ht!"

Such a number of rooks came over her head,
Crying "Caw, caw!" on their way to bed.
She said, as she watched their curious flight,
"Little black things, good night, good night!"

The horses neighed, and the oxen lowed,
The sheep's "bleat, bleat!" came over the road;
All seeming to say, with a quiet delight,
"Good little girl, good night, good night!"

She did not say to the sun, "Good night!"
Though she saw him there like a ball of light,
For she knew he had God's time to keep
All over the world, and never could sleep.

The tall pink foxglove bowed his head;
The violets curtsied and went to bed;
And good little Lucy tied up her hair,
And said, on her knees, her favorite prayer.

And while on her pillow she softly lay,
She knew nothing more till again it was day;
And all things said to the beautiful sun,
"Good morning, good morning! our work is begun."

LORD HOUGHTON

[Illustration]

DAVID AND GOLIATH--I

Philistines guarding Goliath

Long, long ago there lived, in the country of Israel a boy named David.

He was a shepherd boy, and all day long he watched the quiet sheep as
they ate sweet grass on the hillside.

Although David was only a boy, he was tall and strong and brave.

When he knew he was in the right, he feared nothing.

David's quiet life did not last long.

There was a great war between the people of Israel and men called the
Philistines.

All the strong men in David's town went to join the army of Israel.

David could not go, as he had to tend the sheep, but his three older
brothers went to the war.

For a long time David's father heard nothing from his three oldest boys.

At length he called David to him and said, "Take to your brothers a bag
of this corn and these ten loaves of bread. Find out how your brothers
are, and bring word to me."

The next morning David rose very early, and taking the bag of corn and
the loaves of bread, he went to the camp where his brothers were.

The camp of Israel was on the side of a high mountain.

Across the valley from this mountain and on the side of another mountain
was the camp of the Philistines.

After David had come to the camp and had found his brothers, shouts of
anger and fear came from the soldiers.

David looked across the valley to the camp of the Philistines.

There he saw a huge soldier dressed in shining armor.

This giant