QUESTIONS:-1. What did the chief do on arriving at the house? 2. What did she do? 3. Who went with her, and what for? 4. Relate the conversation they had about the square? 5. What did the chief thereafter do? 6. What did he keep on shouting? 7. What was now his great desire? 8. Could Mr. Williams give him all the explanation he wanted? 9. Why not? 10. What is a Farmer?

wis'-dom

cir'-cum-stance fol'-low-ing re-ceiv'-ing

LESSON XIII.

James Watt-No Idler.

as-ton'-ish-ed, surprised, in-vent'-or, one who finds out

amazed.

cel'-e-bra-ted, famous.

a new thing.

mon'-u-ment, memorial.

dis-cov'-er-y, finding out for neph'-ew (něv-u), the son of a

the first time.

en-joy'-ing, pleasing, amusing. ge-om'-e-try, the science which treats of the extent or size of lines, surfaces, and solids.

brother or sister. par-take', get a share of. pa'-tience, power of bearing calmly.

It is now more than a hundred years since, that a family party were gathered round the tea-table,the tea, however, being only for the elders of the party, for at that time it was far too costly an article for children to partake of. But one of the boys was enjoying himself in a way of his own, lifting the lid of a kettle and watching the steam as it collected in drops of water on the tea-cup, or the tea-spoon which he held at the spout.

At last his aunt lost patience to see him trifling, as she thought.

"James," she cried, "take your something to make yourself useful.

book, or do

I never saw such an idle boy in all my life. In this whole half-hour, you have done nothing but sit there staring at that kettle, lifting the lid, and putting it down again. Why, have you never seen a kettle before?"

I do not know what answer the boy made, but I am sure his aunt would have been greatly astonished if she had been told that this nephew of hers, James Watt, would one day be a great man--one of the greatest men of his day, and that the town of Greenock, where he lived, would long boast of being the birthplace of the celebrated James Watt, the improver, if not the inventor, of the steam-engine.

Any one who visits Westminster Abbey, may see the monument to this great man, which, as the inscription on it tells, was erected by the "King, his Ministers, and many of the nobles and commoners of the realm."

You will have a better idea than his aunt could have had of what it was that made the boy stare at the tea-kettle, the steam, and the drops of water. He was even then making a discovery, which he afterwards put to use in his steam-engine.

On another occasion, a gentleman coming in with his aunt found him lying stretched on the

floor busily engaged in drawing with a piece of chalk on the hearthstone.

"Mr. Watt," said the visitor, "I wonder you don't send that boy to a public school, and not allow him to trifle away his time at home."

"You had better see what he is doing before you condemn him," said his father. He was then trying to work out a problem in geometry, and was busy with his compasses, measuring, and drawing lines and circles.

Mr. Watt had a very good idea of his son's talents, and when he was quite young gave him a set of tools, which he soon learned to make good use of. He would take to pieces, and put together again, any new toys that came in his way, and many a new one did he make for his young companions. When he was a little older he astonished them by making an electrical machine.

Never was his aunt more mistaken than when she called James Watt an idle boy. People require not only to see what a person is doing, but also to know why he does it, before they can judge whether he is well employed or not.

QUESTIONS:-1. Were you ever at a tea-party? 2. How long is it since the one mentioned in the lesson was held? 3. Who turned out to be the most famous person at it? 4. Was he so then? 5. How did he enjoy himself? 6. What friend did not like this? 7. What was it she lost, which a great many people lose, and some people never had? 8. What did she call the boy? 9. Was she right or wrong? 10. Would she have called him the same name if she were living now? 11. With what great discovery or invention is his name joined? 12. What was his name? 13. Where is there a grand monument erected to his memory? 14. By whom? 15. Is that the only one? 16. Have you seen any other? 17. Where? 18. Would you like to learn more about this great man?

WORD LESSON :

as-ton'-ish-ed ge-ŏm'-e-try oc-ca'-sion cel'-e-bra-ted in-vent'-or par-take'

dis-cov'-er-y

tea'-cup

tea-ket'-tle

mon'-u-ment pa'-tience

tri'-fling

West'-min-ster.

en-joy'-ing neph'-ew pub'-lic

LESSON XIV.
LESSON

THE following story is told by a traveller :-I was going quietly to bed one evening, wearied by a long day's hunting, when, close to my feet, and by my bedside, some glittering thing caught my eye. I stooped to pick it up, but, ere my hand had quite reached it, the truth flashed across me-it was a snake! Had I at that moment been guided by natural feeling, I should have sprung away; but, not being able clearly to see in what position the reptile was lying, or which way his head pointed, I checked myself, and stood breathless, as if rooted to the spot.

Straining my eyes, but not moving an inch, I at length found, without doubt, that it was a huge puff-adder, the most deadly snake in the colony, whose bite would certainly have killed me in an hour or two. I watched him in silent horror; his