No lamb or kid | is half so light, LESSON XXXIX. HUMANITY AND GRATITUDE. A MAN, riding near the town of Reading, saw a little chimney-sweeper | lying in the dirt, who seemed to be in great pain, and he asked him what was the matter. The chimneysweeper said, that he had fallen down and broken his àrm, and hurt his lég, so that he was not able to walk. The man, who was very good-natured, got off from his horse, and put the chimney-sweeper upon it, and walked beside the horse, and held the boy on, till he came to Reading. When he came to Reading, he put the boy under the care of an old woman, whom he knew there; and he paid a surgeon for setting his árm, and gave the woman money for the trouble which she would have in taking care of the boy, and the expense which she would be at in feéding him, till he should be able to work again, to earn money for himself. Then the man continued his journey till he came to his own house, which was at a great distance. The boy | soon got well, and earned his bread by sweeping chimneys at Reading. Several years after that time, this same goodnatured man was riding; and his horse took fright upon a bridge, and jumped, with the man upon his back, into the water. The man could not swim; and the people who were on the bridge, and saw him fall in, were afràid to jump into the water, to pull him out. As he was ready to sink, a chimney-sweeper, who was going by, saw him, and, without stopping a moment, threw himself into the river, and seizing hold of him, dragged him out of the water, and saved him from being drowned. When the man was safe upon the bank, and was going to thank the person who pulled him out of the water, he recollected that it was the same chimney-sweeper, whom he had taken care of, several years before, and who had risked his own life, to save that of his friend. LESSON XL. THE BUTTERFLY CHASE. EARLY one summer morning, young William went into his father's garden, to gather, as a present to his mother, a nosegay of pinks and gillyflowers, from a flower-bed which belonged to him. It was his mother's birth-day. As he entered the garden, he observed a beautiful butterfly, that was fluttering here and there; and the boy forgot his mother and the flowers, and longed to catch the butterfly. At first, he followed it with a light step, as if he wished to conceal himself. But, with every step, his impatience increased; and the delicate creature appeared to him more beautiful in the formation of its wings and colour, as it receded from him. At length, it came gently down, and sat on a small fruit tree that was adorned with its first blossoms. It stood near his flowerbed, and the tree itself was a present from his father. Therefore, because it was so small, and still wore such a beautiful crown of flowers, the boy loved it dearly. As soon as he saw the butterfly resting on a blossom of the tree, he sprang hastily towards it, and struck at it with his hat, with so much force, that all the blossoms fell scattering to the ground; and two young branches were torn from the trunk. He looked down, confounded, before him, where the twigs had fallen, and discovered that all his hyacinths, gilly flowers, and pinks, were crushed, and that the butterfly | lay dead, and shattered, at his feet. Then William returned home, weeping and lamènting, without butterfly or flowers. LESSON XLI. THE FOREST BROOK. FAR, far within that summer wood, There come the little gentle birds, Without a fear of ill, Down to the murmuring water's edge, And freely drink their fill! And dash about | and splàsh about,— The merry little things! And look askance with bright, black eyes, I've seen the freakish squirrels drop The little squirrels with the òld, Great joy it was to me! And down unto the running brook, And the bright water seemed to speak The nodding plants, they bow their heads, As if, in heartsome cheer, They said unto those little things, LESSON XLII. THE SNAIL-SHELL. FRANK was always careful not to hurt insects, nor any sort of animals. He liked to observe spiders in their webs, and ants carrying their white loads; but he never teased them: even those animals which he did not think were pretty, he took care not to hurt. One evening, when he was walking, with his father and mother, upon a gravel walk near the house, he saw several black snails. He did not think them pretty animals; but, whenever he came near one, he took care not to tread upon it. He stooped down, to look at one of these black snails, which was drawing in its black horns. "I believe, mamma," said Frank, "that he drew in those horns, because he is afraid I am going to hurt him." "Very likely," said Frank's mother. "But that is foolish of the snail, mamma, because you know I am not going to hurt him." 12 |