THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES

 
 THE OAKLAND STORIES. 
 
 BY 
 
 GEO. B. TAYLOR, 
 
 OF VIRGINIA. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 SHELDON & COMPANY 
 
 835 BKOADWAT, COB. WOKTH ST. 
 1863.
 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1859, 
 
 By SHELDON & COMPANY, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 
 Southern District of New York. 
 
 HEW YORK : 
 
 B1LLIN AND BROTHER, PRINTERS, 
 XX, NORTH WILLIAM ST.
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 VIEW OF OAKLAND, Vignette Title. 
 
 EQUESTRIAN STATUE, PAGE 26 
 
 THE MYSTERIOUS FIGURE, 34 
 
 KENNY IN THE KITCHEN, 88 
 
 BUILDING THE GREENHOUSE, 138
 
 SCENE OF THE STORY. 
 
 Oakland, Mr. ELLIS'S residence, about a mile from 
 the city. 
 
 PRINCIPAL PERSONS. 
 
 Mr. ELLIS, a wealthy gentleman who is not engaged 
 in any business. 
 
 Mrs. ELLIS. 
 
 Mr. MERIDETT, a cousin of Mrs. ELLIS, and generally 
 called in the family "Cousin Guy." He is a young 
 minister. 
 
 KENNY, the older son of Mr. ELLIS' seven years old. 
 
 FRANK, the younger son, four years old. 
 
 GUSTAVE, Mr. ELLIS'S gardener, a German.
 
 PEEFACE. 
 
 THE author was moved to write "The Oakland 
 Stories" chiefly by the remembrance of the pleasure 
 and profit afforded him in his childhood, by the Kollo 
 Books, and other works of similar character. He 
 hereby acknowledges his indebtedness to Jacob Abbott, 
 not only for much instruction received, but also for 
 the idea of the present series. The Oakland Stories 
 are, however, strictly original, being in fact, mostly 
 not fiction, but a description of real scenes and per 
 sons. The author has sought not so much to convey 
 direct moral and religious instruction, as to have it 
 pervade the very atmosphere of the narrative. He 
 feels quite sure that no youth can be harmed by 
 reading these pages, while he would fain hope that 
 they may prove interesting, and to some humble 
 extent even useful. The present volume will be 
 followed by at least two others of similar character 
 to complete the series.
 
 KENNY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 AN ACCOMPLISHMENT. 
 
 had been talking with his cousin, 
 Guy ; but now Cousin Guy was busy, and 
 Kenny had no one to keep him company, and 
 nothing to do. He sat down on the stone steps 
 before the front door, feeling not exactly unhappy, 
 but rather uncomfortable. Presently he heard the 
 sound of a horse's feet and of wheels in the lane. 
 
 " Ah," said he, " that's my father coming from 
 town. I will go and open the gate for him, and 
 then I will ask him to do something for me." 
 
 It was a very common thing with Kenny, when 
 he was lonesome and tired, to ask some of the 
 older members of the family to do something for 
 him. On this occasion he ran to meet his father, 
 and was just in the act of opening the gate when
 
 10 KENNY. 
 
 the carriage came up. The gate was a somewhat 
 peculiar one, very large, of wooden frame, and 
 with iron wire woven into a sort of net- work. Mr. 
 Ellis had found it lying and rusting in a depot 
 yard, had bought it, had it repaired and painted, 
 and now it was a very good and ornamental gate. 
 As the latch was too high for Kenny to reach, 
 when he wanted to open the gate, he would climb 
 up, using the openings in the net-work like 
 rounds of a ladder. Mr. Ellis thought it was very 
 good in Kenny to come in this way and open the 
 gate for him, and when he had driven through, he 
 stopped the horse and took Kenny in the carriage 
 with him, and together they drove round to the 
 stable. As they came to the house, with their 
 hands full of bundles, which Mr. Ellis had brought 
 from town, Kenny said : 
 
 "Father, please do something for me. I am 
 so tired." 
 
 " Tired, my son ! what have you been doing ?" 
 "Oh! tired of being by myself and having 
 nothing particular to do." 
 
 "What shall I do for you?" said Mr. Ellis, as 
 they placed the packages on the passage table, 
 and came into the library. 
 
 " O ! any thing ; I want you to choose." 
 " "Well, I think I will draw for you, I have told 
 you so many stories."
 
 A BALLOON. 11 
 
 " That will be first-rate ; but I wish you would 
 tell me a story, too." 
 
 " Well, I will first draw you a picture, and then 
 tell you a story about it." 
 
 So Mr. Ellis drew up his large arm-chair to the 
 desk, took off his spectacles, and, bending his head 
 close to the paper, began to draw. He wore spec 
 tacles because he was near-sighted ; and when he 
 read or wrote, he would frequently take them off, 
 and instead of using them, have the book or paper 
 near his eyes. On this occasion Kenny stood by, 
 no longer listless and fretful, but deeply interested 
 in watching the progress of the picture. Presently 
 Cousin Guy came in and went to the book-case, 
 and took out a large book, which he laid down on 
 the floor, and. kneeling down, began to read.. He 
 did not seem to notice that any one was in the 
 room. Kenny, without looking up from the 
 drawing, said : 
 
 " I say, Cousin Guy," and waited for a reply. 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "Father is doing something for me. He is 
 drawing me a picture, and then he is going to tell 
 me a story a story about the picture." 
 
 " What is the picture off" 
 
 " I don't know yet ; I am watching. Father, 
 what is that round thing?" 
 
 " O ! you must wait and find out yourself."
 
 12 KENNY IS INTERESTED. 
 
 " I can guess without looking," said Cousin Guy. 
 
 "What?" 
 
 "Awheel." 
 
 "Is it, father?" 
 
 "Wait and see." 
 
 "Cousin Guy, what are you doing with that 
 book?" 
 
 " Eeading it." 
 
 " Why don't you carry it up to your room ?" 
 
 "Because I don't want to read it long; I am 
 nearly done now." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 " An encyclopedia." 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
 "A sort of dictionary : a book that tells about a 
 great many things. It is not intended to be read 
 straight through, but to be referred to whenever 
 anybody wants to find out about some particular 
 subject." 
 
 " Ah, yes ; I understand. Well, what did you 
 want to find out about now?" 
 
 " Diamonds." 
 
 " That is funny. Will you tell me about them ?" 
 
 "Yes, some time; but you must learn to 
 read, then you can find out things for your 
 self." 
 
 " I don't care about learning to read. I would 
 rather you and father should tell me things."
 
 THE BALLOON. 13 
 
 "Kenny," said Mr. Ellis, "you will disturb 
 Cousin Guy. You look at what I am drawing for 
 
 you." 
 
 " I am looking, sir. I can look and talk, too ; 
 and Cousin Guy can read and talk, too. But O ! 
 I see. Father, it is not a wheel. It is not a wheel, 
 Cousin Guy." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 " I don't know yet ; but it is not a wheel. It is 
 not perfectly round. The upper part is shaped 
 like a pear, with the stem turned downward. O 
 yes, I see now : it is a balloon yes, it is a bal 
 loon." 
 
 And Kenny clapped his hands in glee at having 
 found out that it was a balloon. 
 
 Mr. Ellis seemed pleased at Kenny's delight, 
 but said nothing, and quietly went on with his 
 drawing. Having drawn the outline of the bal 
 loon, he proceeded to draw two men sitting in the 
 car below, and fine net-work over all the upper 
 part, and the cords extending from the sides and 
 holding the balloon to the ground. The cords 
 were straight, and had the appearance of being 
 stretched very tight. 
 
 " Ah !" said Kenny, " it looks as if it was pull 
 ing away, and wanted to fly off among the clouds." 
 
 "Yes," said Mr. Ellis, "if those cords were cut, 
 away it would go." 
 2
 
 14 THE BALLOON FINISHED. 
 
 Both he and Kenny were evidently beginning 
 to feel as if it were a real balloon. 
 
 "Now, father, please draw a whole crowd of 
 people looking on at the balloon about to go 
 up." 
 
 " Presently, as soon as I have drawn some flags 
 hanging out." 
 
 " Why, father," said Kenny, in a minute more, 
 " what are all those round things ?" 
 
 " Those are the heads of the people," said Mr. 
 Ellis ; and, sure enough, pretty soon, there seemed 
 to be a great crowd of people standing around. 
 Then he drew in the background a house and 
 some trees, and then the picture was done. 
 
 " Oh ! I hope the balloon will not get tangled 
 in those wood^," said Kenny. 
 
 Cousin Guy now got up, and put the large book 
 back in its place, and then came and stood behind 
 Mr. Ellis and Kenny, and looked over their shoul 
 ders at the picture which was lying before them on 
 the desk. He said quite earnestly : 
 
 " Oh ! what a good picture. Mr. Ellis, I did 
 not know you could draw so well. Did you ever 
 take drawing lessons ?" 
 
 " No, I never took regular lessons, but I was al 
 ways fond of drawing, and used to practise a good 
 deal. "When I was a boy, I thought I would be a 
 surveyor."
 
 ME. ELLIS'S PICTURE. 15 
 
 " What is that?" asked Kenny. 
 
 "A man who goes and looks at ground, and 
 measures it, and then makes a map or picture of 
 it, and describes how much it is, and how it lies 
 that is, whether it is level or hilly, and whether 
 any streams run through it." 
 
 " I always thought," said Cousin Guy, " that if 
 I were not a preacher, I would like to be a sur 
 veyor. It would be so pleasant to be so much out 
 of doors, and then I could collect all sorts of woods, 
 and leaves, and flowers, and insects." 
 
 "I should like that" said Kermy. 
 
 " I will show you," said Mr. Ellis, addressing 
 Cousin Guy, " a picture that I drew when I was 
 at college a picture of one of the professors." 
 
 So he opened the desk, and then touched a 
 spring, and a little secret drawer flew open. This 
 drawer seemed to contain little things that Mr. 
 Ellis prized very much. Kenny was anxious to 
 examine them, and Mr. Ellis promised him that 
 some day he might do so. From this drawer, Mr. 
 Ellis took out and handed to Cousin Guy the 
 
 picture, saying : " That is Dr. "VV , and is really 
 
 exactly like him. I prize it very much." The 
 picture Cousin Guy thought excellent, and so did 
 Kenny, though he liked the balloon better. The 
 face was a very remarkable one indeed. The eye 
 brows were large and shaggy, and overhanging
 
 16 "BOTH, SIB." 
 
 deep-set eyes ; they wore a very stern appearance. 
 The nose, too, was unusually large. 
 
 "But, father," said Kenny, "you forgot you 
 were going to tell me a story about the picture ?" 
 
 " And you, Kenny," said Cousin Guy, " are 
 forgetting to thank your father for drawing for 
 you." 
 
 " O no ! Cousin Guy, I am only waiting for the 
 story, and then I mean to thank him for all at 
 once. It is a beautiful picture." 
 
 " I will give you your choice," said his father, 
 "whether I shall tell you a story about this bal 
 loon, or tell you all about how a balloon is made 
 and used." 
 
 "oth, sir." 
 
 " I cannot tell you both now." 
 
 " "Will you tell me one now, and the other some 
 day." 
 
 " I reckon so." 
 
 " Which shall I have first, cousin ?" 
 
 " Have the description first, then you will un 
 derstand the story better afterwards." So Kenny 
 concluded he would have the description, and wait 
 for the story. But before his father could give it 
 to him, the dinner-bell rang, and all three went 
 into the dining-room, where they found Mrs. Ellis 
 and Frank waiting for them. 
 
 After dinner all went into the library. Mrs.
 
 ADVANTAGE OF READING. 17 
 
 Ellis read the papers which Mr. Ellis had brought 
 from the post-office. Cousin Guy romped with 
 Kenny and Frank, and Mr. Ellis went to the book 
 case and took out a large book, like that which 
 Cousin Guy had been reading, and turned over 
 the leaves, as if looking for something. Kenny 
 came and stood by him, and said : 
 
 "Father, Cousin Guy looked in that book to 
 find out about some particular thing ; what do you 
 want to find out about ?" 
 
 " Can't you guess ?" 
 
 " Balloons !" 
 
 " Yes, balloons. I promised to tell you about 
 them, and though I know something already, I 
 thought I would learn some more. You see how 
 convenient it is to be able to read." 
 
 " "We've got a lot of books, father, when I do 
 learn. I almost wish I did know how." 
 
 Kenny was old enough to learn, but he did not 
 seem inclined to do so, and his parents wisely did 
 not press him, as they feared it would give him a 
 distaste for study, and besides, they did not want 
 him to sit still or apply his mind much while he 
 was young, lest it should injure his health. At 
 the same time, they thought it would be a source 
 of interesting employment for him if he could 
 only read, and they frequently spoke of the ad 
 vantage of reading, hoping that Kenny would 
 2*
 
 18 DESCRIPTION OF A BALLOON. 
 
 himself become anxious to learn, in which case it 
 would be very easy. And, in fact, by looking at 
 pictures, and having them explained to him, he 
 was gradually, and almost without knowing it, 
 learning to make oat short and simple words. 
 
 "Well, now, father," said Kenny, as Mr. Ellis 
 put the book away, " tell me about balloons." 
 
 "I will, and the best way will be for you to ask 
 me whatever you want to know." 
 
 " What are they made of, and how do they go 
 np?" 
 
 " They are generally made of oil silk, and are 
 filled with gas lighter than air so that they rise 
 in the air, just as a cork, being lighter than water, 
 rises in the water. Over the silk is a net- work to 
 protect the silk, as it is easily torn-, and a very 
 small hole even would let the gas out, so that the 
 balloon would not go up." 
 
 " Would & pin-hole let the gas out?" 
 
 " Yes ; but not very fast." 
 
 " How do men ride in balloons ? I should think 
 they w r ould tear the silk." 
 
 " There is a car hung on below in which they sit." 
 
 " Yes, I remember you drew it so. But, father, 
 how do they make the balloon come down ?" 
 
 " By letting out some of the light gas ; some 
 thing as the engineer makes the engine go slower 
 and stop by letting off the steam."
 
 PAKACHUTES. 19 
 
 " Can they guide the balloon ?" 
 
 "Not much; it generally goes wherever the 
 wind carries it. Sometimes it descends into the 
 ocean, sometimes into a tree. They generally car 
 ry up weights, and then if the balloon begins to 
 descend too fast, or is about to fall into some dan 
 gerous place, they throw out the weights, so that 
 it falls more slowly, and the wind may blow it 
 where it will come down safely. But, after all, 
 there is danger." 
 
 " Suppose the balloon should tear, or any thing 
 should happen when it was away up, what would 
 the men do? They would certainly be killed, 
 would'nt they ?" 
 
 " They generally carry with them a parachute, 
 which is an instrument something like an umbrel 
 la ; holding this in the hand, a man may often de 
 scend without injury." 
 
 " But, papa, you did not tell me how they got 
 the gas into the balloon." 
 
 " The gas is made in a vessel, and then con 
 ducted into the balloon by tubes made for the 
 purpose. I saw one once while it was being filled ; 
 it was held to the earth by cords, and it swung 
 back and forth in the wind as if it longed to be 
 gone." 
 
 " How I should like to sail in a balloon ! it 
 would be so funny to be over the tops of the
 
 20 KENNY AND GUSTAVE. 
 
 houses, and to look down on people's heads and 
 into the chimneys !" 
 
 " I dpn't think you will ever ride in one. You 
 will hardly have a chance, and if you did, you 
 would probably be afraid to go. But you might 
 have a small balloon." 
 
 " O ! father, that would be splendid ! How 
 shall I get it ? ^hen shall I have it ?" 
 
 " I will give you the materials, and Gustave and 
 you can make it. I do not know exactly when it 
 will be, and you must have patience. I cannot 
 explain to you how it is made. I have not 
 time to talk to you any more now, besides you 
 must wait and see for yourself. Now, run and 
 play." 
 
 "Yes, father, I thank you for drawing for me 
 and talking to me, and please don't forget the 
 story you are to tell me about a balloon. I will 
 go now and tell Gustave." 
 
 So Kenny went into the garden to find Gustave. 
 He found him carrying pea-sticks in a wheel-bar 
 row, and as Gustave put these away in the stable 
 loft, and then went back for another load, Kenny 
 told him all that his father had been telling, and 
 especially the promise of a balloon. Gustave 
 said he knew how to make it, and would make it 
 any time that Mr. Ellis wanted him. Gustave 
 was not only a very ingenious fellow, but very
 
 CUTTING OUT A PICTURE. 21 
 
 pleasant and accommodating, and willing to do 
 any thing for any of the family. 
 
 When Kenny had talked to Gustave, and played 
 till he was tired, he thought he would pay*" Cousin 
 Guy a visit, and see if he was at leisure now, and 
 would talk to him. Kenny was very fond of hav 
 ing Cousin Guy talk to him. Going to his room 
 now, he found him at his desk writing, and appar 
 ently very busy. Kenny tripped in very softly, and 
 stood by the desk. Presently Cousin Guy said : 
 
 "Well, Kenny." 
 
 "Please, Cousin Guy, do something for me." 
 
 " Don't you see I am busy ?" 
 
 " Yes, but I thought maybe you would stop." 
 
 " I cannot stop now to talk to you, Kenny. I 
 am writing my sermon." 
 
 " I wonder if it will have any thing in it that I 
 can understand." 
 
 " Yes, I think so ; I want you to look out. I 
 will give you something to do now, that will be 
 better than doing something for you." 
 
 " What is it 2" 
 
 " Take the picture your father drew for you this 
 morning, and get a pair of scissors and cut out 
 the picture from the rest of the paper, cutting 
 along the lines made by the pencil. This will 
 employ you till supper. Do you understand what 
 I mean ?"
 
 22 COUSIN GUY'S INSTRUCTIONS. 
 
 " Yes, I reckon so. "Will it be of any use be 
 sides keeping me busy ?" 
 
 " Yes, I think it will be useful to you ; but I 
 cannot talk to you now. You may come liere and 
 sit if you will be still." 
 
 So Kenny came and sat by Cousin Guy, and 
 amused himself in the way proposed till supper 
 time ; by which time he had the balloon and the 
 house cut out of the paper, but the tree and the 
 crowd of people, he said, he could not cut out. 
 As they went down together, Kenny asked Cousin 
 Guy what good it did to cut out pictures. Cousin 
 Guy answered that it would teach him exactly the 
 shape of things, and help him to draw them ; and 
 besides, when he had cut the shape of any thing 
 he could lay it on paper, and, drawing the pencil 
 round the edges, make a copy. When Mr. Ellis 
 heard of this, he said it was a very good idea in 
 deed. And after supper Kenny laid the balloon 
 on a piece of paper, and by drawing the pencil 
 along the edges, in the way directed, he drew a 
 balloon which, Mr. Ellis said, was almost equal to 
 the original. 
 
 This day was quite an era in Kenny's life. From 
 this time, almost every day, Mr. Ellis would draw 
 something for him, telling him about the things 
 drawn. Kenny would look on, making remarks 
 and suggestions. It was very little trouble to Mr.
 
 DRAWING, AN ACCOMPLISHMENT. 23 
 
 Ellis, as he drew so well, and Kenny both derived 
 great pleasure and really got a very good idea of 
 the way to draw. All the pictures he kept very 
 carefully. And all that he could, he cut out and 
 pasted in a blank book, which his father gave him 
 for the purpose. 
 
 But at last Kenny became so fond of these pic 
 tures, and had learned so well how to cut them out, 
 that his father concluded to let him make them 
 for himself. He would often begin a picture, and 
 let Kenny finish it. Sometimes he would look over 
 and tell him how to make certain lines, and occa 
 sionally take the pencil an put on a touch or two. 
 "When a picture was done, he would praise its ex 
 cellences, and criticize its defects. In this way 
 he would both improve Kenny in his drawing and 
 encourage him to try. Mr. Ellis was quite glad 
 to see Kenny so fond of drawing, as he thought it 
 a very desirable accomplishment, and he Jmew 
 that he could learn better then than after he be 
 came older, and that by such constant practice he 
 would acquire great facility in using his pencil. 
 He found, too, that Kenny was better pleased with 
 drawing for himself, with a little assistance, than 
 in having it done for him. There was also this 
 advantage, that Kenny could now amuse himself 
 for hours without relying much upon others. He 
 was constantly calling for paper, but with this he
 
 24: KENNY DRAWS A HORSE. 
 
 was plentifully supplied his father and cousin 
 giving the blank paper of all the letters which 
 they received. Occasionally he would scribble on 
 books, or on the walls ; but after one or two lec 
 tures on -the impropriety of such employment, he 
 concluded to leave it for Frank, who did not know 
 any better. 
 
 One day Kenny came to his cousin's room bring 
 ing a picture, and laid it before him. It was a pic 
 ture of a horse rearing on his hind feet, and tb 
 rider drawing the reins tightly. It was quite a 
 spirited picture, indeed. Cousin Guy looked at 
 it and admired it, and then said : 
 
 " I suppose your father drew that for you." 
 
 " No. I drew it myself. Father did not even 
 help me." 
 
 Cousin Guy was puzzled. He knew that Ken 
 ny would not tell a story, and yet he could hardly 
 believe that he had drawn so good a picture en 
 tirely without help, so he said : 
 
 " Didn't you have any help of any kind ?" 
 
 Up to this time Kenny had looked very grav 
 but now the corners of his mouth began to move, 
 and he said : 
 
 "No person helped me, cousin. You must 
 find out the rest yourself." 
 
 "That night the mystery was explained. Over 
 the mantel-piece in the library was a picture of
 
 Equestrian Statue
 
 THE EQUESTRIAN STATUE. 27 
 
 the equestrian statue of Washington at Richmond, 
 which Mr. Ellis had purchased that day. Kenny,- 
 laying a piece of thin paper upon it, observed 
 that he could see the picture through the paper, 
 and, carefully holding the paper in this way, had 
 succeeded in making an almost exact copy. 
 
 After this, Kenny would frequently draw in this 
 way, and bring the picture to Cousin Guy, who 
 would be very much surprised at first, until he re 
 membered how it was done. 
 
 " Cousin Guy," said Kenny one day, " why 
 don't you draw some for me sometimes?" 
 
 " You know, Kenny, I tell you stories and talk 
 to you. That is my part." 
 
 " Yes, I know that, but father talks to me and 
 tells me stories, and draws for me, too." 
 
 " Your father knows how to draw : I do not." 
 
 " Did you never learn ?" 
 
 " No, I never learned, and do not think I have 
 any talent for it." 
 
 "I think," said Mr. Ellis, "that almost every 
 one can learn to draw, if he will only try, and 
 practise. I have no doubt that you could now 
 even draw a great deal better than you have any 
 idea of." 
 
 " Do you really think so ? I would like very 
 
 uch to be able to draw, if it was only a lit 
 tle."
 
 COUSIN GUY'S PICTURE. 
 
 " Suppose now you try : take a picture, and try 
 to copy it as exactly as you can." 
 
 " Please do, Cousin Guy," said Kenny ; " I 
 want so much to see you draw." 
 
 " And will you promise not to laugh at me ?" 
 
 " Of course I will not laugh at you." 
 
 Here Mr. Ellis took a book from the library, and 
 opened to a page on which there were pictures of 
 three horses an Arabian, a hunter, and an English 
 racer ; and asked Cousin Guy to copy one of these. 
 He said he would be very glad to try, and asked 
 Kenny which he should draw. Kenny chose the 
 Arabian. Cousin Guy then laid the book before 
 him on the desk, and began very carefully to make 
 the copy. He said it reminded him of when he 
 was a little boy learning to write. Presently, 
 Kenny, who was watching with intense interest 
 the progress of the picture, exclaimed : 
 
 " O, what a beautiful head'!" 
 
 " Yes, Kenny," said Cousin Guy, " I can make 
 the head and neck very well, but the hind legs are 
 the difficult part." 
 
 "Just follow the copy," said Mr. Ellis, "and it 
 will come out more like than you think." 
 
 " I think," said Kenny, " it is coming out first- 
 rate." 
 
 At length, the figure was drawn ; then the mane, 
 and tail, and eyes, and Cousin Guy quietly sur-
 
 THE ARABIAN HORSE. 29 
 
 rendered the picture to Kenny, who triumphantly 
 carried it to his father. Mr. Ellis said it was even 
 better than he expected, and that he had no doubt 
 Cousin Guy could learn to draw quite well if he 
 would only practise. The picture was really quite 
 a pretty one. Kenny admired especially the beau 
 tiful arching neck, and asked Cousin Guy to give 
 the picture to him ; but Mr. Ellis advised him to 
 keep it, as it was the first he had ever drawn ; so 
 Cousin Guy promised to draw Kenny another. 
 
 " In fact," said he, " the next, you know, will 
 be better." 
 
 But Kenny declared that Cousin Guy could not 
 beat that. His father, he said, could not beat it 
 much. 
 
 "But can't you tell me a story about your 
 horse?" continued he. "Father is going to tell 
 me one about the balloon he drew." 
 
 " Yes ; I reckon so. I know a very pretty little 
 one about an Arabian horse. I read it in my 
 school reader when I was a boy." 
 
 "Will you tell me now?" , 
 
 " Not now, but some day soon, if you don't ask 
 me too often." 
 
 " I'm afraid you might forget if I did not re 
 mind you." 
 
 " No ; I will not forget," 
 
 Kenny was sometimes a little troublesome, teaz-
 
 30 IT IS A PORTFOLIO. 
 
 ing when he wanted to go any where, or have any 
 thing; and Cousin Guy, to break him of this, 
 would never give him any thing or do any thing 
 for "him in return for it. This was what he 
 meant when he told Kenny that he would tell him 
 the story soon, if he did not ask too often. Kenny 
 understood it very well. 
 
 As Cousin Guy started up stairs, he heard 
 Kenny ask his father to give him something to 
 put all his pictures in, and he called out : 
 
 " Kenny, come with me to my room, and I will 
 give you something. " 
 
 " O ! thank you ; what is it ?" cried Kenny, as 
 he bounded up stairs. "Is it a box? What is 
 
 it?" 
 
 " No, it is not a box. It is a portfolio." 
 
 " What is a portfolio ?" 
 
 " Something expressly to put papers in." 
 
 " O, that is capital !" 
 
 Cousin Guy opened his desk, and took out and 
 handed to Kenny something which looked very 
 much like a large, thin book, with the leaves taken 
 out. 
 
 " And so this is a portfolio?" said Kenny. 
 
 " Yes ; a home-made one." 
 
 " What do you mean by that ? Did you make 
 it?" 
 
 " No, not exactly ; but it was originally made 

 
 THE OLD SCISSORS CASE. 31 
 
 and used for a scissors case. It has on it now 
 ' Superior Scissors, Manufactured by Joseph Rogers 
 and Sons, Cutlers to His Majesty, No. 6 Norfolk 
 street, Sheffield.' A hardware merchant, who had 
 sold all the scissors out of it, gave it to me, and I 
 have used it for years as a portfolio. It answers 
 very well. You first put in your papers, and then 
 fold over it this piece of soft leather, and then shut 
 the lids, and the papers are kept very safely and 
 smoothly." 
 
 "O, I see; it does beautifully. Thank you; 
 thank you." 
 
 "I have something else here for you." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 Cousin Guy made no reply, but handed him a 
 small piece of paper, out of which a piece of ir 
 regular shape had been cut. 
 
 "Why, what is this?" 
 
