1. Reading Lesson

The Miraculous Pitcher

One evening in times long ago old Philemon and his good wife, Baucis, sat at their cottage door enjoying the beautiful sunset. They talked together about their garden, their cow, their bees, and their grapevine. But the rude shouts of children and the fierce barking of dogs in the village grew louder and louder.

"I never heard the dogs so loud," observed the good old man.

"Nor the children so rude," answered his good old wife.

They sat shaking their heads while the noise came nearer and nearer, until at the foot of the little eminence on which their cottage stood, they saw two travellers approaching on foot. Close behind them came the fierce dogs, and a little farther off ran a crowd of children. Once or twice the younger of the two men turned about, and drove back the dogs with a staff which he carried in his hand.

"Come, wife," said Philemon to Baucis, "let us go and meet these poor people."

"Go you and meet them," answered Baucis, "while I make haste within doors, and see whether we can get them anything for supper."

Accordingly, she hastened into the cottage, while Philemon went forward and extended his hands, saying, "Welcome, strangers, welcome!"

"Thank you !" replied the younger of the two. "Pray, why do you live in such a bad neighborhood? "

"Ah!" observed old Philemon with a quiet smile, "I hope, in order that I may make what amends I can for the inhospitality of my neighbors."

By this time Philemon and his two guests had reached the cottage door.

"Friends," said the old man,"sit down and rest yourselves. My good wife has gone to see what you can have for supper."

Baucis had now got supper ready, and coming to the door began making apologies for the poor fare.

"Had we known you were coming," said she, "my good man and myself would have gone without a morsel rather than that you should lack a better supper."

"Why, Mother Baucis, it is a feast!" exclaimed Quicksilver, the younger, laughing. "I never felt hungrier in my life." And they all went into the cottage.

Since the supper was so exceedingly small, Baucis could not help wishing that their appetites had not been so large. For at their very first sitting down the travellers drank all the milk in their bowls at a draft.

"A little more milk,kind Mother Baucis, if you please," said Quicksilver. "The day has been hot, and I am very much athirst."

"I am so sorry and ashamed," answered Baucis, "but the truth is there is hardly a drop more milk in the pitcher."

"Why, it appears to me," cried Quicksilver, "that matters are not so bad. Here is certainly more milk in the pitcher."

So saying, he proceeded to fill his own bowl and his companion's from the pitcher that was supposed to be almost empty.

"What excellent milk!" observed Quicksilver, after quaffing the contents of the second bowl. "Excuse me, my kind hostess, but I must really ask you for a little more."

Now, Baucis had seen as plainly as she could see anything that Quicksilver had turned the pitcher upside down. However, in order to let him know precisely how the case was, she lifted the pitcher and made a gesture as if pouring milk into Quicksilver's bowl. What was her surprise, when an abundant cascade fell bubbling into the bowl and overflowed upon the table.

Mother Baucis could not but think there was something out of the common way in all that had been going on. So she told Philemon in a whisper what she had seen.

"Who are ye, wonder-working strangers?" cried he in great amazement.

"Your guests, my good Philemon, and your friends," replied the elder stranger, in his deep, mild voice, that had something at once sweet and awe-inspiring in it. "Give me likewise a cup of the milk; and may your pitcher never be empty for kind Baucis and yourself, any more than for the needy wayfarer."

- Hawthorne's Wonder Book. Adapted.

2. Study

Bau'cis; Phile'mon; make amends, make things better; inhospitality, giving no shelter; hostess, a woman who entertains guests; gesture, motion; frugal, simple.

What kind of people were Baucis and Philemon? Prove your answer in all the ways you can.

What was remarkable about the guests? What shows it?

Miraculous means marvellous, or wonderful, or greater than natural. Why was this pitcher called miraculous? What had caused it to be so?

3. Word Studies

Find these words in the story. Decide what each word means, then write a sentence of your own containing it. Then rewrite each sentence in the story using a synonym for the word in the list.

guests.

hastened.

precisely.

athirst.

quaffing.

amazement.

elder.

morsel.

wayfarer.

Make a list of the words in the story which mean the same as "said." Use them in sentences of your own.

4. Story Telling

Be able to tell this story so well that your classmates will want to listen.

There is more of this story in another book. Perhaps some one in the class may know it, or will read and tell it.

5. Punctuation. Review.

Find and read the three rules you have learned for using the comma. They are on pages 38, 47, and 80.

Study the rules for writing quotations on page 6.

Find sentences in this story in which these rules are used. Copy the sentences, read them in class, and be ready to tell the rule which is illustrated.

6. Written Composition

Make an outline of the part of the story that tells about the meal. Then write it.