Ann has a large black cat, of which she is very fond. See how she clasps it in her arms! She pets it and hugs it from morning till night. I think the cat loves Ann too; for it does not even try to scratch her.
IN PROSE. |
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| PAGE | |
| "Home in Sight" | 257 |
| Nellie and Kitty | 259 |
| The Prisoner | 260 |
| Two Pets | 264 |
| The Wounded Lamb | 268 |
| Lisa | 270 |
| Drawing-Lesson | 273 |
| The Pet Fawn | 275 |
| The little Flower-Girl | 278 |
| Feeding the Ducks | 281 |
| Lonely Jack | 284 |
IN VERSE. |
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| Contentment | 261 |
| The Brook | 262 |
| Blueberrying | 265 |
| The Soldiers | 272 |
| Jenny and Benny | 274 |
| How the Sheep found Bo-peep | 277 |
| Mabel and the Bust | 280 |
| "Tit for Tat" | 283 |
| Little Busybody | 287 |
| The Morning Sail (with music) | 288 |
So said the bluff old captain to his passengers. Up they came, one after another, at the summons. The lady who was so worn down with sea-sickness sat with her head resting languidly on her husband's shoulder. The rest stood in groups, looking out upon the water.
The voyage had been a long one, and, though they were[258] not all sea-sick, all were heartily sick of the sea,—all except two little children, a girl and a boy, whose faces were always bright and merry.
"What is there to be seen, captain?" said the children's mother, after trying in vain to make out any thing except sea and sky.
"Don't you know?" said the old man. "Let me point it out then to this little sailor."
So, taking little Willie in his arms while the vessel leaned before the breeze, he pointed with his forefinger, and said, "Do you see that dark-blue cloud right on the edge of the water, just where it meets the sky?"
"Yes, I see it," said the bright-eyed youngster.
"Well, do you know what it is, my lad? It isn't a cloud at all. That's land. Now do you know what land it is?"
"No, sir," said Willie.
"Then I'll tell you. It is old Cape Cod.—We are in sight of home, ladies and gentlemen," said the captain addressing his passengers. "We shall make Boston Light to-night, if this wind holds good."
This speech brought great applause. Then the captain sang out,—
"Hold me up," said little Ellen, "and let me see."
Then the captain held her up too; and when the children's mother, who had a fine voice, started the song,—
She was just going to cry, when the kitten jumped up on the bed, and stood there with such a comical look, that, instead of crying, Nellie could not help laughing.
Then she got a string and began to play with kitty; so that when the nurse came in she found them both quite happy.
One day, Nellie was playing with her doll, and put it down[260] in her lap. Kitty, who had been watching her all the time, jumped up in Nellie's lap, pushed the doll out, and lay down, looking at her mistress, as if to say,—
"What did you take her up for? I am the only one that has any right here."
The sparrow looks saucily at him, saying, "Ah, ha, Sir Hawk! You have scared me many a time with your sharp[261] claws and hooked beak; but now I am a match for you. It was fine fun for you to kill little chickens. Now you see what comes of it."
"Yes indeed," cries the turkey, "he killed seven dear little chickens. How glad I am that he is caught at last! I'll give him a piece of my mind now, but he can't have any more chickens."
"Ah!" says the hawk, "you talk very bravely; but, if I were let out of this cage, you would not stare at me much longer."
The fowls walk slowly away without saying more. But the pert young sparrow bristles up, and dares the hawk to come out and fight him. It is very easy to be brave when there is no danger.
Ann has a large black cat, of which she is very fond. See how she clasps it in her arms! She pets it and hugs it from morning till night. I think the cat loves Ann too; for it does not even try to scratch her.
But here is a better pet than a cat. It is a dear little babe in its nurse's arms. The nurse is taking it out for a walk. She loves it dearly, and see how lovingly it clings to her! Love wins love, you know.
They listened, keeping very still, but could not make out where the sound came from. Then Mary, the eldest of the three, said, "Let us each go a different way, and hunt till we find the poor little thing."
They did so; and in a few minutes, Lulu the youngest called to the others, "I've found it! I've found it! Come, Mollie and Bessie, come quick and help me; for the dear little lamb is hurt, and I'm afraid it will die."
You may be sure that they all ran quickly, and it was well that they did; for the lamb had broken its leg, and could not have lived much longer if some one had not taken care of it. They found Lulu trying to help the poor creature; but she could do little except to soothe it.
Just then Bessie looked up, and saw the farmer not far off. She called loudly to him. He came at once, took the lamb tenderly in his arms, carried it home, laid it on a soft bed, and gave it some warm milk.
