"When your uncle gave you a box of mixed shells last winter, what did you do with them?" "I sorted them carefully, putting those of the same kind together, so that I might learn their names, the places where they are found, and the habits of the little animals that live in them." "And just so we ought to treat words. We must first _sort_ them, so as to learn what their use is in speech, and how and where they ought to be used. Grammar teaches us to sort words. Now run and play." UNCLE CHARLES. [Illustration] [Illustration] [Illustration] THE BROTHERS THAT DID NOT QUARREL. TWO little brothers, loving fair weather, Played on the meadow, played there together; Yet not quite lonely were they that day On the bright meadow, while at their play. Six little swallows came and flew round, Over the tree-tops, over the ground; Butterflies, also, did not disdain Near them to flutter, glad to remain. There on the herbage tender and green Might these two brothers, playful be seen: Never they quarrelled; no angry words, Hastily uttered, shocked the dear birds. All through the daytime there the two played, Sometimes in sunshine, sometimes in shade. "And did not quarrel? Please stop your shams!" "I tell you truly. Why, they were _lambs_!" IDA FAY. [Illustration] GRANDPA AND THE MOUSE. GRANDPA CRANE went into the city every morning. He had to go so far, and it was so late when he came home to dinner, he thought he would like to have something to eat while he was away. So every day, when he was ready to go to the cars, Aunt Emmie gave him a little basket with a pretty round cover on it. Inside she put cookies or gingerbread, or plum-cake with ever so many plums in it. Grandpa liked the plum-cake best of all the little basket carried. The office he sat in was down on a wharf, where the water comes, and the wind blows, just as if it were out at sea. When he had been there a long while, he would get his basket, and eat what Aunt Emmie had put in it. As he was old, his hand would shake, and let bits of cake fall on the floor. Now, a little gray mouse lived in a hole in that very floor, way up in a corner. His bright eyes peeped out at Grandpa Crane when he was eating; and he looked as though he would like to get those good bits if he could muster courage to do it. One day mousie was so hungry, that he made bold to run at a crumb which had fallen a good way from grandpa's feet. He picked it up as quick as he could, and scampered back with it to his safe little hole. Finding that grandpa did him no hurt, mousie tried it another day. After a while, he came out every time he saw grandpa open the little basket, and picked up all the crumbs that fell down.