 " Wait till night and I will show you." 
 
 "Till night?" 
 
 " Yes ; I cannot explain it to you very well, and 
 I cannot show you until it is dark, and the gas is 
 lighted." 
 
 Of course, Kenny had nothing to do but to wait, 
 though he felt considerable curiosity and impa 
 tience ; so he carefully deposited the curious paper 
 in his portfolio, and left the room. 
 
 It was scarcely dark when he returned, saying :
 
 32 A WONDERFUL FACE. 
 
 " Cousin Guy, it is dark now, and the gas is 
 turned on, so you can show me this paper. Come 
 down to the library, father and mother are there, 
 and want to see, too." 
 
 Although Mr. Ellis lived a little way out of the 
 city, he had had the gas pipes brought out to his 
 house ; and in the cellar there was a cock to turn 
 off the gas from coming into, the house, when it 
 was not being used. Every evening before the 
 gas could be lighted in the house, it was necessary 
 for some one to go down in the cellar, and " turn 
 on the gas." This was what Kenny meant, when 
 he said " the gas is turned on." 
 
 He and Cousin Guy went together into the li 
 brary, and found the gas lighted, and Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ellis reading. They both stopped to see what 
 Cousin Guy had to show. He took the paper, 
 and held it a short distance from the white wall. 
 Immediately, Kenny clapped his hands, and cried, 
 " Oh ! there is a man's face on the wall !" 
 
 Sure enough, the light, shining through the 
 opening cut in the paper, made a perfect and 
 beautiful face. It seemed very strange, too, as 
 the cut in the paper was not the shape of a face 
 at all. Mr. and Mrs. Ellis both expressed their 
 surprise at this, and Mrs. Ellis remarked upon the 
 sadness of the countenance, and asked what it 
 was.
 
 PICTURE OF THE SAVIOUR. 35 
 
 " It represents," said he, " the face of the Sa 
 viour the suffering Saviour." 
 
 "Yes, I thought so," said Mr. Ellis; "where 
 did you get it ? You did not find it out yourself, 
 did you ?" 
 
 " Oh, no ! it was invented, I believe, by a monk. 
 This was given to me by a gentleman when I was 
 a boy. He had been staying at our house, and, 
 when he left, he gave it to me, telling me to find 
 out for myself what it was." 
 
 " And did you find out ?" inquired Kenny. 
 
 " Yes ; after a while, I held it before the light, 
 and noticed the image, and then, by getting it just 
 the right distance, founds that it made a perfect 
 face. I at once thought it was intended for the 
 Saviour, for it very much resembled a picture of 
 him which my father had. After a while the gen 
 tleman came back, and, hearing that I had found 
 out how to use the paper, told me that he had 
 brought it from Europe, and that it had been in 
 vented by a monk. Since then, I have given 
 away a great many copies." 
 
 All this while, Kenny, while listening, had been 
 holding the paper, and moving it different dis 
 tances from the wall. There was a particular dis 
 tance which made the image appear just right. 
 When the paper was held nearer or farther off, 
 the image was confused and indistinct. It was
 
 36 KENNY AND HIS PICTURE- 
 
 quite interesting to notice, as the paper was 
 brought slowly into the right position, how the 
 features of the face gradually appeared, until the 
 picture became distinct and beautiful. "When all 
 had looked at it enough, Kenny went to show it to 
 Gustave, who thought it very curious indeed. 
 Kenny, then, carefully put the paper in his port 
 folio. Frequently, afterwards, he showed it to his 
 cousins and young friends who came to see him, 
 though he could not very well exhibit it to those 
 who were not there at night. All were so much 
 interested in it that Cousin Guy was frequently 
 applied to for copies, which he easily cut out, by 
 laying this on a piece of paper, and following, 
 with the point of a penknife, the edges of the 
 figure cut out.
 
 MR. ELLIS DRIVES TO TOWN. 37 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 AIR NAVIGATION. 
 
 A FEW days after the scenes described in the 
 -*-* last chapter, Mr. Ellis announced at the 
 breakfast table that he was presently going in the 
 carriage to town, and asked Kenny if he wanted 
 to go. 
 
 " Yes, indeed, I do," said Kenny. 
 
 So when Gustave drove round to the door, Ken 
 ny was there waiting, and pretty soon he and his 
 father got in, and went into the city. Though it 
 was a very little way from Mr. Ellis's to the edge 
 of the city, it was some distance to the centre, 
 where the post-office and the principal stores were, 
 and Mr. Ellis generally rode in, in the carriage. He 
 usually had a good deal of business to attend to, 
 and went to a good many places. When he was 
 alone, he would tie Dave at some post, while he 
 left the carriage. But when Kenny was along, he 
 would sit in the carriage and hold the reins, and 
 take care of what was in the carriage. Kenny 
 
 456675
 
 38 KENNY IN THE CITY. 
 
 would amuse himself by looking at the people 
 passing. There were so many, that at first Kenny 
 had thought that they must be going to some 
 meeting ; but he soon found out that it was always 
 so. Sometimes when he had to sit in the carriage 
 a long time, he would become rather impatient, 
 and even alarmed, lest. something had happened 
 to keep his father from coming. But he seldom 
 complained, for he was generally so glad to see 
 his father, that he forgot how badly he had felt ; 
 besides, he knew that if he complained, his father 
 would not bring him, and, on the whole, he liked 
 very much to come. 
 
 This morning, after Mr. Ellis had been to a good 
 many places, he stopped at a large book store, and 
 jumped out, and commenced tying the horse, say 
 ing, as he did so : 
 
 " Kenny, you may get out here, and go in with 
 me, I am going to buy something for you." 
 
 As they went in, he continued : 
 
 " I want to get you some drawing materials." 
 
 Kenny was, of course, delighted. 
 
 When the store-keeper came forward, bowing, 
 and asked Mr. Ellis what he would have, he asked 
 to look at some pencils, and from these selected 
 two. He explained to Kenny that one of these 
 was hard, and made a fine mark, and was intended 
 for drawing outlines ; while the other was soft, and
 
 BUYING- DRAWING MATERIALS. 39 
 
 made a coarse mark, and was for filling up and 
 shading. Kenny seemed to understand very well, 
 especially as his father showed him the difference 
 by drawing a little for him, using the two pencils 
 in the ways they were intended. Then Mr. Ellis 
 asked for drawing paper, and the gentleman 
 showed him some quite thick and soft, and rather 
 rough, which he said was the kind generally used. 
 It was in separate sheets, each about as large as a 
 page of letter paper. Mr. Ellis took twenty-five 
 of these. Then, he said : 
 
 " I believe this is all that is needed for draw- 
 ing." 
 
 But Kenny suggested india-rubber ; " to rub 
 out mistakes," he said. So Mr. Ellis bought a 
 piece of that, too. Then the gentleman, who was 
 waiting on them, took out of a drawer a square 
 piece of board, and said : 
 
 " You will want a drawing board, will you 
 not?" 
 
 Kenny thought his portfolio would do very 
 well ; but his father said the drawing-board was 
 hard and firm, and would do better, and he want 
 ed him to have all that would be of any use to 
 him ; besides, the board did not cost much. The 
 store-keeper then asked if they did not want cards, 
 with pictures, to be copied. But Mr. Ellis said 
 that he would get them after a while. At present,
 
 40 MATERIALS FOR A BALLOON. 
 
 he did not 'want Kenny to take regular lessons, 
 but only to have all the materials, so that he could 
 draw whatever he wanted. 
 
 Mr. Ellis then asked for tissue paper. 
 
 " What kind of paper is that ?" inquired Kenny. 
 
 " "Wait and you will see," said his father. 
 
 In a moment, the store-keeper handed from a 
 drawer a good many large sheets of very thin 
 paper. The sheets were different colors white, 
 pink, yellow, etc. Mr. Ellis said he would take 
 ten sheets. Kenny was very anxious to know 
 what they were for. His father told him they 
 were for him, but he must wait to see what they 
 were for till they got home. Kenny said he knew 
 they were not for drawing ; they were too thin for 
 that ; besides most of the sheets were not the right 
 color for drawing. Mr. Ellis only said, " "Wait and 
 you will see," and asked the store-keeper for a 
 large sponge, which he got and put with the other 
 things. He also asked for some wire, but the 
 gentleman said they had no wire. Kenny's curi 
 osity was now very much excited ; and he amused 
 his father, and the store-keeper, and other persons 
 in the store, by saying : 
 
 "I wish I knew, I wish I knew; I cannot 
 guess.'' 
 
 As they wanted nothing more, all the tilings 
 which they had bought were put into a bundle.
 
 THE SECKET 41 
 
 Kenny was much interested in seeing this done. 
 The gentleman first laid the drawing-board on the 
 paper in which he was going to wrap the things 
 up. On that he laid the tissue paper, folded to a 
 suitable size ; then the drawing paper, on the top 
 of which he placed the pencils, the sponge, and 
 the india-rubber. He folded the wrapping-paper 
 over it all, and tied it with twine, which he cut 
 off with a pair of scissors. It made quite a neat 
 bundle. Mr. Ellis handed a gold piece in pay 
 ment, and when he had received some silver in 
 change, he told Kenny to take the bundle and 
 come on. Kenny did so, thinking it was very 
 good in his father to take so much trouble, and 
 spend so much money for him, and wondering 
 what the tissue paper, and sponge, and wire could 
 be for. When they got into the carriage, he said : 
 
 " Now, I suppose, we will go straight home, and 
 I will soon find out your secret." 
 
 "No, not quite yet; you know I have to buy 
 some wire, and besides, I have to get some other 
 things for you." 
 
 " For me, sir?" 
 
 " Yes ; for you. Here, we will stop at this post, 
 and tie Dave ; I want to go into both of these 
 stores." 
 
 Accordingly, they went first into a hardware 
 store, where Mr. Ellis bought some wire, and then 
 4*
 
 42 RETURN HOME. 
 
 into an apothecary's store, where he bought a little 
 vial of liquid gum arabic, with a brush extending 
 through the stopper, the handle above, and the 
 hair dipping into the liquid ; also some spirits of 
 wine. This was in the cellar in a barrel. The 
 young man who went for it, said they kept it down 
 there, as it was dangerous, being liable to take 
 fire. Kenny went down with him, and saw him 
 turn a spigot, and let the liquid run into a tin 
 measure, and then, with a funnel, pour it into a 
 black bottle which he had provided for the pur 
 pose. 
 
 When they got into the carriage this time, Mr. 
 Ellis said he had made all his purchases ; so they 
 drove straight home. Kenny ran to Cousin Guy 
 to carry him his letters and papers from the post- 
 office, and to show him the drawing materials, and 
 to tell him of the mysterious purchases. But din 
 ner was nearly ready, and Mr. Ellis said after that 
 the mystery would be explained. 
 
 Kenny could hardly finish his dessert, for curi 
 osity and guessing. But, at last, all were done 
 eating; and Mr. Ellis took the tissue paper, and 
 the wire, and the sponge, and the gum arabic, and 
 the bottle of spirits of wine, and, accompanied by 
 Kenny and Cousin Guy, went to the shop. The 
 shop was over the stable. The upper part of the 
 stable was divided into two rooms ; one of them
 
 GUSTAVE'S WORK-SHOP. 43* 
 
 was used to keep the hay for the horse and cow ; 
 the other was fitted up with a work-bench, and 
 was used as a work-shop. Here Gustave worked 
 on rainy days, doing odd jobs, such as putting 
 panes of glass into windows, making flower frames, 
 and mending his garden tools. At night, too, 
 during the winter, when the nights were long, he 
 would often work in the shop, making things for 
 himself and for his friends. He had made pic 
 ture frames for his own room, and had made sev 
 eral little presents for Kenny. In fact, he was al 
 most always making some ingenious thing, which, 
 when he was not working at it, he kept carefully 
 in a large tool-chest, which was in the shop. 
 Pretty soon after they came into the shop, Gus 
 tave came up, too, looking very much pleased. 
 
 Mr. Ellis said : 
 
 " Kenny, I promised you should have a balloon, 
 and the things I bought you this morning are to 
 make it with, and Gustave is ready to begin now, 
 and you may stay and see him." 
 
 " Oh ! that is splendid. Won't you stay, too ?" 
 
 u No, I must go in presently ; but when the bal 
 loon is done, we will all come and see it go up." 
 
 So, in a moment, before Gnstave had fairly be 
 gun, Mr. Ellis left, and presently Cousin Guy fol 
 lowed, too, saying that he was too busy to remain 
 any longer.
 
 44 MAKING A BALLOON. 
 
 " Do you think you will finish it this afternoon, 
 Gustave ?" said Kenny. 
 
 " Yes ; but I don't know whether the paste will 
 be dry enough to send it up this afternoon." 
 
 " Gustave, what is that stuff in the black bottle 
 for?" 
 
 " That is to help make it go up." 
 
 " How does it do it ?" 
 
 "You must wait and see, and then get your 
 father to explain it to you." 
 
 " "Well, you must take care of the black bottle. 
 The man who sold it to us said it was easy to take 
 fire; and if it should catch fire here, with all 
 Dave's hay in the next room, it would bo dread 
 ful." 
 
 Meanwhile, Gustave had taken seven of the 
 sheets of tissue paper, 'and, spreading them out, 
 had laid them smoothly in a pile, so that, being 
 the same size, the edges of all corresponded. He 
 now proceeded, with a large pair of shears, to cut 
 them into the proper shape, which was something 
 like that of a kite. Kenny thought it would have 
 been better to cut each sheet separately, but Gus 
 tave told him that, by cutting all together, he got 
 them all of exactly the same size and shape. Be 
 sides, the paper was so thin, that the large shears 
 easily cut through several sheets at once. Kenny 
 inquired why he did not use all the sheets. 

 
 DIFFERENT KINDS OF BALLOONS. 45 
 
 " Because," said Gustave, " these sheets are for 
 the sides of the balloon, and, if I took more, it 
 would be too large for its height. Then, too, it 
 will take one sheet to make the cap." 
 " I suppose that is the top." 
 " Yes, these seven sheets are the sides, like the 
 staves of a barrel, and then I shall cut out a round 
 piece for the top. The other two sheets I shall 
 keep, in case of a tear in the balloon, so that I can 
 mend it." 
 
 " Isn't there to be a bottom ?" 
 " No, it will be open at the bottom." 
 " I should think, then, the light gas would lose 
 out, and the balloon would not go up. Father told 
 me the other day that the balloon must be per 
 fectly tight, that even a pin-hole would spoil it." 
 
 "This is a different sort of balloon, and is not 
 intended to go so long, nor to carry up any 
 weight; the gas will not escape very fast from 
 below, but a small hole in the upper part would 
 spoil it." 
 
 " How far will this travel ?" 
 " It depends on how much gas you give it." 
 " How far can you possibly make it go ?" 
 " I reckon we can fix it to stay up an hour, and 
 in that time it may travel ten miles." 
 
 Meanwhile, Gustave had pasted the seven sheets 
 together. While the paste was drying, he pro-
 
 4:6 HARD WORDS. 
 
 ceeded to cut off two pieces of wire. He measured 
 the circumference of the balloon, and found it just 
 six feet. Accordingly, he cut a piece of wire for 
 a sort of hoop to the bottom of the balloon, a little 
 over six feet, allowing a little for joining the ends 
 together. He then joined the ends by making a 
 loop with the pincers on one end, and bending the 
 other end into the shape of a hook, which he put 
 into the loop, and then bent over, so that it would 
 not come out, and he made this fastening strong, 
 by laying it upon an anvil, and beating it with a 
 hammer. He then cut another piece of wire a 
 little more than two feet long. Kenny asked him 
 how he knew the exact length without measuring. 
 He answered, that he wanted this piece to go 
 right across the middle of the hoop, and that he 
 knew that this, being the diameter, must be about 
 one-third as long as the hoop, which was the cir 
 cumference. 
 
 " Oh ! what hard words," exclaimed Kenny. 
 
 Gustave then stuck this piece of wire through 
 the sponge, and fastened it across the hoop by 
 bending the ends over, and tightening them with 
 the pincers. Then he proceeded to fasten on the 
 hoop to the bottom of the balloon, which he did 
 by turning the edges of the paper over the wire, 
 and pasting them so. After this was done, he cut 
 out the cap, and pasted it on, and then, standing
 
 THE BALLOON FINISHED. 47 
 
 upon the bench, he held out the balloon, bottom 
 upward, by the cross-wire, saying : 
 
 " It is all done." 
 
 " And now we can go and set it right up, can't 
 we?" 
 
 "IsTo, it will take some time for it to dry 
 thoroughly, and then it will be too late ; so I 
 think you had better wait till to-morrow, and, by 
 that time, you can make grand preparations." 
 
 Accordingly, Gustave hung the balloon, bot 
 tom upwards, from the ceiling. It was nearly as 
 tall as a man, and at the bottom and top about as 
 large and round as a barrel, while in the middle 
 it swelled out to a larger size. Gustave said he 
 had frequently made balloons in" Germany, but 
 that this was larger than any he had ever made 
 before. As they went out, he very carefully lock 
 ed the door. 
 
 At supper, Kenny told his father that the bal 
 loon was done, and all ready to go up, and gave 
 him a very spirited description of the way in 
 which it was made. 
 
 " Now, Kenny," said Cousin Guy, " you can 
 either tie a string to your balloon, and keep it 
 to send up many times; or you can just let it 
 sail away, and, perhaps, never see or hear of it 
 again." 
 
 "I want," replied Kenny, " to see it sail as high
 
 48 BEST WAY OF SENDING IT UP. 
 
 and as far as possible, even if I do never see or 
 hear of it any more." 
 
 " You can do both," suggested his father ; " you 
 can first send it up a few times for a short dis 
 tance, and then you can let it go where it pleases, 
 or rather where the winds please." 
 
 " I will do that ; and do you think when I let it 
 go, I shall ever get it again, or see it again ?" 
 
 " You, perhaps, may, by watching the direction 
 in which it goes, find it when it comes down ; but 
 if you do, it will probably be spoilt. In fact, I 
 think when you let it go, you had better give it 
 up." 
 
 Here Cousin Guy suggested that it would be 
 well to send up with the balloon, a note, addressed 
 to the finder, giving information as to the owner. 
 
 " Do you think, then, that if any one found it, 
 lie would bring it back ?" 
 
 " He might do so ; but even if he did not, it 
 would be pleasant for you to think that you had 
 sent a letter to some unknown person. You might, 
 perhaps, hear of it afterwards." 
 
 " That would be pleasant, Cousin Guy ; won't 
 you write something for me ?" 
 
 Cousin Guy readily consented, and promised 
 that something suitable should be ready in time. 
 
 The next morning was agreed upon for sending 
 up the balloon. The day was calm and cloudless.
 
 COUSIN GUY WRITES A LETTER. 49 
 
 The family all assembled in a part of the lawn 
 wh'ere there were few trees, and those quite small 
 ones. Gustave came bringing the balloon very 
 carefully, and Kenny followed him, with a bottle 
 and a ball of twine in his hands. 
 
 "Now, Cousin Guy," said he, "have you got 
 the letter ready ?" 
 
 Cousin Guy made no reply, but produced a 
 paper, and read from it : 
 
 "HIGHFLIER made by GUSTAVE BURGER, Balti 
 more, September Tth, 185 , A. D. 
 
 " Highflier, speed over land and sea, 
 And when you have done, come back to me. 
 
 " KENNY ELLIS. 
 " ' Sic transit gloria mundL' " 
 
 I 
 
 Kenny listened with the greatest interest, and 
 when Cousin Guy stopped, said : 
 
 " That will do first-rate that is poetry, isn't it ?" 
 "Not exactly, it is rhyme, which is just as 
 good." 
 
 " But, Cousin Guy, who named it ' High 
 flier?'" 
 
 " Gustave and I named it this morning ; I 
 found you had not given it any name, and I 
 thought it ought to have one ; but if you do not 
 5 

 
 50 HIGHFLIER. 
 
 like ' Highflier' we can change it now. You 
 have the right to give your balloon any name J^ou 
 choose." 
 
 " Oh I like it very much, and thank you for 
 giving it that name." 
 
 Mr. Ellis also said that he thought it a very 
 suitable one, and Mrs. Ellis said she thought it 
 suitable too, if only the balloon really flew high, 
 as she believed it would. 
 
 " But, Cousin Guy," suggested Kenny, " oughtn't 
 the balloon to have the name on it ?" 
 
 Gustave said the tissue paper was too thin to 
 write on ; but Cousin Guy said he would write it 
 on a piece of white paper which could be pasted 
 on. Accordingly, he wrote in large handsome 
 letter^, the name " Highflier " on a piece of white 
 paper, and Gustave pasted it on a part of the 
 balloon which was made of white paper. It look 
 ed very well indeed. 
 
 " Now," said Kenny, " where will you put this 
 letter, and how will you fasten it on ?" 
 
 Gustave said he would fasten it to the wire, 
 since that would remain, even of all the rest should 
 be destroyed. Accordingly he carefully folded 
 the letter, and boring two holes through it, and 
 running a piece of twine through these holes, tied 
 it firmly to the cross wire. 
 
 " And now," said he, " we are nearly ready to
 
 THE BALLOON ASCENDS. 51 
 
 let 'Highflier,' fly. I will just tie this twine 
 so that we can call ' Highflier ' back." 
 
 So he cut off a piece of string, and tied it to 
 the two ends of the cross wire. The string was so 
 long as to hang considerably below the wire. To 
 the middle of this string, he tied one end of the 
 roll of twine. Gusave said it was very strong, 
 and would hold the balloon. He now asked 
 Cousin Guy and Mr. Ellis to catch hold of the 
 upper part of the balloon and hold it up. When 
 they did so, he poured spirits of wine out of the 
 bottle on the sponge. Then drawing a box of 
 matches from his pocket, he lighted one and 
 touched it to the sponge. Immediately the spirits 
 of wine, which filled all the pores, took fire, and 
 the sponge was surrounded by a beautiful blue 
 flame. Presently Kenny exclaimed : 
 
 " O ! it is filling." 
 
 Sure enough the balloon began to expand. 
 Gustave said that Mr. Ellis and Mr. Meridett need 
 not hold it any longer, as the gas would keep it 
 upright : and when they let go, he took hold of 
 the string. In a moment more, the balloon was 
 all full, and plump, and .as it moved back and 
 forth, seemed to be pulling at the string, very 
 anxious to be gone. At last Gustave said it was 
 time to let the balloon go. So, unrolling the string, 
 he let it go, keeping hold of the ball. Away
 
 62 MESSENGERS. 
 
 went the balloon, almost straight up. It cleared 
 the small trees, and was soon above the tops of the 
 highest ones. No one spoke, but all, with upturn 
 ed eyes and breathless attention, watched its 
 course. It grew smaller and smaller, but could 
 still be very plainly seen. At length the string 
 was all pulled out, and Gustave held it by the end. 
 While he did so he took out of his pocket a little 
 piece of paper, cut in the shape of a star, and with 
 a hole in it. He put this on the string, and gave 
 it a push, and a blow with his breath, and imme 
 diately it began to run up the string towards the 
 balloon. 
 
 " Why, Gustave, what is that ?" inquired Mrs. 
 Ellis. " It is called a messenger. Boj^ generally 
 send them up on their kite strings. I have fre 
 quently done it myself." 
 
 " Did you ever send one up on a balloon string ?" 
 inquired Kenny. 
 
 " No, I never held a balloon by a string before ; 
 I always let it go, as you will do presently." 
 
 Pretty soon Gustave began to draw the string, 
 and slowly pull the balloon down. Kenny asked 
 why he did that. 
 
 " Because," said he, " if I wait until all the gas 
 is exhausted, the balloon will fall, and may get 
 injured ; but now I can bring it slowly down to 
 me."
 
 THE BALLOON'S FIRST VOYAGE. 53 
 
 " Is the gas nearly gone ?" 
 
 " Yes, I did not pour on much spirits of wine, 
 as we only wanted a short excursion ; when we 
 let it go, I shall fill the sponge with it." 
 
 All this time he was drawing the balloon gently 
 but steadily towards him. At last it was in reach 
 of him, and he fastened the string to a large stone, 
 and extinguished the flame on the sponge. 
 
 " The first voyage was very successful," said" 
 Cousin Guy." 
 
 " "Why do you call it a voyage f" said Kenny ; 
 " I thought a voyage was made in the ocean." 
 
 " Well, this was made in the air, which is, in 
 some respects, like the ocean. The air is often 
 called so. Balloon sailing might very well be 
 called ' Aerial Navigation ' or ' Air Navigation.' " 
 
 " Well," said Gustave, " will you have the last 
 voyage now or wait ?" 
 
 " Now," said Kenny. 
 
 " And shall we let it go this time ?" 
 
 " Yes, let it go." 
 
 So Gustave poured spirits of wine on the sponge 
 until it would hold no more, but dripped off to 
 the ground. He then lighted it as before, and the 
 balloon, which had just begun to shrink, expanded 
 to its full size, and swung back and forth, as if 
 impatient to be gone. Kenny and all seemed to 
 feel much more enthusiasm than before, knowing 
 5*
 
 64: THREE CHEERS FOR HIGHFLIER! 
 
 that this was no trial trip, but that the balloon 
 was now going away off, and probably to return 
 no more. 
 
 "Now, Kenny," said Gustave, "Highflier is 
 all ready to be off ; as soon as you give the word, 
 I will cut the string ;" and as he spoke, he drew 
 from his pocket a pair of scissors, and held them 
 open right by the string. Kenny straightened 
 himself up, and shouted : 
 
 " Let Highflier go." 
 
 In a moment, Gustave had clipped the string, 
 and away went the balloon, soaring swift and 
 graceful as a lark towards the cloudless sky. All 
 gazed at it with earnest attention, and Cousin Guy, 
 taking off his hat, cried : 
 
 "Three cheers for Highflier!" 
 
 Suiting the action to the word, he waved his hat 
 three times, and with each wave shouted,, at the 
 top of his voice : 
 
 " Huzza for Highflier !" 
 
 Kenny did not know exactly what was meant 
 by " three cheers," but he fully sympathized with 
 Cousin Guy's enthusiasm, and accordingly he 
 waved and shouted with all his might. Up to this 
 moment the balloon had gone up, as before, in a 
 nearly perpendicular direction. Now, a gentle 
 breeze sprung up, and wafted it a little to one 
 side.
 
 A SPY-GLASS. 55 
 
 " I am glad," said Mr. Ellis, " that it is going in 
 that direction." 
 
 " Why ?" inquired Kenny. 
 
 " Because that is away from the city and from 
 the water, and it is, consequently, more likely to 
 descend in safety." 
 
 "While he spoke, Gustave, who had continued to 
 watch the balloon, now started off in the direction 
 in which it was going, saying, as he did so : 
 
 "I'll follow it; I'll bring it back to you if I 
 can." 
 
 It was now getting to be quite small, and Kenny 
 said, rather mournfully : 
 
 "I cannot see it much longer," when his father 
 said: 
 
 " O ! Kenny, I will get my spy-glass," and ran 
 after it. 
 
