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Read Ebook: Charles' Journey to France and Other Tales by Barbauld Mrs Anna Letitia
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Ebook has 38 lines and 5462 words, and 1 pages
it is, our balls to throw, Standing together thus in a row!
An up and a down, that is the way, With a good round ball, that you must play; Up, high as you can, and down again, Now, we have counted ten times ten.
THE LITTLE BOY WHO WAS A COWARD.
There was once a little boy, who was a sad coward. He was afraid of every thing almost. He was afraid of the two kids, Nanny and Billy, when they came and put their noses through the pales of the court; and he would not pluck Billy by the beard. What a silly boy he was! Pray what was his name? Nay, indeed, I shall not tell you his name; for I am ashamed of him. Well, he was much afraid of dogs, too: he always cried if a dog barked, and ran away, and took hold of his mamma's apron like a baby. What a foolish fellow he was! for the dogs do not hurt, you know; they love little boys and play with them. Did you ever see a dog eat up a little boy? No, never, I dare say. Well; so this simple little boy was walking by himself one day, and a pretty black dog came out of a house, and said, bow, wow, bow, wow; and came to the little boy, and jumped upon him, and wanted to play with him; but the little boy ran away. The dog ran after him, and cried louder, bow, bow, wow; but he only meant to say, Good-morrow, how do you do? but this little boy was sadly frightened, and ran away as fast as ever he could, without looking before him, and he tumbled into a very dirty ditch, and there he lay crying at the bottom of the ditch, for he could not get out: and I believe he would have laid there all day, but the dog was so good-natured that he went to the house where the little boy lived, on purpose to tell them where he was. So, when he came to the house, he scratched at the door, and said, Bow, wow; for he could not speak any plainer. So they opened the door.
What do you want, you black dog? We do not know you. Then the dog went to Ralph the servant, and pulled him by the coat, and pulled him till he brought him to the ditch; and the dog and Ralph together got the little boy out of the ditch; but he was all over mud, and quite wet, and every body laughed at him because he was a coward.
Now, Charles, my pen is tired, I cannot write any more at present; but if you are a good boy, perhaps I may write you some more stories another time. Farewell.
MY MOTHER.
My own mamma! My dear mamma! How happy I shall be, To-morrow night At candle light, When she comes home to me.
'Tis just a week, Since on my cheek, She pressed a parting kiss, It seems like two, I never knew, So long a week as this.
My tangled hair She smoothed with care, With water bathed my brow, And all with such A gentle touch-- There's none to do so now.
I cannot play When she's away, There's none to laugh with me, And much I miss The tender kiss-- The seat upon her knee.
When up to bed I'm sorrowing led, I linger on the stairs; I lie and weep; I cannot sleep; I scarce can say my prayers.
But she will come, She'll be at home To-morrow night, and then I hope that she Will never be So long away again.
STORIES OF DOGS.
Dogs are very useful creatures, and they are much attached to man. Some of them will play with little boys, will run after a ball and bring it back to their playfellow. Spaniels or water dogs will bring sticks which are thrown into the water. Some carry baskets. They do many useful and amusing things for their masters.
There is a large house upon the top of a mountain, in Italy, in which a great many people live, called monks. The house is called a convent. These monks have a very fine breed of dogs, called the dogs of St. Bernard. They are a very large fine looking dog, very strong and very bold, and yet very kind. Not cross, like some of the little curs, we see every day. These dogs are trained to go down the mountains, and if they find any travelers, who have lost their way in the deep snow, or who are unable to get to the convent, these dogs help them. One of them in ranging about the mountain a few years ago, met with a poor little boy, almost dead with cold and hunger, and so benumbed that he could not walk.
The dog made signs to him, so as to make him understand, that he wanted him to get up upon his back, which after much trouble, the poor little boy did, and the dog carried him to the convent, where he was put into a warm bed, and taken so good care of, that he was soon quite well.
All dogs, however, are not like the good dogs of St. Bernard. Some are very vicious. Such dogs are dangerous animals, and certainly should not be permitted to go unchained.
There was an instance of great ferocity on the part of a dog exhibited not long since, in the streets of New York. A horse belonging to a poor drayman, got free from the halter with which he was fastened, and started for home. The drayman as soon as he found the horse gone, went in pursuit and called upon the people in the streets to stop his horse. A bull-dog also taking the alarm pursued the horse, and soon coming up with him, seized the poor animal by the upper lip. The horse, terribly frightened, ran along several streets, the dog all the time hanging to his lip. At length a crowd collecting prevented his farther progress; and to escape being caught, and frantic with pain and fear, he rushed into a hardware shop, and thence into the parlor where all the family were at tea. After turning over the chairs and table, they were driven back into the shop, when every exertion was made in vain by the owner of the horse, and several others to release the animal from the gripe of the tormentor. At last one of the company with a knife put an end to the dog's existence, thus releasing the poor horse.
