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K44
GRANDFATHER'S
STORIES.
By IRS. COLMAN.
AUTHOR OF THE "LU LU BOOKS."
NEW YORK:
JAMES MILLER, Publisher,
No. 779 BROADWAY.
(ntiints.
GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
PAGE
PIRST STORY, '
THE ORPHANS, 23
THE TWO PETS, 7
TWO ROSE-BUDS, 39
MATTIE AND HER DOG, 53
SIMPLE PLEASURES, 57
GOOD NIGHT, 76
LITTLE GRANDSON, 78
LITTLE BIRDS IN A STORM, 82
FAIRIES NOW-A-DAYS. 85
FIRST STORY.
4 OME my little fellows,"
S ~said grandfather, I
will tell you a story,
but I shall not make
Sit all up out of nothing, I
Shave heard, or read it in
some book; well, it is a cu-
rious story for an old man to
tell, and it will be original to you,
I am sure of that, and that is some-
8 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
thing to be thought of now-a-days.
But don't laugh, for I tell you now
it is quite pitiful, as you shall see.
Well, it is about a naughty boy
named Love,-and an old poet, but
it was not me-Oh, no, indeed! I
assure you it was not me, I would
not be so taken in by the naughty
boy. I am too wise for that, even
if he should come to my door by
night, with his yellow locks drip-
ping with the rain, and say, 'Oh,
let me in! let me in! I have lost my
way, I am wet to the skin-I shiver
with the cold, I die, I die.' "No,
I have heard of his sly tricks too
FIRST STORY. 9
often, when I was a boy no older
than you, my little fellows. My
great-grandfather told me of him,
and my mother! Oh, you may be
sure she knew all about him, and I
suppose the books that have been
written about him, and are yet to
be written, would fill up a good part
of every library in the land; indeed
I may truly say--the whole world
even, would not contain the books
concerning this- same naughty love,
and his sly tricks. The naughty
fellow!
He is so cunning, I am told by
some who have actually seen him,
10 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
that he can sometimes make him-
self invisible to mortals. Then too,
though he looks as innocent, as a
dove, he always shoots his arrows
where they are sure to do the most
harm, and I suppose he can beat
William Tell all hollow in shooting
at a mark; and yet, for all that, he
sometimes let his arrows fly at ran-
dom, the careless little elf!
Now I will tell you what a sweet
and most charming poet,* relates of
this sam sly, cruel Love; and you
may be sure he tells the truth, and
nothing but the truth, for he knows
"* Hans Christian Andersen.
FIRST STORY. 11
all about him, yes indeed, any one
can see that; I warrant you he has
himself felt the smart of his arrows,
many times, because no one ever es-
capes, except they go armed cap-a-
pie, or are wonderful wise like me,
or perchance are beneath his notice;
Oh this wonderful of all Loves! this
giant in the body of a little child!
But now for the story-so listen!
"Once upon a time," (now this is
the way all Mysterious Stories and
Legends begin,) I say,-" Once upon
a time, there was an old poet, one
evening, he sat at home -it was
dreadful weather out of doors-the
12 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
rain poured down; but the old poet
sat very comfortably, and in quite
good humor, beside his stove, where
the fire was burning brightly, and
his apples were merrily roasting.
"There will not be a dry thread
on the poor souls who are out in
this weather!"
"Oh let me in I am freezing,
and I am so wet!" cried the voice
of a little child outside. It cried
and knocked at the door, while the
rain kept pouring down, and the
wind rattled at all of the windows.
Poor little soul !" said the old
poet, and he got up to open the
FIRST STORY. 13
door. There stood a little boy; he
had not any clothes on, and the rain
ran off from his long yellow hair.
He shook with the cold; if he had
not been taken in he would most
surely have died of that bad weather.
"Thou poor little soul!" said the
kind old poet, and he took him by
the hand; "come in, and I will
warm thee! and thou shalt have
some wine, and a nice roasted ap-
ple, for thou art a pretty little boy!"
And so he was. His eyes were
like two bright stars, and, although
the water ran down from his yellow
hair, yet it curled so beautifully!
14 GRAND FATHER S STORIES.
He looked just like a little angel,
but he was pale with the cold, and
his little body trembled all over. In
his hand he carried a pretty little
bow; but it was quite spoiled with
the rain, and all the colors of his
beautiful little arrows ran one into
the other with the wet.
The good old poet seated himself
by the stove and took the little boy
upon his knee, he wrung the rain out
of his hair; warmed his little hands in
his, and made some sweet wine warm
for him; by this means the rosy col-
er came back into his cheeks, he
jumped down upon the floor, and
FIRST STORY. 15
danced round and round the old
poet.
"Thou art a merry lad," said the
poet; "what is thy name?"
