love and wonder at the little unconscious Gottfried. Tender tears and
smiles struggled in their faces, for they knew in a moment that it was
he who had risen in his sleep, had taken the rose crown to Heinrich, and
had laid his head upon his pillow again without waking.
"When they gently and tenderly told the strange tale to the wondering
children, Heinrich, bursting into tears, threw his arms passionately
round Gottfried's neck, and sobbed out--'Oh! Gottfried! how thou must
have loved me to have done this thing, even while sleeping;' and the
grateful boy never forgot it. He kept his crown of roses as his dearest
treasure, though they soon became withered and brown; and Gottfried and
Heinrich were always friends, though one was rich and the other poor;
and each mother loved and blessed the child of the other even as her
own."
[NOTE.--This story was suggested by reading about
Christmas in Germany, in Bayard Taylor's "Views
Afoot."]
* * * * *
"A--h!" sighed the children, when the story was finished; "this is the
best of all! How those two German boys must have loved each other ever
after."
"Gottfried must have been almost as good as Charley," said Clara, with a
glance full of love towards her brother. The little girl, with her
sweet, sensitive nature, and gentle, caressing ways, seemed closer to
Charley than the rest, though he loved all his brothers and sisters with
his whole heart; but Clara was softer and tenderer, and murmured out her
love in such a dove-like way, that, next to his mother, the sick boy
liked to have her smooth his hair, and hold his hand, and kneel by his
side in prayer; and the rest of the children knew this, and lovingly
gave Clara "her place." Not a shade of envy, that black and wicked
passion, ever entered their hearts; for, as I have many times written,
this was the home of LOVE.
FOOTNOTE:
[A] In Germany, they fill the children's shoes instead of their
stockings.
THE SIXTH LETTER.
THE HUNT FOR A STEAMBOAT.
_To Johnny._
DEAR LITTLE JOHNNY:--I have heard such a cunning little story about two
little children that live in New York, that I have written it out for
you; I shall begin it, "Once upon a time"--the way you like best. Here
it is:
THE HUNT FOR A STEAMBOAT.
"Once upon a time little Harry was playing in the parlor, and his kind
mother was reading. Presently the door opened, and a lady entered,
holding by the hand the dearest little bit of a girl you ever saw, about
three years old, with such sweet blue eyes and soft curling hair, that
she looked almost like a fairy.
"Harry's mother was very glad to see the lady; she kissed her and little
Nannie, and made them sit on the very best sofa, and Harry kissed
Nannie, and everybody seemed very much pleased.
"After saying what a very fine day it was, just as all the grown people
do when they begin to talk, Nannie's mamma began to tell Harry's mamma
something very wonderful, when, all at once, they saw Harry's eyes
opened about as big round as a pair of saucers, and a dozen ears seemed
to have sprouted out all over his head; and he was listening to the
wonderful story with every one of them.
"Harry's mamma thought that would never do, and she said--'My son,
Nannie's mamma and I want to talk secrets, and it is not right for such
a little boy as you to hear them; so take the dear little girl out of
the room, and show her every thing she wants to see. Mind, dear! _show
her every thing_.'
"So Harry took Nannie's hand, and led her out of the room. He felt quite
bashful at first, and when he got into the hall and had shut the door,
he dropped her hand; and then the two children stood and looked at each
other like two pussy cats on a fence; only they looked a great deal
prettier, because, you know, neither of them had any fierce whiskers or
long claws. Not they, indeed! I suppose Harry will have whiskers one of
these days, if he lives to be a man; but Nannie will never have any,
because if she Jives a thousand years she will never be a great, rough
man, but a beautiful little woman, which is a great comfort to think of.
"At last Harry said--'Say, Nannie, what do you want to see?'
"'I want to tee a 'teamboat.'
"'A steamboat!' exclaimed Harry.
"'Ess, a 'teamboat--big one!' said little Nannie.
