II
The thief thought there must be something in the old man's bags; so with his big rusty knife he chopped them into rags. But no money did he find, for the silly old man was not so silly as he seemed. His money was in his pocket.
The old man rode on to his landlord's home and paid his rent. Then he opened the thief's bag, which was glorious to behold. There were five hundred pounds in gold and silver.
"Where did you get the silver?" asked the landlord. "And where did you get the gold?"
"I met a proud fool on the way," said the old man with a laugh. "I swapped horses with him, and he gave me this to boot."
"Well, well! But you're too old to go about with so much money," said the landlord.
"Oh, I think no one would harm a silly old man like me," said the farmer, as he rode away.
The old man went home by a narrow lane, and there he spied Tib tied to a tree.
"The stranger did not like his trade, I fear," said he. "So I think I'll take Tib home."
The old man went home much richer than when he left. When she heard the story, the wife danced and sang for glee. "'Tis hard to fool my old man," said she.
—ENGLISH BALLAD (Adapted).
[THE ROCK-A-BY LADY]
The Rock-a-By Lady from Hushaby street
Comes stealing; comes creeping;
The poppies they hang from her head to her
feet,
And each hath a dream that is tiny and fleet—
She bringeth her poppies to you, my sweet,
When she findeth you sleeping!
There is one little dream of a beautiful drum—
"Rub-a-dub!" it goeth;
There is one little dream of a big sugar-plum,
And lo! thick and fast the other dreams come
Of pop-guns that bang, and tin tops that hum,
And a trumpet that bloweth!
And dollies peep out of those wee little dreams
With laughter and singing;
And boats go a-floating on silvery streams,
And the stars peek-a-boo with their own misty gleams,
And up, up, and up, where the Mother Moon beams,
The fairies go winging!
Would you dream all these dreams that are tiny and fleet?
They'll come to you sleeping;
So shut the two eyes that are weary, my sweet,
For the Rock-a-By Lady from Hushaby street
With poppies that hang from her head to her feet,
Comes stealing; comes creeping.
—EUGENE FIELD.
[THE SANDMAN]
The rosy clouds float overhead,
The sun is going down;
And now the sandman's gentle tread
Comes stealing through the town.
"White sand, white sand," he softly cries,
And as he shakes his hand,
Straightway there lies on babies' eyes
His gift of shining sand.
Blue eyes, gray eyes, black eyes, and brown,
As shuts the rose, they softly close,
When he goes through the town.
From sunny beaches far away—
Yes, in another land—
He gathers up at break of day
His store of shining sand.
No tempests beat that shore remote,
No ships may sail that way;
His little boat alone may float
Within that lovely bay.
Blue eyes, gray eyes, black eyes, and brown,
As shuts the rose, they softly close,
When he goes through the town.
He smiles to see the eyelids close
Above the happy eyes;
And every child right well he knows,
Oh, he is very wise!
But, if as he goes through the land,
A naughty baby cries,
His other hand takes dull gray sand
To close the wakeful eyes.
Blue eyes, gray eyes, black eyes, and brown,
As shuts the rose, they softly close,
When he goes through the town.
So when you hear the sandman's song
Sound through the twilight sweet,
Be sure you do not keep him long
A-waiting on the street.
Lie softly down, dear little head,
Rest quiet, busy hands,
Till, by your bed his good-night said,
He strews the shining sands.
Blue eyes, gray eyes, black eyes, and brown,
As shuts the rose, they softly close,
When he goes through the town.
—MARGARET VANDERGRIFT.
[A DICTIONARY]
To the Children: Below you will find the words in the Third Reader that you may not know the meaning of, or how to pronounce. Some words have more than one meaning. In looking for the meaning of a word, choose the meaning that best fits the sentence in which the word occurs.
ad ven ture: a bold undertaking.
af fec tion: love.
a gree ment: a bargain.
al mond: a nut.
am ber: of the color of amber-yellow.
ap plaud ed: praised.
ar bu tus: a trailing plant with small pinkish-white blossoms.
A tri (Ah tree): a town in Italy.
aught: anything.Bau cis (Bor sis): a Greek woman.
bel lows (lus): an instrument for blowing a fire, used by blacksmiths.
bil low: a great wave.
blithe (bl=ithe): joyous, glad.
bred: brought up.
bur dock: a coarse plant with bur-like heads.
card: an instrument for combing cotton, wool, or flax.
chase: hunt; pursuit.
chris ten ing: naming a child at baptism.
cliff: a high, steep face of rock.
com rade (kom rad): a mate, a companion.
