"We are the only brownies, father," said Tommy. "I can't understand this. Who has been sweeping the kitchen lately, I should like to know?'

"We have," said the boys.

"Who gets breakfast and puts things in order?" "We do! we do!" they shouted.

"But when do you do it?"

"Early in the morning before you come down." "But if you do the work, where is the brownie?" "Here," cried the boys; "we are the brownies, and we are sorry that we were boggarts so long."

The father was delighted to find how helpful his boys had become. The grandmother, however, could hardly believe that a real brownie had not been in the house. But as she sat in her chair day after day watching the boys at their work, she often repeated her favorite saying, "Children are a blessing."

EXPRESSION: Read again the conversation between the tailor and his mother. Try to show what each thought about children. Repeat the conversation between the boys. Read again the conversation between Tommy and the owl. Which of all these conversations do you like best? Why?

WORD STUDY: (1) helpless, blessing, blessed, message; (2) helpful, useful, thoughtful, wonderful; (3) brownie, boggart, burden; (4) crept, swept, soft, loft; (5) elf, self, myself, yourself. See also phonetic exercises on page 254.

THE FOOTBRIDGE 1

“Oh, Andy!” said little Jenny Murdock, "I'm so glad you came this way. I can't get over."

"Can't get over!" said Andrew. "Why, what's the matter?"

"The footbridge is gone," said Jenny. "When I came across, just after breakfast, it was here in its place, and now it is over on the other side. Oh, how can I get back home?"

"Yes, I see," said Andrew. "The footbridge was all right when I came over not half an hour ago. But Mr. Mackenzie pulls it over to the other side every morning when he puts his cows in the pasture. I don't see what good that does; and I don't think he has any right to do it."

"Well, I'll have to go down to the big bridge, Andy," said Jenny. "Won't you go with me? I'm afraid to go through those dark woods by myself."

"I wish I could go, Jenny," said Andrew, "but I can't. It's nearly schooltime now."

Andrew was a Scotch boy, and a brave, honest fellow. He was the best scholar in his school, and as good at play as at his studies.

Jenny Murdock lived near his home, a mile beyond 1 By Frank R. Stockton, an American writer (1834-1902).

the brook, and the two had always been good friends. Jenny had no brothers nor sisters, and Andrew was as good as a brother to her; therefore, when she stood on the bank of the brook that morning, she felt that he would surely help her out of her troubles. He had always helped her before; why should he not do so now?

The brook was not very wide, nor very deep at its edges; but in the middle it was four or five feet deep, and the water ran very swiftly. It was a dangerous undertaking for any one to attempt to get across without a bridge, and there was none nearer than the wagon bridge, a mile and a half below.

"Won't you go with me, Andy?" again asked the little girl.

"And be late to school?" he answered. "I have never yet been late, you know."

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'Well, perhaps the teacher will think you have been sick," said Jenny.

"She won't think so unless I tell her," said Andrew; "and you know I won't do that."

"Well, if we should run all the way, couldn't you get back in time?"

"No, indeed, Jenny. It lacks but two minutes of nine o'clock now, and the bell will ring at any moment."

"Oh, what shall I do?" said poor little Jenny. "I can't stay here till school is out, and the woods are so wild and dark that I'm afraid to try to go through them. Besides, I don't know the right path, and I'm sure I should get lost."

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'Well, I must take you home, some way," said Andrew, very seriously and thoughtfully. "It isn't right for you to go through the woods alone, and if you should wait here, your mother would be very anxious about you."

"Yes; she would think I was drowned."

Andrew was much troubled.

He could think of no

way in which he could take the little girl home without being late and losing his good standing at school. There was no way to get her across the brook without taking her to the "big bridge." He would not take her there, and make up a false story to account for his lateness at school.

What was to be done? While he was puzzling over this question, the bell began to ring, and he must go to the schoolhouse at once. Poor Jenny was crying. He was very sadly perplexed, and was almost ready to despair. Could nothing be done?

Yes! a happy thought came into his mind. How strange that it had not come before! He would go to school first and ask the teacher to let him go back

and take Jenny home. What could be more sensible and straightforward than such a plan?

Of course the teacher gave Andrew the desired permission, and everything ended happily. But the best thing about the whole affair was the lesson that both children learned that day.

The lesson was this: When we are puzzling our brains with plans to help ourselves out of some difficulty, let us stop a moment in our planning and try to think if there is not some simple and easy thing to do, which shall be in every respect perfectly right. If we do this, we shall probably find a way more easy and satisfactory than any other that could be devised.

EXPRESSION: How many persons are told about in this story? What kind of person was each? Choose parts and read what each one said.

Speak each word or group of words distinctly-practice doing this until you make no mistakes: bridge, across; bridges, edges; asked; honest; get over; don't see; I wish I could; won't you; a mile and a half.

Learn to spell and pronounce these words: