PREFACE. THE THIRD NATIONAL READING-BOOK consists of Narratives, both in prose and poetry, interspersed with Anecdotes illustrative of Natural History, and other Information Lessons. It contains a large selection of Poetical pieces suited for pupils at this stage. The MEANINGS of the more difficult words in each lesson are given where it has been considered advisable. At the end of the book are a List of Words for exercise in SPELLING, and a List of PREFIXES and AFFIXES. THE THIRD NATIONAL READING-BOOK. beau'tiful. com'fortable. compan'ions. drays, low carts. THE FRETFUL FIR (1). for'est, a large wood. fret'ful, not content, complaining. imme'diately. mar'row, the very inside. expecta'tion, looking forward to spangled, glittering. what was to happen. felled', cut down. survey, a look all over. tricked, dressed, decorated. A pretty little fir-tree once stood in the forest. It had a capital place, which was open to the sunshine and the air, and around it grew many of its taller brothers. But none of these things had any value in the eyes of the little fir-tree-it only wished to grow tall. 'O that I were a tall tree,' it said; 'then I should be able to stretch my branches out so far, and lift my head so high, as to take a survey of the wide world around me.' In the autumn, wood-cutters came and felled some of the largest trees; and the young fir, which had now grown to a good height, felt a shudder; for the stately trees fell crashing to the earth; their boughs were hewn |