STORY OF A NAUGHTY BOY.
There was a naughty boy; I do not know what his name was, but it was not Charles, nor George, nor Arthur, for those are all very pretty names: but there was a robin came in at his window one very cold morning--shiver--shiver; and its poor little heart was almost frozen to death. And he would not give it the least little crumb of bread in the world, but pulled it about by the tail, and hurt it sadly, and it died. Now a little while after, the naughty boy's papa and mamma went away and left him, and then he could get no victuals at all, for you know he could not take care of himself. So he went about to every body--Pray give me something to eat, I am very hungry. And every body said, No, we shall give you none, for we do not love cruel, naughty boys. So he went about from one place to another, till at last he got into a thick wood of trees, for he did not know how to find his way any where; and then it grew dark, quite a dark night. So he sat down and cried sadly; and he could not get out of the wood; and I believe the bears came and eat him up in the wood, for I never heard any thing about him afterwards.
STORY OF THE SILLY LAMB.
I will tell you a story about a lamb. There was once a shepherd, who had a great many sheep and lambs. He took a great deal of care of them, and gave them sweet fresh grass to eat, and clear water to drink; and if they were sick he was very good to them, and when they climbed up a steep hill, and the lambs were tired, he used to carry them in his arms; and when they were all eating their suppers in the field, he used to sit upon a stile, and play them a tune, and sing to them; and so they were the happiest sheep and lambs in the whole world. But every night this shepherd used to pen them up in a fold. Do you know what a sheepfold is? Well, I will tell you. It is a place like the court; but instead of pales there are hurdles, which are made of sticks that will bend, such as osier twigs; and they are twisted and made very fast, so that nothing can creep in, and nothing can get out. Well, and so every night, when it grew dark and cold, the shepherd called all his flock, sheep and lambs, together, and drove them into the fold, and penned them up, and there they lay, as snug and warm and as comfortable as could be, and nothing could get into and hurt them, and the dogs lay round on the outside to guard them, and to bark if any body came near; and in the morning the shepherd unpenned the fold, and let them all out again.
Now they were all very happy, as I told you, and loved the shepherd dearly that was so good to them--all except one foolish little lamb. And this lamb did not like to be shut up every night in the fold; and she came to her mother, who was a wise old sheep, and said to her, I wonder why we are shut up so every night! the dogs are not shut up, and why should we be shut up? I think it is very hard, and I will get away if I can, I am resolved, for I like to run about where I please, and I think it is very pleasant in the woods by moonlight. Then the old sheep said to her, you are very silly, you little lamb, you had better stay in the fold. The shepherd is so good to us, that we should always do as he bids us; and if you wander about by yourself, I dare say you will come to some harm. I dare say not, said the little lamb: and so when the evening came, and the shepherd called them all to come into the fold, she would not come, but crept slily under a hedge and hid herself; and when the rest of the lambs were all in the fold and fast asleep, she came out and jumped, and frisked, and danced about; and she got out of the field, and got into a forest full of trees, and a very fierce wolf came rushing out of a cave and howled very loud. Then the silly lamb wished she had been shut up in the fold; but the fold was a great way off,--and the wolf saw her, and seized her, and carried her away to a dismal dark den, all covered with bones and blood; and there the wolf had two cubs, and the wolf said to them, Here, I have brought you a young fat lamb--and so the cubs took her, and growled over her a little while, and then tore her to pieces, and ate her up.
LUCY AND HER LAMB.
Lucy had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow, And every where that Lucy went, The lamb was sure to go.
He followed her to school one day; That was against the rule; It made the children laugh and play, To see the lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned him out, But still he lingered near: And waited patiently about, Till Lucy did appear.
And then he ran to her, and laid His head upon her arm, As if he said, "I'm not afraid; You'll shield me from all harm."
"What makes the lamb love Lucy so?" The little children cried; "Because she loves the lamb, you know," The teacher quick replied.
"And you, each gentle animal, In confidence may bind, And make them follow at your call, If you are always kind."
UNCLE THOMAS' STORIES FOR GOOD CHILDREN.
POETICAL TALES. BY MARY HOWITT.
STORIES ABOUT ANIMALS. BY UNCLE THOMAS.
STORIES OF THE MONTHS. BY MRS. BARBAULD.
CHARLES' JOURNEY TO FRANCE. BY MRS. BARBAULD.
PHEBE, THE BLACKBERRY GIRL.
GRIMALKIN AND LITTLE FIDO.
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