"Harry looked puzzled; but he took her hand again, and led her very
carefully up the long flight of stairs, and into every room on the
second floor. They looked under the beds and into the band-boxes, opened
all the bureau drawers and wardrobe doors, peered down into the
bath-tub, and almost tumbled in, and couldn't find a steamboat. Then
they went up stairs again, and all over the rooms in the third story--no
steamboat there.
"Then they went up stairs again, and all over the rooms in the top of
the house, opened all the cook's bundles, the waiter's boxes, the
chambermaid's trunk, and the laundress's umbrella; but not a single
steamboat was to be seen.
"What was poor Harry to do?
"He _must_ mind his mamma; and Nannie kept saying--'I want to tee a
'teamboat.'
"All of a sudden Harry spied a globe of the world in one corner of the
attic, and he cried out--'Here, Nannie, let's look on this world and see
if we can find one.'
[Illustration]
"So down they nestled close together, and turned the world round and
round, but, strange to tell, there was not a single steamboat sailing on
it. It was really too bad.
"They came down stairs again, and then a bright thought struck
Harry--'Oh, yes!' he exclaimed, 'I know where a steamboat is. Dear me!
certainly! Come, Nannie, hurry.'
"Down they went to the hall, and Harry put on his cap, and opened the
front door, and the children went out. Hand in hand they trotted merrily
along, both delighted to think that at last they were on the track of a
steamboat.
"After walking a long way, they came to a rough board fence, and Harry
peeped through a knot-hole to see what was inside. He looked so long,
that Nannie cried impatiently--'Let me see the 'teamboat.'
"'No, it isn't,' said Harry; 'it's some boys playing ball. Come and
look.'
"Nannie went close to the fence, and stood on the very tips of her
little toes, but the knot-hole was too high; so Harry lifted her with
all his strength, and she had a fine time seeing the boys playing ball.
"As he let her come down rather suddenly, she caught her frock in a
splinter of wood in the fence, and it was torn from top to bottom. 'Oh,
my!' said Nannie, looking at her dress, 'what a _gate_ hole; oh, my!'
"'Oh, never mind it,' cried Harry, 'that's nothing;' and he laughed so
merrily, that Nannie thought to tear dresses was great fun, and laughed
too.
"On they went, hand in hand, and every fence they came to where there
were no houses, they peeped through and searched for the steamboat; and
they scrambled and fell against so many rough boards, that Nannie's
pretty little new hat that her kind grandmamma had just given her, was
all bent and torn and twisted, till from a nice little round hat, it
came to be a queer-looking, five-cornered one, with one end of ribbon
over her nose, and another sticking out behind; and the beautiful lace
cap inside was only fit for the rag-bag. Did you ever hear any thing
like it?
"Well, the dear little things wandered on, Harry knowing that he was
minding his mamma, like a good boy. He was very happy; because, you
know, children that are obedient and good are never any thing else. Of
course not.
"And little Nannie's lovely blue eyes were very busy looking all over
the world for the steamboat.
"At last they came to an open space--I believe, in Seventy-second
street, where the Central Park is; and a very amiable-looking policeman,
who fortunately at that time was wide awake, happened to look that way.
"He was very much astonished when he saw such little creatures all
alone; and Nannie, looking as if she had been in the wars; but, in spite
of her torn dress, looking like just what she was--the tender little pet
of a household, watched over, and loved, and cared for night and day;
and Harry, too, it was plain to see, with his bright eyes and manly
bearing, was of gentle birth and breeding.
"So the policeman walked up to them, and said--'I suppose this is Tom
Thumb and his wife out for a walk.'
"'No, it isn't,' said Harry; 'my name is Harry.'
"'And what is yours, little lady?'
"'My name 'ittle Nannie.'
"'Where did you come from?'
"'Home,' said Harry.
"'Where is home?'
"'Why, in Thirty-second street, to be sure; don't you know?'
"'Did you run away?' said the policeman.
