The Nursery, March 1881, Vol. XXIX - A Monthly Magazine for Youngest Readers

By Author	[ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z \| Other Symbols ]
By Title	[ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z \| Other Symbols ]
By Language

Download this book: [ ASCII | HTML | PDF ]

Look for this book on Amazon

We have new books nearly every day.
If you would like a news letter once a week or once a month fill out this form and we will give you a summary of the books for that week or month by email.

Title: The Nursery, March 1881, Vol. XXIX - A Monthly Magazine for Youngest Readers
Author: Various
Language: English
As this book started as an ASCII text book there are no pictures available.

*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Nursery, March 1881, Vol. XXIX - A Monthly Magazine for Youngest Readers" ***

transcribed by June Troyer.

THE

NURSERY

_A Monthly Magazine_

FOR YOUNGEST READERS.

VOLUME XXIX.--No. 3.

BOSTON:
THE NURSERY PUBLISHING COMPANY,
NO. 36 BROMFIELD STREET.
1881.

Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1881, by
THE NURSERY PUBLISHING COMPANY,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.

[Illustration: JOHN WILSON

& SON.

UNIVERSITY PRESS.]

[Illustration: Contents.]

IN PROSE.

PAGE
Telling a Story 65
Turtles 71
Feeding the Swans in Winter 72
Two Friends 74
The Swallows' Nest 76
Drawing-Lesson 81
The Faithful Sentinel 86
Bruce and Old Sheepy 88
Elfrida's Present 92
"Parley-voo" 93

IN VERSE.

PAGE
To the Snowdrop 69
Rather Bashful 72
Bird, Lamb, Baby 75
The Gentleman in Gray 78
The Little Scholars 80
The Three Dolls 82
"Right of Way" 91
Winter (_with music_) 96

[Illustration: VOL. XXIX.--NO. 3.]

TELLING A STORY.

DREAR and cold is the winter outside; but within
there is a bright fire on the hearth. Jane and
Susie, and Charles and John, and their elder sister
Ann, are all seated comfortably in front of it. And now
the children call on sister Ann to tell them a story; and this
is what she tells them:--

"When I was a girl, and wanted to hear a story, and the
grown-up people didn't feel like telling me one, they would
say,--

"'I'll tell you a story about Jack O'Nory;
And now my story's begun.
I'll tell you another about Jack and his brother;
And now my story's done.'

"Now, every time this was said to me, I would think that I really should
hear the story about Jack O'Nory, or the other one about Jack and his
brother. But it was always the same; just as I thought the story was
coming, I would hear, instead, 'And _now_ my story's done.'

"One day, when I begged for one of the stories, my aunt told me that I
couldn't hear about Jack O'Nory or his brother, because Mother Goose
never told the stories about them; that she just began, and then thought
better of it. After that I didn't ask any more; but I said to myself,
'If ever I get big, I'll find out those stories.' And so, sure enough, I
did. And I am going to tell one of them now,--the one about Jack O'Nory
himself.

"'It is a story that all came of his having a great
liking for buns. Jack lived in the next house to
Mother Goose, and every morning, if she peeped between
the curtains, she was sure to see Jack waiting on the
pavement for the bun-man. You see the bun-man went
around very early, so that people could have their
buns for breakfast.

"'But one morning Jack slept too late, and, when he
ran out, the bun-man had already gone by and was
almost out of sight. Jack ran after him, but could not
catch him.

[Illustration]

"'It didn't seem to Jack a bit nice, not to have any
bun with his milk that morning; and so all day Jack
kept saying to himself, "That bun-man won't get by the
house to-morrow morning without my knowing it, I
guess!" And this was the last thing he thought of as
he took off his shoes and stockings at night before
the fire.

[Illustration]

"'But all his thinking did not seem to be of much use;
for, before he had slept half as long as he wanted to,
he heard the jingle of the bun-man's bell. Up he
jumped, pulled on his clothes as fast as he could, and
had got on all except one shoe, when the bell rang
below the window. Down he ran, but the bun-man wasn't
there.

"'Jack forgot that he had on only one shoe, and
started to run after the man. He was soon only half a
square behind him; but just then the man turned a
corner, and was out of sight. Jack turned the corner
too; but the man had walked fast and was just turning
another corner.

