grandmother and the schoolmaster, but on account of his wrong-doings
and disobedience afraid of them, listened to this voice, and as he
listened the bad spirit made the voice seem so like his own thoughts
that he knew not but that all came from himself.
So under this wrong influence he planned an escape from the house,
which was to be made as soon as his grandmother went out. For an hour
or two he heard her moving around. At last all was still. Then he
stole from his hiding-place and listened at the head of the stairs.
Not the slightest sound broke the deep silence. Grandmother had gone
away. Then he took a loaf of bread, a large slice of cake and some
apples, which he tied up in a handkerchief; and stealing out of the
back door, he ran through the garden and out of a gate that opened
into a lane. At the end of this lane was a piece of woods, and beyond
this wood a deep hollow, along which it was easy to go without danger
of being seen by any one.
How strangely the little boy's heart beat as he hurried along, going
he knew not whither! It was not long before he reached the hollow
beyond the woods. After crossing this hollow, he entered another wood
by a narrow path made by the cattle. The trees in this wood were very
tall and close together, and the underbrush grew so thick that he
could see before him only for a short distance.
The silence and darkness of this heavy forest caused a lonely feeling
to come over Neddy. All at once the thought of bears and wolves came
into his mind, and with the thought fear crept into his heart. A
weakness fell upon him, and he stood still with drops of cold sweat
on his forehead. Then he turned and ran back, but in doing so missed
the way and took a path that, instead of taking him out of the forest,
led him farther into it. He ran and ran, panting for breath, until he
was so tired that he had to sit down to rest.
"What if I am lost?" he said to himself, a cold chill running over him
at the thought. Lost! How wildly the poor little boy's heart began to
beat! As he sat there, feeling too weak from weariness and fear to
arise, he heard not far off the sound of feet cracking the dry sticks
and rustling the leaves that lay upon the ground. He held his breath
in terror, for he was sure it was a bear or wolf. Nearer and nearer
the animal came, passing only a few rods from where he sat motionless.
"Oh, oh!" exclaimed Neddy, in tones of relief, starting to his feet as
he saw a young heifer which was astray in the woods.
At sight of the boy the heifer, scared by his sudden appearance,
started off at a run and was soon out of sight, leaving Neddy again
alone. He tried to follow her, but was not able to get on her track.
Oh how he did wish himself at home! How sorry he was that he had
played truant on the day before!
In trying to follow the heifer, Neddy left the narrow path along which
he had been going, and now he was among the thick undergrowth of the
forest, his hands and face scratched with briars. The trees stood so
close together that no sunshine came down through their thick
branches. All was dim and shadowy.
Poor Neddy! A great fear and loneliness fell on him again; and sitting
down on the limb of a fallen tree, he began to cry bitterly. But
crying was of no use. It wouldn't get him out of the woods and safely
home again. So he dried his tears and started on again, hoping to find
the path he had left. But he tried in vain. All at once he noticed
that the light was fading rapidly and the air growing cold. The sun
had gone down, and night was falling. Neddy's heart began to beat
wildly; he could feel the throbs all over him; there was a great
pressure as if a hand were laid on his breast; he could scarcely
breathe, so strong was the feeling of suffocation that oppressed him.
He tried to run, but his foot caught in a vine, and he fell upon the
ground, where he lay for a long time before he had strength enough to
arise.
In his weakness and exhaustion the poor boy found strength and
courage. How! Think, my little reader. What would you have done if
lost in the woods as Neddy was lost? Where would you have looked for
help? You would have done, I am very sure, just as he did. And what
did he do? Why, he put his little hands together, and lifting his
tearful eyes upward prayed that God would take care of him, and not
let any wild beasts eat him up.
As soon as he had done this the dreadful fear from which he was
suffering went out of his heart. Just a little way beyond the spot
where Neddy had fallen was a small clear place in the forest, where
grew a bed of soft green moss. A few rays of light came down through
an opening in the trees and showed him this cosy nook. Once in it,
there seemed to grow all about him a wall of darkness. So he sat down
upon the moss with a strange feeling of peace and security in his
heart.
