company

THE DOG DANDIE.

numerous

immediately unconscious

Edinburgh biscuit

A GENTLEMAN in Edinburgh had a very wise dog, called Dandie. When his master was in company, however numerous it might be, if he but said to his dog, "Dandie, bring me my hat," the dog at once picked out the hat from all the others, and put it into his master's hand. A pack of cards being scattered in the room, if his master had previously chosen one of them, the dog would find it out and bring it to him. One evening some gentlemen being in company, one of them by chance dropped a shilling on the floor, which, after the most careful search, could not be found. The dog's master, seeing his dog sitting in a corner, and looking as if he did not know what was passing, said to him, "Dandie, find us the shilling, and you shall have a biscuit." The dog at once jumped upon the table, and laid down the shilling, which he had picked up before, without being perceived. One time having been left in a room, he remained quiet for some time, but as no one opened the door, he got tired and rang the bell; and when the servant opened the door, she was surprised to see the dog pulling the bell-rope. After that, he pulled the bell whenever he was asked, and if there was no bell-rope in the room, he would look at the table, and if he found a hand-bell, would take it in his mouth and ring it. His master returning home one night rather late found all the family in bed,

and not being able to find the boot-jack in its usual place, said to his dog, "Dandie, I cannot find my boot-jack; search for it." The dog, knowing quite well what had been said to him, scratched at the room door, till his master opened it, went to a distant part of the house, and soon returned, carrying in his mouth the boot-jack, which his master had left that morning under the sofa. Some gentlemen were in the habit of giving Dandie a penny, which he took to a baker's shop, and bought bread with for himself. One gentleman who was in the habit of doing this, was met in the street by the dog, when he said to him, "I have not a penny with me, but I have one at home." Shortly after his return home a noise was heard at the door, and the dog sprang in to get his penny. But this was not all; the penny turned out to be a bad one, and being refused at the baker's the dog at once returned, knocked at the gentleman's door, laid down the penny at the servant's feet, and walked off seemingly with the greatest contempt. He would also hide his money in some secret place, that he might take it when he wanted for bread. A mangle had been sent out from his master's warehouse in a cart, in the absence of the master, who, however, soon after went out with the dog in the direction the cart had gone, but suddenly missed him from his side. Shortly after, as he walked on, he met the cart coming back towards Edinburgh, with the dog holding the reins. He had stopped the horse, jumped into the cart, looked at the mangle, and then seized the reins and turned the horse round, and would

not let go his hold although beaten. On his master's arrival, however, finding that he had made a mistake, he quietly allowed the carter to proceed.

DICTATION.-Dandie was wiser than some men, for he bought only bread with his pennies. He must have known what was said to have gone for the boot-jack, and he must have thought about what he saw to have rung the roombell, or stopped and turned round the cart to prevent the mangle being stolen, as he fancied, from the warehouse.

QUESTIONS.-Tell Dandie's wise doings with the hat, the cards, the shilling, the bell, the baker, the bad penny, the mangle. Do you think he could reason? Did he know what words meant ?

FREDERICK AND HIS PAGE.

FREDERICK the Great, King of Prussia, was a very curious, but also a very clever man. One day he rang the bell for his page to come to him. A page is a little boy who runs errands in great houses, and waits upon people who live there. But when the king rang, no one came to answer the bell.

The king then opened the door, and found the page had gone to sleep. He saw a letter hanging out of his pocket, and, being curious, he took it out and read it. It was a letter from the boy's mother, thanking him for sending her part of his wages, for which God would reward him, if he continued to serve the king well.

Having read this note, the king went out, fetched some money, and slipped it into the boy's pockets. Then he went back to his room, and rang so loudly that the page awoke. When he came into the room,

the king said, "Surely you have been asleep." The boy stammered out an excuse, and, putting his hands into his pockets, found the money there.

So he drew it speak a word. "Alas, your

Some boys would have been glad at this, and said nothing about it to any one. But this page was an hcnest lad, who knew he had not earned the money, and thought it did not belong to him. out, pale and trembling, but unable to "What is the matter?" said the king. majesty," said the boy, falling upon his knees, "some one wishes to do me harm. I know nothing about this money which was in my pocket.”

The king was much pleased with his honesty, and told him to send the money to his mother, as a reward for bringing up her son so well.

We never lose by being strictly honest in everything we do. If this boy had said nothing about the money the king, his master, had put in his pocket, he would not have been trusted so much afterwards. But when the king found out how thoroughly honest he was, he took care to help him as much as he could.

DICTATION.-No one loses by honesty. The poor page would tremble indeed when he found the money in his pocket, but unless he had been a good boy he would have said nothing about it, and then Frederick would have thought nothing of him. The boy was kind to his mother also, and that always makes people love any one.

QUESTIONS.-What was the king's name? Of what country was he king? What is a page ? What did the king find in the page's pocket? What did the king put in his pocket? What did the boy do? What did the king say to him after?

FOUR brothers go, year in, year out, roaming over the land; each one coming by himself, and bringing us rich gifts.

The first comes with a light heart, dressed in pale blue, and strews buds and leaves and blossoms round, filling the air with odours. The second comes with a more earnest face, with sunshine and rains, and strews flowers in his path, and all the blessings of the field and garden. The third comes with heaped-up riches, and fills the broad earth with yellow corn, and loads the trees with fruit, and the vines with green and purple grapes. The fourth comes stormily, hidden in darkness, and finds the fields and woods and meadows bare, and decks and covers them with white.

Who will tell me who the brothers are who come thus one after the other? Any child may easily guess; so I must not say.

DICTATION.-These four brothers go roaming over the whole world carrying blossoms and leaves, and filling the air with sunshine and odours. One of them, indeed, comes stormily; but he, too, has blessings for men. The meadows would feel the want of him if he did not come, and the yellow corn in the fields would die in the ground while green.

QUESTIONS.-How does Spring come? How does Summer come? How does Autumn come? How does Winter come ?