"'No,' said Harry, and his eyes blazed with indignation, 'I'm minding
mamma; she told me to show Nannie every thing, and Nannie wanted to see
a steamboat, and I'm finding one for her now!'
"At this the policeman laughed, and then he looked so kindly at the
children, that I suspect he had a dozen children of his own at his
house, and that made him love every other little child. Why, bless your
dear little heart, I love all the little children in the whole world,
because I love you so dearly.
[Illustration: THE STEAMBOAT HARRY AND EMMA WERE LOOKING FOR.]
"Then the policeman said--'Well, Harry, you are a long way from home;
and I think you had better put off the steamboat-hunting business till
some other day. Your mother may think you and Nannie are a little too
young to travel about the world by yourselves. Come; I will go back
with you.'
"It was very fortunate he did, for though Harry knew very well what
street he lived in, he did not know how to get to it; and it would have
been a sad thing for the dear little creatures if they had been lost.
But now the good policeman took Nannie in his arms, because she was
getting very tired, and Harry by the hand, and they all got into a
railroad car, and before long were at the house.
"But oh! what a distracted house! For when Nannie's mother had finished
the wonderful secret, and wanted to leave, the children were not to be
found. They searched the house; they examined the bath-tubs and
wash-tubs; they went out into the garden and down into the cellar, but
they were not to be found; and then the weeping, terrified mothers went
out into the street, and asked everybody they met, if they had seen the
children.
[Illustration]
"The waiter, who was just setting the table for dinner, rushed round the
corner, brandishing the carving-knife like a pistol, and frightened a
fashionable young gentleman out of all his five wits, for he thought it
was a crazy man, trying to kill him; and when he turned round he was
scared again, for there was the laundress, who had started out with a
wet shirt in her hands, which she was just starching; there _she_ was,
waving it about in the wind, like a flag of distress, and crying as hard
as she could.
[Illustration]
"Then the waiter dropped the carving-knife, and flew up the street,
while the fat cook, who had left a pudding half-made in the kitchen, ran
after him, dropping her pudding-stick, and wheezing dreadfully; and
away in the distance, they saw the chambermaid, with the broomstick in
her hand, and her hair all about her ears. She looked so like a witch,
from grief and fright, that as she disappeared, the people looking after
her were sure she had mounted the broomstick the very next moment, and
had flown over the tops of the houses.
"Dear me! what a terrible time it was! But you see they all loved Harry
so much, that they were almost crazy, and that made them cut up all
these didoes.
"All came back lamenting, for no children had been found; and the
distressed mothers were just writing a note to send to the
police-office, to order the whole city to be searched, when--a quick
ring at the bell--Could it be? Out they all rushed, mothers, cook,
waiter, chambermaid, laundress, the cat, and the dog. The door was
opened, and, oh, joyful sight! there stood the children and the
policeman, all laughing together.
"No wonder they all screamed and cried, and laughed and talked, all in a
bunch. Nobody cared a pin for Nannie's torn dress and five-cornered
bonnet, when the darling child was safe, and hugged tight to her
mother's breast; and Harry and his mother had a grand kissing time too.
Why, dear me! they almost wanted to kiss the good policeman, they were
so glad; not quite, though; but they gave him what he thought was quite
astonishing--something that came out of a purse, and shone like gold;
and between you and me, it _was_ gold.
"And Harry's mother was not the least angry with him, when she heard
that he was such a good boy, and was only minding his mamma when he went
all over the world with Nannie to find a steamboat: no, indeed! She
kissed him again. But let me tell you as a great secret, that she was
very careful after that to tell Harry to look for steamboats, or any
thing else little girls or he might want to see, _inside_ of the house;
and although it is many months since this happened, I know that Harry
and Nannie have not been steamboat-hunting since; but they are both
good, lovely children, and both mind their mammas."
"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Johnny, "_my_ story is tip-top! I wish you would
read it right over again, mamma."
