New National Fourth Reader by Charles J. Barnes and J. Marshall Hawkes

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"Why--what's the matter, Mr. Larkin?"

"Why, sir, I have been watching a cake of ice that swept by at a little
distance a moment ago; I saw something black upon it--something that I
thought moved."

We were on deck before either spoke another word. The mate pointed out,
with no little difficulty, the cake of ice floating off to leeward, and
its white, glittering surface was broken by a black spot.

"Get me a spy-glass, Mr. Larkin--the moon will be out of that cloud in a
moment, and then we can see distinctly." I kept my eye on the receding
mass of ice, while the moon was slowly working its way through a heavy
bank of clouds.

The mate stood by with a spy-glass. When the full light fell at last
upon the water, I put the glass to my eye. One glance was enough..

"Forward, there!" I shouted at the top of my voice; and with, one bound
I readied the main hatch, and began to clear away the ship's cutter. Mr.
Larkin had received the glass from my hand to take a look for himself.

"O, pitiful sight!" he said in a whisper, as he set to work to aid me in
getting out the boat; "there are two children on that cake of ice!"

In a very short space of time we launched the cutter, into which Mr.
Larkin and myself jumped, followed by two men, who took the oars. I held
the tiller, and the mate sat beside me.

"Do you see that cake of ice with something black upon it, lads?" I
cried; "put me alongside of that, and I will give you a month's extra
wages when you are paid off."

The men were worn out by the hard duty of the preceding fortnight; and,
though they did their best, the boat made little more way than the tide.
This was a long chase; and Mr. Larkin, who was suffering as he saw how
little we gained, cried out--

"Pull, lads--I'll double the captain's prize. Pull, lads, for the sake
of mercy, pull!"

A convulsive effort at the oars told how willing the men were to obey,
but their strength was gone. One of the poor fellows splashed us twice
in recovering his oar, and then gave out; the other was nearly as far
gone. Mr. Larkin sprung forward and seized the deserted oar.

"Lie down in the bottom of the boat," said he to the man; "and, captain,
take the other oar; we must row for ourselves." I took the second man's
place.

Larkin had stripped to his Guernsey shirt; as he pulled the bow I waited
the signal stroke. It came gently, but firmly; and the next moment we
were pulling a long, steady stroke, gradually increasing in rapidity
until the wood seemed to smoke in the oar-locks.

We kept time with each other by our long, deep breathing. Such a pull!
At every stroke the boat shot ahead like an arrow. Thus we worked at the
oars for fifteen minutes--it seemed to me as many hours.

"Have we almost come to it, Mr. Larkin?" I asked.

"Almost, captain,--don't give up: for the love of our dear little ones
at home, don't give up, captain," replied Larkin.

The oars flashed as the blades turned up to the moonlight. The men who
plied them were fathers, and had fathers' hearts; the strength which
nerved them at that moment was more than human.

Suddenly Mr. Larkin stopped pulling, and my heart for a moment almost
ceased its beating; for the terrible thought that he had given out
crossed my mind. But I was quickly reassured by his saying--

"Gently, captain, gently--a stroke or two more--there, that will
do"--and the next moment the boat's side came in contact with something.

Larkin sprung from the boat upon the ice. I started up, and, calling
upon the men to make fast the boat to the ice, followed.

We ran to the dark spot in the centre of the mass, and found two little
boys--the head of the smaller nestling in the bosom of the larger. Both
were fast asleep!

They were benumbed with cold, and would surely have frozen to death, but
for our timely rescue.

Mr. Larkin grasped one of the lads, cut off his shoes, tore off his
jacket; and then, loosening his own garments to the skin, placed the
chilled child in contact with his own warm body, carefully wrapping over
him his great-coat.

I did the same with the other child; and we then returned to the boat;
and the men having partly recovered, pulled slowly back.

The children, as we learned when we afterwards had the delight of
returning them to their parents, were playing on the ice, and had
ventured on the cake.

A movement of the tide set the ice in motion, and the little fellows
were borne away on that cold night, and would certainly have perished,
had not Mr. Larkin seen them as the ice was sweeping out to sea.

"How do you feel?" I said to the mate, the next morning after this
adventure.

"A little stiff in the arms, captain," the noble fellow replied, while
the big tears of grateful happiness gushed from his eyes--"a little
stiff in the arms, captain, but very easy here," and he laid his hand on
his manly heart.