Con al (C~on' al): an Irish lad.
con ceit ed: proud, vain.
con fess: to own; to admit.
coun cil: a small body called together for a trial, or to decide a matter.
court ier (court' yer): an attendant at the court of a prince.
crime: a wicked act punishable by law.
crouch: to stoop low.dan ger: risk.
de li cious: pleasing to the taste.
de nied: disowned.
depths: deep part of sea.
de stroy: break up; kill.
dis tress: suffering of mind.
dock: a place between piers where vessels may anchor.
Don al (D~on' al): an Irish lad.
dor mouse (dor mous'): a small animal that looks like a squirrel.
drought (drout): want of water.
dub: call.
dumps: low spirits.eaves: overhanging lower edges of a roof.
em bers: smouldering ashes.
em per or: ruler of an empire.
em press: wife of an emperor; a female ruler.
en chant ed: bewitched.
en e my: foe.
es tab lish: to found.
ex act ly: completely.
ex haust ed: tired, worn out.
ex tend ing: reaching.fam ine: scarcity of food.
fes ti val: a time of feasting.
flax: a slender plant with blue flowers, used to make thread and cloth.
fol ly: foolishness.
foot man: a man servant.
forge: a place with its furnace where metal is heated and hammered into different shapes.
fra grance: sweetness.
free dom: independence, liberty.gauz y: like gauze, thin.
Got ham (Got am): a village in Old England, commonly called G=o tham.
grate ful: thankful.
groom: a servant in charge of horses.
guard: one that guards; a watch.hail ing: calling.
har bor: a protected body of water where vessels may anchor safely.
haught y: proud.
her ald: a messenger.
Ho ang ti (H=o ~ang tee): an emperor of China.
hoar y: white.
horse-chest nut: a tree.
hu man: like men.
hu mor: mood, disposition.in no cent: guiltless.
in spect: examine.
in stant ly: at once.
in vent ed: made.jest: joke.
ju ni per: an evergreen, tree.
jus tice: right treatment.king dom: country belonging
to king or queen.
kirk: church.
knight: a mounted man-at-arms.lad en: loaded.
la ment ed: wailed, wept.
lin en: thread or cloth made of flax.
lodge: dwelling place; wigwam.
loom: a machine for weaving threads into cloth.
lus cious: delicious.Man i tou (too): a name given by the Indians to the "Great Spirit," or God.
marsh es: swamps.
mer cy: pity, kindness.
min is ter: a pastor, a clergyman.
mis for tune: bad fortune.
moc ca sin: Indian shoes.
moor: to secure in place, as a vessel: a great tract of waste land.
moult ed: shed feathers.no bles: lords.
nurs er y: play room for children.o blige: do a favor.
o rang ou tang: a kind of ape.
or der ly: regular; in order.page: a youth training for knighthood.
pas try (p=as): article of food made with crust of paste (or dough) as a pie.
peas ant (p~es): a tiller of the soil.
pe can: a kind of nut.
Pe kin duck: a large, creamy white duck.
pest: a nuisance.
Phi le mon (F=i l=e' mon): a Greek peasant.
pil lar: a support.
pin ing: drooping; longing.
pound: a piece of English money, equal to about $5.00 in United States money.
prai rie: an extensive tract of level or rolling land.rag ing: furious, violent.
rec og nized: known.
re flec tion: image.
ref uge: shelter.
re fused: declined to do.
reign ing (rain): ruling.
re mote: distant.
rest less: eager for change, discontented; unquiet.
re store: to return, to give back.
roe buck: male deer.
runt: an animal unusually small of its kind.sad dle bags: a pair of pouches attached to a saddle, used to carry small articles.
Salis bur y (Sauls): a town in North Carolina.
sav age: wild, untamed.
scare crow: an object set up to scare crows and other birds away from crops.
score: the number twenty.
serv ice: benefit, favor.
shek el: ancient coin.
shreds: strips, fragments.
Si ling (Se): a Chinese empress.
sim ple ton: a foolish person.
six pence: six pennies—about twelve cents in United States money.
squire: a justice of the peace.
state ly: dignified, majestic.
stat ues: likeness of a human being cut out of stone.
steeped: soaked.
striv ing: laboring, endeavoring.
stub ble: stumps of grain left in ground, as after reaping.tab lets: a flat piece on which to write.
tasks: work, undertaking.
tem pest: storm.
tem ple: a kind of church.
thriv ing: prospering, succeeding.
tid ings: news.
till ing: cultivating.
tim id ly: shyly.
tink er ing: mending.
tithing man (t=ith): officer who enforced good behavior.
tor por: numbness, dullness.
tread: step.
tri als: efforts, attempts.
troop: an armed force.u su al: ordinary, common.
vain: proud, conceited; to no purpose.
van ished: disappeared.
ven i son (ven' z'n): flesh of deer.
vic to ry: triumph.
vol un teer: one who offers himself for a service.wa ger (wa jer): bet.
wages: carries on.
wand: a small stick.
width: breadth.
wig wam: Indian tent.
wis dom: learning, knowledge.yarn: thread.
