THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 CARL RESCUING THE DOVE FROM THE HAWK
 
 THE 
 
 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS; 
 
 BEING THE 
 
 FIFTH BOOK OF THE SEKIES. 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR OF 
 
 THE SIX NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT TAUNTS 8TOBIES," 
 ETC., Era 
 
 NEW 
 
 D. APPLE TON; 4> 
 
 443 ft 445 BROADWAY. 
 
 LONDON : 16 LITTLE BRITAIN. 
 1861.
 
 ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1860, by 
 
 FANNY BARROW, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for tho 
 Southern District of New. York.
 
 TO 
 
 -, AND 
 
 YOU KNOW WHO ; 
 THIS BOOK IS MOST LOVINGLY 
 
 CO 
 
 f-tef^^t-%^ '-* 
 
 LIBRARY

 
 PREFACE. 
 
 IT Las always been my favorite theory, 
 that the goodness and beauty of a truly 
 Christian life in children could be taught 
 quite as effectually by combining the gay 
 with the grave, as by being altogether 
 grave ; for I chanced to remember that I in- 
 variably omitted all the latter portions of the 
 story-books bestowed upon me when a child ; 
 and I have reason to believe that human na- 
 ture is pretty much the same now as then. 
 
 In each of these little stories, it has been
 
 6 PREFACED 
 
 my single aim to inculcate a desire in chil- 
 dren to do good, to be good, and to seek 
 prayerful assistance from the One source of 
 all goodness their Father in Heaven. 
 
 And now one word about the sixth "book 
 of this series. Trembling with a deep re- 
 sponsibility, I have ventured to write a fairy 
 story, (that enchanted ground for the little 
 ones,) through the whole of which I trust 
 this thread of my theory has run ivnbro&en. 
 It is the last of our little friend, Lame Char- 
 ley ; and if the dear children who have made 
 his Nightcaps theirs, will bear him, and me 
 for his sake, in affectionate remembrance, it 
 will gladden the heart of their loving 
 
 ATTNT
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 FIRST LETTER TO CHARLEY. THE LITTLE WHITE 
 
 ANGEL, ...... 8 
 
 SECOND LETTER TO HARRY. HEEDLESS HARRY, . 30 
 THIRD LETTER TO ANNA. POOR RICH LITTLE 
 
 EVA, ....... 73 
 
 FOURTH LETTER TO GEORGE. ILLTEMPER, . 106 
 
 FIFTH LETTER TO CLARA. THE ROSE CROWN, . 140 
 SIXTH LETTER TO JOHNNY. THE HUNT FOR A 
 
 STEAMBOAT, ...... 161 
 
 %* The stories written for the SEVEN 
 CAP CHILDREN remaining, will be found in " Little 
 Nightcap Letters."
 
 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 THE FIRST LETTER. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 evening, when all the children, after 
 the usual frolic with Crocus the cat and the 
 TEEMENDOUS DOG, had settled themselves for 
 their " nightcaps," (their meaning of which 
 word, of course, you all know,) the little 
 mother cleared her throat, and paused, for 
 she was feeling for a letter that was in her 
 pocket.
 
 10 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " Something particularly good is coming 
 to-night," whispered George to Anna. 
 
 " What makes you think so ? " 
 
 tl Don't you see how bright her eyes are ? 
 See ! now she is hugging Charley, and kiss- 
 ing him ; " and unable to resist this loving 
 exhibition, he rushed from his seat to hug 
 and kiss Charley, too, and ask him if he felt 
 quite comfortable. 
 
 Charley thanked him with a loving look, 
 and George went back to his seat, all in a 
 glow. 
 
 " Children," said the little mother, " I re- 
 ceived to-day a letter from Aunt Fanny! 
 She says you have given her so many de- 
 lightful stories, she thinks it is quite time to 
 give you some in return."
 
 THE FRIGHTENED OLD BACHELOR.
 
 * 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 11 
 
 " Did you ever ! " exclaimed the children, 
 eagerly. " What a perfect bird of an Aunt 
 Fanny ! How perfectly delightful ! " 
 
 " She wishes me to ask how you would 
 like her to send you each a story, that you 
 would know had been written especially for 
 you?" 
 
 " Oh ! oh ! oh ! what a capital idea ! " 
 cried all the children, clapping their hands 
 at such a rate, that an old bachelor opposite 
 opened the window and looked out with a 
 spy-glass, to see where the fire was; and 
 nearly frightened a lamplighter into fits, who 
 was just at that very moment lighting a 
 lamp at his door. 
 
 This most delightful announcement made 
 the children chatter so fast, that Charley be-
 
 12 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 came nearly sick, laughing at what they said ; 
 for George again called Aunt Fanny a " per- 
 fect bird ! " and Harry improved it by ex- 
 claiming that she was a perfect cat bird ! 
 which, of course, meant something very com- 
 plimentary. 
 
 " Won't she write stories like a mice ! " 
 cried Johnny. 
 
 " And won't mamma read the writing 
 like a precious kitten ! " said Clara. 
 
 " Well, I never knew kittens could read 
 writing before," laughed Harry. 
 
 " But, mamma," said Anna, " the letter 
 looks very thick ; is the first story in it ? " 
 
 "Yes," said the little mother. "I will 
 read what Aunt Fanny says she says 
 
 " And now, dear children, what do you
 
 INTRODUCTION. 13 
 
 think ? Do you remember the story of the 
 ' Doctor ' in the first Nightcap book ? Well, 
 that very doctor is now a young lady ; and 
 she has written a story on purpose for our 
 dear little Charley. I think it is very charm- 
 ing ; and I have sent it for the very first one, 
 because I well know this will best please his 
 loving brothers and sisters. Sarah, (the real 
 name of the ' doctor,' you know,) has tried 
 to write what would most gratify Charley's 
 swiet and tender nature." Here the little 
 mother stopped, and kissed her lame boy, 
 and the children murmured, " dear, dear 
 Charley." Then she read on 
 
 " You will perceive that Sarah has endea- 
 vored to imitate the beautiful German style. 
 Here is her story. Give Charley a kiss for 
 us both before you begin."
 
 14 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 And in almost breathless silence the 
 mother read the titl< 
 
 "THE LITTLE WHITE ANGEL. 
 
 " Some children stood in a group before 
 the door of the village school-house one 
 lovely summer evening. 
 
 "They were all talking pleasantly to- 
 gether, from Kline, the son of the rich and 
 proud Hoffineister, to little blue-eyed CLrl, 
 the only child of the poor baker. 
 
 " It is very true that Kline wore a velvet 
 jacket, richly embroidered, while Carl's coat 
 was old, and his wooden shoes were rough 
 enough, in all conscience ; but what of that ? 
 If they were good friends, what difference
 
 THE LITTLE WHITE ANGEL. 15 
 
 did that make, I should like to know \ Wait 
 till children become grown people, for pity's 
 sake, "before you expect them to measure 
 each other's worth by what they possess or 
 wear ! 
 
 " ' The new schoolmaster, Meinherr Fried- 
 rich, comes to-morrow,' said Otto. 'I am 
 so glad. I was weary of that old Master 
 Hoffman, with his crooked problems and 
 hard lessons.' 
 