"'Poor Jack began to think he was not going to get his
bun; but he still ran on, and turned the next corner
and the next, for the bun-man seemed to be always
turning corners. Jack got very hot, and was just
beginning to cry, when, as he was turning the ninth
corner after the man, he saw him go into a house.

[Illustration]

"'"Ah!" thought Jack, "that's the place where they
make the buns. I'll hurry in after him, and then I'll
surely get my bun, and he'll tell me the way home
besides."

"'So in went Jack. But the man was not to be seen.
There was nothing to be seen except buns, all in great
piles like walls, and all smoking hot. Jack was very
warm already, you know, and the steam from so many hot
buns made him warmer still; but he tried not to mind
it, and walked on, looking all the time for the
bun-man.

"'He could hear his bell every little while; but the
more he tried to go where the bell was, the more he
could not find it, Jack by this time, had gone through
so many rooms, that he did not know how to get out: so
he went down some stairs that he saw ahead of him, and
found himself in the place where the buns were baked.

"'There were plenty of men here, all in baker's caps;
but instead of making buns, they were pouring out milk
for two rows of little boys, who stood, each with a
bib under his chin and a bun in his hand. The
strangest part of it was that the boys did not seem to
be a bit hot, while poor Jack was almost melting. Jack
thought that if he could only drink some milk, he
should feel better.

[Illustration]

"'But just as he was about to take his place with the
rest of the boys, they disappeared, and instead of
pouring out milk, the men were shovelling buns out of
ovens on all sides of the room. Now, Jack had heard
his mamma tell about the great oven that buns were
baked in, and he had always wanted to see one: so he
ran up to the door to look in.

"'The heat drove him back, and he turned quickly to
run, just as one of the bakers was putting his shovel
in for more buns. The baker did not notice him, and,
the first thing Jack knew, the baker's elbow drove him
bump against the oven door. My! how he screamed!

[Illustration]

"'Then, all of a sudden, there was no oven to be seen,
only a fire; and his mother was coming in at the
door,--not the bun-man's door, but his own nursery
door,--saying, "Why, Jack, not undressed yet! I sent
you to bed a half-hour ago!"

"'But she stopped suddenly, and picked Jack up,
hugging and kissing him, and calling his father to go
for the doctor. Poor Jack! what with the hurt on his
head, and his mother's crying, and the thought of the
strange bake-shop, he wondered whether he was Jack
O'Nory at all.

"'While he was wondering the doctor came, and his
mother began to tell him about Jack's hurt. "You see,
doctor," she said, "my little boy went to sleep as he
was sitting very near the fire, and fell over and cut
his head against the hot andiron."

"'Then Jack knew that the bun-man, the bake-shop, and
the oven, were all a dream. He told his mamma the
dream, and she promised him three buns every day till
his head was well. Then she tucked him up in his bed,
and told him not to dream of the bun-man again.'

"So this is the story of Jack O'Nory. Some day 'I'll tell you another
about Jack and his brother, and _now_ my story is done!'"

MRS. HENRIETTA R. ELIOT.

[Illustration]

TO THE SNOW-DROP.

EMBLEM of purity, gracefully lifting
Petals of beauty 'mid wintry snows drifting;
Brave little snow-drop, so fair and so hardy,
First flower to welcome the spring chill and tardy,--
Frost cannot wither thee, cold cannot frighten,
Patiently tarrying till skies may brighten;
Snow-piercer, cloud-gazer, wind-scorner, eye-cheerer,
Bring to my heart thy dear message yet nearer.
When age or sorrow is darkly impending,
Snows of adversity thickly descending,
Then, springing out of them, checked by no blasting,
Let there bloom thoughts of the life everlasting.
Coming, like snow-drops, amid our endurance,
Bringing to each weary heart the assurance,
To joy's frozen waste spring draws nigher and nigher,
And death is the way to life higher and higher.

EPES SARGENT.

[Illustration]

TURTLES.

ALMOST every one thinks of turtles as exceedingly slow and stupid.
Perhaps they may be rather slow, though you know who won the race in the
fable of the turtle and the hare. As for their stupidity, I doubt
whether they are so very stupid, for I once had one that seemed to me
very bright.

