New York:
Charles Scribner,
36 Park Row, And 145 Nassau St.
Stereotyped by Baker & Palmer
11 Spruce Street.
1851
[Illustration: Wreaths of Friendship]
[Illustration: TOKENS OF AFFECTION. (See Page 207.)]
Preface.
Young friends--stop a moment. We have set up a sort of turnpike gate
here, as you see, between the title-page and the first story in our
book, in the shape of a preface, or introduction. "What! do you mean to
take toll of us, then?" Why, no--not exactly. But we want to say half a
dozen words to you, as you pass along, and to tell you a little about
these WREATHS which we have been twining for our friends. So you need
not be in quite so great a hurry. Wait a minute.
You have no doubt noticed that it is a very common thing for an author
to take up several of the first pages of his book with apologies to his
readers. First, perhaps, he apologizes for writing at all; and secondly,
for writing so poorly--just as if it was a crime to make a book, for
which crime the author must get down on his knees, and humbly beg the
public's pardon. We think we shall not take this course, on the whole,
for this reason, if for no other--that we do not feel very guilty about
what we have done. But as the plan of our book is somewhat new, we have
been thinking it would be well enough, in introducing it to you, at
least to tell how we came to make it.
We have both of us published a good deal, in one way and another, for
young people; and we got a notion--a very pleasant one, certainly, and
rather natural, withal, whether well founded or not--that among that
class of the public composed of boys and girls, we had a pretty
respectable number of friends. Under this impression, we put our heads
together, one day, and made up our minds to invite these friends of
ours, every one of them, to a kind of festival, and that we would share
equally in the pleasure of giving the entertainment. The book, reader,
which we have named WREATHS OF FRIENDSHIP, as perhaps you have already
guessed, grew out of that plan of ours.
We have not, as you will perceive, indicated the authorship of the tales
and sketches, as they appear; and those readers who have any curiosity
in this matter, are referred to the index.
We hope the volume will please you. More than this: we hope it will
prove to be useful--useful for the future as well as for the present
life; and, indeed, if it had not been for this hope, much as we love to
entertain our young friends, these Wreaths would never have been twined
by our hands.
We have little else to add, except the fondest wishes of our hearts;
and, to tell the truth, it was to express to you these kind wishes--to
give you something like a hearty shake of the hand--rather than because
we had any thing of importance to say in our preface, that we stopped
you at the outset.