wall; but it is so high I cannot climb in my weak state; and I dare not
ask you, whom I have injured so much.'
"'Don't mention it,' said Beppo; 'but the hole's very small, I could not
put my nose through it.'
"'I know that; but if you climb up on that stone, and thrust your paw
into the hole, you can dip it into the water, and so cool my poor
parched tongue. O! what a thing it is to have a bad conscience.'
"The good dog sprang upon the stone, and, getting on his hind legs,
thrust his fore paw into the hole, when, suddenly, Reynard pulled a
string that he had concealed under the straw, and Beppo's paw was
fastened up tight, in a running noose.
"'You villain,' said he, turning round; but the fox leaped up gayly from
the straw, and tying the string to a nail in the other end of the room,
walked out, crying: 'Good-bye, my dear friend, I hope you'll enjoy
yourself.' So he left the dog on his hind legs, to take care of the
house.
"Reynard found the cat waiting for him. It was nearly dark when they
came to the cave, but they could see the basket waiting for them; the
fox assisted the poor little cat into it. 'There is only room for one,'
said he; 'you must go first.' Up rose the basket; the fox heard a
piteous mew, and no more.
"'So much for the griffin's soup,' said he."
"Oh! what a cruel, wicked fellow!" said Willie, almost crying.
"Reynard waited for some time, when Miss Griffin, waving her claw from
the window, said cheerfully: 'All's right, my dear Reynard, my papa has
eaten his soup, and is now sound asleep: forty cannons going off at
once, would not wake him till he has slept off the boiled cat. Come and
help me to pack up; I should be sorry to leave a single diamond behind.'
"'So should I,' said the fox. 'Why! the door is shut! open it, beautiful
creature, to your adorer.'
"'Alas! my father has the key, you must come up by the basket; I will
let it down for you.'
"The fox did not like much to get into a basket, that had taken his
lady-love to be boiled, but the most cautious grow rash when money's to
be gained: and avarice can trap even a fox. So he jumped into the
basket, and went up in an instant. It rested just before it reached the
window, and the fox felt, with a slight shudder, the claw of the hideous
creature stroking his back.
"'Oh! what a beautiful coat,' said she, caressingly.
"'You are too kind,' said the fox; 'you can feel it better when I am
once up. Make haste, I beseech you!'
"'O! what a beautiful bushy tail. Never did I see any thing like it.'
"'It is entirely at your service, sweet creature,' said the fox, 'but
pray let me in.'
"'Really, such a beautiful tail; I don't wonder you are proud of it.'
"'Ah! my beloved Miss Griffin, you flatter me, but you pinch my tail a
little too hard.'
"Scarce had he said this, when down dropped the basket, but not with the
fox in it; he was caught by the tail, and hanging half way down, by the
help of the very same sort of pulley with which he had cheated the dog.
You may imagine his consternation; he yelped out, at a terrible
rate--for it hurts a fox exceedingly to be hanged by his tail, with his
head down--when what do you think happened? Why, the door opened, and
out stalked the griffin, smoking his pipe, and with him, a fashionable
crowd of all the beasts in the neighborhood.
"'Hallo, brother!' said Bruin, the bear, laughing fit to kill himself;
'whoever saw a fox hanged by the tail before?'
"'You'll have need of a physician,' said Doctor Ape.
"'Don't stay there to oblige us,' said Gauntgrim, the wolf.
"'A pretty match, indeed! Miss Griffin, for such as you,' said the goat,
strutting by him.
"The fox grinned with pain, and said nothing. But that which hurt him
most, was the compassion of a dull booby of a donkey, who assured him,
with great gravity, that he saw nothing to laugh at in his situation.
"'At all events,' said the fox, at last, 'cheated and betrayed as I am,
I have played the same trick on the dog; go laugh at him, gentlemen.'
"'Excuse me,' said the griffin, 'WE NEVER LAUGH AT THE HONEST.'
"'And see,' said the bear, 'here he is.'
"And indeed Beppo, after much effort, had gnawed the string in two, and
freed his paw; the scent of the fox had enabled him to track him, and
here he arrived, burning for vengeance, and finding himself already
avenged.
"But his first thought was for his dear cousin. 'Ah! where is she?' he
cried; 'without doubt that rascal Reynard has served her some trick.'
"'I fear so, my old friend,' answered the griffin; 'but don't fret.
After all she was nothing particular. You shall marry my daughter, and
succeed to all the treasure and all the bones that you once guarded so
faithfully.'
"'Oh, no, no!' said the faithful fellow; 'I want none of your treasure,
and, though I don't mean to be rude, your daughter may go to Guinea; I
will run over the whole world, but I will find my dear cousin.'