Zeus (Z=us): a Greek god.
[WORD LIST]
This list contains the words in the Child's World Third Reader, except those already used in the earlier books of this series, and a few that present no difficulty in spelling, pronunciation or meaning.
9
Greece
Philemon
Baucis
unhappy
hives10
gathered
couple
Zeus
beggars11
attend
footsore
herbs
although
pitcher13
disappeared
homeward14
feeble
linden15
treasure
lucky
Iris
precious16
messenger
swift-footed
Mercury
awakened17
hereafter
honest
upright18
blossoms
luscious
harsh19
hues
frolic
glistened
wrestled
scurried21
fluttered
speckled
tender22
parents
moment
remained
praised25
zigzag
remote
comrade
blithe
amber
billows
stubble
bracing26
plantation
spindle28
woven
loom
ruffles29
England
buttonholes30
shepherd
shearers32
dyers33
colored
plaid34
Hoangti
emperor
China
Si-ling
empress
suddenly35
cocoons37
dainty
linen38
frightful
steeped39
suffered
aprons40
shreds
pulp
glorious
surprise
verses41
isles
thousands
prayers42
Hillmen
housewife
bargains43
saucepan
aye
sixpence
tinkering44
refused
muttered
vexed
chimney45
scoured
spoiled
exclaimed46
shelter
Dormouse
lest47
gracious
lamented
invented48
Atri
heralds
ye
complaint
message49
guilty50
arousing
justice51
steed
undertone
jest52
applauded53
savage54
dragged
judge
prison55
denied
wisdom56
labor
honeycomb57
artists
extending
poets
affection
well-deserved59
dreadful
worry
horrid
notice62
business65
perfectly
breath67
Epaminondas
granny75
service76
obliged
gently77
tremendous
marvelous78
forbid
allow81
caramels
almond
pecan
taffy82
except
Christ84
Pedro
altar
distress86
stately
haughty88
musician90
family
scare
pantry94
chocolate95
whiskers
danger101
huddled
wailed
usual
faint102
cheerful
pardon104
chorus
shriller
chubby
bundled106
furniture
mirror
reflection108
disgusted110
satisfied
oiling111
bow-legged
conceited112
remarked
width113
clattering
astonished114
fault
recognized115
shekels116
impossible
caliph117
courtier
presence
refused119
companion120
razors
agreement121
instantly122
cozy
drowsy124
Puritans
Sabbath125
Indians
worship126
sermon
minister127
tithingman
peppermint130
freedom
regular
Vermont
able-bodied
Americans
volunteers131
inspect133
victory134
president
Salisbury135
impatient
governor138
delicious
heartily139
murmuring
papoose
prairie
Manitou140
drought
council142
declared
sleek144
resin
selfish147
mentioned
loose149
hominy
sharpened154
establish
harbor
moored
orderly155
nursery
scattered156
famine
Orang-outang157
journey
magic160
refuge
grateful
restore
innocent161
favorite
whirlwind162
kingdom
confess
rejoicing163
penniless
simpleton
nevertheless164
destroy
human165
enchanted
tablets166
performs
princesses167
collected
pearls168
depths
exactly
syrup172
christening
godmothers174
nightingale
spitefully175
grieve
vanished
misfortune177
embroidering
departed
royal178
reigning
peasant
determined
guards
motionless179
statues181
canals
burdocks182
parson
cheated186
miserable
moor189
terror
cruel190
clumsy
matters192
glossy
moulted
naked193
horrible
sky-rocket195
strength
turtle dove196
Russian199
juniper201
trespass-money202
mischief
damages
ringleader205
gooseherd
excuse206
Ireland208
exhausted
diamonds211
trousers
greedily212
torpor
gauzy213
fragrance
Killing-worth214
squire
timidly215
oriole
weevils
enemy
contradict216
starvation
caterpillars
foe218
arbutus
tempest219
moccasins
embers
adventures220
hoary
joyous
marshes
ringlets221
shrunk
bosom
scent223
treasures224
confused
humor
score225
attention
folly227
million
tilling228
caress229
leaflet
petals230
Gotham
woe223
Nottingham
wager234
aught
lodging235
passport
youth
servant236
venison
pasty
Sherwood237
majesty
terrified246
straightway
beaches248
twilight
strews