Harry and Annie lived in the countryside and enjoyed walking to school, often crossing a pond in winter. Despite their mother's warning about the ice beginning to thaw, they ventured onto the pond where the ice broke, leading to a dangerous situation. A man saved them, and Harry learned a valuable lesson about obedience that stayed with him for life.

1. HARRY AND
ANNIE

2. Vocabulary
• Countryside: place outside cities.
• Lane: a road in the countryside
• Pond: a small area with water
• Frozen: in a very low temperature
• Thaw: to turn back into water after being
frozen.
• Sliding: to move easily over a surface
• Shore: land along the sea.

3. Harry and Annie lived in the
countryside, but they went
there to school every day. It
was a pleasant walk down the
lane, and round the pond.

4. In winter, when the ice was firm,
they walked across the pond. But
their mother did not like to have
them do this even if someone
was with them.

5. "Don't go across the pond
today, children," she said,
“because it is beginning to
thaw."

6. “All right, mother," said Harry,
but he was very fond of
running and sliding on the ice.
When they came to the pond,
the ice looked hard and safe.

7. "There," said he to his sister, "I
knew it hadn't thawed any.
Come along, we will have a
good time sliding”.

8. "But you promised mother," said
Annie.
"No, I didn't. I only said 'all
right,' and it is all right."
"I didn't say anything; so I can
do as I like," said Annie.

9. So they stepped on the ice,
and started to go across the
pond. They had not gone far
before the ice gave way, and
they fell into the water.

10. A man who was at work near
the shore, heard the screams
of the children, and he jump
into the water to save them.

11. Harry and Annie went home
almost frozen, and he told his
mother how disobedient he
had been. He remembered the
lesson learned that day as long
as he lived.

12. The End

13. Countryside

14. Lane

15. Pond

16. Frozen

17. Thaw

18. Sliding

19. Shore