8. THE AFTERNOON NAP.

1. THE farmer sat in his easy-chair,
Smoking his pipe of clay,

While his hale old wife, with busy care,
Was clearing the dinner away:

A sweet little girl with fine blue eyes,
On her grandfather's knee was catching flies.

2. The old man laid his hand on her head, With a tear on his wrinkled face;

He thought how often her mother dead
Had sat in the self-same place;

eye:

And the tear stole down from his half-shut "Don't smoke," said the child: "how it makes you cry!"

3. The house-dog lay stretched out on the floor, Where the shade after noon used to steal; The busy old wife by the open door

Was turning the spinning-wheel;

And the old brass clock on the mantel-tree
Had plodded along to almost three;

Still the farmer sat in his easy-chair,
While close to his heaving breast
The moistened brow and the cheek so fair
Of his sweet grandchild were pressed ;
His head bent down on her soft hair, lay-
Fast asleep were they both that summer day.

9. LADY-BIRD! LADY-BIRD!

1. LADY-BIRD! Lady-bird! pretty one, stay: Come sit on my finger, so happy and gay.

With me shall no mischief betide thee; No harm would I do thee, no foeman is near: I only would gaze on thy beauties so dear, Those beautiful winglets beside thee.

2. Lady-bird! Lady-bird! fly away home!
Thy house is afire, thy children will roam.
List, list to their cry and bewailing.
The pitiless spider is weaving their doom;
Then, Lady-bird! Lady-bird! fly away home:
Hark, hark! to thy children's bewailing.

3. Fly back again, back again, Lady-bird dear!
Thy neighbors will welcome thee merrily here;
With them shall no perils attend thee.
They'll guard thee so safely from danger or care
They'll gaze on thy beautiful winglets so fair,

And comfort, and love, and befriend thee.

10.-JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK.

PART I.

ad-vent'ur-ous, liking to take risks, ex-haust'ed [egz-hawst'ed], weary,

daring.

at-tract'ed, drew, called forth. bar'gain [-gin], agreement between two persons, one to buy, the other to sell.

cu'ri-ous, strange.

tired out.

gal-lant', polite to ladies.

guard'i-an [yard'i-an], one who
guards or protects.

mys'ter-y, a deep secret.
re-flect'ed, thought.

dis-po-si'tion [-zish'un], turn of re-proached' [re-procht'], blamed.

that he never paid the least attention to any thing she said, but was careless, lazy, and wasteful. His follies were not owing to a bad disposition, but to his mother's foolish fondness. In a short time he spent all that she had, and scarcely any thing remained but One day, for the first time in her life, she re

a cow.

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proached him. Cruel, cruel boy!" said she, “you have at last made me a beggar. I have not money enough to buy even a bit of bread; nothing now remains to sell but my poor cow! I am sorry to part with her; it grieves me sadly, but we can not starve."

2. For a few minutes Jack felt sorry, but it was soon over, and he began begging his mother to let him sell the cow at the next village. He teased her so much, As he went along, he met

that she at last consented.

a butcher, who asked why he was driving the cow from home. Jack replied that he was going to sell her. The butcher held in his hat some curious beans, which were of various colors, and attracted Jack's attention. This was noticed by the man, who, knowing Jack's careless ways, thought he would not let slip so good a chance. So he asked the price of the cow, and offered to give all the beans in his hat for her. The silly boy could not conceal his pleasure at what he supposed so great an offer. The bargain was struck instantly, and the cow exchanged for a few paltry beans. Jack made the best of his way home, calling aloud to his mother before he reached the door, thinking to surprise her.

3. When she saw the beans, and heard Jack's story, her patience left her. She tossed the beans out of the window, and they fell on the garden-bed below. Then she threw her apron over her head, and cried bitterly. Jack tried to console her, but in vain; and, having nothing to eat, they went supperless to bed. Jack awoke early in the morning, and, seeing something uncommon. darkening the window of his bed-chamber, ran down stairs into the garden. He found some of the beans had taken root, and sprung up surprisingly. The stalks

were of an immense thickness, and had twined together until they formed a ladder like a chain, and so high that the top appeared to be lost in the clouds.

4. Jack was an adventurous lad: so he determined to climb to the top, and ran to tell his mother, not doubting she would be as pleased as he was. She declared that he should not go, and said it would break her heart if he did. But, though she entreated and threatened, it was all in vain, and Jack set out. After climbing for some hours he reached the top of the bean-stalk, quite exhausted. Looking around, he found himself in a strange country. It appeared to be a desert: not a tree, shrub, house, or living creature was to be seen.

5. Jack seated himself pensively upon a block of stone, and thought of his mother. He now reflected with sorrow upon his disobedience in climbing the beanstalk against her will, and was sure that he must die of hunger. However, he walked on, hoping to see a house, where he might beg something to eat. Soon he saw at a distance a beautiful lady, walking all alone. She was splendidly dressed, and carried a white wand, on the top of which sat a peacock of pure gold.

6. Jack, who was a gallant fellow, went straight up to her; and she, with a sweet smile, asked him how he came there. When he had told her all about the beanstalk, she said, "Do you remember your father, my child?"

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No, madam; but I am sure there is some mystery about him, for when I name him to my mother she always begins to weep, and will tell me nothing."

"She dare not," replied the lady; "but I can and will. Only you must promise to obey me in every