"They call me Love," replied the
boy; "dost thou not know me ?
there lies my bow, I shoot with it,
thou mayest believe! See, now, the
weather clears up, the moon shines!"
"But thy bow is spoiled," said
the old poet.
"That would be sad!" said the
little boy, and took it up to see if it
were. "Oh, it is quite dry," said
he, "it is not hurt at all! the string
is quite firm; now I will try it!"
16 GRAND FATHER'S STORIES.
And with that he strung it, laid
an arrow upon it, took his aim, and
shot the good old poet right through
the heart!
Thou canst now see that this bow
is not spoiled!" said he,-and laugh-
ing as loud as he could, ran away.
"What a naughty boy! to shoot the
good old poet who had taken him in
and warmed him."
"What a bad boy!" said all the
little boys at once, how ungrate-
ful."
"Yes indeed," said the grand-
father.
There the poor poet lay upon the
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FIRST STORY. 1I
floor and wept, for he was shot
through the heart, and he said, Oh
fy! what a naughty boy that Love
is! I will tell all good little children
about him, that they may drive him
away before he makes them some
bad return !"
All good children, boys and girls,
to whom the old poet told this, drove
away that naughty little lad, but for
all that he has made fools of them
all, he is so artful! When students
go from their lectures he walks by
their side with a book under his
arm and so they fancy he too is a
student, and he runs an arrow into
18 GRAND- FATHER S STORIES.
their breasts. When young girls g-
to church, and when they stand in
the aisles of the church, he has fol-
lowed them. Yes, he is always fol-
lowing people!
He sits in the great chandelier in
the theatre, and burns with a bright
flame, and so people think he is a
lamp, but afterwards they find some-
thing else He runs about the king's
garden, and on the bowling-green!
Yes! he once shot thy father and
mother through the heart! ask them
about it, and then thou wilt hear
what they say. Yes, indeed, he is
a bad boy, that naughty Love, do
Ik
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FIRST STORY. 21
thou never have anything to do with
him! lie is always running after peo-
ple Only think, he even shot an
arrow at thy good old grandmother!
but that is a long time ago, and it
is past. But thus it is, he never for-
gets any body!
Fy, for shame naughty Love! But
now, thou knowest him; and know-
est how bad he is!"
"This, my little friends, is the
story of naughty Love,' and now I
have told you about him you will
be sure to keep out of his way, or
go well armed. For when you come
to be men, he will be sure to intro-
22 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
duce himself to you, and if you
have any heart worth having, he will
fight for it, or sport with it either
way that suits him best."
for. ."
U. A.
THE ORPHANS.
N the great City of New
York where the houses
are so crowded, that
there is not room enough,
Sfor all the poor women and.
children that come into the
country so fast; there are a
great many who are obliged, to
live in cellars, or miserable sheds,
and hundreds remain all the day and
24 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
night, in the open streets. Annie
and Billy lived in a little room un-
der-ground therefore it was quite
dark, and uncomfortable, for there
was no floor, neither any windows,
to let in the fresh air and light; a
little hole in the wall, where the
sun peeped through at noon, served
them for a window, through which
they could see the tops of the
houses and the trees which grew in
the churchyard waving in the wind,
and if they could but hear the birds
sing, it was a real joy to their hearts.
They lived all alone, for they had
no mother, no father, no friend but
TIE ORPHANS. 25
God, to help them; so they were
obliged to take care of themselves.
But the night was dreadful for
them, especially in the cold winter
weather, for they had to lie on the
bare floor with only an old blanket
to cover them poor little things; but
they would look out upon the glit-
tering stars, and forget all their sor-
rows, for it made them think of that
home where dwelt their parents;
Little Annie imagined, and she told
her brother that the stars were the
abodes of departed spirits, where all
people go after death, and the way
to ascend to these aerial abodes,
26 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
was by a shining staircase, so they
were always looking for it, and ex-
pecting to see it when they gazed
up into the great firmament of stars
but they never could see the way
open, nor yet the stairs; and how
could they when the only way, to
departed spirits, or to heaven is by
the way of the dead; but of this
these poor little dreamers had not
been taught, so they looked up to
them in their loneliness, and peo-
pled them with such beings as they
thought in their childish dreams
most resembled a loving father and
mother; for once they had a friend,
THE ORPHANS. 27
who had told them of their parents,
and that they were in heaven, lov-
ing their children, even though they
could not be seen. This was almost
all they knew about social life. It
was a very innocent conceit, and
made their dreams pleasant when
they slept, which was not always
the case, for Jack-frost would some-
times creep in through the cracks
and bite their toes and fingers, and
the wind would sing such doleful
music all through the long night,
that sleep fled away.
