McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader

LESSON XXII.

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.

LESSON XXIII.

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.

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.

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.

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 in the woods.
3. But how did Patty teach them to be so tame? Patty came to the woods often, and was always so quiet and gentle that the squirrels soon found they need not be afraid of her.
4. She brought her bread and milk to eat under the trees, and was sure to leave crumbs for the squirrels.
5. When they came near, she sat very still and watched them. So, little by little, she made them her friends, till, at last, they would sit on her shoulder, and eat from her hand.
6. Squirrels build for themselves summer houses. Those are made of leaves, and sticks, and moss. They are nice and cool for summer, but would never do for the winter cold and snow.
7. So these wise little people find a hollow in an old tree. They make it warm and snug with soft moss and leaves; and here the squirrels live all through the long winter.

LESSON XXVII.

1. Glad to see you, little bird;
   'Twas your little chirp I heard:
     What did you intend to say?
   "Give me something this cold day"?
2. That I will, and plenty, too;
   All the crumbs I saved for you.
     Don't be frightened—here's a treat:
   I will wait and see you eat.
3. Shocking tales I hear of you;
   Chirp, and tell me, are they true?
     Robbing all the summer long;
   Don't you think it very wrong?
4. Thomas says you steal his wheat;
   John complains, his plums you eat—
     Choose the ripest for your share,
   Never asking whose they are.
5. But I will not try to know
   What you did so long ago:
     There's your breakfast, eat away;
   Come to see me every day.

LESSON XXVIII.

1. One fine summer afternoon, Sam was walking home from school. He went along slowly, reading a book.
2. Sam had spent all his money for the book, but he was a happy boy.
3. At length he came into the highroad, where there was a gate. A blind man stood, holding it open.
4. The poor man said, "Please give me a few cents to buy some bread!" But Sam gave him nothing.
5. What! did Sam give the poor blind man nothing? Yes; for, as I told you, he had spent all his money.
6. So Sam walked on, very sad. Soon after, a fine carriage came up, and in it were Harry and his mother.
7. The blind man stood, and held out his hat. "Let us give the poor man something," said Harry to his mother.
8. His mother gave him some cents. Harry took them, but did not put them into the man's hat.
9. He threw them into the hedge as far as he could. The poor man could not find them, for, you know, ho was blind.
10. Sam had turned back to look at the fine carriage. He saw Harry throw the cents into the hedge; so he came back at once, and looked for the money until he found it all for the blind man.
11. This took so long a time, that he almost lost his supper.
12. Which of the boys do you think was truly kind to the poor man?
13. I know which he thanked most in his heart.

LESSON XXIX.

1. Run, run, thou tiny rill;
   Run, and turn the village mill;
   Run, and fill the deep, clear pool
   In the woodland's shade so cool,
   Where the sheep love best to stray
   In the sultry summer day;
   Where the wild birds bathe and drink,
   And the wild flowers fringe the brink.

1. Run, run, thou tiny rill,
   Round the rocks, and down the hill;
   Sing to every child like me;
   The birds will join you, full of glee:
   And we will listen to the song
   You sing, your rippling course along.

LESSON XXX.

1. "Sit still, children. Do not move about in the boat," said Mr. Rose to the young folks he was taking for a trip on the water.
2. The boat was a large one, and could not easily be upset. There were in it Mr. and Mrs. Rose, the boatman, and several little boys and girls.
3. "Keep still, please, young gentlemen," said the boatman, when Edgar Rose and Thomas Read began to move from one side to the other.
4. They kept quiet for a short time only. Edgar soon wanted a stick which Thomas held in his hand. He lost his balance in trying to get the stick, and fell into the water.

1. Mr. and Mrs. Rose both started up, and stretched out their arms to save him; but in so doing, they upset the boat.
2. Every one fell into the water, and all were in the greatest danger of being drowned.
3. Another boat was near, with but one man in it. He hastened to them as quickly as possible, and saved them from drowning.
4. Children should always be careful and quiet when they are in a boat on the water, and should obey what older people tell them.

LESSON XXXI.

LESSON XXXII.

1. The tiger is a giant cat. His body is nearly covered with black stripes.
2. Unlike the lion, he runs so fast that the swiftest horse can not overtake him. He goes over the ground by making bounds or springs, one after another.
3. By night, as well as by day, the tiger watches for his prey. With a frightful roar, he will seize a man, and carry him off.
4. Have you ever thought what use whiskers are to cats? Lions have great whiskers, and so have tigers and all other animals of the cat kind.
5. Whenever you find an animal with whiskers like the cat's, you may be sure that animal steals softly among branches and thick bushes.
6. By the slightest touch on the tiger's whiskers, he knows when there is anything in his road.
7. A few years ago, some English officers went out to hunt. When coming home from their day's sport, they found a little tiger kitten.
8. They took it with them and tied it, with a collar and chain, to the pole of their tent. It played about, to the delight of all who saw it.
9. One evening, just as it was growing dark, they heard a sound that frightened them greatly. It was the roar of a tiger.
10. The kitten pulled at the chain, and tried to break away. With a sharp cry, it answered the voice outside.
11. All at once, a large tigress bounded into the middle of the tent. She caught her kitten by the neck, and broke the chain which bound it.
12. Then turning to the door of the tent, she dashed away as suddenly as she had come.