 " ' So was I, truly,' cried Kline, who, al- 
 though a good merry boy, hated his books as 
 he did medicine. 
 
 " ' Ah, thou didst always like play better 
 than work, my Kline,' said Max, ' and so do 
 I. Meinherr Friedrich will be wise if he 
 keep me and thee apart during school hours ;
 
 16 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 but come, see which can get home first one, 
 two, three ! ' and away they all scampered, 
 laughing and shouting as only schoolboys 
 can. 
 
 " The following day, the boys were all 
 standing around the schoolhouse, when the 
 door opened, and Master Friedrich himself, 
 appeared, and cried in a cheery, hearty voice, 
 ' Welcome, my children.' 
 
 " ' Welcome, master,' cried they. 
 
 " And now they entered and too'k their 
 seats, and were quite still while the good 
 master read a short chapter in the Book 
 of Books ; and then reverently kneeling, 
 prayed that the dear Jesus would guide him 
 in his teachings, and bless them, and send 
 His Holy Spirit to watch over them all.
 
 THE LITTLE WHITE ANGEL. 17 
 
 "School began; the thumb-worn books 
 were brought out the lazy boys began to 
 sigh and frown, and wish impatiently for the 
 recess, and wonder why Latin dictionaries 
 were ever invented ; when, as if by magic, 
 they found themselves listening to the pleas- 
 ant voice of Master Friedrich, and actually 
 understanding their lessons, so clear and sim- 
 ple were his explanations ; and the time for 
 recess came, to their great astonishment, 
 long before they had expected. 
 
 u When the studies were over, the mas- 
 ter drew from his desk a box ; and whilst the 
 children gathered around, he opened it and 
 drew out charming little pink-and- white sea- 
 shells, pretty pictures, and many other beau- 
 2
 
 18 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 tiful things, which he gave to the children, 
 with loving words. 
 
 " But the most lovely thing of all, was a 
 little porcelain statuette of an angel. She 
 stood, so fair, so pure with her small white 
 hands folded upon her breast, and her eyes 
 uplifted, that the children gazed enchanted. 
 
 " ' Oh the dear angel ! the beautiful an- 
 gel ! ' cried they all. ' Wilt thou not give 
 it to me, Master Friedrich ? ' 
 
 " But the good master smiled, and said 
 ' The little angel is too lovely to be given to 
 any boy who is not good and true of heart. 
 We shall presently see who shall deserve her. 
 He who brings me, to-morrow, the brightest 
 thing on earth, shall have the angel.' 
 
 "At this the children looked at each
 
 THE LITTLE WHITE ANGEL. 19 
 
 other, as if wondering what the good master 
 might mean ; but he said no more, and they 
 went home thoughtful. 
 
 " The next day, after the lessons (which 
 had now become so pleasant) were finished, 
 the children clustered around the master to 
 show him what they had brought. 
 
 " Some of the smaller ones had picked up 
 sparkling stones on the road, and as they 
 held them in the sunlight, were sure they 
 must be something bright and precious. 
 
 " Some had polished up a shilling, until 
 it shone like a little crown. Heinrich 
 brought a watch-crystal, which his father 
 had given him, and which he considered a 
 wonder of transparent brightness ; and.Kline, 
 the rich Hoffmeister's son, had brought a
 
 20 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 paste buckle, made to imitate diamonds, than 
 which, in his opinion, nothing could be 
 brighter. 
 
 " All these things were laid on the school- 
 master's desk, side by side. The shillings 
 shone away famously, the pebbles and watch- 
 crystal did their best, but Kline's buckle 
 was the bravest of all. 
 
 " ' Ah ! mine's the brightest ! ' shouted 
 Kline, clapping his hands. 
 
 " ' But where is little Carl ? ' said Master 
 Friedrich. ' He ran out just now.' 
 
 " All eyes were turned to the door, when 
 presently, in rushed Carl, breathless. In his 
 hands, held up lovingly against his neck, 
 was a poor little snow-white dove. Some 
 crimson drops upon the downy breast, show- 
 ed that it was wounded.
 
 THE LITTLE WHITE ANGEL. 21 
 
 " ' Oh ! master ! ' cried Carl, ' I was look- 
 ing for something bright, when I came upon 
 this poor little white dove. A cruel hawk 
 had wounded it, and I caught it quickly, 
 and ran here. Oh ! I fear it will die ! ' 
 
 " Even as he spoke, the dove's soft eyes 
 grew filmy ; it nestled closer in Carl's neck, 
 gave a faint cry, and died. 
 
 " Carl sank on his knees beside the mas- 
 ter's desk, and from his eyes there fell upon 
 the white dove's poor broken wing, two 
 tears, large and bright. 
 
 " The master took the poor dead dove 
 from his hands, and laid it tenderly down on 
 the desk with the bright things ; then rais- 
 ing Carl, he softly said 
 
 " ' My children, there is no brighter gem 
 on earth, than a tender, pitying tear?
 
 22 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 
 
 " The boys were silent for a moment, for 
 they felt that the master had decided that 
 Carl had rightly won the angel, and then 
 Kline cried out 
 
 " ' Nay, master, thou didst not fairly ex- 
 plain to us. I pray thee give us yet another 
 trial.' 
 
 "'Yes, dear master,' said Max 'give us 
 one more trial.' 
 
 " ' What sayest thou Carl ? ' said Master 
 Friedrich. 
 
 " ' Yes, dear master,' answered the gene- 
 rous "boy. 
 
 "The good master smiled thoughtfully, 
 and his eyes rested for a moment, lovingly, 
 upon Carl; then glancing round, he said 
 ' He who brings me the loveliest thing on 
 earth to-morrow, shall have the angel.'
 
 THE LITTLE WHITE ANGEL. 23 
 
 " The children clapped their hands, and 
 departed satisfied. 
 
 "After school, the next day, Kline was 
 the first to run up to Master Friedrich, and 
 lay upon his desk what he considered the 
 loveliest thing in the whole world his new 
 soldier cap, with the long scarlet feather, and 
 bright golden tassel. Max came next, and 
 placed beside the cap a small silver watch, 
 his last birthday gift, with a bright steel 
 chain attached. Otto brought a great pic- 
 ture-book, just sent him by his godmother; 
 Kudolph a tiny marble vase, richly sculptur- 
 ed ; and so on, until a still more motley col- 
 lection than before lay upon Master Fried- 
 rich's desk. 
 
 " Then little Carl stepped modestly up,
 
 24 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 and placed in the master's hand a pure white 
 lily. The rich perfume filled the room ; and 
 "bending over the flower, and inhaling the 
 delicious fragrance, the master softly said 
 4 My children, the blessed Word of God says 
 Consider the lilies of the field, how they 
 grow; they toil not, neither do they spin, 
 and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon 
 in all his glory was not arrayed like one of 
 these. Carl has rightly chosen.' 
 
 " But murmurs arose ; the children were 
 not satisfied; and again they asked for 
 another trial. And as before, good Master 
 Friedrich inquired 
 
 " l What sayest thou, Carl 2 ' and he an- 
 swered as before, with generous haste, ' Yes, 
 dear master.'
 
