that she was tired, but he knew that she was by the way she kept pulling more and more on his hand as she walked. He took her on his back and carried her, and still holding Catherine in her arms, she laid her head 5 on the old man's shoulder and fell asleep. QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 1. Describe the scene of this | 10. How did the crafty land what you see. 6. Tell how Cosette "played." Compare her play with that of the two little daughters of the landlady. 7. How did the stranger give Cosette a chance to play? 8. Why did the stranger give 14. Cosette the doll? Tell how Cosette received it. 9. How did the stranger get possession of Cosette? lord profit by Cosette's leaving? Tell how the stranger took her away. Whom do you like best in this story? Why? Do you know that there are many Cosettes? Have you ever seen a "Little Cosette "? If so, how did you act? Did you make fun of her or did you help her? If you ever see another Cosette, and do not help. her all you can, you did not really read this story. You only "went through" it. Explain the meaning of "Fear drew her elbows close to her hips, and made her take as little breath, and occupy as little space, as possible." (Lines 4-6, page 266.) 15. What is meant by "And while her mouth thanked the landlady, her whole little soul thanked the traveler"? (Lines 19 and 20, page 267.) Victor Hugo, the author of "Les Miserables" and many other splendid novels and poems, and one of the greatest of all writers, was born in Besançon, France, February 26, 1802. Because he wrote attacks upon the wicked French government of his time, he was exiled from his beloved France, and lived for many years in the Island of Guernsey, an island belonging to Great Britain and located in the English Channel. But he kept on attacking the government, which was finally overthrown. He then returned to France, where he lived until his death on May 22, 1885, greatly honored and beloved by the French people. Pity and need Make all flesh kin. There is no caste in blood. EDWIN ARNOLD If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain ; If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain. EMILY DICKINSON THE WANDERING CYCLONE LAURA E. RICHARDS Here is a delightful tale of the adventures of a "Wandering Cyclone." You doubtless know what a cyclone is. Have you ever seen a little whirlwind in the dusty road? Have you seen it whirling along, lifting up the dust like the stem and the top of a tree? Now that whirlwind was just a baby cyclone, for a cyclone is just a gigantic whirlwind, strong and terrible enough to tear houses and barns and even towns to pieces, and able to twist off as if they were matches the trunks of large trees. Sometimes a cyclone will pass through a large wood and twist off every tree for a space as wide as the width of the great whirlwind itself. A cyclone is a terrible thing. Mrs. Richards imagines that a powerful and mischievous cyclone concluded to have some fun. So he Now read slowly in silence, seeing him, and hearing his "grumbling and rumbling." Follow him as he tears across America. Follow him as he crosses the Atlantic Ocean, lifting up, as the little whirlwind lifts up the dust, the water into what is called a waterspout, or a column of water, that chases with him across the ocean. Then he made an "airy leap," and jumped clear over Europe, till he came down again in far-away Asia. But Asia was so big and so barren that he grew bored, and went on a journey down into Hindustan or India, till he came to "the town of Tra-la-lee" (trä-lä-lē'). He had had poor fun going across Asia, for he seemed unable to find anything that was really worth while to tear up and scatter about. Now you have wonderful tree But suddenly he came to a great Banyan Tree. never seen a banyan tree. A banyan tree is a that grows in southern Asia, and especially in India. The peculiar thing about it is that the long branches droop to the ground, where they take root, and form a new trunk. In turn, this trunk droops its branches until they also take root. So a banyan tree may have a great many trunks and be itself like a small forest all fastened together, for it is only one tree, no matter how many trunks it may have. So, when the wandering cyclone saw this great tree, covering acres of ground, he said to himself, "Now here's something worth while." You have read his adventures through the first four stanzas. Begin now at stanza 5, and find out how he came to grief when he tried to tear up and scatter about the Banyan Tree, and how at last, ashamed of his defeat by a tree, he hid away in a cavern or spelunk (spé-lůŋk'), and was seen no more. Here are a few words that you will need to know: |