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diff --git a/10070-0.txt b/10070-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7a3cec2 --- /dev/null +++ b/10070-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,3686 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 10070 *** + +[Illustration] + + + + +Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans + +by Edward Eggleston + +AUTHOR OF “TRUE STORIES OF AMERICAN LIFE AND ADVENTURE” +“A FIRST BOOK IN AMERICAN HISTORY” AND “A HISTORY OF THE +UNITED STATES AND ITS PEOPLE FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS” + +1895 + + +Contents + + PREFACE + The First Governor in Boston + Marquette in Iowa + Indian Pictures + William Penn and the Indians + One Little Bag of Rice + The Story of a Wise Woman + Franklin his own Teacher + How Franklin found out Things + Franklin asks the Sunshine something + Franklin and the Kite + Franklin’s Whistle + Too much for the Whistle + John Stark and the Indians + A Great Good Man + Putnam and the Wolf + Washington and his Hatchet + How Benny West learned to be a Painter + Washington’s Christmas Gift + How Washington got out of a Trap + Washington’s Last Battle + Marion’s Tower + Clark and his Men + Daniel Boone and his Grapevine Swing + Daniel Boone’s Daughter and her Friends + Decatur and the Pirates + Stories about Jefferson + A Long Journey + Captain Clark’s Burning Glass + Quicksilver Bob + The First Steamboat + Washington Irving as a Boy + Don’t give up the Ship + Grandfather’s Rhyme + The Star-spangled Banner + How Audubon came to know about Birds + Audubon in the Wild Woods + Hunting a Panther + Some Boys who became Authors + Daniel Webster and his Brother + Webster and the Poor Woman + The India-rubber Man + Doctor Kane in the Frozen Sea + A Dinner on the Ice + Doctor Kane gets out of the Frozen Sea + Longfellow as a Boy + Kit Carson and the Bears + Horace Greeley as a Boy + Horace Greeley learning to Print + A Wonderful Woman + The Author of “Little Women” + My Kingdom + A Song from the Suds + + + + +PREFACE. + + +The primary aim of this book is to furnish the little learner reading +matter that will excite his attention and give him pleasure, and thus +make lighter the difficult task of learning to read. The ruggedness of +this task has often been increased by the use of disconnected +sentences, or lessons as dry and uninteresting as finger exercises on +the piano. It is a sign of promise that the demand for reading matter +of interest to the child has come from teachers. I have endeavored to +meet this requirement in the following stories. + +As far as possible the words chosen have been such as are not difficult +to the little reader, either from their length or their unfamiliarity. +The sentences and paragraphs are short. Learning to read is like +climbing a steep hill, and it is a great relief to the panting child to +find frequent breathing places. + +It is one of the purposes of these stories to make the mind of the +pupil familiar with some of the leading figures in the history of our +country by means of personal anecdote. Some of the stories are those +that every American child ought to know, because they have become a +kind of national folklore. Such, for example, are “Putnam and the Wolf” +and the story of “Franklin’s Whistle.” I have thought it important to +present as great a variety of subjects as possible, so that the pupil +may learn something not only of great warriors and patriots, but also +of great statesmen. The exploits of discoverers, the triumphs of +American inventors, and the achievements of men of letters and men of +science, find place in these stories. All the narratives are +historical, or at least no stories have been told for true that are +deemed fictitious. Every means which the writer’s literary experience +could suggest has been used to make the stories engaging, in the hope +that the interest of the narrative may prove a sufficient spur to +exertion on the part of the pupil, and that this little book will make +green and pleasant a pathway that has so often been dry and laborious. +It will surely serve to excite an early interest in our national +history by giving some of the great personages of that history a place +among the heroes that impress the susceptible imagination of a child. +It is thus that biographical and historical incidents acquire something +of the vitality of folk tales. + +The illustrations that accompany the text have been planned with +special reference to the awakening of the child’s attention. To keep +the mind alert and at its best is more than half the battle in +teaching. The publishers and the author of this little book believe +that in laying the foundation of a child’s education the best work is +none too good. + +The larger words have been divided by hyphens when a separation into +syllables is likely to help the learner. The use of the hyphen has been +regulated entirely with a view to its utility. After a word not too +difficult has been made familiar by its repeated occurrence, the +hyphens are omitted. + + + + +STORIES OF GREAT AMERICANS. + + +[Illustration: THE FIRST GOVERNOR IN BOSTON] + +Before the white people came, there were no houses in this country but +the little huts of the In-di-ans. The In-di-an houses were made of +bark, or mats, or skins, spread over poles. + +Some people came to one part of the country. Others started +set-tle-ments in other places. When more people came, some of these +set-tle-ments grew into towns. The woods were cut down. Farms were +planted. Roads were made. But it took many years for the country to +fill with people. + +The first white people that came to live in the woods where Boston is +now, settled there a long time ago. They had a gov-ern-or over them. He +was a good man, and did much for the people. His name was John +Win-throp. + +The first thing the people had to do was to cut down the trees. After +that they could plant corn. But at first they could not raise any-thing +to eat. They had brought flour and oat-meal from England. But they +found that it was not enough to last till they could raise corn on +their new ground. + +Win-throp sent a ship to get more food for them. The ship was gone a +long time. The people ate up all their food. They were hungry. They +went to the sea-shore, and found clams and mussels. They were glad to +get these to eat. + +At last they set a day for every-body to fast and pray for food. The +gov-ern-or had a little flour left. Nearly all of this was made into +bread, and put into the oven to bake. He did not know when he would get +any more. + +Soon after this a poor man came along. His flour was all gone. His +bread had all been eaten up. His family were hungry. The gov-ern-or +gave the poor man the very last flour that he had in the barrel. + +Just then a ship was seen. It sailed up toward Boston. It was loaded +with food for all the people. + +The time for the fast day came. But there was now plenty of food. The +fast day was turned into a thanks-giving day. + +One day a man sent a very cross letter to Gov-ern-or Win-throp. +Win-throp sent it back to him. He said, “I cannot keep a letter that +might make me angry.” Then the man that had written the cross letter +wrote to Win-throp, “By con-quer-ing yourself, you have con-quered me.” + + + + +MARQUETTE IN IOWA. + + +The first white men to go into the middle of our country were +French-men. The French had settled in Can-a-da. They sent +mis-sion-a-ries to preach to the Indians in the West. They also sent +traders to buy furs from the Indians. + +The French-men heard the Indians talk about a great river in the West. +But no French-man had ever gone far enough to see the Mis-sis-sip-pi. + +Mar-quette was a priest. Jo-li-et was a trader. These two men were sent +to find the great river that the Indians talked about. + +They trav-eled in two birch canoes. They took five men to paddle the +canoes. They took some smoked meat to eat on the way. They also took +some Indian corn. They had trinkets to trade to the Indians. Hatchets, +and beads, and bits of cloth were the money they used to pay the +Indians for what they wanted. + +The friendly Indians in Wis-con-sin tried to per-suade them not to go. +They told them that the Indians on the great river would kill them. + +The friendly Indians also told them that there was a demon in one part +of the river. They said that this demon roared so loud that he could be +heard a long way off. They said that the demon would draw the +trav-el-ers down into the water. Then they told about great monsters +that ate up men and their canoes. + +But Mar-quette and the men with him thought they would risk the +journey. They would not turn back for fear of the demon or the +monsters. + +The two little canoes went down the Wis-con-sin River. After some days +they came to the Mis-sis-sip-pi. More than a hundred years before, the +Spaniards had seen the lower part of this river. But no white man had +ever seen this part of the great river. Mar-quette did not know that +any white man had ever seen any part of the Mis-sis-sip-pi. + +The two little canoes now turned their bows down the river. Some-times +they saw great herds of buf-fa-loes. Some of these came to the bank of +the river to look at the men in the canoes. They had long, shaggy +manes, which hung down over their eyes. + +For two weeks the trav-el-ers paddled down the river. In all this time +they did not see any Indians. After they had gone hundreds of miles in +this way, they came to a place where they saw tracks in the mud. It was +in what is now the State of I-o-wa. + +Mar-quette and Jo-li-et left the men in their canoes, and followed the +tracks. After walking two hours, they came to an Indian village. The +Frenchmen came near enough to hear the Indians talking. The Indians did +not see them. + +Jo-li-et and Mar-quette did not know whether the Indians would kill +them or not. They said a short prayer. Then they stood out in full +view, and gave a loud shout. + +The Indians came out of their tents like bees. They stared at the +strangers. Then four Indians came toward them. These Indians carried a +peace pipe. They held this up toward the sun. This meant that they were +friendly. + +The Indians now offered the peace pipe to the French-men. The +French-men took it, and smoked with the Indians. This was the Indian +way of saying, “We are friends.” + +[Illustration: Marquette and Joliet] + +Mar-quette asked the Indians what tribe they belonged to. They told him +that they were of the tribe called the Il-li-nois. + +They took Jo-li-et and Mar-quette into their village. They came to the +door of a large wig-wam. A chief stood in the door. He shaded his eyes +with both hands, as if the sun were shining in his face. Then he made a +little speech. + +He said, “French-men, how bright the sun shines when you come to see +us! We are all waiting for you. You shall now come into our houses in +peace.” + +The Il-li-nois Indians made a feast for their new friends. First they +had mush of corn meal, with fat meat in it. One of the Indians fed the +Frenchmen as though they were babies. He put mush into their mouths +with a large spoon. + +Then came some fish. The Indian that fed the vis-it-ors picked out the +bones with his fingers. Then he put the pieces of fish into their +mouths. After they had some roasted dog. The French-men did not like +this. Last, they were fed with buf-fa-lo meat. + +The next morning six hundred Indians went to the canoes to tell the +Frenchmen good-by. They gave Mar-quette a young Indian slave. And they +gave him a peace pipe to carry with him. + + + + +INDIAN PICTURES. + + +When Mar-quette and his men left the Il-li-nois, they went on down the +river. The friendly Il-li-nois had told them that the Indians they +would see were bad, and that they would kill any one who came into +their country. + +The Frenchmen had heard before this that there were demons and monsters +in the river. One day they saw some high rocks with pictures painted on +them. The ugly pictures made them think of these monsters. They were +painted in red, black, and green colors. They were pictures of two +Indian demons or gods. + +Each one of these monsters was about the size of a calf. They had horns +as long as those of a deer. Their eyes were red. Their faces were like +a man’s, but they were ugly and frightful. They had beards like a +tiger’s. Their bodies were covered with scales like those on a fish. +Their long tails were wound round their bodies, and over their heads, +and down between their legs. The end of each tail was like that of a +fish. + +The Indians prayed to these ugly gods when they passed in their canoes. +Even Mar-quette and his men were a little frightened when they saw such +pictures in a place so lonely. The Frenchmen went down the river about +twelve hundred miles. Some-times the Indians tried to kill them, but by +showing the peace pipe they made friends. At last they turned back. +Jo-li-et went to Can-a-da. Mar-quette preached to the Indians in the +West till he died. + + + + +WILLIAM PENN AND THE INDIANS. + + +The King of England gave all the land in Penn-syl-va-ni-a to William +Penn. The King made Penn a kind of king over Penn-syl-va-ni-a. Penn +could make the laws of this new country. But he let the people make +their own laws. + +Penn wanted to be friendly with the Indians. He paid them for all the +land his people wanted to live on. Before he went to Penn-syl-va-ni-a +he wrote a letter to the Indians. He told them in this letter that he +would not let any of his people do any harm to the Indians. He said he +would punish any-body that did any wrong to an Indian. This letter was +read to the Indians in their own lan-guage. + +Soon after this Penn got into a ship and sailed from England. He sailed +to Penn-syl-va-ni-a. When he came there, he sent word to the tribes of +Indians to come to meet him. + +The Indians met under a great elm tree on the bank of the river. +Indians like to hold their solemn meetings out of doors. They sit on +the ground. They say that the earth is the Indian’s mother. + +When Penn came to the place of meeting, he found the woods full of +Indians. As far as he could see, there were crowds of Indians. Penn’s +friends were few. They had no guns. + +Penn had a bright blue sash round his waist. One of the Indian chiefs, +who was the great chief, put on a kind of cap or crown. In the middle +of this was a small horn. The head chief wore this only at such great +meetings as this one. + +When the great chief had put on his horn, all the other chiefs and +great men of the Indians put down their guns. Then they sat down in +front of Penn in the form of a half-moon. Then the great chief told +Penn that the Indians were ready to hear what he had to say. + +Penn had a large paper in which he had written all the things that he +and his friends had promised to the Indians. He had written all the +promises that the Indians were to make to the white people. This was to +make them friends. When Penn had read this to them, it was explained to +them in their own lan-guage. Penn told them that they might stay in the +country that they had sold to the white people. The land would belong +to both the Indians and the white people. + +Then Penn laid the large paper down on the ground. That was to show +them, he said, that the ground was to belong to the Indians and the +white people to-geth-er. + +He said that there might be quarrels between some of the white people +and some of the Indians. But they would settle any quarrels without +fighting. When-ever there should be a quarrel, the Indians were to pick +out six Indians. The white people should also pick out six of their +men. These were to meet, and settle the quarrel. + +Penn said, “I will not call you my children, because fathers some-times +whip their children. I will not call you brothers, because brothers +sometimes fall out. But I will call you the same person as the white +people. We are the two parts of the same body.” + +The Indians could not write. But they had their way of putting down +things that they wished to have re-mem-bered. They gave Penn a belt of +shell beads. These beads are called wam-pum. Some wam-pum is white. +Some is purple. + +They made this belt for Penn of white beads. In the middle of the belt +they made a picture of purple beads. It is a picture of a white man and +an Indian. They have hold of each other’s hands. When they gave this +belt to Penn, they said, “We will live with William Penn and his +children as long as the sun and moon shall last.” + +[Illustration: Penn jumping with the Indians.] + +Penn took up the great paper from the ground. He handed it to the great +chief that wore the horn on his head. He told the Indians to keep it +and hand it to their children’s children, that they might know what he +had said. Then he gave them many presents of such things as they liked. +They gave Penn a name in their own language. They named him “O-nas.” +That was their word for a feather. As the white people used a pen made +out of a quill or feather, they called a pen “o-nas.” That is why they +called William Penn “Brother O-nas.” + +Penn sometimes went to see the Indians. He talked to them, and gave +them friendly advice. Once he saw some of them jumping. They were +trying to see who could jump the farthest. + +Penn had been a very active boy. He knew how to jump very well. He went +to the place where the Indians were jumping. He jumped farther than any +of them. + +When the great gov-ern-or took part in their sport, the Indians were +pleased. They loved Brother O-nas more than ever. + + + + +ONE LITTLE BAG OF RICE + + +The first white people that came to this country hardly knew how to get +their living here. They did not know what would grow best in this +country. + +Many of the white people learned to hunt. All the land was covered with +trees. In the woods were many animals whose flesh was good to eat. +There were deer, and bears, and great shaggy buf-fa-loes. There were +rabbits and squirrels. And there were many kinds of birds. The hunters +shot wild ducks, wild turkeys, wild geese, and pigeons. The people also +caught many fishes out of the rivers. + +Then there were animals with fur on their backs. The people killed +these and sold their skins. In this way many made their living. + +Other people spent their time in cutting down the trees. They sawed the +trees into timbers and boards. Some of it they split into staves to +make barrels. They sent the staves and other sorts of timber to other +countries to be sold. In South Car-o-li-na men made tar and pitch out +of the pine trees. + +But there was a wise man in South Car-o-li-na. He was one of those men +that find out better ways of doing. His name was Thomas Smith. + +Thomas Smith had once lived in a large island thousands of miles away +from South Car-o-li-na. In that island he had seen the people raising +rice. He saw that it was planted in wet ground. He said that he would +like to try it in South Car-o-li-na. But he could not get any seed rice +to plant. The rice that people eat is not fit to sow. + +One day a ship came to Charles-ton, where Thomas Smith lived. It had +been driven there by storms. The ship came from the large