In this poor way did the Orphans
live for a long time, and Billy, was
"28 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
so old that he could amuse himself
without Annie, for she must go out
and beg for food or work; and then
the little boy was left alone, to in-
vent his own pleasures and employ-
ments. Now he thought he could
read on the walls of his room, a
story which old time had written
there; for it was a very old house,
and had once been, inhabited by
geniuses, I say it was very old, for
there' was not a single trace of
grandeur, or even comfort remain-
ing, and yet for all that, it had once
been a lordly mansion; and now on
the walls of this house, could this
A
THE ORPHANS. 29
little boy read, by means of his
imagination, many, many wonderful
things, because he had been a dream-
er ever since he came into this little
room, and so he began as well as
he could to make figures on the walls,
with a piece of chalk which Annie
found one day in the street; this
piece of chalk was now as good as a
whole cabinet of tools for him to
work with; now these figures on the
wall he called pictures, and so they
were, if we may take Annie's word
for it, for in her eyes they were
beautiful-a real picture gallery, and
she told him so.
80 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
When Billy, looked out of his win.
dow and saw the tops of the houses
and the trees waving in the bright
sunshine, it was as if he looked upon
a whole panorama, though he knew
nothing of such things, and he was
obliged to content himself with sim-
ple pleasures; and while he thus
multiplied his pictures, God gave his
imagination power to deck them out
with added charms. When he grew
older and his desires began to en-
large he would sigh for wings, that
he might join the birds in their
flight up into the charming blue
heavens.
THE ORPHANS. 81
When the sun went down, and it
grew dark in his little room, he
would look out of his window, in
order that he might not see the
dark corners, because it made him
feel lonely, he always watched the
trees, as long as there was a single
ray of sun upon them, and if the
birds chanced to alight upon their
branches and sing a few wild notes,
we may be sure he experienced as
much delight as the more favored
sons and daughters of fortune. Na-
ture has such a blessed influence,
and the innocent are so sensible to
her charms.
82 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
What these simple children of
nature enjoyed was all their own,
not, borrowed from any external aid,
but from that everlasting fountain of
life and joy, within the soul, which-
dwells alike in all humanity, and
it was truly wonderful to see how
angels seemed to teach and care
for them. Otherwise they could not
have fancied what they did.
It was a cold chilly afternoon
when I met Annie and Billy, the
streets were wet and muddy, for
there had been a great fall of snow
which was fast melting away although
there was no sun, and the air was
THE ORPHANS. 33
filled with a thick mist. It was quite
dark, and there was spread over na-
ture, such a gloomy aspect that every
unhappy object, which met the eye,
was tenfold more unwelcome.
I was hurrying through one of the
streets where the children of the
poor live, no one knows how so
close and uncomfortable do they
seem packed together. I closed my
eyes and ears, as much as I could,
to the pressing cry of little beggars;
for what can one do at such a time,
with an empty purse, but conceal
his feelings if he has any? Well I
forced my way through the crowd,
34 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
but was obliged at. last to stop, and
search my pockets for a few pen-
nies. These children stood before
me, a picture of want and sorrow.
The feet of the little girl were red
with cold and she had no cover to
her head or her shoulders ; she
might almost as well have been
without any garment, so thin and
tattered was the covering she wore,
for her bare skin was peeping out
every where.
She walked up and down the
streets, trembling with the cold, the
little child she carried in her arms,
held out its little hand to all they
THE ORPHANS.
met, and smiled a sweet smile, as
one who had no sense of sorrow, for
cold and hunger could not blight his
infant joys. His pretty hair fell over
his forehead, in curls, but no one
saw that, or the stretched out hand,
poor little souls! so they walked on
and on through the misty weather,
waiting patiently for something which
they hoped would come, in spite of
every cold repulse; for when they
did chance to get sufficient to satis-
fy their present hunger, they return-
ed to their little cell, with cheerful
hearts, and thought themselves rich,
for the poor and forsaken will have
36 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
their joys as well as their sorrows
and perhaps far less to vex them,
than we might suppose, judging by
their outward circumstances.
I was so much interested by the
appearance of Annie and Billy, that
I went to see them, and soon found
a home for them, where they were
taught useful things, and prepared to
earn a good living, when old enough.
^- \~T
Pages
37-38
missing
from
original
89
TWO ROSE-BUDS.
BY MISS COLMAN.
SGREAT way off in a
country no one hears
named now a days,
there once dwelt two
little girls-and what do you
think they were like-let me
think-well, one was fair, the
other dark, were they not
like white and red moss rose-buds ?-
Oh ves; and modesty, like moss,
40 GRANDFATHER S STORIES.
covered them as with a veil, she
dwelt in their hearts, showing her-
self in the delicate blushes on their
cheeks, and looking out of their pure
lovely eyes. And as moss roses usu-
ally grow in beautiful gardens, and
are watched with great care, so did
these two children dwell in a charm-
ing house, which was built in the
midst of an exquisite garden, and so
too were they guarded by tender
loving parents, and angels, who con-
tinually watched over them.
