McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey (classic reads txt) 📖

sharp hawk worms ac'tive

[Illustration: Bird perched on branch.]

THE KINGBIRD.

1. The kingbird is not bigger than a robin.

2. He eats flies, and worms, and bugs, and berries.

3. He builds his nest in a tree, near some house.

4. When there are young ones in the nest, he sits on the top of a tree near them.

5. He watches to see that no bird comes to hurt them or their mother.

6. If a hawk, a crow, or even an eagle comes near, he makes a dash at it.

7. Though he is so small, he is brave, and he is also very active.

8. He never fails to drive off other birds from his nest.

9. He flies around and around the eagle, and suddenly strikes him with his sharp bill.

10. He strikes at his eye, and then darts away before the eagle can catch him.

11. Or he strikes from behind, and is off again before the eagle can turn round.

12. In a short time, the great eagle is tired of such hard blows, and flies away. He is very glad to get rid of his foe.

13. Is not the little fellow a brave bird?

14. Because he can drive off all other birds, he is called the KINGBIRD.

LESSON XIX.

watch'ing gath'ers an'gels be gin'

dark'ness a cross' lone'ly beasts

[Illustration: Sunset;lake in foreground, town in background.]

EVENING HYMN.

1. Now the day is over,
     Night is drawing nigh,
   Shadows of the evening
     Steal across the sky.

2. Now the darkness gathers,
     Stars begin to peep;
   Birds, and beasts, and flowers
     Soon will be asleep.

3. Through the lonely darkness,
     May the angels spread
   Their white wings above me,
     Watching round my bed.

LESSON XX.

di vid'ed quar'rel a gree' thus sey'tle

set'tling ker'nel e'qual apt parts

THE QUARREL.

1. Under a great tree in the woods, two boys saw a fine, large nut, and both ran to get it.

2. James got to it first, and picked it up.

3. "It is mine," said John, "for I was the first to see it."

4. "No, it is mine" said James, "for I was the first to pick it up."

[Illustration: Three boys standing by a fence, one older than the others.]

5. Thus, they at once began to quarrel about the nut.

6. As they could not agree whose it should be, they called an older boy, and asked him.

7. The older boy said, "I will settle this quarrel."

8. He took the nut, and broke the shell. He then took out the kernel, and divided the shell into two parts, as nearly equal as he could.

9. "This half of the shell," said he, "belongs to the boy who first saw the nut.

10. "And this half belongs to the boy who picked it up.

11. "The kernel of the nut, I shall keep as my pay for settling the quarrel.

12. "This is the way," said he, laughing, "in which quarrels are very apt to end."

LESSON XXI.

crea'tures drones in'side hive i'dle

de fense' driv'en killed cells size

work'ers queen stings shape wax

THE BEE.

1. Bees live in a house that is called a hive. They are of three kinds,—workers, drones, and queens.

2. Only one queen can live in each hive. If she is lost or dead, the other bees will stop their work.

[Illustration: Three bee-hives; wooden boxes about two feet square and four feet high, with a sloped roof.]

3. They are very wise and busy little creatures. They all join together to build cells of wax for their honey.

4. Each bee takes its proper place, and does its own work. Some go out and gather honey from the flowers; others stay at home and work inside the hive.

5. The cells which they build, are all of one shape and size, and no room is left between them.

6. The cells are not round, but have six sides. 7. Did you ever look into a glass hive to see the bees while at work? It is pleasant to see how busy they always are.

8. But the drones do not work. Before winter comes, all the drones are driven from the hive or killed, that they may not eat the honey which they did not gather.

9. It is not quite safe for children to handle bees. They have sharp stings that they know well how to use in their defense.

SLATE WORK.

[Illustration: Script Exercise:

How doth the little busy bee
  Improve each shining hour.
And gather honey all the day
  From every opening flower!
]

LESSON XXII.

blos'soms drear'y wea'ry pinks smell'ing toil'ing

lev'ies buzz fra'grant this'tle weeds scent

treas'ure yel'low mead'ow tax sum'mer clo'ver

cloud'y dai'sy daf'fo dil lies columbine humming

[Illustration: Flowers]

THE SONG OF THE BEE.

1. Buzz! buzz! buzz!
     This is the song of the bee.
   His legs are of yellow;
   A jolly, good fellow,
     And yet a great worker is he.

