basket, and Rollo contrived to make a cover of boughs, to keep
her from getting away.

By the time that this was all arranged, the children found, to their
great satisfaction, that it had ceased snowing; and they immediately set
out for home. Rollo drew the sled, with the basket and bird upon it,
secured as before with the cord; and Lucy led Nathan. They now had no
difficulty in finding their way, and soon reached home in safety.

They kept the bird until the next day, and then, as it was mild and
pleasant, they let her fly away.

QUESTIONS.

By what process had the snow become hardened at this time? Did
Rollo's father expect that it would continue hard till noon?
Why not? Did it continue hard? What prevented its melting? How
did Rollo get sticks for his fire? What name did he give to the
hill which they ascended? What occasioned the difficulty in the
way of Rollo's finding his way home? What conversation took
place when he found the track? Was this track in the new snow,
or in the old snow? How had it become partly obliterated? How
did they carry the bird home?

CHAPTER II.

FLYING.

Nathan became very much interested in the bird, and that evening, as his
father was sitting by the fire, with a book in his hand, which he had
been reading, Nathan came up to him, and said,--

"Father, are you busy now,--thinking, or anything?"

"No," said his father.

"Because," said Nathan, "if you are not, I want to read you something
out of my little book."

So Nathan's father took him up into his lap, and Nathan opened his
little book, and began to read as follows:--

"'With fins for the water, and wings for the air,
And feet for the ground, I could go everywhere.'

"Isn't that funny?" said Nathan.

"Rather funny," said his father.

"I wish I had wings," said Nathan.

"Why?" said his father.

"Why, then I could fly."

"That is not certain," said his father. "There are two difficulties
which prevent boys from flying. One is, they have no wings; and the
other is, they have not strength to use them."

"O father," said Nathan, "I could use them; I am pretty strong. I can
wheel Rollo's wheelbarrow."

His father smiled. "Very possibly," said he; "but I do not think that
you would be strong enough to use wings, even if you had them."

"Why, at any rate, I am stronger than a bird," said Nathan.

"Yes," said his father, "you have more actual strength than a