island where +Smith had seen rice grow. The captain of this ship was an old friend of +Smith. + +The two old friends met once more. Thomas Smith told the captain that +he wanted some rice for seed. The captain called the cook of his ship, +and asked him if he had any. The cook had one little bag of seed rice. +The captain gave this to his friend. + +There was some wet ground at the back of Smith’s garden. In this wet +ground he sowed some of the rice. It grew finely. + +He gathered a good deal of rice in his garden that year. He gave part +of this to his friends. They all sowed it. The next year there was a +great deal of rice. + +After a while the wet land in South Car-o-li-na was turned to rice +fields. Every year many thousands of barrels of rice were sent away to +be sold. + +All this came from one little bag of rice and one wise man. + +[Illustration: Rice Plant.] + + + + +THE STORY OF A WISE WOMAN. + + +You have read how Thomas Smith first raised rice in Car-o-li-na. After +his death there lived in South Car-o-li-na a wise young woman. She +showed the people how to raise another plant. Her name was Eliza Lucas. + +The father of Miss Lucas did not live in Car-o-li-na. He was gov-ern-or +of one of the islands of the West Indies. Miss Lucas was fond of trying +new things. She often got seeds from her father. These she planted in +South Carolina. + +Her father sent her some seeds of the in-di-go plant. She sowed some of +these in March. But there came a frost. The in-di-go plant cannot stand +frost. Her plants all died. + +But Miss Lucas did not give up. She sowed some more seeds in April. +These grew very well until a cut-worm found them. The worm wished to +try new things, too. So he ate off the in-di-go plants. + +But Miss Lucas was one of the people who try, try again. She had lost +her indigo plants twice. Once more she sowed some of the seed. This +time the plants grew very well. + +Miss Lucas wrote to her father about it. He sent her a man who knew how +to get the indigo out of the plant. + +The man tried not to show Miss Lucas how to make the indigo. He did not +wish the people in South Carolina to learn how to make it. He was +afraid his own people would not get so much for their indigo. + +So he would not explain just how it ought to be done. He spoiled the +indigo on purpose. + +But Miss Lucas watched him closely. She found out how the indigo ought +to be made. Some of her father’s land in South Carolina was now planted +with the indigo plants. + +[Illustration: Indigo Plant.] + +Then Miss Lucas was married. She became Mrs. Pinck-ney. Her father gave +her all the indigo growing on his land in South Carolina. It was all +saved for seed. Some of the seed Mrs. Pinck-ney gave to her friends. +Some of it her husband sowed. It all grew, and was made into that blue +dye that we call indigo. When it is used in washing clothes, it is +called bluing. + +In a few years, more than a million pounds of indigo were made in South +Carolina every year. Many people got rich by it. And it was all because +Miss Lucas did not give up. + + + + +FRANKLIN HIS OWN TEACHER. + + +Few people ever knew so many things as Franklin. Men said, “How did he +ever learn so many things?” For he had been a poor boy who had to work +for a living. He could not go to school at all after he was ten years +old. + +His father made soap and candles. Little Ben Frank-lin had to cut wicks +for the candles. He also filled the candle molds. And he sold soap and +candles, and ran on errands. But when he was not at work he spent his +time in reading good books. What little money he got he used to buy +books with. + +He read the old story of “Pil-grim’s Prog-ress,” and liked it so well +that he bought all the other stories by the same man. But as he wanted +more books, and had not money to buy them, he sold all of these books. +The next he bought were some little his-to-ry books. These were made to +sell very cheap, and they were sold by peddlers. He managed to buy +forty or fifty of these little books of his-to-ry. + +Another way that he had of learning was by seeing things with his own +eyes. His father took him to see car-pen-ters at work with their saws +and planes. He also saw masons laying bricks. And he went to see men +making brass and copper kettles. And he saw a man with a turning lathe +making the round legs of chairs. Other men were at work making knives. +Some things people learn out of books, and some things they have to see +for them-selves. + +As he was fond of books, Ben’s father thought that it would be a good +plan to send him to learn to print them. So the boy went to work in his +brother’s printing office. Here he passed his spare time in reading. He +borrowed some books out of the stores where books were sold. He would +sit up a great part of the night sometimes to read one of these books. +He wished to return it when the book-store opened in the morning. One +man who had many books lent to Ben such of his books as he wanted. + +It was part of the bargain that Ben’s brother should pay his board. The +boy offered to board himself if his brother would give him half what it +cost to pay for his board. + +[Illustration: Franklin at Study.] + +His brother was glad to do this, and Ben saved part of the money and +bought books with it. He was a healthy boy, and it did not hurt him to +live mostly on bread and butter. Sometimes he bought a little pie or a +handful of raisins. + +Long before he was a man, people said, “How much the boy knows!” This +was because— + +He did not waste his time. + +He read good books. + +He saw things for himself. + + + + +HOW FRANKLIN FOUND OUT THINGS. + + +Frank-lin thought that ants know how to tell things to one another. He +thought that they talk by some kind of signs. When an ant has found a +dead fly too big for him to drag away, he will run off and get some +other ant to help him. Frank-lin thought that ants have some way of +telling other ants that there is work to do. + +One day he found some ants eating mo-las-ses out of a little jar in a +closet. He shook them out. Then he tied a string to the jar, and hung +it on a nail in the ceiling. But he had not got all the ants out of the +jar. One little ant liked sweet things so well that he staid in the +jar, and kept on eating like a greedy boy. + +[Illustration: Ants talking (magnified)] + +At last when this greedy ant had eaten all that he could, he started to +go home. Frank-lin saw him climb over the rim of the jar. Then the ant +ran down the outside of the jar. But when he got to the bottom, he did +not find any shelf there. He went all round the jar. There was no way +to get down to the floor. The ant ran this way and that way, but he +could not get down. + +[Illustration: An Ants Feeler (magnified)] + +At last the greedy ant thought he would see if he could go up. He +climbed up the string to the ceiling. Then he went down the wall. He +came to his own hole at last, no doubt. + +After a while he got hungry again, perhaps. He thought about that jar +of sweets at the end of a string. Then perhaps he told the other ants. +Maybe he let them know that there was a string by which they could get +down to the jar. + +In about half an hour after the ant had gone up the string, Franklin +saw a swarm of ants going down the string. They marched in a line, one +after another. Soon there were two lines of ants on the string. The +ants in one line were going down to get at the sweet food. The ants in +the other line were marching up the other side of the string to go +home. Do you think that the greedy ant told the other ants about the +jar? + +And did he tell them that there was a string by which an ant could get +there? + +And did he tell it by speaking, or by signs that he made with his +feelers? + +If you watch two ants when they meet, you will see that they touch +their feelers together, as if they said “Good-morning!” + +[Illustration] + + + + +FRANKLIN ASKS THE SUNSHINE SOMETHING. + + +One day Franklin was eating dinner at the house of a friend. The lady +of the house, when she poured out the coffee, found that it was not +hot. + +She said, “I am sorry that the coffee is cold. It is because the +servant forgot to scour the coffee-pot. Coffee gets cold more quickly +when the coffee-pot is not bright.” + +This set Franklin to thinking. He thought that a black or dull thing +would cool more quickly than a white or bright one. That made him think +that a black thing would take in heat more quickly than a white one. + +He wanted to find out if this were true or not. There was no-body who +knew, so there was no-body to ask. But Franklin thought that he would +ask the sunshine. Maybe the sunshine would tell him whether a black +thing would heat more quickly than a white thing. + +But how could he ask the sunshine? + +There was snow on the ground. Franklin spread a white cloth on the +snow. Then he spread a black cloth on the snow near the white one. When +he came to look at them, he saw that the snow under the black cloth +melted away much sooner than that under the white cloth. + +That is the way that the sunshine told him that black would take in +heat more quickly than white. After he had found this out, many people +got white hats to wear in the summer time. A white hat is cooler than a +black one. + +Some time when there is snow on the ground, you can take a white and a +black cloth and ask the sunshine the same question. + + + + +FRANKLIN AND THE KITE. + + +When Franklin wanted to know whether the ants could talk or not, he +asked the ants, and they told him. When he wanted to know some-thing +else, he asked the sunshine about it, as you have read in another +story. That is the way that Franklin came to know so many things. He +knew how to ask questions of every-thing. + +Once he asked the light-ning a question. And the light-ning gave him an +answer. + +Before the time of Franklin, people did not know what light-ning was. +They did not know what made the thunder. Franklin thought much about +it. At last he proved what it was. He asked the lightning a question, +and made it tell what it was. To tell you this story, I shall have to +use one big word. Maybe it is too big for some of my little friends +that will read this book. Let us divide it into parts. Then you will +not be afraid of it. The big word is e-lec-tric-i-ty. + +Those of you who live in towns have seen the streets lighted by +e-lec-tric-i-ty. But in Franklin’s time there were no such lights. +People knew very little about this strange thing with a big name. + +But Franklin found out many things about it that nobody had ever known +before. He began to think that the little sparks he got from +e-lec-tric-i-ty were small flashes of lightning. He thought that the +little cracking sound of these sparks was a kind of baby thunder. + +So he thought that he would try to catch a little bit of lightning. +Perhaps he could put it into one of the little bottles used to hold +e-lec-tric-i-ty. Then if it behaved like e-lec-tric-i-ty, he would know +what it was. But catching lightning is not easy. How do you think he +did it? + +First he made a kite. It was not a kite just like a boy’s kite. He +wanted a kite that would fly when it rained. Rain would spoil a paper +kite in a minute. So Franklin used a silk hand-ker-chief to cover his +kite, instead of paper. + +[Illustration: Franklin’s Discovery.] + +He put a little sharp-pointed wire at the top of his kite. This was a +kind of lightning rod to draw the lightning into the kite. His kite +string was a common hemp string. To this he tied a key, because +lightning will follow metal. The end of the string that he held in his +hand was a silk ribbon, which was tied to the hemp string of the kite. +E-lec-tric-ity will not follow silk. + +One night when there was a storm coming, he went out with his son. They +stood under a cow shed, and he sent his kite up in the air. + +[Illustration] + +After a while he held his knuckle to the key. A tiny spark flashed +between the key and his knuckle. It was a little flash of lightning. + +Then he took his little bottle fixed to hold e-lec-tric-i-ty. He filled +it with the e-lec-tric-i-ty that came from the key. He carried home a +bottle of lightning. So he found out what made it thunder and lighten. + +After that he used to bring the lightning into his house on rods and +wires. He made the lightning ring bells and do many other strange +things. + + + + +FRANKLIN’S WHISTLE. + + +When Franklin was an old man, he wrote a cu-ri-ous letter. In that +letter he told a story. It was about some-thing that happened to him +when he was a boy. + +[Illustration] + +Here is the story put into verses, so that you will re-member it +better. Some day you can read the story as Franklin told it himself. +You will hear people say, “He paid too much for the whistle.” The +saying came from this story. + + + + +TOO MUCH FOR THE WHISTLE + + + As Ben with pennies in his pocket + Went strolling down the street, + “Toot-toot! toot-toot!” there came a whistle + From a boy he chanced to meet, + + Whistling fit to burst his buttons, + Blowing hard and stepping high. + Then Benny said, “I’ll buy your whistle;” + But “Toot! toot-toot!” was the reply. + + But Benny counted out his pennies, + The whistling boy began to smile; + With one last toot he gave the whistle + To Ben, and took his penny pile. + + Now homeward goes the whistling Benny, + As proud as any foolish boy, + And in his pockets not a penny, + But in his mouth a noisy toy. + + “Ah, Benny, Benny!” cries his mother, + “I cannot stand your ugly noise.” + “Stop, Benny, Benny!” says his father, + “I cannot talk, you drown my voice.” + + At last the whistling boy re-mem-bers + How much his money might have bought + “Too many pennies for a whistle,” + Is little Benny’s ugly thought. + + Too many pennies for a whistle + Is what we all pay, you and I, + Just for a little foolish pleasure + Pay a price that’s quite too high. + + + + +JOHN STARK AND THE INDIANS. + + +John Stark was a famous gen-er-al in the Rev-o-lu-tion. But this story +is not about the Rev-o-lu-tion. It is about Stark before he became a +soldier. + +When he was a young man, Stark went into the woods. His brother and two +other young men were with him. They lived in a camp. It was far away +from any houses. + +The young men set traps for animals in many places. They wanted to +catch the animals that have fur on them. They wanted to get the skins +to sell. + +The Indians were at war with the white people. One day the young men +saw the tracks of Indians. Then they knew that it was not safe for them +to stay in the woods any longer. They began to get ready to go home. + +John Stark went out to bring in the traps set for animals. The Indians +found him, and made him a pris-on-er. They asked him where his friends +were. + +Stark did not wish his friends to be taken. So he pointed the wrong +way. He took the Indians a long way from the other young men. + +But John Stark’s friends did not know that he was a pris-on-er. When he +did not come back, they thought that he had lost his way. They fired +their guns to let him know where they were. + +When the Indians heard the guns, they knew where the other hunters +were. They went down to the river, and waited for them. When one of the +men came down, they caught him. + +Then John Stark’s brother and the other man came down the river in a +boat. The Indians told Stark to call them. They wanted them to come +over where the Indians were. Then they could take them. + +John knew that the Indians were cruel. He knew that if he did not do +what they told him to, they might kill him. But he wished to save his +brother. He called to his brother to row for the other shore. + +When they turned toward the other shore, the Indians fired at them. But +Stark knocked up two of their guns. They did not hit the white men. +Then some of the other Indians fired. Stark knocked up their guns also. +But the man that was with his brother was killed. + +John now called to his brother, “Run! for all the Indians’ guns are +empty.” + +His brother got away. The Indians were very angry with John. They did +not kill him. But they gave him a good beating. These Indians were from +Can-a-da. They took their pris-on-ers to their own village. When they +were coming home, they shouted to let the people know that they had +prisoners. + +[Illustration: Stark running the Gauntlet] + +The young Indian war-ri-ors stood in two rows in the village. Each +prisoner had to run between these two rows of Indians. As he passed, +every one of the Indians hit him as hard as he could with a stick, or a +club, or a stone. + +The young man who was with Stark was badly hurt in running between +these lines. But John Stark knew the Indians. He knew that they liked a +brave man. + +When it came his turn to run, he snatched a club from one of the +Indians. With this club he fought his way down the lines. He hit hard, +now on this side, and now on that. The young Indians got out of his +way. The old Indians who were looking on sat and laughed at the others. +They said that Stark was a brave man. + +One day the Indians gave him a hoe and told him to hoe corn. He knew +that the Indian war-ri-ors would not work. They think it a shame for a +man to work. Their work is left for slaves and women. So Stark +pre-tend-ed that he did not know how to hoe. He dug up the corn instead +of the weeds. Then he threw the hoe into the river. He said, “That is +work for slaves and women.” + +Then the Indians were pleased with him. They called him the young +chief. + +After a while some white men paid the Indians a hundred and three +dollars to let Stark go home. They charged more for him than for the +other man, because they thought that he must be a young chief. Stark +went hunting again. He had to get some furs to pay back the money the +men had paid the Indians for him. He took good care that the Indians +should not catch him again. + +He af-ter-wards became a great fighter against the Indians. He had +learned their ways while he was among them. He knew better how to fight +them than almost any-body else. + +In the Rev-o-lu-tion he was a gen-er-al. He fought the British at +Ben-ning-ton, and won a great vic-to-ry. + + + + +A GREAT GOOD MAN. + + +Some men are great soldiers. Some are great law-makers. Some men write +great books. Some men make great in-ven-tions. Some men are great +speakers. + +Now you are going to read about a man that was great in none of these +things. He was not a soldier. He was not a great speaker. He was never +rich. He was a poor school-teacher. He never held any office. + +And yet he was a great man. He was great for his goodness. + +He was born in France. But most of his life was passed in +Phil-a-del-phi-a before the Rev-o-lu-tion. + +He was twenty-five years old when he became a school-teacher. He +thought that he could do more good in teaching than in any other way. + +School-masters in his time were not like our teachers. Children were +treated like little animals. In old times the school-master was a +little king. He walked and talked as if he knew every-thing. He wanted +all the children to be afraid of him. + +But Ben-e-zet was not that kind of man. He was very gentle. He treated +the children more kindly