When I put him on the floor or ground, he would stay quite still, and
draw in his head and legs, until I turned away, or busied myself with
something else; then he would make off as fast as his little legs would
carry him.

I once lost one in that way: so, now that I know their tricks, I am more
careful. But certainly that turtle must have had some sense to be able
to tell when my back was turned, or even when I was not looking.

Their habits are quite peculiar. In summer they stay in the water most
of the time, coming out only now and then to sun themselves on some log
or branch. In the winter they bury themselves in the mud, or remain in a
torpid state. When spring comes, they lay their eggs.

They live chiefly on bugs; but I have heard of one living a whole year
without any thing to eat. They are very patient, and I have seen one try
for hours to get over a wall that one would think he could never get
over; and yet he would succeed.

I have a turtle now that will have a funny story to tell his friends, if
he ever reaches his native home again. This is it: I once took him to
school with me, and left him in a box, with the cover half open, on a
table in the dressing-room. In about an hour I heard a suppressed laugh
from one of the girls, and, looking up, I saw Mr. Turtle calmly walking
into school. He wanted to learn something as well as the rest of us.

LITTLE CHICK.

RATHER BASHFUL!

UNDER this great sunbonnet
Is hid a pretty face,
Belonging to a little girl
Whose name, they say, is Grace.
She is a merry little girl,
As good as good can be;
But she is rather bashful,
As any one may see.

FEEDING THE SWANS IN WINTER.

IT is a cold day in February. The icicles hang from the trees. The pond
is partly frozen over. Mary and her dog Pug have come down to take a
look at the swans.

The swans are often fed by girls and boys in the summer; but in winter
they have few visitors: so they are glad to see Mary, and waddle up on
the ice to meet her.

She feeds them with something that looks to me like a banana, and they
eat it greedily. Pug looks on fiercely, as though he did not quite
approve of their doings, and had half a mind to interfere.

[Illustration]

Take care, Pug: you had better keep in the background. A blow from a
swan's wing would not be good fun to a small dog. Let the swans eat
their luncheon in peace.

IDA FAY.

TWO FRIENDS.

JANE and Ann were good friends, but one morning they had a quarrel. They
soon made it up. Jane put her arms round Ann's neck, and said, "I am
sorry." Ann gave her a kiss, and they were friends again.

[Illustration]

Here you see them taking a walk. They have on good warm coats, for it is
a very cold day. Just see how lovingly they clasp each other. They are
having a nice little chat. I wonder what they are saying.

[Illustration]

A. B. C.

[Illustration: BIRD, LAMB, BABY.]

THERE was a wee bird that would not sleep,
Though twilight was falling hushed and deep,
And what did its mother do?
She sang it the song it loved the best,
She folded it softly in the nest,
And then, ere that mother knew,
Her birdie had gone to sleep.

[Illustration]

There was a wee lamb that still would play,
Though others were resting, after day,
And what did its mother do?
She called it so gently to her side,
She soothed it with loving care and pride,
And then, ere that mother knew,
Her lambkin had gone to sleep.

There was a wee babe that would not rest,
Though crimson and purple crowned the west,
And what did its mother do?
She made this wee song of lamb and bird,
She sang it so softly, every word,
And then, ere that mother knew,
Her darling had gone to sleep.

GEORGE COOPER.

[Illustration]

THE SWALLOWS' NEST.

CHARLEY came from school one Friday afternoon. He was going home with
his grandfather, at whose house he was to spend the next day. It was the
month of May; and the drive of ten miles among the green trees and
fields was very delightful.

There were no playmates for Charley at grandpa's; but with a calf at the
barn, several broods of chickens, and four kittens, he found enough to
occupy his mind. He was up very early in the morning, and it was after
ten o'clock when he came into the kitchen rather hungry.

[Illustration]

"Look under the cloth on the table, Charley," called his grandma from
the sitting-room. "You'll find a little cake I baked for you. Don't you
see it?" she asked, coming into the kitchen. "There, that one."

"Oh!" said Charley, "I thought that was a loaf."

Then, taking the cake in his hand, he sat on a rock at the foot of a
tree a little distance from the house, and began to eat with great
relish.

