Johnny made up a doleful face, he did not think he should die this time;
and, when he saw the other children laughing and splashing each other,
and crying, "Duck me again! what fun we are having!" he tried to like it
too, and after a little while did begin to like it; for when children
_try_ to overcome their foolish fears, they will almost always succeed,
and be rewarded, as Johnny was, by the pleasure they enjoy, and the
happiness they give to their parents.
After a few days Johnny got to be so brave, that he was the first to
run down to the beach and jump into the bathing-woman's arms, and he
cried louder than any, "Duck me again!" and splashed everybody that came
near him; and both William and Johnny got so strong, and ate so
heartily, and had such great red cheeks, that when they went home to
London, a few weeks after, their friends hardly knew them, and Johnny
never again had any foolish fears about going into the water.
THE MAY QUEEN.
"Mother," said Frederick Stanley, "is it not wrong to treat servants
unkindly?"
"What makes you ask that question?" answered his Mother. "What can have
put that into your head?"
"Nothing--I don't know," replied he, looking at his sister Kate, who was
sitting near him, working a pair of slippers.
Mrs. Stanley saw that there was something on their mind, so she laid
down her book, and tried to draw it out. She began,--
"What is the reason that your little Scottish friend Jessie has not
been here lately? I thought that you, Kate, could not take a walk with
any pleasure without her, and Fred has become quite a beau since her
arrival. I am afraid you have done or said something to offend her."
"Fred," said Kate,--who was two years younger than her brother, and much
smaller, and had a great respect for him,--"Fred, do you tell Mother."
Fred gave his trousers a little pull, shook the hair away from his face,
half laughed, and did not speak a word; but Kate, like a real little
woman, could not keep the secret a moment longer.
"We have had a quarrel, Mother; that's all."
"'A quarrel! that's all!'" said her Mother. "That's a great deal too
much; but what did you find to quarrel about?"
"Why, Mother," answered Fred, getting over his bashfulness, now that
the secret was out, "it was all about treating servants with kindness."
"Well done!" exclaimed his Mother. "Let us hear what you had to say upon
the subject."
"I said it was a shame to abuse those who were poorer than we were; that
in God's eyes all were equal. I could not bear to hear Jessie say that
she had her own servant at home, and when this servant did anything to
displease her, she would pinch and slap her. I told her she was a
downright wicked girl!"
"Oh, shocking! shocking!" said Mrs. Stanley. "And, my sweet little Kate,
did you too stand up for kindness to servants?"
"I did all I could, dear Mother," she replied, "but Fred did the most."
"Well, tell me, what else did you say?"
"I told her," said Fred, hesitating a little, "that here we said, 'if
you please,' and 'thank you,' when a servant did anything for us, and
that she had better go back to Scotland, and not stay another day in a
place where she was deprived of the pleasure of pinching people."
"Oh, Frederick! Frederick! how could a boy of your politeness be so rude
to a young lady? That was a great mistake."
Frederick looked mortified, and Kate hung her head. "But what happened
after that?" asked Mrs. Stanley.
"Oh, she was so angry that she went away, and we have not seen her
since. I am very sorry; but it can't be helped now."
"No," said Kate, "we can't help it now."
"But, my dear children," said their Mother, "I think you owe Jessie an
apology."
"I have no objection," said Fred, after reflecting a moment, "if you
think I have been so very impolite; but it will do no good."
"Well," said Mrs. Stanley, "it must be done. Perhaps I can assist you
in making up the quarrel. Next Thursday, you know, is the first of May.
You shall have a little party, and Jessie shall be Queen of May. That
will be certain to please her."
"Jessie! Queen!" exclaimed Kate. "She will not, Mother. Jessie will not
come; I am sure she will not come. I do not believe she will ever speak
to us again."
"I tell you she _will_ come," said her Mother; "and she will be Queen. I
will manage it for you."
"Ah, well, Mother," said Fred, looking at his sister, "you don't know
Jessie as well as we do. She won't forgive us so easily."
Company now came in, and the children went to their studies. In the
afternoon Mrs. Stanley sent a polite invitation to Jessie and her
parents to pass the next Thursday evening at her house; and as they were
sitting at the tea-table, the answer was returned.
"There," said Mrs. Stanley, "one point is gained; they will all come."
"They may come," said Frederick, "but she won't be civil to us, I know."