Very soon the lamb began to revive, much to the delight of the children; and little Lulu would hardly leave its side all that day.
With such kind care the lamb got well fast. It soon became a great pet with all the little girls, though their uncle said, that, as Lulu had found it, she should give it a name, and call it hers.
For some time she was quite puzzled to know what to call it; but one day, when Bessie was stroking it, she said, "Why lambie, your fleece is as fine and soft as floss!"[269]
"Oh, now I know what to call this pet," said Lulu, "I'll call it Flossy," and it went by that name all summer.
The next winter, when their uncle came to see them in the city, the children inquired for their little pet, Flossy.
"Flossy is a big sheep now," he said; "but I think she[270] remembers you, for when I go among the flock, she always comes and rubs her nose against me, and looks up, as much as to say, 'Where are those three girls that used to play with me last summer?'"
They would start in the morning, and after sailing about, and catching a good load of fish, would come home at noon to the nice dinner which Lisa's elder sister had prepared for them.
One day Lisa was alone in the house. Her sister had gone away to spend the day, and her father was out fishing. A heavy storm came up. It rocked the house, and blew the shutters to and fro; but Lisa never heeded it, for she was thinking of her father.
After the storm had ceased, she went to the door and looked out. An old fisherman was passing with his son. She asked him about her father. He pointed out the place where he had seen him before the storm, and said, "I fear that your father's boat has been driven upon the rocks, for it is no longer to be seen."
Without a moment's delay, Lisa tied on her hat, and hastened down to the shore. She got into a boat, and was pushing off, when an old sailor stopped her, and asked her where she was going.
"I am going in search of my father," said she.[271]
"I will go with you, my good girl," said the sailor; and he sprang into the boat, and took the oars.
They rowed out to the rocks, for the sea had gone down. Poor Lisa's heart sank within her as she gazed upon that angry coast; for the first thing that caught her eyes was a fragment of a boat.
Yes, her father's boat had surely been wrecked. "Oh, my dear, dear father!" said Lisa, bursting into tears, "I shall never see him again."
But hark! There comes a shout, "Boat ahoy!" Lisa's heart beats wildly, for it is her father's voice. Quick as thought, the sailor pulls to the place where the sound came from. And there Lisa found her father clinging to a rock. What a joyful meeting there was! And how happy Lisa felt to think that she had gone so promptly to the rescue!
There were thankful hearts in the fisherman's cottage that night; and Lisa never forgot the good old sailor who had proved such a true friend in time of need.
DRAWING-LESSON.
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Was ever child so lovely! Was ever child so fair! Had ever child such bright blue eyes, Such lips, such golden hair! Say, is there any baby With this one to compare? |
Oh, yes! there is one other That's just as good as she: It is my baby-brother, Whose picture here you see. |
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My dear little Boy,—In a lonely place, just at the edge of a wood, where I was detained, week before last, I came across a most delightful[276] little pet. You could not guess in twenty guesses what it was, and so I will tell you at once.
It was a fawn about eight months old. I am sure if you could have seen him you would never have given papa a moment's rest till you had him as your own pet; and perhaps I shall have something to say to you about that by and by.
Well, this charming little pet was of a light yellowish-brown color, and over his whole body were white spots about the size of a dime.
Some boys had surprised him asleep, when he was about a week old, and had carefully taken him home with them. There he had been tended and made much of by the whole family, and so he had grown to have a genuine affection for his captors.
He was allowed full freedom to go about the woods as he chose, and never failed to return at night; and when called by name—for the boys had named him Dick—he would come bounding up as if he dearly loved to be petted.
It was amusing to see him eat milk. When the saucer was set before him and he commenced to lap the milk, he would beat a tattoo with one of his front feet. He never lapped his saucer of milk without, in this manner, beating the floor with his hoof.
Now, my little boy, I do wish that these boys might be induced to sell this fawn. If I could get him, don't you think a little boy that I could name would have a beautiful pet? But we will not expect too much, will we?
I want to tell my little readers that Albert has a fawn which he calls his own and pets and caresses. It has a blue ribbon around its neck with a little bell attached, and we all laugh to see it beat a tattoo with its little foot while it laps milk from a saucer. Albert says, "It's ten times more beautiful, and a hundred times dearer than papa wrote about."
One morning, as Helen was watering and trimming her plants at the open window,—for the air is warm and pleasant in Nice, even in winter,—she heard a soft voice calling just underneath, "Mademoiselle, achetez mes fleurs, s'il vous plait?" In English this means, "Please buy my flowers, miss?"
