THE DEWDROPS. Memnon was the son of Aurora, the goddess of the morning. He went to a far away land to a great war, and was killed there. When Memnon was dead, Aurora, who felt very sad, asked his brothers, the Winds, to take the body of Memnon back to his home. They did so, and raised there a beautiful statue in his honor. Every morning when the rising sun touched the statue of Memnon, sweet music was heard to come from its lips. But all the honors to her dead son could not make goddess Aurora happy again. Her tears still fall for Memnon, and may be seen in the morning as drops of dew upon the grass and flowers. THE STORY OF ECHO. Echo was once a beautiful maiden very fond of the woods and hills. She had one bad habit. She was too fond of talking and would always have the last word. This talking at last so annoyed the goddess Juno, that she said to Echo, "You shall from this time lose the use of your voice except to answer people. You may still have the last word, but you shall never again be able to say anything but what you hear." Poor Echo found it so hard to be with people and still not able to talk, that she soon went to live by herself in the woods. She pined away in sadness until there was nothing left of her but her voice. She still mocks whatever she hears, and always has the last word. Definitions. - Annoyed, vexed. Spell: myth, echo, honor, maiden, Aurora, goddess, often, believe, beautiful, pretty, people, annoy, voice. How does Echo always seem to have the last word? Read to the pupils the story of the Rainbow, the story of the Peacock, and the story of the Winds, from "Classic Myths in English Literature." - Gayley. Little Gustava sits in the sun, Safe in the porch, and the little drops run She wears a quaint little scarlet cap, And a little green bowl she holds in her lap, Up comes her little gray, coaxing cat, With her little pink nose, and she mews, "What's that?" Gustava feeds her-she begs for more; And a little brown hen walks in at the door. She scatters crumbs for the little brown hen, So dainty and eager they pick up the crumbs, Kitty and terrier, biddy and doves, Definitions. Quaint, odd, old fashioned. - Celia Thaxter. Spell: eaves, mews, wreath, icicles, coaxing, marigolds, terrier, eager, creatures. Review Whisper Drill, page 28. Read, if accessible, the story of "Piccola."- Celia Thaxter. It happened once upon a time in the days when other beings besides men and animals were said to live upon the earth, that King Midas did a kindness to one who was employed as a servant by the god of the vineyards and the corn-fields. This god, hearing of it, said to King Midas, "Ask any gift you choose; it shall be yours." "Grant me," said Midas, "that everything I touch shall turn to gold." "It is a fool's wish," said the god, "but so be it. Everything you touch shall turn to gold." King Midas was very happy. He would now be the richest king in all the world. He opened his palace door, and lo! the door became gold. He touched the vines and they were golden leaves and flowers. He touched the fruit and it was carved in gold. He went from room to room touching everything, till his house was furnished in gold. He climbed upon a ladder, which turned to gold in his hands, and touched every brick and stone in his palace till all was pure gold. His cooks boiled water in golden kettles, and swept away golden dust with golden brooms. He sat down to dinner in a golden chair, his garments of spun gold, and his plate of solid gold, and the table linen cloth-of-gold. With delight at the richness of his house and the riches he was yet to gather, Midas helped himself from the golden dish before him. But suddenly his teeth touched something hard, harder than bone. Had the cook put stones into his food? It was nothing of the kind. Alas! his very food, as soon as it touched his lips, turned to solid gold. His heart sank within him, while the meat before him mocked his hunger. Was the richest king in the world to |