The next day was spent in preparing the crown, throne, and flowers,
&c., and Frederick set himself to work to learn by heart some lines his
Mother had written for the occasion.
Thursday evening arrived, and the children, though afraid of Jessie's
cold looks, were in good spirits. Kate came into the parlour, and found
Fred before a large glass, making his speech, and practising the most
graceful bows and gestures.
"Goodness!" she exclaimed, "how light and beautiful the room looks! Oh,
Fred, I hope we shall have a pleasant time."
The arrival of the company now interrupted them, and when nearly all had
come, Mrs. Stanley told her plan with regard to Jessie; and this
important matter was just settled, when that young lady and her parents
entered.
Jessie, not knowing the honour awaiting her, was very stiff and grave
in her salutations. Her large dark eyes were turned away from Fred and
Kate, yet an expression about her pretty mouth seemed to say,--
"I am not so very angry as you think."
"She _looks_ like a Queen, does not she?" whispered Fred to his sister.
"She is stiff enough, at any rate," said Kate.
"I wonder whom she will choose for her King?" said Fred.
"I am sure I don't know," answered Kate, looking round. "I suppose the
biggest boy."
"Dear me!" said Fred, "I forget that I must go out until it is time for
the Address;" and he left the room, to wait his Mother's signal.
Refreshments were now handed round the room, and many a sly glance was
cast upon the unconscious Jessie, who was still looking very grave, and
almost cross, till, at a hint from his Mother, Fred made his appearance,
and with blushing face, but firm voice, pronounced the following lines:
"O valiant knights, and ladies fair!
I'm very glad to see you here;
Your happy looks and eyes so bright,
Have quite inspired me to-night.
Though I'm unused to courtly ways,
My choice from you will meet with praise.
Our English land, so brave and free,
Where waves the flag of liberty,
Can yet, while all our hearts approve,
The Scottish stranger fondly love.
(No looks of grave distrust are seen,)
Fair Jessie! I proclaim you Queen!
And kneeling lowly at your feet,
To be your knight I do entreat.
Now deign to say, what happy one
Amongst us all shall share your throne?"
Fred rose from his knees, and awaited Jessie's reply.
Her anger was all gone, but she was so surprised that she looked down,
and did not say a word.
"Well," thought Fred, "I knew she would act so. I suppose everybody is
laughing at me."
"Jessie," said her Mother, "speak quickly. Whom will you have for King?"
Jessie blushed, and smiled, and whispered in a soft little voice,
"Frederick."
Astonished and delighted by this kindness, Fred again knelt down, then
rising, he took her little white hand, and led her in triumph, followed
by all the company, to the next room, where a splendid throne had been
erected. A beautiful crown of flowers was placed on Jessie's head, and
gave new beauty to her soft and curling brown hair. Frederick also had a
handsome crown. Sceptres were placed in their hands, and then they
arranged their court. Kate was made a Duchess, at which she grew quite
dignified; there were plenty of Earls and Countesses, and the sweet
little maids of honour and the pages stood behind the throne.
They then formed a procession, to return to the parlour, and in an
instant a march burst forth from a band of music which had been
concealed for the purpose.
At this unexpected event, his Majesty jumped so high that his crown
tumbled off, and the Queen was in such a delightful agitation that she
could not confine her steps to a walk, and so the King and the Queen,
and the Duchess, and all the maids of honour and pages, ran
helter-skelter, as fast as they could, and took places for dancing.
Never were merrier hearts or brighter eyes than now leaped and shone in
that little party. The Queen was the gayest of all, and the King was
nearly out of his wits with joy, to find himself and Jessie once more
friends. Little Kate got so tired of being a Duchess that she skipped
about like a little fairy; and all the lords and ladies, and maids of
honour and pages, were so merry and so full of innocent fun, that they
looked a great deal more like little children. And so the happy evening
concluded, to the satisfaction of all.
The next morning, Mrs. Stanley asked her children if they had had a
pleasant party.
"Oh, yes!" they both answered; "it was perfectly delightful; and Jessie
was as pleasant as she could be, and seemed to have forgotten all about
the quarrel."
THE TOOTHACHE.
One day little Emily's Grandma said to her, "My dear child, you must go
with me to-day to the dentist's, and have some of those teeth pulled
out. They are growing so fast and so crooked, that you have not room
enough in your mouth for them all."