 He brought it, and, fixing the glass, looked 
 through it at the balloon, and then gave it to Kenny, 
 helping him to get it into the right position. As 
 soon as he had done so, and Kenny got a sight of 
 the balloon, he exclaimed : 
 
 " O, how near it seems ! I can see the fire ; it 
 is burning yet! and the balloon, O, how bright 
 and pretty I" 
 
 The rest looked also, and admired it much. 
 Then Mrs. Ellis said she must go in and take 
 Frank. Cousin Guy, too, folio wed,, say ing:
 
 56 MR. ELLIS'S EXPLANATION. 
 
 " Though lost to sight, to memory dear." 
 
 Kenny said it was not lost to sight, and that he 
 and his father would stay as long as they could 
 see the balloon. They looked at it for a long time ; 
 but at last, when they had waited for some time, 
 and looking, could not find it any more, they 
 walked into the study. Mr. Ellis then explained 
 to Kenny how it went up. He told him that when 
 the spirits of wine burned, a light gas was made, 
 which drove out all the air, and that this, making 
 the balloon lighter than air, it rose, j ust as a cork, 
 or any light substance, rose in water. He also 
 told Kenny the promised story about a balloon, 
 and then asked him to go and play, as he had some 
 important letters to write. Kenny went to the 
 nursery, and spent a very pleasant morning, talk 
 ing wi<h his mother, and helping her to take care 
 of Frank. 
 
 A little while before dinner, he said that he had 
 not seen Cousin Guy since the balloon went up, 
 and that he would go and make him a visit. His 
 mother said he might go and tap at the door, but 
 that if Cousin Guy was busy, he must come right 
 away. Kenny proceeded to his room, and knock 
 ed lightly at the door. Cousin Guy knew pretty 
 well from the step and the knock who it was, so 
 he called out : 
 
 " Who is there ?"
 
 STORY OF AN ARABIAN HORSE. 57 
 
 "Kenny." 
 
 " Come in, Kenny." 
 
 "Are you very busy, Cousin Guy?" 
 
 " No, Kenny ; I have been very busy, but now I 
 am tired of work, and am very glad to see you." 
 
 ""Work! have you been working ? I don't see 
 any tools." 
 
 " I have been studying : that is sometimes the 
 hardest kind of work. These books, this pen and 
 ink, and paper are my tools." 
 
 " Ah ! I understand. "Well, what will you do 
 for me ?" 
 
 " Any thing I can. What shall I do ?" 
 
 "I would like to ask you for that story you 
 promised me about an Arabian horse if it would 
 not be teazing you." 
 
 " Oh, yes, I will tell you that now. Certainly, 
 it is not teazing to ask me for jthe story, when I 
 ask you what you will have." 
 
 Cousin Guy then proceeded as follows : 
 
 "Perhaps you know that the Arabs have the 
 finest, and fastest, and most intelligent horses in 
 the world." 
 
 Kenny nodded assent. 
 
 ""Well," continued Cousin Guy, "the Arabs 
 lead a very roving life ; they are always going from 
 one place to another; so, of course, they value 
 their fine horses very much. They feel attached 

 
 58 ENGLISH OFFICER AND ARAB. 
 
 to them almost as a man does to a friend feed 
 them out of their own hands, have them in the 
 same tent with themselves, and never sell them, 
 except for very large sums ; and then only when 
 they are in great need of money. There was once 
 an Arab, who was the owner of a beautiful mare. 
 She was very fleet and spirited, and yet so gentle 
 to her master, that she would stop, in the quickest 
 gallop, at a word from him, and; when grazing, 
 would come at his call, and arch her graceful 
 neck, and lick his hand like a dog. You may 
 well suppose that he prized her very much. But 
 he was very poor. lie used frequently to ride in 
 sight of an English encampment, and one of the 
 officers became very anxious to become the pos 
 sessor of so valuable an animal. Accordingly, he 
 offered a large sum for her, supposing that he 
 would certainly succeed in securing her. But the 
 Arab declared that he would not sell his darling 
 mare. Thus, day after day, the officer would try 
 to tempt him with the offer and the sight of gold ; 
 but he would refuse to part with his mare, and, at 
 the end of each interview, he would gallop away. 
 At last, however, he became very poor, he, and 
 his wife, and children were suffering for necessary 
 food he was not able to give his favorite mare 
 even the scanty supplies that she needed. So he 
 reluctantly determined that he must accept the
 
 AEAB AND HIS HORSE. 59 
 
 proposition of the English officer. He rode, with 
 a heavy heart, to the camp, and informed the 
 officer that he had brought the mare. While the 
 gold was being counted out, he stood stroking her 
 face, and talking to her as to a person ; while she, 
 on her part, put her nose affectionately into his 
 bosom and whinnied, as if she understood it all. 
 Finally, the money was counted, and put into a 
 bag, and the officer was just about to take the 
 bridle, when the Arab said he must mount his 
 mare once more. He did o, and rode a short dis 
 tance, then, turning, he declared that, being very 
 poor, he had determined to sell his mare, in order 
 to get bread; but now he found that he could 
 not part with her, and, having said these words, 
 he made her a signal, and she sprung off, and, in 
 a moment, had borne him out of sight." 
 
 Here Cousin Guy paused. Kenny, who had 
 listened with deep interest, said : 
 
 " Is that the end, Cousin ?" 
 
 " Yes, that is all." 
 
 " What a beautiful story I but, Cousin Guy, I 
 would like so much to know what became of the 
 man and his mare. Do you know 2" 
 
 " I never heard that , but I feel sure that they 
 got on some how ; he must have been a noble 
 fellow not to sell his beloved mare, notwithstand 
 ing he was so poor."
 
 60 KENNY GOES TO MEETING. 
 
 " Yes, indeed ; I hope he got some money to feed 
 himself and her." 
 
 Here the dinner bell rang, and as they came 
 down, they met Gustave at the door. 
 
 " Ho," said Kenny, " there's Gustave." 
 
 Gustave came forward, looking very tired, and, 
 in reply to their inquiries, said that he had run 
 and walked very fast for some distance, keeping 
 the balloon in sight ; but at last he could see it no 
 longer ; that then he still kept on, in what he 
 supposed was the direction, hoping to see it as it 
 came down, but that, after going and waiting for 
 some time, he came back. 
 
 " So that's the end of Highflier," said Kenny. 
 
 " Yes, most likely," replied Cousin Guy. " You 
 had better trouble yourself no more about " High 
 flier," but amuse yourself with other things. Still 
 you may find it again." 
 
 All this was on Friday. On Sabbath Kenny 
 went to meeting, and as usual indulged in a nap, 
 laying his head on his father's knee. He, however, 
 waked up before the sermon was done, and in 
 time to hear something which very much interest 
 ed him. His eyes brightened, and he almost 
 laughed as he heard his cousin describe a balloon 
 becoming full of light air, and pulling at the 
 string, as if it longed to sail up to the sky. After 
 they reached home, as Cousin Guy was lying on
 
 ME. MERIDETT'S SERMON. 61 
 
 the lounge in the study, Kenny came up and 
 said: 
 
 " Cousin, you preached an elegant sermon to- 
 day." 
 
 " Ah, then you didn't go to sleep ? I thought 
 you did." 
 
 " Yes, I went to sleep ; but you see I did not 
 sleep all the time. I waked in time to hear what 
 you said about the balloon. I listened to that. I 
 understood that. I liked it very much." 
 
 " Well, what did I say, besides about the bal 
 loon?" Did I just describe how a balloon does? 
 That would be very funny preaching." 
 
 Kenny stood still and said nothing. 
 
 " Why, Kenny," said Mr. Ellis, " you did un 
 derstand what Mr. Meridett said. You told me 
 as we came home. What was it ?" 
 
 " He said ' when a man got filled with goodness, 
 he was like the balloon he didn't want to stay 
 on earth, but longed to go up to heaven.' " 
 
 Cousin Guy seemed pleased, and said Kenny 
 had gotten the idea very well. 
 
 The next morning Mr. Ellis went down town 
 in the carriage. As he returned, Kenny met 
 him and opened the gate. Mr. Ellis seemed 
 highly pleased, and said to Kenny : 
 
 " I've got something for you." 
 
 " For me 2 O, I'm so glad. What is it ?" 
 6
 
 62 NEWS OF HIGHFLIER. 
 
 Mr. Ellis did not reply, but handed him a 
 newspaper. Kenny seemed disappointed, and 
 said: 
 
 " Why, father ! this is nothing but the morning's 
 paper ; and you know I can't read. Ain't you just 
 teazing me ?" 
 
 " No, indeed I am not. There is something in 
 this paper that will interest you very much ; you 
 take it, and ask Cousin Guy to find it for you." 
 
 So Kenny took the paper, and carried it to Cousin 
 Guy, telling him what his father had said. Cousin 
 Guy laid down his book, and commenced looking 
 over the paper very carefully. Kenny stood by, 
 his countenance indicating curiosity and impa 
 tience. Presently Cousin Guy said : 
 
 " O here it is I" and read as follows : 
 
 " "We clip the following from the ' Gazette' of 
 Saturday. ' On yesterday our village was a little 
 startled by an unusual visitor, in the shape of a pa 
 per balloon of the largest size. Its gaudy colors 
 were peculiarly attractive to the boys, as it grace 
 fully alighted in the streets unhurt by its aerial voy 
 age. It bore in glowing colors the somewhat am 
 bitious name of ' Highflier,' also ' Gustavo Berger,' 
 the name of its architect, besides the following lines: 
 
 ' Highflier, speed over land and sea, 
 And when you are done come back to me. 
 
 EJLLM.'
 
 AFTERNOON BIDE. 
 
 When the curiosity of passers-by had been satisfied, 
 the boys took possession of the balloon, and will 
 doubtless launch it for another voyage, if the owner 
 does not come forward and prove property. If it 
 shall start, it is doubtful whether it will return to 
 Kenny. But if he shall see this notice, -and come 
 
 to ville, he may have the pleasure of seeing 
 
 his lost balloon once more." 
 
 When Cousin Guy finished reading this, Kenny 
 was almost crazy with surprise and pleasure. He 
 flew to tell Gustave that the balloon had been 
 found, and could be gotten again. Gustave said 
 
 he knew the \f ay to ville that it was only ten 
 
 miles that he would start immediately and walk, 
 or else ride on Dave, and bring the balloon back. 
 So Kenny went in to ask his father if Gustave 
 might go. Mr. Ellis said, that in the afternoon he 
 would take the carriage, and they would all go. 
 Mrs. Ellis seemed highly pleased at the idea, and 
 told Mary to have dinner soon, that they might 
 have a long afternoon for the ride. 
 
 By the time dinner was over, Dave was har 
 nessed and the carriage waiting at the door. Mr. 
 Ellis had two carriages; one could be shut up 
 juite close and was heavy. This was used in win 
 ter, and for short drives in town. The other was 
 open and light, and was always used for a long 
 country ride. This was the one used on the pres- 

 
 64 WASHING OUT OF DOORS. 
 
 ent occasion. Mr. and Mrs. Ellis occupied the 
 back seat, and Gustave and Cousin Guy, with Ken 
 ny between them, the front seat. Mr. Ellis want 
 ed to take Gustave, because he was so much inter 
 ested in the balloon, and, besides, he could perhaps 
 assist very much in getting it and bringing it home. 
 There was plenty of room for three on the front 
 seat. The drive was a delightful one. The road 
 was winding, and mostly through shady woods. 
 Mr. Ellis told Cousin Guy that he knew no city 
 which had such pleasant roads round it as Balti 
 more. Cousin Guy said that this road was as 
 winding as any mountain road, and as romantic as 
 if it were far away from, instead of so near to, a 
 large city. They stopped at a beautiful spring 
 right on the road side, and Cousin Guy borrowed 
 from a house near by a tin dipper, and they all 
 drank, and found the water very cool and refresh 
 ing. Not far from the spring were some women 
 washing. They had a fire right on the ground, and 
 a large pot boiling, which hung from a stick ex 
 tended from one tree to another. Mrs. Ellis said 
 that washing out of doors was very funny, and 
 that she had never seen any thing of the kind. But 
 Cousin Guy said it was not uncommon in Virginia, 
 where he used to live. He said that it was very 
 convenient to wash near the water ; and that in the 
 summer it was much pleasanter out of doors than
 
 FINDING HIGHFLIER. 65 
 
 in the house, and Mr. Ellis added that it was very 
 convenient to hang the cloths right on the bushes. 
 "While Cousin Guy was carrying back the dipper 
 to the house, Kenny amused himself picking ber 
 ries, and he brought quite a handful to his mother. 
 He would have liked to stay and gather more, but 
 Mr. Ellis said tfiere was not time, and Kenny him 
 self was very willing to hasten on and secure his 
 balloon. Mr. Ellis said he thought that some day 
 they would come there and spend the day, and 
 have a sort of pic-nic. 
 
 When they reached the village, Mr. Ellis said 
 they would drive to the office of the paper which 
 had contained the notice of the balloon, and learn 
 where it might be found. It was not difficult to 
 find the office, as the village contained but one 
 business street, and, going along this, they pres 
 ently saw a printing-office, with a dingy sign over 
 
 the door, " The ville Gazette." Mr. Ellis went 
 
 in with Kenny, and asked a man there if he could 
 tell him where the balloon was. The man asked 
 if that little boy was " Kenny," and directed them 
 to- a house near by. Driving over, they saw a boy 
 in the porch whittling a stick, and, without getting 
 out, Mr. Ellis asked him to come to the carriage. 
 When he did so, and Mr. Ellis asked him about 
 the balloon, he seemed quite pleased, and said it 
 was in the barn, and he /vould go and get it. Gus- 
 6* 

 
 66 HIGHFLIER BURNT. 
 
 tave and Kenny said they would go with him. As 
 they walked to the barn, Kenny asked him, why 
 he had not sent the balloon up. He said that he 
 had not known exactly how to do it ; and, besides, 
 his father had thought he should keep it to see 
 whether the owner would come for it. The boy 
 seemed very sociable, and invitee! Gustave and 
 Kenny to come to see him. Kenny told him that 
 they would be glad to do so, if his father would let 
 them. They found the balloon in good order, and 
 Gustave put it into a small compass, and wrapped 
 it up with newspapers. When they came to the 
 carriage, Mr. Ellis asked the boy some questions, 
 and then offered to pay him for his trouble in get 
 ting and taking care of the balloon ; but he said he 
 had not had any trouble, that he did not want any 
 money, and he was very glad that Kenny had gotten 
 his balloon again. They all thanked him for his kind 
 ness, and thought him very polite, indeed. Gustave 
 very ingeniously tied the balloon to the top of the 
 carriage inside, and it was thus safely carried home. 
 A few days after, the balloon was set off again, 
 and made as before a very beautiful ascent ; but 
 while it was still in sight, it caught fire and burned 
 up. It looked very pretty, but Kenny said he was 
 sorry to lose his balloon. Gustave found the wire, 
 which fell to the ground. He said that the sponge 
 slipped to one side of the balloon, which was the 
 cause of its taking fire.
 
 THE 'ORPHAN ASYLUM. 67 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE ORPHAN ASYLUM. 
 
 O1SE afternoon Kenny came up to Cousin Guy's 
 room, and told him that two little girls were 
 waiting at the door to see him. He went down 
 immediately, and found that they were two orphan 
 children whom he knew very well. They seemed 
 quite timid, and said they could not come in, 
 though they appeared to like Mr. Meridett very 
 much. They said that the managers of the Orphan 
 Asylum had sent them to ask him to come the next 
 day and preach to the children. He said he would 
 do so with pleasure, and then asked them if they 
 would not stay, and walk with him in the garden. 
 This they very gladly agreed to do, and Mr. Mer 
 idett talked with them, so as to make them feel 
 quite at ease. He also pleased them very much 
 by giving them flowers, giving first one, and then 
 the other, a flower. Presently, each of them had 
 quite a bouquet collected, and he said they must be 
 tied. Accordingly, he went to a shrub, made up
 
 THE STRING-PLANT. 
 
 of long leaves, and cutting one of them off, slit it 
 up into strips. They were tough and strong, and 
 made very good strings. Kenny and the girls 
 were amused and delighted at this new way of 
 tying up a nosegay. Kenny inquired the name of 
 this plant. Cousin Guy said that he did not know, 
 and%Kenny said that he would call it the string- 
 plant. Mr. Meridett also gave the girls some very 
 nice pears from a tree which was quite full. They 
 were small, but juicy, and of a delicious flavor. 
 When they had all walked around the garden, and 
 gotten back to the front door, the little girls said 
 they must go. Cousin Guy asked them to wait 
 one moment, and he went up stairs and brought 
 down, two cards, each containing a picture and 
 some verses, and gave one to each of the girls. 
 They said they would learn the verses to say to 
 Mr. Meridett. Then they said : 
 
 "Be sure to come to-morrow, Mr. Meridett," 
 and left, Mr. Meridett and Kenny accompanying 
 them to the gate. As Cousin Guy and Kenny re 
 turned to the house, Kenny said : 
 
 " Cousin Guy, you were very kind to those girls. 
 I think you were kinder to them than you were to 
 me. In fact, you hardly talked to me at all." 
 
 " Well, they were company ; you are home- 
 folks. It is always proper to be more attentive to 
 company than to home-folks. I can talk to you
 
 KENNY AT THE ORPHAN ASYLUM. 69 
 
 any time you know. Besides, Kenny, those little 
 girls have not a kind father and mother and a 
 pleasant home like yours, and I love to treat them 
 kindly and make them happy." 
 
 " O yes, and you do treat me kindly too, don't 
 you ?" 
 
 The next afternoon Cousin Guy went to preach 
 at the Asylum. As he was going, Kenny said : 
 
 " Cousin Guy, please let me go with you." 
 
 " Oh yes," he replied, " you may go, if your 
 mother is willing." 
 
 " I should like to have him go," said Mrs. Ellis 
 to Cousin Guy. Then turning to Kenny, she said : 
 " Come with me up stairs, and let me pin you on 
 a clean collar and brush your hair." 
 
 " I will go with you, Cousin Guy," said Kenny, 
 " if you will promise not to let me sit with the 
 other children, but to sit by you, while you are 
 preaching." 
 
 " I cannot make any condition," said Cousin 
 Guy. " I will promise to take care of you, but you 
 must leave all the rest to me." 
 
 " "Well," said Kenny, " I believe I will go, any 
 how." 
 
 The Orphan Asylum was a large brick build 
 ing, with a great many windows. Kenny began to 
 count them, but had not finished when they began 
 to go up the steps. At the top of the steps was a
 
 70 REMEMBER THE ORPHAN. 
 
 box for money, and a little hole at the top. There 
 were some words painted on the box, and Cousin 
 Guy said the words were " Remember tJie- Or 
 phan." He explained to Kenny that this box 
 was for visitors to the Asylum to put money in 
 for the Orphans, and told Kenny that when he 
 came there the first time he put in half a dollar. 
 Kenny said he meant to ask his father to give 
 him some money to put in the next time he came. 
 Cousin Guy had rung a bell, and a little girl 
 came to the door. She looked very smiling, and 
 seemed glad to see them, and showed them into 
 the parlor. Kenny amused himself looking at a 
 tall clock in one corner of the room. It stood on 
 the floor, and reached nearly to the top of the 
 room. Kenny said he never had seen a clock like 
 that before. He was also very much interested 
 in listening to the children in an adjoining room. 
 Cousin Guy told him they were getting ready for 
 meeting. Presently they heard the children 
 marching through the passage. 
 
 " Now," said Cousin Guy, " they are going into 
 the chapel." 
 
 " What is the chapel ?" 
 
 " The room where they have meeting." 
 
 Kenny looked, and saw the children passing by. 
 As they did so, many of them looked at him and 
 smiled. Presently all was still, and a lady came
 
 KENNY IN THE CHAPEL. 71 
 
 in and spoke to Mr. Meridett and Kenny, and told 
 Mr. Mcridett that the children were waiting for 
 him. So she led the way into the chapel. This 
 was a large room, with a platform and table at one 
 end for the preacher, and filled with seats. Some 
 of the benches were quite low, so that the little 
 children sitting on them might put their feet on 
 the floor. When Mr. Meridett and Kenny entered 
 the room, all the children rose on their feet and 
 stood, till Mr. Meridett got to the desk. Many of 
 them bowed, and he bowed several times. He 
 took a chair, and placed it just one side of the desk, 
 and told Kenny to sit down. Kenny was thus 
 neither with the other children, nor was he exactly 
 with Mr Meridett, but he readily took the seat 
 given to him. 
 
 Mr. Meridett commenced by saying : 
 ""When I was last here, you sang me a very 
 pretty song, beginning, 
 
 ' I want to be an angel, 
 And with the angels stand.' 
 
 "Will you please sing that now ?" 
 
 After that he said : 
 
 " Xow, we are about to pray. I shall be very 
 short ; and I want you all not only to kneel down, 
 and shut your eyes and keep still, but to think <jf 
 what is said, and try and feel it too."
 
 72 THE CHILDREN CATECHIZED. 
 
 The children were indeed very quiet during the 
 prayer. Then there was another song. Then 
 Cousin Guy said : 
 
 " Now, before I preach you another sermon, I 
 want to see what is remembered, of the one I 
 preached before. All who can tell me where the 
 text is, hold up their hands. 7 ' Nearly all the hands 
 in the room went up. 
 
 "Where is it? all together." 
 
 " First chapter of Genesis, first verse." 
 
 " Right. Now, who can repeat the text ? Let all 
 who can raise their hands. Sarah, you may re 
 peat it." 
 
 " In the beginning God created the heavens and 
 the earth." 
 
 " Right. John, does that mean in the beginning 
 of God's life?" 
 
 " No ; for God had no beginning." 
 
 " Yery well. Susan, what is meant by created" 
 
 " To make out of nothing." 
 
 "Very well. Suppose men 'build a house, do 
 they create it ?" 
 
 " No, sir, because they make it out of some 
 thing" 
 
 " Can man create any thing ?" 
 
 "No, sir." 
 
 "Who can?" 
 
 "God."
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE EARTH. T3 
 
 " Yery well. Charley, what is meant here by 
 the heavens ? Does it mean the place where God, 
 and angels, and good people dwell ?" 
 
 "]STo; it means the sky, and sun, and moon, 
 and stars." 
 
 " What is meant by the earth ?" 
 
 " This world in which we live." 
 
 " Chapman, can you tell me any thing about 
 the sun, and moon, and stars ?" 
 
 " They are very large, though they look small." 
 
 "What makes them look small, if they are 
 large?" 
 
 " They are so far off. A man on a steeple looks 
 small. A large balloon gets small after it has 
 gotten up high, and at last it gets to be a mere 
 speck." 
 
 Kenny's eyes sparkled at this reference to the 
 balloon. He looked as if he wanted to say he 
 understood that. 
 
 "Ben, can you tell me any thing about the 
 earth?" 
 
 " It is very large, and has on top of it mountains 
 and valleys, seas, rivers, trees, flowers, vegetables, 
 and all sorts of animals ; and inside of it coal, and 
 gold, and iron, and all sorts of metals." 
 
 " Yery well. Now, Kate, what sort of a being 
 must this God be ?" 
 
 " Powerful and good." 
 7 

 
 74 MR. MEKIDETT'S SERMON. 
 
 " Yes ; and how should we feel and do towards 
 him?" 
 
 "We should be afraid to displease him. We 
 should love him, and mind him." 
 
 " You have all answered very well. I do not 
 think any congregation of grown people could 
 have remembered a sermon better. And now I 
 will preach you another. My text is in the Song 
 of Solomon, 2d chapter, and 15th verse: 'TAKE us 
 
 THE FOXES, THE' LITTLE FOXES, THAT SPOIL THE YOUNG 
 AND TENDER GRAPES." 1 
 
 " Please to repeat it." 
 
 "When this was done, Mr. Meridett proceeded to 
 preach them the following 
 
 SERMON. 
 
 "There was once a man who had a beautiful 
 garden, containing various kinds of vegetables and 
 flowers. One morning he came to it, and found 
 that the fence had been broken down, and that 
 some cows and horses had gotten in, and had eaten 
 and trodden down many of the plants. The man 
 was very sorry. He mended the fence with great 
 care, making it stronger than it was before, and 
 then said to himself, ' Well, my garden is safe now; 
 I do not think those mischievous cows and horses 
 can get in again.' Shortly after that, one cool 
 April morning, very early, he went to look at his
 
 LITTLE SINS. 75 
 
 garden. What do you suppose he found ? "Why 
 he found that something had been in his garden, 
 eating the young buds off his currant bushes, and 
 the green grapes off his vines. He was very much 
 surprised. The gate was locked, the fence had not 
 been broken, and there were no tracks to be seen 
 any where. But he looked about carefully, and 
 pretty soon he says, 'Ah, I see, it is those little 
 foxes ; I must stop them, as well as the horses and 
 cows, or I shall not have any fruit.' So he went 
 to work to catch those little foxes. Don't you 
 think he did exactly right ? 
 
 " Well, now, dear children, I want to set you all 
 to catching foxes. I do not mean, sure enough, 
 foxes with hair, and tails, and teeth. I mean, how 
 ever, things that trouble you just as the foxes 
 troubled that man, and which, therefore, we may 
 call foxes. I mean little sins. 
 
 " You know that man thought when he had shut 
 out the cows and horses from his garden, that he 
 had nothing to fear. But he soon found that little 
 foxes could get in, and do him great harm. Now, 
 just so a boy will say to himself, ' I don't steal, or 
 tell lies, or curse, and I will get on very well.' 
 But pretty soon he has yielded to some little sinful 
 habit, and he finds that it has done him real harm. 
 That sinful habit is to him what the foxes were to 
 the garden. Now, would it not be well for him
 
 76 EXAGGERATION. 
 
 to do as the gardener did set to work to destroy 
 what is so mischievous? 
 
 " In the first place, 1 will tell you of some little 
 foxes that eat the young grapes by which I mean 
 the little sins that injure your happiness, and good 
 ness, and usefulness. 
 
 Thejfafi fox that I want you to catch is exagger 
 ation. Now, I suppose none of you would tell a 
 downright lie, and yet I am afraid that the best of 
 you do sometimes tell lies. I will show you how. 
 A few weeks ago, one of these little girls came in 
 from a walk one cold morning, and said, ' O me ! 
 my fingers are frozen.' Now, was that true ? I 
 think not. Let me tell you something I saw yes 
 terday. I went to see a poor man, and found him 
 sitting in the corner with one of his hands tied up. 
 I said, ' Why, what is the matter with your hand ?' 
 ' Oh, sir, frosted it is.' ' I am very sorry. How 
 did you do it?' '"Well, you see, I took a drap too 
 much, and got to sleep out of doors, and it> was 
 very cold, and so I lost my fingers.' 
 
 " ' Lost your fingers !' 
 
 " 'Yes, sir; three of my fingers, aud lieie .Le^ 
 are,' and as he said this he held up a bottle with 
 his three fingers, which had come off, and which 
 he was keeping in some brandy. Now, wasn't 
 that dreadful ? You see, then, what it is to have 
 fingers frozen, and how foolish it is for a little girl
 
 PROFANITY. 77 
 
 whose fingers are only a little cold, and will soon 
 be comfortable, to say ' my fingers are frozen.' 
 
 " Not long ago, I heard a little boy say, as he 
 came in from an errand, ' I am so tired, I am al 
 most dead.' Do you think that was true ? I once 
 saw a little boy almost dead. He laid upon the 
 bed scarcely able to breathe, so weak that he 
 could not sit up, so pale that it was painful to see 
 him, while his eyes were dim, and cold sweat was 
 on his forehead. But the boy who said he was 
 almost dead looked very bright and well, and in a 
 few minutes was eating a slice of bread and butter, 
 and playing merrily in the yard. Didn't that boy 
 tell a story when he said, ' I am almost dead ?' 
 
