SECOND BOOK. 1.—THE LITTLE PRINCESS AND HER DOLL. chaise fore-head stair-case dress-ed It was a fine morn-ing in May-a little Princ-ess was five years old that very day, so she was going for a drive in the park. Her nurse dress-ed her in a white frock and blue sash, and tied on her little straw hat with blue bows. The lady-in-waiting led the happy child along the pass-ages and down the wide stair-case. Then they went across the large hall. A pretty pony chaise was at the door. It was drawn by two bay po-nies, just alike, each with a white star on the fore-head, and a black mane and tail. The little Princess stopped at the door. "I want my doll," she said, "I cannot go without my doll.” "Oh," said the lady, "you shall have a new doll that has just come for you from the shop." So she sent a serv-ant for it, and he soon came back with a fine new doll in a gay pink frock. It had rosy cheeks, blue eyes that could open and shut, and curly hair. But the Princess shook her head. "I do not want that stupid thing," she said, "I want my own doll. I want Rose." The servant went up-stairs again, and this time he came back with an old faded doll. The col-our was worn off her cheeks, one arm was gone, her frock was tum-bled and she looked very shabby. But the little Princess clapped her hands, when she saw her, and called out, "Oh, my dear old doll! my darling Rose! you must go out with me on my birthday, I am sure." She took poor old Rose in her arms, and was quite ready now to jump into the car-ri-age for her morning drive. That little Princess had a true English heart. She knew that there was no friend like an old friend. 2.-WHO MAY PLAY ALL DAY. kitten frobics even-ing les-sons les-sons The kit-ten frol-ics all the day, The lambs from morn till evening play, But we are better far than they, And must not throw our time away. The lambs no les-sons have to say, mock-ing fields run-ning ac-cus-ing mock-ing fields run-ning ac-cus-ing A little boy and his mother went one summer to stay in the coun-try. She sent him out the next morning to play in the fields by himself. There were some high rocks near, and an echo was to be heard from one place in the field below them; but little James knew nothing about that. He had never heard an echo, and did not know how it re-peats what is said to it. While the merry little fellow was run-ning about he called out in his play "Ho! Ho," and soon he heard a voice say again "Ho! Ho!" He did not know what to make of this and asked "Who are you?" and the words came back to him "Who are you?" Poor little James was sure now, that some one was mocking him; so he called out "You are a fool," and the voice said again "You are a fool." On this the boy grew very angry, and began to say all sorts of unkind bad words, and the echo said them all in return to him. At last poor James could bear it no longer. He ran to his mother and said " Oh, mother, there is such a wicked bad boy hid-den under the rocks. He has been calling me names and saying such bad words." "Ah, my child," said his mother sadly, "you are ac-cus-ing yourself. The echo has said nothing to you that you did not say to it first. And let me tell you that as you grow up you will find many peo-ple very like that echo. If you speak kindly to them, they will speak kindly to you. If you say rough, rude words, you must ex-pect to get the same in return." 4. THE WILFUL LITTLE FLY. young dan-ger afraid some-times young dan-ger a-fraid some-times gid-dy perch-ed drown-ed per-ish gid-dy perch-ed drown-ed per-ish A giddy young fly was perched on the edge of a milk-jug, whence she looked down upon the white sea below. Her mother flew up to her and said, "Take care, my dear child, stay where you are, or you will be lost. You are so young, you know nothing about dan-ger; but be sure, if you fly down there, you will per-ish and die." "Oh," cried the fly, "I know old people are always afraid of everything. But risks must be run some-times, and for my part, I want to find out what that nice white stuff is like." "What are you going to do?" said the poor mother; "you will be drowned at once. |