 THE LITTLE WHITE ANGEL. 25 
 
 " l Now this is the last time,' said the mas- 
 ter. ' He who brings me the bast thing on 
 earth shall have the angel.' 
 
 " ' The very best thing on earth is plum 
 cake ! ' cried Kline, on the third day, as he 
 walked up to the desk, bearing a large cake, 
 richly frosted, with a wreath of sugar roses 
 round the edge. This he placed triumphantly 
 before the master, sure of the prize. 
 
 " ' Nay, thou art wrong this time, Kline/ 
 said Max. 1 1 asked my father what was the 
 very best thing on earth, and he laughed, 
 and gave me this golden guilder ; the prize 
 
 is mine.' 
 
 " ' Ah ! Jbut my father said that the very 
 best was a good glass of Rhenish wine,' cried 
 Otto, ' and I have brought a bottle of it
 
 26 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 thirty years old ; the prize is surely 
 
 mine.' 
 
 " So they went on till all had placed 
 their offering before the master. 
 
 " l And thou, Carl ? ' said he. ' What 
 hast thou brought which thou thinkest the 
 best on earth ? ' 
 
 " A crimson flush rose to the little boy's 
 forehead, and coming softly forward, he took 
 from his breast a small, worn Testament, 
 pressed it to his lips, and then reverently laid 
 it down with the rest" as he said, in a sweet, 
 low voice 
 
 " ' My mother, dear master, says that 
 God's precious Testament is far before all 
 other possessions.' 
 
 " ' 'Tis thine, my Carl ! ' cried the master,
 
 THE LITTLE WHITE ANGEL. 27 
 
 snatching the boy to his breast. * The white 
 angel is thine ! for there is nothing in the 
 wide, wide world half so precious as the 
 blessed words of Jesus ; ' and he placed the 
 aogel in the hands of the trembling boy. 
 
 " Kline knit his brows, and gazed with 
 anger and disappointment at the little Carl; 
 and the rest, seeing him do this, felt them- 
 selves aggrieved; but suddenly the cloud 
 cleared from Kline's face, and rushing for- 
 ward, he caught Carl in his arms, crying 
 ' Forgive me, dear Carl ! now I am right 
 glad thou hast won the prize ! ' 
 
 " Ah ! the blessed effect of a bright 
 example ! Quickly joining hands, the chil- 
 dren danced joyfully around the little Carl, 
 who stood in the midst, the white angel
 
 28 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 pressed to his breast, his fair hair falling in 
 curls on his shoulders, and his blue eyes full 
 of holy tears. 
 
 " The good Master Friedrich also wept 
 for joy, and prayed, from the depth of his 
 pure and simple heart, that Jesus would bless 
 this lesson to the children's everlasting good. 
 He had turned away that none might per- 
 ceive his tears. 
 
 " But One in heaven saw them, Master 
 Friedrich." 
 
 The story was finished, but no one spoke, 
 for the tears were softly falling from Char- 
 ley's eyes ; and the rest of the children, with 
 quivering lips, were gazing in his face. At 
 last he said, in a low voice " What a lovely
 
 THE LITTLE WHITE ANGEL. 29 
 
 story ! and how sweet and good little Carl 
 was ! Dear mamma ! we will all. try to be 
 generous and good, as he was ; and we all 
 know what a precious book the Bible is. I 
 love Carl; and I thank Aunt Fanny and 
 Miss Sarah with all my heart, for writing 
 this beautiful story about him." 
 
 And now all the children, with subdued 
 and tender glances, kissed their dear mother 
 and Charley, and went quietly to bed, think- 
 ing of the dear little Carl, and wishing 
 softly to each other, that their mother had 
 thought of asking them to find the " brightest 
 and loveliest and best thing on earth," for 
 they hoped they should have done just as 
 the dear Carl did.
 
 THE SECOND LETTER. 
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 
 
 For Harry. 
 
 DEAE HAREY: I have happened upon 
 an odd story of a heedless namesake of yours, 
 and as you are a dear head-over-heels little 
 fellow, I think you will be both amused and 
 instructed by reading it ; or at any rate, you 
 will resolve never to cut any thing like the 
 very extraordinary capers the other Harry 
 did, either in the vegetable or travelling
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 31 
 
 line. Once, when you were a very little fel- 
 low and were visiting at a cousin's house in the 
 country, you busied yourself all one morning, 
 pulling up radishes, eating the roots, and 
 then setting the tops back in the earth, and 
 when the gardener came to gather some for 
 tea, he found them all .wilted and flat to the 
 ground. Do you remember how you had to 
 run for it, when he caught sight of you 
 laughing at him? and how his having the 
 rheumatism in his knee, so that he could not 
 move fast, was all that saved you from a 
 good thrashing ? I do. So here is the story, 
 and hoping it will be very serviceable in 
 helping you to "mend your ways," I am 
 your loving 
 
 AUNT
 
 32 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 "HEEDLESS HARRY. 
 
 " ' Oil ! how I do hate to write exercises ! ' 
 exclaimed Harry, one Monday afternoon in 
 the summer time ; ' what's the use ? they 
 are abominable ! ' and he stamped his foot 
 and threw down his pen, clapped his hat on 
 his head, and rushed out of the front door. 
 
 " No wonder he was called ' heedless ' 
 Harry ; for he was so thoughtless, that he 
 never stopped one moment to reflect, when 
 he set about doing any thing, whether or 
 not it would get him into trouble ; and con- 
 sequently he was always in some scrape or 
 other. He was old enough, certainly, to 
 know better, and pleasant enough, in other 
 respects, to be liked very much by all who
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 33 
 
 knew him. He w&s full of fun, perfectly 
 fearless, and bore an accidental scratch or 
 tumble like a man. But, dear me ! what a 
 heedless, careless little scamp! That very 
 morning, before school began, his mother had 
 sent him into the garden to gather vegeta- 
 bles. He cut the carrots so that they would 
 stand up on end, and with great onions be- 
 gan knocking them down, as if they were 
 tenpins ; then he had a game of jack-straws 
 with some small slender beans, and ended 
 the vegetable business by stringing a dozen 
 red peppers and tying them round the cat's 
 neck, making her sneeze her head nearly off ; 
 for the poor thing went ' tchitz ! tchitz ! 
 tchitz ! ' for a quarter of an hour. 
 
 " When he was tired of laughing at her, he 
 3
 
 34 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 marched away to skip stones in the brook, 
 and ended by slipping on the bank and tum- 
 bling into the water, and treating himself to 
 a very thorough ducking. 
 
 " Harry lived with his parents on a large 
 pleasant farm, about twenty miles from the 
 city of New York. He had never been in 
 New York ; and this afternoon, at which my 
 story commences, when he rushed to the front 
 door, he put his hand in his pockets and said 
 to himself: * I've a great mind to run away ! I 
 know I shall catch it to-morrow, about that old 
 exercise, and I can't write it. I won't ! now ! ' 
 
 "He walked to the fence, and climbing 
 up, looked over into a neighbor's meadow. 
 
 "A beautiful white horse was quietly 
 grazing, and lazily switching the flies off his 
 back with his long and silken tail.
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 35 
 
 " ' Halloo ! ' exclaimed heedless Harry, 
 ' there's Lightfoot ! Jolly ! what a chance 
 to go off on my travels! I'll catch him. 
 There ! now he is drinking out of the brook. 
 I'll go and jump on his back.' 
 