 " I once heard a little girl say, ' Molly, you are 
 so slow, you will be at that work forever.' Molly 
 was done in five minutes, while forever is more 
 than hundreds and thousands, and millions of 
 ears. 
 
 " You see, now, what I mean by exaggeration. 
 Remember that is a fox for you to catch. 
 
 "Another fox is profanity. I do not mean curs 
 ing and swearing, for .1 do not suppose that any 
 of you ever are profane in this way. O no ; I 
 hope that you feel so that, if you were walking 
 along, and should hear a boy curse, you would 
 almost shudder, and want to run off as fast as pos 
 sible. And yet I am afraid that even some of 
 7* 

 
 78 CARELESSNESS. 
 
 you girls are often profane in another way. I 
 will tell you how. You do not exactly curse, but 
 sometimes when you fall down you say, ' O 
 Lordy !' Is not that taking the name of the Lord 
 in vain ? Sometimes you are very much surprised 
 at something, and you say, ' My goodness !' 
 *Good gracious !' Perhaps some of the boys say, 
 any time, ' By George !' ' By jingo !' which, if not 
 regular swearing, is certainly first cousin to it. 
 Now all this is profanity. Please to remember 
 that profanity is one of the foxes for you to 
 catch. 
 
 " Another fox is carelessness. I once saw some 
 mischievous boys throw stones at a window till 
 every pane of glass was broken : of course none 
 of you would do that. I once heard of boys tying 
 the grass in the path, so that a gentleman in pass 
 ing by was tripped up and sprained his ankle : I 
 am sure none of you would do such a mean trick. 
 And yet, by carelessness, you may often do things 
 which are just as bad in their effects as these. 
 Perhaps, Johnny there, from carelessness, threw 
 his ball so as to break a pane of glass. The money 
 that was used to mend that glass would have 
 bought a poor widow a loaf of bread. Perhaps 
 Kate threw an orange upon the steps, which not 
 only looked untidy, but might have caused some 
 person to slip and fall very badly. Susan, when
 
 IDLENESS. 79 
 
 ironing the clothes, burnt a hole in one of the 
 pieces, by using the iron too hot. Some people 
 never put any thing in its place, and never know 
 where to look for any thing. They are always 
 untidy, their shoes untied, their clothes half fas 
 tened, their hair rough. All this is from careless 
 ness. I think you will agree that carelessness, 
 though not as bad as stealing and lying, is, ne 
 vertheless, wrong. Carelessness, then, is another 
 little fox to be caught and killed. 
 
 I could mention many more. There is a quick 
 or peevish temper, which is a right big fox. 
 There is the- habit of loitering, when sent on 
 errands, or having work to do. There is idleness. 
 There is the habit of excusing yourself, when you 
 have done wrong. But I will not tell you about 
 these, nor mention any more ; I want you to look 
 out for them yourselves. 
 
 " Now, in the second place, I am going to tell you 
 why you should catch these little foxes. 
 
 "The first reason is, that little sins are just as 
 truly sins as great ones. Here is a pitcher of 
 water. It is not as much water as a tubful. But 
 it is as truly water as a tubful, or an ocean. It 
 is the same kind of thing. Now it is just so 
 about sin. Little or much, sin is always the same 
 kind of thing. It is always bad and dreadful. 
 
 The second reason is, that God hates little sins.
 
 80 THE DANGER OF LITTLE SINS. 
 
 God commands us to be perfectly good, and we 
 cannot be so, while we have any sins, or bad 
 habits, no matter how small they are. 
 
 "The third reason is, that little sins do a great 
 deal of harm to ourselves and other people. You 
 know the man thought his garden very safe when 
 he had shut out the big cows and horses, but he 
 found afterwards that little foxes could do much 
 injury. Just so about little faults. You have 
 already seen how some of them can do harm to 
 yourselves and other people. 
 
 " T\IQ fourth and last reason is, that little sins will 
 at last grow to be big ones, and will lead on to 
 other sins. It would be pretty easy to catch little, 
 young foxes, but it would not be so easy after 
 they got strong and cunning. Just so about little 
 sins. Now they are young and weak, and you 
 can overcome them ; but, after a while, they will 
 become old and strong, and will overcome yon. 
 
 " If the man did not stop the foxes, they would 
 makes holes in the fence, bigger and bigger, so 
 that at first, pigs, and, at last, cows and horses could 
 enter, and the man would have no garden. Just 
 BO little sins make way for large ones. The boy 
 who begins by saying 'By jingo!' will at last say 
 ' By God !' The little girl who begins by telling 
 a story in play, or in thoughtlessness, will end by 
 telling one deliberately and in earnest. The boy
 
 LITTLE BOY AND THE DAM. 81 
 
 who is careless about breaking a window, may 
 come at last to be regularly dishonest and break 
 into a house. Indeed we must be careful of little 
 beginnings. There was a little boy once who was 
 playing on his father's mill-dam. A dam, you 
 know, is a bank of earth, or stone, which keeps the 
 water from flowing on, so that a pond of water is 
 formed. Well, he thought it would be fine fun to 
 cut a little ditch across the dam, and see water run 
 over the dam. He did so, and when he was tired 
 went home, and ate his supper, and went to bed. 
 That night, his father heard a great noise, and 
 went out, and found that the water of his pond 
 had carried the dam away, and was rushing 
 furiously through the hole it had made. All this 
 was the result of the ditch which the boy had dug. 
 Indeed we must be careful of little, bad beginnings. 
 
 " Now, in the last place, I will tell you how to 
 catch the little foxes ; that is, how to overcome 
 these little bad habits. 
 
 " First, you must determine to do it. Suppose 
 that gardener had said : ' O me ! these little foxes 
 are very troublesome. How I wish there were no 
 foxes ! I wish somebody would catch them.' 
 Suppose he had said that, and no more. You see 
 very clearly that would have done no good. The 
 foxes would have kept coming until they had de 
 stroyed every thing in the garden. But he was
 
 82 THE SERMON ENDED. 
 
 not so foolish. He said : ' I will go to work and 
 catch them.' It will not do for you merely to 
 regret your sins, and say, ' O, I wish I had not 
 so many sins ; I hope I will grow better.' You 
 must say : ' I will try to overcome my sins.' That 
 is the way to talk. 
 
 " But secondly, you must not only say this, but 
 do it. You must not only determine, but act. I 
 think I can see that gardener, as he goes back to 
 his house. He is busy thinking what to do. He 
 contrives and makes traps, and sets them in all 
 the good places he can find. He tells all the 
 people on the premises to watch for the foxes. 
 Now, I am quite sure that, doing all this, he will 
 every day catch a fox, until at last, there wjll be 
 no more left to. trouble him. Just so you must 
 do. Having determined to get rid of your faults, 
 you must go to work. You must look out for 
 them ; you must get some friends to help you. 
 Above all, you must get God to help you. This 
 is to be done by prayer to him. 
 
 " Now, my sermon is done. Have you been in 
 terested? All who have been interested will 
 hold up their hands. Ah ! I see all hands up. J 
 am very glad you like my sermon. Now, when I 
 come again, I will see how much you remember 
 of it. But I want you to practise it. If you hear a 
 sermon, and do not try to practise it, you would be
 
 MEETING DISMISSED. 83 
 
 like a man sick, who should get some medicine 
 from the store, but, instead of swallowing it, should 
 either let it stay on the mantel, or throw it out of 
 the window. You can see that that medicine would 
 do him no good. Just so, my sermon will do you 
 no good, unless you use it in your daily life. Now, 
 will you all try to do this ? Will you all try to 
 catch the foxes, that I have told you about ? All 
 that will try, hold up their hands. Ah ! I am 
 glad to see so many hands go up. Now we will 
 pray to God to help us." 
 
 As soon as the meeting was dismissed, the chil 
 dren crowded around Mr. Meridett, each eager to 
 shake hands with him, and have him speak to 
 them. Some of them kept hold of his hand, so 
 that half a dozen would be clinging to him at 
 once. The larger girls would bring the little chil 
 dren, and hold them up to speak to him. The 
 scene was not unlike the swarming of a hive of 
 bees. Mr. Meridett received all the children very 
 kindly, giving to each a smile, and a kind word. 
 Many of them also gathered around Kenny, and 
 seemed much interested in talking to him, examin 
 ing his scarlet coat and brass buttons. He, on the 
 other hand, was much pleased with the uniform 
 worn by the girls, consisting of blue dresses, with 
 white capes and aprons.
 
 84 INSPECTION OF THE ASYLUM. 
 
 Presently Mr. Meridett said : 
 
 " Did you all think all the stories I told were 
 about Kenny ? I saw you look at him whenever I 
 said any thing about a little boy." 
 
 "/thought you meant- me," said Kenny. 
 
 "Well, I did, sometimes, but not always. I 
 hope, however, that you, as well as the rest, will 
 try to profit by them." 
 
 The matron now asked Mr. Meridett if he wished 
 to go over the house. He thanked her, and said 
 that he had already been over, but he would be 
 glad to do so again if Kenny wanted to go. Kenny 
 said he would like to very much. So, bowing to 
 the children, Mr. Meridett and Kenny followed the 
 matron out of the room. First, they went up stairs 
 into a bed-chamber. It was very large, occupying 
 one entire side of the house, and containing sixty 
 beds. The bedsteads were of iron, and the counter 
 panes of blue check calico. This room, the matron 
 said, was the boys' room. Then they went into 
 another exactly like it, which, she said, was the 
 girls' chamber. In this there were several very 
 small beds, and some pallets for the little children, 
 boys as well as girls. The lady then showed them 
 two large closets, in which all the clothes of the 
 children were kept. There were shelves on all 
 the walls, and reaching up to the ceiling, and 
 these shelves were partitioned off, so as to make a
 
 LARGE COFFEE-POT. 85 
 
 great many square boxes. Each child had one of 
 these, and the name of its owner was written over 
 each box. Mr. Meridett, noticed how neatly the 
 clothes had been folded and laid in these boxes. The 
 lady told him that every "Saturday afternoon the 
 clean clothes were brought up from the ironing- 
 room, and carefully put away into the boxes in 
 which they belonged. She said she would now 
 show them the rooms where the cooking, and wash 
 ing, and ironing were done. These rooms were in 
 the basement. When they got down, they saw 
 several large girls busy at work. Kenny asked if 
 those girls were the servants. The lady told him that 
 there were no regular servants in the house ; that 
 all the work was done by the boys and girls them 
 selves. Mr. Meridett inquired if they seemed will 
 ing to work. She replied that most of them seemed 
 to like it. 
 
 " O, Cousin .Guy !" said Kenny, " look at those 
 great pots ! "What are they for ?" 
 
 " That one nearest to you is for boiling the cof 
 fee," said the lady. 
 
 " Coffee in that big pot ?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed ; we make that full every morning 
 for breakfast, and there is seldom any left." 
 
 "Cousin Guy, should you think that children 
 could drink such a big pot-full of coffee ai 
 that?" 
 8
 
 86 CAKES AND PRESERVES. 
 
 " There are so many of them that it takes a great 
 deal," replied Mr. Meridett. 
 
 "Those other pots," continued the lady, "are 
 for boiling meat, and water to wash with, and un 
 der all of them is the fire." Saying this, she 
 opened the door of the range, and showed them a 
 bright coal fire. " And here is the oven." As 
 she said this, the girls began to take out the loaves 
 of bread, and lay them on wooden trays. The 
 loaves were so large and so numerous, that Kenny 
 wondered as much about them as he did about the 
 coffee ; but the girls said they would all be gone 
 after breakfast the next day. The bread looked so 
 brown, and smelt so nice, that Kenny wanted a 
 piece ; but Cousin Guy told him that he must wait 
 till he got home. 
 
 "Do the children have any good things?" said 
 Kenny. 
 
 " Certainly," said the matron, " good bread, and 
 coffee, and soup, and such things. Ain't they 
 good?" 
 
 " Yes, but I mean cake and preserves." 
 
 " Not often." 
 
 "Do they ever?" 
 
 " Yes, sometimes, when some kind friend send 
 them. Last Christmas, Mr. Bennet sent a beaut 
 ful treat cake, candy, and such things." 
 
 11 We have cake," said Kenny, "almost ever
 
 Kenny in. the Kitchen
 
 MRS. HOPE, THE MATRON. 
 
 day, and father gets me candy whenever he goes 
 down town." 
 
 " Well, Kenny, I believe we have seen all ; let 
 us go," said his Cousin Guy. ""We thank you 
 very much, Mrs. Hope, for your kindness in show 
 ing us over the house." 
 
 " Not at all, sir ; we show all visitors over ; we 
 are specially glad, at any time, to see you." 
 
 As Mr. Meridett went out of the door, he saw a 
 glass case containing a good many pretty and use 
 ful articles. The matron said they were made by 
 the children, and were for sale, for the benefit of 
 the Orphan Asylum. He bought a mat for Mrs. 
 Ellis. Kenny said there was nothing there that 
 he wanted, though the things were very nice. 
 
 " Cousin Guy," said Kenny, " those children 
 love you very much." 
 
 "Yes, I think they do, and I think I know 
 why." 
 
 " First, because children are naturally affection 
 ate, and inclined to love those around them, and 
 those children, having no father, or mother, or 
 near relations, are ready to love anybody who 
 shows them any kindness. They are like little 
 vines, made by God to cling to something, and 
 which clasp their tendrils around any thing that 
 comes near to them." 
 8*
 
 90 KENNY'S FRIENDS. 
 
 " What is the other reason ?" 
 
 " "Why, the children see that I love them, and 
 so they love me. "We are all very apt to love 
 those that love us, and children, even little chil 
 dren, soon find out their friends." 
 
 " You are my friend, Cousin Guy." 
 
 "Yes, I think I am." 
 
 "I know you are one of my very best friends. 
 Father has taught me to pray every morning and 
 night for father, and mother, and brother Frank, 
 and all my dear friends ; and I always think of you 
 when I get to that." . 
 
 " You have many who love you, and are kind 
 to you." 
 
 " Yes, indeed." 
 
 " Your father" 
 
 " He tells me stories, and paints, and draws for 
 me." 
 
 "Yes, and gets you all the good things you 
 have. Then there is your mother." 
 
 " She sings to me, and makes my clothes." 
 
 " I." 
 
 " You talk to me, tell me all sorts of things that 
 I like to know, and take me on expeditions with 
 you." 
 
 " Frank." 
 
 " He don't do any thing for me." 
 
 " He's a dear little fellow."
 
 CHATTERBOX. 91 
 
 " Tes, I love him, Cousin Guy ; but I don't like 
 him much. You see he's no company for me. In 
 fact, he often gets in my way, and troubles me 
 very much." 
 
 " Then you have Gustave." 
 
 " He's a first-rate fellow. He makes me all sorts 
 of curious things, and don't get mad with me," 
 
 " There's Catherine." 
 
 " I like her right well ; right well, not very. 
 You see, Cousin Guy, she is kind to me some 
 times ; but sometimes she is cross, and won't do 
 things for me, and calls me names." 
 
 " What sort of names ?" 
 
 " Why, ' Mr. Mischievous' and * Chatterbox,' 
 and all that, and I don't like it." 
 
 " I expect you sometimes treat her badly, and 
 call her names." 
 
 "Indeed I do, when she makes me mad." 
 
 "That is very wrong." 
 
 Kenny was silent. 
 
 " But, Kenny," continued his cousin, " there is 
 one thing you ought to learn from what you have 
 seen to-day." 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
 " To be thankful for your home, and father, and 
 mother, and kind friends. None of those children 
 are so well off as you are." 
 
 " Oh, there is father !" exclaimed Kenny, and 

 
 92 NEWSPAPER CUTTINGS. 
 
 4 
 
 he ran forward and caught hold of his hand. Mr. 
 Ellis waited for Mr. Meridett to come up, and 
 then all three walked on together. 
 
 " And did you understand the sermon, Kenny ?" 
 said his father. 
 
 "I reckon I did. I couldn't help it." 
 
 " What was it about ?" 
 
 " About little foxes, sir," said Kenny, with a sly 
 twinkle. 
 
 " About little foxes !" 
 
 " Yes, indeed it was. Wasn't it, Cousin Guy ?" 
 Well, tell me about it, Kenny." 
 Not now\ father." 
 
 After supper was over, and Kenny had gone to 
 bed, Mr. and Mrs. Ellis and Cousin Guy were 
 gathered cosily in the library, around the centre- 
 table, over which hung the drop-light. Mrs. Ellis 
 was sewing; Mr. Ellis reading papers, holding 
 them close to his eyes, and every now and then 
 stopping to cut out something with a pair of scis 
 sors, which he kept on the table. The pieces he 
 put in a little paper box. 
 
 "What will you do with those, Mr. Ellis?" in 
 quired Cousin Guy, looking up from his portfolio, 
 on which he was writing in his lap. 
 
 "Well, I formed the habit of cutting them out 
 when I had the ' Spectator,' and now I do it for 
 the sake of saving the pieces that I like. The
 
 THE "SPECTATOR." 93 
 
 papers will be destroyed, you know. Perhaps I 
 shall give these pieces to Mr. Blain ; perhaps I 
 shall put them into a scrap-book for Kenny." 
 
 " That would be a capital plan." 
 
 The ' Spectator 1 was a paper of which Mr. Ellis 
 had formerly been the editor, but which was now 
 edited by Mr. Blain. The way editors make their 
 selections generally is to cut pieces from maga 
 zines and other papers. 
 
 "Cousin Guy," said Mrs. Ellis, "I am very 
 glad Kenny went with you. He was not only 
 pleased, but, I hope, benefited." 
 
 " He certainly understood and remembered the 
 sermon," said Mr. Ellis. "He told me nearly all 
 of it. He told me," said Mr. Ellis, "that the chil 
 dren seemed very fond of you ; but I believe that is 
 no new thing; all the children like you, do they 
 not?" 
 
 " I certainly try to make them do so, and it is 
 not generally hard to win the hearts of the young. 
 A kind word, a smile, if given from genuine affec 
 tion, is always powerful to secure their love. It is, 
 too, as important as it is easy to make children love 
 you ; for if they do this, you can have great influ 
 ence with them, nor will they forget it in after 
 years." 
 
 " I know," said Mrs. Ellis, " that I have never for 
 gotten or ceased to love the dear old pastor, who
 
 94 EFFECT OF KIND WORDS. 
 
 never came to our house that he did not stroke my 
 head, and speak some kind word." 
 
 " How strange," said Mr. Ellis, " that so many 
 good men, ministers even, are utterly forgetful of 
 this means of exerting an influence."
 
 CRAYONS. 95 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ANOTHER ACCOMPLISHMENT. 
 
 day, Gustave called Kenny to the shop, 
 and took out a little parcel, and handed it to 
 him. 
 
 " What are these ?" said Kenny, as he opened 
 the parcel, and saw what looked like little round 
 Bticks. 
 
 " Crayons." 
 
 " What is a crayon ?" 
 
 " A sort of pencil, for the express purpose of 
 drawing. But you can almost as well paint with 
 them, for they are soft, and make very broad 
 marks, and they are of all kinds of colors." 
 
 "Why, yes, that is beautiful. Gustave, these 
 crayons are a very nice present, and I am very much 
 obliged to you. I'll go right home and try them 
 now; but tell me, first, what are they made of." 
 
 " A peculiar kind of earth or stone, I believe." 
 
 Kenny took his new treasure in with him, and 
 immediately began to put the crayons into use.
 
 96 CRAYON PAINTING. 
 
 His father told him he had better first draw fig 
 ures with his pencil, and then color them with the 
 crayons. 
 
 " Suppose," said he, " you get some of the pic 
 tures you have already made, and paint them." 
 
 " Oh ! yes, and will you show me how ?" 
 
 " Certainly ; but you will not need much show- 
 ing." 
 
 Kenny brought his portfolio, and began to turn 
 over his drawings. Presently he said : 
 
 " Father, here is my soldier ; shall I paint him ?" 
 
 "Yes, that will be a very good one to begin 
 with. Now, you can tell just as well as I can 
 what colors to use. "Will you have the coat red or 
 blue?" 
 
 "Which is best?" 
 
 " Blue is the American, red the British." 
 
 " I will take blue, then ; besides, that will look 
 better with brass buttons." 
 
 " Very well ; then the buttons you will color 
 yellow, of course." 
 
 "Yes, sir. Well, how am I to do the color- 
 ing?" 
 
 " Just take the crayon and use it like a pencil. 
 When you want to color a large space, as the coat 
 for instance, you must put the end of it down flat ; 
 but if you want to color a small space, such as a 
 outton, you must hold the crayon slanting, BO as
 
 KENNY IN TROUBLE. ' 97 
 
 to touch only a corner of it to the paper. " $>," 
 said Mr. Ellis, showing him ; " do you understand?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 " The epaulettes will be yellow." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; and what color shall I make the hat 
 and plume ?" 
 
 " Make the hat black, and the plume red. Now, 
 Kenny, you must go on without me. I must finish 
 this writing before dinner. You paint away, and, 
 when you are done, I will look at the picture." 
 
 "If I want to know any thing, may I ask you?" 
 
 " If it is something really important you may, 
 not otherwise." 
 
 Mr. Ellis proceeded with his writing, and Kenny 
 painted in silence. He was standing up with his 
 paper on the centre-table. After awhile he seemed 
 to come to a stop. He took up first one crayon, 
 and then another, and seemed very much embar 
 rassed. Finally, he came round by his father, 
 and stood quietly with his elbows on the table, 
 and his hands on his chin, looking very anxiously 
 at him. Presently Mr. Ellis said, without looking 
 up: 
 
 "Well, Kenny, what is it?" 
 
 " Something very important, or I would not in 
 terrupt you." 
 
 " "Well, what is it ?" said Mr. Ellis, now laying 
 down his pen, and looking kindly at Kenny. 

 
 98 THE CRAYON AND LEAD PENCIL. 
 
 "Why, I don't know how to color this bayonet, 
 and so I cannot get on at all. I have done every 
 thing else." 
 
 "What's the difficulty?" 
 
 " Why, you see, the bayonet ought to be a bright, 
 shining color, and I have not got any crayons of 
 that sort." 
 
 "I'm afraid," said Mr. Ellis, smiling, "the diffi 
 culty is inherent to your materials." 
 
 " I don't know what you mean by that, sir ; but 
 I wish you would tell me what to do." 
 
 " I mean that I'm afraid you can't represent the 
 bayonet very well with those crayons. I tell you 
 what you'd better do ; black the bayonet with one 
 of your pencils ; that will give it something of the 
 shine of metal." 
 
 " Would that be better than a black crayon ?" 
 
 " Yes, the pencil has more of the metallic lustre 
 about it than the crayon. Don't you see that the 
 pencil has a bright look, when held in the sun, and 
 the crayon retains its dull look. The pencil is 
 made partly of lead, which is a metal ; while the 
 crayon is made of clay or stone." 
 
 " Gustave told me what the crayon was made 
 of. But, father, I thought that all the pencil, ex 
 cept the wood, was lead ?" 
 
 " No, I think the black part, that you draw with, 
 is a composition made of lead and other materials."
 
 KENNY'S PAINTING. 99 
 
 "What other materials ?" 
 
 " I do not know exactly ; at any rate, I cannot 
 stop any longer now. Finish your soldier." 
 
 By the time Mr. Ellis had finished his writing, 
 Kenny had done his painting. He showed the 
 picture to his father, who said it was done very 
 well. He took it up to Cousin Guy's room, and 
 said: 
 
 " See what I have painted." 
 
 " Painted ! I did not know you had a paint 
 brush." 
 
 " I did it with crayons." 
 
 " I thought they were for drawing." 
 
 " Yes, but one can color with them, and I have 
 been coloring a picture that I drew once be 
 fore." 
 
 " It looks very well," said Cousin Guy. 
 
 11 1 like coloring with crayons better than draw 
 ing. It is so nice to see not only the forms of 
 things, but their right colors." 
 
 " Yes, indeed, it is very fine to have the colors ; 
 but I suppose it is better to draw and paint both. 
 In fact, I suppose a painter has to do both. He 
 must first draw the outline before he can color." 
 
 Gustavo's crayons thus gave Kenny a new and 
 pleasant employment, and Kenny soon became eo 
 fond of coloring, and such an adept at it, that one 
 day his father bought him a paint-box and brushes.
 
 100 PICTURE OF A COTTAGE. 
 
 Kenny was delighted with this, and said that now 
 he could do painting, sure enough. 
 
 "But it will require more care, Kenny," said 
 his father." 
 
 " Please show me how I must do, sir." 
 
 " Well, have you any thing you want painted ?" 
 
 Kenny brought a picture from his portfolio. It 
 was one of the first pictures his father had drawn 
 for him a picture of a cottage, with a porch to it, 
 a large tree, and under the tree a little girl feed 
 ing ducks and chickens. It was one of his fa 
 vorite pictures. 
 
 " Now you know," said his father, " what color 
 to take ; I will simply show you how the paint 
 ing is to be done; you will want two cups of 
 water." 
 
 Kenny brought them. 
 
 " One of these," said Mr. Ellis, "is to dip your 
 brush in to moisten it before you rub it on the 
 paint ; the other is to wash your brush in when 
 you have done, or want to use a different color. 
 You see, it would not do to put your brush into 
 one color while it was full of another. Here are 
 two brushes. The larger is for painting large 
 things, the smaller fof painting what is small and 
 delicate." 
 
 Mr. Ellis proceeded to paint the picture which 
 Kenny had brought ; Kenny, meanwhile, looking 

 
 BEAUTY OF THE PICTURE. 101 
 
 on with as much interest as when his father had 
 drawn for him for the first time. Mr. Ellis 
 painted the blinds of the house and the leaves of 
 the tree green, the chickens of different colors, 
 and the little girl with a blue hood on her head. 
 When he had done, Kenny said that the picture 
 was pretty before, but that it was ten times more 
 BO now. 
 
 " Kenny," said his father, " there is a better 
 way to get the paint on the brush." 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 " Go get me a broken piece of white china, or, 
 if you cannot find that, bring a white saucer." 
 
 Kenny soon returned with a white saucer, which 
 he said, his mother had given him to keep as long 
 as he wanted. He said, he could not find a broken 
 piece any where. 
 
 Mr. Ellis took a piece of paint from the box, 
 dipped one end of it in water, and rubbed the 
 moistened end on the saucer. It left a beautiful 
 red. Then he did the same with each piece of 
 paint. When he had done, the whole of the out- 
 lide of the saucer was covered with different colors. 
 It was really very pretty. 
 
 " Now," said Mr. Ellis, " all you have to do is 
 
 to moisten the end of your brush, and touch it to 
 
 the paint that you want on the saucer. You need 
 
 not use the pieces of paint any more, until you 
 
 9*
 
 102 THE LITTLE ARTIST. 
 
 have used what is on the saucer, and then I will 
 put some more on for you." 
 
 " I should think," said Kenny, " that you would 
 have put the paint on the inside of the saucer." 
 
 " No, it is more convenient to have it on the 
 outside. Now, Kenny, carry those cups to Catha 
 rine to be washed, and put the drawing materials 
 away." 
 
