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Read Ebook: The Nursery August 1877 Vol. XXII No. 2 A Monthly Magazine for Youngest Readers by Various
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Ebook has 151 lines and 11915 words, and 4 pages
THE
NURSERY
FOR YOUNGEST READERS.
BOSTON: JOHN L. SHOREY, No. 36 BROMFIELD STREET, 1877.
FRANKLIN PRESS: RAND, AVERY, AND COMPANY, 117 FRANKLIN STREET, BOSTON.
IN PROSE.
PAGE A Day at the Beach 33 Buttercup and Daisy 37 Aunt Mary's Bullfinch 38 The poor Man's Well 43 Spitfire 45 Drawing-Lesson 49 "Great I and little you" 50 Our Dog Tasso 53 My Pets 56 Drilling the Troops 59 The Picture-Book 60
IN VERSE.
PAGE Bumble-Bee 36 King Drake 40 The Cosset-Calf 48 Primer and Slate 48 Making Cheeses 54 A Blacksmith's Song 62 Madam Quack 64
A DAY AT THE BEACH.
HERE are few of the little readers of "The Nursery" who could not tell of pleasant days spent among green fields and woods, or on the seashore. But in almost every large city, there are many children who have never been out of sight of brick walls.
Their homes are in close rooms in narrow streets, and there they live from one year's end to the other. In winter they are often pinched with cold. In summer they suffer even more from the heat. You may see them at windows and doors, or on hot sidewalks, trying to get a breath of fresh air. It is not pure air, but the best they can get.
What I am going to tell you is about two of those poor children. One is a little girl, nine years old, whom we will call Jane. The other, who is only eight years old, is her brother George.
Both children go to a Sunday school, and have for their teacher a kind lady, who takes great interest in them. One warm summer day, to their great delight, this lady, whom we will name Miss White, called for them to go with her on a trip to the seashore.
Dressed in the best clothes they could muster, they were soon on board the steamboat. Here every thing was new to them. As the boat steamed down the harbor, it would have been joy to anybody only to watch the happy expression on their faces.
Then Jane got sight of an apple-tree, and George spied a man raking hay. Here was another new sensation. While they were feasting their eyes on green fields, and inhaling the sweet country air, the boat stopped at the wharf.
A few steps brought them to the beach; and there, stretched before them, was the great wide ocean, with the surf rolling in, and a cool sea-breeze blowing. Then their joy knew no bounds. Miss White did not try to restrain them; for she meant to give them at least one day of perfect freedom.
So they roamed at will. How they dug wells in the sand, how they flung stones into the water, how they picked up shells and sea-weed, how they scrambled over the rocks, it would take too much space to tell.
When they were well tired out, and began to be hungry, Miss White opened a luncheon-box in a shady place among the rocks, and gave them such a dinner as they had never had before. Then their bliss was complete.
The day passed away almost too quickly, and the time came to go back to the city. That seemed rather hard to Jane and George. But they have the promise of another excursion before the summer is over.
JANE OLIVER.
BUMBLE-BEE.
THE smartest of dandies is young Mr. Bee, Who is known by the name of Bumble; His life is a short one, but merry and free: They're mistaken who call him "Humble." Clad in black velvet, with trimmings of yellow, He knows well enough he's a fine-looking fellow; And, hiding away a sharp little dagger, He dashes about with a confident swagger, While to show he's at ease, and to tell of his coming, A tune he is always carelessly humming. Eating or drinking, or looking for pleasure Fit for the tastes of a person of leisure, Down where the meadow is sunny and breezy, In the red clover, he takes the world easy; Or, feeling the need of a little diversion, He makes to the garden a pleasant excursion, And into a lily or hollyhock dodging With quiet assurance he takes up his lodging. With a snug little fortune invested in honey, Young Bumble Bee lives like a prince, on his money, And, scorning some plodding relations of his, he Leaves hard labor to them,--his cousins named "Busy."
D. B. BARNARD.
BUTTERCUP AND DAISY.
They are both very kind and gentle. Both have cunning little horns, just coming out of their heads; but they do not hook little brother or me. In the picture you will see them eating corn out of our hands.
At first we were afraid of their damp noses and rough tongues; but we soon got over that, and now feed them every time we go to the farm.
Papa tried to have the little Alderney give us a ride on its back; but, as soon as we were well on, the calf kicked up its heels and ran away, saying, "Bah!" and leaving brother and me on our backs on the soft turf. We were not hurt at all, but had a good laugh.
Buttercup soon came back for more corn; and uncle said, "Give it to her in the ear;" but I said I thought her mouth was the best place to put it in. Then uncle laughed, and said that was a joke. Do you know what he meant?
HARRY C. MATHER.
AUNT MARY'S BULLFINCH.
"NOW be sure and not frighten it, children," said Aunt Mary as she left the room.
John and Lucy lifted the handkerchief from the cage, while Paul and Richard, with anxious eyes, stood by to get a sight of the piping bullfinch, of which they had heard so much.
This little bird had been presented to Aunt Mary by a German lady to whom she had been kind. It could whistle two or three tunes in a way to surprise all hearers. While the children were looking at it, it began to pipe.
"I know that tune," cried Richard. "It is 'Coming through the rye!'"
"And now the tune changes to 'Merrily every bosom boundeth,'" said Lucy. "What a wonderful little bird!"
"But how did it learn to whistle these tunes?" asked Paul.
Aunt Mary, coming in at that moment, explained to the children that in some of the small towns of Germany are persons who teach these little birds. It takes about a year for a bullfinch to learn a tune. But some of them learn more quickly than others: so it is with some children.
The birds are at first kept in a dark room; and when they are fed, a tune is played or whistled. They associate this tune with the act of feeding; and gradually seem to find out what is wanted of them.
The price of a bird that can pipe a tune in good style is from fifty to one hundred dollars. A good deal of time and trouble has to be spent in teaching the birds. Sometimes a child is employed to play a tune on a little hand-organ; and this the little bird learns after hearing it many times.
When the bullfinch learns well, he is praised and petted, and this he seems to enjoy very much. Even birds, you see, like to be praised and petted.
DORA BURNSIDE.
KING DRAKE.
"I'M king of the rock," said a silly old drake; "And no one must dare my claim to partake. I shall punish severely whoever comes near Without my permission: let all the world hear!"
But out of the water, on the rock as he stands, Comes up, as if praying, what seemed like two hands. "Ah! here is a subject already for me! Come, my son, and fear nothing, I'll spare you," said he.
But his majesty starts as if from a shock, When he sees a big lobster make a bow on the rock. "That is well," said the king; "but consider, my son, This rock is my throne, and is only for one."
The lobster, however, is slow to obey; He spreads himself out; he will not go away. "Are you deaf?" cries King Drake, "go, pigmy! Get down! How dare you thus brave a drake of renown?"
But the lobster, at this, nips King Drake in the leg. "Oh, loosen your claw! Let go! Oh! I beg." Tighter pinches the claw: "Rebellion! help! hear! King Drake is in trouble: is nobody near?"
In vain are his kicks; his cries are in vain: The lobster clings fast, in spite of the pain; Nor lets go his hold till they get to the bank: Then the king waddles home, giving up throne and rank.
FROM THE GERMAN.
THE POOR MAN'S WELL.
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