1. Once I had a little black and white kitten. She was very cunning and playful, but she was not very wise.

2. On one side of our house was a high grape trellis. One morning kitty went out and began to climb this trellis. She put one little paw before the other, and went bravely up, up, up, till she reached the top. Then she looked down to the ground and mewed piteously. I suppose when she looked down and saw how very far off the ground was, she was frightened and dizzy.

3. When I heard her cry, I ran out to see what was the matter. There stood kitty on the very top of the trellis, clinging to the slats with her little paws. The fur stood up all over her back and tail, she was so frightened.. "Mew! mew!"

she cried.

4. I saw how badly she felt and how afraid she was of falling. I tried to think of some way to help her. I got a basket and tied the handle to a long pole. Then I took hold of the pole and

I thought she would never do that foolish thing again.

6. But every morning this stupid little kitten would climb the trellis just the same, and have to be taken down in the basket. I suppose she

thought it fun to climb up, and I think she rather enjoyed the ride down in the basket.

LANGUAGE AND PUNCTUATION.

The little marks around "Mew! mew!" and "Kitty, kitty," are called QUOTATION MARKS. What is between the two is a quotation. Write sentences with these quotations, and place the marks around what is quoted. Notice that the marks are commas, and that two of them are commas wrong side up," that is, inverted commas.

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1. My little niece Grace lives in the country. In the summer I go to visit her.

2. Close by the steps of the house in which she lives is quite a good-sized hole. In it lives, what do you suppose? You might guess, and you might not. I'll tell you. It is the home of Grandmother Toad and her granddaughter Brighteyes. Grace and I have tamed them.

3. When I am there I take little Grace by the

hand and say, "Come, we must go down into the garden and find a damp place to get some supper for Grandmother Toad and Brighteyes." We have with us a trowel, and after digging a few minutes we find enough worms for their

supper. They have to get their own breakfast and dinner.

4. Did you ever see a toad eat? If you have not, try sometime to feed one. I know you will laugh when its tongue comes out and so quickly folds back again.

5. One day last summer I took a walk around

the yard and down into the garden. I met Brighteyes there; she kept so very close to me that I said, “Want to go to sleep, Brighteyes?"

6. I took a little stick and scratched her head, and soon she was fast asleep. When I thought she had slept long enough I told her to wake up; but she did not want to do so. I poked her gently with the stick and tried to make her jump, but it was some little time before she was wide awake.

NATURAL HISTORY.

The picture illustrates: (1) The large, full eyes. (2) The very wide mouth. (3) The absence of a neck. (4) The long hind legs, with flexible joints, and toes turned outward. (5) The short fore legs, with spreading toes turned inward. (6) The dark color, and rough, warty surface of back, and light color of lower parts. From these, seeing what is in front or at either side without turning the head, ease in catching insects, the long leaps, the power of digging in soft mud, or climbing banks, can be easily inferred.

LANGUAGE AND PUNCTUATION.

There are three questions in this story. Find them, and notice that the same little mark (?) is after each. It is the mark of INTERROGATION. Interrogation means question. Write a question, and use the mark. Supply what is missing in "Want to go to sleep, Brighteyes?"