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But now nearly all stockings are made by a loom. This loom is the invention of William Lee, who lived in England in the days of Queen Elizabeth.

William Lee was a studious boy. His parents decided to send him to college. He became a student at St. John's, Cambridge. He was a loving, unselfish boy, and soon won many friends.

But William Lee formed one friendship at Cambridge that was dearer to him than all the rest, and that has had much to do with future generations.

When weary with his studies, he was fond of laying his books and papers aside and wandering far away into the quiet country lanes. Here the running of waters and the singing of birds rested him. One day as he passed through a village to his favorite resort, he saw a pretty girl sitting at her mother's cottage door knitting a stocking.

William Lee was now an unhappy youth. He found no pleasure in singing birds or murmuring waters. He loved the beautiful girl and longed to meet her. It was not long until

L

he was a welcome visitor at the
cottage. He found that the
young
girl was refined and sensible. He
told her of his love, and was re-
joiced to find that she loved
him.

The girl's name was Nellie.
William often sat by her side
reading aloud from some
good book while Nellie

[graphic]

plied her needles. When William's college

work was done he returned home,

and was soon a preacher in a village church. The salary was not large; but his love was so great that he married Nellie, and they lived in a cozy little home.

When two children came to bless them, the small salary was not enough to provide food and clothing. Nellie resolved to add to her husband's income by knitting stockings. It made William's heart sad to see his wife sitting with the baby on her knee knitting busily for hours.

He watched her nimble fingers and noticed how the thread traveled round and round the stocking. He resolved to invent a machine that would save his wife's fingers, and that would knit stockings fast enough to provide food and clothing for his family.

He succeeded so well that in eight years his machine would knit woollen, cotton, and silk stockings. But Queen Elizabeth did not care for the poor parson's invention and refused to grant him a patent.

King Henry IV. of France heard of the wonderful machine and invited William Lee to France. Here the machine was run day

and night. At last William Lee began to grow rich. He was glad to see his dear family clothed and fed and happy.

Alas! just as the prospect seemed brightest, the king was assassinated by Ravaillac. William Lee lost his true friend. His trade fell away. He became poor once more; and after wandering from place to place, the inventor of the knitting-loom starved to death in Paris.

jelly

tǎd'pōle pŏl'li wŏg

wriggle

à bun'dant

căt ́er pil lar

XLVII.-THE LIFE HISTORY OF A TOAD.

Every one likes to read the life history of a clever person. But we do not always remember that a toad has a life story as rich as that of a man. From baby to man the steps are full of interest. From tadpole to toad the story is just as full of interest.

Every animal comes from an egg. This is as true of a toad as of a chicken or a goose. About the middle of April, down by a pond,

one can hear the hoarse cry of a toad. The old toad is telling the world that it is time to lay eggs.

A toad's nest is always in the water. The eggs are laid in long strings or ropes. These

are generally wound around water-plants or old sticks on the bottom of the pond near the shore.

This chain of eggs looks like a string of glass beads with little black dots in the center. The dots are the eggs. The glass-like beads are soft jelly. Take a bunch of these eggs, about one hundred, and place them carefully in a glass fruit-dish, or a basin filled with clear water. Keep the dish or basin in a light place, but not in the sun, for that would kill the eggs.

In two or three days the eggs are hatched. The black dots begin to move, and finally wriggle out of the jelly and begin to swim around in the water. See how they cling to

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