it down for the lady to walk on, brought her over, and landed her on the pavement near the boys. On seeing this they walked away so quietly that I trust the politeness of the boy had done them good.

There is one rule we should always follow, Do to others as we would like them to do to us.

QUESTIONS:-1. How was the woman rewarded? 2. What did she say when she received the gift? 3. Why did she mention the guard especially? 4. Mention another act of politeness.

The Spider and the Fly.

gau'-zy, fine as gauze.

coun'-sel-lor, one who gives

advice.

store, plenty,

supply.

flit, to flutter on the wing.

pan'-try, room in which pro

visions are kept.

sub'-tile, thin, fine.

abundant

wi'-ly, cunning, artful.

"WILL you walk into my parlour?"

Said a spider to a fly;

'Tis the prettiest little parlour

That ever you did spy.

The way into my parlour

Is up a winding stair;
And I have many a pretty thing

To show when you are there."

"Oh, no, no," said the little fly,

To ask me is in vain;

For who goes up your winding stair
Can ne'er come down again."

“I'm sure you must be weary, dear,
With soaring up so high;

Will you rest upon my little bed?"
Said the spider to the fly.

"There are pretty curtains drawn around,

The sheets are fine and thin; And if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in."

Oh, no, no," said the little fly;
"For I have often heard it said,
They never, never wake again,
That sleep upon your bed."

Sweet creature," said the spider,
"You're witty and you're wise;
How handsome are your gauzy wings,
How brilliant are your eyes!

I have a little looking-glass
Upon my parlour-shelf,

If you'll step in a moment, dear,
You shall behold yourself."

'I thank you, gentle sir," she said
"For what you're pleased to say;
And bidding you good morning now,
I will call another day."

The spider turned him round about,
And went into his den ;
For well he knew the silly fly
Would soon be back again.

So he wove a subtile web,
In a little corner sly,
And set his table ready,
To dine upon the fly;

Then went out to his door again,
And merrily did sing,

"Come hither, hither, pretty fly,
With the pearl and silver wing."

Alas! alas! how very soon
This silly little fly,

Hearing his wily, flattering words,
Came slowly flitting by;

Thinking only of her brilliant eyes—
Poor foolish thing! At last
Up jumped the cunning spider,
And fiercely held her fast.

He dragged her up his winding stair,

Into his dismal den,

Within his little parlour; but―

She ne'er came down again.

And now, dear little children,
Who may this story read;
To idle, silly, flattering words
I pray you ne'er give heed.

QUESTIONS:--1. What was the spider's parlour? 2. What was the winding stair that led to the parlour? 3. How did the spider try to get the fly into his parlour? 4. Why would the fly not go into the parlour? 5. What were the curtains and the sheets of the spider's bed? 6. Why did the spider begin to praise the fly? 7. What parts of the fly did he praise? 8. What is meant by a "subtile web"? 9. What effect had the flattery of the spider on the fly? 10. Did the fly enter the web all at once? 11. What lesson may we learn from this story?

What the Brutes Say.

In'-stinct, that which impels animals to act or feel, that which in the lower animals takes the place of reason in man. Tor-ment', plague, vex.

Henry. Papa, what do the brutes mean by the

noise they make?

crying, or laughing?

Are they talking, singing,

Papa. Why, Henry, I suppose they mean various things. When a cat mews at the outside of a door, and looks earnestly at it, she means, "I want to get in, do open the door; it is cold, and I want my supper. Open the door! open the door!"

Henry. I often see Rover barking at the foot of a tree, wagging his tail, and looking as if his eyes would come out of his head; what does he mean to say?

Papa. Why, Rover very likely sees a squirrel, and barks at him, by which he means to say, "Come down here, you little fellow, I want you. I do not want to eat you, but only to tease you and chase you, and torment you a little. Come down, bushy tail! come down!"

Henry. But he sometimes barks at nothing. When I was coming along the road this morning, Rover ran after me as fast as he could, barking all the time.

Papa. Why, I daresay he was in a merry mood, and wanted to play; so he said "Bow, wow, wow! Master Henry, see who can run fastest, you or Ione, two, three, and away!"

Henry. Every morning I hear our large white cock crowing. He wakes me up, and I do not like it, for I cannot go to sleep again.

Papa. So much the better, my boy. To rise early is a good thing. He crows as if to say, "Get up all of you! the sun is getting up, the birds are awake, the air is fresh and sweet, I am up; do you get up too!"

Henry. Why did the cow make such a noise yesterday when the man took away her calf? She bellowed loudly, and yet she could not know that he was going to kill her calf.

Papa. No, but she wanted it to stay with her, for her instinct told her no good could come of taking it from her. So she lowed piteously, as if to say, "Oh, leave my child with me;