And now, for the first time, Neddy felt hungry. So he opened the
bundle of bread and cake which he had brought with him, and ate with a
keen relish. Then he began to feel tired and heavy. The soft moss on
which he was resting was just the bed for a poor tired boy like him,
and before he had time to think of his loneliness and danger he was
fast asleep.
But sleep sometimes gives us frightful dreams, and one of these came
to Neddy. He still thought himself a poor lost boy in the woods trying
to find his way out. He heard wolves howling, and saw bears and tigers
and all kinds of wild beasts. At last a wolf with great red jaws came
after him, and he started to run, but his terror was so great that he
could scarcely move his feet. A fearful growl ran through the woods,
and the dreadful beast came rushing down upon him. At this frightful
moment he heard his name called; and turning, he saw Mr. Jonas, the
schoolmaster, running toward him with an axe in his hand, with which
he struck the wolf just as he was about seizing him. The wolf fell
dead, and the schoolmaster, catching Neddy up in his arms, said,
tenderly, "My poor, poor boy!" and hugged him tightly to his breast.
Was all this a dream? No, not all, for Neddy awoke and found himself
in the schoolmaster's arms, with two or three men around holding
lanterns in their hands.
"My poor, poor boy!" said the schoolmaster again, laying his hand
tenderly on his recovered scholar; and this time Neddy heard the words
in full wakefulness.
He did not stir, but lay with his head close against Mr. Jonas, who,
guided by the men with lanterns, walked hurriedly through the forest,
and soon came to the road that led to the village.
I was at Grandmother Oram's, waiting anxiously for news of the lost
boy, when the schoolmaster came in with Neddy in his arms. I had been
talking long and seriously with the frightened old lady about her way
of treating Neddy, and she had promised me not to say a hard or angry
word to him when he came home, if that ever should be. She was very
much softened, and her real love for Neddy was having its full course.
It was after ten o'clock when we heard the sound of coming feet. The
poor old lady started up and stood pale and breathless. The door
opened and Mr. Jonas came in, carrying Neddy in his arms. His face was
softer in expression than I had ever seen it. He did not say a word
until he came close up to Mrs. Oram, when, holding out the boy, he
said, in a low voice that was broken and tender, "Be kind to the poor
child, Mrs. Oram. I will see you about him in the morning," then
merely adding, as he turned to leave, "We found him asleep in the
woods," went out hastily.
There was a new order of things in the village school after that. The
rod fell from Mr. Jonas' hand, never to be lifted again, and he soon
learned that in kindness was greater power than in fear. Neddy was in
his place on the next day, and from that time onward was one of the
most obedient and faithful scholars in school. Mr. Jonas' manner
toward him was kind and gentle, and Neddy felt drawn toward him by a
strange attraction that gave the schoolmaster the power over him of a
wise and loving father. No thought of disobedience crossed the boy's
mind. It was his delight to obey.
All this happened many years ago, and now the boy Neddy has grown to
be a strong, wise, good man, an honor to the position he holds, and
one of the best of citizens. He had the opportunity of doing Mr. Jonas
many kind acts; and when at last the old man grew too feeble to earn
his living, Mr. Oram made his last days comfortable by placing him
above the reach of want.
[Illustration: THE END.]
Transcriber's Note
Archaic spelling is preserved as printed. Variable spelling and
inconsistent hyphenation is preserved as printed across different
pieces, but has been made consistent within pieces if there was a
prevalence of one form. Punctuation and printer errors (e.g. omitted
or transposed letters) have been repaired.
The following amendments have also been made:
Page 133--omitted word 'the' added--""Tell mother we want to
make coffee in the field, too" ..."
Page 341--mud amended to snow, based on the context--"... enable
it to wade through the deep snow, ..."
In the story "How a Good Dinner was Lost" the older sister is named as
both Rosa and Rosy.
Illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are not in
the middle of a paragraph.
Illustration captions in {braces} have been added by the transcriber
for the convenience of the reader.
End of Project Gutenberg's Happy Days for Boys and Girls, by Various