AN APRIL DAY. gar'-ner-ed, stored up hon'-ey-suc-kle, a climbing plant rc-veal', to make known steal, to move softly del'-uge, a flood dim'-ples, small hollows am'-ber, a yellow transparent sub stance All day the low-hung clouds have dropt There has not been a sound to-day Of waving bough, or warbling bird, I could have half believed I heard I stood to hear-I love it well, For leafy thickness is not yet Earth's naked breast to screen, Sure, since I looked at early morn, Those honeysuckle buds Have swelled to double growth; that thorn Hath put forth larger studs. That lilac's cleaving cones have burst, And grace and beauty everywhere Down, down they come-those fruitful stores! A momentary deluge pours, Then thins, decreases, stops. And ere the dimples on the stream COMPOUND SUBTRACTION. Chaucer. 'Put the young horse in the plough,' said the farmer; and very much pleased he was to be in a team with Dobbin and the grey mare. It was a long field, and gaily he walked across it, his nose upon Dobbin's haunches, having hard work to keep at so slow a pace. 'Where are we going now?' he said, when he got to the top. This is very pleasant.' "Back again,' said Dobbin. 'What for?' said the young horse, rather surprised; but Debbin had gone to sleep, for he could plough as well asleep as awake. 'What are ve going back for?' he asked, turning round to the old grey mare. Keep on,' said the grey mare, 6 or we shall never get to the bottom, and you 'll have the whip at your heels.' 6 Very odd indeed,' said the young horse, who thought he had had enough of it, and was not sorrv he was coming to the bottom of the field. Great was his astonishment, when Dobbin, just opening his eyes, again turned, and proceeded, at the same pace, up the field again. How long is this going on?' asked the young horse. Dobbin just glanced across the field as his eyes closed, and fell asleep again, as he began to calculate how long it would take to plough it. 'How long will this go on?' he asked, turning to the grey mare. 6 Keep up, I tell you,' she said, ' or you'll have me on your heels.' When the top came, and another turn, and the bottom, and another turn, the poor young horse was in despair; he grew quite dizzy, and was glad, like Dobbin, to shut his eyes, that he might get rid of the sight of the same ground so continually. Well,' he said, when the gears were taken off, if this is your ploughing, I hope I shall have no more of it.' But his hopes were vain; for many days he ploughed, till he got, not reconciled to it but tired of complaining of the weary, monotonous work. In the hard winter, when comfortably housed in the warm stable, he cried out to Dobbin, as he was cating some delicious oats, I say Dobbin, this is better than ploughing; do you remember that field? I hope I shall never have anything to do with that business again. What in the world could be the use of walking up a field just for the sake of walking down again? It's enough to make one laugh to think of it.' How do you like your oats?' said Dobbin. 'Delicious!' said the young horse. Then please to remember, if there were no ploughing, there would be no oats.'-Leisure Hour. |