Make a short pause after a single word followed by an exclamation, and let the voice rise; after a complete sentence make a longer pause, and let the voice fall. THE INTERROGATION is used at the end of a question; as, When did you come? If the question can be answered by yes or no, the voice generally rises; if not, it falls. THE PERIOD denotes a full stop. It marks the end of a sentence, and shows that the sense is complete. The voice generally falls. Other Marks. THE APOSTROPHE denotes the possessive case; as, John's hat; also, that one or more letters have been left out of a word; as, hist'ry for history. THE QUOTATION MARKS include the language of another; as, James said, "What of it?" THE PARENTHESIS includes words which are not properly a part of the main sentence; as, He is glad (as all boys are) when vacation comes. INSTEAD OF THE PARENTHESIS, the dash and the comma are now mostly used for that purpose. II. Rhetorical Pause. RHETORICAL PAUSE is a suspension of the voice at certain intervals in order to give effect to reading or speaking. IT IS NOT DESIGNATED by marks, and is not strictly necessary to the mere understanding of spoken or written language. THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES which govern the use of the rhetorical pause will be considered in the Fifth Reader. IV. MODULATION. Modulation is the art of varying the tones of the voice, in reading and speaking, so as to give to every word, phrase or sentence the sounds which best express its meaning. Modulation is, in fact, the melody of speech, without which language would fall cold and lifeless from our lips. It has seven general divisions: PITCH, FORCE, QUALITY, RATE, SLUR, MONOTONE, and TRANSITION. PITCH refers to the key of the voice, and is HIGH, MODERATE, or Low. FORCE is the volume or loudness of the voice, and is either LOUD, MODERATE, or GENTLE, as the case requires. QUALITY relates to the kinds of tone used in reading and speaking; as, PURE, OROTUND, ASPIRATED, GUTTURAL, or TREMBLING. RATE refers to the movement of the voice, and is either QUICK, MODERATE, or SLOW. SLUR is a dropping and gliding movement of the voice, in passing over some unimportant or explanatory word or clause. MONOTONE is a sameness of force employed in the utterance of several successive words or clauses, when reading solemn or sublime passages. TRANSITION is a change in the modulation of the voice, made, as occasion requires, to indicate a turn in thought or sentiment, or to represent the utterances of different speakers. SLUR, MONOTONE, and TRANSITION, though usually classed as separate elements of Expression, are really divisions of Modulation, and will be so treated in this series. The subject of Modulation will be fully treated in the Fifth Reader, in connection with a more thorough analysis of the general principles of Elocution. PART SECOND. LESSON I. THE PONY-RIDER. Měs ́sen ger, one who carries | Pōst'age, the price paid for a message. carrying letters and papers. Conʼti nent, a vast extent of E còn'o mized, saved. 10 the western-bound emigrant train, creeping slowly along, day after day, in a cloud of stifling dust, with the slow pace of its ox-teams, the journey across the great Plains must have been dreary enough; but to our little party, whirled along at a splendid rate in one of Holladay's fast mail-coaches, strange sights and stirring incidents enlivened every fleeting mile. One object we were momentarily expecting, and in a little while all interest was taken up in stretching our necks and watching for the "pony-rider"-the fleet messenger who sped across the continent from St. Joe to Sacramento, carrying letters nineteen hundred miles in eight days! 2. The pony-rider was usually a little bit of a man, brimful of spirit and endurance. No matter what time of the day or night his watch came on, and no matter whether it was mild or stormy weather, or whether his "beat" was over a level, straight road, or a crazy trail over mountain crags and precipices, or whether it led through peaceful regions, or regions that swarmed with hostile Indians, he must be always ready to leap into the saddle and be off like the wind. 3. There was no idle time for a pony-rider on duty. He rode fifty miles without stopping, by daylight, moonlight, starlight, or through the blackness of darkness, just as it happened. He rode a splendid horse that was born for a racer, and fed and lodged like a gentleman. 4. He kept him at his utmost speed for ten miles, and then, as he came crashing up to the station, found |