Not far from him, and a little way from the other buildings, was the
corn-barn, and at one end of its roof was a bird-house, which had been
taken by two little birds for their home. Charley saw one bird come out
and fly away. While she was gone, her mate kept watch at a short
distance to see that no harm came to the eggs that were within.

Charley noticed, that, in flying, these birds had different motions from
the sparrows and robins which lived about his own home in the city, and,
when he went nearer, he saw that they were swallows.

As he watched them pass in and out of their house, he observed that
there was something inside that opened and shut like a door. It was
pressed back when the birds went in, and sprang into place again as soon
as they were inside. Charley could not make out what it was, and ran to
the house to ask about it.

"Grandma," he said, "is there a real door to the swallows' house?"

"They make one for themselves," she answered: "there is no door to the
box. You know their house stands where it is exposed to all the winds,
and, on some days since they came, they must have felt the cold very
much. But I saw one come flying home one day with a turkey's feather in
his beak, and they worked away at it very busily until they had placed
it as you see. It keeps out the wind, and makes the house much more
comfortable."

Charley went back to look at the door again, and wished he could be
small enough, for a few minutes, to go inside the bird-house, and see
just how it was fastened. But he could not have his wish, and the
swallows kept their secret.

SUSAN CHENERY.

THE GENTLEMAN IN GRAY.

HUSH, little May! Snuggle here by my side:
Do you see in that corner a door open wide?
That's the door of a house: if you watch it a minute,
The shy little owner will come and sit in it.

See! there he comes; in a gray velvet hat,
With his shining black eyes looking this way and that,
And his velvet-shod feet: if you stir but a lash,
They'll twinkle and vanish as quick as a flash.

What do you fancy he does in the dark,
When the fire has gone down to the very last spark,
When the girls and the boys are in bed and asleep,
And there's never a cat on the carpet to creep?

Why, out of his doorway he walks at his ease,
And brings his relations and friends, if he please,
He picks up the crumbs of your candy and cake:
From the tiniest fragments a feast he can make.

He swings on the tassels, he climbs up the shelf;
He peeps in the mirror and winks at himself;
He drops from the table, and lands with a thump;
He slides down the sofa, and squeaks at the bump.

There, now he grows bolder; he's out on the floor;
He's eating an apple-seed there by the door;
He's under the table; he's--where did you say?
Oh, here he is! there he is! shoo! get away!

EMILY HUNTINGTON MILLER.

[Illustration]

THE LITTLE SCHOLARS.

AT your books! A goodly sight!
Learn to cipher, read, and write;
What you do, do always well;
Let your aim be to excel.
If you fail, why, try again;
Mend your pencil or your pen,
Straighten and perfect the line;
Make the fine mark still more fine;
Make the curve a little better;
Let no flaw be in the letter;
So by trying you will gain
Till perfection you attain.

EMILY CARTER.

[Illustration: DRAWING-LESSON.

VOL. XXIX.--NO. 3.]

THE THREE DOLLS.

ROSY.

"OH, let me see your dolly!"

KATE.

(_Holding up a handsome doll._)

"Take care! you must not touch;
For she was bought in Paris,
And oh, she cost so much!
Her dress is richest satin,
'Tis trimmed with nicest lace.
I do not dare to kiss her,
For fear 'twould spoil her face.
Such dainty little slippers
I'm sure you never saw!
We keep her wrapped in paper
Within the bureau-drawer.
Just see her shining necklace!
I think 'tis truly gold.
Oh, mine's a splendid dolly,
But she's too fine to hold!"

ROSY.

"And do you have one, Lizzie?"

[Illustration]

LIZZIE.

(_Bringing slowly out an old doll which she has been holding in her hand
behind her._)

"Oh, mine's a perfect fright!
I tried to keep her hidden
She's such a sorry sight.
If you had been here Christmas,
I know you would have said
That she was very lovely,
With cheeks like roses red,
And hair that shone like sunbeams,
And pretty, tasteful gown;
But I have been too heedless
Where I have laid her down.
I'd start up in a hurry,
And drop her here or there.
Her head--aunt Sally crushed it:
I left it in a chair.
Bad Jip, our naughty puppy,
Has dragged her all about.
She lost one arm; the sawdust
Has from her form come out.
Her head is cracking open,
Her clothes are soiled and old,
Yet this poor battered dolly
Is all I have to hold.
And I can have no other,
My mother says to me,
Until I learn more careful
And orderly to be."

