3. That here they suffered, toiled and bled, That here pure martyr-blood was shed 4. That through what Christian men have done, No other land beneath the sun Owes half so much to Heaven! 5. Now, in the zenith of our fame, To learn the secret that we claim 6. What is it? Not our armaments Not vaunted freedom's proud pretence; 7. Our faith hath made us what we are; From Southern Cross to Northern Star, Our people worship God! 2. DEFINITIONS.-I. Pro found', deep; thorough. Sires, forefathers. 3. Un fûrled', opened; spread. 4. Hal'lowed, sacred; holy. 5. Zenith, point in the heavens directly overhead; greatest height. 6. Thrall, subjection. 7. Är'ma ments, a body of men prepared for war. 8. Väunt'ed, boasted. 9. Pre tençe', false show. LESSON II. "The Air-Brake Did It." 66 1. "We went winding up the mountain," says a writer in the Philadelphia Item, our massive engine drawing us up the curving grade without an apparent effort. We had crossed an iron bridge and made a curve, winding to the left, and from the track a cottage home stood in the shadow of the hill. Looking past it to a point just beyond, which was visible from my side of the engine, I saw, and excitedly exclaimed: "A child on the track!' 2. "At the exclamation, John sprang from his seat. One glance down the track, and his face became pallid. A child, three years old, perhaps, stood midway between the rails and not one hundred yards from the engine. I looked from John to the child. It stood facing us, clapping its little hands, as it was wont to do from its mother's arms, perhaps, at the passing of the cars. In another instant I was thrown forward, almost pitching through the glass window in front. At the same moment I heard a scream, a woman's voice, and, with arms aloft and face paralyzed with terror, the mother stood upon the steps of her cottage. We were nearer the child—it was not twenty yards from the engine, which, under the pressure of the air-brake, was bumping and jolting furiously. 3. "I looked for John; his seat was vacant; again I looked ahead; the pilot was within twenty feet of the child, the train still moving too rapidly to be checked before reaching it! I shut my eyes; my heart stood still. Again the mother's heart-rending scream, and I opened my eyes to see the child tossed several feet in the air. My head swam as I averted my eyes, and I fancied I heard the crushing of the little form by the now slowly revolving wheels, when, in husky tones, I heard a man's voice say, 'Thank God!' 4. "I opened my eyes, and, standing upon the pilot, was John Akers, holding in his arms the child, its face wreathed in smiles. The engine was now at a stand-still. From the cottage, the father came with a blanched face and trembling steps. The child, in merry accents, called out, 'Want to ride, papa?' He took his baby from John Akers's extended hands, and, folding her in his arms, sank down on the earth beside the track. 5. "John clambered back to his perch and sounded the whistle. The passengers looked out of the windows, wondering what had occurred. A trembling hand drew the lever, which started the engine puffing and hissing until it was going at full speed again. I looked toward John-his blue eyes were on the track ahead, but they were dimmed. Tears were on his cheek, as he perhaps thought of what would have been his feelings if his own little girl had been the one on the track. Not a word did either of us speak until at Christiansburg, on the top of the Alleghanies, 2000 feet above sea level, the train stopped. As I started to leave the engine, I turned and grasped John's hand. “You did a brave thing, John,—a noble act.' 66 6 'Twas the air-brake,' he modestly replied; ''twas the air-brake that did it.'"-Anonymous. DEFINITIONS.-I. Măss'ive, very large and heavy; bulky. 2. Ap pâr'ent, distinct. 3. Viş'i ble, in view. 4. Păl'lid, pale; without color. 5. Păr'à lỹzed, unnerved. 6. Pi'lot, the cowcatcher of a locomotive. 7. Chěcked, stopped. 8. A vert'ed, turned away or aside. 9. Blanched, white; colorless. 10. Clăm'bered, climbed. II. Oc cûrred', happened. 12. Lē'ver, a piece of machinery used for controlling the motion of an engine. LESSON III. What I Live For. George L. Banks. I. I live for those who love me, For the heaven that smiles above me, For all human ties that bind me, 2. I live to learn their story Who've battled for my sake— Bards, prophets, heroes, sages, The noble of all ages, Whose deeds crowd history's pages, And Time's great volume make. 3. I live to hold communion With all that is divine; To feel there is a union 'Twixt Nature's heart and mine; Reap truths from fields of fiction; And fulfill God's grand design. 4. I live to hail that season, As Eden was of old. 5. I live for those who love me, For the heaven that smiles above me, For the cause that lacks assistance, And the good that I can do. Definitions.—1. As sīgned', appointed; allotted. 2. Pa'tri ot, one who loves his country. 3. Mär'tyr, one who suffers death or great sacrifice for principle. 4. Stake, a piece of timber to which a martyr is tied to be burned to death. 5. Bärds, minstrels; poets. 6. |