 From this time, Kenny became quite an artist. 
 In fact, an old gentleman who frequently came to 
 his father's, gave him the name of "The Little 
 Artist," and he was called by it afterwards. He 
 used to get his father to draw pictures, in order 
 that he might paint them, and he would, besides, 
 draw them himself for this purpose. One day 
 Cousin Guy gave him an old geography, full of 
 pictures. This was a treasure to Kenny, and many 
 an hour did he spend in coloring them, and, as he 
 asked a great many questions, he learned not only 
 how to draw and paint, but much that was inter 
 esting and valuable about the people, productions, 
 and customs of different countries. Kenny was 
 also in the habit of drawing and painting real 
 things and real scenes. 
 
 One day Cousin Guy found Kenny in the garden, 
 seeming to be looking for something. 
 
 " What do you want, Kenny ?" said he. 
 
 " Some vegetable to paint."
 
 PAINTING A TURNIP. 103 
 
 " Can you paint a vegetable ?" r 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 "Well, then, here is a turnip ; that is about the 
 only vegetable I can find now. You had better 
 paint it, and then see if Gustave will know what it 
 is without being told. That will be a good test 
 as to whether the painting is true to life ; though 
 not as good as one I have heard." 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
 " "Why, a man painted an ear of corn, and it was 
 so much like a real one that a cow who came along 
 tried to eat it." 
 
 "That was funny." 
 
 " I have heard of another case similar. A painter 
 made a cow for a sign, and another cow ' mooed' 
 to it." 
 
 " I don't expect to make my painting as good as 
 that, yet awhile, but I think I can paint this turnip 
 so that Gustave will know it." 
 
 " "Well, that will be doing very well." 
 
 Accordingly Kenny painted away, and, when he 
 had done, carried the picture to Gustave. Gus 
 tave immediately said that it was a vegetable of 
 some kind, and he thought a turnip. 
 
 " It is a turnip," said Kenny, and he was highly 
 gratified that he had made such a good represent 
 ation that Gustave should be able to guess what 
 it was.
 
 104 COUSIN GUY TEAZES KENNY. 
 
 Kenny had a way, after this, of drawing differ 
 ent things, and bringing them to some one in the 
 family to guess what they were. Often they were 
 very good representations, and could not be mis 
 taken. But sometimes the likeness would not be 
 very clear, and the picture would be quite grotesque. 
 
 Occasionally, too, Cousin Guy would pretend 
 not to know what the picture was, and would 
 guess things very different from what Kenny in 
 tended. This did not exactly teaze Kenny; in 
 fact, he enjoyed it as much as any one. Some 
 times Cousin Guy really would not know what the 
 pictures meant, and then, when he would seriously 
 guess, quite out of the way, Kenny would seem 
 really annoyed. 
 
 " What is this, Cousin Guy ?" said he, one day, 
 handing him a large sheet of paper, with several 
 figures upon it. 
 
 " This ? well, let me see. Why, I suppose that 
 man is shooting at those others, ain't he ?" 
 
 " O ! Cousin Guy, that is too bad." 
 
 "What?" 
 
 "To say that is a man shooting some other 
 men." 
 
 " Well, I'm sure I don't know. You asked me 
 to guess ; and that man certainly does seem to be 
 stretching out his hand toward those others." 
 
 " But, Cousin Guy, he has nothing in his hand,
 
 GUY'S ADVICE IN DRAWING. 105 
 
 and don't you see how much taller he is than those 
 others ? They are not men." 
 
 "I did not know; some men are taller than 
 )thers." 
 
 " Why, Cousin Guy, that is Christ blessing little 
 children. Don't you see he is holding out his 
 hand towards them, to put it on their heads." 
 
 " Ah, yes, I see now. But, Kenny, if I were 
 you, I would not try to make a picture of Christ." 
 
 " No, I won't ; but why not ?" 
 
 "Because Jesus Christ is too sacred a being. 
 You cannot make any thing good for a picture of 
 him. I do not like pictures of the Saviour, even 
 when made by the best artists." 
 
 Kenny seemed to feel the force of this reason, 
 and said that he would not try to draw the Sa 
 viour any more ; that his father had been telling 
 him about Christ's blessing little children, and he 
 thought he would draw it. 
 
 But all this suggested to Guy an idea which he 
 afterwards used, and which will be given a little 
 farther on. 
 
 There was one funny thing about Kenny's treat 
 ment of his drawings and paintings ; he always 
 seemed to regard them as real things, and he 
 would speak of them, and think of them as such. 
 Once, he came to Cousin Guy's room, and invited 
 im to a party.
 
 106 KENNY'S PARTY. 
 
 " A party !" said Cousin Guy ; " who are to be 
 there?" 
 
 "You, and father, and mother, and Frank, I 
 reckon." 
 
 " Well, I don't think I can go, Kenny. I don't 
 want to spoil ray appetite for dinner." 
 
 "It won't do that. I just want you to play 
 eat." 
 
 So Cousin Guy went. No one was there but 
 Frank. 
 
 "I guess," said Kenny, "we won't wait for 
 father and mother. I will have another for them." 
 
 So Cousin Guy sat down to the centre-table, 
 which Kenny had spread, and pretended to eat. 
 
 " Take some of these strawberries," said Kenny, 
 handing a round paper full of little red pieces of 
 paper, shaped something like strawberries. 
 
 " Thank you," said Cousin Guy, " I am very 
 fond of strawberries. But I did not know they 
 could be gotten at this season." 
 
 " Oh ! I can get them at any time," said Ken 
 ny, with a look of mock gravity. 
 
 Kenny seemed to enjoy the entertainment high 
 ly, and even Frank, though he could not enjoy all 
 that was going on, entered into the spirit of every 
 thing. 
 
 The next Sabbath afternoon, Kenny wanted 
 Cousin Guy to tell him a story; but Mr. Ellis
 
 NOAH AND THE ARK. 107 
 
 said that would not do, as Cousin Guy had enough 
 work to do in preaching. But Cousin Guy said 
 he would give Kenny something to do, which 
 would be very pleasant and useful, and not unsuit 
 able for the Sabbath. 
 
 "What is it?" asked Kenny. 
 
 " Drawing Scripture scenes." 
 
 " Just think of something which your father told 
 you from the Bible, and make a picture of it, just 
 as you drew, the other day, Christ blessing little 
 children." 
 
 " O, that will be very fine I "What shall I 
 draw?" 
 
 " I Vill tell you some scenes, and you can decide 
 which you would like best." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 . " There is the Egyptians and Israelites crossing 
 the Eed Sea. Have you heard about that ?" 
 
 "Yes, indeed." 
 
 "Do you like that?" 
 
 " I like it, but I do not think I could draw it." 
 
 " I will give you another. Noah taking the 
 animals into the ark." 
 
 " I will draw that." 
 
 And soon Kenny was busy at the picture, every 
 low and then bringing it to Cousin Guy with some 
 question. Cousin Guy was lying on the lounge, 
 lot reading, nor trying to sleep, but simply rest-
 
 108 COUSIN GUY'S STORY. 
 
 ing, and he told Mr. Ellis that Kenny did not 
 trouble him in the least ; that, in fact, he liked to 
 talk a little with him. When the picture was done, 
 and admired, Kenny said : 
 
 " Cousin Guy, I am much obliged to you for 
 showing me what to do, just now. But I think it 
 is right hard for me not to be allowed to play at 
 all on the Sabbath." 
 
 ""Why, Kenny 1" exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, u how can 
 you talk so ?" She seemed really shocked. But 
 Cousin Guy, without seeming to hear Kenny's re 
 mark, simply said : 
 
 " I will tell you a short story now, Kenny." 
 
 "I'm glad of it." 
 
 " There was once a traveller going to town. Ht 
 had exactly seven dollars in his pocket. A beggai 
 met him, and told him such a pitiful story that he 
 took out six dollars and ga^e them to the beggar, 
 keeping only one for himself. Wasn't that kind ?" 
 
 " Very," said Kenny, emphatically. 
 
 " Presently the beggar said to himself," contin 
 ued Cousin Guy, " I wish I had that other dollar," 
 and finally he decided that he would have it, and 
 overtook the traveller, knocked him down with a 
 stick, and took the dollar from his pocket. What 
 do you think of that?" 
 
 "I think it was mean, shameful. That man 
 ought to be hung."
 
 KENNY SURPRISED. 109 
 
 " Kenny," said Cousin Guy, quietly, " you are 
 something like that mean robber." 
 
 " I !" said Kenny, in utter astonishment. " "Why, 
 what do you mean, Cousin Guy ?" 
 
 " God made seven days in the week ; he gave 
 you six of them, and kept only one for himself, and 
 yet just now you wanted to take that one also." 
 
 Kenny said not a word. But he felt deeply the 
 folly of the remark, which had called out Cousin 
 Guy's story, and getting down from the lounge, 
 where he had been sitting, he quietly and thought 
 fully walked away. 
 10
 
 110 COUSIN GUY'S DIARY. 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 THE DIARY. 
 
 ONE day Kenny was in Cousin Guy's room, 
 standing by Cousin Guy while he was writing. 
 Kenny amused himself looking at various things 
 on the table. Presently he took a little red book 
 with gilt edges, and gilt letters on the back, and, 
 holding it up, said : 
 
 " Cousin Guy, what is this ?" 
 
 " That," said Cousin Guy, looking up, " that is 
 my diary." 
 
 "Diary! What is a diary " 
 
 " I am busy, Kenny, and have not time to ex 
 plain it to you now." 
 
 "Will you, if I wait?" 
 
 " Yes, if you wait till I am done these letters." 
 
 Kenny accordingly took his seat, and com 
 menced to draw something. After a while, Cousin 
 Guy looked at his watch, and said he would not 
 write any more at present. 
 
 " Have you done ?" inquired Kenny.
 
 DESCRIPTION OF A DIARY. Ill 
 
 " No, but the time is come for me to stop. It 
 is almost dinner time, and I always like to stop 
 work a little while before dinner. It is healthy." 
 
 " Now, then, won't you tell me about this little 
 book?" 
 
 " It is a diary a blank book, in which some 
 thing is to be written every day." 
 
 " What sort of things ?" 
 
 " Sometimes people write an account of how 
 they spend their time ; sometimes they write their 
 feelings. In some cases, they write down, before 
 hand, what they wish to do. This, you see, has 
 a blank space for every day in the year. Now, 
 suppose I promise to pay some money, or make a 
 visit, or dd any other thing, on some future day ; 
 in order not to forget it, I turn over to the blank 
 for that day, and there write it down. And as I 
 look at the diary every day, I will see the memo 
 randum, and be reminded. For instance, I am 
 appointed to preach at the House of Refuge on 
 the 28th day of May, several weeks off, and I 
 might forget it ; but I have put it down on the 
 page for that day. See, here it is, ' Sabbath, 28th 
 of May, preach at the House of Refuge.' Now, I 
 cannot forget it. But the principal use of a diary 
 is to record not things which are to be, but those 
 which have already occurred. Here, now, if you 
 want, I will read you something from my diary."
 
 112 EXTRACTS FROM A DIARY. 
 
 " I wish you would." 
 
 " I will read from last "Wednesday's page." 
 
 " ' Directly after breakfast went down town in 
 the carriage, and attended to several items of 
 business. After returning, spent the balance of the 
 morning in reading twenty pages of ' Mosheim's 
 Church History,' writing letters to father and 
 John Henderson, and talking with Kenny. In 
 the afternoon, accompanied by Kenny, went to the 
 Orphan Asylum, preached from Song of Solomon, 
 2d chap, and 15th verse ; afterwards went over 
 the buildings. At night sat in the study with Mr. 
 Ellis and Cousin Sue, talking with them, and 
 writing on my book. The weather to-day bright 
 and pleasant, and I have felt very well, and have 
 been able to do a great deal, so that the day has 
 been a happy, and, I hope, a profitable one.' 
 
 " Now I will read you the history of day before 
 yesterday ; that was Monday, you know. 
 
 " ' "Waked to find it a damp, dark day, myself 
 suffering with a dull headache, and a general good- 
 for-nothing feeling. On account of the weather 
 spent the whole day within doors, but unable to 
 accomplish much. Found it hard to be cheerful 
 and event patient, but found some relief in prayer.
 
 WHAT DIARIES ARE FOR. 113 
 
 Retired early, hoping to feel brighter and more 
 like work after a good night's rest.' 
 
 "Well, Kenny, these are some specimens from 
 my diary. What do you think of them ?" 
 
 " They are quite interesting. But, Cousin Guy, 
 why do people keep diaries ?" 
 
 " Well, it is pleasant to remember how we have 
 spent our time." 
 
 "But Zcan remember, cousin, without writing 
 it down." 
 
 " You may remember for a few days, but not 
 long. I can remember now all about last Wed 
 nesday, and last Monday, but I should forget it, 
 after a while, if I did not write it down. I cannot 
 remember at all what I was doing a year ago at 
 this time ; but, as I kept a diary then, I can easily 
 find out. But you have forgotten all about last 
 year, and have no means of finding out." 
 
 "What were you doing a year ago to-day, 
 cousin ? I should like to know, just for the curio 
 sity of the thing." 
 
 Cousin Guy opened his desk, and, from a pigeon 
 hole where there were several little books like the 
 one from which he had been reading, took the top 
 most one, and, after turning over the leaves, ex 
 claimed : " Why, Kenny, a year ago to-day I was 
 examined in Latin." 
 10*
 
 114r PLEASURE IN KEEPING A DIARY. 
 
 " What do you mean by that ?" 
 
 " You know I was a student at the university, 
 and twice a year the students are examined on 
 each study ; that is, they are asked questions, to 
 see whether they are really learning. Just a year 
 ago I was examined in Latin." 
 
 " Tell me about it." 
 
 " The bell rang at eight o'clock in the morning, 
 and we all had to go to the lecture-room, carrying 
 nothing but some paper, pens, and ink. "We found 
 the large blackboard full of questions, and we just 
 had to sit down and write the answers to them. It 
 took me, this time, nearly the whole day. Oh ! I 
 was so tired. Heading about it in my diary has 
 made it all seem fresh, as if it were but yesterday. 
 Just in the same way, I could look back, and find 
 .out the history of any day for several years past. 
 So you see, Kenny, there is a great pleasure in 
 keeping a diary. There are other advantages be 
 sides. By looking back on the past, we see the 
 goodness of God in bringing us along, and so have 
 our gratitude awakened. "We see our mistakes 
 and faults in the past, and may correct them. We 
 see how we have come safely through difficulties, 
 and so we are encouraged in present difficulties to 
 keep up a brave heart, and press on. And then, 
 in keeping a diary, there is this advantage at the 
 time, that it makes us more careful of our conduct
 
 sA.N EXCELLENT PLAN. 115 
 
 to know that we are going to write it down, to be 
 read in after days and years. I would not like to 
 waste this morning, if I expected to write it down 
 in my diary. I know that keeping a diary has 
 made me more careful in my conduct." 
 
 "I think keeping a diary an excellent plan," 
 said Kenny. 
 
 "There is still another advantage," continued 
 Cousin Guy. "It leads one to take a little exer 
 cise in writing regularly every day, and as there 
 is generally not much room to write in, one is apt 
 to write in a very concise style. I mean by that, 
 to say a good deal in a few words. You see any 
 one could get a large blank book, and take just 
 as muck room as he wanted for each day; but 
 most persons now use these little pocket diaries, 
 which have a certain space set apart for each 
 day." 
 
 " I should think a person would have more to 
 write some days than others." 
 
 " That is true. Some days I do not write more 
 than one or two lines. But I seldom want to fill 
 more than the allotted space. I do not approve 
 of long spun-out histories. You eee, I am not 
 writing for any body else to read, and a few words 
 will be sufficient to enable me to recall all that I 
 wish. Do you understand ?" 
 
 " O, yes."
 
 116 MY GRANDCHILDREN! 
 
 " How would it do for you to keep a diary, 
 Kenny ?" 
 
 " I should like it very much, if I could do it ?" 
 
 " I kept one when I was a very little boy. I 
 remember writing about seeing a comet. I could 
 hardly write." 
 
 " But I can't write." 
 
 " No ; but I will write for you. You can tell 
 me what to write, and I will put down exactly 
 what you say." 
 
 " Well, I shall like it very much. Let us begin 
 at once." 
 
 " Some days there will not be so much to put 
 down. Others will be very interesting. It would 
 be very pleasant for you when a man to read 
 about going to the asylum with Cousin Guy, and 
 hearing a sermon about fox-hunting." 
 
 " I am very sorry I did not begin in time for 
 that." 
 
 " Oh, well, you can put it in now, and all about 
 the balloon, too. It will be very fine for your 
 grandchildren to read, when you are an old man." 
 
 " My grandchildren ! what an idea !" 
 
 " Or your children." 
 
 "My children!" 
 
 " Yes, I have no doubt that they would be very 
 much interested in knowing how their father did 
 when he was a little boy. I should love very
 
 WHAT IS MANUSCRIPT? 117 
 
 much to read a diary kept by my father in his 
 boyish days. I would rather have a few pages of 
 his childish manuscript than the handsomest book 
 in Baltimore." 
 
 " "What is manuscript ?" 
 
 "Something written with the hand, as distin 
 guished from what is printed. For instance, this 
 diary or those letters are manuscript." 
 
 " I do know a good deal about my father when 
 he was a boy, and if interests me very much. He 
 often tells me stories about what he did when he 
 was little." 
 
 "I have read some in a diary kept by my 
 father, when he was a young man like myself. It 
 contains a good many incidents and adventures 
 that he- met with. But come, Kenny, there is the 
 dinner-bell." 
 
 " Didn't you say you were writing a book ?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Will it be done soon ?" 
 
 "Not very." 
 
 " Will I understand it ?" 
 
 "I reckon so I hope so; it is written about 
 boys, and for them." 
 
 " Has it any thing in it about me ?" 
 
 To this question, Cousin Guy returned no an 
 swer but a smile, and Kenny said : 
 
 " I know it has, I am almost sure it has."
 
 118 KENNY'S ACCIDENT. 
 
 At the dinner-table Kenn y told his father and 
 mother that he was going to have a diary, and that 
 Cousin Guy was going to keep it for him. His 
 father not only said it was a good plan, but prom 
 ised to give him a blank book for the purpose. 
 
 That very afternoon Kenny had a little adven 
 ture, which, was recorded in his diary. The record 
 of the day was as follows : 
 
 " April 6th. Decided to-day to keep a diary. 
 I am going to tell Cousin Guy what to write, and 
 he is to write it for me. This afternoon I had the 
 following adventure : I walked with Catharine 
 and Frank to Aunt Lucy's, where I had a very 
 pleasant time playing with Johnny Nourse. While 
 we were there, it rained very hard, but it cleared 
 off just before night, and Catharine, and Frank, and 
 I, started home. We found the streets very wet, 
 and some of the gutters almost like little rivers, and 
 we coul(f hardly get across. At one of the cross 
 ing-placet, Catharine was carrying Frank over and 
 leading me, when my foot slipped, and I fell into 
 the deep, muddy water. It was very cold, and, be 
 sides, I was afraid I would be drowned ; so I 
 screamed as loud as I could. Just then Gustave, 
 who had been sent after us, drove up with the 
 carriage, and carried us home. I was very cold, 
 but mother soon took off my wet clothes, wrapped
 
 COUSIN GUY VISITS KENNY. 119 
 
 me up in flannel, put me to bed, and gave me some 
 hot tea, and I now feel very comfortable, and hope 
 I shall not be sick. I am glad to have something 
 to put into my diary so soon." 
 
 This was written by Cousin Guy, while Kenny 
 was lying in bed. It happened in this way: 
 Kenny was very much frightened after he got 
 home and was put to bed ; and so were his father 
 and mother, at first, thinking he would be sick. 
 Cousin Guy came up to his room, and, seeing Ken 
 ny so low-spirited, said : " "Well, Kenny, it wasn't 
 pleasant to fall into the water, I know, but it is a 
 first-rate adventure to put into your diary. Come, 
 now, your father has j ust given me a book to write 
 in, and I'll begin right now." 
 
 Kenny brightened up, and proceeded to tell 
 Cousin Guy all about his accident, and, before he 
 was done, he was in the highest glee. 
 
 The next morning Kenny was as well and bright 
 as if nothing had happened, and rather glad to have 
 had such an adventure for his diary. Cousin Guy 
 told him that he was not the first person, who had 
 found that a thing might be very unpleasant in 
 experience, and yet even pleasant to remember or 
 describe. 
 
 " I remember," said he, " being lost on the moun 
 tains once, and spending nearly the whole night
 
 120 WHAT TO PUT IN THE DIAEY. 
 
 wandering about. It was one of the most miser 
 able seasons I ever experienced ; but I have often 
 since taken great pleasure in recalling and relating 
 the adventure." 
 
 \ " I wish you could tell me." 
 
 " I will presently." 
 
 During the morning Cousin Guy " wrote up' 
 Kenny's diary to the time he commenced to keep 
 it, giving a general account of his doings for some 
 time, including his artist employments, the history 
 of the balloon, and several trips which he made 
 with his father and Cousin Guy. When this writ 
 ing was done, Cousin Guy told Kenny to bring the 
 diary to him every night just before going to bed. 
 
 "And, Kenny," continued he, "you must deter 
 mine what to put down. Will you tell about 
 your behavior, or only the things that you do, 
 and that happen to you ?" 
 
 "All, I believe." 
 
 " Well, then, you must try to be very good ; for, 
 you know, if we say any thing on a subject, we 
 must tell the truth, and it would be very unpleas 
 ant for yourself, or any one else, to read hereafter 
 about your quarrelling with Frank, or abusing 
 Catharine, or any thing of that sort." . 
 
 " O, me ! I hope nothing of that sort will get 
 into my diary." 
 
 " Now, Kenny," said his cousin, " I will tell you
 
 GUY'S ADVENTUEE. 121 
 
 about my being lost on the mountains. It is not 
 much of a story ; but it is, of course, interesting to 
 me. Well, I was once staying with some friends 
 in the mountains of Virginia. It was quite a wild, 
 lonesome place. One afternoon I was particularly 
 anxious to go to the post-office, which was six miles 
 off." 
 
 " "Why did you want to go ?" 
 
 " My father was sick at home, and I wanted to 
 get a letter, telling me how he was. The horses 
 were all busy ploughing, so I said I would walk. 
 I readily found my way to the office." 
 
 " Did you get a letter from home ?" 
 
 " No, I did not get any thing at all, and I felt 
 very much disappointed. The sun was just setting 
 as I started home. I concluded to try a short cut 
 over the mountain, instead of going by the regular 
 road. Accordingly, I took a small path, as I had 
 been directed, and pursued my way along the steep 
 mountain side. For a while I went on finely, but 
 at length my path became steep and rough, and 
 I began to fear I was wrong. I ran hurriedly 
 along to find out, as soon as possible, whether I 
 was indeed lost. My path grew steeper and 
 rougher, and began to lead me right up to a 
 rocky cliff, so that I was convinced that I was on 
 the wrong track. Here it would have been wise 
 for me at once to retrace my steps ; but I thought 
 11
 
 122 GUY LOST ON THE MOUNTAIN. 
 
 I had not time for that, as it was now getting late. 
 So I immediately struck off into the woods, in the 
 direction which I supposed would take me back 
 into the right path. I soon found, however, that 
 this was no easy matter. It began to get quite 
 dark, and the way was all stopped up with brush, 
 and thick foliage. Before long, I had made up 
 my mind that I was fairly lost." 
 
 "Did'nt you feel frightened?" 
 
 " Not frightened exactly, but it certainly was 
 not very pleasant to think of staying all night 
 alone on the mountain, and I began to fear I 
 would have that to do." 
 
 "Well, what did you do?" 
 
 " I kept on, moving as rapidly as I could, and 
 shouting with all my might. At last, I thought 
 I heard a shout in reply. I shouted again and 
 again, moving on towards where I thought the 
 sound came from. Presently I distinctly heard a 
 man halloo in answer to me. It was, however, a 
 long way off. I determined to make my way 
 towards him, although it was not in the direction 
 I thought I ought to go to take me where I was 
 staying. I felt that it would be a great relief to 
 see a human face, and then, besides, I thought I 
 could, perhaps, get the man to show me the way. 
 So I kept on, shouting every moment, and walking 
 and running in the direction from which his voice
 
 "WHAT is A BACHELOR?" 123 
 
 seemed to come. I climbed to the top of the 
 mountain, and then commenced descending on 
 the other side, which I knew was not the side 
 where my friends lived. At the foot of the moun 
 tain was a rail-fence. I kept along that to a corn 
 field, and then through the corn-field, till I heard 
 a dog bark, and saw the smoke of a chimney. I 
 felt now that I was probably out of my worst 
 trouble. I got to the house, and the man who 
 had been shouting to me, came out to meet me. 
 The first thing that I did, was to ask him for some 
 water : my mouth was parched with thirst. Then 
 I asked him to show me the way to the place where 
 I wanted to go. He urged me to stay all night, 
 but I told him no, I must go back home, as they 
 would be very uneasy about me. So he said he 
 would go with me part of the way. He went with 
 me for some distance, and then said he could not 
 go any further. So he gave me directions about 
 the course I must take, and after I had given him 
 some money he left me. I went on, feeling badly, 
 but quite excited, as I made my way through 
 bushes, and over rocks, and across little streams. 
 My guide had told me that I would pass the cabin 
 of an old bachelor." 
 
 " What is a bachelor ?" 
 
 " A man who is not married. But are you 
 iterested, Kenny ?"
 
 124: THE BACHELOR'S HOUSE. 
 
 " Yes, indeed, an old bachelor " 
 
 " An old bachelor, who lived all alone ; he 
 would direct me, or send somebody with me to 
 show me the way, or I could stay all night at his 
 house." 
 
 " But, cousin, how could he send somebody 
 with you, if he lived all alone ?" 
 
 " He had servants. I meant that he did not 
 have any family, any body in the house with him." 
 
 Oh, yes." 
 
 " Pretty soon, I came to a clearing, that is, an 
 open place, where the woods had been cut off and 
 cleared away. All this time I had been in the 
 thick woods." 
 
 " Was it dark ?" 
 
 " Not very, the moon was full, and was shining 
 bright." 
 
 " As soon as I came to the clearing, I knew, 
 from the description my guide had given me, that- 
 I was near the old bachelor's house. I kept on, 
 and presently came to it. All was very still. I 
 have often wondered since that the dogs did not 
 bark, and try to bite me, as I heard afterwards 
 there were some very fierce ones there. I went 
 to the door, and- found it wide open. I knocked, 
 and heard a voice from a bed in the room saying, 
 * Who's there ?' I answered, ' A traveller who i8 
 lost. I want to get some one to show me the way
 
 COUSIN" GUY AND THE BACHELOR. 125 
 
 to Mrs. Smith's. He replied, { () it's too far it's 
 four miles from here. Stay all night, and go home 
 in the morning.' I looked at my watch, by the 
 moon, and found out it was nearly mid-night, so I 
 told him I would stay. ' Well,' said he, 'there's ano 
 ther bed in the room, find it and get in.' He did 
 not get up at all. So I felt about, and presently 
 found the bed. There was a gun on it and a bag 
 of dried peaches. I took them off, and laid down." 
 " "Wasn't you afraid, cousin ? Did you sleep ?" 
 " !Nb, I wasn't at all afraid. At first, I was too 
 tired to sleep, and amused myself looking at the 
 stars through the cracks in the roof, but presently, 
 I went to sleep and slept soundly." 
 
