the road. I dismounted, and found that it was my enemy. "He was asleep on the very edge of the cliff. If he had moved in his sleep, he would have rolled over and s been dashed to pieces on the rocks below. I might have pushed him over, but I pulled him back, woke him, and sent him on his way." Then the father cried out in joy. "Dear son, the diamond is yours. For, to do good to those who would 10 do us evil is a noble and generous deed which few men are wise enough and strong enough to perforın.” 1. This is a tale of the Far East. Do you know where Persia is? 2. Why did this Persian send his sons out to travel? 3. What is the difference between being honest and acting nobly? If a person does no more than his duty is he doing enough? Why was the diamond awarded to the youngest of the three sons? Love your enemies; do good to them that despitefully use you and persecute you. Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. - The Bible. Let your courage then appear, You will conquer, never fear, Once or twice though you should fail, Try again; If you would at last prevail, 5 ΙΟ ADVENTURE There is something in the word "adventure" to make us open our eyes. When we hear it, we imagine all kinds of happenings - Indian wars, doings of pirates, shipwreck, and what not. The little sheaf of stories in this section will certainly not disappoint you in variety. WE E called it a pond; but it was really a shallow lake of fresh water, fed by springs and drained by a meadow brook. It covered two acres of ground, and its bottom was a firm, fine sand. Nowhere was its 5 depth beyond the shoulders of a boy of ten years. And best of all it had a wooded island in its very middle. This pond was the meeting place of all the children of our neighborhood. Since it was on my father's farm and near the house, my two brothers and I spent most 10 of our idle time in the summer on its shores or in its waters. We sailed our toy boats across it. We learned to swim in it. We waded, and we built sand houses on the beach. But our best fun was playing pirate. 15 Of course a pirate craft must be big enough to carry a crew. It must have a real mast and a real pirate flag. Those three things were uppermost in the minds of the builders of our "ship." A dozen of us were its carpenters; and from its appearance when finished, 20 each of us worked on his own plan. We gathered together old lumber from everywhere. Fences, corncribs, and even household furniture were not free from our marauding. All our pieces of timber were finally brought together beside the pond. Then 25 there was a mighty hammering. We drove enough nails to hold up the framework of a barn. |