New National Fourth Reader | Page 6

tone of voice, as in Lessons I and II.
What word is emphatic in the third paragraph?
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Language Lesson.--Syllabify, accent, and mark sounds of letters in the words, _broken, packages, courage, polite_.
Tell in your own words how the bean grew.
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LESSON IV.
elf, _a very small person; an unreal being_.
vex, _make angry; trouble_.
pon'dered, thought about with care.
streak, _line; long mark_.
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TO-MORROW.
A bright little boy with laughing face, Whose every motion was full of grace, Who knew no trouble and feared no care, Was the light of our household--the youngest there.
He was too young--this little elf-- With troublesome questions to vex himself; But for many days a thought would rise, And bring a shade to the dancing eyes.
He went to one whom he thought more wise Than any other beneath the skies: "Mother,"--O word that makes the home!-- "Tell me, when will to-morrow come?"
"It is almost night," the mother said, "And time for my boy to be in bed; When you wake up and it's day again, It will be to-morrow, my darling, then."
The little boy slept through all the night, But woke with the first red streak of light; He pressed a kiss on his mother's brow, And whispered, "Is it to-morrow now?"
"No, little Eddie, this is to-day; To-morrow is always one night away." He pondered awhile, but joys came fast, And this vexing question quickly passed.
But it came again with the shades of night: "Will it be to-morrow when it is light?" From years to come, he seemed care to borrow, He tried so hard to catch to-morrow.
"You can not catch it, my little Ted; Enjoy to-day," the mother said; "Some wait for to-morrow through many a year-- It always is coming, but never is here."
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Directions for Reading.--In reading poetry, pupils should notice the emphatic words, and give them proper force.
Example.
"Mother,"--O word that makes the home!--
"Tell me, when will _to-morrow_ come?"
The two dashes in the first line of the preceding example are used instead of a parenthesis, and have the same value.
When there is no pause at the end of a line (see first line, third stanza), it should be closely joined in reading to the line which follows it, thus making the two lines read as one.
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LESSON V.
ap'pe tite, wish for food.
a muse'ment, _play; enjoyment_.
gaunt, _lean; hungry looking_.
spe'cies, kind.
oc curred', _took place; happened_.
en cour'age ment, _hope given by another's words or actions_.
di rec'tion, _way; course_.
dusk'y, _very dark; almost black_.
sin'gu lar, _unusual; strange_.
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AN ADVENTURE WITH DUSKY WOLVES.

PART I.
"During the summer and winter, we had several adventures in the trapping and killing of wild animals. One of them was of such a singular and dangerous kind, that you may feel interested in hearing it.
"It occurred in the dead of winter, when there was snow upon the ground. The lake was frozen over, and the ice was as smooth as glass. We spent much of our time in skating about over its surface, as the exercise gave us health and a good appetite.
"Even Cudjo, our colored servant, had taken a fancy for this amusement, and was a very good skater. Frank was fonder of it than the rest of us, and was, in fact, the best skater among us.
"One day, however, neither Cudjo nor I had gone out, but only Frank and Harry. The rest of us were busy at some carpenter work within doors.
"We could hear the merry laugh of the boys, and the ring of their skates as they glided over the smooth ice. All at once, a cry reached our ears, which we knew meant the presence of some danger.
"'O Robert!' cried my wife, 'they have broken through the ice!'
"We all dropped what we held in our hands, and rushed to the door. I seized a rope as I ran, while Cudjo took his long spear, thinking it might be of use to us. This was the work of a moment, and the next we were outside the house.
"What was our astonishment to see both the boys, away at the farthest end of the lake, but skating toward us as fast as they could!
"At the same time, our eyes rested upon a terrible sight. Close behind them upon the ice, and following at full gallop, was a pack of wolves!
"They were not the small prairie wolves, which either of the boys might have chased with a stick, but of a species known as the 'Great Dusky Wolf' of the Rocky Mountains.
"There were six of them in all. Each of them was twice the size of the prairie wolf, and their long, dark bodies, gaunt with hunger, and crested from head to tail with a high, bristling mane, gave them a most fearful appearance.
"They ran with their ears set back