 " I did not know being tired ever kept people 
 from going to sleep. I should think it would 
 make them sleep." 
 
 " So it does, except when they are very tired, 
 indeed, so as to feel uncomfortable. Then they 
 are apt to be restless, and turn over and over, 
 instead of going to sleep." 
 
 " Well, you have not finished the story." 
 "The next morning when I awoke, there was 
 no one in the room. I got up, and looked 
 around, but could not find the old man any where. 
 Then I went out, and asked a servant, who told 
 me he had gone to the mill. So I got her to tell me 
 the way, and I started home, as I was very anxious 
 11*
 
 126 MORAL OF GUY'S STORY. 
 
 to get back. Only think, I staid all night at a 
 man's house, without seeing him, or his seeing me. 
 Wasn't that funny ?" 
 
 " Funny enough." 
 
 " I got home to breakfast. The family had felt 
 a little anxious about me, but had concluded that 
 I had staid all night at the post-office. They were 
 very much interested in my adventure, but blamed 
 the old man very much for not getting up, to give 
 me some supper and a light. They said they 
 knew him, and would give him a good scolding. 
 All that day, I felt very tired and stiff, but that 
 was about all the harm that came from my being 
 lost on the mountain. And now, that is all the 
 story." 
 
 " A very fine story." 
 
 " But you haven't heard the moral of the story." 
 
 " "What do you mean by the moral ?" 
 
 " The lesson you are to learn. This story teaches 
 that a person should be careful not to try to go a 
 short cut through the mountains, unless he knows 
 the way, but to keep the main road. It illustrates 
 also another thing that I told you, that an adventure 
 may be disagreable at the time, and yet rather 
 pleasant to remember or tell about afterwards." 
 
 " I am sure, Cousin Guy, I am very glad you 
 had this adventure, as it was the means of getting 
 me a first-rate story."
 
 GUSTAVE. 127 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE GREENHOUSE. 
 
 USTAYE was a German. He was an excel- 
 lent gardener, not only of vegetables, but of 
 flowers. He had gone to school, and had learned 
 all about gardening; he knew the names of all 
 kinds of plants, and how to raise them, and was 
 very fond of his work, and of telling about it to any 
 of the family, who would come out and talk with 
 him while he was working. Mr. Ellis had not 
 always lived at the place where he now did. He 
 had formerly lived in the city. When he came 
 out to this place, he employed Gustave to take 
 care of the horse and cow, and to work in the gar 
 den, and .lay off the ground into beds and paths. 
 Gustave had done this work well, and as he was 
 quite pleasant, Mr. Ellis and all the family liked 
 him very much. Gustave had planted a great 
 many flowers, and made frames for them, and 
 very often he would tie up a handsome bouquet 
 of flowers, and carry them to Mrs. Ellis.
 
 128 GUSTAVE TYING UP THE PLANTS. 
 
 One day after dinner, Mr. Ellis and Cousin Guy 
 and Kenny, were walking in the garden, admiring 
 the beautiful ^flowers, and talking. Presently they 
 came to where Gustave was at work. He had a 
 wheelbarrow full of straw which he was unloading. 
 
 " What is that, Gustave ?" said Mr. Ellis, " what 
 are you doing ?" 
 
 "I am going to tie up these little bushes with 
 straw, sir, so that the frost will not kill them." 
 
 And Gustave went on, and put some straw all 
 around a bush, and tied a string round it at the 
 top, and at the bottom, so that the bush could not 
 be seen at all ; nothing but the straw appeared. 
 
 "Now, that one will be nice and warm," said 
 Gustave, as he proceeded to tie up another in the 
 same way. 
 
 " But, Gustave," said Mr. Ellis, " can you tie up 
 all the plants in that way ?" 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 "Well, then, will they die?" 
 
 " Yes, sir ; unless there was a greenhouse." 
 
 " That is a pity." 
 
 " Yes, sir, it is a pity. I hate to lose all these 
 geraniums, that I have taken so much pains with." 
 
 " I suppose you can raise new ones next spring." 
 
 " Yes, sir, but it takes a good while, so that the 
 summer is half over before they gel to be pretty. 
 And then, besides, I shall not have enough to employ
 
 PLAN OF A GKEENHOUSE. 129 
 
 me in the winter, unless I can keep the flowers in 
 some way. I am trying to keep a few in the stable 
 loft ; but it is rather a poor chance. I wish you 
 would have a greenhouse, Mr. Ellis ; you could 
 have a small one, and it need not cost much." 
 
 Mr. Ellis said he had not intended to have a 
 greenhouse, but he would think about it. 
 
 The next day Gustave knocked at the door of 
 Mr. Ellis's study, and when Mr. Ellis invited him 
 in, and asked him what he wanted, he took a roll 
 of papers out of his pocket, and said : 
 
 "You were speaking, sir, of having a green 
 house, and I have drawn the plan of one, which I 
 thought I would show you." 
 
 So Gustave unrolled the papers, and laid them 
 before Mr. Ellis upon the desk. There were four 
 papers. One contained a ground-plan, as it is 
 called, showing the figure on the ground, which 
 the house would make; another gave the front, 
 and another the end ; while the fourth was quite 
 a handsome picture, representing the whole green 
 house. The first three of these were drawn with 
 ink and crayons, and had the doors and windows 
 marked out, and the dimensions indicated. The 
 picture was painted in colors, and was aloaost 
 pretty enough to be framed. 
 
 Mr. Ellis looked at the papers, and seemed 
 pleased.
 
 130 GUSTAVE'S PLANS. 
 
 " Why, Gustave," said he, " where did you get 
 these?" 
 
 "I drew them, sir," 
 
 " They are done very well. I did not know you 
 could draw." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; we all learned at the school I went to 
 in Germany." 
 
 Gustave was much gratified at the compli 
 ment. 
 
 "Well, Gustave," continued Mr. Ellis, "I will 
 keep these papers, and find out how much a green 
 house like this can be built for." 
 
 "There are two Germans, friends of mine, sir, who 
 want the job, and will do it cheaper than any one 
 you will get. May I ask them to come to see you 
 about it?" 
 
 " Yes, I wish you would." 
 
 Cousin Guy came in and looked at the papers, 
 and asked Gustave what was that shed behind the 
 Greenhouse. Gustave said that it made the house 
 look better, and that part of the shed would be used 
 for keeping tools and pots, and part of it would be 
 used for a fireplace by which to warm the house. 
 He explained that a cellar would be dug in the shed 
 for the iireplace and that the hot air would be con 
 ducted round the greenhouse. Mr. Ellis said he 
 had not thought of the expense of a fire ; but Gus 
 tave said that it would not be necessary except in
 
 MR. ELLIS AND GUSTAVE. 131 
 
 very cold weather, and then not a very large one. 
 After Gustave had gone out, Cousin Guy said : 
 
 " "Well, Gustave is an ingenious fellow." 
 
 " Yes," said Mr. Ellis, " that drawing is really 
 well done." 
 
 " Very well, indeed ; but I did not refer to that, 
 but to his bringing you those drawings at all. It 
 is the best way to get you to have a greenhouse, 
 which is what he is very anxious for." 
 
 " Yes, that is true. Well, I have about conclud 
 ed to gratify him. The fact is, he is a first-rate 
 gardener, and a good fellow, and I am afraid if I 
 do not let him have a greenhouse he will go some 
 where else, which I should be very sorry to have 
 him do. Mr. Feast, the florist, wants him now." 
 
 The next morning, while the family were at 
 breakfast, Ellen came in, and said there were two 
 men in the yard who wanted to see Mr. Ellis, as 
 soon as he was done. So after breakfast, Mr. Ellis, 
 accompanied by Kenny, went out into the yard. 
 Gustave met him, and told him here were the men 
 who would build a greenhouse for him. They 
 told Mr. Ellis what it would cost, and promised 
 that they would do the work well and very soon. 
 They seemed quite anxious to have the job. Mr. 
 Ellis said he would let them know the next day. 
 That morning he rode down town, and consulted a 
 builder, who said that the price for which the Ger-
 
 132 BEST PLACE FOR A GREENHOUSE. 
 
 mans had agreed to build the greenhouse was 
 very cheap indeed, so Mr." Ellis concluded he 
 would employ them. The next day they came, 
 and Mr. Ellis told them that he had decided to 
 get them to build the greenhouse, and he wanted 
 them to begin at once. They said they would be 
 gin that very day, and asked him to tell them ex 
 actly where he wanted the greenhouse to be. Mr. 
 Ellis said he would go out to see which would be 
 the best place, and he told Kenny to call his mother 
 and Cousin Guy, to give their opinion. So they 
 all went with Gustave and the Germans, and Mr. 
 Ellis presently decided upon a place which Gus 
 tave thought would be the most suitable. It was 
 in full sight of the lane, and was protected by a 
 grove of trees from the north wind, and situated 
 so as to get the full benefit of the warm sum. It 
 was also quite convenient to the house, and to 
 the rest of the garden. So, on all these accounts, 
 this was thought to be a very good situation. 
 
 "When this was decided on, Mr. and Mrs. Ellis 
 and Cousin Guy went back into the house, but 
 Kenny staid out to see the work, as the men said 
 they would begin immediately. One of them 
 proceeded to measure the ground with a line, and 
 mark oif the size of the greenhouse with his spade, 
 very much as Gustave had done when he was lay 
 ing off the paths and beds in the garden. Kenny
 
 BUILDING A GEEENHOUSE. 133 
 
 inquired what this was for, and the man said he 
 was marking the place where he was to dig the 
 foundation. 
 
 " "What is the use of a foundation ?" said Kenny. 
 
 " O ! it's to make the house strong. If we were 
 to build it right on top of the ground, it might get 
 blown over. A house built down into the ground 
 is like a tree with its roots in the ground, so that 
 it stands firm." 
 
 " I understand," said Kenny. " "Well, is there 
 any other use in having a foundation ?" 
 
 " Yes, there is, for a greenhouse. It is warmer 
 a little under ground, and that is better for flow 
 ers." 
 
 " Why, is it warmer under ground ?" 
 
 " I don't know exactly, but I know it is warmer 
 under ground in the cold weather." 
 
 " I mean to ask father. I know he will under 
 stand." 
 
 " Yes, I reckon he will." 
 
 " By this time the other German had returned, 
 and had brought with him another man, and a boy 
 driving a horse and cart. 
 
 " Now, I wonder where Mr. Ellis wants this dirt 
 carried," said one of the workmen. " I will go 
 and see." 
 
 Mr. Ellis came out, and showed him a large hol 
 low in the grove, just behind the greenhouse, 
 12
 
 134: DIGGING A FOUNDATION. 
 
 which he said he would be glad to have filled up. 
 So the man said he would empty the dirt there. 
 Then the men commenced digging, and, as fast as 
 they got loose dirt, throwing it into the cart. Two 
 of the men worked with a sort of very sharp hoe, 
 which they told Kenny was called a pickaxe. He 
 said it was very much like the picture he had seen 
 of an anchor. With these pickaxed two of the 
 men dug up the ground, which was very hard, 
 while the other man, with a long shovel, threw it 
 into the cart. The little boy stood by, cracking 
 his whip. Kenny said he thought the little boy 
 had a very easy time. But the man said he would 
 have a good deal of hard work to do, and would 
 be pretty hungry by dinner, and both tired and 
 hungry by night. Kenny said he was always tired 
 and hungry at night without having worked at all. 
 He then asked the little boy what work he would 
 have to do. 
 
 " O," said he, " I have to walk by the cart to 
 where the load is emptied." 
 
 "I should think," said Kennv, "you would 
 ride." 
 
 "The load is heavy enough for the horse, with 
 out me. I ride back, when it is empty." 
 
 " What other -work do you have to do ?" 
 
 " Dump out the dirt." 
 
 " What do you mean by that ?"
 
 
 DUMPING DIRT. 135 
 
 " I tip up the cart body, so as to let the dirt 
 slide out. Then I have to tip the body back, so 
 as to be ready to carry more dirt." 
 
 The cart was now full, and as the boy started 
 off, leading the horse, Kenny said he would go 
 with him, as he wanted to help dump out the dirt. 
 "When they got to the place, the boy turned the 
 horse around, so that the back of the cart was just' 
 at the edge of the hollow which Mr. Ellis said he 
 wanted filled up. The boy went round and took 
 off the piece from the hind end of the cart. He 
 told Kenny that this piece was called the " tail 
 board." When he took this off some of the dirt 
 rolled out of the cart. 
 
 " Now," said he, " I will show you how to dump 
 this load." 
 
 So he unfastened a chain which held the cart- 
 body to the shafts, near the horse's tail, and then 
 put his shoulders under the body and lifted it up, 
 and down went the hind part of the cart, and out 
 went all the dirt, with a considerable noise. 
 
 " That would have frightened our horse," said 
 I^enny. 
 
 " This horse is used to it," said the boy, as he 
 proceeded to drive the horse a little forward, so 
 as to empty all the dirt, and then tipped back the 
 cart body into its proper place. 
 
 " Now," said he, " we will ride back," and he
 
 136 WORKMEN GO TO DINNER. 
 
 jumped into the cart, and pulled Kenny up after 
 him, and they rode back together. "When they 
 got back, they found there was a good deal of loose 
 dirt all ready to be hauled away, and all three of 
 the men took shovels, and proceeded to fill the 
 cart. Several loads of dirt were hauled in this 
 way, and Kenny went nearly every time, and rode 
 back with the boy. At last, when they came back, 
 one of the men said : 
 
 " Take out now, Johnny, it is twelve o'clock ;" 
 and the boy drove the horse to a tree near by, and 
 unhitched him, and gave him some food, which he 
 had brought with him in a bag and put at the 
 foot of the tree. He emptied the food into the 
 bottom of the cart, and the horse began to eat it, 
 as if he were very hungry. 
 
 "Now," said Johnny, "I will go and get my 
 own dinner." 
 
 "Is that man your father?" said Kenny. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " How did he know it was twelve o'clock ?" 
 
 " By the sun, I believe. Whenever the sun is 
 right overhead, that shows it is twelve o'clock." 
 
 " I think you have a very early dinner. "We 
 don't dine for a good while yet. We dine at two 
 o'clock." 
 
 " You see, we eat an early breakfast, so we are
 
 -V 
 
 Building the Greenhouse.
 
 KENNY SAYS HIS LESSON. 139 
 
 obliged to have an early dinner. Workmen gen 
 erally dine at twelve o'clock." 
 " Are you a workman ?" 
 " Yes, I reckon so, or rather a work-boy." 
 The boy now went to where the men were. They 
 had taken their dinner out of a tin bucket, and it 
 looked very nice. There was bread, and meat, 
 and cheese. There was a bottle. At first, Kenny 
 thought it was liquor ; but the men said it w*s mo 
 lasses. Kenny was hungry, and almost wanted 
 some of the dinner himself; but he knew that it 
 would not be right for him to ask for any, so he 
 thought he would go in the house till after the 
 workmen were done eating. It was very well that 
 he did go t in just at this time, as his mother was 
 ibout to send for him to come and say his lesson. 
 She washed his hands and face, and gave him an 
 apple, and then heard him read. He enjoyed sit 
 ting still, as he had been out so long, and had got 
 ten very tired. After that, Kenny went out again 
 to watch the progress of the digging. When the 
 hole became too deep for the dirt to be thrown up 
 into the cart, the boy backed the cart down into 
 the hole. The men had left one of the sides slant- 
 jig on purpose, for the cart to be backed down. 
 After all the rest of the earth had been taken away, 
 they then dug, and threw into the cart that which 
 had been left. "When the digging was finished,
 
 14:0 LEVELLING THE GROUND. 
 
 the man who had last come, and the boy with the 
 horse and cart, hauled a few loads of sand and of 
 brick, and a barrel and some tools, to be used in 
 laying the brick. In their place, came another 
 man, who, Gustave told Kenny, was a bricklayer. 
 He got down into the foundation, and began to 
 work with a curious tool. It was made of three 
 pieces of wood, fastened together so as to form a 
 triangle, like the letter A, only the cross-piece was 
 at the bottom, instead of the middle. From the 
 top of this there hung a string with a ball of lead 
 attached. The workmen used this instrument in 
 order to find out when the ground was level. He 
 would set it on the ground that he wanted level, 
 and if me string hung straight over a little mark 
 on the cross-piece, he knew the place on which the 
 instrument was placed was level. But if the 
 string hung on one side, he knew the ground on 
 that side was too low, and he would take his spade 
 or trowel and dig away some. In this manner he 
 went all around, and then said that he had levelled 
 a place on which to build the wall. He then pro 
 ceeded to lay the bricks. He laid them right on 
 the ground, with the small side of the bricks next 
 to the ground, and without any mortar at all. He 
 told Kenny that when he had finished the first 
 course, he would put the flat side of the bricks 
 down, and would vse mortar to make them hold
 
 BRICKLAYERS BEGIN TO BUILD. 141 
 
 together. When he had finished laying this course 
 of bricks, he said he would make his mortar. 
 Among the tools which had been brought was a 
 large sieve. It was not round, such as is generally 
 used in kitchens, but oblong. The man took this, 
 and leaned it slanting against a tree. He would 
 then take up the sand in his shovel, and throw it 
 against the sieve. The fine sand would go through 
 the holes, and the gravel and stones would roll 
 down. When a good deal of sand had been thus 
 sifted, the man threw it into a flat box which had 
 been brought in the cart. 
 
 " Now," said he, " I want Gustave." 
 
 " I will call him," said Kenny. 
 
 " Thank you, I wish you would." 
 
 Mr. Ellis had agreed with the workmen that 
 rustave should help them. 
 
 Kenny soon returned with Gustave. The man 
 lid: 
 
 " Gustave, I want some water here. Will you 
 help me get it?" 
 
 " Certainly ; how shall we bring it?" 
 
 " The best way will be in a barrel, on a wheel 
 barrow. I see you have a wheel-barrow. Have 
 a barrel that will hold water ?" 
 
 " Yes, I have one that I keep to catch water 
 from the stable roof, to water the plants with. Let 
 us go and get it."
 
 142 FETCHING WATER. 
 
 So Gustave and the workman got the wheel 
 barrow, and then the barrel, and went to the 
 pump. They found the barrel was too high to get 
 under the spout of the pump, so they let it remain 
 on the wheelbarrow and filled it by catching the 
 water in a bucket, and pouring it into the barrel. 
 The pump was not one with a long handle but 
 with a wheel, and when this wheel was turned, 
 the water ran in a constant and abundant stream. 
 Gustave turned the \wheel, and the workman held 
 the bucket, and emptied it into the barrel. When 
 the barrel was full, the man told Gustave to hold 
 it, to keep it from shaking, and he would roll the 
 wheelbarrow. In this way they managed to spill 
 very little. 
 
 "Now," said the workman to Gustave, when 
 they got to the place of work, "I wish you would 
 take the bucket and pour the Avater on this sand 
 as I tell you." 
 
 Very well," said Gustave, " I will." 
 
 Then the workman took his hoe, and got all 
 the sand into a heap, and then made a little hole 
 in the top of the heap, and told Gustave to pour 
 some water into that hole. As soon as that was 
 done, he commenced stirring the sand and water, 
 so as to mix them well before the water could run 
 off. In this way Gustave kept pouring on water, 
 and the man stirring with the hoe, until all the
 
 MAKING MOKTAE. 143 
 
 sand was wet. Then he made it Into a heap in 
 the corner of the box. 
 
 " Now," said Kenny, " I suppose your mortar 
 is all ready." 
 
 " Not yet," said the workman ; " we must put in 
 the lime." 
 
 "Lime! what is that?" 
 
 " Something that we mix with the sand which 
 causes the mortar to dry and harden. It would 
 not answer at all without the lime." 
 
 So the man went to the barrel which had been 
 brought, and knocked in the top, and then took 
 out some white substance that looked like flour, 
 only it had a good many lumps. The man told 
 Kenny it was lime. He put some of it into the 
 ox. 
 
 " Now," said he to Kenny, " if you will look 
 iut, you will see something very curious some 
 thing, I reckon, you never saw before." 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
 " Look out, and you will see. Now, Gustave, 
 please pour some water on this lime." 
 
 Gustave did so, and immediately the lime 
 smoked, and the water hissed and foamed, and 
 bubbled just as if it were boiling. Kenny was 
 very much astonished. 
 
 " "Why," said he, " that looks as if it were a-fire: 
 I wonder if it is really hot."
 
 144 THE BRICKLAYERS AT WORK. 
 
 "Yes, indeed," said the man as he stirred it 
 with his hoe, " it is hot. Put your hand over there, 
 and you will feel the hot air coming up." 
 
 Kenny did so, and found it hot, just as if he had 
 his hand over boiling water. 
 
 " This," said the workman, " is -called slaking 
 the lime.' " 
 
 He then mixed this lime with the sand, and said 
 that now the mortar was done and ready for use, 
 and he would proceed to lay the brick. 
 
 Mrs. Ellis now came into the porch, and told 
 Kenny it was time for him to come in and say his 
 lesson. Kenny ran at once to her, but asked her 
 please to let him stay a little while longer, and see 
 some bricks laid. He told her he was having a 
 noble time, and was learning a great deal. So his 
 mother said he might wait a little while. Kenny, 
 on going back, found the man in the foundation, 
 with a large square board covered with bricks, 
 and another with mortar. The workman would 
 take up some mortar on his trowel, and, holding it 
 over the bricks that he had laid, would give it a 
 jerk, so as to spread the mortar over several of 
 the bricks. Then he would draw his trowel over it, 
 so as to flatten it. Then he would lay the bricks, 
 carefully keeping them in a straight line, and 
 knocking them gently into their place with the 
 handle of the trowel. Whenever he wanted a
 
 MAKING A CHANNEL. 145 
 
 piece of brick, he would strike one witji the sharp 
 edge of his trowel, and break it into the size he 
 wanted. He first built up the wall at the opposite 
 corners, and then stretched a line across from one 
 of these to the other, so as to be able to keep the 
 wall straight. Kenny noticed that he never placed 
 one brick exactly over another, but over the place 
 where the ends of two bricks joined, so as to lap 
 one half over each. He said that this made the 
 wall much stronger, and that this was the way 
 that bricks were always laid. Kenny now thought 
 his mother would want him, so he went in. He 
 came out again that afternoon, and indeed contin- 
 uecj to spend most of his time with the workmen. 
 He found it very pleasant, to see work done which 
 was new to him, and especially to see the walls 
 of a house rising, where a little while ago there 
 was nothing. In a few days, the walls were com 
 pleted, and then the men proceeded to build a 
 channel. At first Kenny could nflt understand 
 what was meant by a channel, but Cousin Guy 
 explained to him that it was a sort of chimney, 
 only instead of going straight up, as chimneys 
 generally do, it first went all around the green 
 house to the place from which it started, gradually 
 rising, and then went straight up to the top of the 
 house. He said the object of the channel was to 
 conduct the heat all through the greenhouse, so as 
 13
 
 146 THE GREEN-HOUSE FINISHED. 
 
 3r 
 
 to warm the air, and keep the flowers from being 
 killed in the cold weather. The fire-place was 
 not in the greenhouse, but in a little cellar behind. 
 At last all the brickwork of the greenhouse was 
 finished. Kenny thought he would now have fine 
 fun seeing the carpenter work done, and that he 
 would have a chance to get a good many blocks. 
 But there was not so much of this kind of work 
 as he expected. The workmen had brought all 
 the window frames ready made. They told Kenny 
 they were made by machinery, and could be 
 done a great deal cheaper in that way. All the 
 wooden parts of the greenhouse were brought in 
 a wagon, all ready to put up ; and in the course 
 of the day, the whole was finished enough for 
 Gustave to begin to put the flowers in. The 
 painting was done afterwards. There was in fact 
 very little to do, as the top and front, and both 
 ends were pretty much made up of windows. 
 Even the door was like a window, only it was on 
 hinges, instead of sliding up and down, as all the 
 windows did. The shed behind the greenhouse 
 was also quickly finished. Part of this was occu 
 pied by a cellar for coal and by the fire-place. 
 The other was to be kept to keep tools and flower 
 pots. When the house was done, Mr. Ellis told 
 the workman that he liked it very much, and that 
 they had done their work in quite a short time.
 
 PLANTS IN THE GREENHOUSE. 147 
 
 He then paid them, and they went away. Gustave 
 proceeded to fit up the house with all that was 
 needful. He had told Mr. Ellis that he could do 
 this, and that he would like to do it. He first 
 made shelves for the flower-pots. These shelves 
 were like steps, and occupied nearly the whole of 
 the house. He then made a long shallow box, 
 divided into several compartments, and fastened 
 it up against the wall, about as high as a work 
 bench. This box, he told Kenny, was to sprout 
 seed in. He said that he would take the little 
 plants out of this, and put them in pots. Then he 
 got a hogshead, and brought it into the green 
 house, and put it under the shelves, and made a 
 pipe to bring the rain-water from the roof into the 
 hogshead. In this way, he would always ha^ve 
 water convenient for the flowers. The green 
 house was now ready for the flowers. When all 
 this was done, Gustave moved into the green 
 house the plants which he had been keeping in 
 the stable loft. While he was doing this, Mr. 
 Meridett came out. As soon as he entered the 
 greenhouse, he said : 
 
 " Why, Gustave, haven't you got these shelves 
 wrong ? I should think you would have the large 
 shelves at the bottom and the small ones at the 
 top : but you have put them just the other way." 
 
 " O no, sir, this is right, and this is the way they 

 
 148 ARRANGEMENT OF THE PLANTS. 
 
 are always fixed. You see," continued Gustave 
 pleasantly, but quite earnestly, " you see, if the 
 large pots and large flowers were on the lower 
 shelves, I could not reach over to water and to 
 handle the flowers above. As it is, I can do it 
 very well. Besides, sir, the large plants require 
 more heat, so that they must be put as high up as 
 possible." , 
 
 " I should think it would be warmer near the 
 channel," said Kenny. 
 
 " No," said Cousin Guy, " it is warmer up high 
 first, because the hot air always rises. In a crowd 
 ed church on a warm day, the gallery is always 
 the warmest place." 
 
 " "Well, what is the other reason ?" 
 
 "It is warmer up high in a greenhouse, because 
 the roof is of glass, which reflects the heat of the 
 sun. I see now," continued he, turning to Gustave, 
 " that you are right, in the way you have arranged 
 the shelves. I did not think of the advantages 
 you mentioned in having the small plants below, 
 and the large ones above. I only went 011 general 
 principles." 
 
 " Yes, sir," said Gustave, " it would seem at first 
 sight to be as you thought." 
 
 ' ; Cousin Guy," said Kenny, " what do you 
 mean by general principles ?" 
 
 " Why, I meant this, that though I had never
 
 COUSIN GUY'S ADVICE. 149 
 
 noticed how greenhouse shelves were arranged, I 
 knew that generally when several things are placed 
 one above the other, the larger are put at the bot 
 tom, and the smaller at the top, and that when the 
 opposite plan is pursued, it is neither so safe nor 
 looks so well." 
 
 Gustave now said he was going to town for some 
 flower-pots. 
 
 " I want to go," said Kenny. 
 
 " I don't think you can, though. I am going in 
 the wagon, and your mother will not want you to 
 go in that." 
 