"'See her, then,' said the griffin, and the beautiful cat, more
beautiful than ever, rushed out of the cavern, and threw herself into
the dog's paws.
"It was all over with the fox; the cat might forgive some things, but to
be boiled alive for the griffin's soup--never!
"'And now, Mr. Reynard,' said the griffin, 'I wish you to understand
that I have no daughter; it was me you made love to. Knowing what a
tremendous tell-tale the magpie was, I amused myself with cheating her;
quite a fashionable amusement--don't you think so?'
"The fox made a dreadful struggle, and leaped on the ground, leaving his
tail behind him. It did not grow again in a hurry.
"'Sir,' said the griffin, as the beasts all roared with laughter at the
comical figure Reynard made, running into the wood, 'the dog has beaten
the fox, cunning as he is. Truth and honesty always come out right in
the end.'
"You may be sure that Beppo was very soon married to his beautiful
cousin the cat, and though dogs and cats, as a general thing, seldom
live happily together, these two proved an exception, and lived to a
good old age in perfect harmony."
"Oh! what a delightful story!" said Willie; "I wish you would read it
all over again; how glad I am the wicked fox was punished at last; and,
mamma, how mean it is to cheat! I intend to be like General Washington,
I will never tell a lie, or cheat anybody, not even a dog or a cat."
"I hope and pray that you never will, my little son," said his mother;
"I pity those poor children who are afraid to speak the truth; they
don't consider that one fault leads to many more. I think even this
story will show all who read it how much they lose by acting like
Reynard the fox, and, if they are sensible, they will not despise the
example of Beppo the dog, but resolve, after this, never to do a mean
thing, and never to tell a lie. But come, Willie, I see your father at
the gate; let us run a race, and see which will get to him first."
Willie sprang up, joyfully, and his mother and he stepped out of the
window and, with a "one for good measure, two to show, three to make
ready, and four to g-o-o,"--off they started, Willie's little legs
clearing the ground in fine style, and, to his great delight, he won the
race by about five yards, and rushed up to his father, such a laughing,
breathless, handsome little fellow, that his father did what no father
could help doing, caught him up in his arms and gave him a dozen good
kisses, and then carried him back.
At the tea-table Willie told the story of the fox and the dog. I wish
you could have seen his face, as the different incidents of the tale
altered the expression; it was a perfect and most beautiful changing
picture, and his father enjoyed his speaking face exceedingly, and
exchanged many glances of delight and sympathy with his mother. The
story became so great a favorite, that it was very often repeated, and
Willie declares if ever he is tempted to do any thing mean, one thought
of the good Beppo will be enough to shame him out of it.
Dear little readers, will you not say the same? Willie is, like
yourselves, a real child, now living. If you were to take a ride on Long
Island, as far as Fort Hamilton, you would pass the pleasant country
house where he lives; very likely he would be playing near the gate.
Every one that passes, says: "Hollo, Willie;" or "There's my boy;" or
"Here, Willie, catch this apple." It is always a pleasant word, for
every one loves him dearly.
Perhaps it will be hard to conquer a bad habit, all at once; but if you
keep on trying, it is really surprising, how easy it becomes, till at
last, you would find it rather more difficult to be bad than good.
I have simplified and extended the story of the fox, which was written
by a celebrated author for grown people, because I felt sorry that so
good a story should not be read and enjoyed by those for whom my heart
is so brimful of love--the children.
It is my firm belief, that if the time ever arrives, when the children
shall all grow up good men and women, the millenium will have surely
come; to bring that about, all the present parents and guardians must
help the children to be good; and it is also my opinion, that good
precepts, affectionately impressed, good examples set before them, the
reading of good books--the Holy Bible first of all, and above all--will
do more than whole forests of birch rods. I have never yet appealed to a
child's honor in vain, or told stories, portraying noble qualities,
without a good effect; and I hope never to write one that will cause a
single regret, either in me or my readers.
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Transcriber's Note:
Punctuation has been standardised. Other changes to the original
publication have been made as follows:
Contents
WHAT CAME OF GIPSEYING _changed to_
WHAT CAME OF GIPSYING?
Page 35
The first mouthfull tasted _changed to_
The first mouthful tasted
Page 38
mattrasses never," and here poor _changed to_
mattresses never," and here poor
Page 59
shore with a look so pitrous _changed to_
shore with a look so piteous
Page 95
Let's both go up stairs _changed to_
Let's both go up-stairs
Page 132
with a hole in it--hav'nt I _changed to_
with a hole in it--haven't I
Page 152
surpise, to see Reynard _changed to_
surprise, to see Reynard