4.  Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
   Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation. 
   Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
   Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! 
   Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
   And this be our motto, “In God is our trust”;
   And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
   O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

   Francis Scott Key.

USEFUL INFORMATION

To obtain a good knowledge of pronunciation, it is advisable for the reader to listen to the examples given by educated persons.  We learn the pronunciation of words, to a great extent, by imitation.  It must never be forgotten, however, that the dictionary alone can give us absolute certainty in doubtful cases.

“If the riches of the Indies,” says Fenelon, “or the crowns of all the kingdoms of the world, were laid at my feet in exchange for my love for reading, I would despise them all.”

That writer does the most good who gives his reader the greatest amount of knowledge and takes from him the least time.  A tremendous thought may be packed into a small compass, and as solid as a cannon ball.

“Read much, but not many works,” is the advice of a great writer.

LESSON XX

THE ART OF OBSERVATION

The Indian trapper is a man of close observation, quick perception and prompt action.  As he goes along, nothing escapes him.  Often not another step is taken until some mystery that presents itself is fairly solved.  He will stand for hours in succession to account for certain signs, and he may even spend days and weeks upon that same mystery until he solves it.

I rode once several hundred miles in the company of such an experienced trailer, and asked him many questions about his art.  Near the bank of a small river in Dakota we crossed the track of a pony.  The guide followed the track for some distance and then said:  “It is a stray black horse, with a long bushy tail, nearly starved to death; it has a broken hoof on the left fore foot and goes very lame; he has passed here early this morning.”

I could scarcely believe what was said, and asked for an explanation.  The trailer replied:  “It is a stray horse, because he did not go in a straight line; his tail is long, for he dragged it over the ground; in brushing against a bush he left some of his black hair; he is very hungry, because he nipped at the dry weeds which horses seldom eat; the break of his left fore foot can be seen in its track, and the slight impression of the one foot shows that he is lame.  The tracks are as yet fresh, and that shows that he passed only this morning, when the earth was soft.”

In this manner the whole story was accounted for, and late in the afternoon we really did come across a riderless horse of that description wandering aimlessly in the prairies.