Source.-The author is unknown, but the magazine from which the story was taken-London Punch-is a famous English comic journal appearing every week, full of wit, humour, and satire in prose and verse, and copiously illustrated by sketches and caricatures. It was founded in 1841, and still Hourishes.
General Notes.-Waits are people who sing carols outside Englishhouses on Christmas Eve; seraphs are singing angels; a faun was a Roman deity of field and herd, generally represented as having human shape, but with pointed ears, small horns, and a goat"s tail, sometimes also with the hind legs and feet of a goat. What do Lady and Babe and Faun represent in this whimsical, beautiful little story? Write a little story of " Christmas Eve in the Australian Bush," bringing in whatever wood-spirits appeal to your fancy.
Lesson 21
THE PLAINT OF THE CAmEL
Canary-birds feed on sugar and seed, Parrots have crackers to crunch;And as for the poodles, they tell me the noodles Have chicken and cream for their lunch.
But there"s never a question
About MY digestion- ANYTHING does for me.
Cats, you"re aware, can repose in a chair,
Chickens can roost upon rails; Puppies are able to sleep in a stable,And oysters can slumber in pails. But no one supposesA poor camel dozes-
ANY PLACE does for me.
Lambs are enclosed where it"s never exposed,
Coops are constructed for hens; Kittens are treated to houses well heated,And pigs are protected by pens.
But a camel comes handy
Wherever it"s sandy-
ANYWHERE does for me.
People would laugh if you rode a giraffe Or mounted the back of an ox;It"s nobody"s habit to ride on a rabbit
Or try to bestraddle a fox. But as for a camel, he"s Ridden by families-ANY LOAD does for me.
A snake is as round as a hole in the ground, Weasels are wavy and sleek;And no alligator could ever be straighter Than lizards that live in a creek.
But a camel"s all lumpy,
And bumpy, and humpy- ANY SHAPE does for me.
- Charles Edward Carryl
Author.-Charles Edward Carryl (1841-1920), an American writer, was born in New York, where he became a well-known business man. He wrote much humorous verse and some books of fanciful tales.
General Notes.-Make a list of all the complaints of the camel. Make up a conversation between the camel and some of the animals that he imagines are better treated than he is. Try to show both sides. Do you ever feel like the camel? Read the story and the poem about the camel in Kipling"s Just-so Stories.
Suggestions for Verse-speaking.-Do you notice that each verse canbe divided into two parts? Each line in the first part can be spoken by a different pupil or by different groups, and all can chant together the last three lines (the second part) in each verse.
Lesson 22
A RESCuE
Possum nodded at the small boy, who was racing ahead- a gallant little figure in white shirt and brief knickerbockers, with a wide felt hat. He took a flying leap upon the jetty, where the water swished softly on the pebbles, and capered beside the old dinghy that Tom had left moored near the skiff.
"Come on!" he shouted. "You"re too slow. I"m going offto meet Daddy by myself!"
Drawn by Allan T.Bernaldo
"He almost overbalanced."
As he spoke, he planted one foot gingerly in the old boat. It rocked and swayed, and he almost overbalanced. Possum sprang forward with a quick catch of her breath, but the little fellow righted himself with a mighty wriggle, and sat down abruptly in the dinghy. Possum turned to Aileen with a relieved, half-shamefaced laugh.
"He jolly near sat down in the water that time," she said. "It did give me a start-lucky he managed to hit the boat." She raised her voice. "Keep still, Garth; let me steady her while you get out."There came a queer little cry from Garth. "But it"s going away with me!"Aileen saw, and screamed, and ran. She was too far away. The sudden jerk had parted the rotten strands of the old rope that held the boat, and slowly, yet all too quickly for Possum"s wild rush, the dinghy swung out into the stream. The tide was running out, and the current was very swift. It seemed but a second, while they cried out and ran, till the current caught the old boat and whisked it swiftly away.
"Come on," Possum said, "quick! Don"t worry, Missus, we"ll catch him."She leapt upon the jetty. Aileen followed, and flung herself into the skiff, thrusting the oars into the rowlocks. Possum tugged at the painter, and abused Tom"s knots under her breath. They yielded at last, and she sprang in, pushing off with a force that sent the boat spinning down stream. Possum grasped the oars. Aileen was already at the tiller-staring ahead in utter silence, seeing nothing but the little blue and white figure. It swung round a bend, and was out of sight.
"Keep her out in the middle, where the tide"s swiftest,Missus," Possum said. "Don"t look like that-it"s all right- we"ll get him."She was rowing desperately, with sharp, quick strokes, under which the boat flew through the water. They rounded the turn, and ahead-but how far ahead!-was the dinghy, with Garth sitting upright and very still. Faster and faster, as they neared the mouth, the current set out to sea.
"It"s very light, you know," Possum said between strokes, in answer to Aileen"s look. "And it got a good start. We"re gaining though, you notice." She was flinging quick looks backward as she rowed. "Ain"t he sittin" still? My word, he"s good! He"s got sense enough for ten!"Garth"s clear little voice came back to them over the dancing water. They could not hear his words, but there was no fear in the tone. Aileen felt almost ashamed of her own sick terror, hearing that brave, childish voice; but the stories of the danger of the current echoed in her mind, and she knew, if once the dinghy gained the lake before them, that hope was slight. And he was such a little, little boy !