In-tense'ly. To a high degree. Vig'i-lant. Watchful; attentive. Re-ced'ing. ing. Aft. Astern; opposed to fore or forward. Retreating; withdraw- As-sured'. Given confidence; made secure. XXXVI. THANKSGIVING DAY. L. MARIA CHILD. through 1. O VER the river and through the wood, The horse knows the way To carry the sleigh Through the white and drifted snow. 2. Over the river and through the wood,- It stings the toes And bites the nose, As over the ground we go. 3. Over the river and through the wood, "Ting-a-ling-ding!" Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day ! 4. Over the river and through the wood, Spring over the ground Like a hunting-hound! For this is Thanksgiving Day! 5. Over the river and through the wood, It is so hard to wait! 6. Over the river and through the wood,- Is the pudding done? Hurrah for the pumpkin-pie! Thanks-giving Day. A day set apart | Ex-treme'ly. In the utmost degree; for public acknowledgment of ben- exceedingly. efits and mercies received from Dap'ple-Gray. Gray, marked with God. spots. L ITTLE Martin Klover was sent of an errand quite early in the morning, but he stopped to play by the way, and played half the forenoon. In the mean while the whole family had decided on a picnic, and they could not wait for Martin. But Mrs. Klover left word with a neighbor which road he must take to follow them, and also where he would find the clothes to wear. 2. As it happened, however, Martin came home without being seen by the neighbor, and could not imagine what had become of everybody. He shouted, he rattled the chairs, went down cellar, through all the chambers, even up the garret stairs, but not a soul could he find. 3. In the garret there was an old-fashioned hair trunk, and in that hair trunk was an old-fashioned suit of clothes which had belonged to Martin's grandfather. It consisted of a cocked hat, a long-skirted coat, a figured waistcoat, a standing collar, breeches, stockings and buckled shoes, and it was the cause of all Martin's bad luck that day. For, in looking after the family, he opened that hair trunk, and no sooner saw those clothes than he made up his mind to put them on and have some fun. 4. It took a long time to "dress up"; the collar would twist in spite of him, and then the coat skirts would get under his feet, and what to do with them was the question. At last he took one on each arm, and in that manner went down into the street, where he marched along, head thrown back, toes turned out, making quite a show with his buckled shoes and his cocked-up hat! 5. The street boys came running to see, and one little fellow picked up an old smoking-cap that had been dropped from the coat pocket, put it on his own head, then rolled up his trousers and went marching behind with a stick over his shoulder. 6. As they passed along, more boys came, all shouting and laughing; and by and by some of them began to throw stones. At last one stone went smash through a window. Then a man came rushing out in his shirtsleeves, and bawled at them, "Who threw that stone?" 7. The boys started to run. Some kept in the road, some jumped over into the field. Martin was one who jumped over. He made for the brook, thinking to cross on the stepping-stones. When he heard the man coming behind he let go the coat skirts to run faster, because he thought one of the boys called out, "There he comes with a horse-whip!" 8. But the clothes would not let him run. Just as he reached the bank one of the skirts flapped between his legs, then he stepped on it, and then he stumbled, and then - went down. 9. In falling he pitched head-foremost into the brook. A flock of geese swimming near by flew off in a hurry. Martin rolled over, picked himself up, and the next thing was to pick up his hat. For his hat had floated away on a voyage by itself. Many times he was just going to catch hold of it, and each time it slipped from under his fingers. 10. The frogs made fun of him, and the boys hooted, calling out, "A race! a race! Hurrah!" Martin found it hard work wading with so many clothes on, and was just going to give up when help came quite unexpectedly. A lively little puff of wind happened along, took hold of the cocked hat, and puffed it ashore in a twinkling. 11. Martin picked up his hat and sat down by the brook on a log. Presently there came along a curious-looking old man. He was ragged, and had a long coat with a cape to it, and a whip. Martin thought it might be the man whose square of glass was broken. 12. So he hid down behind the log, to keep out of sight, peeping through the coarse grass to see what the old man was doing. Martin had better been looking the other way. If he had been looking the other way, he would have seen coming towards him a dozen or twenty animals of a kind not famous for beauty or good behavior, called pigs. 13. Animals of this kind have not very genteel manners, but no doubt they mean well. But little Martin Klover, when he saw this company of curly tails coming, did not stop to think of good looks or good manners. He hurried with all his might and tried to run. 14. Martin tried to jump, but was not quick enough, on account of having on so many clothes, and the clothes being wet. Meanwhile the company came forward at full gallop, being driven on by the boys. Some stopped to smell at what was sprawling and squalling in the mud, and, finding that it was nothing but a boy, walked over him and went their way. |