"There isn't any silver.

"These clouds haven't," she said.

It's just gray and wet."

Grandma's eyes twinkled. "I've a new box of crayons that would be nice for a little girl to play with on a rainy day."

“Oh, that's splendid!" cried May. "Oh, what fun! Grandma, you're a darling."

"There aren't any clouds on your face now," said Grandma. "It's shining like silver."

May thought for a minute. Then she said, "I'm sure I know now what you meant. You meant that things aren't as bad as they look. You can always find something to be glad about." "Yes," replied Grandma, "there's always sunshine somewhere. Every cloud has its silver lining.”

Its is the possessive of it. It's is the contraction for it is. Sometimes 'tis is used for the contraction for it is.

Make a list of all the contractions you can remember.

73. ORAL LESSON

The postman perhaps comes to your door every day, or even several times a day. He carries a large bag full of letters, papers, and parcels that he delivers to people on his route. Thousands of other postmen all over the country are doing the same thing. Have you ever thought how many postmen and post offices there are, or how many letters are handled every day? There must be millions of them. How do you suppose this great business is managed?

Who can be writing all these letters? And what can they all find to write about? Have you ever received any letters? What about? Have you written letters? To whom? What about? Why do we write letters? If you were away on a visit, would you like to get a letter from home? When you answered, what would you write?

When

A Letter from a Humorist

61

The following letter was written by the famous English humorist, Thomas Hood, to a little girl, the daughter of his friend, Dr. Elliot. The letter is so full of jokes and nonsense that you would never suspect that Thomas Hood was sick and suffering at the time he wrote it. Read it over carefully and make sure that you see all the jokes.

Devonshire Lodge, New Finchley Road,

My dear May:

66

July 1, 1844.

Not much, per

How do you do, and how do you like the sea? haps, it's so big." But shouldn't you like a nice little ocean, that you could put in a pan? Yet the sea, although it looks rather ugly at first, is very useful, and if I were near it this dry summer, I would carry it all home, to water the garden with at Stratford.

I remember that, when I saw the sea, it used sometimes to be very fussy, and fidgety, and did not always wash itself quite clean; but it was very fond of fun. Have the waves ever run after you yet, and turned your little two shoes into pumps, full of water?

There are no flowers, I suppose, on the beach, or I would ask you to bring me a bouquet, as you used at Stratford. But there are little crabs ! If you would catch one for me, and teach it to dance the polka, it would make me quite happy; for I have not had any toys or playthings for a long time. Did you ever try, like a little crab, to run two ways at once? See if you can do it, for it is good fun; never mind tumbling over yourself a little first. It would be a good plan to hire a little crab, for an hour a day, to teach baby to crawl, if he can't walk, and if I was his mamma, I would too! Bless him! But I must not write on him any more - he is so soft, and I have nothing but steel pens.

And now good-by. Fanny has made my tea, and I must drink it

before it gets too hot, as we all were last Sunday week. They say the glass was 88 in the shade, which is a great age! The last fair breeze I blew dozens of kisses for you, but the wind changed, and I am afraid took them to Miss H or somebody that it shouldn't. Give my love to everybody and my compliments to all the rest, and remember, I am, my dear May,

Your loving friend,

Thomas Hood.

P.S. Don't forget my little crab to dance the polka, and pray write to me as soon as you can, if it's only a line.

How do you know that May is by the sea? Why does Hood call the sea fussy? What is the joke about turning the "little two shoes" into pumps? Why does he speak of teaching a crab to dance? How does a crab move? What is the joke about "not writing on him" because he is too soft? What was the glass that was 88 in the shade?

I am enjoying my visit very much. Our cousins are very kind and thoughtful. They have had some interesting plan for every one of the five days I have been here. Yesterday we had a long drive out into the country. To-morrow we are to have a masquerade party. Guess what I am going to be. I'll tell you when I get home next week.

I must close now. Mother and Father.

The girls are calling me.

Give my love to

Your affectionate sister,

May.

Copy the letter. "34 Pine St., Richmond, Va., Dec. 31, 1910" is called the heading. Note where it is placed. "Dear George" is the salutation. Note where it is placed. Copy the following headings, putting each in the proper place on the page:

Bloomington, Ind., Jan. 3, 1900.

Hopedale, Mass., May 1, 1905.

76 South St., Austin, Tex., Nov. 25, 1906.

Copy the following salutations, putting each in the proper

place on the page :

Dear Mr. Wilson,

Dear May,
Dear Mother,

My dear Miss Brown,

75. LANGUAGE LESSON

The salutations in letters are, as you see, not always the same. We use Mr. and Mrs. or Miss when writing to strangers, or to people whom we do not know very well, just as we do when speaking to them. We address our nearest friends and the members of our family without using Mr. and Mrs. A letter to your father would begin, Dear Father, but a letter to an acquaintance, Mr. Wilson, would begin, Dear Mr. Wilson: or My dear Mr. Wilson: - These salutations are written on the left side of the page, a little lower than the date. A salutation is followed by a comma (,) or by a colon () or by a colon and dash (:-).

Write the proper dates and salutations for letters.

1. To your sister Alice, from New York, on Christmas Day of next year.

2. To your teacher, from your home, on next Saturday.

3. To a friend, Mr. James Pryor, from Washington, to-day. 4. To the postmaster of your town, from San Francisco, one month from the present date.

5. To Santa Claus, from your home, a week before Christmas.

76. ORAL LESSON

AN OLD-FASHIONED SCHOOL

"Tell us, grandfather," said May, "what your school was like, and what you did there."

On this subject the old gentleman needed no coaxing.

"Ah, those were interesting times," he began. "The schoolhouse stood over in the valley, about a mile from our house. It was a pleasant walk in fine weather. But in the winter, when the wind blew cold and the snow was deep, that mile seemed as