Read Ebook: The Nursery August 1881 Vol. XXX A Monthly Magazine for Youngest Readers by Various

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Ebook has 228 lines and 17435 words, and 5 pages

SAM was a boy about five years old. He lived in the country, and had a nice little black-and-tan dog, Jack, to play with him. Sam wanted a goat. He thought that if he could only have a goat, he would be perfectly happy.

One day, when Sam was playing in the yard, his papa came driving home from town, with something tied in the bottom of the wagon. When he saw Sam, he stopped the horse and called, "Sam, come here, I have something for you."

Sam ran there as fast as he could, and--what do you think?--papa lifted two little goats out of the wagon, and put them down on the ground. One goat was black and one was white. Sam was so glad he did not know what to to do. He just jumped up and down with delight.

Then the dog Jack came running out to see the goats too; but he did not like them much. He barked at them as hard as he could; but the goats did not mind him at all.

Pretty soon mamma came to see what Sam had. When she saw the goats, she said, "Why, papa, what will become of us if we have two goats on the place?" But she was glad because Sam was glad; and Sam gave his papa about a hundred kisses to thank him for the goats.

For some weeks, the goats ran about the yard, and ate the grass; and Sam gave them water to drink, out of his little pail, and salt to eat, out of his hand. He liked to feel their soft tongues on his hand as they ate the salt. The goats would jump and run and play, and Sam thought it was fine fun to run and play with them. Jack would run too, and bark all the time.

But by and by Sam began to get tired of his goats, and his mamma was more tired of them than Sam was. They ate the tops off of her nice rose-bushes; they ran over her flower-beds; and one day, when the door was open, one of them ran into the parlor and jumped up on the best sofa.

Mamma said this would never do: so the next day papa found a man who said he would give Sam fifty cents for the white goat. As Sam wanted to buy a drum, he was glad to sell the goat; and with fifty cents in his pocket he felt very rich.

Then the other goat was put in the orchard, and he liked it there very much. He liked to have Sam come and play with him. As soon as he saw Sam coming, he would run to meet him, and push him with his head, in play, and try to jump on him.

The goat grew very fast,--much faster than Sam did; so that soon he was quite a big goat, while Sam was still a very small boy. He got to be so much stronger that Sam, that Sam was a little afraid of him.

One day, when they were playing, the goat hit Sam with his head, and knocked him down. Sam was scared. He got up, fast as he could, and tried to run to the gate; but the goat ran after him, and Sam had to climb into a tree. It was a nice apple-tree. Sam had often sat up there before, and liked it; but, now that he was forced to sit there, he did not like it at all.

The goat staid at the foot of the tree, and, when Sam tried to come down, he would shake his head at him, as if to say, "Come down if you dare." Sam did not dare. "Oh, dear!" said he, "what shall I do?"

There were some green apples on the tree; and Sam thought, that, if he threw them at the goat, he could drive him away: so he began to pick the apples, and throw them at the goat.

The first one hit the goat right on his head; but it did not hurt him at all. He just went to where the apple lay, and ate it up; and every time that Sam threw an apple at him the goat would eat it, and then look at Sam, as if to say, "That is good. Give me some more."

At last Sam said, "Oh, you bad, bad goat! I wish you would go away. If you don't go away, I'm afraid I shall cry." Then he thought of Jack, and called, "Here, Jack! Here, Jack!" Jack came running up to see what Sam wanted. Sam said, "At him, Jack! At him, Jack!"

Jack ran at the goat, and barked at him and tried to bite him; but the goat kept turning his head to Jack, so that Jack could not get a chance to bite him. At last the goat got tired of hearing Jack bark, and thought he would give him one hard knock, and drive him away.

So he took a step or two back, and then ran forward, as hard as he could, to hit Jack. But, when his head got to where Jack had been, Jack was not there: he had jumped away. The goat was going so fast, that he could not stop himself, but tumbled over his head, and came down on his back with his legs sticking up in the air.

Sam laughed so hard that he almost fell out of the tree, and Jack was so glad, that he jumped and barked, and tried to bite the goat's legs. At last the goat got up and walked over to the other side of the orchard as far as he could go. Then Sam jumped down out of the tree, and ran to tell his mamma all about it.

MARY DEY.

TOY-LAND.

AND how do you get to Toy-land? To all little people the joy-land. Just follow your nose, And go on tip-toes: It's only a minute to Toy-land.

And oh! but it's gay in Toy-land,-- This bright, merry girl-and-boy-land; And woolly dogs white That never will bite You'll meet on the highways in Toy-land.