 " As usual, the little scapegrace had en- 
 tirely forgotten that the horse was very swift 
 and spirited, and also that he did not belong 
 to him or his parents. So Harry, with one 
 bound, jumped the fence, paying no kind of 
 attention to a great thorn which tore down 
 the leg of his pantaloons for half a yard, ran 
 up to Lightfoot, caught him with one hand 
 by his flowing mane, placed the other on his 
 back, and tried to mount him. 
 
 " Horses are animals, but they are not 
 stupid or fools for all that. So Lightfoot,
 
 36 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 while lie kept his nose in the brook, had been 
 quietly watching Harry out of the corner of 
 his eye ; and when the young gentleman tried 
 to jump on his back, the horse gave a quick 
 little start to one side, and a knowing flour- 
 ish with his tail, which sent Mr. Harry plump 
 into the brook for the second time that day, 
 and then Lightfoot scampered off with a 
 neigh which sounded remarkably like a horse 
 laugh. 
 
 " The angry boy scrambled up the low 
 bank like a lame grasshopper, and screamed 
 out, ' You hateful old thing ! I will get on 
 your back ! see if I don't ! ' So he cut a 
 stout branch from a tree, stripped it, made 
 it whistle through the air, and with a spite- 
 ful chuckle advanced once more upon Light- 
 foot.
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 37 
 
 " The horse gave another neigh. Harry 
 approached him softly, hiding the whip be- 
 hind him, smoothed his neck, and patted his 
 side, and then, with a sudden spring, leaped 
 upon his back. 
 
 "Lightfoot stood perfectly still. Then 
 Harry clucked his tongue against his palate 
 to coax him to go. 
 
 "But the horse pretended not to hear 
 him. ' Get up ! Get up ! ' cried Harry. 
 * Come now, get up, I tell you.' 
 
 " Lightfoot went on eating, as if there was 
 nobody within a mile of him. 
 
 "Harry became more and more impa- 
 tient ; he thumped the horse with his knees, 
 and drummed with his heels, and finding 
 that did no good, he raised the switch to 
 strike him.
 
 38 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 i 
 
 "Lightfoot was a ' cute ' Yankee horse, he 
 wasn't * raised ' in Vermont for nothing ; so 
 when he caught sight of the switch, he 
 ducked his head, and off went Harry like a 
 flash of lightning, and found himself sprawl- 
 ing on the grass. 
 
 " You would think that was enough ; and 
 that Harry, after all these gymnastics, would 
 go home like a boy that had some sense 
 pounded into him by all these hard knocks. 
 Not at all. Up he sprang, ran to Lightfoot, 
 and jumped for the third time upon his 
 back. 
 
 " ' Get up ! Get up ! you goose ! ' he cried. 
 This time the horse heard him, without any 
 doubt ; he gave a flourish with his long tail, 
 cleared the fence with a bound, and rushed
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 39 
 
 down the road like an arrow shot from a 
 bow. 
 
 " And now our young friend would gladly 
 have dismounted, but that was easier thought 
 of than done. To get off a horse in full gal- 
 lop may not be difficult, if you are not par- 
 ticular whether you come down on your 
 heels or your head. Harry reflected, that 
 though possibly his head might be harder 
 than the stones in the road, and the stones 
 would be hurt the most, yet there was rather 
 a chance that the stones might crack his 
 head instead, so he concluded to hold on if 
 he could. 
 
 " On dashed Lightfoot for miles and miles, 
 with Harry clinging for dear life to his neck 
 and mane. At last they approached a large
 
 40 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 town, and Lightfoot stopped of his own accord 
 at a public house. 
 
 "Out came the landlord, staring with 
 surprise, and lifted Harry off, half-dead with 
 fatigue and fright, while the hostler led the 
 horse to the stable. 
 
 " After the heedless boy had washed his 
 face and brushed his clothes, he felt better, 
 but desperately hungry ; there was no fun in 
 that ; so he concluded to hunt up a dinner. 
 
 " When he entered the dining-room, the 
 people looked at him from head to foot. Of 
 course this was because they were admiring 
 him, he thought ; so he drew himself up, and 
 putting on an air of dignity, as if he was a 
 gentleman on his travels, he said : ' I want 
 my dinner. Bring me a beefsteak, some po- 
 tatoes, and an apple-dumpling/ -
 
 HEEDLESS HA11RY. 41 
 
 " At these words the landlord advanced, 
 put his hand on Harry's shoulder, and said : 
 ' Who are you ? ' 
 
 " Harry preferred eating to talking just 
 then, so he answered : ' Give me a beefsteak 
 directly. When I have eaten my dinner I 
 will tell you my history.' 
 
 " ' Una ! we'll see tell it to me this in- 
 stant, or you may get your dinner as you 
 can, like a gipsy under a fence but you 
 won't have any here.' 
 
 " ' I will have it,' cried Harry, in a rage. 
 
 " * You shan't ! ' said the landlord. 
 
 "' I will!' cried Harry. 
 
 " ' John,' said the landlord to the waiter, 
 ' I forbid your bringing any dinner to this 
 impertinent little scamp.'
 
 42 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 u c Impertinent yourself! ' screamed Har- 
 ry, nearly beside himself with, passion ; and 
 he seized a glass to throw it in the landlord's 
 face. 
 
 "At this riotous noise, some more ser- 
 vants and the landlady rushed into the room ; 
 and the latter screaming out, 'You little 
 wretch ! ' and snatching up a broomstick, 
 rushed full tilt at Harry, who, concluding 
 that it was best not to wait for the fight, 
 jumped over the table, darted out of the 
 door, and flew up the street. 
 
 " He ran for a long time, as if a mad dog 
 were after him, until he had gained the out- 
 skirts of the town, and stopping, breathless 
 and exhausted, began to reflect upon his 
 situation.
 
 HEEDLESS HAERY. 43 
 
 " We always make remarkably wise re- 
 flections when we are suffering from our mis- 
 conduct. Harry began to think he had been 
 acting very like a donkey, and would very 
 willingly have returned home, and taken to 
 studying his hated lessons. 
 
 " Mght was now approaching ; the twi- 
 light deepened and darkened ; and it was 
 only by the stars which came peeping out 
 one by one, that he could see his way. A 
 strange feeling of dread and loneliness came 
 over him, and he was rejoiced at last to see 
 dimly before him a large barn. Jumping 
 the fence, he went up and tried the door ; 
 fortunately it was open, and our heedless 
 friend was glad enough to throw himself 
 down on a heap of fragrant hay, and spite
 
 44 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 of his hunger, was soon in a dreamless 
 sleep. 
 
 " The dismal screech (for it isn't crow- 
 ing) of one of those long-legged Shanghai 
 roosters, awoke him just as the dawn was 
 streaking the sky ; and shaking the hay from 
 his dress, Harry went out into the road 
 again. 
 
 " He was walking along, wondering 
 whether he should ever see home again. A 
 market- wagon came up behind him, and he 
 turned to inquire his way. 
 
