Who'll come and play with me here under the tree? My sisters have left me alone.

My sweet little sparrow, come hither to me,

And play with me while they are gone.

Oh no, little lady, I can't come indeed,
I've no time to idle away,

I've got all my dear little children to feed,
And my nest to new cover with hay.

Pretty bee, do not buzz about over that flower,
But come here and play with me, do;

The sparrow won't come and stay with me an hour,
But say, pretty bee-will not you?

O no, little lady, for do you not see,

Those must work who would prosper and thrive? If I play they would call me a sad idle bee, And perhaps turn me out of the hive.

Stop! stop! little ant, do not run off so fast,
Wait with me a little and play;

I hope I shall find a companion at last,
You are not quite so busy as they.

O no, little lady, I can't stay with you,
We're not made to play, but to labour;
I always have something or other to do
If not for myself, for my neighbour.

What then, have they all some employment but me,
Who lie lounging here like a dunce?

O then, like the ant, and the sparrow and bee,
I'll go to my lesson at once.

THE SILLY LAMB.

Charles, you must not go out into the fields by yourself, nor without leave. You are a very little boy; and if you were to venture out by yourself, you would be lost; then you would cry, and night would come, and it would be so dark that you could not find your way home, and you would have no bed; you would have to lie down on the cold, wet grass, and perhaps you would die, and that would be a sad story to tell.

I will tell you a story about a little lamb. There was once a shepherd, who had a great many sheep and lambs. He took a great deal of care of them, and gave them fresh grass to eat, and clear water to drink, ana drove them every day into a fine large green pasture.

If they were sick, he was very good to them; and when they climbed up a steep hill, and the little lambs were tired, he used to carry them in his arms; and when they were all eating their suppers in the field, he used to sit upon a stone under the tree, and play them a tune on his flute, and sing to them; and so they were the happiest sheep and lambs in the world.

But every night, when it grew dark and cold, the shepherd called all his flock, sheep and lambs together, into the sheep-fold or yard, and penned them up; and there they lay, as snug, and warm, and comfortable, as could be; and nothing could get in and hurt them; and the dogs lay round on the outside to guard them, and to bark if any body came near; and in the morning the shepherd unpenned the fold, and let them all out again.

Now they were all very happy, as I said before, and loved the shepherd dearly, that was so good to them; all except one foolish little lamb. This little lamb did not like to be

shut up every night in the fold. She thought, as many foolish children think, that she was big enough to take care of herself. So she came to her mother, who was a wise old sheep, and said to her, "I wonder why we are shut up so, every night? The dogs are not shut up, and why should we be shut up? I think it very hard, and I will get away if I can, I am resolved; for I like to run about where I please, and I think it is very pleasant in the woods by moonlight.'

Then the old sheep said to her, "You are a very silly creature, you little lamb; you had better stay in the fold. The shepherd is so good to us, that we should always do as he bids us; and if you wander about by yourself, I dare say you will come to some harm." "I dare say not," said the little lamb. So when the evening came, and the shepherd called them all to come into the fold, she would not come, but crept slily under the fence and hid herself; and when the rest of the lambs were all in the fold, she came out, and jumped, and frisked, and danced about; and she got out of the field, and got into a great thick wood, full of trees; and a very fierce hungry wolf came rushing out of a cave, and howled very loud. Then the silly lamb wished she had been shut up in the fold; but the fold was a great way off. So the wolf saw her, and seized her, and carried her away to a dismal dark den, all covered with bones and blood; and there the wolf had two cubs, and the wolf said to them, "Here I have brought you a young fat lamb.” And so the cubs took the lamb, and growled over her a little while, and then tore her to pieces and ate her up.

Little children should always mind what their parents say to them, and remember that those who are older, know better than they do, what is good for them. Children who do what their parents forbid them, or what they tell them they had better not do, very often get hurt by having their own way.

Little Lambkin, silly ranger,

Keep your pasture safe and sure;
Rambling only leads to danger,
Such as you can ne'er endure.

Friendly is the hand extended,
Hazarding his lite for thine;
Straying souls are thus befriended,
By the Shepherd's grace divine.

Words alike in pronunciation, but different in signification and orthography.

ǎt-tòûnt', to regard
ac-compt', a reckoning
ådd, he doth add
ǎdze, a cooper's axe
ail, to be sick
āle, malt liquor
áir, an element
ère, before

hair, one who inherits
ile,

aisle, part of a church part of a church

isle, an island

make

as-cent', a going up
as-sent', agreement
ǎs'pē-rāte, to
rough
ǎs'pi-rate, to pronounce
with full breath

au gěr, a tool
âgur, a soothsayer
âught, any thing
ght, obliged by duty
băd, not good
både, he did bid

âll, the whole

bail, a surety

âwl, an instrument

bale, a pack of goods

ǎl-le-ga'tion, affirmation bait, an allurement

ǎl-li-ga'ilon, a tying to-bate, to take less

gether

[fices baiting, refreshment

âl'tär, a place for sacri-ba'ting, except

âl'ter, to change

baize, a sort of cloth

ăn, a particle

bays, garlands

ǎnn, a woman's name

bâld, void of hair

of a ship

ǎnch'or, an instrument

ank'er, a liquid measure bâwl, to cry out

bâwl'd, cried out

bâll, a globe

àre, part of a circle

báre, naked

àrk, a chest

bear, to carry

ǎr-rear', what is unpaid base, vile

ǎr-riere', the last body bass, a part in music

of an army

bay, a colour