Society's fine in Toy-land; The dollies all think it a joy-land; And folks in the ark Stay out after dark; And tin soldiers regulate Toy-land.

There's fun all the year in Toy-land: To sorrow 'twas ever a coy-land; And steamboats are run, And steam-cars, for fun: They're wound up with keys down in Toy-land.

Bold jumping-jacks thrive in Toy-land; Fine castles adorn this joy-land; And bright are the dreams, And sunny the beams, That gladden the faces in Toy-land.

How long do we live in Toy-land?-- This bright, merry girl-and-boy-land; A few days, at best, We stay as a guest, Then good-by forever to Toy-land!

GEORGE COOPER.

MARY'S SQUIRREL.

I WANT to tell you about the little squirrel we have. His name is Frisky. He came from New Jersey, and was quite tame when we got him. We thought it would be better to let him out in the fresh air among the trees; so we let him out.

I was away at aunt Lizzie's; but I came home early. Just as Henry and I were going to bed,--Henry is my brother,--the cook called me, and, of course, Henry came after me to see what was the matter.

I could not understand what it was at first; but pretty soon I saw it was Frisky up in one of the trees on our place. Frisky never bites: so it was not much trouble to catch him.

All the servants were there; but they could not catch him, because he did not know them: so I made them stand back, and held out a peanut to him. He came down and ate it; then he trusted me, and came down and ate another. As soon as I got him within reach, I seized him and gave him to William, the gardener, who, while I held the door open, popped him into his cage. I am eight years old, and my name is

MARY WINSOR.

A TURTLE SHOW.

DOWN in the pond, where willows grow Along the shore in a golden row, Is a single rock with its mossy ridge, And a log as mossy, resting there Half in the water, and half in the air, From shore to islet a beautiful bridge; And the lily-pads on either side Might tempt the little green frogs to ride; And the lily-blooms, so purely made, Do tempt the little white feet to wade.

What do you think I saw one day In the month of June, as I passed that way? Five little turtles, all in a row, On the top of the log,--a funny show,-- For they carried their houses on their backs, And tucked their toes out through the cracks Under the eaves! while their heads and tails Played hide-and-seek behind the scales.

They had golden dots on every shell; And they stood so still, and "dressed" so well, You might think they were called up to spell; And a "master" turtle, big and brown, On the top of the rock sat looking down In a learned way, as you might say To "put out words,"--and perhaps 'twas so, Though I heard no word,--but this, I know, The five little heads looked so very wise With their little bead eyes, they must have heard If ever the master pronounced a word.

In school or not, it was getting hot; And by and by, as the sun rose high, With the June-like drowsiness it sheds, They could not keep from going to sleep; And what do you think they did with their heads? Swallowed them! Oh, then, laugh, if you will; But true it is, still: Into their necks, as a sailor would slide His spy-glass into its leathern hide, They slid their five little heads away From the sight of man and the light of day.

While I stood watching them, still as a mouse, Pleased at their comical way to keep house, I heard a terrible splash and croak, As a great bull-frog leapt up on the log, In a way to frighten such simple folk. Five little turtles, quick as a wink, Into the water slip and sink; And one big turtle, just as quick, Off from the log goes down like a brick.

Ah, well! my turtles are not like boys, They can live in the pond, and they do hate noise!

GEORGE S. BURLEIGH.

THE CHIMNEY-SWEEP.

LITTLE Mary in the picture is afraid of Jacob, the chimney-sweep. He does look black and ugly; but he is a good boy, for all that, and Mary ought not to be afraid of him.

His parents died when he was very small, and he was bound out to a master, who taught him how to clean chimneys. Jacob did not like the work at first, and was afraid to go up the chimney; but now that he has got used to it, he likes it quite well. He sometimes sings a merry song while he is at work.

Mary's mother has sent for him to come and clean out her chimney; for it is choked up with soot, and she cannot make her fire burn.

LEONORA, from the German.

BILLY AND BRUISER.

BILLY is a small boy: Bruiser is a big dog. They are great friends. Billy gets on Bruiser's back, and treats him as if he were a horse.

Bruiser takes this as a good joke. He likes to have Billy play with him in this way. But it would not be safe for anybody else to do it.

Bruiser is a grand watch-dog. One day the old dog gave a fierce growl to keep off a butterfly.

He thought the butterfly was going to attack Billy. Billy had a good laugh at this; for, small as he is, he thinks he is a match for a butterfly.

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