66 fence, and Captain Thomas made a speech. "Soldiers," said he, we have whipped the whole world, and it has run away. I did it with my sword. Now I must be the king." 9. Just then Trix, the gray goose, stretched her neck through the fence and bit Tommy on the leg. The captain, the drummer, and the whole army raised a loud yell, while Trix hissed fiercely. 10. Then down went the drum, and the gun, and the sword. The army limped off as fast as it could to the kitchen. Had you seen Captain Thomas, soon after, sobbing on his mother's lap, you would not have dreamed that he was the little man who had just "whipped the whole world." ADVICE. - Do not boast of what you have not done. Some old gray goose may hear you. LANGUAGE AND PUNCTUATION. The mark after soldier, in paragraph 3, is not a hyphen. but a DASH (-). Find a dash in paragraph 4. The two marks in paragraph 7 that enclose "This was firing the gun." are called the PARENTHESIS (). Mamma, my dear, if a robber should come, A terrible robber, one night, you see, I'd frighten him off with my sword and drum, And you would be perfectly safe with me. And if you and I in a gloomy wood Should meet a bear as we walked one day, With my bow and arrows, like Robin Hood, I would drive the fierce old bear away. But now I am tired, and sleepy, too, And I wish mamma would lift me down. There's a laughing look in her eyes of blue, And they answer her boy's so big and brown. She feels on her lips his coaxing touch, And clasps him fast in her loving hold, And she whispers, "I'll never fear robber much, Unless he should steal this heart of gold." XVI. THE STORY OF LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD. 1. In a pleasant village, far away, there once lived a little girl, who was one of the sweetest children ever seen. be com'ing scar'let ail'ing Her mother loved her dearly; and as to her grandmother, she said the little one was the light of her eyes and the joy of her heart. This good old dame had a little hood of scarlet velvet made for her darling; and it was so becoming to the little girl that for miles around she was known as Little Red Riding Hood. re plied' 2. One day her mother baked some cakes and made fresh butter. "Go," she said to Little Red Riding Hood, "and take this cake and a pot of butter to your grandmother; for she has been ailing, I hear, and is now ill in bed." 3. Little Red Riding Hood was a willing child and liked to be useful, and besides, she loved her grandmother dearly. So she put the things in a basket and set out at once for the village where her grandmother lived, on the other side of the wood. 4. Just as she came to the edge of the wood Red Riding Hood met a wolf, who said to her, "Good |