legendary (lěj'en då ri), pertain- piebald (pi'bold'), of different pottage (pot'äj), a thick soup. psaltery (sôl'těr Ĭ), an ancient musical instrument. puncheon (pun'chun), a large cask. ribald (rib'ǎld), a rascal, a worthless fellow. scorpion (skôr'pĬ un), a kind of spider. stiver (stī'věr), a Dutch coin. subterraneous (sub'ter rā'nė us), underground. Tartary (Tär'tår 1), a region of eastern Europe and of Asia. Transylvania (Trănʼsil vāʼni ȧ), a part of Hungary. trepanned (trẻ pănd), trapped, vampire (vămpīr), a bat. like rats, mice, flies, bugs, etc. viper (vi'per), a venomous snake. Weser (Va'zĕr), a river in Ger many. 1. How do you suppose that the poet learned about this legend? 2. Locate on the map of Europe the position of Hamelin Town. 3. Why did the people want to get rid of the rats? 4. Who was to blame for the plague of rats? 5. What did the Mayor and the Corporation do to remedy the evil? 6. Describe the appearance of the man who came to their meeting. 7. What proposal did the visitor make? 8. Tell how the piper attracted the rats. How he got rid of them. 9. Describe the rat procession to the river Weser. 10. What happened when the Mayor and the Corporation refused to give the piper his reward? 11. What did the Mayor say to him? 12. How did the piper answer the Mayor? 13. Who flocked around him when he played his pipes the second time? 14. Describe the procession of the children to Koppelberg Hill. 15. What effect did this have on the Mayor and his Council? 16. How was this legend preserved among the people of Hamelin? 17. In which line of this poem do we find the moral of the legend? In legendary lore, we find at least six stories telling about different persons, who, on account of their unjust and miserly spirit, were eaten by rats. Here the poet uses the story to make an amusing poem. 1. What diverting situations do you find in the poem? 2. The poet here takes delight in using strange words to make a rhyme. Can you find any of these rhymes? 3. Perhaps you have heard the expression poetic license. Here the author uses this license to make these strange rhymes. 4. If you were the child for whom the Pied Piper of Hamelin was written, what sketches would you make to illustrate the story? AUTUMN SONG My life is but a leaf upon the tree A growth upon the stem that feedeth all. The selfsame sun, the shadow, and the rain, That brought the budding verdure to the bough, And leave the limb in nakedness again. My life is but a leaf upon the tree; The winds of birth and death upon it blow; But whence it came and whither it shall go, Is mystery of mysteries to me. REV. JOHN B. TABB. LARS PETERSEN'S BRAVERY In my travels about the world, I have made the acquaintance of a great many children, and I might tell you many things about their dress, their speech, and their habits of life in the different countries I have visited. I presume, however, that you would rather hear me relate some of my experiences in which children have taken part, so this shall be the story of my adventure with a little postboy, in the northern part of Sweden. Very few foreigners travel in Sweden in the winter, on account of the intense cold. I made my journey in this season, however, because I was on my way to Lapland, where it is easier to travel when the swamps and rivers are frozen, and the reindeer sleds can fly along over the smooth snow. It was very cold, indeed, the greater part of the time; the days were short and dark, and if I had not found the people so kind, so cheerful, and so honest, I should more than once have felt inclined to turn back. But I do not think there are better people in the world than those who live in Norrland, which is a province in the northern part of Sweden. They are a tall, strong race, with yellow hair and bright blue eyes. They live plainly, but very comfortably, in snug wooden houses, with double windows and doors to keep out the cold; and since they cannot do much outdoor work, they spin and weave, and mend their farming implements in the large family room, thus enjoying the winter in spite of its severity. Here there are neither railroads nor stages, but the government has established post stations at distances varying from ten to twenty miles. At each station a number of horses, and sometimes vehicles, are kept, but generally the traveler has his own sled, and simply hires the horses from one station to another. These horses are furnished either by the keeper of the station or by some of the neighboring farmers; and when they are wanted, a man or boy goes with the traveler to bring them back. I had my own little sled, filled with hay and covered with reindeer skins to keep me warm. So long as the weather was not too cold, it was very pleasant to speed along through the dark forests, over the frozen rivers, or past farm after farm in the sheltered valleys, up hill and down until long after the stars came out, then to get a warm supper in some dark red post cottage, while the cheerful people sang or told stories around the fire. The cold increased a little every day, to be sure; but I became gradually accustomed to it, and soon began to fancy that the Arctic climate was not so difficult to endure as I had supposed. At first the thermometer fell to zero; then it went down ten degrees below; then twenty, and finally thirty. Being dressed in thick furs from head to foot, I did not suffer greatly; but I was very glad when the people assured me that such extreme cold never lasted more than two or three days. Boys of twelve or fourteen very often went with me to bring back their father's horses, and so long as those lively, red-cheeked fellows could face the weather, it would not do for me to be afraid. One night there was a wonderful aurora in the sky. The streamers of red and blue light darted hither and thither, chasing each other up to the zenith and down. again to the northern horizon, with a rapidity and a brilliance which I had never seen before. 66 "There will be a storm soon," said my postboy; one always comes after these lights." Next morning the sky was overcast, and the short day was as dark as our twilight. But it was not quite so cold, and I traveled onward as fast as possible. There was a long tract of wild and thinly settled country before me, and I wished to get through it before stopping for the night. Unfortunately it happened that two lumber merchants were traveling the same way and had taken the post horses; so I was obliged to wait at the stations until horses were brought from the neighboring farms. This delayed me so |