! Yes, I see; that must be steel; at least, that part of
it. What do you call that part?'

'The blade.'

6. 'And what about the handle?'

'I don't know. It is yellow, and smooth, and hard.'

'It is bone,' said his uncle, 'part of an ox-bone. But some handles are
made of wood.'

7. 'May I look at that knife near you, auntie? I mean the clean one.
Thank you!'

8. Then Dora wanted one to look at too; and they felt the edges softly
and found them very sharp. They looked at the blunt backs of the blades,
and then tried to read the maker's name.

9. 'There is no room to put the maker's name on a needle,' said Harry.
'But how do they get it on here?'

'It is stamped on when the blade is red-hot and rather soft.'

10. They could not make out how the handle was put on, so their aunt
went to the knife-box and got out an old knife that had lost its handle.
They saw that the blade had a long thin piece of iron at the end of it.

11. 'A long hole is made inside the handle, and this iron thing is put
into it, and made fast.'

So their uncle said, and then looked at the clock and saw that it was
time for him to go.

THE HEN.

[Illustration: Setting out for the Farm.]

bas'-ket
fetch
friends
fowls
watch
thought
charge
pair
ban'-tams
know
proud
peck'-ing
greed'-y
gray
swal'-lowed
laughed

1. The day after Dora and Harry came home, their mother gave them a
basket and sent them up to the farm to fetch eggs.

2. Rover went with them, and all three were glad to go, for they had
many friends at the farm.

3. There was the great dog, Watch, and there were the cart-horses and
the pony, the ducks and the fowls. And there were five girls and
boys--Mary, Tom, Johnny, Annie, and Kate.

4. When these five, and Watch, saw Harry, Dora, and Rover coming, they
ran down the lane to meet them. They were soon all in the farm-yard,
talking as fast as they could talk.

5. Two had to tell about their visit to Needle-town, and five about the
doings at the farm, so it was some time before the eggs were thought of.

6. Mary had charge of the eggs, and went every morning to look for new
ones.

'Since you went away,' she said, 'I have had a pair of bantams given me,
for my very own. Here they are!'

'What little things! and how very pretty!' cried Dora. 'Do they know
you, Mary?'

7. 'Yes; I feed them every day. Here comes the big black hen. She has