 " ' "Where do you come from ? ' said the 
 market man. Harry told him. ' Bless my 
 wig ! ' said the man, ' you can't get home to- 
 day, no how you can fix it. Come with. me. 
 I'm going to York to sell my sass, and to- 
 morrow I will take you half-way home.'
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 45 
 
 " ' Jolly ! that's a good fellow,' cried Har- 
 ry, brightening up, i and you'll be a better 
 fellow yet, if you'll give me one of these rosy- 
 cheeked apples ; I'm hungry enough to swal- 
 low the horse and wagon.' 
 
 " ' Massy sakes ! air you ? Well, eat one 
 out each basket. 'Twon't make any differ- 
 ence ; they don't count apples.' 
 
 " So the heedless boy went into the apple- 
 eating business with all his teeth ; and before 
 he had made a finish of it, they had crossed 
 the Jersey City ferry, and rumbled into the 
 streets leading to Washington Market, where 
 the market man speedily disposed of his fruit 
 and vegetables, which he called 'sass.' When 
 he had concluded this business, he took Har- 
 ry down into one of the cellars, where he or-
 
 46 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 dered a nice breakfast, and strange to say, 
 Harry had some inside room left, for he did 
 his part in clearing the plates in fine style. 
 
 " After that, they went to a public house, 
 where the good market man left Harry, as 
 he had some business in a distant part of the 
 city ; but he charged the boy on no account 
 to leave the house till he returned. Harry 
 promised he would not. 
 
 " When he was gone, Harry put his nose 
 out of the window. The day was clear and 
 beautiful, and at the end of the street he 
 could see the water. 
 
 '"Dear me,' said Harry to himself, * what's 
 the harm of going to look at the water. It's 
 a real ocean. I've never seen the ocean. I'll 
 just take one peep and come back.'
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 47 
 
 " Down lie went to the edge of the pier, 
 and sat upon the end, to stare around him. 
 A steamboat coming quickly alongside, one 
 of the waves she made flew up in Harry's' 
 face, and splashed him from top to toe. He 
 jumped up in such a particular hurry, that 
 a sailor on a large ship on the other side, 
 burst out laughing, saying, ' Are you afraid, 
 Mr. Sugar Candy ? ' 
 
 1 " * Afraid ! I ! ' cried Harry, indignantly, 
 and turning round suddenly, his foot tripped 
 against a stone, and he tumbled over back- 
 wards into the water. 
 
 " Harry opened his mouth to bawl, but 
 instead of that, had it well filled with salt 
 water. The sailor ran faster than a lamp- 
 lighter, jumped in the water, caught Harry
 
 48 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 by the collar, and dragged him on shore, and 
 set him down in the sun to dry. 
 
 " While Harry was drying, the sailor 
 asked him all manner of questions, and soon 
 had his whole history. Then the cunning 
 fellow invited him to dinner ; and heedless 
 Harry, delighted to get on board a great 
 ship, went with him, never thinking again 
 of the kind, generous market man. 
 
 " And now, boys, and girls too, read for- 
 your benefit what happened next. The old 
 sailor was commissioned to find one or two 
 cabin boys for his ship, which sailed that 
 very evening, as soon as the tide served. 
 Harry was strong and quick Harry was 
 fearless Harry had run away from home 
 Harry wanted to see the world Harry was 
 the boy, the very dandy, for a cabin boy ; so
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 49 
 
 the sailor proposed that Harry should con- 
 tinue his travels in his company. 
 
 " * Where are you going ? ' said our young 
 friend. 
 
 " ' To Senegal,' said the sailor. 
 
 " ' And what sort of a place is Senegal ? ' 
 
 " ' Senegal,' answered the sailor, ' is a 
 most magnificent country, where the rivers 
 are made of milk, and the mountains of sugar. 
 The rain is composed of lemonade, and the 
 birds fall down from the trees all stuffed and 
 roasted, ready to eat, from morning till night. 
 The trees are covered with sugar-plums ; and 
 all the streams are full of goldfishes, which 
 come when you whistle to them. They are 
 real gold, and used for money by the inhabit- 
 ants! ' 
 
 4
 
 50 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 44 4 
 
 But do they ever write exercises 
 there f ' asked Harry, with a cunning twinkle 
 in his eye. 
 
 " ' NEVEK ! ' cried the sailor, who saw 
 what the trouble was with the silly "boy. 
 * The king of this delightful country has ex- 
 pressly forbidden it. He has burned down 
 all the colleges and blown up all the schools.' 
 
 " ' Jolly ! ' cried Harry, snapping his fin- 
 gers, 'that's the country for me! I'll go 
 with you, sure pop ! ' 
 
 " You perceive that heedless Harry did 
 not use very elegant language, but as a true 
 historian, I must tell you of persons, places, 
 and things just as they are, and I hope your 
 good sense will teach you to avoid all such 
 vulgarities.
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 51 
 
 " The sailor, taking advantage at once of 
 Harry's delight in his account of Senegal, 
 carried him to the captain, and making an 
 awkward bow, said : ' Captain, here is a new 
 hand.' 
 
 " ' Good ! ' cried the captain. ' He looks 
 strong. I hope he won't die of weariness 
 and fatigue, like the other ones.' 
 
 " At these words, Harry "began to feel 
 rather uncomfortable. ' What ! ' said he to 
 the sailor, as -they left the cabin, * do boys 
 have to work on board your ship ? ' 
 
 " c Sartain, for sure ; all the time,' said the 
 sailor, laughing. 
 
 " ' I want to go away,' cried Harry, al- 
 ready disgusted with the maritime service. 
 
 "'What's that you say?' shouted the
 
 52 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 sailor, with a mocking air. ' You forget, my 
 fine friend, that I gave you a dinner ; pay 
 me for it.' 
 
 " Harry shook his pockets, they were 
 empty. ' If you can't pay, you must stay,' 
 cried the sailor, and just then the ship left 
 the harbor. 
 
 "The heedless boy burst into tears. 
 Alas ! sorrow and repentance came too late ! 
 It was only ^ now that he remembered his 
 father and mother, probably made ill with 
 grief at his disappearance; and the worry 
 the good market man must be in, thinking 
 the boy to whom he had been so kind was 
 lost, perhaps murdered, in the great and 
 wicked city. 
 
 " In the midst of these doleful lamenta-
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 53 
 
 tions, the sailor came up and pulled Harry 
 by the ear. 
 
 " ' Come, you sniffling booby ! go to 
 work,' he said. 
 
 " Harry looked at him in astonishment. 
 
 " ' My eyes ! do you think you can eat 
 and drink for nothing? Come, take this 
 broom ; do you hear ? ' 
 
 " Our dismal friend took the broom, and 
 would liked to have broken it over the head 
 of the brutal sailor, but he was not strong 
 enough. 
 
 " ' Will you go to sweeping or not ? ' cried 
 the sailor, swearing in the most terrible 
 manner. 
 
 " ' I don't want to sweep/ said Harry. 
 
 "'Don't want to?'
 
 54 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " ' No ! ' Harry, perfectly red with anger, 
 threw down the broom, and crossed his 
 arms. 
 
 " ' Oh ! that's the way you behave, is 
 it ? ' said the sailor. ' Come to me, Susan.' 
 
