School ways were new to her, and there was something each day to talk over with her mamma. "You may tell me anything you like about your studies," said her mamma, “and anything that you think it would be pleasant for me to know. I should not wish my little girl to go to school to learn to be a gossip." 66 What is that, mamma?" asked Vio. "To gossip is to tell tales or carry news; to repeat whatever you hear or know, just for the sake of telling, and not for any good reason. "But tell me now about the school. did Miss Hill say to you?" 66 What She says I read with a great deal of expression, but that she shall have to do something to bring out my voice; and she praised my writing. The girls say she is dreadfully particular about the writing. "To-day we studied p and d and t, because they are all of the same height. She says that this is the time when we must learn to make our letters exactly right. I will show you the words that we wrote." apple bottle middle Do you ask what the birds say? The sparrow, the dove, The linnet and thrush say, "I love, and I love!" In the winter they're silent - the wind is so strong; What it says, I don't know, but it sings a loud song. But green leaves, and blossoms, and sunny warm weather, And singing, and loving-all come back together. But the lark is so brimful of gladness and love, The green fields below him, the blue sky above, That he sings, and he sings, and forever sings he"I love my Love, and my Love loves me." S. T. COLERIDGE. 1. Mamma was up stairs. Papa and Birdie were out on the piazza. But where was baby? Her real name was Louise, and she was five years old; but she was the youngest, so she was called Baby. Birdie's real name was Agnes. She was seven years old. 2. Baby was not in the house, and it was growing dark. Mamma listened. Very soon she heard footsteps going pit-a-pat, pit-a pat, in the room below. At the foot of the stair-case they stopped, and it was still again. Mamma called, "Baby!" "Why do you not go out on the piazza where papa and Birdie are? I can't come down just yet." 66 I'll sit here, mamma. I'm not afraid. I have a light." 4. “You didn't touch the matches, did you, Baby? I told you not to." "No, mamma. I caught some fire-bugs out on the lawn. I'll keep them till you come down. They make a nice light, only it keeps going out and coming again." 5. When mamma came down soon after, there sat Baby on the lowest step with some fire-bugs in an old bottle. Her golden curly hair looked like real gold in the light of her little lamp. Then рара and Birdie came in. "We will light a real lamp now, Baby," said papa. "Maybe we had better let the pretty bugs go." 6. "Oh, no, papa, don't let them go. I had such a hard time catching them." So papa said no more about the matter; but soon after, at bedtime, when mamma was reading a little Bible story to Birdie and Baby, something funny happened to Baby's lamp. At least it was a funny thing to have happen to a lamp. 7. Each little bright spark spread its brown wings and flew away, nobody knows where. Perhaps papa knew something about it, but he did not tell, and Baby forgot to ask him. The old bottle was found lying among the rose-bushes near the window. But the pretty bugs were gone, and after that the wisest man in all the world could not have found Baby's lamp. LANGUAGE AND PUNCTUATION. The little straight mark in stair-case, pit-a-pat, fire-bug, and rose-bushes is called the HYPHEN. Write the words, Use these words, one at a time, or perhaps two, to say something to one of NATURAL HISTORY. your classmates. The male Glowworm is the one with wings. The real lady-bug has none. The light comes from between the lit- |