In this way you may find the words dictionary and alphabet.

If you use the large dictionary, you will find words and parts of words printed in big type at the top of the page. They will help you in your search

As your name is called, find in the dictionary one of the following words selected from the stories you have just read. See who makes the best time.

I

"And now, now," said the Governor, gazing on the piled-up store

Of the sheaves that dotted the clearings and covered

the meadows o'er,

"Tis meet that we render praises because of this yield of grain;

'Tis meet that the Lord of the harvest be thanked for His sun and rain.

II

"And, therefore, I, William Bradford (by the grace of God to-day,

And franchise of this good people), Governor of Plymouth, say,

Through virtue of vested power-ye shall gather with one accord,

And hold, in the month of November, thanksgiving unto the Lord.

III

"He hath granted us peace and plenty, and the quiet we've sought so long;

He hath thwarted the wily savage, and kept him from wrack and wrong;

And unto our feast the Sachem shall be bidden, that he may know

We worship his own Great Spirit who maketh the harvest grow.

IV

"So shoulder your matchlocks, masters: there is hunting of all degrees;

And, fishermen, take your tackle, and scour for spoils the seas;

And, maidens and dames of Plymouth, your delicate crafts employ

To honor our first Thanksgiving and make it a feast of joy!

V

"We fail of the fruits and dainties-we fail of the old

home cheer;

Ah, these are the lightest losses, mayhap, that befall us

here;

But see, in our open clearings, how golden the melons lie;

Enrich them with sweets and spices, and give us the pumpkin pie!"

VI

So, bravely the preparations went on for the autumn feast;

The deer and the bear were slaughtered; wild game to the very least

Was heaped in the colony cabins; brown home-brew served for wine,

And the plum and the grape of the forest, for orange and peach and pine.

VII

At length came the day appointed: the snow had begun to fall,

But the clang from the meeting-house belfry rang merrily over all

And summoned the folk of Plymouth, who hastened with glad accord,

To listen to Elder Brewster, as he fervently thanked the Lord.

VIII

In his seat sate Governor Bradford; men, matrons, and maidens fair;

Miles Standish and all his soldiers with corselet and sword were there;

And sobbing and tears and gladness had each in its turn the sway,

For the grave of the sweet Rose Standish o'ershadowed Thanksgiving Day.

IX

And when Massasoit, the Sachem, sate down with his hundred braves,

And ate of the varied riches of gardens and woods and

waves,

And looked on the garnered harvest, with a blow on his brawny chest,

He muttered, "The good Great Spirit loves His white children best!"

-M. J. Preston.

Read the poem in turn around the class by stanzas. Tell:

1. Why the Pilgrims had a Thanksgiving Day.

2. How they prepared for it.

3. Whom they invited.

4. How they celebrated the day.

This is called making an outline.

38

MAKING A THANKSGIVING PLAY

THE THANKSGIVING TURKEY

There was a great commotion in the farmyard. All of the fowls were talking at once. Just after breakfast, the cook had run out from the kitchen and called to the farm boy. Little Red Hen, who was pecking near the gate, heard what she said to him. It was something about Thanksgiving and the young turkey gobbler, whom everyone admired because he was so handsome, and disliked because he was so proud.

With her heart beating very hard, little Red Hen

hurried away as fast as her short legs would carry her to tell the news to all the other farmyard folk. The rooster, the hens, the geese, the ducks, and the guinea fowls all had a great deal to say about it. Some declared snappishly that it served the turkey right for being so proud of his looks. Some were sorry for him. Some were merely glad that they weren't the turkey. But everyone agreed that he should be told at once of the fate that awaited him.

went all together to carry him the news.

So away they

He

They found him in a corner of the farmyard, strutting about with his tail outspread, and looking very proud and important. It was the rooster who told him what little Red Hen had heard the cook say to the farm boy. At first, the turkey wouldn't believe their story. thought he was entirely too handsome for any one to want to kill him, and he said so. But when one after another told him that it was true, he began to be afraid. What should he do to escape from the farmer boy? They had plenty of advice to give him. The rooster, the hen, the goose, the duck, and the guinea hen each suggested a plan of escape. But before the poor frightened turkey could do anything at all, the farm boy was among them.

"Well," clucked the little Red Hen when it was all over, "I'm thankful I'm not a handsome, fat turkey." And all the fowls declared that they, too, were thankful.

Dramatize the story. Let each paragraph represent a scene of the play. Try to make the fowls say the things that each of them would be most likely to say. Practice the play that you make so that you will act it well in class.