Read Ebook: The Nursery May 1877 Vol. XXI. No. 5 A Monthly Magazine for Youngest Readers by Various

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THE

NURSERY

FOR YOUNGEST READERS.

BOSTON: JOHN L. SHOREY, No. 36 BROMFIELD STREET, 1877.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1877, by

JOHN L. SHOREY,

FRANKLIN PRESS: RAND, AVERY, AND COMPANY, 117 FRANKLIN STREET, BOSTON.

IN PROSE.

The Young Lamplighter 129 Fourth Lesson in Astronomy 131 The Poor Blind Woman 133 "Good-morning, Sir!" 136 Playing April-Fool 138 The Eider-Duck 139 The Trial-Trip 141 Swaddling-Clothes 142 Drawing-Lesson 145 Fanny and Louise 146 True Story of a Bird 149 A Rough Sketch 151 Peter's Pets 153 The Strolling Bear 154 The Parrot and the Sparrow 156

IN VERSE.

"Popping Corn" 132 The Cooper's Song 135 Polliwogs 143 The Toad 148 That Fox 158 Grasshopper Green 160

THE YOUNG LAMPLIGHTER.

ALLACE is a boy about ten years old, who lives in a town near Boston. He has a brother Charles, eighteen years of age. These two brothers are the town lamplighters.

There are at least fifty lamps to be lighted every night; and some of them are a good deal farther apart than the street-lamps in large cities. Charles takes the more distant ones for his part of the work, and drives from post to post in a gig.

Wallace, being a small boy, calls to his aid his father's saddle-horse. This horse is a kind, gentle creature, and as wise as he is kind. He and Wallace are about the same age, and have always been good friends.

So when Wallace puts the saddle on him every evening, just before dark, the horse knows just what is going to be done. He looks at the boy with his great bright eyes, as much as to say, "We have our evening work to do, haven't we, Wallace? Well, I'm ready: jump on."

Wallace mounts the horse; and they go straight to the nearest lamp-post. Here the horse stops close by the post, and stands as still and steady as the post itself.

Then Wallace stands upright on the saddle, takes a match from his pocket, lights the lamp, drops quickly into his seat again, takes up the bridle, gives the word to the horse, and on they go to the next lamp-post.

So they go on, till all the lamps allotted to Wallace are lighted. Then they trot home merrily, and, before Wallace goes to bed himself, I am sure he does not forget to see that his good horse is well fed and cared for.

This is a true story.

UNCLE SAM.

FOURTH LESSON IN ASTRONOMY.

BECAUSE our earth has one sun and one moon, you may think all earths have only one; but wise men have looked through their telescopes, and have discovered that some of the stars which look to us like single stars are really double; and many of them are clusters of three or four, all lighting up the same planets.

Those earths, then, have more than one sun: they have two, three, or four, as the case may be. Think of two suns. How bright it must be! And imagine one of them red, and the other blue, as some of them are. Wouldn't you feel as if you were living in a rainbow?

And how would you like to look out of the window in the evening and see four moons? The wise men can see through their telescopes that Jupiter has four and Saturn eight. Shouldn't you think so many moons would make the nights so bright that one could hardly go to sleep?

On the whole, I think we get along very well as we are; and I hope the people who live in the brightness of two suns have strong eyes given them. It must be very beautiful, though. Perhaps you can get an idea how it seems to have a red sun, if you look through a piece of red glass; but I do not believe we can any of us imagine what it would be like to have two suns of different colors.

Do you think a red sun shining on a moon makes a red moon? A colored sun or a colored moon seems very strange to us; but I suppose the people that are used to them would think our white light strange.

I wonder whether the two suns rise and set at the same time. But we may all wonder and wonder. Nobody knows much about it. I hope you will all look at a double star through a telescope, if you ever have an opportunity.

M. E. R.

"POPPING CORN."

BRING a yellow ear of corn, and then rub, rub, rub, Till the kernels rattle off from the nub, nub, nub! Then put them in a hopper made of wire, wire, wire, And set the little hopper on the fire, fire, fire! If you find them getting lively, give a shake, shake, shake; And a very pretty clatter they will make, make, make: You will hear the heated grains going pop, pop, pop; All about the little hopper, going hop, hop, hop! When you see the yellow corn turning white, white, white, You may know that the popping is done right, right, right: When the hopper gets too full, you may know, know, know, That the fire has changed your corn into snow, snow, snow: Turn the snow into a dish, for it is done, done, done; Then pass it round and eat--for that's the fun, fun, fun!

FLETA F.

THE POOR BLIND WOMAN.

I HAVE a true story to tell about a colored woman who lives in the city of Salem, not far from Boston.

She is old and poor and blind. She has had a husband and six children; but they are all dead; her last remaining son was killed in the war, and she is now quite alone in the world.

But she is a cheerful old body. She does not whine, nor complain, nor beg; though she needs help much, and is very thankful for any help that is given her.

When she goes out to walk, she finds her way as well as she can by groping about with her big umbrella. Very often she loses her way, and goes in the wrong direction; and sometimes she gets bewildered: but I have never known her to be really lost or hurt. There is always somebody to set her right; and it is pleasant to see how kind every one is to her.

Many a time I have seen some gentleman, while hurrying to catch his train, stop to help her over the crossing; or some handsomely-dressed lady take her by the arm, and set her right, when she has gone astray.

Best of all it is, though, to see the children so kind to her. She comes to our square every Saturday; and, as she is very apt to go to the wrong gate, the little girls--bless their dear hearts!--seem to consider it their duty to guide her, and to help her over the slippery places.

In the picture, you may see Lily helping the poor old woman along, as I often see her from my window. Another day it may be Lina, and the next time Mamie; for they are all good to her. Even baby Robin runs to meet her, and is not afraid of her black face.

Last week, these small folks had a fair for her in Lily's house. Nobody thought they would get so much money; but they made fifty dollars out of it. This will make the old woman comfortable for a long time.

The good woman said, when she was told what they had done, that she hoped the Lord would reward them, for she could not.

I think he has rewarded them already by making them very happy while they were doing this kind deed.

THE COOPER'S SONG.

I AM the cooper: I bind the cask: The sweat flows down as I drive my task; Yet on with the hoop! And merry's the sound As I featly pound, And with block and hammer go travelling round, And round and round.

I am the cooper: I bind the cask; And gay as play is my nimble task; And though I grow crooked with stooping to pound, Yet merry's the sound As with block and with hammer I journey round And round and round.

I am the cooper: I bind the cask: Am healthy and happy--what more shall I ask? Not in king's palaces, I'll be bound, Such joy is found, Where men do nothing, and still go round, And round and round.

So I'll still be a cooper, and bind the cask: Bread for children and wife is all I ask; And glad will they be at night, I'll be bound, That, with cheerful sound, Father all day went a-hammering round, And round and round.

FROM THE GERMAN.

"GOOD-MORNING, SIR!"

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