"Dear Grandma," said the little girl, "will it hurt me _very_ much?"
"Yes, my dear," replied her Grandma; "it will hurt you a great deal, but
you must try to bear the pain; it will not be long."
Poor little Emily sighed, and the tears stood in her eyes. She knew
that her Grandmother always told her the exact truth. She knew that she
would suffer a great deal of pain, because her Grandma had told her so.
It is always the best way to tell a little boy or girl the exact truth.
If Emily's Grandma had said that it would not hurt her to have her teeth
pulled out, it would have been very wrong, and Emily would not have
believed her another time, when she was to have anything done to her.
This little girl had no Mother. Her Mother was dead, and her Grandma
took care of her, and was very kind to her, and Emily loved her dearly,
and so she made up her mind to go and have her teeth out, without any
trouble, because her Grandma was in bad health; and she knew that if she
cried and made a great fuss about it, it would trouble her, and perhaps
make her ill.
Now was not this thoughtful and good in a little girl only seven years
old? I hope all the little boys and girls that read this will try to be
as good.
After dinner, Emily and her Grandma put on their bonnets, and went to
the dentist's house. The little girl trembled when the door was opened,
but she walked in without saying a word.
They went into the parlour, for there were some persons up stairs in the
dentist's room, and they had to wait.
"Grandma," said Emily, "may I look at the books on the table? It will
keep me from thinking about my teeth."
Her Grandma said she might, and the little girl was soon quite
interested in looking at the pictures in the books, and showing them to
her Grandma.
In a little while the servant came to tell her she could go up stairs.
Her heart beat fast, but she went up to her Grandmother, and said, "Dear
Grandma, you are not well; you look quite pale to-day. Do not go with
me; I will go alone, and I promise you I will be a brave little girl."
She kissed her Grandma, and ran out of the room.
When she entered the room up stairs, she saw two ladies there. She
stopped; but the dentist said, "Come in, my little girl, do not be
afraid, I will be as gentle as I can."
The ladies saw that she was alone, so one of them went up to her and
took her hand. She was an old lady, and wore spectacles, and she looked
very kind and good. So the dear little girl let the dentist lift her
into the great chair, and take off her hat, and the old lady kept hold
of her hand, and said, "It will be over in a minute, my dear child," and
then she pressed her little hand so kindly, that Emily felt quite
comforted.
The other lady was a young lady, and she too felt sorry that Emily was
to suffer. She wanted to smooth her hair, and give her a kiss; but she
thought that the little girl might be afraid of so many strangers, so
she sat down very quietly.
When the dentist had looked into Emily's mouth, he saw that four teeth
must come out. So he got the instrument, and held her head tight with
his arm.
Emily turned pale, but she kept quite still, and did not cry or scream;
and the dentist pulled out the four teeth, one after the other, without
a sound from her lips.
When they were all out, some large tears came from her eyes and rolled
down her cheeks; but she only said, "Thank you," to the lady that held
her hand; and, putting her handkerchief to her mouth, she ran down
stairs.
"My darling child," said her Grandma, "how well you have behaved; I did
not hear the least noise."
"No, Grandma," replied Emily, "I tried very hard not to scream; I was
determined to be quite still; and a good old lady like you, Grandma,
held my hand, which was a great comfort. But oh! Grandma, it _did_ hurt
me most terribly."
"My dear child, I know it did," said her Grandma; "you are the best
little girl in the world, and a happiness and a treasure to me."
After Emily had gone, the ladies who had witnessed her good conduct, and
admired her courage, asked her name and where she lived; and one of
them, the young lady, sent her a pretty little gold ring with a blue
stone in it, and a little note containing these words:--
"For the dear little girl who had the courage to bear a great pain
nobly."
Emily was very much pleased with this little present; it was so
unexpected. She could not find out who had sent it to her.
I hope all the little boys and girls will read this story with
attention, and when they go to the dentist's they will think of Emily,
and try to imitate her good conduct.
THE BOYS' SCHOOL.
Not very long ago, Mr. Harrison kept a boarding-school for little boys
in a delightful village in Hertfordshire. He took twenty boys to
educate, and he was so kind, and had such a pleasant way of teaching,
that the boys were happier with him than they would have been at home.
