Jenny Bunney sometimes did an errand for her school-mistress: sometimes
she took her mother’s work to the warehouse, and was often employed
to go on other errands, because she was very quick, never loitering
on the road. She was also careful to remember what was told her, and
carry a proper message. She had a sufficient pleasure in being useful,
and finding herself trusted, and did not wish for any other reward;
however, the people where she went, were very kind, and would sometimes
give her a halfpenny. There was a woman lived very near where she did,
who sold apples and gingerbread, &c. these she thought looked very
nice, and sometimes she would buy a halfpenny-worth, but there was
very little for money; she had soon eaten it, and found herself not
at all satisfied. What a foolish thing, said she to herself, will it
be to spend all my money in this way, and have nothing useful for it.
I will lay by the halfpence I get till I can buy something useful, and
then I shall find which affords me the most satisfaction. She observed,
that her mother had long worked very hard to get food and cloaths for
her children, and that she hardly ever bought anything for herself.
Her caps were almost worn out, and Jenny knew that she did not know
how to get any new ones: so she asked her mistress, at the school, to
be so good as to tell her how much would buy her mother two caps. Her
mistress told her she thought she could buy her two for ten pence: so
she saved all the halfpence she got, and very anxious she was till the
number was compleated: then, the next time she went to school, she gave
it to her mistress to lay it out. The following morning the caps were
bought, and ready for her to make. She worked hard, and, at night, had
hemmed the border, set it on neatly, and finished one cap! The second
day her task was compleated, and the caps carried home. If she had had
a dozen given to herself, I do not think her joy would have been half
so great as that she had, in the thought of giving these to her mother.
As soon as she got into the house, she ran up to her and said, mother,
I have got a little present for you, if you please to accept it. A
present, said she! what is it? Jenny then pulled out the caps, and put
one on her mother’s head, and the other in her lap. How came you by
these, said she? Who sent them? Mother, said Jenny, I have bought and
made them myself: You do a great deal for me, and I am sorry that I can
help you no more; however, I feel more glad that I could buy you these,
than if any body else had given you them. My dear, said her mother,
where could you get the money? O, said she, you know that I had many
odd half-pence given me, these I kept till I got enough to buy you two
caps, as I thought it would give me more pleasure than laying it out
in any thing else. Her mother almost cried for joy, to find she had so
good a child, and told her she should value the caps more than if any
fine lady had given her them. Young, as you are, you now find how much
you can do to render your parents comfortable; and I rejoice, that poor
as we are, you will never want pleasure, since you have learned that
you need only try to be useful.
When gingerbread and apples lure,
I’ll think on Jenny Bunney:
Rememb’ring pleasures that endure,
Are better worth my money.