Chambers's Elementary Science Readers Part 1

Chambers's Elementary Science Readers.

by Various.

BOOK I.

[Ill.u.s.tration: He sat down on the rug with her.]

THE CAT.

PART 1.

walk'-ing watched ground shak'-ing thought stroked fore'-paws toes knew smooth yawn stretched sheaths won'-der mis-take'

claw

1. p.u.s.s.y came walking along the garden-path. Harry watched her, and saw that she did not like the damp ground.

2. She jumped over the pools, and then began to run, shaking her paws as she got to the house.

3. 'Now, a dog does not mind wet feet,' Harry thought; 'he will go into the water, but p.u.s.s.y will never go into the water.

4. 'She does not even use water to wash herself. Come here, p.u.s.s.y! You don't like to wet your nice fur, do you?'

5. As Harry was always kind to p.u.s.s.y, she let him pick her up and carry her into the house.

6. He sat down on the rug with her, and stroked her glossy back. One of her fore-paws rested on his hand, and he began to look at it.

7. 'Here are five toes,' he said, 'but what funny toes they are!' He gently turned the paw over, and saw the sharp nails drawn in under the fur.

8. The cat knew that he would not hurt her, so she kept her claws in, and let him feel them on the outside.

9. He found under the paw a soft smooth pad. 'Now I know how it is that she can walk so softly!' he said. 'This must help her to walk in that way.'

10. Here p.u.s.s.y gave a great yawn, and stretched out both her paws, claws and all. Harry saw the sharp nails like hooks, and watched them go back into their sheaths. Then she curled herself up on his lap.

11. He took hold of one of her hind-feet, and found only four toes upon it. 'I wonder if this is a mistake,' he said, 'or if the other one is the same.' Yes, it was just the same: there were four toes, with a claw at the end of each.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Cat's Paw.]

THE CAT

PART 2.

knives bot'-tom should tear'-ing poured clean sauc'-er tongue touch rough kit'-chen cous'-ins coun'-tries peo'-ple thought be-lieve'

1. 'What long sharp teeth she has got!' cried Harry, as p.u.s.s.y sat up and opened her mouth. 'They look like knives. There are two at the top, and two at the bottom!

2. 'I should not like my finger to be in the way when you shut your mouth. Your teeth must be for tearing and cutting: I am sure you do not chew your food as I have to do.

3. 'And what a way you have of drinking!

'Here, p.u.s.s.y, would you like some milk?' said Harry, and getting up, he poured a little milk into a clean saucer.

4. The cat ran to it, and Harry went down on the floor close by to watch her drinking it.

5. He saw that p.u.s.s.y's tongue was not smooth like his own, but had tiny points all over it. It came into his mind that she had once licked his face, and her tongue had a 'sc.r.a.py' feeling.

6. 'Do it again, p.u.s.s.y, dear,' he said, but she went on lapping up the milk.

'May I touch your tongue, then, with one of my fingers?'

7. But p.u.s.s.y did not like this. Then Harry took a drop or two of the milk into the palm of his hand. And when the cat had taken all she had in the saucer, she came and licked up the milk in his hand.

8. She went on licking even when all was gone, and Harry was able in this way to feel how rough her tongue was.

9. Just then his mother came into the kitchen, and Harry told her what he had been doing.

She asked:

'Have you looked at p.u.s.s.y's eyes?'

10. 'They are funny eyes,' he said; 'they are green, but there is not much of them to be seen.'

'Not just now,' said his mother, 'but she can open them wide when she likes. Then she can see even in the dark.'

11. 'In the dark, mother? Well, she is not a bit like me!'

'No, she is not like you. But she has plenty of cousins. Her cousins are the big lions and tigers, that live in hot countries, and eat sheep and horses, and even people when they can get them.'

12. Harry thought a little, and then said: 'If I were as small as p.u.s.s.y is now, and if p.u.s.s.y were as big as I am now, I believe she would eat me!'

THE DOG.

fol'-lowed moth'-er hun'-gry lone'-ly win'-dow noise la'-zy be-cause'

watched friend bur'-ied e-nough'

Ber'-nard shep'-herd wrong talk'-ing

1. A poor lost dog followed Harry and his little sister home from school, and tried to come into the house.