 " "With that he caught up a knotted 
 rope's end, and gave Harry half a dozen 
 blows over his shoulders. You see blows 
 from Susan were given rather more fre- 
 quently on board ship than sugar plums. 
 ' Now, my dear friend,' said the sailor, ' this 
 is only the beginning of your fun. Now, 
 you know what will happen if you are idle. 
 Susan is my wife, and my name is Jack Bow- 
 sprit ; so take care of Susan and Jack, and 
 pick up the broom and sweep the deck, if 
 you don't want some more of our delicate at- 
 tentions.'
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 
 
 "Poor Harry began to sweep with a 
 trembling lip, his heart swelling with rage 
 and misery : then he had to wash the decks, 
 and after that to scrape the carrots and peel 
 the potatoes, and then he was rewarded by 
 having a piece of salt pork given him for his 
 supper, and eating it with the sailors. 
 
 "Harry was in despair. When supper 
 was over he came up and sat on the deck to 
 think. Tears came thick and fast as his mis- 
 conduct and its miserable consequences rose 
 up in his mind. He knelt down for the first 
 time since he had left home, and prayed his 
 Heavenly Father to forgive him, and prom- 
 ised that if he only was permitted to see his 
 dear parents again, he would indeed be an 
 obedient, thoughtful boy : he would try to 
 be so from that moment.
 
 56 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " Meanwhile, a fair, keen breeze rose, and 
 continued for many days, and the ship sailed 
 swiftly on to her destination. In a month 
 more they beheld Senegal. Entering the 
 river, they soon came to Saint Louis, where 
 they landed. 
 
 "You can imagine how rejoiced Harry 
 was to set foot once more upon the firm 
 earth not with the permission of the cap- 
 tain, though : for fearing they might keep 
 him on the ship all the time, in the dusk of 
 the evening he slid down a rope that was 
 hanging over the side, and, scrambling on 
 shore without being seen, made the best pos- 
 sible use of his heels. 
 
 " Liberty is a very fine thing ; but some 
 other things are wanted besides to make it
 
 HEEDLESS HABRY. 57 
 
 
 
 perfect dinner, for instance, and a house 
 containing a comfortable bed to sleep in. 
 
 " Harry was not much afraid at first at 
 finding himself in a savage country, alone 
 and unprotected. To the heedless, whatever 
 is new is charming. 
 
 "It was now bright moonlight, serene 
 and still. Harry, exhausted and tired with 
 his flight, lay down on the luxuriant grass. 
 
 <{ At home, lying down in such a bed 
 would have given him so severe a cold in 
 his head, that he would have nearly sneezed 
 and snuffled it off. Not so in Senegal. Still 
 there were other inconveniences, for Harry 
 had not rested for five minutes, when he 
 heard a stealthy footstep ; his heart began 
 to beat. He had learned in his Geography
 
 58 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 that Senegal was full of wild beasts, as well 
 as the sugar plums the treacherous sailor 
 talked about. He began to wish he had 
 staid in the ship ; but if he returned, there 
 was Jack Bowsprit, and there was SUSAN as 
 sure as a gun. It is no doubt very disagree- 
 able to be devoured by wild beasts ; but then 
 again it is very painful to be beaten by a 
 Susan. Harry was sure of the beating if 
 he returned, and he was not quite sure of 
 being eaten up if he remained ; so he con- 
 cluded to stay. 
 
 " While he was cogitating all these things, 
 he heard again the same stealthy tread ; and, 
 in a moment, he saw in the bright moon- 
 light a jackal, about the size of a big dog. 
 
 " Our heedless Harry was without wea-
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 59 
 
 pons of defence, but lie was by no means 
 without courage. Up he sprang, seized a 
 large stone, and flung it at the jackal ; at al- 
 most the same instant the wild beast leaped 
 at him and bit his leg. 
 
 " Both gave a howl of pain at the same 
 moment. Happily, Harry was not much 
 hurt ; while the jackal, with another cry, 
 lay dead at his feet. 
 
 " Harry gazed at his fallen enemy, his 
 heart beating with excitement; he could 
 not help thinking that if any thing a quarter 
 as bad had happened to him at home, his 
 kind mother could not have found caresses 
 and court-plaster enough to console him ; 
 and here he was, alone, and wounded. He 
 went to a stream near by, and washed and
 
 60 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 tied up his leg as well as he could ; and then 
 he began to think how he could pass the 
 night without danger. To rest on the bosom 
 of the earth was not safe ; another jackal 
 might come after the first to help him pick 
 the bones. To be sure he might regain the 
 ship but SUSAN ! ! At last he concluded 
 he would leave the earth, and climb a tree. 
 After much toil, and terrible scratching and 
 scrambling, he managed to get into an im- 
 mense tree, and settling himself in a fork 
 like an arm-chair, he fell into a troubled 
 sleep. 
 
 "The first rays of the sun awoke our 
 hero. Just as he was about to descend from 
 the tree, he heard a slight noise above. He 
 looked up, and there he saw (oh ! oh ! what
 
 
 THE ANACONDA THAT HARRY KILLED.
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 61 
 
 I hope you may never see except in a Me- 
 nagerie or Barnum's Museum) an enormous 
 boa constrictor, at least fifty feet long, sus- 
 pended from the top boughs of the tree, 
 twisting about. With a fierce and horrible 
 hiss, which froze the blood in Harry's veins, 
 he twisted, and turned, and looked at the 
 terrified boy. 
 
 " Harry screamed aloud. He had read 
 of this dreadful monster, how he thought 
 nothing of swallowing a bull whole for his 
 breakfast; and, of course, our young friend 
 would be only a side dish a mere trifle. 
 The boa advanced towards him with another 
 dreadful hiss, which seemed to say ' Here's 
 a nice little mouthful ! wait for me.' 
 
 " But Harry was determined to make
 
 62 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 one desperate attempt to postpone the feast. 
 He slid down the trunk of the tree like 
 lightning, and when he stood on the ground 
 he did not stop to ascertain which way the 
 wind blew, but ran like a rail car, under full 
 steam, panting and screaming very much as 
 they do. 
 
 " All at once he stopped short, for a ter- 
 rible roaring, like an immense peal of thun- 
 der, shook the earth. What was it ? Oh, 
 mercy! it was a great lion who was just 
 waking up. 
 
 " "What was the luckless, heedless boy to 
 do ? Between the lion and the boa constric- 
 tor, Harry was certainly lost. Whichever 
 was to eat him, it was certain he would make 
 a breakfast for one of them ; for on turning
 
 THE LION.
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 63 
 
 his head, he saw, to his increased horror, that 
 the monstrous snake had followed him ; and 
 at the same moment an enormous lion ap- 
 peared running, making bounds as high as 
 the arch of a bridge. 
 
 " Harry threw himself on his knees. For 
 one moment he was a prey to the most agon- 
 izing despair. Then he clasped his hands to- 
 gether, and implored for pardon for all his 
 faults ; and then rising, with a white and ter- 
 ror-stricken face, he endeavored to await 
 with fortitude the coming of his cruel fate. 
 