Rose-buds have thorns, and not-
withstanding all their goodness, these
human rosebuds had thorns too;
TWO ROSE-BUDS. 41
naughty thoughts and feelings which
led to wrong actions.
Rose-thorns scratch, and wound
the flesh--so did these spirit-thorns
pierce the hearts of the parents who
loved their children so dearly, and
the little girls were grieved, too,
when they saw that these wrong
deeds were like thorns to the fa-
ther and mother they loved so
much.
One moonlight evening they walk-
ed together in their garden, talking
of the stars of heaven, and the fire-
fly stars of earth, and of diamonds
that look like beaming stars;---of
42 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
pearls--and of the white snow-ber-
ries hanging in the thick clusters,
like vegetable pearls; then Red Rose-
bud said:
"Oh! how beautiful to have a
net of diamonds for my head, there
would be a halo round it then, like
the angels."
"And oh! how lovely a necklace
of netted pearls -would be," said
White Rose-bud.
She had scarcely spoken, when
just before them they saw two an-
gels robed in white. Upon the
head of one was a circlet of dia-
monds pointed, and upon each point
TWO ROSE-BUDS. 43
a diamond star; while gleaming soft-
ly on the neck of the other, was a
netted pearl necklace, pointed too,
and from each point hung a rose-bud
of seed pearls. Like strange sweet
music, sounded the voice of the star-
crowned angel who said to Red
Rose bud:
I am thy guardian-angel, and
though I am always with thee, yet
I cannot always appear to thy sight.
Now I have come to tell thee what
thou must do to be worthy a dia-
mond circlet. Diamonds are costly
external forms which represent the
most truthful, and good affections of
14 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
the heart, they are worn upon the
head of the angels, and cause it to
shine, and when thou hast purified
thy heart from all sin, when thy soul
shall be filled with jewels of truth
and charity, then wilt thou have
earned a diamond circle-then, when
thou hast forgotten mere earthly or
outward adornments, and seekest
those within, thou shalt see thy
wish granted." Then spoke the
Pearl-angel to White Rose-bud, whose
guardian she was:
"Pearls too are representations, of
heavenly truth and goodness, and
thou must earn the right to wear
TWO ROSE-BUDS. 45
them here, by first adorning thy soul
like thy sister's. Then wilt thou
find upon thy neck, the jewel for
which thou hast wished."
With sweet smiles the angel point-
ed to the heavens and said, "ask
and ye shall receive, seek and ye
shall find, knock and it shall be
opened," ye shall have help from
God, heavenly food for your soul's
strength.
Then the children knelt on the
spot where the angels had stood,
and with their faces raised to hea-
ven's bright burning stars, uttered
a simple prayer. They thought no
16 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
more of earthly gems, for the an.
gels had spoken with them, and
the sphere of goodness breathing
from them, filled their hearts with
this prayer.
Our Father, give us this day our
daily bread." They knew that these
simple words meant, give us food for
our soul's help to do right, and pow-
er over all evil and false ways, to
be good in the inmost heart.
They gathered two rose-buds-red
and white--wet with the evening
dews which glittered in the moon-
light like the tears in their eyes--
then they returned to their little
TWO ROSE-BUDS. 47
chamber, and were soon sleeping
soundly, while the moon looked
down upon them, and their mother
came to give them her good-night
kiss.
She lingered a long time for it
was a lovely sight to see; upon the
pillow lay four rose-buds; for, the
children had lain those they had
gathered close beside their faces,
that they might breathe the perfume
all night.-A long time passed-
the human roses, were no longer
buds, but grown to woman's stat-
ure; still they lived in the same
home--and still were they called,
48 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
Red and White Rosebuds; and still
they walked together by moonlight,
"holding sweet converse." Again.
their angels stood before them; then
they looked at each other in aston-
ishment, and the sweet voice now
grown familiar (for they had listened
to the teaching of the good angels,)
once more stood before them.
"Yes now you have won the cir-
clet of diamonds long years have
passed, since we first came to you,
and your hearts have been so de-
voted to winning the pearls and dia-
monds of the spirit, that you have
well nigh forgotten the external form.
i B r
II -
_ : . .''I
I
TWO ROSE-BUDS. 51
We know your trials, that often you
have been sore tempted to yield to
wrong thoughts and feelings; but we
know too, that you have never ceas-
ed to pray for Heaven's daily bread,
and that you have sought with your
whole strength to love good and do
it; and now we see that your hearts
are adorned with heavenly jewels-
like the diamond shines your love
of goodness for its own sake, while
charity gleams like the pearls you
once wished for; your hearts are ad-
orned with kindness, gentleness, and
a forgiving spirit.-Then holding a
mirror before them, they beheld
52 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
shining upon the head of Red Rose,
the pointed circlet with the diamond
stars, while from the neck of White
Rose, gleamed the soft light of the
pearl necklace with Rose-bud drops.