[Illustration]

JENNY.

"Well, you may take mine, Rosy,
And play with her: I know
You will be very gentle,
Because I love her so.
She's but a common dolly,
She has a simple dress;
But then to me she's pretty,
I love her none the less.
I have one place to keep her,--
The closet's lowest shelf:
With mother's help I'm learning
To make her clothes myself.
I kiss her and caress her,
And, when the daylight flies,
I tenderly undress her,
And sing her lullabies.
Kate's doll is fine to look at,
All decked with lace and gold;
But mine's the dearest dolly
In all this world to hold."

MARIAN DOUGLAS.

[Illustration]

THE FAITHFUL SENTINEL.

WHEN there is war, the safety of an army may depend on the quickness and
courage of one sentinel. If he sleeps at his post, he is shot. The
sentinel I am to tell you about never fell asleep on duty, never ran
away from an enemy, carried no musket, and wore no uniform.

It was more than a hundred years ago that this trusted guard did duty;
and when he died, not a drum was heard, and no soldiers fired a volley
over his grave. You cannot find his name on the roll of enlisted men;
and yet no soldier was ever more faithful.

There was war with the Indians at the time of which I write, and a
family of settlers lived in what is now the State of Maine, on the bank
of the River Androscoggin. One day the children of the family went down
by the river to pick berries.

With the little party of boys and girls went the family dog. He was
trained to follow the trail of Indians, and to give warning of their
approach. The watchful dog took his place, like a sentinel, near the
children, while they ran about from bush to bush, eating more berries
than went into the pail.

Suddenly the dog gave a low growl, and looked angrily toward a heap of
brush at the edge of the woods. The children knew what that meant, and,
without waiting to see what the danger was, they ran at once towards the
block-house.

The faithful dog did not run, but stood on guard to meet the Indian whom
he had seen coming from the thicket. It was not far to the house; and
the children were soon in a place of safety, while the Indian skulked
back to the woods.

[Illustration]

Several years after, when the war was all over, this very same Indian
came that way, and talked with the children. They treated him kindly,
and he became their good friend. But he often told them of the danger
they all were in, that afternoon, when the good dog gave them such
timely warning.

The dog lived to a good old age, and was loved and petted by the family
as long as he lived; and to this day the descendants of Enoch and
Esther, Martha and Samuel, the children saved by the dog, tell the story
that I have related, and speak gratefully of the faithful sentinel.

GEORGE T. PACKARD.

BRUCE AND OLD SHEEPY.

MANY years ago, I spent a few weeks with some friends who lived upon a
large milk-farm in the State of New York. They made a great many pounds
of butter every day, and packed it in firkins for market. So much
churning could not be done by hand, and, as working by steam was not
common then, they were obliged to employ dogs, and sometimes sheep.

In the basement of the farm-house was a huge churn, the handle of which
was attached to a large barrel made of slats, in such a way, that, when
the barrel revolved, the churn was worked. When the dairy-maid was ready
to churn, she would lock Bruce, their great dog, into this barrel, and
say to him, "Go on, Bruce." If he went on, at every step he turned the
barrel. The faster the barrel turned, the faster the churn-handle moved
up and down, and the sooner the butter came.

Bruce did not like this kind of work; and who of us would? He often
tried to shirk it by running away; but when John, the farmer's son,
perceived this trick, he took care to secure the dog over night. The
farmer and his son were very good to their animals: so, in order that
Bruce might rest, they selected a sheep to perform a part of the labor.
This sheep, though quite young, was never called by any other name than
"Old Sheepy."

The dog and the sheep took turns in the churning thus: Bruce worked
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; Old Sheepy worked the other three days
of the six. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings, Old Sheepy
could never be found without much hunting. The other three mornings she
would leisurely wander near the house, nibbling the grass near the
doorstep.

So John was obliged to drive her into an enclosure, and there confine
her for the night, previous to her churning, as it took too much time to
find her in the morning.

