New National Fourth Reader Part 30

sus pend'ed, _stopped for a time; hung_.

va'ries, _is different; changes_.

blue'bell, _a kind of flower_.

ram'bling, _wandering_.

rev'el, _play in a noisy manner_.

LOOKING FOR THE FAIRIES.

I've peeped in many a bluebell, And crept among the flowers, And hunted in the acorn cups, And in the woodland bowers; And shook the yellow daffodils, And searched the gardens round, A-looking for the little folk I never, never found.

I've linger'd till the setting sun Threw out a golden sheen, In hope to see a fairy troupe Come dancing on the green; And marveled that they did not come To revel in the air, And wondered if they slept, and where Their hiding-places were.

I've wandered with a timid step Beneath the moon's pale light, And every blazing dew-drop seemed To be a tiny sprite; And listened with suspended breath, Among the grand, old trees, For fairy music floating soft Upon the evening breeze.

Ah me! those pleasant, sunny days, In youthful fancies wild,-- Rambling through the wooded dells, A careless, happy child!

And now I sit and sigh to think Age from childhood varies, And never more may we be found Looking for the fairies.

Directions for Reading.--Which one of the stanzas should be read more slowly than the others?

Point out the _emphatic words_ in the last four lines of the lesson.

Language Lesson.--Which lines in each stanza end in similar sounds?

Let pupils explain the meaning of what is given below in dark type.

I've hunted in the _acorn cups_.

I've wandered with a _timid step_.

_Age from childhood varies._

LESSON x.x.x.

poi'son ous, _likely to do great harm or injury_.

sep'a rate, _apart from other things_.

con di'tion, _state; situation_.

nec'es sa ry, _really needed_.

dis a gree'a ble, _very unpleasant_.

sen'si ble, _wise; knowing what is proper_.

ac cus'tomed, _being used to_.

es pe'cial ly, _more than usual_.

AIR.

We all know very well that we can not live without breathing.

What we do not all know, or do not all think of, is that we want not only air, but good air. We are apt to take it for granted that any air will do for us; stale air, dirty air, even poisonous air.

What makes the matter worse is, that we can not help spoiling air ourselves by the very act of breathing.

If people are shut up in rooms where the bad air can not get out and the good air can not get in at all, they are sure to be made ill.

Some people in Scotland thought they would have a merry Christmas party, and invited their friends to come to a dance.

As it was very cold weather, they shut all the doors and windows tight, and then they began to dance.

It was a small room with a low ceiling, and there were thirty-six people dancing in it all night. By the time morning came the air was so bad that it was really like poison; and very soon seven of the poor dancers were seized with a terrible fever, and two of them actually died.

The air we breathe out is different from the air we take in. We send away some things with our breath which were not in the air when we took it in.