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The _rising circumflex_ consists of a downward turn of the voice
followed by an upward turn; the _falling circumflex_, of an upward
turn followed by a downward turn.
Let pupils mark the inflections in the last two lines of the poem.
* * * * *
Language Lesson.--Let pupils express the meaning of what is given
below in dark type, using a single word for each example.
For _those who dwell by cottage hearths_
As _those who sit on thrones_.
* * * * *
LESSON XLV.
re quest', _a wish that is expressed; desire_.
har'bor, _a sheltered place where ships can anchor_.
lo'cate, _place; choose as a place to live_.
both'er, _trouble_.
beach, _the shore of the sea_.
knack, _an easy way of doing any thing_.
in dulged', _gave way to, as to appetite_.
ban'quet, _a very good dinner or other meal_.
rheu'ma tism, _a painful trouble in the muscles or joints_.
* * * * *
A GHOST STORY.
PART I.
"I have not a room in the house; but if you don't mind going down to the
cottage, and coming up here to your meals, I can take you, and would be
glad to," said Mrs. Grant, in answer to my request for board.
"Where is the cottage?" and I looked about me, feeling ready to accept
any thing in the way of shelter, after the long, hot journey from Boston
to breezy York Harbor.
"Right down there--just a step, you see. It's all in order; and next
week it will be full, for many folks prefer it because of the quiet."
At the end of a very steep path, which offered every chance for
accidents of all sorts, from a sprained ankle to a broken neck, stood
the cottage--a little white building, with a pretty vine over the door,
gay flowers in the garden, and the blue Atlantic rolling up at the foot
of the cliff.
"A regular 'Cottage by the Sea.' It will suit me exactly if I can have
the upper front room. I don't mind being alone; so have my trunk taken
down, please, and I'll get ready for tea," said I, feeling very happy on
account of my good luck.
Alas, how little I knew what a night of terror I was to pass in that
pretty white cottage!
An hour later, refreshed by my tea and the coolness of the place, I
plunged into the pleasures of the season, and accepted two invitations
for the evening--one to a, walk on Sunset Hill, the other to a clam-bake
on the beach.
The stroll came first, and on the hill-top we met an old gentleman with
a spy-glass, who welcomed me with the remark--
"Pretty likely place for a prospect."
After replying to what he said, I asked the old gentleman if he knew any
legend or stories about the old houses all around us.
"Yes, many of them," he replied; "and it isn't always the old places
that have the most stories about 'em.
"Why, that cottage down yonder isn't more'n fifty years old, and they do
say there's been a lot of ghosts seen there, owin' to a man's killin' of
himself in the back bed-room."
"What! that house at the end of the lane?" I asked, with sudden
interest.
"Just so; nice place, but lonesome and dampish. Ghosts and toadstools
are apt to locate in houses of that sort," was his mild reply.
The dampness scared me more than the ghosts, for I had never seen a
ghost yet; but I had been haunted by rheumatism, and found it a hard
thing to get rid of.
"I've taken a room there, so I'm rather interested in knowing what
company I'm to have."
"Taken a room, have you? Well, I dare say you won't be troubled. Some
folks have a knack of seeing spirits, and then again some haven't.
"My wife is uncommon powerful that way, but I an't; my sight's dreadful
poor for that sort."
There was such a sly look in the starboard eye of the old fellow as he
spoke, that I laughed outright, and asked, sociably--
"Has she ever seen the ghosts of the cottage? I think I have rather a
knack that way, and I'd like to know what to expect."
"No, her sort is the rapping kind. Down yonder, the only ghost I take
much stock in is old Bezee Tucker's. Some folks say they've heard him
groaning there nights, and a dripping sound; he bled to death, you know.
"It was kept quiet at the time, and is forgotten now by all but a few
old fellows like me. Bezee was always polite to the ladies, so I guess
he won't bother you, ma'am;" and the old fellow laughed.
"If he does, I'll let you know;" and with that I left him, for I was
called and told that the beach party was anxious for my company.
In the delights of that happy hour, I forgot the warning of the old
gentleman on the hill, for I was about to taste a clam for the first
time in my life, and it was a most absorbing moment.
Perched about on the rocks like hungry birds, we sat and watched the
happy cooks with breathless interest, as they struggled with
frying-pans, fish that refused to brown, steaming sea-weed, and hot
ashes.
