, said, "I don't want to, and I won't learn." So he went out a long way in-to the fields, that he might not be sent to school; and in a hedge he found a finch's nest. When he put his hand near it, the young ones o-pened their large beaks, and cried, "Chirp! chirp!" as much as to say, "Give us some food!" But Tom only pulled them out of the hedge, and took them home, and hid them in his bed-room, for fear some one should find him out; for he knew he

was not do-ing right. He tried to get some bread for them, but had to wait till tea-time, and then, when he gave it them, they could not eat it, as it was so hard. He did not know what else to feed them with, and he did not like to tell a-bout them; and so, by-and-by, one by one, all the poor lit-tle things died, and he took them and put them, nest and all, in-to a ver-y small grave. And he cried, too; but what was the good of that? It could not bring the bird-ies back to life.

THE CRUEL BOY.

an-swer

a-fraid

nurs-lings

I would not be a cru-el boy

For all this world could give;
Why should I take a-way the joy
Of those who hap-py live?

God made the bird, and gave it wings
To bear it through the air;
When on the tree it sits and sings,
He makes it hap-py there.

Her lit-tle nest so soft and warm,
God teach-es her to make it;

I would not dare to do her harm,

I would not dare to take it.

If God should say, "Where is my bird,
The pret-ty bird I made?”

I could not an-swer Him a word,
For I should be a-fraid.

Go, pret-ty bird, and build your nest,
With twigs, and straw, and moss;
There with your lit-tle nurs-lings rest,
You need not fear their loss.

Go, pret-ty bird, and fly a-way;
Be hap-py and be free;
And I may live to see the day
When you shall sing to me.

THE PET RABBITS.

1.atch c.atch-es lay str.ay n.ext end t.end

f.eed

w.eed

a.ble morn-ing food g.ood op-en door fl.oor

once

s.uch cab-bage

h.utch

let-tuce

ver-y

Bob keeps his rab-bits in a hutch at the end of the gar-den, and feeds them with cab-bage and let-tuce, for they are

fond of such food, and Bob's broth-er, Bill, told him it was good for them. Bob weeds his gar-den as he feeds his pets on the green. When they stray

too far he catch-es them.

Once Bob was very sick, and Bill tend-ed his pets for him. He left the door of the hutch off the latch, and so it stood o pen. A-las! Puss went in and killed the pets. Bob was a-ble to get up next morn-ing, but how sad was he when he looked in-to the hutch and saw his rab-bits lie stiff and cold on the floor.

(

Tell us now what Bob fed his pet ) on?

Where did he keep them?—They were not kept there long, for the (

killed them. Bob took care not to let Puss re-peat her trick.

gra- gri- gree- gro- gru

gla- gle- glee- glo

George has a dog, Grip. o-ver a gloss-y black, but his

He is all muz-zle is

gray, which makes him look grim and gruff.

Grip is fond of grease or gra-vy, but too much of it makes him sick. Grip, how-ev-cr, is no greed-y glut-ton.

George and Grip of-ten rove glee-ful-ly about in the glen, where they sit in a cool grot, with long green grass growing in front of it, and watch the glad thrush-es car-ry-ing grubs to their lit-tle ones. There they stay till the glowworm's lamp is seen.

to-geth-er nar-row-er dir-ti-er sprawl-ing

Hen-ry and Char-lie went to the same school. Hen-ry was stout-er and strong-er than Char-lie, for he was old-er; but as they lived near each oth-er they some-times went home to-geth-er. They were not very great friends, for both had bad tem-pers, and both were greed-y and self-ish. None of the other boys