2. In days that are sunny
   He's getting his honey;
   In days that are cloudy
     He's making his wax:
   On pinks and on lilies,
   And gay daffodillies,
   And columbine blossoms,
     He levies a tax!

3. Buzz! buzz! buzz!
   The sweet-smelling clover,
   He, humming, hangs over;
   The scent of the roses
     Makes fragrant his wings:
   He never gets lazy;
   From thistle and daisy,
   And weeds of the meadow,
     Some treasure he brings.

4. Buzz! buzz! buzz!
   From morning's first light
   Till the coming of night,
   He's singing and toiling
     The summer day through.
   Oh! we may get weary,
   And think work is dreary;
   'Tis harder by far
     To have nothing to do.
                               Marian Douglas.

LESSON XXIII.

un hap'py prom'ised heed'less be came' grow'ing

care'less harsh'ly leav'ing eas'i ly ef fects'

an noy' ma'am blame worse torn

hard'ly nic'est spend hab'it e'vil

[Illustration: Mother and daughter sitting under a tree.]

THE TORN DOLL.

1. Mary Armstrong was a pretty little girl, but she was heedless about some things.

2. Her way of leaving her books and playthings just where she had used them last, gave her mother much trouble in picking them up and putting them in their proper places.

3. She had often told Mary the evil effects of being so careless. Her books became spoiled, and her toys broken.

4. But worse than this was the growing habit of carelessness, which would be of great harm to her all her life. It would make her unhappy, and would annoy her friends.

5. One day Mary and her mother went out into their pleasant yard, to spend an hour in the open air. Mrs. Armstrong took her work with her.

6. Mary ran about and played with Dash, her pet dog, and was having a happy time.

7. But in a corner of the yard she found her nicest doll all torn and broken, and its dress covered with mud.

8. She knew, at once, that Dash had done this, and she scolded him harshly.

9. Carrying the broken doll to her mamma. she showed it to her, and could hardly keep from crying.

10. Mrs. Armstrong asked Mary if she had not left the doll on the porch where Dash could easily get it; and Mary had to answer, "Yes, ma'am."

11. "Then you must not blame the dog, Mary, for he does not know it is wrong for him to play with your doll. I hope this will be a lesson to you hereafter, to put your things away when you are through playing."

12. "I will try," said Mary. And her mother promised to mend the doll as well as she could.

LESSON XXIV.

thor'ough ly month dried dyed cuts shear'er sheep

those spun dirt oth'er wise wov'en cloth wool rub

[Illustration: Two men shearing sheep.]

SHEEP-SHEARING.

1. Sheep are washed and sheared some time in the month of June. This should be done quite early in the month, before the hot days begin.

2. It is fine sport for those who look on, but not much fun for the sheep.

3. It is best for the sheep to have the wool taken off; otherwise they would suffer in the summer time.

4. When the time comes for washing the sheep, they are driven to a pond or a little river.

5. Then they are thrown into the water, one at a time. The men who are in the water catch them, and squeeze the wet wool with their hands to get the dirt all out of it.

6. Then the wool is thoroughly dried, the sheep are taken to the shearer; and he cuts off the wool with a large pair of shears.

7. It is then dyed, spun, and woven into cloth.

8. In a short time, before the cold winter comes, new wool grows out on the sheep. By the corning of spring there is so much, that it must be cut off again.

LESSON XXV.

bear'ers earth warm sul'try wan'der

rays grain clouds o'er we're

THE CLOUDS

1. "Clouds that wander through the sky, Sometimes low and sometimes high; In the darkness of the night, In the sunshine warm and bright. Ah! I wonder much if you Have any useful work to do."

                  2.
"Yes, we're busy night and day,
As o'er the earth we take our way.
We are bearers of the rain
To the grasses, and flowers, and grain;
We guard you from the sun's bright rays,
In the sultry summer days."

LESSON XXVI.

peo'ple for'est squir'rel cool near'est tame hol'low

snug shoul'der miles sticks gen'tly though Pat'ty

[Illustration: Girl sitting under tree, play with squirrel.]

PATTY AND THE SQUIRREL.

1. Little Patty lives in a log house near a great forest. She has no sisters, and her big brothers are away all day helping their father.

2. But Patty is never lonely; for, though the nearest house is miles away, she has many little friends. Here are two of them that live