When the boys came in the spring, Mr. Harrison gave to each of them a
little plot of ground for a garden; and the little fellows were very
busy during play-hours, in preparing and arranging their gardens. They
had permission to go to the gardener and get just what seeds they
wanted; so some of the boys planted melons and cucumbers, and some
pumpkins and radishes, and two of them made an elegant flower-garden.
They put their ground together, and erected a little hill in the centre,
with a path all round it, and all the borders they planted with roses,
and cockscombs, and mignonette, and sweet-peas, and many other pretty
flowers; and when the flowers came out, their garden gave quite a
brilliant appearance to the place.
The boys had also a very large play-ground, and in it their kind
teacher had had a number of gymnastic poles put up, for their healthy
exercise and amusement. There was one very high pole, with four strong
ropes fastened to the top of it, and an iron ring at the ends of the
ropes. The boys would take hold of the rings, and run round as fast as
they could; then lifting their feet off the ground, away they would fly
in the air, round and round, like so many little crazy monkeys. There
was one little chap that could climb up one of the ropes like a cat, and
hang upon the top of the pole.
Then they had swinging-bars, and jumping-bars, with a spring-board to
jump from, and wooden horses, and a climbing-pole, and several other
things; but, what was better than all, they had a funny little ragged
pony, and a short-legged, long-eared donkey, for their especial use, and
many were the fine rides they had on their backs.
Sometimes, to be sure, the pony had a fashion of dancing a slow jig on
his hind-legs, with his fore-feet in the air; but the boys were used to
that, and stuck on until the dance was finished; then the pony would
trot off very peaceably.
The donkey, too, had a way of putting his nose to the ground, and
pitching his rider, head over heels, on the grass. But the boys were
used to that too, and did not mind it in the least. They would jump up
and shake themselves, and try again, and by dint of poking and punching
the sides of the sulky little animal, he would after a while make up his
mind to go. When he had once done _that_, it was all right. You would
think he was the most amiable donkey in the world. The pony's name was
"Napoleon," and the boys called the donkey "Old Pudding-head."
Twice a-week during the summer, Mr. Harrison took the boys to bathe in a
fine pond, where such as could would swim, and the rest would tumble
about in the water; and altogether he was so kind to them that the boys
thought there never was a better teacher, or such a famous
boarding-school.
I have not yet told you that they learned anything. I suppose you all
think that playing was the principal thing they went to that school for.
But if you do, you make a great mistake, for the greater part of every
day was spent in the school-room.
Mr. Harrison made school-time very pleasant. He seldom had to punish a
boy for bad conduct or neglect in getting his lessons. He always
encouraged them to ask questions about their studies, and told them
never to learn anything by rote, like a parrot, but to come to him when
they did not understand a lesson; and he always made it so clear that it
was a pleasure to learn. Sometimes a boy would ask a foolish question,
which would make the rest laugh; but then Mr. Harrison would say it was
better to be laughed at for trying to learn, than to grow up a dunce.
In this way the boys would improve so much, both in mind and body, that
their parents left them with Mr. Harrison as long as he could keep them;
and both the boys and their parents were very sorry when the time came
for them to leave, for Mr. Harrison would not take any boy after he was
fourteen years of age.
One afternoon after school, the boys were all busy weeding in their
gardens, when one of them suddenly cried out, "Phil, do you know how
long it is to the Fifth of November?"
"To be sure I do," answered Philip; "it is just four weeks and four
days."
"So it is, I declare," said Thomas, the first boy who had spoken. "Boys,
I'll tell you what we will do. Let us all write to our parents for an
immense lot of fireworks; then we will club together, and keep all,
except the crackers, for a grand display of fireworks in the evening."
"Oh yes, yes," cried all the boys, "that is an excellent idea."
"I will ask Mr. Harrison," said Phil, "to help us fix the wheels and so
forth, for all I ever fixed myself stuck fast, and would not go round at
all."
"I mean to write for some Roman candles," said Frank; "they look so
beautiful going up. They look like planets with wings."
"_I_ will ask for some snakes and grasshoppers," said another; "it is
such fun to see the boys racing round to get out of the way of them."
"We'll make some wooden pistols to put the crackers in," said another
boy.
"Yes, and I will send for a little brass cannon that my uncle, Major
Brown, gave me," said another.