LESSON XXXIII.

1. One winter night, Mrs. Lord and her two little girls sat by a bright fire in their pleasant home. The girls were sewing, and their mother was busy at her knitting.

1. At last, Katie finished her work, and, looking up, said, "Mother, I think the fire is brighter than usual. How I love to hear it crackle!"
2. "And I was about to say," cried Mary, "that this is a better light than we had last night."
3. "My dears," said their mother, "it must be that you feel happier than usual to-night. Perhaps that is the reason why you think the fire better, and the light brighter."
4. "But, mother," said Mary, "I do not see why we are happier now than we were then; for last night cousin Jane was here, and we played 'Puss in the corner' and 'Blind man' until we all were tired."
5. "I know! I know why!" said Katie. "It is because we have all been doing something useful to-night. We feel happy because we have been busy."
6. "You are right, my dear," said their mother. "I am glad you have both learned that there may be something more pleasant than play, and, at the same time, more instructive."

LESSON XXXIV.

1. Wake up, little darling, the birdies are out,   And here you are still in your nest! The laziest birdie is hopping about;   You ought to be up with the rest. Wake up, little darling, wake up!

1. Oh, see what you miss when you slumber so long—   The dewdrops, the beautiful sky! I can not sing half what you lose in my song;   And yet, not a word in reply. Wake up, little darling, wake up!
2. I've sung myself quite out of patience with you,   While mother bends o'er your dear head; Now birdie has done all that birdie can do:   Her kisses will wake you instead! Wake up, little darling, wake up!

LESSON XXXV.

1. Two fast friends were Willie Brown and his little dog Bounce. Willie could never think of taking a walk without Bounce. Cake and play were equally shared between them.
2. Willie taught his dog many cunning tricks, and often said that Bounce could do almost anything in the world but talk.
3. There came a time, however, when Bounce really told Willie's father something, though he could not talk. Let me tell you how he did this.

1. It was on a bright summer afternoon. Willie had strolled with Bounce down to the river, which was not more than two blocks from his father's store.
2. Willie began to throw stones into the water, and to watch the ripples as they made one circle after another.
3. Bounce lay on the grass, watching the flies that buzzed around his nose, and catching any that came too near.
4. There were some logs floating in the river near the shore. Willie jumped upon one of them, to see if he could throw a stone across the river.
5. He drew back, and sent the stone with all his might. just as it left his hand, the log turned, and he fell into the water.
6. He was very much frightened, for he did not know how to swim, and there was no one to hear, though he called as loud as he could for help.

LESSON XXXVI.

1. Poor little Bounce gave a great yelp of distress. If he had been a big water dog, he could have jumped in and brought his master out.

1. He ran up and down the bank two or three times, barking, looking first at Willie and then around. Then he started, as fast as he could run, up the street to the store.
2. When he got there the door was shut, but he scratched against it and barked loudly, until some one came and opened it.
3. He caught hold of Mr. Brown's clothes, then ran to the door, then back again, catching at him, barking, and jumping.
4. A friend who was in the store said to Mr. Brown, "Something must be wrong; I would put on my hat, and go with the dog." Bounce, seeing Mr. Brown take his hat, started for the river.
5. Then Mr. Brown thought of Willie. As he came to the river, he saw Willie's hat floating on the water, and his small arm thrown up.
6. He sprang in and caught him just as he was going down for the last time, and quickly carried him to the bank. "Willie soon got over his fright, and no one seemed to be more delighted than Bounce.

LESSON XXXVII.

1. Listen to the kitchen clock!
     To itself it ever talks,
     From its place it never walks;
   "Tick-tock-tick-tock:"
     Tell me what it says.
2. "I'm a very patient clock,
     Never moved by hope or fear,
     Though I've stood for many a year;
   Tick-tock-tick-tock:"
     That is what it says.
3. "I'm a very truthful clock:
     People say about the place,
     Truth is written on my face;
   Tick-tock-tick-tock:"
     That is what it says.
4. "I'm a most obliging clock;
     If you wish to hear me strike,
     You may do it when you like;
   Tick-tock-tick-tock: "
     That is what it says.
5. "I'm a very friendly clock;
     For this truth to all I tell,
     Life is short, improve it well;
   Tick-tock-tick-tock:"
     That is what it says.
6. What a talkative old clock!
     Let us see what it will do
     When the hour hand reaches two;
   "Ding-ding—tick-tock:"
     That is what it says.