 " But now a very remarkable thing hap- 
 pened. Harry, nearly petrified with amaze- 
 ment, saw the lion and boa advance with 
 savage fierceness upon each other ! 
 
 " Oh ! then he thanked God in his heart !
 
 64 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 He carefully crept to one side, and watched, 
 with an eagle-like glance, what would happen 
 next. 
 
 " With a wild roar and savage bound, 
 the lion sprang upon the serpent, and tried 
 to tear him in pieces, while the boa, hissing 
 like a thousand geese, twisted himself, fold 
 after fold, round the body of his enemy, crush- 
 ing him, squeezing him, and rolling over till 
 his bones cracked. The angry roar changed 
 into a cry of despair and frenzy. Soon that 
 cry became weaker and weaker, fainter and 
 fainter, then ceased altogether the lion was 
 dead. 
 
 " The monstrous serpent, without waiting 
 to lay the table, or call for mustard, licked 
 his prey all over, and then swallowed him 
 whole.
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 65 
 
 " You will ask, perhaps, why Harry did 
 not run away. He had two excellent rea- 
 sons. The first was, he did not know where 
 in this part of the world to run ; he might 
 find a tiger at the very next turn ; and the 
 second, that he was too frightened to move. 
 
 " So Harry stood by and witnessed this 
 ruthless, shocking spectacle, to the end, his 
 heart beating as if it would leap out of his 
 breast ; and when the boa had finished his 
 frightful meal, the poor little fellow observed 
 that the monster was so gorged, he could 
 scarcely move, and that in a few moments 
 more he was fast asleep. 
 
 " ' There is one good thing,' he said to him- 
 self, c the awful thing don't care to breakfast 
 twice, so I am safe for the present.' 
 5
 
 66 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " As the boa seemed perfectly helpless, 
 he conceived a splendid but bold idea, for 
 he was by no means a timid child. 
 
 " He approached and stamped upon the 
 tail of the reptile, who remained immovable ; 
 then he made a cord of a vine that was grow- 
 ing near, with a running knot at the end, 
 and slipping this round the boa's neck, and 
 drawing it with all his might, he strangled 
 the serpent. 
 
 " Hardly had he concluded this brilliant 
 achievement, when he heard the galloping 
 of horses. Terrified and trembling, he wait- 
 ed half in hope and half in fear for what was 
 to come, when in a few moments, to his great 
 joy, he beheld some officers of the marine 
 service, whom he was sure were Americans, 
 approaching him.
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 67 
 
 " What was their astonishment at seeing 
 a little boy standing, pale, and with eyes 
 wild and distended with excitement, over 
 the dead body of an enormous snake. 
 
 " ' Good gracious ! ' exclaimed the one 
 who appeared to be the captain, * what on 
 earth are you doing with that amiable crea- 
 ture?' 
 
 " Harry, with his eyes full of tears, sim- 
 ply told his history. 
 
 "The officers were very much affected. 
 They belonged to an American ship of war 
 that was just about returning home. 
 
 " ' Would you like to go back with us ? ' 
 said the captain, kindly. 
 
 " ' Oh, Captain ! ' cried Harry, l gladly 
 will I go with you, but '
 
 68 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 u t 
 
 But what ? ' asked the captain. 
 
 " ' I want you to promise me that I shan't 
 be beaten by Susan.' 
 
 " ' What on earth do you mean ? ' cried 
 the captain, as he and the rest burst into a 
 laugh. 
 
 " Harry explained how Jack Bowsprit 
 used to beat him with a rope's end, which he 
 called his wife, Susan, and how he hated Su- 
 san worse than poison. 
 
 " They all laughed again at this, and the 
 captain promised that Susan Should be 
 thrown overboard as far as he was concerned, 
 and that he should be taken safely home. 
 
 " So Harry went with the officers, who 
 treated him as if he was their son ; and after 
 a prosperous voyage, he arrived safely at
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY 69 
 
 New York; and money was given him to 
 get home. 
 
 "That very evening Harry stood once 
 more before his sorrowing, almost broken- 
 hearted parents. "What did they do ? They 
 did not utter one word of reproach ; they 
 just opened their arms, and the boy flung him- 
 self upon their breasts ; and amid tears and 
 blessings all was forgiven. But not forgotten. 
 Oh, no ! for Harry, once so heedless, tried his 
 utmost to correct his faults, and with God's 
 help, he succeeded; and now he is so steady, 
 industrious, and obedient, that it is almost 
 impossible to believe that he ever was called 
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY." 
 
 There was many a roguish, laughing
 
 70 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 look cast at Harry as this strange story was 
 being read ; and when it was finished, George 
 exclaimed, eagerly " Oh, mamma ! what a 
 pity Aunt Fanny did not know about Harry, 
 and the old black cook, and the dishcloth ! 
 Wouldn't she have laughed ? " 
 
 " Tell us about it, Harry, do ! do ! " cried 
 all the brothers and sisters. 
 
 The children knew the story as well as 
 Harry, but they delighted to watch the 
 sparkle of his eyes, and his animated gestures, 
 for to tell the truth, he did enjoy mischief 
 beyond words to describe. 
 
 " Well," cried Harry, jumping up, " you 
 see I would go down in the kitchen and teaze 
 the cook; and she could never touch me 
 with the broomstick, because I ran full tilt ;
 
 HEEDLESS HARRY. 71 
 
 and she was very fat, you know, always trod 
 on her dress, and sometimes came down flat 
 on her nose. 
 
 " "Well, one day she said ' If you come 
 in the kitchen again, I'll pin the dishcloth 
 fast to your jacket!' I came right lack. 
 1 PIN IT ! ' said I, ' that's all I want.' So she 
 pinned it, and I stood very, very still till it 
 was done. Then I made one jump in the air, 
 and gave one tremendous shout, and put 
 square up stairs for mother's room, the cook 
 after me ; but I ran fastest, she was so fat. 
 I got in the room first, tore off the dishcloth 
 her best dishcloth bran new, and threw 
 it into the very middle of the fire ; and she 
 had the pleasure of seeing the last of her new 
 dishcloth blazing up the chimney. So that's
 
 72 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 what a cook gets when she pins her dish- 
 cloth on a boy." 
 
 The children clapped their hands, and 
 screamed with laughter at this story; and 
 they laughed still harder, when Harry put 
 on a comical, half-provoked look, and added, 
 " But you know mother made me take the 
 very money I was going to buy a new ball 
 with, and buy a yard of crash to make 
 another dishcloth for the cook ; that crashed 
 me, so I don't think I shall burn any more 
 for the present." 
 
 And now the children, bidding each other 
 " good night," went skipping and dancing to 
 bed, delighted with the evening's entertain- 
 ment, wondering who would have the next 
 story from Aunt Fanny.
 
 THE THIRD LETTEE. 
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 
 
 For Anna. 
 
 DEAR ANNA: I have lately been read- 
 ing a book full of pure and beautiful thoughts, 
 called " Vernon Grove," and the other even- 
 ing I became acquainted with the authoress. 
 She is a most lovely lady, dignified and 
 graceful ; and I had a very delightful con- 
 versation with her about books. 
 
