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1. “Will you give my kite a lift?” said my little nephew to his sister, after trying in vain to make it fly by dragging it along the ground. Lucy very kindly took it up and threw it into the air, but, her brother neglecting to run off at the same moment, the kite fell down again.
2. “Ah! now, how awkward you are!” said the little fellow. “It was your fault entirely,” answered his sister. “Try again, children,” said I.
3. Lucy once more took up the kite. But now John was in too great a hurry; he ran off so suddenly that he twitched the kite out of her hand, and it fell flat as before. “Well, who is to blame now?” asked Lucy. “Try again,”said I.
4. They did, and with more care; but a side wind coming suddenly, as Lucy let go the kite, it was blown against some shrubs, and the tail became entangled in a moment, leaving the poor kite hanging with its head downward.
5. “There, there!” exclaimed John, “that comes of your throwing it all to one side.” “As if I could make the wind blow straight,” said Lucy. In the meantime, I went to the kite’s assistance; and having disengaged the long tail, I rolled it up, saying, “Come, children, there are too many trees here; let us find a more open space, and then try again.”
6. We presently found a nice grassplot, at one side of which I took my stand; and all things being prepared, I tossed the kite up just as little John ran off. It rose with all the dignity of a balloon, and promised a lofty flight but John, delighted to find it pulling so hard at the string, stopped short to look upward and admire. The string slackened, the kite wavered, and, the wind not being very favorable, down came the kite to the grass. “O John, you should not have stopped,” said I. “However, try again.”
7. “I won’t try any more,” replied he, rather sullenly. “It is of no use, you see. The kite won’t fly, and I don’t want to be plagued with it any longer.”“Oh, fie, my little man! would you give up the sport, after all the pains we have taken both to make and to fly the kite? A few disappointments ought not to discourage us. Come, I have wound up your string, and now try again.”
8. And he did try, and succeeded, for the kite was carried upward on the breeze as lightly as a feather; and when the string was all out, John stood in great delight, holding fast the stick and gazing on the kite, which now seemed like a little white speck in the blue sky. “Look, look, aunt, how high it flies! and it pulls like a team of horse 1 , so that I can hardly hold it. I wish I had a mile 2 of string: I am sure it would go to the end of it.”
9. After enjoying the sight as long as he pleased, little John proceeded to roll up the string slowly; and when the kite fell, he took it up with great glee, saying that it was not at all hurt, and that it had behaved very well. “Shall we come out to-morrow, aunt, after lessons, and try again?”
10. “I have no objection, my dear, if the weather is fine. And now, as we walk home, tell me what you have learned from your morning’s sport.” “I have learned to fly my kite properly.” “You may thank aunt for it, brother,” said Lucy, “for you would have given it up long ago, if she had not persuaded you to try again.”
11. “Yes, dear children, I wish to teach you the value of perseverance, even when nothing more depends upon it than the flying of a kite. Whenever you fail in your attempts to do any good thing, let your motto be, —try again.”
STUDY GUIDE
A. Word Definitio
give ... a lift: t o help by lifting up.
in vain: without success.
neglecting: failing to do something.
awkward: without skill.
twitched: pulled suddenly.
blame: to give responsibility for some bad action.
entangled: twisted up in something.
exclaimed: shouted with excitement.
comes of: is because of.
assistance: help.
disengaged: set free.
presently: soon; in a short time.
grassplot: a space covered in grass.
took my stand: to challenge something/someone directly.
dignity: in a beautiful way.
lofty: very high.
stopped short: to stop early.
admire: look at with pleasure.
slackened: became loose after having been tight.
wavered: became unsteady.
sullenly: in a sad way.
be plagued with: be bothered by.
pains we have taken: made a great effort.
disappointments: failures.
discourage: take away courage.
holding fast: to grip tightly.
gazing: looking at.
speck: a very tiny thing.
glee: joy.
objection: a reason given in disagreement.
sport: activity, it is still commonly used but now describes an organized game with rules.
persuade: to make someone agree to do something through encouragement.
perseverance: continuing an act, especially when it is difficult or challengng.
motto: a word or short sentence full of meaning.
B. Study Notes
1. A team of horses—When more than one horse is used to pull an object, such as a cart or a wagon, the horses are together called a “team.” The word is commonly used in sports to identify people who are playing with the same goal. In the same way, a “team” of horses works together for a common purpose.
2. A mile—A unit of measure equal to 5280 feet (1609 meters). Most countries now use the kilometer to measure long distances but a few countries still use the mile including the United States and the United Kingdom.
C. Comprehension Questions
1. What are John and Lucy trying to do?
2. Why did the kite fail to fly? Give three different reasons
3. What important value did the children learn?
D. Putting Events in Order
Write a number (1-6) beside each sentence to put the important parts of the story in the correct order. The first event should be number 1 and the last event should be number 6.
_____ The children and the aunt moved to an open area covered with grass.
_____ The kite fell down because John stopped running so that he could look at the kite.
_____ The kite flew high up in the sky until it was a small speck
_____ The aunt told the children their motto should be “try again.”
_____ The kite fell into some small bushes.
_____ John wanted to give up.
E. Vocabulary—Use three of the following words to match the definitions
1. ______________: when a rope or string becomes loose.
2. ______________: continuing an action even if it is very difficult
3. ______________: to grab something tightly.