LESSON XXXVIII.

1. "Herbert, will you please peel my orange?" said Lucy. Herbert was reading his new book, but he put it down at once, and took the orange from his little sister.
2. "Shall I make a pair of scales, Lucy, for you to use when you play store?"
3. "Oh yes! but how can you do that'!"
4. "I'll show you. First, we must take the peel off in two little cups, one just as large as the other. While I do this, see if you can find me two nice sticks about ten inches long."
5. Lucy ran out to the woodhouse to find the sticks.—" Will these do?"
6. "No, they are too hard. Find some pine sticks if you can."
7. "Here are some."
8. "These will do nicely. Now I must make a scale beam and a post. Can you find me a little block for a post, Lucy'!"
9. "Will a ribbon block do, Herbert?"
10. "Yes, if it is not too thick."
11. "Here is one an inch thick."
12. "That will be just right. Now get the little gimlet." [Footnote: gimlet: Hand tool with a spiraled shank, a screw tip, and a cross handle; used for boring holes.]
13. Herbert worked away until he had made the beam and the post. Then he made a hole in the middle of the block, and put the post in. Next, he put the beam into a little groove at the top of the post, so that it would balance nicely.
14. "Now, Lucy, we must have a needle and some thread. We must put four threads to each cup; then we will tie the threads to the ends of the beam.
15. "There, Lucy, what do you think of that?"
16. "Why, Herbert, that is just as nice as the real scales in father's store; and you may have all my orange for making them."

LESSON XXXIX.

1. In the parlor of an inn in a small town, sat a man who had been going about with a bear. He was waiting for his supper, and the bear was tied up in the yard.
2. Up in the attic, three little children were playing together. The eldest might have been six years old; the youngest, not more than two.
3. Stump! stump! stump! Some one was coming up the stairs.
4. The door flew open suddenly, and there stood the great, shaggy bear. He had got tired of waiting, and had found his way to the stairs.
5. The children were badly frightened. Each one crept into a corner, but the bear found them all out, and smelt their clothes, but did not hurt them.
6. "This must be a great dog," they said, and they began to pat him.
7. Then the bear lay down on the floor, and the youngest boy climbed on his back, hid his head in the shaggy fur, and played at "hide and seek."
8. The eldest boy took his drum and began to strike it, when the bear rose on his hind legs and danced. At that the children gave a merry shout.
9. The two younger boys took their wooden guns, and gave the bear one. Away they all marched around the room, keeping step.
10. Now the frightened mother of the children came to the door. But the youngest boy shouted, joyfully. "See, we are playing soldiers!"
11. Then the bear's master came running up, and took the bear away.

LESSON XL.

LESSON XLI.

1. The fishhawk, or osprey, is not so large as the eagle; but he has, like the eagle, a hooked bill and sharp claws.
2. His color is a dark brown, with black and white spots, and his length is from twenty to twenty-two inches. His breast is mostly white. His tail and wings are long.
3. The fishhawk is often found sitting upon a tree over a pond, or lake, or river. He is also found by the seaside.
4. He watches the fish as they swim in the water beneath him; then he darts down suddenly and catches one of them.
5. When he catches a fish in his sharp, rough claws, he carries it off to eat, and, as he flies away with it for his dinner, an eagle sometimes meets him.
6. The eagle flies at him fiercely with his sharp bill and claws, and compels the hawk to drop the fish.
7. Then the eagle catches the fish as it falls, before it reaches the ground, and carries it off.
8. The poor fish hawk, with a loud cry, timidly flies away. He must go again to the water and catch another fish for his dinner.
9. Thus you see, that the eagle is a robber. He robs fishhawks, whose only mode of getting a living is by catching fish.

LESSON XLII.

1. Once or twice a little leaf was heard to cry and sigh, as leaves often do, when a gentle wind is blowing. And the twig said, "What is the matter, little leaf?"
2. "The wind," said the leaf, "just told me that one day it would pull me off, and throw me on the ground to die."
3. The twig told it to the branch, and the branch told it to the tree. When the tree heard it, it rustled all over, and sent word back to the trembling leaf.
4. "Do not be afraid," it said; "hold on tight, and you shall not go off till you are ready."
5. So the leaf stopped sighing, and went on singing and rustling. It grew all the summer long till October. And when the bright days of autumn came, the leaf saw all the leaves around growing very beautiful.
6. Some were yellow, some were brown, and many were striped with different colors. Then the leaf asked the tree what this meant.
7. The tree said, "All these leaves are getting ready to fly away, and they have put on these colors because of their joy."
8. Then the little leaf began to want to go, and grew very beautiful in thinking of it. When it was gay in colors, it saw that the branches of the tree had no bright colors on them.
9. So the leaf said, "O branch! why are you lead- colored while we are all beautiful and golden?"
10. "We must keep on our working clothes," said the tree, "for our work is not yet done; but your clothes are for holidays, because your task is now over."
11. Just then a little puff of wind came, and the leaf let go without thinking, and the wind took it up and turned it over and over.
12. Then it fell gently down under the edge of the fence, among hundreds of leaves, and has never waked to tell us what it dreamed about.

