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Ebook has 133 lines and 6694 words, and 3 pages

THE GOLDEN PENNIES.

OLD TOM, THE CAT.

HOW MY PIGEON HELPED ME TO GET MY LESSON.

IT'S VERY HARD.

THE MOTHER'S SECRET.

LITTLE WILLIE.

ROBERT AND HIS DOG.

THE LONG-TAILED MONKEYS, OR "HELP ONE ANOTHER!"

HENRY ASKING A BLESSING.

SELFISH JOHNNIE.

A LITTLE HERO.

GOOD FOR EVIL.

The Golden Pennies

AND OTHER STORIES.

THE GOLDEN PENNIES.

A LITTLE boy who had plenty of pennies dropped one in the missionary box, laughing as he did so. He had no thought in his heart of Jesus, the heathen, or the missionary. His was a tin penny. It was as light as a scrap of tin.

Another boy put a penny in, and as he did so, looked around with a self-applauding gaze, as if he had done some great thing. His was a brass penny. It was not the gift of a lowly heart, but of a proud spirit.

A third boy gave a penny, saying to himself, "I suppose I must because all others do." That was an iron penny. It was the gift of a cold, hard heart.

As a fourth boy dropped his penny in the box, he shed a tear and in his heart said, "Poor heathens! I'm so sorry they are so poor, so ignorant, and so miserable." That was a silver penny. It was the gift of a heart full of pity.

But there was one scholar who gave his penny with a throbbing heart, saying to himself, "For Thy sake, O loving Jesus, I give this penny, hoping that the poor heathen, whom Thou lovest, will believe in Thee and become Thy disciples." That was a golden penny, because it was the gift of love.

OLD TOM, THE CAT.

MY aunt Deborah was the owner of old Tom, who was in my opinion, and especially in that of his mistress, a very respectable right-minded cat. But like some human beings who get characters which they do not deserve, Tom was accused of always being where he should not be.

It arose from a circumstance which I am about to describe. One cold evening in winter, Polly, one of the maid-servants, had gone up to a large garret in which the dirty linen bags were kept for the washing-day. She had to look into one of them for a garment which had been put there before being duly mended. Her candle was a dip; it burned dim. She did not much like going up there at all. She drew open the mouth of the bag, when she afterwards declared--that--out there jumped a monster as big as a bull, and rushed head long downstairs.

A loud shriek was heard, and when the rest of the household hurried up as fast as the old butler Barnaby, who going first armed with a poker, would allow them. They found Polly stretched senseless on the ground. Barnaby's candle or his voice called her to her senses.

But all she would do was to cry out, "Oh, the bull! The bull! The bull! Where has he gone?"

As the hall doors were all locked, and as no bull was ever known to have jumped through a key-hole, and the only four-legged criminal found in the house was old Tom, and as cats are known now and then to get into dirty clothes-bags, there could be no doubt that it was he and not a bull who had frightened Polly.

Some time after this, Aunt Deborah had a nice dinner party. There were a number of guests--a fair young bride, and happy bridegroom among them. Aunt Deborah took one end of the table and Uncle Josiah the other. Scarcely were they seated, when the young bride began to look very uncomfortable.

"What is the matter, my dear madam," asked Uncle Josiah, gently.

"Oh, nothing, thank you. I am very well. Only the cat," said the bride.

"Only the cat!" repeated my uncle. "What can you mean?"

"Oh, nothing--nothing," again said the young lady, growing pale and red by turns, and showing that there was something or other which annoyed her excessively.

Of course, the young husband, when he saw his wife's agitation, became alarmed.

He also asked the natural question, "What is the matter, dearest?" and received for an answer, "Nothing, only the cat."

"Have you seen a cat in the room, my dear?" he asked.

"Oh, no, no, but I feel it is here, I know it is here, indeed it is," exclaimed the young lady in a tone of alarm.

This, of course, made the guests look under the table, and the servants hunt behind the curtains and the side-board, and in every other possible place; but no cat could be seen. Some of the guests, I believe, thought the young lady was out of her wits, or at all events, very fanciful.

The husband, however, explained briefly that his young wife, had, from her infancy, a natural repugnance to cats, and that she shuddered even if one came near her. Still, as no cat was to be found, he supposed that she must have been affected by some other cause.

She still insisted that a cat, and nothing but a cat was in the room, and at last she fell, almost fainting into her husband's arms.

Great was the confusion of the guests, when at that instant, Thomas the footman, happening to observe that one of the shutters was not quite closed, opened it, when out leaped Old Tom, and dashed past the bride out of the room.

The bride heaved a deep sigh, and declared herself perfectly well able to return to the table.

Old Tom was however, once, not only where he should not have been, but he rendered a great service to the family.

One night after going to rest, Aunt Deborah was aroused by hearing Old Tom mewing at the door.

"There's Tom as usual where he should not be," said Aunt Deborah to herself; for Tom ought to have been asleep in his basket in the housekeeper's room.

Still Tom went on "Mew, mew, mew," till my aunt, losing patience, got up as rapidly as her rheumatism would let her, and opened the door, intending to order Tom back to his bed.

No sooner did Tom see her, than he bounded towards her, mewing strangely and circling round and round her legs. Thinking that Tom wished to remain, she closed the door, supposing that having gained his object, he would be quiet. Instead of that, he continued to mew louder than ever, and moving round my aunt and then to the door, as if to persuade her to open it. This at last she did, supposing even then that old Tom only wished to be let out again. However, when she stood in the room with the door open, and still did not move, Tom, instead of going away, came back again mewing as before, and circling round her.

At length, it struck the old lady that the cat must have some motive in thus arousing her at that untimely hour, and putting on her thick flannel petticoat and dressing gown, with a shawl over her head, she prepared to follow Tom.

As she got outside the room, she heard a peculiar noise. She stopped to listen. She had no doubt about it, some persons were attempting to force an entrance.

"Burglars," she said to herself.

The very idea of what might happen sent a thrill through her. But she was a courageous old lady, and screwing up her nerves, she hastened to Uncle Josiah's room.

He was quickly aroused, and loading his pistol, he went down to Barnaby's room, followed by my aunt with Tom by her side, now purring with evident satisfaction.

Barnaby, who with due discretion instantly set the alarm bells ringing, aroused Thomas, and what with the screaming of the women up stairs, the shouting of the men down below, and the ringing of the bells all over the house, the burglars were so frightened, that they took to their heels, leaving all the implements of their trade behind them.

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