Dick and His Cat and Other Tales Part 12

_Write:_ The fly pitched on the head of the old man. He gave a stamp with his foot to wake him up. The old man put out the fire.

Questions: 1. Where did the fly pitch on leaving the cap? 2.

What did he do to the old man's head? 3. What did Mr. Sutton do when he woke up? 4. What did he say to his wife? 5. Who came home with Thomas? 6. What sort of day had Rose spent?

11. A GLa.s.s TO MAKE THINGS BIG.

1. "What shall I look at next?" said Rose, who had a gla.s.s thing in her hand, next day. "Oh, this fly!"

2. The lunch was on the table, and I was just making a hearty meal on a pat of b.u.t.ter. I knew that Rose would not hurt me. So I stood quite still.

3. "How very strange!" said the little girl. "He looks as big as a horse. His wings are like shining lace, and he has hairy brushes on his feet.

4. "Now he is cleaning his head with one of them. I am glad that flies are not really so big as he seems now.

5. "What a buzzing we should have, and what should we do when such huge things flew about the room or walked on the ceiling!

6. "There would be no room for us to move, and the house would be too small. Fancy having such a creature as this fly looks now jumping and prancing over one's bread and jam!"

7. I was not pleased with this speech; I knew that my colour was rather dingy, but I had always thought my shape to be light and graceful, and this Rose had taken no notice of.

8. Neither had she so much as looked at my trunk, of which I am truly proud. So I flew away in a pet from under the gla.s.s, and settled on the loaf in the middle of the table, out of her reach.

9. "But for you, dear grand-father, I should never have thought such tiny creatures worth taking any notice of. Why, they are made just as well as big ones, or better."

[Ill.u.s.tration: WHAT SHALL I LOOK AT NEXT?]

10. "Not better, dear, but quite as well. They are all the work of G.o.d's hand, and so all must be alike good. Do you know that you owe the pretty crimson sash that you have on to a very little creature?"

11. "Oh yes, the silkworm," said Rose.

"Yes, and the red colour was made from the dead body of an insect too.

There is a sort of blight which gives this red colour after it is dead.

12. "Merchants bring them from abroad, after they have been taken from the plants on which they live. As they kill the coffee plants they must be swept off, and they are made into dye."

13. Grand-father would have said much more, but just then Rose saw Tom and Lucy walking up the lawn to the open window.

14. Behind them walked gravely Neptune the dog, with his master's stick in his mouth, which he thought it a great honour to carry.

_Write:_ Rose saw the fly through her gla.s.s. She felt glad that the fly was not so big as he looked then. He was as well made as if he were large.

Questions: 1. What did Rose look at through her gla.s.s? 2.

What did she think about the fly? 3. What did Mr. Sutton say about great and little creatures? 4. Whom did Rose see in the garden? 5. Who walked behind carrying his master's stick?

12. A LONG SLEEP.

1. About this time I began to feel a chill in the air. I did not like this, for it made me feel drowsy. So I kept in the warmth of the drawing-room all day.

2. But I was shocked to see that many of my friends began to get quite unfit to run or fly about. Their wings seemed heavy, and some of them crept into holes where they went to sleep.

3. One day I went down to the table and found one of the gayest flies I had ever known, lying on his back upon the cloth.

4. He was cold and stiff. Nearly all the friends I had made that summer were dying or dead around me, or else they had crept into corners out of sight.

5. I knew that something must be done, or I too should one day be found lying on my back with my legs in the air, and Thomas would sweep me away, as he did the other flies.

6. I made up my mind to choose the best place I could, and there seemed none better than the old red curtain from which I had first come out into that pleasant room.

7. I therefore ran about on the wall behind it for some time, looking for a proper hole. I found just the nook I wanted, where a bit of the wall paper was peeling off.

8. I had hardly crept into it when I was fast asleep. To my good sense and quickness I owe my life. If I had not been a clever fly, I should have died, I dare say, like the rest.

9. As it is, here I am, alive and merry. When I woke the next warm spring day, there was little Rose and Mr. and Mrs. Sutton sitting at breakfast just as they had done when first I saw them.

10. Rose was perhaps a little taller, and the bald place on her grand-father's head may have been a wee bit wider.

11. But the jam was just as good, the honey and sugar as sweet, and the white cap just as clean and nice to sit on. The flowers in the garden, too, smell as fresh as ever--still I prefer the jam.

12. If I might say one word at parting, it would be this. Do not forget that there is room in this big wide world for a poor little fly as well as for boys and girls.

13. And if you enjoy life and like a good game at play,--why, so do we!

So let us have our harmless games and do our tiny bit of work for you in peace.

_Write:_ As soon as it felt cold the fly went to sleep. He did not wake up till the next spring. There is room in the world for flies as well as for boys and girls.

Questions: 1. What did the fly now begin to feel? 2. What did he see on the table? 3. Where did he hide himself? 4.

When did he wake from his sleep? 5. What change did he see in Rose? 6. What does the fly say as a parting word?

BETTY AND SNOWDROP.

1. PEEP! PEEP!

1. There was once a young hen. She had led a very quiet life in a village until she was nearly one year old. Then, all at once, she found that people began to make a great fuss about her.

2. You will never guess why, and so, as I think you may like to hear all about her, I will begin at once and tell you. Betty,--that was the name of this hen,--was one of ten fluffy little yellow chicks.