than their fathers and mothers did. Nobody in +this country had ever seen a teacher like him. + +He built a play-room for the children of his school. He used to take +them to this room during school time for a little a-muse-ment. He +man-aged each child as he found best. Some he could persuade to be +good. Some he shamed into being good. But this was very dif-fer-ent +from the cruel beatings that other teachers of that time gave their +pupils. + +Of course the children came to love him very much. After they grew to +be men and women, they kept their love for the good little +schoolmaster. As long as they lived they listened to his advice. + +There were no good school-books in his time. He wrote some little books +to make learning easier to his pupils. He taught them many things not +in their books. He taught them to be kind to brutes, and gentle with +one another. He taught them to be noble. He made them despise every +kind of meanness. + +He was a great teacher. That is better than being a great soldier. + +Ben-e-zet was a good man in many ways. He was the friend of all poor +people. Once he found a poor man suf-fer-ing with cold for want of a +coat. He took off his own coat in the street and put it on the poor +man, and then went home in his shirt sleeves. + +In those days negroes were stolen from Af-ri-ca to be sold into +A-mer-i-ca. Ben-e-zet wrote little books against this wrong. He sent +these books over all the world almost. He also tried to persuade the +white men of his own country to be honest and kind with the Indians. +Great men in other countries were pleased with his books. They wrote +him letters. When any of them came to this country, they went to see +him. They wanted to see a man that was good to everybody. His house was +a plain one. But great men liked to sit at the table of the good +schoolmaster. + +There was war between the English and French at that time. Can-a-da +belonged to the French. Our country belonged to the English. There was +a country called A-ca-di-a. It was a part of what is now No-va +Sco-ti-a. The people of A-ca-di-a were French. + +[Illustration: Departure of the Acadians] + +The English took the A-ca-di-ans away from their homes. They sent them +to various places. Many families were divided. The poor A-ca-di-ans +lost their homes and all that they had. + +Many hundreds of these people were sent to Phil-a-del-phi-a. Benezet +became their friend. As he was born in France, he could speak their +lan-guage. He got a large house built for some of them to stay in. He +got food and clothing for them. He helped them to get work, and did +them good in many other ways. + +One day Benezet’s wife came to him with a troubled face. She said, +“There have been thieves in the house. Two of my blankets have been +stolen.” + +“Never mind, my dear,” said Benezet, “I gave them to some of the poor +A-ca-di-ans.” + +One old Acadian was afraid of Benezet. He did not see why Benezet +should take so much trouble for other people. He thought that Benezet +was only trying to get a chance to sell the Acadians for slaves. When +Benezet heard this, he had a good laugh. + +Many years after this the Rev-o-lu-tion broke out. It brought trouble +to many people. Benezet helped as many as he could. + +After a while the British army took Phil-a-del-phi-a. They sent their +soldiers to stay in the houses of the people. The people had to take +care of the soldiers. This was very hard for the poor people. + +One day Benezet saw a poor woman. Her face showed that she was in +trouble. + +“Friend, what is the matter?” Benezet said to her. She told him that +six soldiers of the British army had been sent to stay in her house. +She was a washer-woman. But while the soldiers filled up the house she +could not do any washing. She and her children were in want. + +Benezet went right away to see the gen-er-al that was in command of the +soldiers. The good man was in such a hurry that he forgot to get a +pass. The soldiers at the gen-er-al’s door would not let him go in. + +At last some one told the gen-er-al that a queer-looking fellow wanted +to see him. + +“Let him come up,” said the general. + +The odd little man came in. He told the general all about the troubles +of the poor washer-woman. The general sent word that the soldiers must +not stay any longer in her house. + +The general liked the kind little man. He told him to come to see him +again. He told the soldiers at his door to let Benezet come in +when-ever he wished to. + +Soon after the Rev-o-lu-tion was over, Benezet was taken ill. When the +people of Phil-a-del-phi-a heard that he was ill, they gathered in +crowds about his house. Every-body loved him. Every-body wanted to know +whether he was better or not. At last the doctors said he could not get +well. Then the people wished to see the good man once more. The doors +were opened. The rooms and halls of his house were filled with people +coming to say good-bye to Benezet, and going away again. + +When he was buried, it seemed as if all Phil-a-del-phi-a had come to +his fu-ner-al. The rich and the poor, the black and the white, crowded +the streets. The city had never seen so great a fu-ner-al. + +In the company was an A-mer-i-can general. He said, “I would rather be +An-tho-ny Benezet in that coffin than General Wash-ing-ton in all his +glory.” + + + + +PUTNAM AND THE WOLF. + + +Putnam was a brave soldier. He fought many battles against the Indians. +After that he became a general in the Revolution. But this is a story +of his battle with a wolf. It took place when he was a young man, +before he was a soldier. + +Putnam lived in Con-nect-i-cut. In the woods there were still a few +wolves. One old wolf came to Putnam’s neigh-bor-hood every winter. She +always brought a family of young wolves with her. + +The hunters would always kill the young wolves. But they could not find +the old mother wolf. She knew how to keep out of the way. + +The farmers tried to catch her in their traps. But she was too cunning. +She had had one good lesson when she was young. She had put the toes of +one foot into a steel trap. The trap had snipped them off. After that +she was more careful. + +One winter night she went out to get some meat. She came to Putnam’s +flock of sheep and goats. She killed some of them. She found it great +fun. + +There were no dogs about. The poor sheep had nobody to protect them. So +the old wolf kept on killing. One sheep was enough for her supper. But +she killed the rest just for sport. She killed seventy sheep and goats +that night. + +Putnam and his friends set out to find the old sheep killer. There were +six men of them. They agreed that two of them should hunt for her at a +time. Then another two should begin as soon as the first two should +stop. So she would be hunted day and night. + +The hunters found her track in the snow. There could be no mistake +about it. The track made by one of her feet was shorter than those made +by the other feet. That was because one of her feet had been caught in +a trap. + +The hunters found that the old wolf had gone a long way off. Perhaps +she felt guilty. She must have thought that she would be hunted. She +had trotted away for a whole night. + +Then she turned and went back again. She was getting hungry by this +time. She wanted some more sheep. + +The men followed her tracks back again. The dogs drove her into a hole. +It was not far from Putnam’s house. + +All the farmers came to help catch her. They sent the dogs into the +cave where the wolf was. But the wolf bit the dogs, and drove them out +again. + +Then the men put a pile of straw in the mouth of the cave. They set the +straw on fire. It filled the cave with smoke. But Mrs. Wolf did not +come out. + +Then they burned brim-stone in the cave. It must have made the wolf +sneeze. But the cave was deep. She went as far in as she could, and +staid there. She thought that the smell of brimstone was not so bad as +the dogs and men who wanted to kill her. + +Putnam wanted to send his negro into the cave to drive out the wolf. +But the negro thought that he would rather stay out. + +Then Putnam said that he would go in himself. He tied a rope to his +legs. Then he got some pieces of birch-bark. He set fire to these. He +knew that wild animals do not like to face a fire. + +He got down on his hands and knees. He held the blazing bark in his +hand. He crawled through the small hole into the cave. There was not +room for him to stand up. + +At first the cave went downward into the ground. Then it was level a +little way. Then it went upward. At the very back of this part of the +cave was the wolf. Putnam crawled up until he could see the wolf’s +eyes. + +When the wolf saw the fire, she gave a sudden growl. Putnam jerked the +rope that was tied to his leg. The men outside thought that the wolf +had caught him. They pulled on the other end of the rope. + +The men pulled as fast as they could. When they had drawn Putnam out, +his clothes were torn. He was badly scratched by the rocks. + +He now got his gun. He held it in one hand. He held the burning +birch-bark in the other. He crawled into the cave again. + +When the wolf saw him coming again, she was very angry. She snapped her +teeth. She got ready to spring on him. She meant to kill him as she had +killed his sheep. Putnam fired at her head. As soon as his gun went +off, he jerked the rope. His friends pulled him out. + +He waited awhile for the smoke of his gun to clear up. Then he went in +once more. He wanted to see if the wolf was dead. + +He found her lying down. He tapped her nose with his birch-bark. She +did not move. He took hold of her. Then he jerked the rope. + +This time the men saw him come out, bringing the dead wolf. Now the +sheep would have some peace. + +[Illustration] + + + + +WASHINGTON AND HIS HATCHET + + +It was Ar-bor Day in the Mos-sy Hill School, Johnny Little-john had to +speak a piece that had some-thing to do with trees. He thought it would +be a good plan to say some-thing about the little cherry tree that +Washington spoiled with his hatch-et, when he was a little boy. This is +what he said: + +[Illustration] + +He had a hatch-et—little George— + A hatch-et bright and new, +And sharp enough to cut a stick— + A little stick—in two. + +He hacked and whacked and whacked and hacked, + This sturd-y little man; +He hacked a log and hacked a fence, + As round about he ran. + +He hacked his father’s cher-ry tree + And made an ug-ly spot; +The bark was soft, the hatch-et sharp, + And little George forgot. + +You know the rest. The father frowned + And asked the rea-son why; +You know the good old story runs + He could not tell a lie. + +The boy that chopped that cher-ry tree + Soon grew to be a youth; +At work and books he hacked away, + And still he told the truth: + +The youth became a fa-mous man, + Above six feet in height, +And when he had good work to do + He hacked with all his might. + +He fought the ar-mies that the king + Had sent across the sea; +He bat-tled up and down the land + To set his country free. + +For seven long years he, hacked and whacked + With all his might and main +Until the Brit-ish sailed away + And did not come again. + + +[Illustration] + + + + +HOW BENNY WEST LEARNED TO BE A PAINTER. + + +In old times there lived in Penn-syl-va-ni-a a little fellow whose name +was Ben-ja-min West. He lived in a long stone house. + +[Illustration: Painting Baby’s Portrait] + +He had never seen a picture. The country was new, and there were not +many pictures in it. Benny’s father was a Friend or Quaker. The Friends +of that day did not think that pictures were useful things to make or +to have. Before he was seven years old, this little boy began to draw +pictures. One day he was watching the cradle of his sister’s child. The +baby smiled. Benny was so pleased with her beauty, that he made a +picture of her in red and black ink. The picture of the baby pleased +his mother when she saw it. That was very pleasant to the boy. + +He made other pictures. At school he used to draw with a pen before he +could write. He made pictures of birds and of animals. Sometimes he +would draw flowers. + +[Illustration: Flower and Fruit of the Poke-Berry.] + +He liked to draw so well, that sometimes he forgot to do his work. His +father sent him to work in the field one day. The father went out to +see how well he was doing his work. Benny was no-where to be found. At +last his father saw him sitting under a large poke-weed. He was making +pictures. He had squeezed the juice out of some poke-berries. The juice +of poke-berries is deep red. With this the boy had made his pictures. +When the father looked at them, he was surprised. There were portraits +of every member of the family. His father knew every picture. + +Up to this time Benny had no paints nor any brushes. The Indians had +not all gone away from that neigh-bor-hood. The Indians paint their +faces with red and yellow colors. These colors they make them-selves. +Sometimes they prepare them from the juice of some plant. Sometimes +they get them by finding red or yellow earth. Some of the Indians can +make rough pictures with these colors. + +The Indians near the house of Benny’s father must have liked the boy. +They showed him how to make red and yellow colors for himself. He got +some of his mother’s indigo to make blue. He now had red, yellow, and +blue. By mixing these three, the other colors that he wanted could be +made. + +But he had no brush to paint with. He took some long hairs from the +cat’s tail. Of these he made his brushes. He used so many of the cat’s +hairs, that her tail began to look bare. Everybody in the house began +to wonder what was the matter with pussy’s tail. At last Benny told +where he got his brushes. + +[Illustration: Making a Paint Brush.] + +A cousin of Benny’s came from the city on a visit. He saw some of the +boy’s drawings. When he went home, he sent Benny a box of paints. With +the paints were some brushes. And there was some canvas such as +pictures are painted on. And that was not all. There were in the box +six beautiful en-grav-ings. + +The little painter now felt himself rich. He was so happy that he could +hardly sleep at all. At night he put the box that held his treasures on +a chair by his bed. As soon as daylight came, he carried the precious +box to the garret. The garret of the long stone house was his stu-di-o. +Here he worked away all day long. He did not go to school at all. +Perhaps he forgot that there was any school. Perhaps the little artist +could not tear himself away from his work. + +But the schoolmaster missed him. He came to ask if Benny was ill. The +mother was vexed when she found that he had staid away from school. She +went to look for the naughty boy. After a while she found the little +truant. He was hard at work in his garret. She saw what he had been +doing. He had not copied any of his new en-grav-ings. He had made up a +new picture by taking one person out of one en-grav-ing, and another +out of another. He had copied these so that they made a picture that he +had thought of for himself. + +His mother could not find it in her heart to punish him. She was too +much pleased with the picture he was making. This picture was not +finished. But his mother would not let him finish it. She was afraid he +would spoil it if he did anything more on it. + +The good people called Friends did not like the making of pictures, as +I said. But they thought that Benny West had a talent that he ought to +use. So he went to Phil-a-del-phi-a to study his art. After a while he +sailed away to It-a-ly to see the pictures that great artists had +painted. + +At last he settled in England. The King of England was at that time the +king of this country too. The king liked West’s pictures. West became +the king’s painter. He came to be the most famous painter in England. + +He liked to remember his boyish work. He liked to remember the time +when he was a little Quaker boy making his paints of poke-juice and +Indian colors. + + + + +WASHINGTON’S CHRISTMAS GIFT. + + +Washington was fighting to set this country free. But the army that the +King of England sent to fight him was stronger than Washington’s army. +Washington was beaten and driven out of Brook-lyn. Then he had to leave +New York. After that, he marched away into New Jersey to save his army +from being taken. At last he crossed the Del-a-ware River. Here he was +safe for a while. + +Some of the Hes-sian soldiers that the king had hired to fight against +the Americans came to Trenton. Trenton is on the Del-a-ware River. + +Washington and his men were on the other side of the Del-a-ware River +from the Hes-sians. Washington’s men were dis-cour-aged. They had been +driven back all the way from Brook-lyn. It was winter, and they had no +warm houses to stay in. They had not even warm clothes. They were +dressed in old clothes that people had given them. Some of them were +bare-footed in this cold weather. + +The Hes-sians and other soldiers of the king were waiting for the river +to freeze over. Then they would march across on the ice. They meant to +fight Washington once more, and break up his army. But Washington was +thinking about something too. + +He was waiting for Christmas. He knew that the Hessian soldiers on the +other side of the river would eat and drink a great deal on Christmas +Day. + +[Illustration: Marching to Trenton.] + +The afternoon of Christmas came. The Hessians were singing and drinking +in Trenton. But Washington was marching up the river bank. Some of his +bare-foot men left blood marks on the snow as they marched. + +The men and cannons were put into flat boats. These boats were pushed +across the river with poles. There were many great pieces of ice in the +river. But all night long the flat boats were pushed across and then +back again for more men. It was three o’clock on the morning after +Christmas when the last Americans crossed the river. It was hailing and +snowing, and it was very cold. Two or three of the soldiers were frozen +to death. + +It was eight o’clock in the morning when Washington got to Trenton. The +Hessians were sleeping soundly. The sound of the American drums waked +them. They jumped out of their beds. They ran into the streets. They +tried to fight the Americans. + +But it was too late. Washington had already taken their cannons. His +men were firing these at the Hessians. The Hessians ran into the fields +to get away. But the Americans caught them. + +The battle was soon over. Washington had taken nine hundred prisoners. + +This was called the battle of Trenton. It gave great joy to all the +Americans. It was Washington’s Christmas gift to the country. + + + + +HOW WASHINGTON GOT OUT OF A TRAP. + + +After the battle of Trenton, Washington went back across the Delaware +River. He had not men enough to fight the whole British army. + +But the Americans were glad when they heard that he had beaten the +Hessians. They sent him more soldiers. Then he went back across the +river to Trenton again. + +There was a British general named Corn-wal-lis. He marched to Trenton. +He fought against Washington. Corn-wal-lis had more men than Washington +had. Night came, and they could not see to fight. There was a