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Read Ebook: They Were Different by Kenney Neil J Orban Paul Illustrator
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Ebook has 130 lines and 10845 words, and 3 pages
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.
"Why did Elfrida go to Sleep?" 97 The Prairie-Dog 100 Strut 101 Third Lesson in Astronomy 103 The Robbery 104 The Little Recruit 107 One good turn deserves another 109 A Letter from Texas 110 Drawing-Lesson 113 A Story of a Seal 114 Fun in Winter 117 Old Whitey 118 Why do they all Love Freddy? 122 My Rabbits 125 The Council of Buzzards 127
IN VERSE.
The Caterpillars 102 Puss and her Three Kittens 106 Fred and Ned 120 How the Morning comes 124 A Mother Goose Melody 128
"WHY DID ELFRIDA GO TO SLEEP?"
HAT was the question, "Why did Elfrida go to sleep?" She had been sent to the grocer's in the village; and the grocer's was only half a mile off from Brook Cottage, where she lived with her aunt and five cousins. She had been sent to buy a pound of sugar, half a pound of coffee, and five small rolls of bread.
Usually she would go to the shop and return in less than half an hour. Now a whole hour went by, and no Elfrida was to be seen. What could be the matter? Had she run a thorn into her foot, and been lamed? Had she stopped to talk with the children on their way home from school? Had she been run over by a fast horse?
Then the children all set out for Mr. Spicer's shop. There they learned that no Elfrida had been seen in the shop that afternoon. "Where can she be?" cried James, a little anxious. "Sport, where is Elfrida?"
Sport stopped his nonsense of playing with a stick, and began to look serious. Then he made a bee-line for the nearest turning on the right, on the way home. This was an old lane, on which some old gardens backed, and which led, by a little longer way, to Brook Cottage.
On the step of the gate of an old garden sat Elfrida, fast asleep, with her empty basket in her lap. Emma proposed to tickle her nose with a straw. "No! I will pull that thick braid of hair," said Susan. "No! let me whisper in her ear," said James. But, before anybody did any thing, Sport settled the question by putting his paws up on her shoulders, and crying, "Bow-wow!"
Elfrida started, and looked around as if in a dream. "What does it mean? How long have I been here?" cried she. "Why did you go to sleep?" asked the two girls. "Yes, why, why, did you go to sleep?" echoed all the boys. "Oh, that's my secret," said Elfrida. "Now who can catch me in my run to Mr. Spicer's?" So off she started, followed by Sport and all the children.
"Now tell us why did you go to sleep?" said the children, as they were all on their way home, after she had made her purchases. "Will you promise not to tell anybody, if I tell you?" asked Elfrida. "We promise, we promise!" cried all the children. "Now, then, why did you go to sleep?"--"Hush! I went to sleep because--because--because I was sleepy," said Elfrida.
ARTHUR SELWYN.
THE PRAIRIE-DOG
MY friend John lives in Colorado, not far from Denver; and he writes me, that he and his sister, not long ago, walked out to see some prairie-dogs.
The prairie-dog is about the size of a full-grown squirrel, and of a like color. It makes a hole for itself in the ground. This hole is in the shape of a tunnel, and as large round as a man's hat.
Now, this little dog is so gentle, that he lets the owl and the rattlesnake come and live with him, if they like. All three are often found dwelling together. For my part, I should not much like such neighbors.
The prairie-dogs live on the roots of grass. Scattered all around the entrance to their homes, you may see remnants of the dry roots which they have got for food. They are quick in their movements, and quite playful.
Johnny writes me, that, when some of these little dogs saw him and his sister approaching, they sat down on their hind-legs, and began barking. Then they dropped into their holes backwards. As Johnny did not care to wake up any of the other lodgers, he and his sister went home, well content with their first sight of a prairie-dog.
AUNT ALICE.
STRUT
STRUT was the name of a hen that lived on Father Nunn's farm, nine miles from Norwalk, Ohio.
She was very vain; that is, she had a very good opinion of herself. She always would strut when walking. Indeed, it was hard for her to pick up grains of corn as other chickens did. I think she never saw her feet in her life: certainly she never looked where she stepped.
Worse than all this, when she saw any person in the yard, instead of dodging away, as a modest hen should, she would strut right up to such a person, and look saucily in his face, as though asking, "Who are you? Where are you going? What for?"
At last, however, Strut received a severe rebuke for her evil ways. Cousin William Bird, who is soon to be a doctor, was visiting at Father Nunn's. Having occasion to climb the ladder to the barn-loft, he saw Strut on the farther side. He knew that she would come straight to him; and he also knew that she would not look where she stepped. So he held still to see what would happen; for exactly between them was an opening in the floor for throwing down hay.
Sure enough, Strut started for Cousin William, and, stepping off the edge of the hole, fell fluttering, cackling, and frightened, to the floor beneath.
She was humbled by her fall; for she never strutted again, but walked and ate afterwards like other chickens.
UNCLE JOE.
THE CATERPILLARS
EIGHT great cabbages growing in the ground; Crowds of little caterpillars crawling all around; Caterpillars squirmed about, and wriggled in the sun; Said, "These cabbages look sweet: suppose we taste of one!"
Down flew a hungry bird, coming from the wood, Saw the caterpillars there, and said, "Won't those taste good!" Up crept pussy-cat, hunting round for mice, Saw the bird, and smacked her lips, and said, "Won't he taste nice!"
Dog saw pussy creeping there, and he began to run, Said, "Now I will frighten puss, and then there will be fun!" So doggy barked; and pussy hid; and birdie flew away; And caterpillars lived to eat a cabbage up that day.
FLETA F.
THIRD LESSON IN ASTRONOMY
I HAVE told you about the sun and the stars. Can you think of any thing else in the sky that you would like to know a little about? Of course, I do not mean the dark clouds, but something bright and pretty, that all children love to look at.
I think you must have guessed that I mean the moon,--the beautiful moon. Now, I want you to make another guess: Is the moon bright because it is made of fire, like the sun; or because the sun shines on it, as it does on Venus and Jupiter?
If any of you think it is made of fire, you must try to warm your little toes and fingers in the moonlight, as you do in the sunshine, and you will find out for yourselves that it is not a great fire, like the sun, and that you cannot get warm in the light of it.
And now you will guess at once, that, if it is not fire itself, it must shine from the sun's fire; and that is right. The moon itself is cold and dark. It is the light of the sun that makes it look bright to us. We might call it the sun's looking-glass, in which we see his image or reflection.
But we cannot at all times see the whole of it. When we do, we call it a full moon, and, when we see only the edge of it, we say it is a new moon. The moon itself does not change its shape. It is always round, like an orange--a dark round ball, which we should never see at all, if the sun did not light it up for us; and it is only a part of the time we can see the side which is lighted up.
Which do you suppose is the larger,--the moon, or the stars? Now I know you will say the moon, because it looks so much larger; but you must remember that the stars are so far away, we can hardly see them at all, and the moon is our own moon, and much nearer to us than our own sun.
We can see more of it than we can see of the stars; but it is a very small thing indeed, compared with one of them. It would take about fifty moons to make one such earth as we live on, and it would take more earths than you can count to make one star or sun.
M. E. R.
THE ROBBERY.
I MUST tell you of something that happened one day last summer, when I was at the Zo?logical Garden in Philadelphia.
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