"Yes, mamma, do!" cried all the rest. "It is _so_ interesting. Dear
little Nannie, she's a darling!"
"I wonder if her grandmother gave her a new hat," said Minnie. "_I_
would, if _I_ was her grandmother."
The children laughed at the idea of Minnie's being a grandmother, and
Harry said--"Come, sit on my lap, grandmother, and let me see if you
know your letters yet." Minnie did not like this much, but as Harry
called her his "dear little pet" the next moment, she forgave him
immediately.
"But Aunt Fanny has written something else in this letter," said the
mother. "Shall I read it, or repeat the story?"
"Oh! read all the letter _this time_," cried the children, "and the
story again to-morrow night."
The little mother read on.
"And now, my dear children, I have sent you six stories; and if any one
will count the boots and shoes in the first Nightcap book, they will
find that there are the surprising number of thirteen of you!--a baker's
dozen.
"Let me see how many are left.
"Minnie and Willie, and Bennie and Lillie, and dear little Fanny, my
_namesake, and Katie and Pet_. I think I will write to this dear little
band collectively, and the stories shall make the 'Little Nightcap
Letters;' and the little darlings shall have them all to themselves."
"Oh, yes! yes! yes! that will be a grand plan!" cried the children. "Did
you ever hear of such a sensible Aunt Fanny? She makes it just as we
like it."
"If you like this plan," Aunt Fanny goes on to say, "then the 'Big
Nightcap Letters' are finished with this story sent to Johnny; and that
you will all grow wiser, and better, and fatter over them, is the loving
wish of your
"AUNT FANNY."
And so the Big Nightcap Letters were ended; and the children went off to
bed good, thankful, and content, and rose the next day good, thankful,
and content.
Pray Heaven, dear little reader, you may always do the same.
THE END.
Important New Juveniles,
PUBLISHED BY
D. APPLETON & CO., 346 & 348 BROADWAY.
=MISS McINTOSH'S JUVENILE LIBRARY.=
7 vols. 18mo., 87 cents each.
I. GRACE AND CLARA; or, Be Just as well as Generous.
II. ELLEN LESLIE; or, The Reward of Self-Control.
III. FLORENCE ARNOTT; or, Is She Generous?
IV. EMILY HERBERT; or, The Happy Home.
V. ROSE AND LILLIE STANHOPE; or, The Power of Conscience.
VI. JESSIE GRAHAM; or, Friends Dear, but Truth Dearer.
VII. BLIND ALICE.
"Miss McIntosh is the most fascinating writer of
Juvenile Books of the present day. She endeavors
to enforce good principles, while she at the same
time caters for the amusement of children."
=TWO NEW JUVENILES,=
BY THE AUTHOR OF THE "HEIR OF REDCLYFFE."
I.
RICHARD THE FEARLESS; on, THE YOUNG DUKE. By the
author of the "Heir of Redclyffe." With
Illustrations, 1 vol. 16mo., price 62 cents.
II.
THE LANCES OF LYNWOOD. With Illustrations, 1 vol.
16mo., 75 cents.
No English writer has succeeded in so faithfully
portraying the human passions as the talented
author who has given to the world 'Heartsease' and
the 'Heir of Redclyffe.' Her Juvenile "Writings
have a charm of historical interest thrown around
them, which cannot fail to render her works as
much admired by young people as by those more
advanced."
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
Page 7, Table of Contents, the first letter actually begins on page 9.
The original read 8.
Page 7, Table of Contents, "ILLTEMPER" changed to "ILL TEMPER" (GEORGE.
ILL TEMPER)
Page 7, Table of Contents, "106" changed to "108" for the Fourth Letter
Page 103, the text changes a character's name from "Dinah" to "Binah."
This was retained as in another of this series, the character's name is
indeed Binah there.
Page 127, "embarrased" changed to "embarrassed" (still more embarrassed)
Page 146, "Christ-kindcherr" changed to "Christkindchen" (the dear
Christkindchen)