little +creek between the two armies. + +Washington had not boats enough to carry his men across the river. +Corn-wal-lis was sure to beat him if they should fight a battle the +next morning. + +Cornwallis said, “I will catch the fox in the morning.” + +He called Washington a fox. He thought he had him in a trap. Cornwallis +sent for some more soldiers to come from Prince-ton in the morning. He +wanted them to help him catch the fox. + +But foxes sometimes get out of traps. + +When it was dark, Washington had all his camp fires lighted. He put men +to digging where the British could hear them. He made Cornwallis think +that he was throwing up banks of earth and getting ready to fight in +the morning. + +But Washington did not stay in Trenton. He did not wish to be caught +like a fox in a trap. He could not get across the river. But he knew a +road that went round the place where Cornwallis and his army were. He +took that road and got behind the British army. + +It was just like John waiting to catch James. James is in the house. +John is waiting at the front door to catch James when he comes out. But +James slips out by the back way. John hears him call “Hello!” James has +gone round behind him and got away. + +Washington went out of Trenton in the darkness. You might say that he +marched out by the back door. He left Cornwallis watching the front +door. The Americans went away quietly. They left a few men to keep up +the fires, and make a noise like digging. Before morning these slipped +away too. + +When morning came, Cornwallis went to catch his fox. But the fox was +not there. He looked for the Americans. There was the place where they +had been digging. Their camp fires were still burning. But where had +they gone? + +Cornwallis thought that Washington had crossed the river by some means. +But soon he heard guns firing away back toward Princeton. He thought +that it must be thunder. But he found that it was a battle. Then he +knew that Washington had gone to Princeton. + +Washington had marched all night. When he got to Princeton, he met the +British coming out to go to Trenton. They were going to help Cornwallis +to catch Washington. But Washington had come to Princeton to catch +them. He had a hard fight with the British at Princeton. But at last he +beat them. + +When Cornwallis knew that the Americans had gone to Princeton, he +hurried there to help his men. But it was too late. Washington had +beaten the British at Princeton, and had gone on into the hills, where +he was safe. + +The fox had got out of the trap. + + + + +WASHINGTON’S LAST BATTLE. + + +Washington had been fighting for seven years to drive the British +soldiers out of this country. But there were still two strong British +armies in America. + +One of these armies was in New York. It had been there for years. The +other army was far away at Yorktown in Virginia. The British general at +Yorktown was Cornwallis. You have read how Washington got away from him +at Trenton. + +The King of France had sent ships and soldiers to help the Americans. +But still Washington had not enough men to take New York from the +British. Yet he went on getting ready to attack the British in New +York. He had ovens built to bake bread for his men. He bought hay for +his horses. He had roads built to draw his cannons on. + +He knew that the British in New York would hear about what he was +doing. He wanted them to think that he meant to come to New York and +fight them. When the British heard what the Americans were doing, they +got ready for the coming of Washington and the French. All at once they +found that Washington had gone. He and his men had marched away. The +French soldiers that had come to help him had gone with him. + +Nobody knew what it meant. Washington’s own men did not know where they +were going. They went from New Jersey into Penn-syl-va-ni-a. Then they +marched across Penn-syl-va-ni-a. Then they went into Mary-land. They +marched across that State, and then they went into Vir-gin-i-a. + +By this time everybody could tell where Washington was going. People +could see that he was going straight to York-town. They knew that +Washington was going to fight his old enemy at York-town. + +But he had kept his secret long enough. The British in New York could +not send help to Cornwallis. It was too late. The French ships sailed +to Vir-gin-i-a, and shut up Yorktown on the side of the sea. +Washington’s men shut it up on the side of the land. They built great +banks of earth round it. On these banks of earth they put cannons. + +The British could not get away. They fought bravely. But the Americans +and French came closer and closer. + +Then the British tried to fight their way out. But they were driven +back. Then Cornwallis tried to get his men across the river. He wanted +to get out by the back door, as Washington had done. But the Americans +on the other side of the river drove them back again. Washington had +now caught Cornwallis in a trap. + +The Americans fired red-hot cannon balls into Yorktown. These set the +houses on fire. At last Cornwallis had to give up. The British marched +out and laid down their guns and swords. + +The British army in New York could not fight the Americans by itself. +So the British gave it up. Then there was peace after the long war. The +British pulled down the British flag and sailed away. The country was +free at last. + + + + +MARION’S TOWER. + + +General Mar-i-on was one of the best fighters in the Revolution. He was +a homely little man. He was also a very good man. Another general said, +“Mar-i-on is good all over.” + +The American army had been beaten in South Car-o-li-na. Mar-i-on was +sent there to keep the British from taking the whole country. + +Marion got to-geth-er a little army. His men had nothing but rough +clothes to wear. They had no guns but the old ones they had used to +shoot wild ducks and deer with. + +Marion’s men wanted swords. There were no swords to be had. But Marion +sent men to take the long saws out of the saw mills. These were taken +to black-smiths. The black-smiths cut the saws into pieces. These +pieces they hammered out into long, sharp swords. + +Marion had not so many men as the British. He had no cannon. He could +not build forts. He could not stay long in one place, for fear the +British should come with a strong army and take him. He and his men hid +in the dark woods. Sometimes he changed his hiding place suddenly. Even +his own friends had hard work to find him. + +From the dark woods he would come out suddenly. He would attack some +party of British soldiers. When the battle was over, he would go back +to the woods again. + +When the British sent a strong army to catch him, he could not be +found. But soon he would be fighting the British in some new place. He +was always playing hide and seek. + +The British called him the Swamp Fox. That was because he was so hard +to catch. They could not conquer the country until they could catch +Marion. And they never could catch the Swamp Fox. At one time Marion +came out of the woods to take a little British fort. This fort was on +the top of a high mound. It was one of the mounds built a long time ago +by the Indians. + +Marion put his men all round the fort, so that the men in the fort +could not get out to get water. He thought that they would have to give +up. But the men in the fort dug a well inside the fort. Then Marion had +to think of another plan. + +Marion’s men went to the woods and cut down stout poles. They got a +great many poles. When night came, they laid a row of poles along-side +one another on the ground. Then they laid another row across these. +Then they laid another row on top of the last ones, and across the +other way again. + +[Illustration: Marion’s Tower.] + +They laid a great many rows of poles one on top of another. They +crossed them this way and that. As the night went on, the pile grew +higher. Still they handed poles to top of the pile. + +Before morning came, they had built a kind of tower. It was higher than +the Indian mound. + +As soon as it was light, the men on Marion’s tower began to shoot. The +British looked out. They saw a great tower with men on it. The men +could shoot down into the fort. The British could not stand it. They +had to give up. They were taken prisoners. + + + + +CLARK AND HIS MEN. + + +At the time of the Revolution there were but few people living on the +north side of the O-hi-o River. But there were many Indians there. +These Indians killed a great many white people in Ken-tuck-y. + +The Indians were sent by British officers to do this killing. There was +a British fort at Vincennes in what is now In-di-an-a. There was +another British fort or post at Kas-kas-ki-a in what is now the State +of Il-li-nois. + +George Rogers Clark was an American colonel. He wanted to stop the +murder of the settlers by the Indians. He thought that he could do it +by taking the British posts. + +He had three hundred men. They went down the O-hi-o River in boats. +They landed near the mouth of the O-hi-o River. Then they marched a +hundred and thirty miles to Kas-kas-ki-a. + +Kas-kas-ki-a was far away from the Americans. The people there did not +think that the Americans would come so far to attack them. When Clark +got there, they were all asleep. He marched in and took the town before +they waked up. + +The people living in Kaskaskia were French. By treating them well, +Clark made them all friendly to the Americans. + +When the British at Vin-cennes heard that Clark had taken Kaskaskia, +they thought that they would take it back again. But it was winter. All +the streams were full of water. They could not march till spring. Then +they would gather the Indians to help them, and take Clark and his men. + +But Clark thought that he would not wait to be taken. He thought that +he would just go and take the British. If he could manage to get to +Vin-cennes in the winter, he would not be expected. + +Clark started with a hundred and seventy men. The country was nearly +all covered with water. The men were in the wet almost all the time. +Clark had hard work to keep his men cheerful. He did everything he +could to amuse them. + +They had to wade through deep rivers. The water was icy cold. But Clark +made a joke of it. He kept them laughing whenever he could. + +At one place the men refused to go through the freezing water. Clark +could not per-suade them to cross the river. He called to him a tall +sol-dier. He was the very tallest man in Clark’s little army. Clark +said to him, “Take the little drummer boy on your shoulders.” + +The little drummer was soon seated high on the shoulders of the tall +man. “Now go ahead!” said Clark. + +The soldier marched into the water. The little drummer beat a march on +his drum. Clark cried out, “Forward!” Then he plunged into the water +after the tall soldier. All the men went in after him. They were soon +safe on the other side. + +[Illustration] + +At another river the little drummer was floated over on the top of his +drum. At last the men drew near to Vin-cennes. They could hear the +morning and evening gun in the British fort. But the worst of the way +was yet to pass. The Wa-bash River had risen over its banks. The water +was five miles wide. The men marched from one high ground to another +through the cold water. They caught an Indian with a canoe. In this +they got across the main river. But there was more water to cross. The +men were so hungry that some of them fell down in the water. They had +to be carried out. + +Clark’s men got frightened at last, and then they had no heart to go +any farther. But Clark remembered what the Indians did when they went +to war. He took a little gun-powder in his hand. He poured water on it. +Then he rubbed it on his face. It made his face black. + +With his face blackened like an Indian’s, he gave an Indian war-whoop. +The men followed him again. + +The men were tired and hungry. But they soon reached dry ground. They +were now in sight of the fort. Clark marched his little army round and +round in such a way as to make it seem that he had many men with him. +He wrote a fierce letter to the British com-mand-er. He behaved like a +general with a large army. + +After some fighting, the British com-mand-er gave up. Clark’s little +army took the British fort. This brave action saved to our country the +land that lies between the Ohio River and the Lakes. It stopped the +sending of Indians to kill the settlers in the West. + + + + +DANIEL BOONE AND HIS GRAPEVINE SWING. + + +Daniel Boone was the first settler of Ken-tuck-y. He knew all about +living in the woods. He knew how to hunt the wild animals. He knew how +to fight Indians, and how to get away from them. + +Nearly all the men that came with him to Kentucky the first time were +killed. One was eaten by wolves. Some of them were killed by Indians. +Some of them went into the woods and never came back. Nobody knows what +killed them. + +Only Boone and his brother were left alive. They needed some powder and +some bullets. They wanted some horses. Boone’s brother went back across +the mountains to get these things. Boone staid in his little cabin all +alone. + +Boone could hear the wolves howl near his cabin at night. He heard the +panthers scream in the woods. But he did not mind being left all alone +in these dark forests. The Indians came to his cabin when he was away. +He did not want to see these vis-it-ors. He did not dare to sleep in +his cabin all the time. Sometimes he slept under a rocky cliff. +Sometimes he slept in a cane-brake. A cane-brake is a large patch of +growing canes such as fishing rods are made of. + +Once a mother bear tried to kill him. He fired his gun at her, but the +bullet did not kill her. The bear ran at him. He held his long knife +out in his hand. The bear ran against it and was killed. + +He made long journeys alone in the woods. One day he looked back +through the trees and saw four Indians. They were fol-low-ing Boone’s +tracks. They did not see him. He turned this way and that. But the +Indians still fol-lowed his tracks. + +He went over a little hill. Here he found a wild grape-vine. It was a +very long vine, reaching to the top of a high tree. There are many such +vines in the Southern woods. Children cut such vines off near the +roots. Then they use them for swings. + +Boone had swung on grape-vines when he was a boy. He now thought of a +way to break his tracks. He cut the wild grape-vine off near the root. +Then he took hold of it. He sprang out into the air with all his might. +The great swing carried him far out as it swung. Then he let go. He +fell to the ground, and then he ran away in a dif-fer-ent di-rec-tion +from that in which he had been going. + +When the Indians came to the place, they could not find his tracks. +They could not tell which way he had gone. He got to his cabin in +safety. + +Boone had now been alone for many months. His brother did not get back +at the time he had set for coming. Boone thought that his brother might +have been killed. Boone had not tasted anything but meat since he left +home. He had to get his food by shooting animals in the woods. By this +time he had hardly any powder or bullets left. + +[Illustration: Boone on the Grapevine Swing] + +One evening he sat by his cabin. He heard some one coming. He thought +that it might be Indians. He heard the steps of horses. He looked +through the trees. He saw his brother riding on one horse, and leading +another. The other horse was loaded with powder and bullets and +clothes, and other things that Boone needed. + + + + +DANIEL BOONE’S DAUGHTER AND HER FRIENDS. + + +Daniel Boone and his brother picked out a good place in Ken-tuck-y to +settle. Then they went home to North Car-o-li-na. They took with them +such things as were cu-ri-ous and val-u-a-ble. These were the skins of +animals they had killed, and no doubt some of the heads and tails. + +Boone was restless. He had seen Kentucky and he did not wish to settle +down to the life of North Carolina. + +In two years Boone sold his farm in North Carolina and set out for +Kentucky. He took with him his wife and children and two brothers. Some +of their neighbors went with them. They trav-eled by pack train. All +their goods were packed on horses. + +When they reached the place on the Kentucky River that Boone had chosen +for a home they built a fort of log houses. These cabins all stood +round a square. The backs of the houses were outward. There was no door +or window in the back of a house. The outer walls were thus shut up. +They made the place a fort. The houses at the four corners were a +little taller and stronger than the others. There were gates leading +into the fort. These gates were kept shut at night. + +In the evening the people danced and amused themselves in the square. +Indians could not creep up and attack them. + +When the men went out to feed the horses and cows they carried their +guns. They walked softly and turned their eyes quickly from point to +point to see if Indians were hiding near. They held their guns so they +could shoot quickly. + +The women and children had to stay very near the fort so they could run +in if an Indian came in sight. + +Daniel Boone had a daughter named Je-mi-ma. She was about fourteen +years old. She had two friends named Frances and Betsey Cal-lo-way. +Frances Galloway was about the same age as Jemima. + +One summer afternoon these three girls went out of the fort. They went +to the river and got into a canoe. It was not far from the fort. They +felt safe. They laughed and talked and splashed the water with their +paddles. + +The cur-rent carried them slowly near the other shore. They could still +see the fort. They did not think of danger. + +Trees and bushes grew thick down to the edge of the river. Five strong +Indians were hiding in the bushes. + +One Indian crept care-ful-ly through the bushes. He made no more noise +than a snake. When he got to the edge of the water he put out his long +arm and caught hold of the rope that hung down from the canoe. In a +moment he had turned the boat around and drawn it out of sight from the +fort. The girls screamed when they saw the Indian. Their friends heard +them but could not cross the river to help them. The girls had taken +the only canoe. + +Boone and Cal-lo-way were both gone from the fort. They got home too +late to start that day. No sleep came to their eyes while they waited +for light to travel by. + +As soon as there was a glim-mer of light they and a party of their +friends set out. It was in July and they could start early. + +They crossed the river and easily found the Indians’ tracks where they +started. The brush was broken down there. + +The Indians were cun-ning. They did not keep close together after they +set out. Each Indian walked by himself through the tall canes. Three of +the Indians took the captives. + +Boone and his friends tried in vain to follow them. Sometimes they +would find a track but it would soon be lost in the thick canes. + +Boone’s party gave up trying to find their path. They noticed which way +the Indians were going. Then they walked as fast as they could the same +way for thirty miles. They thought the Indians would grow careless +about their tracks after traveling so far. + +They turned so as to cross the path they thought the Indians had taken. +They looked carefully at the ground and at the bushes to see if any one +had gone by. + +Before long they found the Indians’ tracks in a buffalo path. Buffaloes +and other animals go often to lick salt from the rocks round salt +springs. They beat down the brush and make great roads. These roads run +to the salt springs. The hunters call them streets. + +The Indians took one of these roads after they got far from the fort. +They could travel more easily in it. They did not take pains to hide +their tracks. + +As fast as their feet could carry them, Boone and his friends traveled +along the trail. When they had gone about ten miles they saw the +Indians. + +The Indians had stopped to rest and to eat. It was very warm and they +had put off their moc-ca-sins and laid down their arms. They were +kindling a fire to cook by. + +In a moment the Indians saw the white men. Boone and Galloway were +afraid the Indians would kill the girls. + +Four of the white men shot at the Indians. Then all rushed at them. + +The Indians ran away as fast as they could. They did not stop to pick +up their guns or knives or hatchets. They had no time to put on their +moccasins. + +The poor worn-out girls were soon safe in their fathers’ arms. + +Back to Boones-bor-ough they went, not minding their tired feet. When +they got to the fort there was great joy to see them alive. + +I do not believe they ever played in the water again. + + + + +DECATUR AND THE PIRATES. + + +Nearly a hundred years have passed since the ship “Phil-a-del-phi-a” +was burned. But the brave sailors who did it will never be for-got-ten. + +The people of Trip-o-li in Af-ri-ca were pirates. They took the ships +of other nations at sea. They made slaves of their prisoners. The +friends of these slaves sometimes sent money to buy their freedom. Some +countries paid money to these pirates to let their ships go safe. + +Our country had trouble with the pirates. This trouble brought on a +war. Our ships were sent to fight against Trip-o-li. + +One of the ships fighting against the pirates was called the +“Phil-a-del-phi-a.” One day she was chasing a ship of Trip-o-li. The +“Phil-a-del-phi-a” ran on the rocks. The sailors could not get her off. +The pirates came and fought her as she lay on the rocks. They took her +men prisoners. Then they went to work to get her off. After a long time +they got her into deep water. They took her to Tripoli. Our ships could +not go there after her, because there were so many great cannons on the +shore near the ship. + +The pirates got the “Philadelphia” ready to go to sea. They loaded her +cannons. They meant to slip out past our ships of war. Then they would +take a great many smaller American ships. + +But the Americans laid a plan to burn the “Philadelphia.” It was a very +dan-ger-ous thing to try to do. The pirates had ships of war near the +“Philadelphia.” They had great guns on the shore. There was no way to +do it in the day-time. It could only be done by stealing into the Bay +of Tripoli at night. + +The Americans had taken a little vessel from the pirates. She was of +the kind that is called a ketch. She had sails. She also had long oars. +When there was no wind to sail with, the sailors could row her with the +oars. + +This little ketch was sent one night to burn the “Philadelphia.” The +captain of this boat was Ste-phen De-ca-tur. He was a young man, and +very brave. + +De-ca-tur made his men lie down, so that the pirates would not know how +many men he had on his ketch. Only about ten men were in sight. The +rest were lying hidden on the boat. + +They came near to the “Philadelphia.” It was about ten o’clock at +night. The pirates called to them. The pilot of the ketch told them +that he was from Mal-ta. He told them that he had come to sell things +to the people of Tripoli. He said that the ketch had lost her anchor. +He asked them to let him tie her to the big ship till morning. + +The pirates sent out a rope to them. But when the ketch came nearer, +the pirates saw that they had been fooled. They cried out, “Americans, +Americans!” + +Then the Americans lying down took hold of the rope and pulled with all +their might, and drew the ketch close to the ship. They were so close, +that the ship’s cannons were over their heads. The pirates could not +fire at them. + +The men who had been lying still now rose up. There were eighty of +them. In a minute they were scram-bling up the sides of the big ship. +Some went in one way, some another. They did not shoot. They fought +with swords and pikes, or short spears. + +Soon they drove the pirates to one side of the ship. Then they could +hear the pirates jumping over into the water. In a few minutes the +pirates had all gone. + +But the Americans could not stay long. They must burn the ship before +the pirates on the shore should find out what they were doing. + +They had brought a lot of kin-dling on the ketch. They built fires in +all parts of the ship. The fire ran so fast, that some of the men had +trouble to get off the ship. + +When the Americans got back on the ketch, they could not untie the rope +that held the ketch to the ship. The big ship was bursting into flames. +The ketch would soon take fire. + +They took swords and hacked the big rope in two. Then they pushed hard +to get away from the fire. The ketch began to move. The sailors took +the large oars and rowed. They were soon safe from the fire. + +All this they had done without any noise. But, now that they had got +away, they looked back. The fire was shooting up toward the sky. The +men stopped rowing, and they gave three cheers. They were so glad, that +they could not help it. + +By this time the pirates on shore had waked up. They began to fire +great cannon balls at the little ketch. One of the balls went through +her sails. Ah! how the sailors rowed! + +The whole sky was now lighted up by the fire. The pirates’ cannons were +thundering. The cannon balls were splashing the water all round the +ketch. But the Americans got away. At last they were safe in their own +ships. + + + + +STORIES ABOUT JEFFERSON. + + +Thomas Jef-fer-son was one of the great men of the Revolution. He was +not a soldier. He was not a great speaker. But he was a great thinker. +And he was a great writer. + +He wrote a paper that was the very beginning of the United States. It +was a paper that said that we would be free from England, and be a +coun-try by our-selves. We call that paper the Dec-la-ra-tion of +In-de-pend-ence. + +When he was a boy, Jef-fer-son was fond of boyish plays. But when he +was tired of play, he took up a book. It pleased him to learn things. +From the time when he was a boy he never sat down to rest without a +book. + +At school he learned what other boys did. But the dif-fer-ence between +him and most other boys was this: he did not stop with knowing just +what the other boys knew. Most boys want to learn what other boys +learn. Most girls would like to know what their school-mates know. But +Jef-fer-son wanted to know a great deal more. + +As a young man, Jefferson knew Latin and Greek. He also knew French and +Span-ish and I-tal-ian. + +He did not talk to show off what he knew. He tried to learn what other +people knew. When he talked to a wagon maker, he asked him about such +things as a wagon maker knows most about. He would sometimes ask how a +wagon maker would go to work to make a wheel. + +When Jefferson talked to a learn-ed man, he asked him about those +things that this man knew most about. When he talked with Indians, he +got them to tell him about their lan-guage. That is the way he came to +know so much about so many things. Whenever anybody told him anything +worth while, he wrote it down as soon as he could. + +One day Jefferson was trav-el-ing. He went on horse-back. That was a +common way of trav-el-ing at that time. He stopped at a country tavern. +At this tavern he talked with a stranger who was staying there. + +After a while Jefferson rode away. Then the stranger said to the +land-lord, “Who is that man? He knew so much about law, that I was sure +he was a lawyer. But when we talked about med-i-cine, he knew so much +about that, that I thought he must be a doctor. And after a while he +seemed to know so much about re-li-gion, that I was sure he was a +min-is-ter. Who is he?” + +The stranger was very much surprised to hear that the man he had talked +with was Thomas Jefferson. + +Jefferson was a very polite man. One day his grand-son was riding with +him. They met a negro. The negro lifted his cap and bowed. Jefferson +bowed to the negro. But his grand-son did not think it worth while to +bow. + +Then Jefferson said to his grand-son, “Do not let a poor negro be more +of a gen-tle-man than you are.” In the Dec-la-ra-tion of +In-de-pend-ence, Jefferson wrote these words: “All men are created +equal.” He also said that the poor man had the same right as the rich +man to live, and to be free, and to try to make himself happy. + + + + +A LONG JOURNEY. + + +A long time ago, when Thomas Jefferson was Pres-i-dent, most of the +people in this country lived in the East. Nobody knew anything about +the Far West. The only people that lived there were Indians. Many of +these Indians had never seen a white man. + +[Illustration: An Elk] + +The Pres-i-dent sent men to travel into this wild part of the country. +He told them to go up to the upper end of the Mis-sou-ri River. Then +they were to go across the Rocky Mountains. They were to keep on till +they got to the Pa-cif-ic O-cean. Then they were to come back again. +They were to find out the best way to get through the mountains. And +they were to find out what kind of people the Indians in that country +were. They were also to tell about the animals. + +There were two captains of this company. Their names were Lewis and +Clark. There were forty-five men in the party. + +They were gone two years and four months. For most of that time they +did not see any white men but their own party. They did not hear a word +from home for more than two years. + +They got their food mostly by hunting. They killed a great many +buf-fa-loes and elks and deer. They also shot wild geese and other +large birds. Sometimes they had nothing but fish to eat. Sometimes they +had to eat wolves. When they had no other meat, they were glad to buy +dogs from the Indians and eat them. Sometimes they ate horses. They +became fond of the meat of dogs and horses. + +When they were very hungry, they had to live on roots if they could get +them. Some of the Indians made a kind of bread out of roots. The white +men bought this when they could not get meat. But there were days when +they did not have anything to eat. + +They were very friendly with the Indians. One day some of the men went +to make a visit to an Indian village. The Indians gave them something +to eat. + +In the Indian wig-wam where they were, there was a head of a dead +buffalo. When dinner was over, the Indians filled a bowl full of meat. +They set this down in front of the head. Then they said to the head, +“Eat that.” + +[Illustration: Feeding the Spirit of the Buffalo.] + +The Indians believed, that, if they treated this buffalo head politely, +the live buffaloes would come to their hunting ground. Then they would +have plenty of meat. They think the spirit of the buffalo is a kind of +a god. They are very careful to please this god. + + + + +CAPTAIN CLARK’S BURNING GLASS. + + +The Indians among whom Captain Clark and Captain Lewis traveled had +many strange ways of doing things. They had nothing like our matches +for making fire. One tribe of Indians had this way of lighting a fire. +An Indian would lay down a dry stick. He would rub this stick with the +end of another stick. After a while this rubbing would make something +like saw-dust on the stick that was lying down. The Indian would keep +on rubbing till the wood grew hot. Then the fine wood dust would smoke. +Then it would burn. The Indian would put a little kin-dling wood on it. +Soon he would have a large fire. + +In that time the white people had not yet found out how to make +matches. They lighted a fire by striking a piece of flint against a +piece of steel. This would make a spark of fire. By letting this spark +fall on something that would burn easily, they started a fire. + +White men had another way of lighting a fire when the sun was shining. +They used what was called a burning glass. This was a round piece of +glass. It was thick in the middle, and thin at the edge. When you held +up a burning glass in the sun, it drew the sun’s heat so as to make a +little hot spot. If you put paper under this spot of hot sunshine, it +would burn. Men could light the to-bac-co in their pipes with one of +these glasses. + +Captain Clark had something funny happen to him on account of his +burning glass. He had walked ahead of the rest of his men. He sat down +on a rock. There were some Indians on the other side of the river. They +did not see the captain. Captain Clark saw a large bird called a crane +flying over his head. He raised his gun and shot it. + +[Illustration: Cranes] + +The Indians on the other side of the river had never seen a white man +in their lives. They had never heard a gun. They used bows and arrows. + +They heard the sound of Clark’s gun. They looked up and saw the large +bird falling from the sky. It fell close to where Captain Clark sat. +Just as it fell they caught sight of Captain Clark sitting on the +rocks. They thought they had seen him fall out of the sky. They thought +that the sound of his gun was a sound like thunder that was made when +he came down. + +The Indians all ran away as fast as they could. They went into their +wig-warns and closed them. + +Captain Clark wished to be friendly with them. So he got a canoe and +paddled to the other side of the river. He came to the Indian houses. +He found the flaps which they use for doors shut. He opened one of them +and went in. The Indians were sitting down, and they were all crying +and trembling. + +Among the Indians the sign of peace is to smoke to-geth-er. Captain +Clark held out his pipe to them. That was to say, “I am your friend.” +He shook hands with them and gave some of them presents. Then they were +not so much afraid. + +[Illustration: Lighting a Pipe with a Burning Glass.] + +He wished to light his pipe for them to smoke. So he took out his +burning glass. He held it in the sun. He held his pipe under it. The +sunshine was drawn together into a bright little spot on the tobacco. +Soon the pipe began to smoke. + +Then he held out his pipe for the Indians to smoke with him. That is +their way of making friends. But none of the Indians would touch the +pipe. They thought that he had brought fire down from heaven to light +his pipe. They were now sure that he fell down from the sky. They were +more afraid of him than ever. + +At last Captain Clark’s Indian man came. He told the other Indians that +the white man did not come out of the sky. Then they smoked the pipe, +and were not afraid. + + + + +QUICKSILVER BOB. + + +Robert Fulton was the man who set steam-boats to running on the rivers. +Other men had made such boats before. But Fulton made the first good +one. + +When he was a boy, he lived in the town of Lan-cas-ter in +Penn-syl-van-ia. Many guns were made in Lancaster. The men who made +these guns put little pictures on them. That was to make them sell to +the hunters who liked a gun with pictures. Little Robert Fulton could +draw very well for a boy. He made some pretty little drawings. These +the gun makers put on their guns. + +Fulton went to the gun shops a great deal. He liked to see how things +were made. He tried to make a small air gun for himself. + +He was always trying to make things. He got some quick-sil-ver. He was +trying to do something with it. But he would not tell what he wanted to +do. So the gun-smiths called him Quick-sil-ver Bob. + +He was so much in-ter-est-ed in such things, that he sometimes +neg-lect-ed his lessons. He said that his head was so full of new +notions, that he had not much room left for school learning. + +One morning he came to school late. + +“What makes you so late?” asked the teacher. + +“I went to one of the shops to make myself a lead pencil,” said little +Bob. “Here it is. It is the best one I ever had.” + +The teacher tried it, and found it very good. Lead pencils in that day +were made of a long piece of lead sharpened at the end. + +Quick-sil-ver Bob was a very odd little boy. He said many cu-ri-ous +things. Once the teacher punished him for not getting his lessons. He +rapped Robert on the knuckles with a fer-ule. Robert did not like this +any more than any other boy would. + +“Sir,” said the boy, “I came here to have something beaten into my +head, not into my knuckles.” + +In that day people used to light candles and stand them in the window +on the Fourth of July. These candles in every window lighted up the +whole town. But one year candles were scarce and high. The city asked +the people not to light up their windows on the Fourth. + +Bob did not like to miss the fun of his Fourth of July. He went to work +to make something like rockets or Roman candles. It was a very +dan-ger-ous business for a boy. + +“What are you doing, Bob?” some one asked him. + +“The city does not want us to burn our candles on the Fourth,” he said. +“I am going to shoot mine into the air.” + +[Illustration] + +He used to go fishing with a boy named Chris Gumpf. The father of Chris +went with them. They fished from a flat boat. The two boys had to push +the boat to the fishing place with poles. + +“I am tired of poling that boat,” said Robert to Chris one day when +they came home. + +So he set to work to think out a plan to move the boat in an easier way +than by poles. He whittled out the model of a tiny paddle wheel. Then +he went to work with Chris Gumpf, and they made a larger paddle wheel. +This they set up in the fishing boat. The wheel was turned by the boys +with a crank. They did not use the poles any more. + + + + +THE FIRST STEAMBOAT. + + +The first good steam-boat was built in New York. She was built by +Robert Fulton. Her name was “Clermont.” When the people saw her, they +laughed. They said that such a boat would never go. For thousands of +years boat-men had made their boats go by using sails and oars. People +had never seen any such boat as this. It seemed foolish to believe that +a boat could be pushed along by steam. + +The time came for Fulton to start his boat. A crowd of people were +standing on the shore. The black smoke was coming out of the +smoke-stack. The people were laughing at the boat. They were sure that +it would not go. At last the boat’s wheels began to turn round. Then +the boat began to move. There were no oars. There were no sails. But +still the boat kept moving. Faster and faster she went. All the people +now saw that she could go by steam. They did not laugh any more. They +began to cheer. + +[Illustration: Seeing the First Steam boat] + +The little steam-boat ran up to Al-ba-ny. The people who lived on the +river did not know what to make of it. They had never