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1. “’Tis royal fun,” cried lazy Ned,
“To coast upon my fine, new sled,
And beat the other boys;
But then, I can not bear to climb
The tiresome hill, for every time
It more and more annoys.”
2. So, while his schoolmates glided by,
And gladly tugged uphill, to try
Another merry race,
Too indolent to share their plays,
Ned was compelled to stand and gaze,
While shivering in his place.
3. Thus, he would never take the pains
To seek the prize that labor gains,
Until the time had passed;
For, all his life, he dreaded still
The silly bugbear 1 of uphill,
And died a dunce at last.
STUDY GUIDE
A. Word Definitio
royal: excellent.
coast: slide.
beat: defeat, gain victory over.
bear: accept.
tiresome: causing to be annoyed or tired.
annoys: bothers.
merry: happy, joyful.
indolent: lazy.
plays: game.
compelled: felt the need.
gaze: stare.
prize: reward.
labor: hard work.
dreaded: feared.
dunce: fool.
B. Study Notes
1. In folk stories, a bugbear was a scary imaginary creature which was used to frighten children who would not follow rules. In modern writing, it is used to represent something that is frightening or irritating.
C. Discussion Questions
1. What did Ned like to do?
2. What did Ned not like to do?
3. How did Ned know the other boys he was playing with?
4. What is the lesson that this story teaches?