 " Oh, I can go in the wagon very well. I would 
 rather go in the wagon than in the carriage. I 
 can sit up on the seat, with you. Can't I go, 
 
 ousin Guy ?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed, you can go. Gustave only meant 
 that your mother would not be willing." 
 
 "I would like very much to have you," said 
 
 ustave, " if your mother thinks it proper." 
 
 " I mean to go right off and ask her to let me," 
 and off Kenny was starting. 
 
 " Stop a moment," said Cousin Guy. 
 
 Kenny paused a moment to see what Cousin 
 Guy wanted, and Cousin Guy said : 
 
 " Your mother may not be willing for you to 
 go, and I only wanted to tell you, if this is the 
 case, I hope you will take it pleasantly. You had 
 13*
 
 150 KENNY KESOLVES TO SE GOOD. 
 
 better make up your mind beforehand to do so. 
 Will you ?" 
 
 " Yes," said Kenny, " I will," and he ran off to 
 ask his mother. She at once told him that she did 
 not know whether it would be right for him to go, 
 but said she was very willing, if his father approv 
 ed. So Kenny proceeded in search of his father, 
 and found him in the study, and asked his permis 
 sion to go with Gustave. Mr. Ellis said there were 
 two points to be considered first, whether it was 
 proper for him to go, and, second, whether his 
 mother was willing. Kenny said his mother had 
 said she was willing, if it was proper. So Mr. 
 Ellis said he would go out and see about it. As 
 he and Kenny went out, Kenny told his father that 
 he had made up his mind, if he did not go, that 
 he would not cry or be bad. His father said, that 
 was a good plan ; that it was bad enough to be 
 disappointed of a pleasure, without doing any 
 thing to make himself unhappy. Besides, it was 
 BO wrong to cry and be naughty, just because he 
 could not do whatever he wanted. 
 
 " Well, Gustave," said Mr. Ellis, " what about 
 Kenny's going with you ?" 
 
 " Just as you choose, sir ; I should like to have 
 him, if you think it proper ; but I thought you 
 would not like to have him ride through the streets 
 in the wagon."
 
 GOING TO TOWN. 151 
 
 " Oh, I don't care about that. Can he ride on 
 the seat with you, without danger, and without 
 troubling you ?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 ""Well, then he may go. You may go, Kenny." 
 
 Dave was soon harnessed, and Gustave and 
 Kenny started off. The wagon had no springs, 
 and jolted a good deal, as it rattled over the rough 
 pavement, but Gustave had put a sheep-skin on 
 the seat, which made it quite comfortable. Kenny's 
 feet could not reach down to the front-piece of 
 the wagon, but Gustave put one arm around him, 
 so as to hold him safely. They drove down Balti 
 more street, and at length stopped in front of a 
 dingy, dull-looking store. Kenny was rather dis 
 appointed. He had occasionally been to a china 
 store, and had admired its beautiful wares, and he 
 thought that they would get the flower-pots at that 
 kind of store. 
 
 " Is this the place ?" said he. 
 
 "This is the place," said Gustave, as he jumped 
 out. Then he took Kenny out, and fastened the 
 horse to a post near by. There was no post ex 
 actly in front of the store, so Gustave led him to 
 one a few yards further on, as he said he did not 
 like to leave him untied, for fear he might start 
 off and leave them, and perhaps break something. 
 
 " Yes," said Gustave, " this is the pottery."
 
 152 SELECTING FLOWER-POTS. 
 
 " Do they make pots here ?" 
 
 "No; they make them at the factory, a few 
 miles in the country, and bring them in here to sell." 
 
 " Well, Gustave, why didn't you go to a china 
 store?" 
 
 "Because I can buy cheaper here. This is a 
 wholesale store. The china shops buy here, and 
 they have to charge their profit." 
 
 Kenny did not understand all this ; but he did 
 understand that Gustave came to this store because 
 he could buy cheaper than elsewhere. The shop 
 keeper seemed to know Gustave, and treated him 
 very politely. Gustave told him that he wanted 
 to buy a good many pots enough to stock a green 
 house, and that he wanted to get them cheap. The 
 shopman said there was a large assortment of pots, 
 and very cheap. So Gustave went around the room, 
 and down cellar, picking out what he wanted. He 
 got a few very large ones, and a few very small, 
 and then a great many of medium size. The 
 smallest were not larger than tea-cups. Kenny 
 said these were very nice, and asked Gustave to 
 give him one. Gustave said he would give him 
 one, and a flower to put in it. As the pots were 
 selected, they were put one within the other, and 
 carried out to the wagon. 
 
 Gustave had put in a good deal of straw to keep 
 them from breaking. The man asked Gustave if
 
 THE RETURN HOME. 153 
 
 he did not want some saucers. Gustave said ho 
 would take a few, that he did not want saucers for 
 all the pots. He told Kenny that the saucers were 
 to catch the water, which came through the holes 
 in the bottom of the pots, and that saucers were 
 principally useful when flowers were in a place 
 where it was desirable not to have a slop ; that it 
 did not make much difference in a greenhouse. 
 Kenny asked if saucers were useful for any thing 
 else, and Gustave told him that by holding the 
 water which ran out of the pot, the roots were kept 
 moist longer. As soon as all the pots and saucers 
 were in the wagon, and the shopman was paid, 
 Gustave and Kenny took their places on the seat, 
 and drove straight back home. Kenny did not 
 enjoy returning as much as he did coming, as they 
 went very slowly, so as not to break any of the 
 pots. When they reached home, Gustave went to 
 work at once to fill the pots, while Kenny went in 
 to tell his father what he had seen, and that he had 
 come back safely. He then went out with hig 
 father to see Gustave. They found that he had a 
 large pile of black earth, very fine and soft, and 
 that he was filling the flower-pots with this. He 
 did it very rapidly in this way : he would take a 
 pot and put it, with the open side down, on the 
 earth, and then turn it over, so as to fill it, and give 
 it a shake to settle the earth. As fast as he filled
 
 154 PUTTING FLOWERS IN POTS. 
 
 the pots, he would set them on a board, in a row. 
 "When he had filled a good many, he took his spade 
 and a basket, and went to dig up plants to put 
 into the pots. He would very carefully take up a 
 plant, so as to leave a good deal of earth adhering 
 to the roots, and would place it in the basket. 
 After he had filled the basket, he brought them to 
 the greenhouse, and proceeded to put the plants 
 into the pots, which were prepared for them. And 
 then, finally, the pots with the plants in them were 
 put up on the shelves in the greenhouse. Gustave 
 took care to put in the large plants first, and as 
 they were placed on the upper shelves, they would 
 not interfere with putting in the smaller ones after 
 ward. Work of this sort pretty much occupied 
 Gustave for several days, and he seemed to do it 
 with great pleasure. At length the greenhouse 
 was filled, and Gustave went in to ask Mr. and 
 Mrs. Ellis to come and see it. They were both 
 very much pleased ; and, indeed, the flowers pre 
 sented a beautiful appearance. The steps rose al 
 most perpendicularly, and as the leaves hid the 
 plank, the appearance was that of a wall of flowers. 
 Gustave said it would look even prettier when the 
 ground was covered with snow ; and besides, he 
 was going to raise a great many more flowers, and 
 some of them prettier than any that had grown in 
 the garden.
 
 BOUQUETS. 155 
 
 After this the greenhouse was certainly a con 
 stant source of pleasure to Gustavo. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ellis went in occasionally, and would enjov a bou 
 quet whenever Gustave made it and brought it to 
 them. Next to Gustave, Mr. Meridett enjoyed 
 the greenhouse more than any one else. Often, 
 in the cold weather, he would go in and spend 
 hours with Gustave, watching him work, and talk 
 ing with him about the flowers. Gustave knew 
 all the long, botanical names for the different plants, 
 and was very much pleased to tell them to Mr. 
 Meridett. 
 
 Cousin Guy was also very fond of getting bou 
 quets. Sometimes he would keep them in his 
 room, and sometimes carry them to his friends in 
 the city. One cold, bright day he went into the 
 greenhouse to get Gustave to put him up a bou 
 quet. 
 
 " I want you," said he to Gustave, " to take 
 more pains than usual with this bouquet. It is for a 
 lady a lady from Virginia, whom I knew when 
 I was at the University. I want her to see what 
 Baltimore can do." 
 
 Gustave smiled, and said he would do his best. 
 He was busy transplanting flowers from a sort of 
 bed in which they had been raised, to small pots. 
 The bed was filled with sand. Gustave said that 
 seed would grow better in sand than in any other
 
 156 TRANSPLANTING. 
 
 kind of earth, as it was always moist. He had a 
 box full of black mould with which he filled the 
 pots. He was also transplanting some flowers 
 from small pots into larger ones. He would turn 
 the pot upside down, and give it a gentle tap, and 
 the flower, with the soil all caked around the root 
 in just the shape of the pot, would come out. 
 Then he would put this just as it was into the 
 larger pot, and pack in enough soil to fill up. 
 He said the flower would hardly know it had got 
 ten into a bigger house. He called Mr. Meridett's 
 attention to one of the flowers. The roots had 
 spread so entirely around the edges of the pot that 
 little else was to be seen but a mass of delicate 
 white roots. It was indeed very beautiful. 
 
 " Why, Gustave, what is that for ?" said Mr. Mer- 
 idett, and he pointed to a shallow box filled with 
 earth, and in the earth little pots of flowers stuck, 
 just as if they had been planted, pots and all. 
 
 " "Well, sir," said Gustave, " the flowers became 
 too large for the pots, and it was not convenient to 
 transplant them, so I just put the pots in the earth." 
 
 " But what good does that do ?" 
 
 " Oh, the roots run down through the hole of the 
 pot into the earth. Let me show you," and Gus 
 tave with his finger scratched up the earth in the 
 box, and showed him that it was full of roots from 
 the flowers that were in the pots.
 
 MAKING A BOUQUET. 157 
 
 " Well, that is certainly very wonderful. But 
 now, how can you transplant those flowers ?" 
 
 " Sometimes I have to break the pot ; jbut gen 
 erally I can draw up the roots through the hole in 
 the pot," 
 
 Gustave now proceeded to make a bouquet for 
 Mr. Meridett. He first gathered all the flowers he 
 thought he would need. 
 
 " Now," said he, " will you have the flowers put 
 against this flat cedar, so as to present a front on 
 one side, or will you have them made into a sort 
 of pyramid, so that the flowers will show equally 
 all around ?" 
 
 "I think I would prefer the pyramid." 
 
 Accordingly Gustave selected a handsome rose 
 with a good many green leaves attached, and pro 
 ceeded to arrange flowers around it as a centre. 
 He did it very deliberately and carefully, wrap 
 ping the thread around each separate flower. 
 When he was not so particular about making a 
 fine bouquet, he would hold it in his hand, and 
 not tie the flowers at all, until they were all ar 
 ranged in their places. But he said that when 
 it was important to make a very nice bouquet, it 
 was necessary to tie . each flower so as to keep it 
 exactly in its place. This took a good deal of 
 thread. 
 
 " Oli, Gustave !" said Mr. Meridett, pointing to 
 14
 
 158 CARE IN CUTTING FLOWERS. 
 
 a very delicate and beautiful flower, " I wish you 
 could put that in !" 
 
 " Yes, sir," said Gustave, as he stepped up and 
 carefully clipped it off. 
 
 " But you cannot put that in, you have not left 
 a long enough stem." 
 
 " I did not like to cut a longer stem, sir, it would 
 injure the plant, and it is a very rare and valuable 
 one ; but I can make a stem that will answer just 
 as well." 
 
 So Gustave took his knife, and cut a splinter 
 from a block lying on the ground, and whittled 
 it very fine and smooth, making one end of it 
 sharp. To the other end he carefully tied the 
 flower, covering the wood with leaves so as to con 
 ceal it entirely, and then thrusting the sharp end 
 of the splinter into the bouquet, so that the flow 
 er took its place in the bouquet, just as if it had 
 been tied in with/ the rest. Mr. Meridett was very 
 much pleased, and told Gustave that he was cer 
 tainly an ingenious fellow. At last the bouquet 
 was done, and Mr. Meridett told Gustave he had 
 been nearly one hour fixing it, but that it was 
 pretty enough to be worth all the trouble. It was 
 indeed a magnificent bouquet, and Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ellis admired it very much. As Mr. Meridett was 
 just starting to go down town, Gustave came run 
 ning after him, and said :
 
 HOW TO CARRY A BOUQUET. 159 
 
 " Mr. Meridett, if you want to keep those flowers 
 fresh and beautiful, you must not carry them so. 
 You should wrap wet paper around the stems, and 
 then cover it all lightly over with a newspaper." 
 
 So Mr. Meridett went back to the greenhouse, 
 and did as Gustave had directed. The next day 
 he told Gustave that the lady, to whom he had 
 carried the flowers, was very much' pleased with 
 them, and thought they were beautifully arranged. 
 She said, too, that she wanted him to give her some 
 flower seed that she might plant when she went 
 home. Gustave said he would send her some that 
 very day. So in the afternoon he handed Mr. 
 Meridett a little package. It contained several 
 little paper bags of seed, with a written paper 
 with the names and descriptions of the flowers, 
 and directions for raising them. The reader may 
 perhaps hear more of these flower seeds, and of 
 this lady, in a subsequent volume of this series, 
 bearing the title of " Cousin Guy."
 
 160 THE COQUETTE. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 SCULPTURE. 
 
 /^VNE morning at the breakfast table, Cousin 
 V/ Guy said : 
 
 "Mr. Ellis, have you been to see 'The Co 
 quette ?' " 
 
 "No," said Mr. Ellis, "I have not, but I -want 
 to go. Have you been ?" 
 
 " Yes ; I went last evening, and I had a very 
 pleasant surprise," 
 
 " So you liked the statue ?" 
 
 " Yes, very much ; but my pleasant surprise was 
 in finding that the artist, Mr. Barbee, was an old 
 fellow-student." 
 
 " Indeed ! That must have been pleasant. Were 
 you at the University together ?" 
 
 " No ; at Richmond College." 
 
 "Well, I think we must all go to-day to see 
 the ' Coquette.' What do you say, Virginia ?" 
 
 " I shall be very glad," replied Mrs. Ellis ; and
 
 WHAT IS A COQUETTE? 161 
 
 Kenny chimed in a request that he might go too. 
 His father said he was very willing. 
 
 " But, Kenny," continued Mr. Ellis, " do you 
 know what you are going to see ?" 
 
 " Certainly, father ; I know what a statue is." 
 
 " But this statue," said Mr. Ellis, " is called the 
 1 Coquette.' Do you know what that means ?" 
 
 " No, I don't ; but I wish you would tell me." 
 
 " You know sometimes statues are made to re 
 semble particular persons." 
 
 " Yes ; there is the statue of Washington. I 
 have a picture of it." 
 
 " Very well. Then sometimes statues are made 
 to resemble, not a particular person, but any per 
 son of a particular character. This statue is made 
 to resemble any pretty young lady who is a co 
 quette." 
 
 " But you hav'n't told me yet what a coquette 
 is." 
 
 " I am afraid I cannot explain it to you, so as 
 to make you understand it." 
 
 ".You will understand it when you are older," 
 said Cousin Guy, smiling. 
 
 " I want to know now. Please try to tell me." 
 
 " Well, then," said Cousin Guy, " a coquette ia 
 a lady who smiles on a gentleman, as if she liked 
 him very much, when in reality she does not care 
 about him." 
 14*
 
 162 VISIT TO THE STATUE. 
 
 " Oh, I understand that !" 
 
 " Soon after breakfast, Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, Cousin 
 Guy, and Kenny rode down town in the carriage, 
 and went at once to the room where the statue was 
 kept for exhibition. They found it to be an ordi 
 nary-sized room, on Baltimore street, and only a few 
 persons within, who came out just as the carriage 
 drove up. Mrs. Ellis said she had expected to find 
 a large hall, crowded with people. But Cousin 
 Guy told her it was not as if the statue was to be 
 exhibited for only a few days, and at particular 
 hours of the day ; but that it was to remain in the 
 city for some months, and could be seen at any 
 time, so that though many persons in all would 
 visit it, there would, generally, be only a few 
 present at once. 
 
 A very pleasant gentleman met them at the 
 door, who greeted Cousin Guy cordially, and in 
 vited the party in. He said, he supposed they 
 had come to see the statue, and immediately led 
 them to it, and took off a veil with which it had 
 been covered. It was a marble figure of a young 
 female, holding in one hand a heart, and in the 
 other an arrow pierced through the heart. This 
 she was surveying with a look of inexpressible 
 pleasure and mischief. 
 
 " Why, she is smiling, father," said Kenny.
 
 MR. BARBEE, THE SCULPTOR. 163 
 
 " Yes, there is a very natural smile on the face," 
 replied Mr. Ellis. 
 
 " It has been said," observed Mr. Barbee, ap 
 parently gratified at these remarks, "that it i8 
 impossible to make marble smile." 
 
 " But that marble smiles," said Mrs. Ellis ; " it 
 is a wonderful triumph of skill." 
 
 Mr. Barbee then went on modestly, but en 
 thusiastically, calling attention to different points 
 of the statue ; and the more Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, 
 and Cousin Guy looked, the more they admired it. 
 Mr. Meridett asked Mr. Barbee how he first be 
 came a sculptor. 
 
 " Why," said he, " I cannot remember the time 
 when I was not fond of carving images. When I 
 was a boy, I was always cutting bark and soft 
 pine with my knife, and making all sort of figures. 
 Once or twice, I was whipped for this, and I de 
 termined to stop it, but I could not do it." 
 
 " Well, did you go right on, then, and become a 
 sculptor ?" 
 
 " Oh, no ! When I grew up, I studied law, and 
 commenced to be a lawyer. But, though I never 
 dreamed of being an artist by profession, I still 
 thought I would rather chisel out beautiful forms 
 than do any thing else in the world ; and, somehow, 
 I was always at work, sometimes hardly conscious 
 of what I was at. In the court room I would 

 
 164 MR. BARBEK'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 find myself cutting figures of the heads of persons 
 present. I will show you something that I made 
 then." 
 
 And Mr. Barbee went to a closet, and took out 
 a cane, which he handed to Mr. Ellis. It was 
 carved all over with heads of all sorts, and was 
 very handsome and curious. They all admired it, 
 but Kenny could hardly express the admiration 
 he felt. He seemed to think it more wonderful 
 than the statue. While he was looking at it,' Mr. 
 Ellis asked Mr. Barbee to continue his narrative, 
 as he was very much interested, and especially 
 wanted to hear how Mr. Barbee became a sculp 
 tor. 
 
 " At last," continued Mr. Barbee, " I felt that I 
 must make some statues. It seemed that I could 
 not be satisfied unless I did. And yet I had been 
 so often ridiculed on the subject, that I felt very 
 much ashamed, and determined to pursue my 
 work privately. I did not tell my wife even. But 
 I procured some plaster of Paris, and proceeded 
 to work away on it, working only at night, when 
 I would not be interrupted, and hiding the mate 
 rials and tools when I stopped. One night, at a 
 late hour, General B. was passing by my office 
 and heard me at work. He immediately guessed 
 my secret, and called out to me to open the door, 
 and let him in, as he knew all about what I was
 
 GENERAL B. AND THE STATUE. 165 
 
 doing. I did so, and made him at once my confi 
 dante. He went up to a small statue which I had 
 nearly finished, exclaiming : 
 
 " ' Why, man, you ought not to be any thing else 
 but a sculptor ; you can't make a speech half as 
 good as that.' ' I certainly had much rather 
 make statues than speeches,' said I. He promised 
 not to divulge my secret, without my consent, on 
 condition I would at once finish, and give him the 
 statue I was then at work on. To this I gladly 
 consented. I had no idea it was valuable. I 
 made it simply because it was a pleasure to do so, 
 or rather I could not help it. The rest is soon told. 
 The general carried the statute to Baltimore, and 
 showed it to several gentleman interested in the 
 arts, and they said the man who made it must go 
 to Italy, and give up every thing else to be a 
 sculptor. After I fairly got the idea, I was ready 
 enough to do this. I sold my law books, went to 
 Florence, and 'The Coquette,' there, is my first 
 work." 
 
 Even Kenny had listened with interest to this 
 account, and when it was finished, all said that it 
 was very remarkable. Mr. Meridett then asked 
 Mr. Barbee to tell them something of the way in 
 which statues were made. Mr. Barbee said he 
 would be pleased to give them any information in 
 his power. He went on to say, that all the work
 
 166 YOUNG AMERICA. 
 
 \ 
 
 done by the artist was on plaster of Paris, which 
 was soft, and easily cut, and that when the model 
 was done, the marble was generally chiseled out 
 by a more common workman. Mr. Ellis seemed 
 much surprized at this, and said he had never 
 known much about it, but had always supposed 
 that the whole work on the marble was done by 
 the artist himself. Mr. Barbee said he would 
 show them a figure he was then at work upon. 
 He conducted them into a back room, and pointed 
 to a half finished statue of a boy. lie said the 
 name of this would be "Young America." He 
 showed them a chisel and small mallet, which, he 
 said, were almost his entire implements. He said 
 a great deal of the work now would be done sim 
 ply with the chisel, that sometimes he would 
 spend hours in shaping a single muscle or feature. 
 
 " But I do not understand," said Mr. Meridett, 
 "how you manage to get exactly the size, and 
 shape of every part." 
 
 " Well, it is of course a good deal in having a 
 native talent for it, but then, besides, one has to 
 study, and take an immense deal of pains. The 
 sculptor has to understand anatomy well, so as to' 
 know the position of every muscle, and the char 
 acter of every joint." 
 
 He took down a large volume, and continued : 
 " Now, here are a large number of plates. I have
 
 MODELS FOR SCULPTORS. 167 
 
 sometimes spent a day studying one of these, 
 turning from the plate to the figure, and from the 
 figure to the plate. But then, besides all this, we 
 study nature itself. "We get persons to come and 
 stay in the studio for hours, placing themselves 
 in different postures, and from them we get the 
 idea we want. We do not often get the whole 
 from any one person. A person might have a 
 forehead very beautiful, but a nose positively 
 ugly. Art aims at perfection, and the plan of the 
 artist is to get one feature from one personj and 
 another from another." 
 
 " But, do you not sometimes find it difficult to 
 get as many persons as you want, and the right 
 kind, for you to copy from?" inquired Mrs. 
 Ellis. 
 
 " Yes, it would be difficult here, because there 
 is little sculpture made in this country. But in 
 Italy, where art is the principal thing, there is a 
 demand for persons to sit as models, and there are 
 numbers who make it a business. They come to 
 the artist's studio, and ask him if he wants models. 
 I had many a pretty girl in my studio, when I was 
 making ' The Coquette.' " 
 
 " But I should think," said Mr. Ellis, " it would 
 be very embarrassing both to the models and to 
 the sculptor." 
 
 " No. He is engrossed in his work, and the nov-
 
 168 KENNY MAKES DOUGH FIGURES. 
 
 elty of the thing soon wears off, while the model 
 has already become accustomed to it." 
 
 Mr. Ellis and his party now thanked the artist 
 for his politeness to them, and took their leave. 
 As they rode home, they discussed what they had 
 seen and heard, and experienced much gratifica 
 tion at the result of their visit. Kenny declared 
 he meant to begin at once to be a sculptor. Ac 
 cordingly, when he reached home, he asked his 
 father to give him something to make figures out 
 of. Mr. Ellis said he really did not know what 
 Kenny could have, unless he should get some 
 dough from the kitchen. So Kenny went to the 
 kitchen, and asked Mary to give him some dough. 
 Mary said there was none then, but'she would give 
 him some when she made biscuit for supper. It 
 was with difficulty he could wait till then, so full 
 was he of becoming a sculptor, the first step to 
 which, he thought, was to mould dough into vari 
 ous shapes. But Kenny did not experience the 
 success he had hoped. The dough was soft and 
 sticky, and would not assume any very regular 
 shape. But, by dint of considerable effort, he at 
 last made a tolerable figure of a man. The diffi 
 culty was, however, that the man could not be 
 made to stand up. It had to be kept all the time 
 lying upon the block of wood upon which it had 
 been made. At last he concluded to bake it, and
 
 IS PUTTY GREASY? 169 
 
 by -this means the desired stiffness and hardness 
 were secured. But its shape was injured in bak 
 ing. Besides, Kenny did not think it very dig 
 nified to bake his statue just like a biscuit. But it 
 was the best he could do. 
 
 A day or two after, he was out at the greenhouse 
 watching the painters paint the windows. They 
 used putty to fill up the holes which had been 
 made by the nails. There was a large piece of 
 this putty, and Kenny amused himself by working 
 it in his hands. Presently it occurred to him that 
 this would be better than dough. It was far less 
 brittle, and would stay in the shape into which it 
 was made. He determined to go and see if he 
 could not get a piece of putty for his own use. 
 He thought he would go to Gustave, as he kept 
 every thing of that sort in his shop in the stable- 
 loft, and he felt pretty sure that Gustave would 
 give him some, if he had any. He found Gustave 
 at the stable. 
 
 " Gustave," said he, " I want you to give me 
 some putty." 
 
 " Why, what do you want with putty ? It will 
 grease your clothes." 
 
 " Is putty greasy ?" 
 
 " Certainly, it has oil in it. But what do you 
 want with putty ? I suppose I could let you have 
 some, but it is not a very clean plaything." 
 15
 
 170 PUTTY FIGUKES. 
 
 " Oh, I don't want it as a plaything. I want to 
 make statues. You see, Gustave, I went the other 
 day to see a beautiful statue, and the gentleman 
 who made it said, when he was a boy, he was al 
 ways making figures out of all sorts of things, and 
 now I want to do so, and perhaps after a while, 
 Gustave, I shall make a great statue too." 
 
 " Well, is putty the best thing ?" 
 
 " It is the best thing I can get* I tried dough, 
 but it did not do very well; but I have been trying 
 some putty, and I think* that will answer." 
 
 Gustave now went up-stairs, and presently re 
 turned, bringing a big piece of putty, which he 
 told Kenny he would lend him. But Kenny said 
 he did not want it lent to him he wanted it as a 
 gift, to do as he chose with and to keep. Gustave 
 said, finally, that he would give it up to him on 
 one condition, that if ever Kenny got tired of it, 
 he should have it again, and Kenny readily con 
 sented to this, because now, he said, he need never 
 give up the putty until he choose, and he did not 
 believe this would ever be the case. 
 