Little Margie Grant waited upon me so prettily, that I should have been
tempted to try a sea porcupine if she had offered it, so charming was
her way of saying, "O here's a perfectly lovely one! Do take him by his
little black head and eat him quick!"
I indulged without thought, in clams, served hot between two shells,
little dreaming what a price I was to pay for that banquet.
* * * * *
Language Lesson--Let pupils use other words to express the meaning of
the parts given below in dark type.
"Right down there--_just a step_, you see."
"_Pretty likely_ place for a prospect."
"The only one I _take much stock in_."
Write out in full the words for which _'em_ and _an't_ are used.
* * * * *
LESSON XLVI.
quaked, _shook, as with fear_.
cha'os, _a great number of things without order_.
gi gan'tic, _of very great size_.
stealth'y, _very quiet, so as to escape notice_.
fa'tal, _causing great harm_.
mis'sion, _what one is sent to do_.
in'ter vals, _spaces of time_.
thrill, _feeling, as of pain or pleasure_.
af fect'ing, _making a show of_.
a pol'o gize, _express sorrow for an act_.
ret ri bu'tion, _paying back for one's acts; punishment_.
* * * * *
A GHOST STORY.
PART II.
We staid up till late, and then I was left, at my own door by my
friends, who informed me that York was a very quiet, safe place, where
people slept with unlocked doors, and nothing ever went amiss o' nights.
I said nothing of ghosts, being ashamed to own that I quaked, a little
at the idea of the "back bed-room," as I shut out the friendly faces and
fastened myself in.
A lamp and matches stood in the hall, and lighting the lamp, I whisked
up stairs with suspicious rapidity, locking my door, and went to bed,
firmly refusing to own even to myself that I had ever heard the name of
Bezee Tucker.
Being very tired, I soon fell asleep; but fried potatoes and a dozen or
two of hot clams are not kinds of food best fitted to bring quiet sleep,
so a fit of nightmare brought me to a realizing sense of my foolishness.
From a chaos of wild dreams was finally brought forth a gigantic clam,
whose mission it was to devour me as I had devoured its relatives. The
sharp shells were open before me, and a solemn voice said, "Take her by
her little head and eat her quick."
Retribution was at hand, and, with a despairing effort to escape by
diving, I bumped my head smartly against the wall, and woke up feeling
as if there was an earthquake under the bed.
Collecting my scattered wits, I tried to go to sleep again; but alas!
that fatal feast had destroyed sleep, and I vainly tried to quiet my
wakeful senses with the rustle of leaves about the window and the
breaking waves upon the beach.
In one of the pauses between the sounds of the waves, I heard a curious
noise in the house--a sort of moan, coming at regular intervals.
And, as I sat up to make out where it was, another sound caught my
attentive ear. Drip, drip, drip, went something out in the hall, and in
an instant the tale told me on Sunset Hill came back with unpleasant
reality.
"Nonsense! It is raining, and the roof leaks," I said to myself, while
an unpleasant thrill went through me, and fancy, aided by indigestion,
began to people the house with ghostly inmates.
No rain had fallen for weeks, and peeping through my curtain, I saw the
big, bright stars shining in a cloudless sky; so that explanation
failed, and still the drip, drip, drip went on.
Likewise the moaning--so distinctly now that it was clear that the
little back bed-room was next the chamber in which I was quaking at that
very moment.
"Some one is sleeping there," I said, and then remembered that all the
rooms were locked, and all the keys but mine in Mrs. Grant's pocket, up
at the house.
"Well, let the ghosts enjoy themselves; I won't disturb them if they let
me alone. Some of the ladies thought me brave to dare to sleep here,
and it never will do to own I was scared by a foolish story and an odd
sound."
So down I lay, and said the multiplication table with great
determination for several minutes, trying to turn a deaf ear to the
outside world and check my unruly thoughts.
But it was a failure; and when I found myself saying over and over "Four
times twelve is twenty-four," I gave up affecting courage, and went in
for a good, honest scare.
As a cheerful subject for midnight consideration, I kept thinking of B.
Tucker, in spite of every effort to give it up. In vain I remembered the
fact that the departed gentleman was "always polite to ladies."
