1. Willie went to ride one day with his mother. As they turned a corner, Kittie, the horse, pricked up her ears and listened. The others listened too.

2. There were cries, very loud cries, from something behind the fence by the road.

Some

66 What can it be ?" said Willie's mother. poor creature is in pain."

3. In a minute Willie saw a poor little pig held fast in the fence. He had tried to get through, and see the world on the other side. He pushed his head through,

but his plump shoulders wouldn't go.

66

4. Wee, wee, wee!" he cried, as loud as he

66

could. I'm caught! Oh, I'm caught! Wee, wee!

Come and help me! Won't somebody come?"

Willie's mamma

5. He was almost choked. stopped the horse, and Willie jumped out and ran to piggy. He tried to get him out, but it was of no use. Piggy was fast. Willie could

neither pull him

through nor push him back.

6. "Go to the

house, quick, Willie, and tell somebody," said

mamma.

7. Willie went, and an old man came. He, too, tried to get piggy

out; but it was

of no use. Poor piggy's cries were growing

fainter and faint

er. At last the old man picked up a large stone. He pounded a picket off the fence on one side. of the pig. This crowded it away so that piggy could pull his head back.

8. “Ugh, ugh, ugh!" he grunted behind the

fence. "Ugh! I'm safe, but, oh, dear! how that fence did pinch! I won't try that again!— Ugh!"

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66

9. "I'm very much obliged to you," said the old man heartily. "I guess I should have lost him if you had not told me."

10. "Ugh, ugh, ugh!" grunted piggy behind the fence. "I guess you would!”

LANGUAGE AND PUNCTUATION.

The mark after "Wee, wee, wee!" and "Ugh, ugh, ugh!' is the EXCLAMATION POINT (!). It is used thirteen times in this lesson.

What the old man said to Willie meant the same as "Thank you." Write the words he used. Tell what Willie might have said in reply.

pout'ing sleigh'ride

XII. WHAT BEN WOULD RATHER BE.

sleigh'-bells cir'cus

butch'ers

om'ni bus for got'ten el'e phants crack'ers be lieve'

1. Little Ben felt very cross one morning. He would not speak a pleasant word to anybody. He cried because grandma would not let him go out and play in the wet snow. His mamma was away from home, and grandma did not want him to take cold.

all.

2. Ben sat by the window and pouted.

He

looked out and

saw the birds hopping about over the snow

and picking up

a deep drift, and he heard the sleigh-bells jingling. Everything seemed bright and merry out of doors.

3. At last he said, "I don't think that boys have any good times at

I should rather be a dog than to be a boy. I should rather be a bird, too. Then I could play in the snow as much as I wanted to."

4. "I am sorry to hear my little Ben talk in such a foolish way," said grandma. "I don't think that dogs or birds have one-half the good times that boys do."

5. "I think they have better times," said Ben; and he kept on pouting and looking out of the window.

6. Grandma did not reply, but after Ben had had a little time to think, she said,

"I know a little boy who went to the circus with his grandpa and had a very nice time. He saw the horses, the ponies, and the elephants, and he rode home in the big omnibus. He had enough to talk about for a whole week. I never knew any dogs or birds that went to a circus with their grandpas."

7. Ben began to remember the nice time she spoke of, but he did not say a word. After awhile grandma went on: "I know a little boy who is so happy when the Fourth of July comes that he gets up before daylight to beat his drum and fire his crackers.

I don't believe that dogs know anything about the Fourth of July."

8. "I don't believe they do, either, grandma," said Ben; and he could not help smiling.

9. "That same little boy hung up his stocking last Christmas," said grandma presently, "and, oh,

what pretty presents he had in it! And what