* * * * *

Language Lesson.--Change the following _commands_ to _statements_.

Take the other oar. Don't give up!

Give the meaning of the word _lads_ in the third and fourth lines of
page 152, and in the fourth line of page 154.[09]

Make out an _analysis_ of the lesson, and use it in telling the story
in your own words.

[09] See Lesson XXXI.

* * * * *

LESSON XXXII.

re'gion, _place; space_.

furze, _a thorny shrub with yellow flowers_.

list'eth, _wishes; pleases_.

mirth, _joy; fun_.

boon, _gay; merry_.

shaft, _an arrow; the stem of an arrow_.

up borne', _held or borne up_.

crest'ing, _touching the tops of_.

* * * * *

BIRDS IN SUMMER.

How pleasant the life of a bird must be,
Flitting about in each leafy tree;--
In the leafy trees so broad and tall,
Like a green and beautiful palace hall,
With its airy chambers, light and boon,
That open to sun, and stars, and moon;
That open unto the bright blue sky,
And the frolicsome winds, as they wander by!

[Illustration]

They have left their nests in the forest bough;
Those homes of delight they need not now;
And the young and old they wander out,
And traverse their green world round about;
And hark! at the top of this leafy hall,
How, one to the other, they lovingly call:
"Come up, come up!" they seem to say,
"Where the topmost twigs in the breezes play!

"Come up, come up, for the world is fair,
Where the merry leaves dance in the summer air!"
And the birds below give back the cry,
"We come, we come to the branches high!"
How pleasant the life of the birds must be,
Living in love in a leafy tree;
And away through the air what joy to go,
And to look on the green, bright earth below!

How pleasant the life of a bird must be,
Skimming about on the breezy sea,
Cresting the billows like silvery foam,
And then wheeling away to its cliff-built home!
What joy it must be to sail, upborne
By a strong, free wing, through the rosy morn,
To meet the young sun, face to face,
And pierce, like a shaft, the boundless space!

How pleasant the life of a bird must be,
Wherever it listeth there to flee:
To go, when a joyful fancy calls,
Dashing down, 'mong the waterfalls;
Then wheeling about, with its mates at play,
Above and below, and among the spray,
Hither and thither, with screams as wild
As the laughing mirth of a rosy child!

What a joy it must be, like a living breeze,
To flutter among the flowering trees;
Lightly to soar, and to see beneath,
The wastes of the blossoming purple heath,
And the yellow furze, like fields of gold,
That gladden some fairy region old.
On mountain tops, on the billowy sea,
On the leafy stems of the forest tree,
How pleasant the life of a bird must be!

* * * * *

Directions for Reading.--The words of the first line of the poem, when
repeated on pages 157 and 158, should be slightly emphasized.[10]

Point out the lines on page 157 which would be joined in reading.

Let the class read one or more stanzas of the poem in concert.

[10] This lesson, Lesson XXXII.

* * * * *

LESSON XXXIII.

stroll'ing, _wandering on foot_.

quaint, _unusual; curious looking_.

con sult'ed, _asked advice of_.

roy'al, _belonging to a king or a queen_.

en ter tain', _receive and care for_.

court'esy, _politeness of manners_.

bod'ice, _an article of clothing_.

loy'al ty, _love of one's country or ruler_.

a miss', _out of the way; wrong_.

tri'fles, _articles small in size or value_.

mut'tered, _said in a low voice_.

ad mis'sion, _permission to enter_.

* * * * *

TRUE COURTESY.

PART I.

Prince George, the husband of Queen Anne of England, one time visited
the town of Bristol, having with him as a companion, an officer of his
household.

While strolling about the town, looking at the people and the quaint old
buildings, they stepped into the Exchange, where all the great merchants
of the town had come together doing business.

Prince George walked about, talking quite freely, first to one and then
to another. As the towns-people had not expected him, no preparation had
been made to receive him with honor; and the merchants stood in little
groups, and consulted together with, a look of anxiety upon their faces.

"What is to be done?" asked one.

"I do not know," replied another. "If his Royal Highness does not give
us notice of his coming, how can we entertain him in a proper manner?"

"Would it be well to ask him to come to one of our homes?" inquired a
third.

"No, no!" cried another. "We could not ask him to partake of our humble
fare, or even come to our homes, after the splendor to which he has been
accustomed. For my part, I shall go home to dinner."

"And I also," said the first one. "I do not care to remain here, and
stare at the Prince, when we have nothing to offer."

