treas’ure yel’low mead’ow tax sum’mer clo’ver

cloud’y dai’sy daf’fo dil lies columbine humming

[Illustration:  Flowers]

The song of the bee.

1.  Buzz! buzz! buzz! 
     This is the song of the bee. 
   His legs are of yellow;
   A jolly, good fellow,
     And yet a great worker is he.

2.  In days that are sunny
   He’s getting his honey;
   In days that are cloudy
     He’s making his wax: 
   On pinks and on lilies,
   And gay daffodillies,
   And columbine blossoms,
     He levies a tax!

3.  Buzz! buzz! buzz! 
   The sweet-smelling clover,
   He, humming, hangs over;
   The scent of the roses
     Makes fragrant his wings: 
   He never gets lazy;
   From thistle and daisy,
   And weeds of the meadow,
     Some treasure he brings.

4.  Buzz! buzz! buzz! 
   From morning’s first light
   Till the coming of night,
   He’s singing and toiling
     The summer day through. 
   Oh! we may get weary,
   And think work is dreary;
   ’Tis harder by far
     To have nothing to do. 
                               Marian Douglas.

LESSON XXIII.

un hap’py prom’ised heed’less be came’ grow’ing

care’less harsh’ly leav’ing eas’i ly ef fects’

an noy’ ma’am blame worse torn

hard’ly nic’est spend hab’it e’vil

[Illustration:  Mother and daughter sitting under a tree.]

The torn doll.

1.  Mary Armstrong was a pretty little girl, but she was heedless about some things.

2.  Her way of leaving her books and playthings just where she had used them last, gave her mother much trouble in picking them up and putting them in their proper places.

3.  She had often told Mary the evil effects of being so careless.  Her books became spoiled, and her toys broken.

4.  But worse than this was the growing habit of carelessness, which would be of great harm to her all her life.  It would make her unhappy, and would annoy her friends.

5.  One day Mary and her mother went out into their pleasant yard, to spend an hour in the open air.  Mrs. Armstrong took her work with her.

6.  Mary ran about and played with Dash, her pet dog, and was having a happy time.

7.  But in a corner of the yard she found her nicest doll all torn and broken, and its dress covered with mud.

8.  She knew, at once, that Dash had done this, and she scolded him harshly.

9.  Carrying the broken doll to her mamma. she showed it to her, and could hardly keep from crying.

10.  Mrs. Armstrong asked Mary if she had not left the doll on the porch where Dash could easily get it; and Mary had to answer, “Yes, ma’am.”