She had two little squirrels, and they were very happy together.

Old mother squirrel brought the little ones. nuts, and played with them.

But one night she did not come home.

A cruel man had shot the pretty mother squirrel.

Poor little squirrels! They were hungry and did not know what to do.

They had not learned to climb to get the acorns and other nuts.

They went to sleep without any supper.

In the night there was a terrible storm, and the oak tree was blown down.

But

The storm shook the nuts down, and in the morning the squirrels had plenty to eat. they still watched for their mother.

That day the man who owned the land came through the woods and found them.

They looked at him with frightened eyes, and he took them in his hands and put them into his soft hat.

"You poor little things! I will take you home to my little boys, and they shall have you for pets, for they are kind boys."

"Your home is gone, but you shall have a new house.

"It will be a cage that shall always be open, so that you may run about in the trees."

Soon the squirrels were quite tame. They would come when called, and sit with their great bushy tails curled over their backs and watch the boys. Or they would climb on the boys' shoulders, and run into their pockets to get the nuts they liked to eat.

It was fun to watch them fill their mouths with nuts as a boy fills his pocket, and then run up on the branch of a tree to eat them.

These boys were always kind to the squirrels. Would you like to have a squirrel for a pet? What would you do with it? What would you feed it?

There is a city* in Illinois where the squirrels run about the streets, from tree to tree, without fear.

No one there is allowed to shoot a squirrel, even though he wants to do so.

*Quincy.

Desk-work. Draw picture of squirrel.

Had a quarrel,

And the former called the latter "little prig."

Bun replied:

You are doubtless very big;

But all sorts of things and weather

Must be taken in together

To make up a year,
And a sphere;

And I think it no disgrace
To occupy my place.

If I'm not so large as you,
You're not so small as I,
And not half so spry;
I'll not deny you make
A very pretty squirrel track.

Talents differ; all is well and wisely put; If I can not carry forests on my back,

Neither can you crack a nut.

RALPH WALDO EMERSON.

Expression at desk. Answer questions:
What did the mountain call the squirrel?
What did the squirrel say to the mountain?

eat.

What fruit do you like best?

Here we have pears, apples, and plums.
The skin on these fruits is not good to

But the skin is a very pretty color.

Of what use to the fruit is the skin? And why has the skin so pretty a color?

Just inside the skin is the juicy pulp. It is the pulp that we like to eat.

The pulp of the apple is not so soft nor so juicy as the pulp of the pear or the plum.

The pulp of the pear is sweeter than the pulp of the plum or of the apple.

The apple and the pear each have a core. How many seeds do you find in the core of your pear?

Count the seeds in the core of your apple.

What part of the apple blossom grew into the fruit? If you take off the skin of your apple and weigh it, and then put it in the window in the sunshine until to-morrow, will the apple weigh more or less?

Expression. Try experiment, and bring the result to class in

writing.

WOODS.

dif fer ent troŭ ble mă ple ĕb on y wal nut

In the forests there are many different trees.

Some woods are very hard. And other woods are cut with so little trouble that they are called soft woods.

There are many uses of wood. Can you tell some of them? It depends upon its being hard or soft what use is made of a tree.

Pine wood is generally soft.