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MATTIE AND HER DOG
ORIGINAL LINES.*.i
BY GRENVILLE MELLEN.
Ah!" Mattie---on-rmayJ iink th I
In owning it, am-duller nigh,
Than any log- .
But I am really at a loss-
More than I ever with these puppies was-
I would'nt for the dif'rence twixtt ye give a toss-
You, or your dog!
54 GRANDFATIIHER'S STORIES.
Ye are both pretty-and pets, too-
But that a while ago ye knew-
And proud on't-
There was some magic in that hair,
That made it more thau an ev'ry day affair-
As any one might swear to, roundly, who could wear
Such a crowd on't!
Those small dogs, Mattie, whom small girls
Make as much love to for their curls,
Or black or red,
As for aught underneath they cover,
Make not one-half so sensible a lover,
As any such a hairy Carlo does, or Rover,
With two-thirds head!
So kick such whisker'd nincums, Mat-
As you grow up-they're not wortl that!-
Poor creatures!-
MATTIE AND HER DOL. 55
And hold some puppy for your pet-
So better are they than most dogs you get-
And what's more comforting than all I've told you yet;
No cheaters!
I tell you Mattie, that that eye,
You carry with such victory
Under your brow,
May be your minor furniture,
As certain as you tolerate a wooer-
And, as a sort of natural consequence, as sure
As you make Vow,
To any other dog than this
You carry in such shaggy bliss
In your white arms-
So, keep your glances, Mattie, yet,
For such a gentle-like and long ear'd pet-
His whine is the most musical I've ever met
Since I sung psalms 1
56 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
And you may well be prouder, Mat,
Of worship from such pug or cat,
Than from most fellows-
They are, in almost every case.
The washy, snarling howl of your dogs,
As destitute of good airs or a kindling grace
As a rent bellows!
SIMPLE PLEASURES.
BY MISS BREMER.
SAR down, in the pass of
the CLARA mountains, I
dwelt with my sister
Joanna, we lived with
an old aunt, who took us home
S after our father's death. She
was not in very good health
and so could not do much for
us. We were generally left to an
old woman who had the charge of
us; but she was a little severe, and
58 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
very sharp, and very deaf; so that
we did not have many pleasant days
with her. Nevertheless, we tried to
amuse ourselves as well as we could,
we had tamed a little rat so that
when we laid a little bit of sugar
on the stone by the stove, he would
come out and eat it while we stood
in the other corner of the room. It
is true that we dared scarcely to
breathe, but yet we were not a lit-
tle flattered by his confidence in us.
Bits of sugar were, in these times,
very rare treasures for us, and not
more than two little pieces a week
could we have for the rat and our
SIMPLE PLEASURES. 59
own eating. Sunday were great
holidays for us, for then we had
Cologne water on the corners of
our handkerchiefs, butter to our po-
tatoes at breakfast, and roast meat
at dinner.
It was also among our pleasures
that we could walk twice in the
week in the court-yard, but as peo-
ple are seldom content with what
they have, we were not satisfied
with our amusements; and when
summer arrived, and all the great
people came out to their estates in
the country, we took great pleasure
in the idea of making a country
60 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
residence for ourselves. We had
sometimes followed the old woman
into the cellar, and we had observed
a place in the corner on which the
light struck from a certain air-hole
open towards the garden, where we
planted a pea one fine morning to-
wards the end of May. For three
weeks we went every day and sought
out the place, removing the earth a
little about it to see whether the
pea had began to spout.
Our delight was great, when, on
the 24th day after the planting, we
saw a little swelling up of the earth,
and under this, our precious pea,
SIMPLE PLEASURES. 61
beautifully green, and very shy, peep-
ing up with an expanded leaf; we
danced around it and sung for joy.
Near this plantation, we then placed
a little paste-board house, and before
it a small bench, on which we put
some paper gentlemen and ladies,
and no one can have a livelier en-
joyment in his country residence,
than we had in ours.
We lodged in a small and very
dark room, but from my bed I could
see a little bit of sky, and the chim-
ney of our neighbor's house; but
when the smoke rose from the chim-
ney and was colored red and yel-
62 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
low by the rising sun, under the
dome of the blue sky, then I thought
the world up in the air must be very
beautiful, and I longed to go thither.