heard of a +steam-boat. They could not see what made the boat go. + +There were many sailing vessels on the river. Fulton’s boat passed some +of these in the night. The sailors were afraid when they saw the fire +and smoke. The sound of the steam seemed dreadful to them. Some of them +went down-stairs in their ships for fear. Some of them went ashore. +Perhaps they thought it was a living animal that would eat them up. + +But soon there were steam-boats on all the large rivers. + + + + +WASHINGTON IRVING AS A BOY. + + +The Revolution was about over. Americans were very happy. Their country +was to be free. + +At this time a little boy was born in New York. His family was named +Ir-ving. What should this little boy be named? + +His mother said, “Washington’s work is done. Let us name the baby +Washington.” So he was called Washington Ir-ving. + +When this baby grew to be a little boy, he was one day walking with his +nurse. The nurse was a Scotch girl. She saw General Washington go into +a shop. She led the little boy into the shop also. + +The nurse said to General Washington, “Please, your Honor, here is a +bairn that is named for you.” + +“Bairn” is a Scotch word for child. Washington put his hand on the +little boy’s head and gave him his blessing. When Irving became an +author, he wrote a life of Washington. + +Little Irving was a merry, playful boy. He was full of mischief. + +Sometimes he would climb out of a window to the roof of his father’s +house. From this he would go to roofs of other houses. Then the little +rascal would drop a pebble down a neighbor’s chimney. Then he would +hurry back and get into the window again. He would wonder what the +people thought when the pebble came rattling down their chimney. Of +course he was punished when his tricks were found out. But he was a +favorite with his teacher. With all his faults, he would not tell a +lie. The teacher called the little fellow “General.” + +[Illustration: Irving in Mischief.] + +In those days naughty school-boys were whipped. Irving could not bear +to see another boy suffer. When a boy was to be whipped, the girls were +sent out. Irving always asked the schoolmaster to let him go out with +the girls. + +Like other boys, Irving was fond of stories. He liked to read about +Sind-bad the Sailor, and Rob-in-son Cru-soe. But most of all he liked +to read about other countries. He had twenty small volumes called “The +World Dis-played.” They told about the people and countries of the +world. Irving read these little books a great deal. + +One day the schoolmaster caught him reading in school. The master +slipped behind him and grabbed the book. Then he told Irving to stay +after school. + +Irving expected a pun-ish-ment. But the master told him he was pleased +to find that he liked to read such good books. He told him not to read +them in school. + +Reading about other countries made Irving wish to see them. He thought +he would like to travel. Like other wild boys, he thought of running +away. He wanted to go to sea. + +But he knew that sailors had to eat salt pork. He did not like salt +pork. He thought he would learn to like it. When he got a chance, he +ate pork. And sometimes he would sleep all night on the floor. He +wanted to get used to a hard bed. + +But the more he ate pork, the more he disliked it. And the more he +slept on the floor, the more he liked a good bed. So he gave up his +foolish notion of being a sailor boy. + +Some day you will read Irving’s “Sketch Book.” You will find some +famous stories in it. There is the story of Rip Van Win-kle, who slept +twenty years. And there is the funny story of the Head-less Horse-man. +When you read these a-mus-ing stories, you will remember the playful +boy who became a great author. + +[Illustration: Rip Van Winkle wakes up] + + + + +DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP. + + +Fred was talking to his sister one day. He said,— + +“Alice, what makes people say, ‘Don’t give up the ship’?” + +Alice said, “I don’t know. That’s what the teacher said to me +yes-ter-day when I thought that I could not get my lesson.” + +“Yes,” said Fred, “and that’s what father said to me. I told him I +never could learn to write well.” He only said, “You must not give up +the ship, my boy.” + +“I haven’t any ship to give up,” said Alice. + +“And what has a ship to do with my writing?” said Fred. + +“There must be some story about a ship,” Alice said. + +“Maybe grand-father would know,” said Fred. “Let’s ask him.” + +They found their grand-father writing in the next room. They did not +wish to disturb him. They turned to leave the room. + +But grand-father looked up just then. He smiled, and laid down his pen. + +“Did you want something?” he asked. “We wanted to ask you a question,” +said Alice. “We want to know why people say, ‘Don’t give up the ship.’” + +“We thought maybe there is a story to it,” said Fred. + +“Yes, there is,” said their grandfather. “And I know a little rhyme +that tells the story.” + +“Could you say it to us?” asked Alice. + +“Yes, if I can think of it. Let me see. How does it begin?” + +Grandfather leaned his head back in the chair. He shut his eyes for a +moment. He was trying to remember. + +“Oh, now I remember it!” he said. + +Then he said to them these little verses:— + + + + +GRANDFATHER’S RHYME. + + +When I was but a boy, + I heard the people tell +How gallant Captain Law-rence + So bravely fought and fell. + +The ships lay close together, + I heard the people say, +And many guns were roaring + Upon that battle day. + +A grape-shot struck the captain, + He laid him down to die: +They say the smoke of powder + Made dark the sea and sky. + +The sailors heard a whisper + Upon the captain’s lip: +The last command of Law-rence + Was, “Don’t give up the ship.” + +And ever since that battle + The people like to tell +How gallant Captain Lawrence + So bravely fought and fell. + +When disappointment happens, + And fear your heart annoys, +Be brave, like Captain Lawrence— + And don’t give up, my boys! + + + + +THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER. + + +Everybody in the United States has heard the song about the +star-span-gled banner. Nearly everybody has sung it. It was written by +Francis Scott Key. + +Key was a young lawyer. In the War of 1812 he fought with the American +army. The British landed soldiers in Mary-land. At Bla-dens-burg they +fought and beat the Americans. Key was in this battle on the American +side. + +After the battle the British army took Washington, and burned the +public buildings. Key had a friend who was taken prisoner by the +British. He was on one of the British ships. Key went to the ships with +a flag of truce. A flag of truce is a white flag. It is carried in war +when one side sends a message to the other. + +When Key got to the British ships, they were sailing to Bal-ti-more. +They were going to try to take Bal-ti-more. The British com-mand-er +would not let Key go back. He was afraid that he would let the +Americans know where the ships were going. + +Key was kept a kind of prisoner while the ships attacked Bal-ti-more. +The ships tried to take the city by firing at it from the water. The +British army tried to take the city on the land side. + +The ships did their worst firing at night. They tried to take the +little fort near the city. + +Key could see the battle. He watched the little fort. He was afraid +that the men in it would give up. He was afraid that the fort would be +broken down by the cannon balls. + +The British fired bomb-shells and rockets at the fort. When these +burst, they made a light. By this light Key could see that the little +fort was still standing. He could see the flag still waving over it. He +tells this in his song in these words:— + +“And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air +Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.” + + +[Illustration] + +But after many hours of fighting the British became dis-cour-aged. They +found that they could not take the city. The ships almost ceased to +fire. + +Key did not know whether the fort had been knocked down or not. He +could not see whether the flag was still flying or not. He thought that +the Americans might have given up. He felt what he wrote in the song:— + +“Oh! say, does that star-span-gled banner yet wave +O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?” + + +When the break of day came, Key looked toward the fort. It was still +standing. There was a flag flying over it. It grew lighter. He could +see that it was the American flag. His feelings are told in two lines +of the song:— + +“’Tis the star spangled banner, oh, long may it wave +O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!” + + +Key was full of joy. He took an old letter from his pocket. The back of +this letter had no writing on it. Here he wrote the song about the +star-spangled banner. + +The British com-mand-er now let Key go ashore. When he got to +Baltimore, he wrote out his song. He gave it to a friend. This friend +took it to a printing office. But the printers had all turned soldiers. +They had all gone to defend the city. + +[Illustration] + +There was one boy left in the office. He knew how to print. He took the +verses and printed them on a broad sheet of paper. + +The printed song was soon in the hands of the soldiers around +Baltimore. It was sung in the streets. It was sung in the the-a-ters. +It traveled all over the country. Everybody learned to sing:— + +“Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just; +And this be our motto—‘In God is our trust’— +And the star-span-gled banner in triumph shall wave +O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.” + + + + +HOW AUDUBON CAME TO KNOW ABOUT BIRDS. + + +John James Au-du-bon knew more about the birds of this country than any +man had ever known before. He was born in the State of Lou-is-i-a-na. +His father took him to France when he was a boy. He went to school in +France. + +The little John James was fond of stud-y-ing about wild animals. But +most of all he wished to know about birds. Seeing that the boy liked +such things, his father took pains to get birds and flowers for him. + +While he was yet a boy at school, he began to gather birds and other +animals for himself. He learned to skin and stuff them. But his stuffed +birds did not please him. Their feathers did not look bright, like +those of live birds. He wanted living birds to study. + +His father told him that he could not keep so many birds alive. To +please the boy he got him a book with pictures in it. Looking at these +pictures made John James wish to draw. He thought that he could make +pictures that would look like the live birds. + +But when he tried to paint a picture of a bird, it looked worse than +his stuffed birds. The birds he drew were not much like real birds. He +called them a “family of cripples.” As often as his birthday came +round, he made a bon-fire of his bad pictures. Then he would begin over +again. + +All this time he was learning to draw birds. But he was not willing to +make pictures that were not just like the real birds. So when he grew +to be a man he went to a great French painter whose name was David. +David taught him to draw and paint things as they are. + +Then he came back to this country, and lived awhile in Pennsylvania. +Here his chief study was the wild creatures of the woods. + +He gathered many eggs of birds. He made pictures of these eggs. He did +not take birds’ eggs to break up the nests. He was not cruel. He took +only what he needed to study. + +He would make two little holes in each egg. Then he would shake the +egg, or stir it up with a little stick or straw, or a long pin. This +would break up the inside of the egg. Then he would blow into one of +the holes. That would blow the inside of the egg out through the other +hole. + +These egg shells he strung together by running strings through the +holes. He hung these strings of egg shells all over the walls of his +room. On the man-tel-piece he put the stuffed skins of squirrels, +raccoons, o-pos-sums, and other small animals. On the shelves his +friends could see frogs, snakes, and other animals. + +He married a young lady, and brought her to live in this mu-se-um with +his dead snakes, frogs, and strings of birds’ eggs. She liked what he +did, and was sure that he would come to be a great man. + +He made up his mind to write a great book about American birds. He +meant to tell all about the birds in one book. Then in another book he +would print pictures of the birds, just as large as the birds +them-selves. He meant to have them look just like the birds. + +To do this he must travel many thousands of miles. He must live for +years almost all of the time in the woods. He would have to find and +shoot the birds, in order to make pictures of them. And he must see how +the birds lived, and how they built their nests, so that he could tell +all about them. It would take a great deal of work and trouble. But he +was not afraid of trouble. + +That was many years ago. Much of our country was then covered with +great trees. Au-du-bon sometimes went in a boat down a lone-some river. +Sometimes he rode on horse-back. Often he had to travel on foot through +woods where there were no roads. Many a time he had to sleep out of +doors. + +He lost his money and became poor. Sometimes he had to paint portraits +to get money to live on. Once he turned dancing master for a while. But +he did not give up his great idea. He still studied birds, and worked +to make his books about American birds. His wife went to teaching to +help make a living. + +After years of hard work, he made paintings of nearly a thousand birds. +That was almost enough for his books. But, while he was traveling, two +large rats got into the box in which he kept his pictures. They cut up +all his paintings with their teeth, and made a nest of the pieces. This +almost broke his heart for a while. For many nights he could not sleep, +because he had lost all his work. + +But he did not give up. After some days he took his gun, and went into +the woods. He said to himself, “I will begin over again. I can make +better paintings than those that the rats spoiled.” But it took him +four long years and a half to find the birds, and make the pictures +again. + +He was so careful to have his drawings just like the birds, that he +would measure them in every way. Thus he made his pictures just the +size of the birds themselves. + +At last the great books were printed. In this country, in France, and +in England, people praised the won-der-ful books. They knew that +Au-du-bon was indeed a great man. + + + + +AUDUBON IN THE WILD WOODS. + + +When Au-du-bon was making his great book about birds, he had to live +much in the woods. Sometimes he lived among the Indians. He once saw an +Indian go into a hollow tree. There was a bear in the tree. The Indian +had a knife in his hand. He fought with the bear in the tree, and +killed it. + +Au-du-bon could shoot very well. A friend of his one day threw up his +cap in the air. He told Au-du-bon to shoot at it. When the cap came +down, it had a hole in it. + +But the hunters who lived in the woods could shoot better. They would +light a candle. Then one of the hunters would take his gun, and go a +hundred steps away from the candle. He would then shoot at the candle. +He would shoot so as to snuff it. He would not put out the candle. He +would only cut off a bit of the wick with the bullet. But he would +leave the candle burning. + +[Illustration: Snuffing the Candle.] + +Once Audubon came near being killed by some robbers. He stopped at a +cabin where lived an old white woman. He found a young Indian in the +house. The Indian had hurt himself with an arrow. He had come to the +house to spend the night. + +The old woman saw Audubon’s fine gold watch. She asked him to let her +look at it. He put it into her hands for a minute. Then the Indian +passed by Audubon, and pinched him two or three times. That was to let +him know that the woman was bad, and that she might rob him. + +Audubon went and lay down with his hand on his gun. After a while two +men came in. They were the sons of the old woman. Then the old woman +sharpened a large knife. She told the young men to kill the Indian +first, and then to kill Audubon and take his watch. She thought that +Audubon was asleep. But he drew up his gun ready to fire. + +Just then two hunters came to the cabin. Audubon told them what the +robbers were going to do. They took the old woman and her sons, and +tied their hands and feet. The Indian, though he was in pain from his +hurt, danced for joy when he saw that the robbers were caught. The +woman and her sons were afterward punished. + + + + +HUNTING A PANTHER. + + +Audubon was traveling in the woods in Mis-sis-sip-pi. He found the +little cabin of a settler. He staid there for the night. The settler +told him that there was a panther in the swamp near his house. A +panther is a very large and fierce animal. It is large enough to kill a +man. This was a very bad panther. It had killed some of the settler’s +dogs. + +Audubon said, “Let us hunt this panther, and kill it.” + +So the settler sent out for his neigh-bors to come and help kill the +panther. Five men came. Audubon and the settler made seven. They were +all on horse-back. + +When they came to the edge of the swamp, each man went a dif-fer-ent +way. They each took their dogs with them to find the track of the wild +beast. All of the hunters carried horns. Who-ever should find the track +first was to blow his horn to let the others know. + +In about two hours after they had started, they heard the sound of a +horn. It told them that the track had been found. Every man now went +toward the sound of the horn. Soon all the yelping dogs were +fol-low-ing the track of the fierce panther. The panther was running +into the swamp farther and farther. + +I suppose that the panther thought that there were too many dogs and +men for him to fight. All the hunters came after the dogs. They held +their guns ready to shoot if the panther should make up his mind to +fight them. + +After a while the sound of the dogs’ voices changed. The hunters knew +from this that the panther had stopped running, and gone up into a +tree. + +At last the men came to the place where the dogs were. They were all +barking round a tree. Far up in the tree was the dan-ger-ous beast. The +hunters came up care-ful-ly. One of them fired. The bullet hit the +panther, but did not kill him. + +[Illustration] + +The panther sprang to the ground, and ran off again. The dogs ran +after. The men got on their horses, and rode after. + +But the horses were tired, and the men had to get down, and follow the +dogs on foot. + +The hunters now had to wade through little ponds of water. Sometimes +they had to climb over fallen trees. Their clothes were badly torn by +the bushes. After two hours more, they came to a place where the +panther had again gone up into a tree. + +This time three of the hunters shot at him. The fierce panther came +tumbling to the ground. But he was still able to fight. The men fought +the savage beast on all sides. At last they killed him. Then they gave +his skin to the