I still was in great fear lest he might think it necessary to come and
apologize in person for "bothering" me.
Presently a clock struck three, and I gave a moan that beat the ghost's
all hollow, so full of deep suffering was I at the thought of several
hours of weary waiting.
I was not sure at what time the daylight would appear, and I was
bitterly sorry for not gathering useful information about sunrise,
tides, and such things, instead of listening to the foolish gossip of
Uncle Peter on the hill-top.
Minute after minute dragged slowly on, and I was just thinking that I
should be obliged to shout "Fire!" as the only means of relief in my
power, when, a stealthy step under the window gave me a new feeling.
* * * * *
Directions for Reading.--To give greater effect to certain parts of
the lesson, read them very slowly.
The first line of the last paragraph is a good example of adding
_emphasis_ by reading slowly.
Point oat two other places in the lesson where slow reading would be
best.
What word in the last paragraph may be made very emphatic, even to the
extent of using the _calling tone_ of voice?
Let pupils pronounce in concert, and singly, the following words:
_soon, do, two, foolish, roof, food, room_.
* * * * *
Language Lesson.--Let pupils write statements, each containing one of
the following words, used in such a manner as to show its proper
meaning: _beech, beach; sense, scents; fourth, forth; hear, here_.
Give rules for the capital letters in the first three paragraphs of the
lesson.
Let pupils place _un_ before each of the following words, and then
define them.
safe lock heard pleasant fit
Define each of the following words formed from _please_, and state in
each case what change of meaning occurs.
please pleasant pleasantly unpleasantly
* * * * *
LESSON XLVII.
dag'ger, _a short sword_.
spell, _a feeling which prevents one from moving_.
bran'dished, _raised, and moved in different directions_.
in spir'ing, _making one feel_.
awe, _deep fear_.
de mand'ed, _asked as a right_.
punct'u al, _always on time_.
ro mance, _a story of surprising adventures_.
bur'glar, _one who breaks into a house at night_.
cus'tom, _a way or a manner of doing things_.
reigned, _ruled; held power_.
* * * * *
A GHOST STORY.
PART III.
This was a start, not a scare--for the new visitor was a human foe, and
I had little fear of such, being possessed of good lungs, strong arms,
and a Roman dagger nearly as big as a carving-knife.
The step that I had just heard broke the spell, and creeping noiselessly
to the window, I peeped out to see a dark figure coming up the stem of
the tall tree close by, hand-over-hand, like a sailor or a monkey.
"Two can play at that game, my friend; you scare me, and I'll scare
you." And with an actual sense of relief in breaking the silence, I
suddenly flung up the curtain, and leaned out.
I brandished my dagger with what I intended to be an awe-inspiring
screech; but, owing to the flutter of my breath, the effort ended in a
curious mixture of howl and bray.
A most effective sound, nevertheless; for the burglar dropped to the
ground as if he had been shot, and, with one upward glance at the white
figure dimly seen in the starlight, fled as if a thousand ghosts were at
his heels.
"What next?" thought I, wondering whether this eventful night would ever
come to a close.
I sat and waited, chilly but brave, while the strange sounds went on
within the house and silence reigned without, till the cheerful crow of
the punctual "cockadoo," as Margie called him, told me that it was
sunrise and laid the ghosts.
A red glow in the east drove away my last fear, and I soon lay down and
slept quietly, quite worn out.
The sun shining upon my face waked me, and a bell ringing warned me to
hurry. A childish voice calling out, "Betfast is most weady, Miss Wee,"
assured me that sweet little spirits haunted the cottage as well as
ghostly ones.
As I left my room to join Margie, who was waiting for me, I saw two
things which caused me to feel that the horrors of the night were not
all unreal.
Just outside the back bed-room door was a damp place, as if that part of
the floor had been newly washed; and when led by curiosity, I peeped
through the keyhole of the haunted chamber, my eye distinctly saw an
open razor lying on a dusty table.
My seeing was limited to that one object, but it was quite enough. I
went up the hill thinking over the terrible secret hidden in my breast.
I longed to tell some one, but was ashamed; and, when asked why I was so
pale and absent-minded, I answered with a gloomy smile--
"It is the clams."