 Kenny found, as he supposed, that putty was a 
 much more suitable material than dough; but there 
 remained the same difficulty that he had found 
 with the dough, namely, to get it stiff and hard. 
 He asked Gustave how this could be secured. 
 Gustave said he did not know, but he supposed
 
 
 KENNY AND FRANK. 171 
 
 that the best plan would be, when he had com 
 pleted a figure to put it in some good place out of 
 doors. He said he knew that the putty on the 
 windows, which was exposed to the air, soon be 
 came hard. Kenny determined to try this expe 
 dient. He succeeded in making several figures, 
 which were really quite life-like. One was a frog, 
 copied from a glass frog which his father had on 
 a paper-weight. Another was a dog crouching. 
 This was copied from an ornamental figure on the 
 mantel of the library. While Kenny was engag 
 ed in this work, Frank stood by, watching with 
 the greatest interest. Indeed, he was very anxious \ 
 to be at work himself, and it was with great diffi 
 culty that Kenny could keep him from the putty. 
 When Kenny had used all his material, and had 
 several figures lying on the board before him, he 
 asked Frank to go and ask Gustave to come there. 
 He wanted Gustave to tell him where to put his 
 figures to harden. He said he did not like to leave 
 them, for fear something might happen. But 
 Frank did not like to go, so Kenny told him to 
 stay and take care, while he went to look for Gus 
 tave. Presently he returned with Gustave, who 
 told him he had better put his figures on the out 
 side of one of the window sills. He said there 
 was one of the windows in his room which was 
 seldom opened, and that the figures might be put
 
 172 MATERIALS FOR SCULPTOR. 
 
 ~8* 
 
 outside of that, where they would be safe. Ac 
 cordingly, he and Kenny went up, Gustavo carry 
 ing the board with the figures. When they reach 
 ed the room, Gustave opened the window, and 
 Kenny carefully placed the figures, one by one, 
 upon the sill without. Gustave said that in a few 
 days the putty would become hard, and the fig 
 ures would be fit for use. That night Kenny told 
 his father what he had done. Mr. Ellis seemed 
 to think it very ingenious, and said he wished 
 Kenny could have some better materials to work 
 with. 
 
 "Couldn't he have some soft pine?" inquired 
 Mrs. Ellis. 
 
 " Certainly ; or chalk, or plaster of Paris. But 
 the difficulty with these is, that a knife would be 
 needed, a sharp knife, and I fear that he would cut 
 himself." 
 
 " Oh ! I had not thought of that. I wouldn't like 
 at all for him to have a knife." 
 
 " I imagine," said Mr. Ellis, " he will have to 
 content himself with drawing and painting for the 
 present, and if his sculpture mania lasts, he can 
 have better opportunities when he is older." 
 
 A few days after this, Kenny asked Gustave to 
 go with him and get the figures from the window- 
 sill, as he was sure they must be hard by this time. 
 Accordingly, they went up, and to Kenny's great
 
 GUY'S SERMON ON SCULPTURE. 173 
 
 <&- 
 
 delight, found the figures quite hard, and much 
 whitened, so as to bear considerable resemblance 
 to stone. He took them and carried them to his 
 mother and to his Cousin Guy, both of whom con 
 gratulated him on his success. Kenny told Cousin 
 Guy he might have the frog. Cousin Guy said 
 he would keep it among his curiosities, and prize 
 it very much as a souvenir of Kenny's first sculp 
 ture. 
 
 " I will also," continued he, " preach you a little 
 sermon on sculpture." 
 
 " I shall be glad to hear it." 
 
 " Well, then, my first remark is, that you have 
 been, ever since you were old enough to under 
 stand any thing, a sculptor, and that you will con 
 tinue to be a sculptor as long as you live." 
 
 " I do not understand you, Cousin Guy." 
 
 "I will explain what I mean. I do not mean 
 that you are a sculptor of clay or marble, or any 
 thing of that sort, but that you are the sculptor of 
 your own character. You are every day doing 
 something to determine what sort of a person you 
 are to be, both in this world and in the next. 
 Every act of obedience, every good thought, every 
 right feeling, every victory over temptation, makes 
 its impression on your character as really as does 
 the chiselling of the artist leave its trace upon the 
 marble upon which he is working. It is true that 
 15*
 
 174 FORMATION OF CHARACTER. 
 
 the formation of your character is gradual, but it 
 is sure. You may not see, and your friends may 
 not see, any change day by day, but the work is 
 going on nevertheless, and in a few months the 
 change will be very decided and manifest. -You 
 remember the sculptor told us the other day that 
 sometimes he would spend hours in chiselling a 
 little here and a little there, without any percept 
 ible effect to a bystander, and yet all this helped 
 to complete the work, and make a perfect statue. 
 Do you not see that you are a sculptor ? It is true, 
 indeed, that others have much to do in the forma 
 tion o your character. Your parents and daily 
 associates may have much influence over you ; 
 and yet, after all, it mainly depends upon you. Yes, 
 Kenny, little boy as you are, you have to choose 
 yourself, whether you will yield to the good influ 
 ences around you, or to the evil. Even your father 
 cannot subdue your evil dispositions, and make 
 you act, and think, and feel right. This work you 
 have to do yourself. I do not mean that you can 
 perform it by yourself. On the contrary, you will 
 need, if you carve a beautiful character, daily, 
 hourly aid from God. You know how this is to 
 be secured ; you must ask Him for it. 
 
 "And now, Kenny, this work-in which you are 
 engaged, as the sculptor of your own character, is 
 one of vast importance. You would feel very
 
 YOUNG PEOPLE VERY PLIABLE. 175 
 
 proud and happy, had you executed a beautiful 
 statue which every one admired, but a beautiful 
 character, a good and noble man, is far more 
 lovely than any statue or picture, and is far more 
 admired by wise men, by angels, and by God. 
 Besides, a statue of brass or of marble, cannot last 
 always. When a few centuries shall roll around, 
 it will lose its beauty, and finally will utterly 
 decay ; but a soul that is truly good, will go on in 
 creasing in goodness and beauty for ever and ever. 
 " I have one other remark to make, suggested by 
 your recent experiments in moulding figures. You 
 commenced with your material in a soft condition, 
 so that you could make it into any shape you choose. 
 It then hardened, so that you could break it, before 
 you could alter it into another form. Here, now, 
 is this frog you have given me. A few days ago 
 it was so soft, that you could print it with your 
 nail, or press it with your finger, into any form. 
 But now it has become hard, and you would not 
 find it easy to change it into any thing else. Well, 
 Kenny, it is just the same w T ay with your char 
 acter. Now it is as the putty was; it is easy to 
 be shaped either for good, or for bad. But it is 
 hardening every day, and every day becoming 
 more and more fixed. By the time you are twen 
 ty-five, it will be pretty well determined what sort 
 of a man you are to be afterwards. This, then, is
 
 176 DETERMINATION TO BE GOOD. 
 
 the most important period of your life. It is the 
 formative period. It is the period when it is prin 
 cipally to be decided whether or not yours is to be 
 a character more beautiful than any statue that 
 ever was carved. Some people think it makes 
 very little difference how a boy of your age be 
 haves. You see, / do not think so. On the con 
 trary, Kenny, I watch your conduct every day 
 with/ great anxiety. But my sermon is getting 
 long, and I will stop. Tell me, have you under 
 stood it, and have you been interested ?" 
 
 "Oh, I have been very much interested, and 
 have understood most of it very well. I am going 
 to try to be good every day." 
 
 The experiments recorded in the foregoing 
 pages, were the conclusion of Kenny's efforts in 
 sculpture. As has been seen, -he was less success 
 ful in this department, than in drawing and paint 
 ing, but even in this he found pleasure and profit, 
 and his cousin's sermon on sculpture was not with 
 out excellent effects. 
 
 THE END.
 
 Books Published by Sheldon & Co. 
 
 THE OAKLAND STORIES. 
 
 By GEORGE B. TAYLOR. 
 
 YoL 1. Kenny. 18mo. Cloth. Illustrated. 
 VoL 2. Cousin Guy. 18mo. Cloth. Illustrated. 
 
 VoL 3. Claiborne. 18mo. Cloth. Illustrated. 
 
 i 
 
 VoL 4. Gustave. (In press.) 
 
 Price of each volume 50 cents. 
 
 
 From the Troy Whig. 
 
 " The writer, although by no means an imitator of Jacob Abbott, show 
 a good deal of talent in the game field." 
 
 from the Boston Journal. 
 
 11 While in general this story resembles Mr. Abbott's, It is superior to 
 some of that author's later works. It is marked by his best character 
 istics the easy, natural dialogue, wholesome, moral and religious tono, 
 and simple explanatory style, without being tiresome in repetition. It 
 describes home scenes and suggests home amusements." 
 
 THE ROLLO BOOKS. 
 
 By JACOB ABBOTT. 
 
 Eollo Learning to Talk, 
 Hollo Learning to Read, 
 Hollo at Work, 
 Hollo at Play, 
 Hollo at School, 
 Hollo's Vacation, 
 Hollo's Experiments, 
 
 Hollo's Museum, 
 Hollo's Travels, 
 Hollo's Correspondence, 
 Hollo's Philosophy, Water, 
 Hollo's Philosophy, Air, 
 Hollo's Philosophy, Fire, 
 Hollo's Philosophy, Sky. 
 
 14 vols. Illustrated, uniform style. 16mo. Cloth, each 50 cent* 
 14 vols., uniform style. 18mo., cheap edition " each 38 cent*.
 
 Books Published by Sheldon & Co. 
 ABBOTT'S AMERICAN HISTORY. 
 
 A Series of American Histories for Youth, by JACOB ABBOTT. 
 
 To be completed in Twelve Volumes, ISmo, price 75 cents each. 
 Each volume complete in itself. 
 
 Each volume -will bo illustrated with numerous Maps and En 
 gravings, from original designs, by F. 0. C. Barley, J. B. Chapin, 
 G. Perkins, Charles Parsons, H. "W. Herrick, E. F. Beaulieu, 
 H. L. Stephens, and others. 
 
 This Series, by the well-known author of the " HOLLO 
 BOOKS," "HOLLO'S TOUR IN EUROPE," "HARPER'S SERIES OP 
 EUROPEAN HISTORIES," "THE FLORENCE STORIES," &c., will 
 consist of the folio wing volumes : 
 
 1. ABORIGINAL AMERICA. (Now ready.) 
 
 2. DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. (Now ready.) 
 
 3. SOUTHERN COLONIES. (Now ready.) 
 
 4. THE NORTHERN COLONIES. (Ready in August.) 
 
 5. THE MIDDLE COLONIES. 
 
 6. REVOLT OF THE COLONIES. - 
 
 7. BOSTON IN SEVENTY-FIVE. 
 
 8. NEW YORK IN SEVENTY-SIX. 
 
 9. THE CAROLINAS IN SEVENTY-NINE. 
 
 10. CAMPAIGN IN THE JERSEYS. 
 
 11. BURGOYNE AND CORNWALLIS. 
 
 12. THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION. 
 
 NOTICES OF THE INITIAL VOLUME. 
 
 From the Roxton Traveller. 
 "The most excellent publication of the kind ever undertaken." 
 
 from the Boston Advertiser. 
 ** The illustrations are well designed and executed." 
 
 From the Boston Post. 
 
 " One of the most useful of the many go6d and popular books of which 
 Mr. Abbott'is the author." 
 
 From the Philadelphia Xorth American. 
 
 " It is indeed a very vivid and comprehensive presentation of the physi 
 cal aspect and aboriginal life visible on this continent, before the discovery 
 by white men." 
 
 From the Troy Whiff. 
 " Mr. Abbott's storiee have for years been the delight of thousand*."
 
 JBooks Published by Sheldon & Co. 
 
 THE ROLLO STORY BOOKS. 
 
 By JACOB ABBOTT. 
 
 Trouble on the Mountain, 
 
 Causey Building, 
 
 Apple Gathering, 
 
 The Two Wheelbarrows, 
 
 Blueberrying, 
 
 The Freshet, 
 
 Georgie, 
 
 Hollo in the "Woods, 
 Hollo's Garden, 
 The Steeple Trap, 
 Labor Lost, 
 Lucy's Visit. 
 
 12 vols. 18mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Price, per set, $3. 
 
 THE FLORENCE STORIES. 
 
 By JACOB ABBOTT. 
 
 YoL 1. Florence and John. 18mo. Cloth. Illustrated. 
 YoL 2. Grimkie. 18mo. Cloth. Illustrated. 
 Yol. 3. The Orkney Islands, 18mo. Cloth. Illustrated. 
 Yol. 4. The English Channel. (Ready in August.) 
 Price of each volume 60 cents. 
 
 From the Boston Journal. 
 
 " Mr. Abbott is always an entertaining writer for the young, and this 
 atory seems to us to contain more that is really suggestive and instructive 
 than other of his recent productions. Florence and John are children who 
 pursue their studies at home, under the care of their mother, awl in the 
 progress of the tale many useful hints are given in regard to home iu- 
 etruction. The main educational idea which runs through all Mr. 
 Abbott's works, that of developing the capacities of children BO as to 
 make them self-reliant, is conspicuous in this. 11 
 
 From the New York Observer. 
 
 " Mr. Abbott is known to be a pure, successful and useful writer for the 
 young and old. He is also the most popular author of juvenile book* 
 now living." 
 
 From the Boston Traveller. 
 
 "No writer of children's books, not even the renowned Peter Farley, 
 bu ever been BO successful as Abbott,"
 
 Books Published by Sheldon & Co. 
 
 THE BRIGHTHOPE SERIES. 
 
 By J. T. TROWBEIDGB. 
 
 The Old Battle Ground, 
 Father Brighthope, 
 
 Iron Thorpe, 
 Burr Cliff. 
 
 Hearts and Faces. 
 6 vols. 18mo, in cloth, gilt back, uniform. Price $2 50. 
 
 From the Boston Transcript. 
 
 " Mr. Trowbridge has never written anything that was not popular, and 
 each new work has added to his fame. lie has a wonderful faculty aa 
 a portrayer of New England characteristics, and New England scenes." 
 From, the Salem Register. 
 
 " Mr. Trowhridge will find many welcomers to the field of authorship 
 as often as he chooses to enter it, and to leave as pleasant a record behind 
 him as the story of " Father Brighthope." The " Old Battle Ground" is 
 worthy of his reputation as one of the very best portrayers of New Eng 
 land character and describers of New England scenes." 
 
 THE GELDART SERIES. 
 
 By Mrs. THOMAS GELDART. 
 
 6 vols. 16mo. Illustrated by JOIIN GILBEXT. 
 
 Price of each 50 cents. 
 
 Daily Thoughts for a Child, 
 Truth is Everything, 
 Sunday Morning Thoughts, 
 
 Sunday Evening Thoughts, 
 Emilie the Peacemaker. 
 Stories of Scotland. 
 
 From the Boston Register. 
 
 "These charming volumes are the much admired Gcldart Series of 
 books for the young, which have established a very enviable reputation 
 in England for their wholesome moral tendency. They are beautifully 
 printed 16mo volumes, with gilt backs, and are sold at 50 cents each. 
 There are five volumes in the series, and they will form a very choice ad 
 dition to a youth's library." 
 
 from the Worcester Palladium. 
 
 "What children read they often long retain; therefore it Is desirable 
 that their books should be of a high moral tone. In this respect Mrs. 
 Gcldart has few equals as an author, and we hope that her worlu -will b* 
 fomnd ia every child's library."
 
 Books Published by Sheldon & Co. 
 HISTORY OF ENGLAND. 
 
 By Mrs. THOMAS GELDART, * 
 
 Author of " Daily Thoughts for a Child," " Stories of Scotland," &tt 
 
 "With Twenty Illustrations, by J. R. Chapin, and others. 
 
 1 voL, 16mo. Price 75 cents. 
 
 From, the Detroit Advertiser. 
 
 "The work has been executed with rare taste and judgment, and con. 
 tains all the most important events in the history of England, and all that 
 it is really important for ordinary readers to know." 
 
 From the Philadelphia North American. 
 
 " Much of the information is quite curious, and drawn from recondite 
 sources." 
 
 From the Baltimore Patriot. ' 
 "Precisely suited to the rising generation." 
 
 From the Boston Journal 
 
 " This work exactly realizes our idea of what a juvenile history should 
 be. It is simple and direct, without degrading the dignity of history ; in 
 teresting, without converting it into a romance, and above all draws such 
 pictures of dress and manners in the olden time, that instead of a list of 
 hard names, living characters, eating, drinking, and sleeping like our 
 selves, walk before the mind's eye of the youthful readers. This work 
 does for juveniles what Charles Knight's Popular History is doing for 
 mature readers." 
 
 From the Philadelphia City Item. 
 
 " We have read the volume, and have pleasure in commending it to 
 public pei asal. It is a work for old or young, and it is so full of interest 
 that no one will lay it down until its details have been mastered." 
 
 From the Church Journal. 
 
 " A very pleasant, easy, readable book Is Mrs. Geldart's Popular His 
 tory of England. She has had long practice in writing for children, and 
 it is such practice as makes perfect." 
 
 From the Philadelphia Christian Instructor. 
 
 "We know of no History of England so well adapted to prove an at 
 tractive and instructive reading-book for young persons as the ono befora 
 us. The stylo is very simple, but, at the same time, chaste and elevated ; 
 and, what is very important, the book abounds with practical lessons for 
 the young. Although specially designed for this class, it may be read with 
 interest and profit by all persons." 
 
 From the New York News. 
 
 "British, Danish, and Saxon England, from the conquest of Csesar t 
 that of \Villinm the Norman, is described in this book with a picturesque- 
 ness and vigor which make it most fascinating. Designed for the young 
 it has charms for readers of every class and age. The engravings are ex 
 cellent, and give many drawings of arms, utensils, and implements of tho 
 ancient inhabitants of England. It is rather a picture than a history, 
 Mthough historical characters are introduced to glvo life and interest to 
 'at description."
 
 JSooks Published by Sheldon d' Co. 
 
 THE IIOUSEIIOLD LIBRARY. 
 
 f 
 A SERIES OF CHOICE BIOGRAPHIES BY DISTINGUISHED AUTHOB& 
 
 In Eighteen volumes. 18mo. Muslin. Uniform style. 
 Price of each volume 50 cents. 
 
 VOL. I. LIFE AND MARTYRDOM OF JOAN OP ARC. By 
 
 MlCHELET. 
 
 VOL. II. LIFE OF ROBERT BURNS. By THOMAS CABLYLZ, and 
 
 others. 
 VOL. III. LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF SOCRATES. By GEOBGB 
 
 GBOTE. s 
 
 VOL. IV. LIFE OF COLUMBUS. By ALPHONSE J>E LAMABrnco, 
 VOL. V. LIFE oVt-REDERICK THE GREAT. By LOBD MAOAU- 
 
 LAY. 
 
 VOL. VI. LIFE OF WILLIAM PITT. By LOBD MACATJLAY. 
 
 VOL. VII. LIFE OF MAHOMET. By GIBBOX. With the Notes of 
 DEAN M i I.MAN and Da. WILLIAM Sunn. 
 
 VCL. VIIL LIFE OF LUTHER. By CHKV. BUNSEN. With a Spirit 
 ual Portrait of Luther by CABLTLE, and an Appendix 
 by SIB Wsi. HAMILTON. 
 
 VOL. IX. LIFE OF OLIVER CROMWELL. By LAMAHTrNK. 
 
 VOL. X. LIFE OF TORQUATO TASSO. By G. U. AVIFFEN. 
 
 VOL. XL> LIFE OF PETER THE GREAT. In two Volumes. Com- 
 VOL. XII.j piled by the Editor. 
 
 VOL. XIIL LIFE OF MILTON. By PEOFESSOTI MASSOX; and an 
 Estimate of Milton's Genius and Character, by LOBD 
 MACATTLAY. 
 
 VOL. XIV. LIFE OF THOMAS A'BECKET. By DEAN MILMAH; 
 VOL. XV. LIFE OF HANNIBAL. By THOMAS ABN-OLD, LL.D. 
 
 VOL. XVI LIFE OF VITTORIA COLONXA. By T. ADOLPHTTS 
 
 TBOLLOPE. 
 
 VOL. XVn._ LIFE OF JULIUS CAESAR. By HENBY G. LIDDELL, D.D. 
 VOL. XVIU. LIFE OF MARY STUART. By ALTUONSB B 
 
 TIXB.
 
 JJooks Published by Sheldon & Co. 
 
 THE HOUSEHOLD LIBRARY. 
 
 NOTICES OF THE PRESS. 
 
 From the Philadelphia News. 
 
 "The story of the 'Maid of Orleans' has often been told, but never 
 with such thrilling pathos as by Michelet. All the incidents of the heroine's 
 life are invested with new interest, and her cruel and barbarous execution 
 receive at the hands of the eloquent and indignant historian the condem 
 nation which it so well deserves. The volume is got up in beautiful 
 style." 
 
 From the United States Journal. 
 
 " The ' Life of Socrates' is from Mr. Grote's splendid History of Greece. 
 It is very complete, and will serve to introduce the great Athenian phi 
 losopher to a better household acquaintance in this country." 
 
 From the Boston Bulletin. 
 
 " Carlyle's beautiful essay is one of the finest compositions of the kind 
 ever written and every admirer of the genius of Robert Burns, as well as 
 all literary students, will find it to be a volume both of interest and 
 ralue." 
 
 From the Christian Ambassador. 
 
 " This series is peculiarly calculated for school libraries, and they should 
 find their way into all our common school and Sunday school libraries. 
 We are confident the ' Household Library 1 will secure a widely-extended 
 circulation." 
 
 From the Congregational Herald. 
 
 " The romance of history is so much better for the young than the 
 romance of fiction, that we are always glad to see such books appear." 
 
 From, the Century. 
 
 " The plan is to present, from the very best authorities, biographies 0* 
 episodes of history, admitting of separation without injury." 
 
 From the Evening Saturday Argus. 
 
 " All the volumes of this series are deserving a large share of popular 
 favor, as they are calculated to promote a familiarity with the great 
 spirit of history and literature, tempting the reader to their study when 
 the Bight of more ponderous tomes would drive them back iu despair."
 
 s Published by Sheldon <& Co. 
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL BOOKS. 
 
 A New Series of choice booka for Sunday School Libraries, 
 nearly all new, and prettily Illustrated. 
 
 THE TEAR OF JUBILEE. By Mrs. Maria T. Richards. 30 cents. 
 
 THE PIONEER PREACHER ; an Autobiography. 40 cants. 
 
 ROSE MORTON'S JOURNAL for January. 30 cents. 
 
 CLEMENTINA'S MIRROR. 35 cents. 
 
 ISABEL; or, Influences for Good. 25 cents. 
 
 POOR NELLY ; or, the Golden Mushroom. 35 cents. 
 
 THE IRISH SCHOLAR. 25 cents. 
 
 THE CASTILIAN MARTYRS. 25 cents. 
 
 MEMOIR OF OLD HUMPHREY. 35 cents. 
 
 LITTLE AGNES; and Other Stories. 25 cents. 
 
 THE CHILD ANGEL, and ANGEL LILY. 25 cents. 
 
 THE YOUNG ENVELOP-MAKERS. 30 cents. 
 
 LOOK UP; or, Girls and Flowers. 20 cents. 
 
 A BOOK FOR BOYS. 35 cents. 
 
 A SWARM OF B's. Six Charming Stories. 25 cents. 
 
 STORIES FOR SCHOOL BOYS. Second Series. 30 cents. 
 
 MATTY GREGG. 30 cents. 
 
 THE SUNDAY SHOP ; or, The- Fourth Commandment 20 cento 
 
 LITE OF GIDEON. 20 cents.
 
 Books Published by Sheldon <& Co. 
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL BOOKS. 
 
 ROSE MORTON'S JOURNAL for February. 35 cents. 
 
 JESSIE ALLISON. By Mrs. Mary A. Richands. 40 centa, 
 
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 FACTS FOB BOYS. 25 cents. 
 
 FACTS FOR GIRLS. 25 cents. 
 
 EVERY DAY DUTY. 25 cents. 
 
 THE LONDON APPRENTICE. By "W. H. Pearce. 25 cents. 
 
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 CHARLES LINK. By the same. 25 cents. 
 
 ALLEN LUCAS. By the same. 25 cents. 
 
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 WAY FOR A CHILD TO BE SATED. 25 cents. 
 
 LIFE OP BUNYAN. By Ira Chase, D.D. 25 cents. 
 
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 Books Published by Sheldon & Co. 
 
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 BE COURTEOUS. By Mrs. M. H. Maxwell. 25 cents. 
 
 LITTLE GRANITE; or, the Now Hampshire Boy. 20 cents. 
 
 QUIET THOUGHTS FOB QUIET HOURS. 25 cents. 
 
 OLD HUMPHREY'S FRIENDLY APPEALS. 30 cents. 
 
 CHARLES ROUSSEL; or, Industry and Honesty. 30 cents. 
 
 CHEERFUL CHAPTERS. By Old Alan Gray. 25 cents. 
 
 MARGARET BROWNING ; or, Trust in God. 25 cents. 
 
 BRIGHTNESS AND BEAUTY. 25 cents. 
 
 THREE MONTHS UNDER THE SNOW. 25 cents. 
 
 FRANK NETHERTON; or, the Talisman. 30 cents. 
 
 IRISH STORIES, for Thoughtful Readers. 35 centa. 
 
 STORIES FOR VILLAGE LADS. 25 cents. 
 
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 ALICE "WADE AND LAME ISAAC. 20 cents. 
 
 MARTYR OF VELVORDE. 35 cents. 
 
 Lois MEAD; or, the Adopted Daughter. 25 cents. 
 
 THE PASTOR'S HOUSEHOLD. By Mrs. Chas. TV. Du Bose. 40 eta. 
 
 THE Swiss BASKET-MAKER, and Other Stories. 25 cents. 
 
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 THE PRISONER'S CHILD, and Other Stories. 25 centa.
 
 Books Published by Sheldon <t Cb. 
 
 FORTY YEARS' EXPERIENCE IN 
 SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. 
 
 BY STEPHEN H TTNG, D.D., 
 
 Rector of St. George's Church, New York. 
 
 1 neat 16mo voL, price 60 cents. 
 
 From the Boston Gaattte. 
 
 "As a matter of coarse, the volume is in a measure autobiographical, 
 which would alone secure general attention to it." 
 
 From the Southern Churchman. 
 
 "No one is entitled to speak about Snnday-tchools with more authority 
 than Dr. Tyng, and no one can read this volume without obtaining most 
 valuable hints for the management of a Sunday-school." 
 
 From the Boston Courier. 
 
 "This little work of a distinguished divine will doubtless prove of great 
 service to superintendents and teachers of Sunday-schools." 
 
 From the Troy Times. 
 
 " In a literary point of view, they are marked by all the excellencies for 
 which the reverend author is noted ; while the amount of real, useful 
 knowledge they convey in a brief and practical form, upo a subject the 
 Importance of which is little understood, is really surprising." 
 
 From Vie 2f. T. Intelligencer. 
 
 Few pastors have been favored with so large a measure of experience 
 and success in the work of Sabbath-school instruction as the venerable 
 pastor of St. George's Church. As the present volume contains the re 
 sults of the author s long experience, it will be a welcome addition to our 
 Sabbath-school literature." 
 
 From the N. T. Independent. 
 
 "Every Sabbath-school teacher should read it: every pastor might 
 profit by it." 
 
 From the tf. T. Observer. 
 
 " This will be a very welcome volume to Sunday-school teachers, and 
 ,to all who are interested in Sunday-schools. It embodies the experience 
 and the counsels of one who, by his deep interest in the cause, and by a 
 personal devotion to the work, even in its details, and by a success which 
 has been rarely if ever equaled, is qualified to speak with great profit 
 upon the Important subject. Wo have ofu-n made mention of the school 
 at St. Georgi a church, as perhaps the largest in the country, and as ex 
 hibiting results, not only in the chief end of Sabbath-school instruction, 
 out in the great work of Christian benevolence and Christian activity, 
 which we delightful to contemplate. In these pages tho author impart^ 
 in a measure, the secret of his success. We are sure that the volume h&j 
 a great mission to accomplish for good."
 
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