"See the old gum boot!" cried the boy, fishing it out of the water and holding it on high. "And here is a little oyster fastened to it! How funny!"

The children gathered round the curious object 5 on the beach. None of them had ever seen such a funny old gum boot, and surely none of them had ever seen such a funny little oyster. They tore the pale, knotted little thing from her foster mother, and handled her with such rough curiosity that 10 even had she been a robust oyster she must cer

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tainly have died. At any rate, the little oyster was dead now; and the bereaved perch with green fins must have known it, for he swam sorrowfully up and down his native cove.

"See!" cried one of the boys, holding the tiny shell in his hand. "See what we have found in this strange little shell. Is it not beautiful?"

He took the dwarfed, misshapen thing, and lo! it held a beauteous pearl.

league a measure of distance varying in different countries from two to four miles. - venerable: old. — august: dignified. — terra firma: a Latin term meaning solid earth. - normal: natural.— prescriptions: directions for preparing medicine. — essence : the elements of which a thing is made; the predominant qualities. – scuttled: hurried. — intrepid: brave. - ruthless: without pity. mermaid: an imaginary being half woman and half fish. pixie: a fairy.

HOW WILLIAM, DUKE OF NORMANDY,

WAS KNIGHTED

EVA MARCH TAPPAN

EVA MARCH TAPPAN (1854- ), an American author, was born in Blackstone, Massachusetts. She was educated at Vassar College and at the University of Pennsylvania. From the latter institution she received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Miss Tappan is both teacher and author. In the Days of Alfred 5 the Great, In the Days of William the Conqueror, England's Story, and America's Story are very much enjoyed by young people.

William, in later years to win the proud title of William the Conqueror, was a boy of only twelve years, but most of his life had been spent among 10 grave, stern warriors. Hardly an hour of his life. had been free from danger. Many a time he had listened to his guardians while they discussed in which place there was least chance of his being murdered, and whether some knight who had 15 seemed to be loyalty itself was more likely to stand by him or to attempt to kill him. He had learned of arms and warfare, understanding perfectly that some failure to know how to defend a stronghold might lose him a castle, that some 20 slight lack of skill in arms might cost him his life. Hawking and hunting had been almost his only recreations, and even in the hunting field there

were many dangers for one who threw himself into the chase with such headlong eagerness and keen delight.

One would not expect such a childhood to make 5 a boy gentle and tender-hearted, but it could hardly fail to bring him to an early maturity, to make him bold and strong and hardy, and to give him coolness and judgment far beyond his years. This was why, when the young duke arose to speak, 10 his council turned toward him not with the mere polite attention of vassals to their feudal chief, not even with a keen curiosity to see what a boy of his age would say, but with much the same kind of consideration that they would have shown 15 for the opinion of a man of twice his years. It hardly seemed possible that he was but a boy of twelve, so dignified and composed did he seem. He was tall and well developed, and more than one of the councilors before him said to himself, 20 "If I were on a field of battle, I would rather have him for a friend than a foe."

Quietly assuming that the final decision lay in his own hands, the boy said:

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"I have listened to the advice of my council25 ors. King Henry of France has summoned me to

come to his court to do homage for my duchy of

Normandy. Since I am the duke of Normandy, I must not fear danger, neither must I plunge my country into war with France. I will go to the king and I will say, 'King Henry, I am now 5 fully twelve years of age, and I come to you not only to do homage to my liege lord but to ask the honor of knighthood from the king of France.'

"Never was there such wisdom in so young a head," said one councilor to another, as they 10 went out of the room. 66 'Boy as he is, he has cut the knot when we could not. However it may be about going to do homage whenever and wherever the king of France may ask it, a young noble may go to an older one and demand the blow of the 15 sword that shall make him a knight, and for this he must go to whatever place the older shall name.”

"Surely," said another; "and no train of attendants can be too long for a young duke who is on 20 his way to receive the golden spurs."

"It shall be as splendid an escort as the Norman duchy can furnish," said the nobles; and forthwith each one of them called out every man who was a vassal to him and owed him military service, to 25 come to the appointed place with as handsome an equipment as he could command. The duke was