Then one by one, the merchants slipped away, afraid or ashamed to ask
the great Prince to their homes.

Prince George and the officer wondered at seeing the merchants
disappear. At last there was but one man left, and as he walked toward
the Prince, he bowed low, and said--

"Excuse me, sir; are you the husband of our Queen Anne, as folks here
say you are?"

"Yes, I am," was the answer; "and have come for a few hours to see the
sights of the good town of Bristol."

"Sir," said the man, "I have seen with much distress that none of our
great merchants have invited you to their homes. Think not, sir, that it
is because they are wanting in love and loyalty. They doubtless were all
afraid to ask one so high as yourself to dine with them.

"I am one John Duddlestone, sir, only a bodice-maker, and I pray you not
to take it amiss if I ask you and the gentleman who is with, you, to
come to my humble home, where you will be most welcome."

"Indeed," answered the Prince, laughing, "I am only too delighted to
accept your kind invitation, and I thank you for it very heartily. If
you lead the way, we will follow at once."

So Prince George, the officer, and Duddlestone, passed out of the
Exchange together.

"Ours is but humble fare," said Duddlestone; "for, sir, I can offer you
only roast beef and plum-pudding."

"Very good, very good indeed!" exclaimed the Prince; "it is food to
which I bring a hearty appetite."

They stopped before a small house. John pulled the latch, and, walking
in, looked for his wife; but she was upstairs.

"Here, wife, wife!" he called in a loud whisper, as he put his head up
the narrow staircase; "put on a clean apron, and make haste and come
down, for the Queen's husband and a soldier-gentleman have come to dine
with, us."

As you may think, Mrs. Duddlestone was strangely surprised at the news;
but she did not become excited; she very seldom did, I believe.

"Ay, ay!" she called. "I'm coming;" and then muttered, "The Queen's
husband! the Queen's husband! Sure, that can never be--however, I'll go
down and see."

She ran to her closet, and pulled out a nice, clean apron and cap, and
tied, the one round her waist, and the other round her comely face,
saying all the time, "Dear me, dear me, to think of it!" and away she
ran down stairs, where stood her husband and the two gentlemen.

The good woman bowed low, first to one and then to the other.

"Indeed, but I'm proud," she said, turning to Prince George, "to welcome
you to our home. 'Tis but poor and humble, but we shall think more of it
after this. I'll hurry and get dinner at once. I dare say you are
hungry, gentlemen."

Prince George laughed gayly, as he thanked her for her kind welcome, and
sat down.

The table was soon spread, and the Prince ate well, and appeared to
enjoy himself so much, that Mrs. Duddlestone could scarcely believe he
had always been accustomed to lords and ladies and footmen, and had
never before sat down in such an humble way.

Prince George inquired about their business and pleasures.

"Do you never come up to London?" he asked; "I think you would find it
worth your while to take a holiday some time, and see the great city."

"Ah well," said Mrs. Duddlestone, "if that is not just the thing I long
for. I've never been yet, nor am I likely to go, but John has been once
or twice."

"And why, John, have you never taken your wife as well, to see the great
sights?"

"Well, to say the truth," answered John, "I do not go to see the sights;
for though I've been two or three times, I don't think I've seen any.

"I must needs go sometimes to buy whalebone, and other trifles which I
must have for my business here. So I just go and come back, and meddle
with none."

"Well, well," said the Prince, "the next time you come to London, you
must bring your wife with you, and pay me a visit."

Mrs. Duddlestone clasped her fat little hands with delight.

"And shall I see the Queen?" she exclaimed.

"And see both the Queen and myself," answered the Prince. "Come, John,
say you will do so!"

"Surely, sir," said John, "I should like to give the good woman a bit of
pleasure in that way, but your grand servants would shut the doors
before us, and never let us in, perhaps."

"I can soon set that right!" and taking a card from his pocket, Prince
George wrote a few words on it, and gave it to them.

"That will gain you ready admission," he said, "and now I must leave
you. Next time we meet, I shall entertain and care for you. For the
present, I thank you for your kind welcome and good dinner, which I have
heartily enjoyed."

Then rising, he and the officer bade farewell to the good people and
took their leave.

* * * * *

Language Lesson--Let pupils use other words to express what is given
below in dark type.

I _must needs go_.

Indeed, _but I'm proud_.

Ours is _but humble fare_.

He _pulled the latch_.

So I _meddle with none_.

