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"Oh, poor James! how sad it would have been if Nep had kill-ed him!"

"It would have been sad! You may think how glad James's pa-pa and mam-ma were to have their dear boy home safe once more, and how much they did thank God, who had sav-ed James from the great risk which he had run."

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STORY II.

HOW THE BIRD TOOK IN THE MAN.

WHAT was that? Did you not hear some one speak?"

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Yes, I heard the bird say, 'Good day— good day.''

"The bird! Can a bird speak?"

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Yes, there are two or three kinds of birds that can speak well. When your un-cle was in India, he was much pleas-ed with a bird—a

F

kind of crow-which spoke so well, it was just like a man speak-ing. He told me one strange tale of this bird. There is a rule in the ar-my that when a man of rank in the ar-my comes near the guard house, the men come out, and raise their hands to their heads as he goes by. But if the man of rank does not wish that the men should turn out, he shakes his hand to the man at the door, and then the man knows that the men are not to turn out that day.

"One day a cap-tain came near the guard house.

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door.

Guard, turn out!' said the man at the

"But the cap-tain shook his hand.

"Guard, turn in!" said the man at the

door.

"And the cap-tain walk-ed on. No one spoke till the cap-tain came close up to the door; then he heard some one say, in a loud voice,

"Guard, turn out! Guard, turn out!'

"Who says that?' said the cap-tain, as he stood still, and look-ed round, quite in a pet; for he did not like that, when he said one thing was to be done, some one else should say that it should not be done. Who dares to say, Guard, turn out, when I have said, Guard, turn in ?'

""That bird there, sir,' said the man at the door. It is he that is to blame.'

"Oh! it is he, is it?' said the cap-tain; and, like a wise man, he went his way; for there was no use to be in a pet with a bird.

"Ah! ah! Mr. Crow,' said the man at the door, as he shook his gun at the bird, 'you think your-self a wise bird; now let me tell you one thing. If you are as wise a bird as you think, you had best mind what you say. You have got off safe for this once, but I warn you, if you say, 'Guard, turn out,' when you ought to say, 'Guard, turn in,' you may chance to come to harm yet.’

"Guard, turn out-Guard, turn in! Guard, turn in-Guard, turn out!' sang out the bird, as it hop-ped from bough to bough. It did sound so odd, no one could hear it and not laugh; and the bird seem-ed to think it as fine fun as did the men, till at last it got tir-ed of its play, and then it sang its song once more, and flew a-way."

STORY III.

HOW THE BIRD CALL-ED A CAB.

"CAN you tell me some more of the bird that could talk ?”

"I can-not tell you more of that bird, but I can tell you of a par-rot that did call a cab."

"Oh do! what did he call a cab for? did he want a ride?"

"You shall hear. You have heard pa-pa speak of the House of Com-mons?"

"Oh, yes! I have heard pa-pa speak of the House of Com-mons."

"Near to the House there is a large cabstand; for when the men leave the House they want to get home quick, so they are glad the cabs should stand there to be at hand to take them home. A man stands near the door of the House, and when he sees the men come out, he calls out,

"Cab round the cor-ner-Cab round the cor-ner,' and up comes a cab to take the man to his home.

"In a house close by there was a par-rot, and as he had heard the words, he one day took it in-to his head that he would try if he could not call a cab as well as the man. So when he was put out to sit in the air, he call-ed out as loud as he could,

"Cab round the cor-ner-Cab round the cor-ner.'

"Up came a cab, but there was no one to get in-no one was there to use the cab. So

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