I conceived a great desire to fly,
and confided this wish to Joanna; we
made ourselves paper wings, and as
these could not lift us up, we tried
whether they would not at least sus-
tain us if we let ourselves go from
the stove, chest of drawers, or what-
ever we had climbed up upon.
But, besides that, we got many
bruises in these attempts, we made
such a noise by falling to the floor
that it brought in the old woman, who
SIMPLE PLEASURES. 63
gave a hearty scolding to the clum-
sy angels. Meanwhile, we thought
of still another means of sustaining
ourselves as we hovered over the
earth. We selected suitable sticks,
which we used as stilts, and on these
we went round and about the court-
yard, imagining all the time that we
were flying.
Would that we had been content
with this! But the desire of knowing
more of the world without, threw us
into misfortunes. The house which
we lived in was situated within a
court-yard, and was separated from
the street by a high wooden fence;
64 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
a part of the enclosure was a garden
well fenced in, and belonged to a
notary. He was a severe man, and
we were much afraid of him.
The temptation to evil came this
time in the shape of a little pig. We
saw one day, when we were passing
our play-house in the court-yard, a
fortunate pig who was enjoying him-
self in the most riotous manner in
this garden; spinach, tulips, straw-
berries, and parsley, all were thrown
around him, as he dug with his snout
in the earth.
Our anger at this was very great,
and not less our wonder how the
SIMPLE PLEASURES. 65
pig could have got into the garden,
as the gate was shut and the fence
was so firm. We looked about care-
fully, and at last discovered a hole
which had been nearly covered by a
few old boards placed against it, but
which the little pig had instinctive-
ly found out, and through which he
had forced his way.
We thought it of the greatest im-
portance to get the pig immediately
out of the pleasure-garden, and we
could see no other means of doing
so than to creep in at the same hole
by which he had made his way; and
now we hunted with great zeal our
66 %;ANDFATHERS STORIES.
poor guide, and then put in order,
as well as we could, what he had
scattered about.
We closed the hole in the fence
with a board, and could not resist
the desire to let it serve us now
and then, as an entrance to this pa-
radise. As we did not mean to hurt,
or even meddle with anything in the
garden, we thought it would not be
wrong to take a breath of fresh air
there, now and then. Every Sun-
day, in particular, we crept in by
the pig's hole, which we always
closed carefully after us.
All around within the garden-
SIMPLE PLEASURES. 67
fence, there was a hedge of syringo
bushes which hindered us from being
seen from without. However, it was
very wrong in us to go into another
person's garden without leave; and
we soon found that every wrong
thing brings with it its own punish-
ment, sooner or later.
There was a little summer-house
in the garden near that part of the
fence which separated it from the
street. There were some bushes so
near, that Joanna and I took the
bold resolution to climb up by them,
so as to get on the roof of the sum-
mer-house, and there to look over
68 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
the fence into the street. Soon as
thought it was done.
Proud, triumphant and glad, we
found ourselves after a quarter of an
"hour's labor, on the much promising
roof, and richly were we repaid for
our trouble. We had a full view
into the street. We saw, now and
then, an old woman with a milk-
cart, sometimes a gentleman in a
chaise, and when we were in great
luck, a lady with a parasol; and
still better, we had even a distinct
perspective of King-street, and had
the indescribable delight of seeing
a croud of walkers and idlers on
N--
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I f
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-- 1:1 ,'
II .I
v__-mr-
I '1 'l,
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I
SIMPLE PLEASURES. 71
horseback and in carriages passing
by. The whole world seemed to be
moving there.
After we had once seen this, we
could not move without seeing it
again.
One day-I remember it as if it
were yesterday-well, one day we
had taken our high post, and were
looking curiously upon the world in
King-street, all at once we saw a
stately rider on horseback, and di-
rectly after him a pair of white
horses drawing a splendid carriage.
That must be the queen!-perhaps
the king himself Out of our senses
72 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
with delight, we began to clap our
hands and hurra loudly. At the
same moment we heard the notary
coughing in the garden. We were
dreadfully frightened. We wanted
to get down quickly from the roof,
and hide ourselves among the trees;
but in our alarm, we could not find
the right place for our hands and
feet. Joanna rolled like a ball over
the notary's strawberry bed, and I
remained hanging by the chin to a
great nail in the plank and scream-
ing as if out of my senses. See,
here is the scar made by the nail,
it can be seen even now.
SIMPLE PLEASURES. 73
These adventures were related to
amuse two little girls, who were
suffering under a disappointment,
having been prevented from going
out to see an exhibition of fire-
works. When their governess had
reached this point in her story, a
more than usually delicate supper
was announced, and the children
ran off to join their dear aunt, who
ted them to the supper room that
they might enjoy the repast with-
out stopping to enquire farther about
the scar on the good lady's chin."