To see _the great sights_.

Notes.--Queen Anne ruled over England from 1702 to 1714. Royal
Highness is a title belonging to all persons in a royal family.

* * * * *

LESSON XXXIV.

de sired', _asked; expressed a wish_.

as sem'bled, _come together_.

in tro duce', _make known_.

sum'moned, _called_.

knight, _a man of noble position_.

grat'i tude, _thankfulness_.

el'e gant, _beautiful; handsome_.

pos sess'ing, _having; holding_.

dis play', _a grand show_.

e vent', _anything that takes place_.

* * * * *

TRUE COURTESY.

PART II.

It was some weeks later that John Duddlestone found his stock of
whalebone was growing low.

"Wife," said he, "the whalebone's nearly gone, and I must have some more
at once."

"Surely, John, I know well it's nearly gone!" she answered. "Haven't I
watched every bit as you've used it? and haven't I pretty near cried to
see it go so slowly?"

"Pooh! you foolish woman!" he cried.

"But, John, you'll take me, and go to see the King and Queen?" she
inquired.

"Why, you silly woman, do you think I should leave you behind, when I
know you're nearly crazed to go?"

"O John, John, you dear, good man! I've mended all my dresses, and made
myself trim and neat. I've seen to your coats; and all's done; and I
feel as if I could scarcely live till I see the Queen."

"You'd best keep alive," said her husband; "and if all goes well we'll
start by the coach on Monday."

Monday was as lovely a day as heart could wish; and John and his wife
walked down the Bristol streets to the public-house from which the coach
was to start.

It was a great event in Mrs. Duddlestone's life, for she had never been
beyond her own town, except for a drive into the country in a neighbor's
cart.

They were quiet people; but it had got about the town, that they were
going to London to visit the Queen, and numbers came out to see them go.

Perhaps some of the great merchants wished they had been simple and
humble enough to offer to entertain Prince George when he had visited
their town.

They journeyed straight to London, where John bought his whalebone, and
then found their way to St. James' Palace, where, presenting the
Prince's card, they gained ready admittance.

They were shown into a room, more beautiful than any that they had ever
seen. Very shortly the door opened, and the well-remembered face of
their guest appeared. Almost before he had greeted them, a quiet-looking
lady followed him, and came smilingly to greet them.

"This is the Queen," said Prince George; and then, turning to her, he
added, "These are the good people who showed me such kindness in
Bristol."

The Queen was so gentle and courteous that neither John nor his wife
felt confused in her presence. She talked kindly to them, asking after
their trade, and how they had fared in their journey.

She then asked them to dine with her that evening, and said dresses
would be provided for them, so that they should not feel strange by
seeing that they were dressed differently from all her other guests.

She then called an attendant, and desired that refreshment should be
given them, and that they should be well cared for, and shown all that
might interest them until dinner time.

It was a long, wonderful day to them, as they walked about from place to
place. Before dinner they were taken to the room that was prepared for
them, and there they found elegant court dresses of purple velvet ready
to put on.

"Surely, John, they can not be for us!" cried Mrs. Duddlestone.

"Yes, but they must be! Did not the Queen say she would give us dresses?
and do not these dresses look as if they had been given by a queen?"

"John, I shall feel very strange before all the grand ladies!"

"Then you need not, wife, for the Queen and Prince will be there; and
the others will not trouble you; but this is a queer dress. It's like
being somebody else."

And very queer they felt, as for the first time they walked down the
grand stairs, in such, splendid dresses, to dine at the Queen's table,
with the Queen's servants to wait on them.

"You must go first, John," said his wife, for shyness came over her.

"Be not so foolish, wife," whispered John; and, though feeling rather
awkward in his new dress, he walked simply forward, as he might have
done in a friend's house.

The Queen met them at the door, and, turning to her other guests, who
were assembled, she said, "Gentlemen, I have to introduce to you, with
great pleasure, the most loyal people in the town of Bristol."

At these words they all rose and bowed low, while John and his wife did
the same, and then sat down, and ate a good dinner.

After the dinner was over, the Prince summoned John Duddlestone to the
Queen.

At her command John knelt before her, and she laid a sword lightly on
his shoulder, with the words, "Rise up, Sir John Duddlestone"; and the
simple, kind-hearted bodice-maker of Bristol rose up a knight.

His wife stood by, watching with eagerness, and could hardly believe
that from plain Mistress Duddlestone she had become Lady Duddlestone.

