Story and Play Readers (Volume 1) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1917. Excerpt: ... A GEAMMATICAL DISPUTE By John Bennett "St. Nicholas," August, 1904 A brook and a little tree once went to school To a bullfrog that lived in a puddle; They tried to learn all of the grammar by rule, Which left both of their heads in a muddle. Of nouns and of pronouns they soon had enough; Prepositions they found most unbearable stuff; While auxiliary verbs, they declared, were too tough To be taught by a toad in a puddle. "I may, can, or must, might--I could, would, or should," Cried the brook--' what nonsensical twaddle ' "Quite right," said the tree; "and I can't see the good Of one's stuffing such things in one's noddle " "And I vow," cried the brook, "I shall not learn a thing " "You mean will not, my dear," said the tree, with a swing. "I said shall not," retorted the brook, with a fling; "Surely you do not pose as a model?" "But will is correct," cried the tree, with a look. "So is shall," said the brook, with another. "It is will," said the tree. "It is shall," said the brook, As they both turned their backs on each other. Thus a quarrel arose 'twixt the brook and the tree, For neither one knew enough grammar to see That perhaps right or wrong both or either might be In the usage of one or the other. SCENES FROM "THE TALISMAN" By Sir Walter Scott FIRST SCENE Meeting of Sir Kenneth and the Saracen. sir Kenneth appears, robed in a coat of linked mail, with long sleeves, plated gauntlets, and a steel breastplate; there was also his triangular shield suspended round his neck, and his barred helmet of steel, over which he had a hood and collar of mail, which was drawn around the warrior's shoulders and throat, and filled up the vacancy between the hauberk and the head-piece. His lower limbs were sheathed, like his body, in flexible mail, securing the le...