Pages
74 75
missing
from
original
GOOD NIGHT.
GOOD night, good night, my mother death
Bright angels bless thee from above,
For viewless wings, are hovering near
To hold the sleepless watch of love.
The sun has sunk-and so should set
Those spirit orbs serenely mild,
Then sleep, my mother, and forget,
The errors of thy wayward child.
.I
GOOD NIGHT. 77
Good night, my mother dear, good night,
I pray to him who ever hears,
To hold my hand and guide me right,
And give me penitence and tears.
And when to us life's day is past,
And death shall hush this weary clay,
May we awake and see at last
The dawn of that eternal day.
LITTLE GRANDSON.
HAVE a little grandson-
\ his name is Louis, his
eyes are as blue as the
violet, and as clear as
the sky when no cloud
obscures its charming face.
r He is a real child-innocent
and sportive, as the sunbeams
when they dance upon the face of
the waters.
Innocent, did I say? Yes, indeed.
LITTLE GRANDSON. 79
He is the very spirit of innocence,
therefore he is lovely, as the sweet-
scented breath of the morning, and
his noisy din is quite bearable if not
charming. He is so fond of his drum
and tamborine, that he often drives
his mother quite distracted; but he
struts up and down the room and
takes no heed of her frowning face,
until compelled into silence. Then
he shuts himself up in his little bed-
room, and there he begins a new
song. Now, it is a song all about
Jenny Lind, for she is his beau-ideal
of all there can be, or ever was, or
ever will be, in music. She is his
80 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
divimty, and he knows all about it-
yes, to be sure he does, and like
some older children, he believes it
must be so, because the Tribune
says so. Not that he has heard
her, no; he is confiding because he
is but a little child.
Yet, ah! how soon all this inno-
cent, sportive confidence is over, for
as soon as childhood passes away,
then comes unknown desires and
longings. Then it is that the song
of angels might sometimes fail to
please!
But let the child be a child, as
long as he will, for every day of
LITTLE GRANDSON. 81
their life is a story, a song or a
fairy tale-full of changes, but never
to be forgotten; every event of
which is stored up in the memory
to furnish beautiful images and
thoughts that will endure to eter-
nity. Yes, to eternity !
I am many years older then this
little boy's mother, but his noisy
sport disturbs me no more. I am
content to see this free life of inno-
cent activity, unfold itself; and I
fancy, in every pretty action, I see
the future glory of the man.
LITTLE BIRDS IN A STORM.
Mother, Rock the baby, Bessy,
Rock the cradle, dear;
Sing to the baby, Bessy,
The song he loves to hear.
The winds are blowing, Bessy,
The rain is falling fast;
The little birds are chirping
All in the stormy blast.
LITTLE BIRDS TN A STORM. 83
Child. I pity them, dear mother,
Where will they rest to night ?
The storm it is so dreadful,
It doth them so affright.
Mother. Dear Saviour, in the stormy night
VWhen all around is dark,
Take pity on the little birds,
Keep them 'till morning light.
And pity the poor little ores-
The children of the poor;
We see them all around us,
They beg from door to door.
Their little feet are cold and bare,
They shiver in the wind;
Then keep them do, dear Jesus,
Beneath thy mighty wing.
84
FAIRIES NOW-A-DAYS.
BY MISS COLMAN.
^i- ELL, if there were only
"such a thing as fairies
Snow-a-days, I might be
,i '- a good girl." This was
the reply a naughty
SlitihI' girl named Fidelia, made
ti. lieri mother, because she had
"buen reproved for her faults;
and she went on to say: "as long as
there are not, I don't mean to try."
FAIRIES NOW-A-DAYS. 85
Then she went out of her room
without noticing the tears stealing
down her mother's cheek. Long sat
the mother there, deeply thinking
what she should do for her child,
suddenly a smile illumined her face,
and she asked God to help her.
The next morning according to
custom, Fidelia walked in the garden
early, and upon the white rose-bush
she saw the first bud of the season
almost blown, she plucked it, although
she knew that it was a very large
flower, and very choice too, and that
her mother preferred seeing it in the
garden. She began to pull the leaves
36 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
open, when, what was her astonish-
ment to see fall out, something that
looked like a paper rose-leaf rolled
up. She opened it, and found writ-
ten in the most fairy-like hand ima-
ginable, these words:
Believest thou
In fairies now,
Or say, do notes
In roses grow ?"