Just then the bell rang for tea, and the boys, putting their little
rakes and hoes into their tool-house, ran in to wash their faces and
hands, and brush their hair. Then they took off their blouses, which
they wore when at work in the garden, and hung them up in the play-room.
They had a nice large play-room for playing in when the weather was
unpleasant.
It was astonishing what large quantities of bread and butter, and
apple-sauce, these boys consumed for their supper, for working
out-of-doors in the fresh country air is sure to make people hungry, and
boys especially are always ready for eating. After supper, Mr. Harrison
read prayers, while all the boys knelt at their chairs around the table.
Then they were permitted to play out-of-doors again until the sunset.
Phil and Frank allowed themselves to be harnessed to a hand-wagon, and
galloped off at full speed, with two of the smaller boys in it. The rest
had a game at leap-frog; and Mr. Harrison and his family sat in the
porch watching and admiring the gorgeous tints lent to the clouds by the
rays of the setting sun, and sometimes laughing heartily at the capers
of the boys.
At length the sun sank beneath the horizon, and Mr. Harrison said,
"Come in, boys." He never had to speak more than once, for the boys were
so well governed that they found it to their advantage and happiness to
obey directly. So they came in as quietly as they could, and went into
the study, where Mr. Harrison soon joined them, and read aloud an
interesting book of travels for an hour. Then they went up stairs to
bed.
One evening, not long after this, the boys were all together in the
sitting-room. Philip was reading a book in which was an anecdote about a
bad boy who had frightened another, by coming into his room at night,
with his face apparently in a blaze, and looking, as the terrified child
thought, like a flaming dragon. All at once, Phil shut the book, and
said, "I say, boys, I will show you a funny thing, if you will put out
the light, and it will be useful to you too. But first, let me read this
story to you, and then we will try the game, and none of you little
chaps will be frightened, because you will know what it is."
So saying, he read the story, which interested the boys very much
indeed, and made them all eager for Philip's experiment.
Phil took a box of matches from the mantelpiece, and gave some to each
of the boys; but suddenly he cried, "Wait a moment: I will be back
before you can say Jack Robinson," and ran out of the room.
He went out to ask Mr. Harrison's permission to try this experiment. Mr.
Harrison said, "I am glad, my dear boy, you have come first to me; I
believe I can always trust you. You may try your plan, and I will go
with you and join in your amusement."
The boys were glad to see their teacher. He often helped them in their
plays; and they were never afraid to frolic and laugh before him.
So Phil blew out the light, and then told the boys to take a match, and
wet it on the tip of the tongue, and rub it on the sides of their faces,
and they would soon have a pair of fiery whiskers apiece, without its
burning them in the least.
In a moment all the boys had flaming whiskers, and streaks of flame all
over their faces.
Peals of laughter resounded from all sides. Such a troop of little
blazing imps were never seen before. Some had noses on fire, some ears;
some made fiery circles round their eyes, and some rubbed their fingers
with the matches--always taking care to wet them first--and ran after
the rest.
Only one person was frightened; and that was because she had not been
let into the secret. This was a servant girl, who opened the door, and
seeing a room full of dark figures, with faces on fire, dancing, and
laughing, and capering about, she ran, screaming, up stairs, crying,
"Murder! Fire! Help!" with all her might, which made the boys laugh till
they were nearly suffocated. But Phil ran after her, and with much
difficulty persuaded her that they were really human beings, and good
friends of hers.
After they had danced about for some time, Mr. Harrison advised them to
go and wash their faces, and said that they had better not play this
game again, as some accident might occur: a match might get lighted and
set fire to their clothes. He said he had been willing to let them try
it once, for then they would not be frightened if any wicked or
thoughtless person should play a trick of this kind upon them. So the
boys put up the matches, and went off to bed full of the fun they had
had, and saying, that if they saw a person with his nose on fire, coming
into their rooms at night, they would take hold of it, and give it a
good pinching.
During this time, each of the boys had written home for fireworks; and
for two or three days before the Fifth of November, all kinds of boxes,
directed to the different boys, had been left at Mr. Harrison's house,
and safely locked up by him, until the right time.
At last the day came. The boys tumbled out of bed in the greatest
hurry, dressed, and went out on the lawn, where they gave nine hearty
cheers; three for the day, three for Mr. Harrison, and three for fun.
After that they all ran into the play-room, where they found the boxes,
which had been put there the night before.