[Illustration]

One Monday evening, Bruce, having done his day's work, was lying on a
rug in the sitting-room, where the farmer's children and myself were
having a quiet game of "Come, d'ye come?" At eight o'clock, Priscilla
and John, as if with one thought, started up from the game with the
words, "Has any one shut up Old Sheepy?" No one knew. So off John ran to
get the animal, but soon returned, not able to find her.

"No matter," said Priscilla, "Bruce has had an easy time to-day. We'll
put him on to-morrow; for we never had more cream ready than now." Bruce
pricked up his ears, as if to say, "Catch me churning Old Sheepy's
butter!"

[Illustration]

When bed-time came, Priscilla said, "I will not let old Bruce out
to-night. I will put him in the wash-room." Priscilla didn't quite know
Bruce, if she thought he was simple enough to be caught napping after
hearing that. He got out, no one knew how; and there was nothing to to
be done but to wait patiently till morning.

Bruce had no idea of allowing Old Sheepy to get clear of her task. At
midnight a terrible barking and bleating and growling and scampering,
was heard some little distance from the house. John went out to see what
the noise was about. He found that Bruce had spied Old Sheepy in her
hiding-place, had routed her out, and driven her into the enclosure;
but, as he could not bar the gate, he stood guard against the opening,
and was barking loudly to awaken the household.

As soon as John appeared upon the scene, Bruce returned to his rug as if
nothing had happened.

When Old Sheepy was marched into the barrel the next morning, you ought
to have seen Bruce strutting about the basement! If Old Sheepy slackened
her pace at all, Bruce would growl; if she didn't mind that, he would
bark, and would not stop until he had succeeded in calling the
dairy-maid to threaten Old Sheepy with the whip.

Priscilla and John thought these little acts of the dog very wise; but I
think a sheep that could tell the days of the week, as this one was able
to do, and knew enough to run away the night before her turn came, was
just as wise as the dog.

The family were loud in their praise of Bruce, however, and, as a reward
for his shrewdness, talked of relieving him from further work as soon as
they could succeed in training another sheep.

I left the farm-house before this took place: so I cannot say how Bruce
bore his laurels. But, if I had had my way, I would have rewarded Old
Sheepy too.

AUNT ANNE.

[Illustration]

"RIGHT OF WAY."

"BAA, baa! there's no road this way."
"Pretty sheep, do let me pass, I say;
It's too late to go back again to-day:
Nice little sheep, please to go away!"

[Illustration]

"Baa, baa! we won't let you by:
It's no use for you to begin to cry.
You can't come this road, it's no use to try;
So never mind asking the reason why."

ELFRIDA'S PRESENT.

ELFRIDA is a little German girl who lives in Bonn. She has a brother in
New York. He sent her, not long ago, a bound copy of "The Nursery." She
was greatly pleased. She spent much time looking at the pictures. Then
she said, "Oh, how I wish I could read the stories!"

"You have been saving up your money for some time," said her mother.
"For what have you been saving it?"

"To buy one of those beautiful dolls that can walk without being
touched: I do so long to have one!" said the little girl. "But why do
you ask, mamma?"

"It was only a passing thought," said mamma.

"But I want to know your passing thought," said Elfrida.

"Well, dear, I thought that one-quarter of the money you will have to
pay for a doll would buy you a nice English-German dictionary, by help
of which you could learn to read those stories in 'The Nursery.'"

"Let me buy it at once, mamma!" cried Elfrida. "Dolls are nice; but I
would rather have a dictionary. May I not go to the bookstore, and buy
the book now?"

"Yes, dear: your choice is a wise one. You may go."

Elfrida ran up stairs, put on her cape and bonnet, ran out to the
bookstore, and bought the book.

It was hard at first to find out the meaning of some of the words. But
the stories were simple, and some of the words were so like the same
words in German, that she did not have to look them out.

One day she came running home from school, and said, "O mamma! a little
American girl named Clara now comes to our school. She says she will
teach me to read."

The little American girl kept her promise. First she would give Elfrida
a lesson in English, and then Elfrida would give her a lesson in German.
And so they both grew to be nice little scholars. Elfrida would talk to
Clara in English, and Clara would answer her in German. Soon they could
each talk both languages quite well.

IDA FAY.

[Illustration]

"PARLEY-VOO."

