that one of the tapers set fire to the foliage. It blazed up famously.

23. "Help! help!" cried the young ladies; and they quickly put out the fire.

24. Now the tree did not even dare to tremble. What a state he was in! He was so uneasy lest he should lose something of his splendor that he was quite bewildered amidst the glare and brightness; when suddenly both folding-doors opened, and a troop of children rushed in as if they would upset the tree. The older persons followed quietly; the little ones stood quite still. But it was only for a moment; then they shouted so that the whole place re-echoed with their rejoicing; they danced around the tree, and one present after the other was pulled off.

25. "What are they about?" thought the tree. "What is to happen now?" And the lights burned down to the very branches, and as they burned down they were put out one after the other; and then the children had permission to plunder the tree. So they fell upon it with such violence that all its branches cracked; if it had not been fixed firmly, it would certainly have tumbled down.

26. The children danced about with their beautiful playthings; no one looked at the tree except the old nurse, who peeped between the branches; but it was only to see if there was a fig or an apple left that had been forgotten.

27. In the morning the servant and the housemaid came in.

28. "Now the splendor will begin again," thought the fir. But they dragged him out of the room, and up the stairs into the loft and here, in a dark corner, where no daylight could enter, they left him.

29. ""Tis over, 't is past!" said the poor tree. "Had I but been content when I had reason to be so! But now it is past, it is past!"

Prat'tled. Talked childishly; chatted. | Fain. Glad; pleased.

State'li-ness. Grandeur; pomp; ma

Liv'e-ry. A uniform or dress worn

by servants.

Dec'o-rat-ed. Adorned; ornamented; beautified.

Sus-pend'ed. Hung.

Why was the fir-tree discontented? What was done to many trees in autumn? For what purpose was the fir-tree cut down? Tell how the tree was decorated. What was done with it the next morning? What lesson does the story of the fir-tree teach?

XXX. — THE BLACKBIRD.

1.

glos'sy

pre-ferred'

A

Blackbird built in a thorn-tree :

e;

SLENDER
young
A spruce little fellow as ever could be
His bill was so yellow, his feathers so black,
So long was his tail, and so glossy his back,
That good Mrs. B., who sat hatching her eggs
And only just left them to stretch her poor legs,
And pick for a minute the worm she preferred,
Thought there never was seen such a beautiful bird.

2. And such a kind husband! how early and late
He would sit at the top of the old garden gate,
And sing, just as merry as if it were June,
Being ne'er out of patience, or temper, or tune.

"So unlike those rooks, dear; from morning till night
They seem to do nothing but quarrel and fight,

-

And wrangle and jangle, and plunder, while we
Sit, honest and safe, in our pretty thorn-tree."

3. “O dear Mrs. Blackbird,” in turn warbled he,

"How happy we are in our humble thorn-tree;
How gayly we live, living honest and poor;
How sweet are the May blossoms over our door."
"And then our dear children," the mother replied,
As she nestled them close to her warm feathered side;
And with a soft twitter of drowsy content,

In the quiet May moonlight to sleep they all went.

Slen'der. Thin; small; slight. Spruce. Nice; neat without elegance; tidy.

Rooks. Birds allied to the crow.

Wran'gle. Dispute; quarrel. Plun'der. To rob in warfare or as a thief.

War'bled. Sung; carolled.

XXXI.

shepherds (-erds)

1.

O

CHRISTMAS.

HARRIET E. PRESCOTT.

com-mand'

VER the hills of Palestine

sŏl'emn

The silver stars began to shine ;
Night drew her shadows softly round
The slumbering earth, without a sound.

2. Among the fields and dewy rocks

The shepherds kept their quiet flocks,
And looked along the darkening land
That waited the Divine command,

3. When lo! through all the opening blue,
Far up the deep, dark heavens withdrew.

And angels in a solemn light
Praised God to all the listening night.

4. Ah! said the lowly shepherds then,
The Seraph sang good-will to men :
O hasten, earth, to meet the morn,
The Prince, the Prince of Peace is born!

5. Again the sky was deep and dark,
Each star relumed its silver spark,
The dreaming land in silence lay,
And waited for the dawning day.

6. But in a stable low and rude,

Where white-horned, mild-eyed oxen stood,
The gates of heaven were still displayed,
For Christ was in the manger laid.

UPON

PON the banks of a river in the State of Kentucky, there was once a fort to which the settlers frequently resorted as a place of refuge from the savages. Its gallant defence by a handful of pioneers against the allied Indians of Ohio, led by two renegade white men, was one of the most desperate affairs in the Indian wars of the West.

2. The pioneers had not the slightest idea of their approach, when, in a moment, a thousand rifles gleamed in the corn-fields one summer night! That very evening the garrison had chanced to gather under arms, to march to the relief of another station that was similarly invested. They were therefore unexpectedly prepared for the attack.

3. The Indians saw at a glance that the moment was not favorable to them; and, having failed to surprise the garrison, they attempted to decoy them from the fastness by presenting themselves in small parties before it. The whites were too wise to risk a battle till help should arrive, so they resolved to stand a siege.

4. But the fort, which was merely a collection of log cabins, arranged in a hollow square, was unhappily not supplied with water; and the besieged were aware that the enemy had placed his real force in ambush near a neighboring spring.

5. The females of the station determined to supply it with water from this very spring. But how? Woman's wit never devised a bolder plan and woman's courage never carried into successful execution one more danger

ous.

6. These brave women, being in the habit of fetching the water every morning, saw that if armed men were now to take that duty upon them, the Indians would perceive that their ambuscade had been discovered, and would instantly commence the assault.

7. Morning came, and the random shots of the decoyparty were returned with a quick fire from one side of the fort, while the women issued from the other, as if they expected no enemy in that quarter.

8. Could anything be more appalling than the task before them? But they shrink not from it; they move care