She would, have been very proud if the Queen had laid the sword upon her
also; but she heard that was not needed. However, she was made very
happy by being called to the Queen's side.

"Lady Duddlestone," said Her Majesty, "allow me to present you with my
gold watch, in remembrance of your visit to St. James' Palace, and of
the Prince's visit to Bristol, which led to our knowing two such loyal
and courteous subjects."

Lady Duddlestone bowed lower and lower, almost unable to find any words
in which to express her gratitude.

A gold watch! Was it possible? Watches were not common in those times.
She had heard of watches, and had even seen some; but had never dreamt
of possessing one.

Such a big beauty it was! She was glad to fall back behind the other
guests, and get time to think quietly, and realize that all was true,
and not a dream from which she would wake, and find herself in her
little attic bed-room at Bristol.

Queen Anne then spoke to Sir John, offering to give him a position under
Government; but he begged to be excused.

"It would be strange, your Majesty, very strange, up in London, and my
work at Bristol suits me far the best. We want for nothing, and should
never feel so well and home-like as in our little house at Bristol."

The Queen understood him, and did not press him; and in another day or
two the couple were again on their way home.

"You're glad, wife, that we're going home?" John asked; "and you think I
did well not to take some office in London?"

"Well! You could have clone no better. It's been grand to see, and grand
to hear; but it would be very strange and uncomfortable to live always
like that, and I'll be right glad to be back once more.

"I'm more than proud of it all. But I should never like our own room, in
which Prince George sat so home-like with us, to belong to another."

"No, no--we will keep our own snug home," replied John with earnestness.

And so they did, living on quietly as of old; and the only display ever
made by Lady Duddlestone was, that whenever she went to church or to
market, she always wore the Queen's big gold watch.

* * * * *

Language Lesson.--Let pupils use other words to express the meaning of
what is given below in dark type.

You'd _best keep_ alive.

It's been _grand_ to see.

_Then you need not_.

You're _nearly crazed to go_.

_Attendant_ is made up of two parts--the stem, _attend_, and the
ending, _ant_ (meaning one who).

The meaning of the word _attendant_ is _one who attends_.

Make out an _analysis_ of the last two lessons, and use it in telling
the story in your own words.

* * * * *

LESSON XXXV.

pre sume', _suppose; think without being sure_.

mus'cles, _those parts of the body which give us
motion, and by which we exert our strength_.

ex tent', _space; distance_.

or'di na ry, _common; usual_.

knowl'edge, _that which is known through study_.

de gree', _measure, as of space or time_.

spent, _used up; exhausted_.

snapped, _broken off_.

de tached', _taken away from_.

* * * * *

WHY AN APPLE FALLS.

"Father," said Lucy, "I have been reading to-day that Sir Isaac Newton
was led to make a great discovery, by seeing an apple fall from a tree.
What was there wonderful about the apple falling?"

"Nothing very wonderful in that," replied her father; "but it set him to
thinking of what made it fall."

"Why, I could have told him that," said Lucy; "because the stem snapped
and there was nothing to support it."

"And what then?" asked her father.

"Why, then, of course it must fall."

"Ah!" said her father, "that is the point: why must it fall?"

"I am sure I don't know," said Lucy. "I presume it was because there was
nothing to keep it up."

"Well, Lucy, suppose there was not--does it follow that it must come to
the ground?"

"Yes, certainly," replied Lucy, wonderingly.

"Let us see," said her father; "but first answer this question: What is
an animate object?"

"Any thing that has animal life, and power to move at will," replied
Lucy.

"Very good," said her father; "now, what is an inanimate object?"

"Any thing that does not possess animal life, or can not move at will."

"Very good again," said her father. "Now an apple is, of course, an
inanimate object; and therefore it could not move itself, and Sir Isaac
Newton thought that he would try to find out what power moved it."

"Well, then," said Lucy; "did he find that the apple fell, because it
was forced to fall?"

"Yes," replied her father; "he found that there was some force outside
of the apple itself that acted upon it, otherwise it would have remained
forever where it was, no matter if it were detached from the tree."

"Would it, indeed?" asked Lucy.

"Yes, without doubt," replied her father, "for there are only two ways
in which it could be moved--by its own power of motion, or the power of
something else moving it. Now the first power, you know it does not
have; so the cause of its motion must be the second."

"But every thing falls to the ground as well as an apple, when there is
nothing to keep it up," said Lucy.

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