Helen looked down, and there stood a little barefooted,[279] dark-eyed girl, a good deal smaller than herself, holding up a bunch of roses and violets. Her face was so sweet and smiling, that Helen could not refuse her: so she said in French, "How much are they, little girl?"
"Dix centimes seulement" ("only two cents"), she replied.
"Come round to the door, and I will buy them," said Helen.
The girl ran quickly to the door. When Helen learned from her that her mother was very poor, she gave her more than the price of her flowers; and the little girl's face fairly beamed with delight when she went away.
She had just come in with her large family from a swim in the pond.
"Quack, quack!" said the duck, waddling up, and opening her great bill.
"Don't let the old duck swallow your finger, Johnny!" said Ellen.
Johnny dropped the bread. The greedy duck snatched it, and in less than half a minute she opened her great bill again, and quacked for more.
Meanwhile grandma had been throwing out meal to the ducklings. But one pert little duckling was not satisfied with that.[282]
He lifted up his head, and fluttered his little bits of wings, and opened his mouth, and tried to quack, as much as to say,—
"I don't like meal and water. I want to have what ma has. Give me some too."
This made Ellen laugh: it was so like some children that she had seen!
Jack thought there never before had been such fortunate creatures as they were, and did not dream of separation from his dear friends. But one day a man came up with a rope, and, before the donkeys knew what he was doing, threw it over poor little Jack's neck, and tried to lead him away.
But Jack hadn't the least intention of going. Oh, dear, no! He planted his feet firmly on the ground, while the man pulled, and pulled, and pulled, but could not make him stir a step. At last the man gave up and went away; but he came back the next day with two more men.
Then, spite of Jack's firmness, his legs were bound, and he was laid in a wagon, and carried miles and miles away from all his dear companions.
His new home was a small farm where there were no friends for him at all. Jack soon grew so lonely, that he even felt anxious to scrape acquaintance with the hens and chickens. But they all rushed wildly away as soon he approached; and one old hen cackled out, "Good gracious, my children, my children! do keep out of the way of that ugly beast."
Jack was so grieved that he did not dare to make any more attempts at sociability that day; and, indeed there was no one else he could speak to, except Growler, the big bull-dog.
"A fine day, sir," said Jack, carelessly sauntering by the kennel.
"Bow-wow-wow!" barked Growler, making a frantic rush for Jack's legs.
Now donkeys don't often run; but Jack ran then as fast as he could go, straight across to the other end of the field, and right into a lot of the most delicious nettles.
But what pleasure can one find in dainty fare when one is alone? Jack stood looking around till he happened to spy a goat who seemed to be about as sad as himself.
"Are you homesick?" asked Jack.
"No," said the goat mournfully.
"Some other kind of sick?" suggested Jack, glad to find some one who would give him a civil answer.
"No," answered the goat; "but my mouth waters to taste those little tender twigs on that tree just out of my reach. If I only had a box," he added, shaking his head, "or something to stand on, I could get them easily."
"Jump up on my back, and eat as many as you want," said Jack, ever ready to do a favor.
The goat hesitated. "I am afraid I might hurt you," he said.
"Nothing ever hurts me," responded Jack. "Jump up." So the goat took courage, made a leap, and landed safely on the donkey's back.
Jack stood there patiently while his new friend made a dainty feast.
"Is it good?" he asked.
"Delicious! Oh, so nice! But"—and the goat broke off in a frightened manner. "Don't you see?" he began again after a moment. "There's the farmer looking at us. Oh, dear me, what will he do?"
"Nothing," said Jack. "Go on eating, and let him look if he wants to."
"No, no! I had better get down," said the goat.
"Don't be afraid," the donkey insisted. "Stay there, and eat as much as you want."
The goat was not willing to be thought a coward: so, with one eye still on the farmer, he began to eat again. His master, after staring at the strange couple for a moment, burst into a loud laugh, and went away.
"There, I've had enough," the goat said with a sigh of pleasure, as he jumped off Jack's back. "Thank you very much. Let's be friends."[287]
Jack was so delighted with this suggestion, that he brayed until the hills re-echoed with the sound of his voice. And from that day to this the donkey and goat have been inseparable friends. We never see one without the other.
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
The original text for the July issue had a table of contents that spanned six issues. This was divided amongst those issues.
Additionally, only the July issue had a title page. This page was copied for the remaining five issues. Each issue had the number added on the title page after the Volume number.
Page 279, actual translation of "Dix centimes seulement" is "only ten cents" not "two" as the original states.