Fidelia was amazed, she examin-
ed the rose again thinking it must be
an artificial one, put there to make
fun of her; but no, the petals were
genuine rose petals, soft and velvety,
and besides had the pure and true
FAIRIES NOW-A-DAYS. 87
rose perfume which could not be
found in false flowers; so she said:
Well, there are fairies in the
world, to be sure, so I'll see if they'll
help me to be good by rewarding
me." She walked along and pre-
sently came to a white lily, and
looking into it, she saw another of
the same fairy notes; upon it was
written:
Be good and kind
One single day,
And thou shalt find
I'm not in play;
For from this cup
Of Nature's make
At early dawn,
A gift thou'lt take."
88 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
Rejoiced, Fidelia returned to the
house, and, wonderful to relate,
during the whole of that day she
was careful not to do anything ugly.
At dawn she was bending over
the lily's cup-what did she see,
was it a diamond that gleamed so
bright ? No, on looking nearer she
was convinced that it was nothing
but one little drop of dew; disap-
pointed she looked around hoping
that the promised gift had fallen
upon the ground; another fairy missal
alone greeted her eyes:
"Pure as this liquid gem,
Thy heart in truth must be,
FAIRIES NOW-A-DAYS. 89
Ere thou with sparkling eyes
The wished-for gift canst see."
Fidelia was enraged, she stamped
her foot and screamed out:
"I might just as well be ugly as
good, if this is all the reward I
get."
Soft as angel music a strain fell
on her ear, it seemed to come from
a tree near to the house, but such
music she had never heard before;
soon a blush stole into her cheeks,
and finally she hung her head in
shame. Then she said to herself,
"What does she mean by telling
me to be pure?" Again she read
90 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
the magic verse, and also another
which, in her anger she had over
looked:
"Not only do no harm,
But do to others good,-
Try one week, this loving life,
Then seek me in the wood."
Fidelia turned sorrowing away;
during the whole of that week
which seemed so long to look for-
ward to-she was obliging and ami-
able-now and then a cross word or
action would break forth, but she
would be instantly sorry and strive
to make amends.
She amused her sisters and baby-
FAIRIES NOW-A-DAYS. 91
brother, read to her mother, attend-
ed to her lessons carefully, and in-
deed did as well as she knew how.
Never had they passed such a hap-
py week, and Fidelia's heart was
glad when she saw in her mother's
face, the smile of approving love.
Before the dew rose to meet the
sun's rays, Fidelia was in the neigh-
boring wood, the first thing that
greeted her eye was a bed of lilies
of the valley. "This is the place,
I know," said she, ana stooping
down she sought for the tiny fairy;
but she found only another scroll.
She was so disappointed that tears
92 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
rolled down her cheeks, but they
were tears of sorrow now, and she
could not stamp her foot with anger;
So far thou hast done well, my child,
But from thy heart the knowledge seek,
If 'twas the gift, or love of good,
That blessed thee through the long, long week."
"Oh! 'twas the gift," said Fidelia
to herself, as she read the second
verse:
I know the answer it will make,
But try again, Fidelia-try,
Love good, and do it for itself,
Then evil in your heart will die."
When four weeks have passed away,
Come seek me here again,
FAIRIES NOW-A-DAYS. 93
And if thou hast done really well,
I will reward thee then."
Fidelia returned home--the four
weeks passed, during which time
her courage had often failed, and
she was near giving up; then she
would go to her mother's chamber
and sit upon her little cricket, lean-
ing her elbow upon the dear old
armchair and think over what she
had done wrong, and pray for help
to resist evil temptations.
At the end of this time she had
grown so humble, that she thought
herself quite unworthy to meet the
fairy, who had taught her how to
94 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
do right, and it was not until four
times four weeks had passed, when
the violets and lilies of the valley
had all gone to sleep, that Fidelia
once more stood upon the soft, green
turf beneath the old oak tree. Here
she had expected to meet the fairy,
for it was a pleasant spot, the ground
that had been spangled with the
first flowers of summer was now
green with grass of autumn. Fidelia
saw something gleaming in the grass,
and stooping down she turned the
long spears aside, when she espied a
spray of lilies of the valley. Fidelia
gazed at them in astonishment, and
FAIRIES NOW-A-DAYS. 95
in the same moment a kind arm
enbolded her, it was her mother's
voice that spoke kind words of love
Are you sorry darling, that your
mother is the fairy who rolled the
paper leaves and placed them in
the rose and lily, and who put an
eolian harp into the tree near the
house, and now presents you, her
beloved daughter, with a spray of
those modest flowers, whom she
hopes you now seek to be like.
Your humble opinion of your merits
is symbolised by these drooping
flowers, let your love of useful em-
ployment and true goodness of heart
96 GRANDFATHER'S STORIES.
be compared to their penetrating and
charming perfume, while the silver of
which they are made, shall corres-
pond to the truth, which shall gleam
brightly in your soul."
|
