Lesson 02 Sponge—and its Uses

Oh, boys, cried Norah, as she rushed into the room, "do come with me at once. Our dear old Ponto has cut his foot in the garden. The poor old fellow is in such pain, and it is bleeding very badly."

All right, Norah, said Fred. "You run and get a sponge and some warm water. Will."

In a very short time they were all round their dear old playfellow. Fred bathed the foot with the warm water, while the others stroked him, and tried to make him forget the pain. The foot was, as Norah had said, very badly cut.

The children bound it up with some clean linen rag, and then took him into the kitchen. There they made him lie down in a warm corner of the room, while they sat and watched him.

What a good quiet old fellow he was all the time we were washing his foot. said Norah.

Yes, said Fred, "but I took care not to hurt him. Nothing would have done it so well as a sponge."

Suppose we have a talk about the sponge, said Willie, "while we sit with Ponto."

Right, said Fred. "What is the first thing any one would notice about the sponge?"

It is porous or full of holes, said Norah. "When it is put into water it absorbs or sucks up the water."

How can we get the water out again? said Fred.

By squeezing it, said Will. "It is a soft body, and we can squeeze it."

What happens when we squeeze it, and then let go?

It springs back to its former size and shape, said Will, "because it is elastic."

Yes, said Fred, "and then it is ready to absorb water again.

Because the sponge is porous and elastic, soft and smooth, it is the very best thing we can use to wash a sore place of any kind.

Mother always uses a sponge, said Norah, "to wash the baby. Baby's skin is very tender, and the soft smooth sponge does not scratch it."

SUMMARY

new paragraph Sponge is useful because it is porous, elastic, soft, and smooth.