All day I hid my sufferings pretty well, but as night approached and I
thought of sleeping again in that haunted cottage, my heart began to
fail. As we sat telling stories in the dusk, a bright idea came into my
head.
I would relate my ghost story, and rouse the curiosity of my hearers, so
that some of them would offer to stay at the cottage in hopes of seeing
the spirit of the restless Tucker.
Cheered by this fancy, when my turn came I made a thrilling tale about
Bezee Tucker and my night's adventure. After my hearers were worked up
to a proper state of excitement, I paused for applause.
It came in a most unexpected form, however, for Mrs. Grant burst out
laughing, and the two boys--Johnny and Joe--rolled about in convulsions
of merriment.
Much displeased, I demanded the cause of their laughter, and then joined
in the general shout when Mrs. Grant informed me that Bezee Tucker
lived, died in, and haunted the tumble-down house at the other end of
the lane, and not the cottage where I was staying.
"Then who or what made those mysterious noises?" I asked, relieved but
rather displeased at the downfall of my romance.
"My brother Seth," replied Mrs. Grant, still laughing. "I thought you
might be afraid to be there all alone, so he slipped into the bed-room,
and I forgot to tell you. He's a powerful snorer, and that's one of the
awful sounds.
"The other was the dripping of salt water; for you wanted some, and the
girl got it in a leaky pail. Seth swept out the water when he left the
cottage early in the morning."
I said nothing about having seen through the keyhole the harmless razor;
but wishing to get some praise for my heroic encounter with the burglar,
I mildly asked if it was the custom in York for men as well as turkeys
to roost in trees.
Another burst of laughter from the boys did away with my last hope of
glory. As soon as he could speak, Joe answered--
"Johnny planned to be up early to pick the last cherries off that tree.
I wanted to get ahead of him, and as I was going a-fishing, I went off
quietly before daylight."
"Did you get the cherries?" I asked, bound to have some laugh on my
side.
"Guess I didn't," grumbled Joe, rubbing his knees, while Johnny added--
"He got a horrid scare and a right good scraping, for he didn't know
any one was down there. Couldn't go a-fishing, either--he was so
lame--and I had the cherries after all. Served him right, didn't it?"
No answer was necessary. Mrs. Grant went off to repeat the tale in the
kitchen, and the sounds of hearty laughter that I heard, assured me that
Seth was enjoying the joke as well as the rest of us.
* * * * *
Language Lesson.--Let pupils make out an _analysis_ for so much of the
last three lessons as may be included under the subject--"A Night at
the Cottage."
Suggestion.--The _analysis_ of _simple subjects_, and their treatment
orally or in writing, are valuable exercises, and should be assigned to
pupils as frequently as possible during the whole of their school life.
* * * * *
LESSON XLVIII.
mel'o dy, _sounds pleasant to the ear_.
chant'ed, _sung in a simple melody_.
witch, _a person supposed to deal with evil spirits_.
trump'et, _a hollow piece of metal used to make music_.
har'mo ny, _the effect produced by uniting two or
more different parts in music_.
* * * * *
WHAT THE CHIMNEY SANG.
Over the chimney the night-wind sang
And chanted a melody no one knew;
And the Woman stopped, as her babe she tossed,
And thought of the one she had long since lost:
And said, as her tear-drop back she forced,
"I hate the wind in the chimney."
Over the chimney the night-wind sang
And chanted a melody no one knew;
And the Children said, as they closer drew,
"'Tis some witch that is cleaving the black night through--
'Tis a fairy trumpet that just then blew,
And we fear the wind in the chimney."
Over the chimney the night-wind sang
And chanted a melody no one knew;
And the Man, as he sat on his hearth below,
Said to himself, "It will surely snow,
And fuel is dear and wages low,
And I'll stop the leak in the chimney."
Over the chimney the night-wind sang
And chanted a melody no one knew;
But the Poet listened and smiled, for he
Was Man, and Woman, and Child--all three,
And said, "It is God's own harmony,
This wind we hear in the chimney."
* * * * *
Directions for Reading.--The first two lines of each stanza may be read
more slowly and with a fuller tone of voice than the rest of the
stanza.
Notice that the words of special _emphasis_ throughout the poem begin
with capital letters.
Mark _inflections_ in the last four lines of the first and last
stanzas.
* * * * *
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