eze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the Star-Spangled Banner; oh, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

3. And where are the foes who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war, and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave;
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

4. Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation.
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto, "In God is our trust";
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

_Francis Scott Key_.

USEFUL INFORMATION

To obtain a good knowledge of pronunciation, it is advisable for the
reader to listen to the examples given by educated persons. We learn
the pronunciation of words, to a great extent, by imitation. It must
never be forgotten, however, that the dictionary alone can give us
absolute certainty in doubtful cases.

"If the riches of the Indies," says Fenelon, "or the crowns of all the
kingdoms of the world, were laid at my feet in exchange for my love for
reading, I would despise them all."

That writer does the most good who gives his reader the greatest amount
of knowledge and takes from him the least time. A tremendous thought
may be packed into a small compass, and as solid as a cannon ball.

"Read much, but not many works," is the advice of a great writer.

LESSON XX

THE ART OF OBSERVATION

The Indian trapper is a man of close observation, quick perception and
prompt action. As he goes along, nothing escapes him. Often not
another step is taken until some mystery that presents itself is fairly
solved. He will stand for hours in succession to account for certain
signs, and he may even spend days and weeks upon that same mystery
until he solves it.

I rode once several hundred miles in t