LESSON XLIII.

1. "Come, little leaves," said the wind one day. "Come o'er the meadows with me, and play; Put on your dress of red and gold Summer is gone, and the days grow cold."
2. Soon as the leaves heard the wind's loud call, Down they came fluttering, one and all; Over the brown fields they danced and flew, Singing the soft little songs they knew.
3. "Cricket, good-by, we've been friends so long; Little brook, sing us your farewell song,— Say you are sorry to see us go; Ah! you will miss us, right well we know.
4. "Dear little lambs, in your fleecy fold, Mother will keep you from harm and cold; Fondly we've watched you in vale and glade; Say, will you dream of our loving shade?"
5. Dancing and whirling, the little leaves went; Winter had called them, and they were content. Soon fast asleep in their earthy beds, The snow laid a coverlet over their heads.

LESSON XLIV.

1. Jessie played a good joke on her mamma. This is the way she did it.
2. Jessie had gone to the woods with Jamie and Joe to get green branches to trim up the house for Christmas. She wore her little cap, her white furs, and her red leggings.

1. She was a merry little girl, indeed; but she felt sad this morning because her mother had said, "The children will all have Christmas presents, but I don't expect any for myself. We are too poor this year."
2. When Jessie told her brothers this, they all talked about it a great deal. "Such a good, kind mamma, and no Christmas present! It's too bad."
3. "I don't like it," said little Jessie, with a tear in her eye.
4. "Oh, she has you," said Joe.
5. "But I am not something new," said Jessie.
6. "Well, you will be new, Jessie," said Joe, "when you get back. She has not seen you for an hour."
7. Jessie jumped and laughed. "Then put me in the basket, and carry me to mamma, and say, 'I am her Christmas present.' "
8. So they set her in the basket, and put green branches all around her. It was a jolly ride. They set her down on the doorstep, and went in and said, "There's a Christmas present out there for you, mamma."
9. Mamma went and looked, and there, in a basket of green branches, sat her own little laughing girl.
10. "Just the very thing I wanted most," said mamma.
11. "Then, dear mamma," said Jessie, bounding out of her leafy nest, "I should think it would be Christmas for mammas all the time, for they see their little girls every day."

LESSON XLV.

1. Father, and Charles, and Lucy, and I went to the beach yesterday. We took our dinner, and stayed all day.
2. Father and Charles went out a little way from the shore in a boat, and fished, while Lucy and I gathered sea mosses.
3. We took off our shoes and stockings, and waded into the shallow water. We had a pail to put our seaweeds in.
4. We found such beautiful ones. Some wore purple, some pink, and some brown. When they were spread out in the water, the purple ones looked like plumes, and the brown ones like little trees.
5. Such a funny thing happened to Lucy. She slipped on a stone, and down she went into the water. How we both laughed! But the wind and sun soon dried Lucy's dress.
6. Then father came and took us in the boat for a row. After that we had a picnic dinner in the woods.
7. Then father spread his coat on the grass, and took a nap while we children played on the beach.

LESSON XLVI.

1. Ralph Wick was seven years old. In most things he was a fine boy, but he was too apt to cry.
2. When he could not have what. he wanted, he would cry for it and say, "I will have it."
3. If he was told that it would hurt him, and he could not have it, he would begin to tease and cry.
4. One day, he went with his mother into the fields. The sun shone. The grass was cut. The flowers were in bloom.
5. Ralph thought he was, for once, a good boy. A smile was on his face. He wished to do as he was told.
6. He said, "Mother, I will be good now. I will do as you bid me. Please let me toss this hay."
7. "That I will," said his mother. So they threw the hay, as Ralph wished, and he was very happy.
8. "Now you must be tired," said his mother. "Sit down here, and I will get a nice red rose for you."
9. "I would like to have one," said Ralph. So his mother brought the red rose to him.
10. "Thank you, mother," he said. "But you have a white one, also. Please give me that."

1. "No, my dear," said his mother. "See how many thorns it has on its stem. You must not touch it. If you should try to pluck a rose like this, you would be sure to hurt your hand."
2. When Ralph found that he could not have the white rose, he began to scream, and snatched it. But he was soon very sorry. The thorns tore his hand. It was so sore he could not use it for some time.
3. Ralph did not soon forget this. When he wanted what he should not have, his mother would point to his sore hand. He at last learned to do as he was told.

LESSON XLVII.