settler. They wanted him to know that his en-e-my was +dead. + + + + +SOME BOYS WHO BECAME AUTHORS. + + +Wil-liam Cul-len Bry-ant was the first great poet in this country. He +was a small man. When he was a baby, his head was too big for his body. +His father used to send the baby to be dipped in a cold spring every +day. The father thought that putting his head into cold water would +keep it from growing. + +Bry-ant knew his letters before he was a year and a half old. He began +to write rhymes when he was a very little fellow. He wanted to be a +poet. He used to pray that he might be a poet. His father printed some +verses of his when he was only ten years old. + +Bry-ant wrote many fine poems. Here are some lines of his about the +bird we call a bob-o-link:— + +Rob-ert of Lin-coln is gayly dressed, + Wearing a bright black wedding coat, +White are his shoulders and white his crest. + Hear him call in his merry note: + Bob-o’-link, bob-o’-link, + Spink, spank, spink; +Look, what a nice new coat is mine, +Sure there was never a bird so fine. + Chee, chee, chee. + + +[Illustration] + +Haw-thorne was one of our greatest writers of stories. He was a pretty +boy with golden curls. He was fond of all the great poets, and he read +Shake-speare and Mil-ton and many other poets as soon as he was old +enough to un-der-stand them. + +Haw-thorne grew up a very hand-some young fellow. One day he was +walking in the woods. He met an old gypsy woman. She had never seen +anybody so fine-looking. + +“Are you a man, or an angel?” she asked him. + +Some of Haw-thorne’s best books are written for girls and boys. One of +these is called “The Won-der Book.” Another of his books for young +people is “Tan-gle-wood Tales.” + + +Pres-cott wrote beautiful his-to-ries. When Pres-cott was a boy, a +school-mate threw a crust of bread at him. It hit him in the eye. He +became almost blind. + +He had to do his writing with a machine. This machine was made for the +use of the blind. There were no type-writ-ers in those days. + +It was hard work to write his-to-ry without good eyes. But Pres-cott +did not give up. He had a man to read to him. It took him ten years to +write his first book. + +When Prescott had finished his book, he was afraid to print it. But his +father said, “The man who writes a book, and is afraid to print it, is +a cow-ard.” + +Then Prescott printed his book. Everybody praised it. When you are +older, you will like to read his his-to-ries. + +Doctor Holmes, the poet, was a boy full of fancies. He lived in an old +house. Soldiers had staid in the house at the time of the Revolution. +The floor of one room was all battered by the butts of the soldiers’ +muskets. + +[Illustration] + +Little Ol-i-ver Holmes used to think he could hear soldiers in the +house. He thought he could hear their spurs rattling in the dark +passages. Sometimes he thought he could hear their swords clanking. + +The little boy was afraid of a sign that hung over the sidewalk. It was +a great, big, wooden hand. It was the sign of a place where gloves were +made. This big hand swung in the air. Little Ol-i-ver Holmes had to +walk under it on his way to school. He thought the great fingers would +grab him some day. Then he thought he would never get home again. He +even thought that his other pair of shoes would be put away till his +little brother grew big enough to wear them. + +But the big wooden hand never caught him. + +Here are some verses that Doctor Holmes wrote about a very old man:— + +“My grand-mam-ma has said— +Poor old lady, she is dead + Long ago— +That he had a Roman nose, +And his cheek was like a rose + In the snow. + +“But now his nose is thin, +And it rests upon his chin + Like a staff; +And a crook is in his back, +And a mel-an-chol-y crack + In his laugh. + +“I know it is a sin +For me to sit and grin + At him here; +But the old three-cor-nered hat, +And the breeches, and all that, + Are so queer! + +“And if I should live to be +The last leaf upon the tree + In the spring, +Let them smile, as I do now, +At the old for-sak-en bough + Where I cling.” + + +[Illustration] + + + + +DANIEL WEBSTER AND HIS BROTHER. + + +Dan-iel Web-ster was a great states-man. As a little boy he was called +“Little Black Dan.” When he grew larger, he was thin and +sickly-looking. But he had large, dark eyes. People called him “All +Eyes.” + +He was very fond of his brother E-ze-ki-el. E-ze-ki-el was a little +older than Dan-iel. Both the boys had fine minds. They wanted to go to +college. But their father was poor. + +Dan-iel had not much strength for work on the farm. So little “All +Eyes” was sent to school, and then to college. E-ze-ki-el staid at +home, and worked on the farm. + +While Daniel was at school, he was unhappy to think that Ezekiel could +not go to college also. He went home on a visit. He talked to Ezekiel +about going to college. The brothers talked about it all night. The +next day Daniel talked to his father about it. The father said he was +too poor to send both of his sons to college. He said he would lose all +his little property if he tried to send Ezekiel to college. But he +said, that, if their mother and sisters were willing to be poor, he +would send the other son to college. + +So the mother and sisters were asked. It seemed hard to risk the loss +of all they had. It seemed hard not to give Ezekiel a chance. They all +shed tears over it. + +The boys promised to take care of their mother and sisters if the +property should be lost. Then they all agreed that Ezekiel should go to +college too. + +Daniel taught school while he was studying. That helped to pay the +expenses. After Daniel was through his studies in college, he taught a +school in order to help his brother. When his school closed, he went +home. On his way he went round to the college to see his brother. +Finding that Ezekiel needed money, he gave him a hundred dollars. He +kept but three dollars to get home with. + +The father’s property was not sold. The two boys helped the family. +Daniel soon began to make money as a lawyer. He knew that his father +was in debt. He went home to see him. He said, “Father, I am going to +pay your debts.” + +The father said, “You cannot do it, Daniel. You have not money enough.” + +“I can do it,” said Daniel; “and I will do it before Monday evening.” + +When Monday evening came round, the father’s debts were all paid. + +When Daniel became a famous man, it made Ezekiel very happy. But +Ezekiel died first. When Daniel Web-ster made his greatest speech, all +the people praised him. + +But Web-ster said, “I wish that my poor brother had lived to this time. +It would have made him very happy.” + + + + +WEBSTER AND THE POOR WOMAN. + + +When Daniel Webster was a young lawyer, he was going home one night. +There was snow on the ground. It was very cold. It was late, and there +was nobody to be seen. + +But after a while he saw a poor woman. She was ahead of him. He +wondered what had brought her out on so cold a night. + +Sometimes she stopped and looked around. Then she would stand and +listen. Then she would go on again. [Illustration: Webster and the Poor +Woman] + +Webster kept out of her sight. But he watched her. After looking +around, she turned down the street in which Webster lived. She stopped +in front of Webster’s house. She looked around and listened. + +Webster had put down some loose boards to walk on. They reached from +the gate to the door of his house. After standing still a minute, the +woman took one of the boards, and went off quickly. + +Webster followed her. But he kept out of her sight. She went to a +distant part of the town. She went into a poor little house. + +Webster went home without saying anything to the woman. He knew that +she had stolen the board for fire-wood. + +The next day the poor woman got a present It was a nice load of wood. + +Can you guess who sent it to her? + + + + +THE INDIA-RUBBER MAN. + + +Many years ago a strange-looking man was sometimes seen in the streets +of New York. His cap was made of In-di-a rubber. So was his coat. He +wore a rubber waist-coat. Even his cravat was of In-di-a rubber. He +wore rubber shoes in dry weather. People called this man “The +In-di-a-rubber man.” + +His name was Charles Good-year. He was very poor. He was trying to find +out how to make India rubber useful. + +India-rubber trees grow in South America. The juice of these trees is +something like milk or cream. By drying this juice, India rubber is +made. + +The Indians in Bra-zil have no glass to make bottles with. A long time +ago they learned to make bottles out of rubber. More than a hundred +years ago some of these rubber bottles were brought to this country. +The people in this country had never seen India rubber before. They +thought the bottles made out of it by the Indians very cu-ri-ous. + +In this country, rubber was used only to rub out pencil marks. That is +why we call it rubber. People in South America learned to make a kind +of heavy shoe out of it. But these shoes were hard to make. They cost a +great deal when they were sold in this country. + +Men tried to make rubber shoes in this country. They got the rubber +from Bra-zil. Rubber shoes made in this country were cheaper than those +brought from South America. But they were not good. They would freeze +till they were as hard as stones in winter. That was not the worst of +it. In summer they would melt. Goodyear was trying to find out a way to +make rubber better. He wanted to get it so that it would not melt in +summer. He wanted to get a rubber that would not get hard in cold +weather. The first rubber coats that were made were so hard in cold +weather, that they would stand alone, and look like a man. + +Goodyear wanted to try his rubber. That is why he wore a rubber coat +and a rubber waist-coat and a rubber cravat. That is why he wore a +rubber cap and rubber shoes when it was not raining. He made paper out +of rubber, and wrote a book on it. He had a door-plate made of it. He +even carried a cane made of India rubber. It is no wonder people called +him the India-rubber man. + +He was very poor. Sometimes he had to borrow money to buy rubber with. +Sometimes his friends gave him money to keep his family from starving. +Sometimes there was no wood and no coal in the house in cold weather. + +But Goodyear kept on trying. He thought that he was just going to find +out. Years went by, and still he kept on trying. + +One day he was mixing some rubber with sulphur. It slipped out of his +hand. It fell on the hot stove. But it did not melt. Goodyear was happy +at last. That night it was cold. Goodyear took the burned piece of +rubber out of doors, and nailed it to the kitchen door. When morning +came, he went and got it. It had not frozen. + +He was now sure that he was on the right track. But he had to find out +how to mix and heat his rubber and sulphur. He was too poor to buy +rubber to try with. Nobody would lend him any more money. His family +had to live by the help of his friends. He had already sold almost +everything that he had. Now he had to sell his children’s school-books +to get money to buy rubber with. + +At last his rubber goods were made and sold. Poor men who had to stand +in the rain could now keep themselves dry. People could walk in the wet +with dry feet. A great many people are alive who would have died if +they had not been kept dry by India rubber. + +You may count up, if you can, how many useful things are made of +rubber. We owe them all to one man. People laughed at Goodyear once. +But at last they praised him. To be “The India-rubber man” was +something to be proud of. + + + + +DOCTOR KANE IN THE FROZEN SEA. + + +[Illustration] + +Kane was a doctor in one of the war ships of the United States. He had +sailed about the world a great deal. + +When he heard that ships were to be sent into the icy seas of the +north, he asked to be sent along. He went the first time as a doctor. +Then he wanted to find out more about the frozen ocean. So he went +again as captain of a ship. His ship was called the “Advance.” + +Kane sailed into the icy seas. His ship was driven far into the ice by +a fu-ri-ous storm. She was crowded by ice-bergs. At one time she was +lifted clear out of the water. The ship seemed ready to fall over on +her side. But the ice let her down again. Then she was squeezed till +the men thought that she would be crushed like an egg shell At last the +storm stopped. Then came the awful cold. The ship was frozen into the +ice. The ice never let go of her. She was farther north than any ship +had ever been before. But she was so fast in the ice that she never +could get away. + +In that part of the world it is night nearly all winter. For months +there was no sun at all. Daylight came again. It was now summer, but it +did not get warm. Doctor Kane took sleds, and went about on the ice to +see what he could see. The sleds were drawn by large dogs. But nearly +all of the dogs died in the long winter night. + +[Illustration: A Dog Sled] + +Doctor Kane thought that the ice would melt. He wanted to get the ship +out. But the ice did not melt at all. + +At last the summer passed away. Another awful winter came. The sun did +not rise any more. It was dark for months and months. The men were ill. +Some of them died. They were much dis-cour-aged. But Kane kept up his +heart, and did the best he could. + +At last the least little streak of light could be seen. It got a little +lighter each day. But the sick men down in the cabin of the ship could +not see the light. + +Doctor Kane said to himself, “If my poor men could see this sunlight, +it would cheer them up. It might save their lives.” But they were too +ill to get out where they could see the sun. It would be many days +before the sun would shine into the cabin of the ship. The men might +die before that time. + +So Doctor Kane took some looking glasses up to the deck or top of the +ship. He fixed one of these so it would catch the light of the sun. +Then he fixed another so that the first one would throw the light on +this one. The last one would throw the sunlight down into the cabin +where the sick men were. + +One day the poor fellows were ready to give up. Then the sun fell on +the looking glasses, and flashed down into the cabin. It was the first +daylight the sick men had seen for months. The long winter night was +over. Think how happy they were! + + + + +A DINNER ON THE ICE. + + +After two winters of cold and darkness, Doctor Kane made up his mind to +leave the ship fast in the ice. He wanted to get to a place in +Green-land where there were people living. Then he might find some way +of getting home again. + +The men started out, drawing the boats on sleds. Whenever they came to +open water, they put the boats into the water, and took the sleds in +the boats. When they came to the ice again, they had to draw out their +boats, and carry them on the sleds. At first they could travel only +about a mile a day. + +It was a hard journey. Some of the men were ill. These had to be drawn +on the sleds by the rest. They had not enough food. At one time they +rested three days in a kind of cave. Here they found many birds’ eggs. +These made very good food for them. At another place they staid a week. +They staid just to eat the eggs of the wild birds. + +After they left this place, they were hungry. The men grew thinner and +thinner. It seemed that they must die for want of food. But one day +they saw a large seal. He was floating on a piece of ice. The hungry +men thought, “What a fine din-ner he would make for us!” If they could +get the seal, they would not die of hunger. + +Every one of the poor fellows trembled for fear the seal would wake up. +A man named Pe-ter-sen took a gun, and got ready to shoot. The men +rowed the boat toward the seal. They rowed slowly and quietly. But the +seal waked up. He raised his head. The men thought that he would jump +off into the water. Then they might all die for want of food. + +Doctor Kane made a motion to Pe-ter-sen. That was to tell him to shoot +quickly. But Peter-sen did not shoot. He was so much afraid that the +seal would get away, that he could not shoot. The seal now raised +himself a little more. He was getting ready to jump into the water. +Just then Petersen fired. The seal fell dead on the ice. + +[Illustration: A Seal] + +The men were wild with joy. They rowed the boats with all their might. +When they got to the seal, they dragged it farther away from the water. +They were so happy, that they danced on the ice. Some of them laughed. +Some were so glad, that they cried. [Illustration: Shooting the Seal.] + +Then they took their knives and began to cut up the seal. They had no +fire on the ice, and they were too hungry to think of lighting one. So +they ate the meat of the seal without waiting to cook it. + + + + +DOCTOR KANE GETS OUT OF THE FROZEN SEA. + + +After they got the seal, Doctor Kane and his men traveled on. Sometimes +they were on the ice. Sometimes they were in the boats. The men were so +weak, that they could hardly row the boats. They were so hungry, that +they could not sleep well at night. + +One day they were rowing, when they heard a sound. It came to them +across the water. It did not sound like the cry of sea birds. It +sounded like people’s voices. + +“Listen!” Doctor Kane said to Pe-ter-sen. + +Petersen spoke the same language as the people of Greenland. He +listened. The sound came again. Pe-ter-sen was so glad, that he could +hardly speak. He told Kane in a half whisper, that it was the voice of +some one speaking his own language. It was some Greenland men in a +boat. + +The next day they got to a Greenland town. Then they got into a little +ship going to England. They knew that they could get home from England. +But the ship stopped at another Green-land town. While they were there, +a steamer was seen. It came nearer. They could see the stars and +stripes flying from her mast. It was an American steamer sent to find +Doctor Kane. + +Doctor Kane and his men were full of joy. They pushed their little boat +into the water once more. This little boat was called the “Faith.” It +had carried Kane and his men hundreds of miles in icy seas. + +Once more the men took their oars, and rowed. This time they rowed with +all their might. They held up the little flag that they had carried +farther north than anybody had ever been before. They rowed straight to +the steamer. + +In the bow of the boat was a little man with a tattered red shirt. He +could see that the captain of the boat was looking at him through a +spy-glass. + +The captain shouted to the little man, “Is that Doctor Kane?” + +The little man in the red shirt shouted back, “Yes!” + +Doctor Kane and his men had been gone more than two years. People had +begun to think that they had all died. This steamer had been sent to +find out what had become of them. When the men on the steamer heard +that this little man in the red shirt was Doctor Kane himself, they +sent up cheer after cheer. In a few minutes more, Doctor Kane and his +men were on the steamer. They were now safe among friends. They were +sailing away toward their homes. + + + + +LONGFELLOW AS A BOY. + + +[Illustration: Longfellow and the Bird] + +Long-fel-low