The New McGuffey First Reader | Page 8

any saying
What a bright day this is!
The sky is as blue as it can be.
Lucy and her mother are in the woods.
They have found a good place under a green tree.
They sit in the shade of the tree and listen to the birds that are singing
above them.
Robin Redbreast is in the tree.
Lucy sees him as he jumps about among the leaves.
By and by he will fly away to his nest.
Lucy wonders where it is.
---
boat oar row deep sometimes road house
John has a new boat.
His father gave it to him.
It is blue, with a bright red line near the water.

He keeps it in the river, not far from the road.
He has some good oars, too.
He keeps the oars at the house.
His home is near the river.
He likes to row up and down the river in his boat.
Sometimes little May goes out in the boat with him.
The water is not deep, and the children will not fall out of the boat.
They like to row here and there on the river.
John takes the oars, and May sits in her place and tells him where to go.
Sometimes each takes an oar. Then the boat goes very fast.
John has a hook and line. But when May is with him he does not try to
catch any fish.
Shall I tell you why?
He knows that May does not like to see a fish on a hook.
oa oars boat road oa
---
REVIEW.
Here are all the boys coming up the road. I wonder where they are
going to-day.
Each boy has a hook and a line, and one has some light oars.
I think they are going to get into John's new boat and row out on the
river.

Can you tell which of these boys is John?
They will get in the boat and row far out on the water.
When they get to a deep place they will try to catch some fish.
I wonder if any of the fish will come near the boat.
---
Little Robin Redbreast has a nest in our garden.
If you listen any time in the day, you can hear him sing.
On warm days he likes to sit in the shade among the green leaves.
He can see the busy bees when they fly to the flowers to get honey.
He sees the green apples about him, but he does not like them. He
would not eat them if they were ripe and sweet.
At night he can look up from his place in the tree and see the bright
stars in the sky. Some times he can see the moon, too, as it shines
above him.
Sometimes the Pussy Cat comes under his tree and looks up at him; but
she can not get him.
She sits under the tree and wishes that she could catch him.
Do you know why she wants the bird? Do you know what she would
do if she could get him?
---
One day Henry went out to the field behind the garden. He went out to
see his father plant corn.
He sat down by a tree and said, "Father, shall I help you work? I have

been in the house all day."
"Thank you, my little boy," said his father. "I want some help very
much. What can you do?"
"I should like to plant some corn. How much will you give me?"
"I will give you four cents a day if you work well. But now the sun is
about to set, and we must go home."
---
saw made yet float put sail
"What is that?" said Rose as she went down the garden walk.
She saw Frank at work under the apple tree.
"It is a little boat, Rose," said Frank. "What do you think of this boat?"
"Oh, I think it is very pretty. Where did you get it, Frank?"
"I made it, Rose. I made it all."
"How glad I am that you made it! Will it float in the water?"
"I think so. All it wants now is the sail. I will soon put that on."
"How I should like to see it sail! Does mother know that you have
made it?"
"Not yet; but I will take it to her as soon as I have put the sail on it.
Then, if she will let us, we will take it down to the river. We will put it
in the water and see it float. We will see how fast it can sail."
Soon Frank and Rose were on their way to the river. Frank said that if
the boat sailed well, he would give it