"PARLEY-VOO" was the nickname of a little boy four years old, who was
born in Paris. He did not come home until after he had learned to talk,
and then he spoke French. So, when he went out to play with the other
boys, they laughed at him, and called him "Parley-voo."

His aunt laughed at him too, sometimes. She was rather a queer aunt,
and not at all like the aunts we read of in story-books. But his father
was just the best father that anybody ever heard of.

They lived in Sunland, a little town not many miles from Boston; and
every morning Parley-voo would hurry down to give his father a kiss
before he went away to his business in the city. Then, when the train
went by, he would stand at the window, and wave his little white
handkerchief, and then his father would wave back at him, as if to say,
"Good-by, once more, my dear little Parley-voo, good-by!"

But one morning he was so very sleepy, that he could not open his eyes
when his nurse told him it was time to get up. He called the nurse a
_bonne_, as they do in Paris. He pushed her away, and went to sleep
again, and the first thing he heard was the train going by with a "choo,
choo, choo," and his father was gone without a kiss.

Then Parley-voo cried, and said it was his _bonne's_ fault. He went to
the window, and there he stood crying. He could not eat the nice
breakfast that his nurse brought him, and would not let her dress him.
So she went away, and shut the door, and left him to dress himself.

In his hurry he put on one red stocking and one blue one. His little
kilt suit hung so high up in the closet, that he could not reach it: so
he drew on an old faded dress a good deal too short, and it made him
look just like a girl.

In this rig he went down stairs, and his aunt laughed so that she almost
cried when she saw him. That made him feel worse than ever, and he grew
worse than ever. I am sorry to tell it; but he flew at her, and kicked
her. His mother could not stop him, and his aunt had to run away.

But before long Parley-voo began to be sorry; for he was not a bad
child, only thoughtless and wilful. And when his mother whispered to him
to go and tell his aunt how sorry he was, the little red and blue legs
flew across the room, and up the stairs to find his aunt.

She sat in her room at her small table, and was taking a cup of tea. She
did not look up when she heard him coming, and he hardly dared to go in.
But he had a brave little heart; and calling out, "Aunty, I'm sorry," he
ran up to her, and clasping her neck with his little loving arms, "I am
very sorry, aunty," he said again. And they made it all up.

[Illustration]

His aunt told him that she thought it would be a good plan to write to
his papa, and tell him how it happened that his little boy was too late
to kiss him good-by. Then she took out of her desk a sheet of paper; and
Parley-voo, with his aunt's help, printed this letter:--

_Dear Papa_,--I did not see you, and I cried. Did you
wave to me? I said it was the _bonne's_ fault, and I
dressed myself. Aunt Tib laughed. I kicked her. I'm
sorry. I sha'n't do it any more. Mamma sends love and
three kisses. So do I. Aunt Tib sends her love too.

Your loving little PARLEY-VOO.

After this, Parley-voo and his aunt Tib were the best of friends. It was
a long time before he was too late again to say good-by to his father,
or had any trouble with his _bonne_.

ELIZABETH A. DAVIS.

[Illustration]

[Illustration: Music]

WINTER.

Music by T. CRAMPTON.

'Tis snowing fast, hurrah! hurrah!
Come o'er the hills away;
Away we'll run for healthy fun,
And in the snowdrifts play.
Let me but pull my mittens on,
I'll make the snowballs fly;
If you look out the window, Nell,
You'll see them whizzing by.

Papa thinks I'm not old enough
Just now to learn to skate;
And mother says another year
Will not be long to wait.
But famous forts I mean to build,
And on the ice I'll slide;
How swiftly o'er the glassy crust
I shall securely glide.

Oh, glad am I the frost has come!
What merry rides we'll take!
We soon shall hear the jingling bells
Their thrilling music make.
I know that lovely summer brings
Its many fruits and joys;
But then old frosty winter gives
Rare fun to lively boys.

* * * * *

Transcriber's Notes: Obvious punctuation errors repaired.

The original text for the January issue had a table of contents that
spanned six issues. This was divided amongst those issues.

Additionally, only the January issue had a title page. This page was
copied for the remaining five issues. Each issue had the number added on
the title page after the Volume number.

*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Nursery, March 1881, Vol. XXIX - A Monthly Magazine for Youngest Readers" ***

Home