was a noble boy. He always wanted to do right. He could +not bear to see one person do any wrong to another. + +He was very tender-hearted. One day he took a gun and went shooting. He +killed a robin. Then he felt sorry for the robin He came home with +tears in his eyes. He was so grieved, that he never went shooting +again. + +He liked to read Irving’s “Sketch Book.” Its strange stories about +Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Win-kle pleased his fancy. + +When he was thirteen he wrote a poem. It was about Love-well’s fight +with the Indians. He sent his verses to a news-paper. He wondered if +the ed-i-tor would print them. He could not think of anything else. He +walked up and down in front of the printing office. He thought that his +poem might be in the printer’s hands. + +When the paper came out, there was his poem. It was signed “Henry.” +Long-fel-low read it. He thought it a good poem. + +But a judge who did not know whose poem it was talked about it that +evening. He said to young Long-fel-low, “Did you see that poem in the +paper? It was stiff. And all taken from other poets, too.” + +This made Henry Long-fel-low feel bad. But he kept on trying. After +many years, he became a famous poet. + +For more than fifty years, young people have liked to read his poem +called “A Psalm of Life.” Here are three stanzas of it:— + +“Lives of great men all remind us + We can make our lives sub-lime, +And, de-part-ing, leave behind us + Foot-prints on the sands of time,— + +“Foot-prints, that perhaps another, + Sailing o’er life’s solemn main, +A forlorn and ship-wrecked brother, + Seeing, may take heart again. + +“Let us, then, be up and doing, + With a heart for any fate; +Still a-chiev-ing, still pur-su-ing, + Learn to labor and to wait.” + + + + +KIT CARSON AND THE BEARS. + + +Great men of one kind are known only in new countries like ours. These +men dis-cov-er new regions. They know how to manage the Indians. They +show other people how to live in a wild country. + +One of the most famous of such men was Kit Car-son. He knew all about +the wild animals. He was a great hunter. He learned the languages of +the Indians. The Indians liked him. He was a great guide. He showed +soldiers and settlers how to travel where they wished to go. + +Once he was marching through the wild country with other men. Evening +came. He left the others, and went to shoot something to eat. It was +the only way to get meat for supper. When he had gone about a mile, he +saw the tracks of some elks. He followed these tracks. He came in sight +of the elks. They were eating grass on a hill, as cows do. + +Kit Car-son crept up behind some bushes. But elks are very timid +animals. Before the hunter got very near, they began to run away. So +Carson fired at one of them as it was running. The elk fell dead. + +But just at that moment he heard a roar. He turned to see what made +this ugly noise. Two huge bears were running toward him. They wanted +some meat for supper, too. + +Kit Carson’s gun was empty. He threw it down. Then he ran as fast as he +could. He wanted to find a tree. + +Just as the bears were about to seize him, he got to a tree. He caught +hold of a limb. He swung himself up into the tree. The bears just +missed getting him. + +But bears know how to climb trees. Carson knew that they would soon be +after him. He pulled out his knife, and began to cut off a limb. He +wanted to make a club. + +A bear is much larger and stronger than a man. He cannot be killed with +a club. But every bear has one tender spot. It is his nose. He does not +like to be hit on the nose. A sharp blow on the nose hurts him a great +deal. + +Kit Carson got his club cut just in time. The bears were coming after +him. Kit got up into the very top of the tree. He drew up his feet, and +made himself as small as he could. + +When the bears came near, one of them reached for Kit. Whack! went the +stick on the end of his nose. The bear drew back, and whined with pain. + +First one bear tried to get him, and then the other. But which-ever one +tried, Kit was ready. The bear was sure to get his nose hurt. + +[Illustration] + +The bears grew tired, and rested awhile. But they kept up their +screeching and roaring. When their noses felt better, they tried again. +And then they tried again. But every time they came away with sore +noses. At last they both tried at once. But Carson pounded faster than +ever. One of the bears cried like a baby. The tears ran out of his +eyes. It hurt his feelings to have his nose treated in this rude way. + +After a long time one of the bears got tired. He went away. After +awhile the other went away too. Kit Carson staid in the tree a long +time. Then he came down. The first thing he did was to get his gun. He +loaded it. But the bears did not come back. They were too busy rubbing +noses. + + + + +HORACE GREELEY AS A BOY. + + +Hor-ace Gree-ley was the son of a poor farmer. He was always fond of +books. He learned to read almost as soon as he could talk. He could +read easy books when he was three years old. When he was four, he could +read any book that he could get. + +He went to an old-fashioned school. Twice a day all the children stood +up to spell. They were in two classes. Little Hor-ace was in the class +with the grown-up young people. He was the best speller in the class. +It was funny to see the little midget at the head of this class of +older people. But he was only a little boy in his feelings. If he +missed a word, he would cry. The one that spelled a word that he missed +would have a right to take the head of the class. Sometimes when he +missed, the big boys would not take the head. They did not like to make +the little fellow cry. He was the pet of all the school. + +People in that day were fond of spelling. They used to hold meetings at +night to spell. They called these “spelling schools.” + +At a spelling school two captains were picked out. These chose their +spellers. Then they tried to see which side could beat the other at +spelling. + +Little Hor-ace was always chosen first. The side that got him got the +best speller in the school. Sometimes the little fellow would go to +sleep. When it came his turn to spell, some-body would wake him up. He +would rub his eyes, and spell the word. He would spell it right, too. + +When he was four or five years old, he would lie under a tree, and +read. He would lie there, and forget all about his dinner or his +supper. He would not move until some-body stumbled over him or called +him. + +People had not found out how to burn ker-o-sene oil in lamps then. They +used candles. But poor people like the Gree-leys could not afford to +burn many candles. Hor-ace gathered pine knots to read by at night. + +[Illustration: Greeley Reading] + +He would light a pine knot Then he would throw it on top of the large +log at the back of the fire. This would make a bright flick-er-ing +light. + +Horace would lay all the books he wanted on the hearth. Then he would +lie down by them. His head was toward the fire. His feet were drawn up +out of the way. + +The first thing that he did was to study all his lessons for the next +day. Then he would read other books. He never seemed to know when +anybody came or went. He kept on with his reading. His father did not +want him to read too late. He was afraid that he would hurt his eyes. +And he wanted to have him get up early in the morning to help with the +work. So when nine o’clock came, he would call, “Horace, Horace, +Horace!” But it took many callings to rouse him. + +When he got to bed, he would say his lessons over to his brother. He +would tell his brother what he had been reading. But his brother would +fall asleep while Horace was talking. + +Horace liked to read better than he liked to work. But when he had a +task to do, he did it faith-ful-ly. His brother would say, “Let us go +fishing.” But Horace would answer, “Let us get our work done first.” + +Horace Gree-ley’s father grew poorer and poorer. When Horace was ten +years old, his land was sold. The family were now very poor. They moved +from New Hamp-shire. They settled in Ver-mont. They lived in a poor +little cabin. + +Horace had to work hard like all the rest of the family. But he +borrowed all the books he could get. Sometimes he walked seven miles to +borrow a book. + +A rich man who lived near the Greeleys used to lend books to Horace. +Horace had grown tall. His hair was white. He was poorly dressed. He +was a strange-looking boy. One day he went to the house of the rich man +to borrow books. Some one said to the owner of the house, “Do you lend +books to such a fellow as that?” + +But the gen-tle-man said, “That boy will be a great man some day.” + +This made all the com-pa-ny laugh. It seemed funny that anybody should +think of this poor boy becoming a great man. But it came true. The poor +white-headed boy came to be a great man. + +Horace Greeley learned all that he could learn in the country schools. +When he was thirteen, one teacher said to his father,— + +“Mr. Greeley, Horace knows more than I do. It is not of any use to send +him to school any more.” + + + + +HORACE GREELEY LEARNING TO PRINT. + + +Horace Greeley had always wanted to be a printer. He liked books and +papers. He thought it would be a fine thing to learn to make them. + +One day he heard that the news-paper at East Poult-ney wanted a boy to +learn the printer’s trade. He walked many long miles to see about it. +He went to see Mr. Bliss. Mr. Bliss was one of the owners of the paper. +Horace found him working in his garden. Mr. Bliss looked up. He saw a +big boy coming toward him. The boy had on a white felt hat with a +narrow brim. It looked like a half-peck measure. His hair was white. +His trousers were too short for him. All his clothes were coarse and +poor. He was such a strange-looking boy, that Mr. Bliss wanted to +laugh. + +“I heard that you wanted a boy,” Horace said. + +“Do you want to learn to print?” Mr. Bliss said. + +“Yes,” said Horace. + +“But a printer ought to know a good many things,” said Mr. Bliss. “Have +you been to school much?” + +“No,” said Horace. “I have not had much chance at school. But I have +read some.” + +“What have you read?” asked Mr. Bliss. + +“Well, I have read some his-to-ry, and some travels, and a little of +everything.” + +Mr. Bliss had ex-am-ined a great many schoolteachers. He liked to +puzzle teachers with hard questions. He thought he would try Horace +with these. But the gawky boy answered them all. This tow-headed boy +seemed to know everything. + +Mr. Bliss took a piece of paper from his pocket. He wrote on it, “Guess +we’d better try him.” + +He gave this paper to Horace, and told him to take it to the printing +office. Horace, with his little white hat and strange ways, went into +the printing office. The boys in the office laughed at him. But the +foreman said he would try him. + +That night the boys in the office said to Mr. Bliss, “You are not going +to take that tow head, are you?” + +Mr. Bliss said, “There is something in that tow-head. You boys will +find it out soon.” + +[Illustration: Greeley setting Type] + +A few days after this, Horace came to East Poult-ney to begin his work. +He carried a little bundle of clothes tied up in a hand-ker-chief. + +The fore-man showed him how to begin. From that time he did not once +look around. All day he worked at his type. He learned more in a day +than some boys do in a month. + +Day after day he worked, and said nothing. The other boys joked him. +But he did not seem to hear them. He only kept on at his work. They +threw type at him. But he did not look up. + +The largest boy in the office thought he could find a way to tease him. +One day he said that Horace’s hair was too white. He went and got the +ink ball. He stained Horace’s hair black in four places. This ink stain +would not wash out. But Horace did not once look up. + +After that, the boys did not try to tease him any more. They all liked +the good-hearted Horace. And everybody in the town wondered that the +boy knew so much. + +Horace’s father had moved away to Penn-syl-va-ni-a. Horace sent him all +the money he could spare. He soon became a good printer. He started a +paper of his own. He became a famous news-paper man. + + + + +A WONDERFUL WOMAN. + + +Little Dor-o-thy Dix was poor. Her father did not know how to make a +living. Her mother did not know how to bring up her children. + +The father moved from place to place. Sometimes he printed little +tracts to do good. But he let his own children grow up poor and +wretched. + +Dor-o-thy wanted to learn. She wanted to become a teacher. She wanted +to get money to send her little brothers to school. + +Dor-o-thy was a girl of strong will and temper. When she was twelve +years old, she left her wretched home. She went to her grand-mother. +Her grand-mother Dix lived in a large house in Boston. She sent Dorothy +to school. + +Dorothy learned fast. But she wanted to make money. She wanted to help +her brothers. When she was fourteen, she taught a school. She tried to +make herself look like a woman. She made her dresses longer. + +She soon went back to her grand-mother. She went to school again. Then +she taught school. She soon had a school in her grandmother’s house. It +was a very good school. Many girls were sent to her school. Miss Dix +was often ill. But when she was well enough, she worked away. She was +able to send her brothers to school until they grew up. + +Besides helping her brothers, she wanted to help other poor children. +She started a school for poor children in her grandmother’s barn. + +After a while she left off teaching. She was not well. She had made all +the money she needed. + +But she was not idle. She went one day to teach some poor women in an +alms-house. Then she went to see the place where the crazy people were +kept. These insane people had no fire in the coldest weather. + +Miss Dix tried to get the man-a-gers to put up a stove in the room. But +they would not do it. Then she went to the court. She told the judge +about it. The judge said that the insane people ought to have a fire. +He made the man-a-gers put up a stove in the place where they were +kept. + +Then Miss Dix went to other towns. She wanted to see how the insane +people were treated. Some of them were shut up in dark, damp cells. One +young man was chained up with an iron collar about his neck. + +Miss Dix got new laws made about the insane. She per-suad-ed the States +to build large houses for keeping the insane. She spent most of her +life at this work. The Civil War broke out. There were many sick and +wounded soldiers to be taken care of. + +All of the nurses in the hos-pi-tals were put under Miss Dix. She +worked at this as long as the war lasted. Then she spent the rest of +her life doing all that she could for insane people. + + + + +THE AUTHOR OF “LITTLE WOMEN.” + + +Lou-i-sa Al-cott was a wild little girl. When she was very little, she +would run away from home. She liked to play with beggar children. + +One day she wandered so far away from her home, she could not find the +way back again. It was growing dark. The little girl’s feet were tired. +She sat down on a door-step. A big dog was lying on the step. He wagged +his tail. That was his way of saying, “I am glad to see you.” + +Little Lou-i-sa grew sleepy. She laid her head on the curly head of the +big dog. Then she fell asleep. + +Lou-i-sa’s father and mother could not find her. They sent out the town +crier to look for her. + +The town crier went along the street. As he went, he rang his bell. +Every now and then he would tell that a little girl was lost. At last +the man with the bell came to the place where Louisa was asleep. He +rang his bell. That waked her up. She heard him call out in a loud +voice,— + +“Lost, lost! a little girl six years old. She wore a pink frock, a +white hat, and new green shoes.” + +When the crier had said that, he heard a small voice coming out of the +darkness. It said, “Why, dat’s me.” The crier went to the voice, and +found Louisa sitting by the big dog on the door-step. The next day she +was tied to the sofa to punish her for running away. + +She and her sisters learned to sew well. Louisa set up as a doll’s +dress-maker. She was then twelve years old. She hung out a little sign. +She put some pretty dresses in the window to show how well she could +do. + +Other girls liked the little dresses that she made. They came to her to +get dresses made for their dolls. They liked the little doll’s hats she +made better than all. Louisa chased the chickens to get soft feathers +for these hats. + +She turned the old fairy tales into little plays. The children played +these plays in the barn. + +One of these plays was Jack and the Bean-stalk. A squash vine was put +up in the barn. This was the bean-stalk. When it was cut down, the boy +who played giant would come tumbling out of the hay-loft. + +Louisa found it hard to be good and o-be-di-ent. She wrote some verses +about being good. She was fourteen years old when she wrote them. Here +they are:— + + + + +MY KINGDOM. + + +A little kingdom I possess + Where thoughts and feelings dwell, +And very hard I find the task + Of gov-ern-ing it well. + +For passion tempts and troubles me, + A wayward will misleads, +And sel-fish-ness its shadow casts + On all my words and deeds. + +I do not ask for any crown + But that which all may win, +Nor seek to conquer any world + Except the one within. + + +The Al-cott family were very poor. Louisa made up her mind to do +something to make money when she got big. She did not like being so +very poor. + +[Illustration] + +One day she was sitting on a cart-wheel thinking. She was thinking how +poor her father was. There was a crow up in the air over her head. The +crow was cawing. There was nobody to tell her thoughts to but the crow. +She shook her fist at the big bird, and said,— + +“I will do something by and by. Don’t care what. I’ll teach, sew, act, +write, do anything to help the family. And I’ll be rich and famous +before I die. See if I don’t.” + +The crow did not make any answer. But Louisa kept thinking about the +work she was going to do. The other children got work to do that made +money. But Louisa was left at home to do housework. She had to do the +washing. She made a little song about it. Here are some of the verses +of this song:— + +[Illustration] + + + + +A SONG FROM THE SUDS. + + +Queen of my tub, I merrily sing, + While the white foam rises high, +And stur-di-ly wash and rinse and wring, + And fasten the clothes to dry; +Then out in the free fresh air they swing, + Under the sunny sky. + +I am glad a task to me is given, + To labor at day by day; +For it brings me health and strength and hope, + And I cheer-ful-ly learn to say, +“Head you may think, Heart you may feel, + But Hand you shall work alway.” + + +Louisa grew to be a woman at last. She went to nurse soldiers in the +war. She wrote books. When she wrote the book called “Little Women,” +all the young people were de-light-ed. What she had said to the crow +came true at last. She became famous. She had money enough to make the +family com-fort-a-ble. + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 10070 *** |