 In Yernon Grove there is a short story
 
 74 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 about a dear little girl, which, story in- 
 terested me so much, that I asked permis- 
 sion of the authoress to copy it out for you. 
 Here it is, somewhat enlarged and altered, 
 but the main parts just as she wrote it. I 
 know, dear Anna, it is exactly such a tender, 
 sweet story, as will most gratify your affec- 
 tionate heart; so it is yours, with a kiss 
 from your loving 
 
 AUIST FAOTHT. 
 
 " POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 
 
 " On a curtained bed, in a darkened cham- 
 ber in the city of Charleston, not many years 
 ago, lay a beautiful lady, pale almost dy- 
 ing ; but, oh ! how happy, for her earnest
 
 POOR KICH LITTLE EVA. 75 
 
 prayer had been answered, and God had at 
 last given her the blessing of a child, and 
 the little tender life was even now nestling 
 soft as a rose-leaf in her bosom. 
 
 " It was late in the sweet spring-time, 
 which in that southern country is so beauti- 
 ful. A hushed and joyous stillness reigned 
 in the house, but every lip was smiling, from 
 the good old black cook, who was ' so grad 
 missis ben got her heart's desire,' to the 
 funny little fellow with his wool standing up 
 in kinks all over his head, who ran of errands, 
 and who evinced his delight by walking on 
 his kinky head all about the yard. 
 
 "Never was baby more welcomed. A 
 daughter, too, just what her parents desired 
 a darling girl to be a companion for her 
 mother all day long.
 
 76 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " The nursery was now the most inter- 
 esting and delightful room in the house. 
 Though evidences of boundless wealth and 
 exquisite taste were in every part, until the 
 baby came, it was only a grand, silent, gloomy 
 mansion; for no young pure voice had awaken- 
 ed the echoes in the stately halls no little pat- 
 tering feet made there delicious heart-music. 
 
 " But now what a magic change ! How 
 friends flocked to see the wonderful nursery 
 which the expectant mother had been so 
 happy in preparing ; how they peeped into 
 the bureau drawers, and admired the piles 
 of rare lace and snowy lawn, which were to 
 enfold the delicate limbs of this favored 
 child. 
 
 " And then the surprising and splendid
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 77 
 
 toys in gold and silver ! the beautiful pic- 
 tures already hung upon the walls, painted by 
 skilful artists, telling stories that she would 
 understand almost from infancy, of c Little 
 Ked Hiding Hood, 7 ' The Lamented Babes in 
 the Wood,' and ' Little Mary and her pretty 
 pet Lamb, who ivould go to school with her.' 
 Ah ! what a beautiful world was to be opened 
 to the sight and mind of that sweet spring 
 flower. 
 
 " Every day the good doctor came to see 
 the mother and the little baby, and every 
 day the mother grew stronger; and the 
 greatest delight of both parents was to look 
 at their new child, and softly kiss its tender 
 cheek, and feel the velvet touch of its precious 
 little hands.
 
 78 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 "Then, very soon, it grew so knowing, 
 and showed such surprising quickness, far 
 beyond (the parents thought) of any baby 
 ever seen or read of since the beginning of 
 the world. Of course it was very red at 
 first, but then the red was such a beautiful 
 shade. It hadn't the least speck of hair; 
 but what of that ? There was a lovely ex- 
 pression about even the lack of its head; 
 really quite intellectual. 
 
 -" Very soon, it would start at an unex- 
 pected noise or touch, and if dinner did not 
 come at the very moment it was wanted, lit- 
 tle Eva (for that was her sweet name) could 
 cry in a manner to astonish you ; but then, 
 such an excellent cry ! so loud and strong, 
 that itr was certain she had splendid lungs.
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 79 
 
 And what more could a mother's heart de- 
 sire ? And her precious treasure was watched 
 and guarded night and day by a mother's 
 love, stronger than death. 
 
 " But what is this ? The good doctor 
 watches little Eva as she grows, and always 
 when he looks at her, a sad, strange expres- 
 sion comes over his face ; and one day, when 
 going down stairs, he paused, and turned to 
 go back, but did not, for he said aloud to 
 himself: ' Not yet ; they cannot bear it yet; 
 and perhaps, after all, I may be in the 
 wrong.' 
 
 " They were both so happy that young 
 father and mother ! How they pitied all the 
 poor married people who had no children ! 
 
 " But the next day after this the good
 
 80 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 doctor decided not to withhold the commu- 
 nication, whatever it might be, from Eva's 
 father and mother. As soon as he entered 
 the room, he said abruptly : * Nurse, bring 
 me the child.' He stood by a window, and 
 threw wide open the darkened blinds. The 
 little Eva was brought to him just from her 
 morning toilette, fresh, sweet, and pure as a 
 rain-brightened flower ; her long embroidered 
 dress sweeping the carpet, and soft lace nest- 
 ling about her tiny arms. 
 
 " ' Oh, dear doctor ! ' exclaimed the 
 young mother, ' do not take the baby there ! 
 That bright glare of light has dazzled even 
 my strong eyes; and how can her feeble 
 sight endure it ? ' 
 "'It is necessary, madam,' replied the
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 81 
 
 doctor. He seemed to be a cross old fellow, 
 but beneath his gruff manner was hidden a 
 great, kind heart. 
 
 " He took the child, and having sent the 
 nurse away, turned from the mother, who lay 
 anxiously watching him, He gazed fixedly 
 at little Eva, while he exposed her beautiful 
 and tender eyes to the bright glare of the 
 morning sun. His brow was contracted into 
 a great heavy frown, and a short but deep 
 sigh escaped him ; but he never took his 
 eyes from her face : then he forced the lids, 
 with their long silken fringes, far away from 
 the ball of the eye, and little Eva was now 
 screaming with the pain caused by this 
 rough and cruel treatment. Alas ! a deeper 
 shade of anxiety crossed the doctor's face, 
 6
 
 82 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 and the hard and unfeeling man, as the 
 weeping mother thought him, drew the in- 
 fant tenderly to his breast, and murmured 
 in a low tone, ' Poor little thing I poor little 
 Tiel/pless thing ! ' and gave her back to her 
 nurse, and went away without saying another 
 word. 
 
 " That same evening the doctor came 
 again. It was very unusual for him to come 
 after dark, and his great creaking boots and 
 rough manner would have broken in upon a 
 very pretty group. 
 
 " But he went softly up stairs, and looked 
 in the room, unseen himself. There was the 
 happy mother wrapped in a cashmere, and 
 half-buried in an immense arm-chair, withf a 
 sweet motherly look upon her face, watching 
 her darling.
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 83 
 
 " Close to his wife, Eva's father sat, hold- 
 ing her in his arms ; and, wonderful to tell, 
 for a man, holding her quite comfortably ; for 
 he had lulled her to sleep with a lullaby of 
 his own composition, the language of which 
 was utterly unknown to the rest of the com- 
 pany. He was learning to talk ' baby talk/ 
 and was really getting on very well, and 
 just now he was looking extremely proud 
 and happy at his success in soothing the 
 little one. 
 
 " Opposite to these happy parents sat 
 Mr. Yernon, a noble-looking gentleman, and 
 his wife, a beautiful lady, uncle and aunt to 
 the baby; and, in the distance, was the 
 faithful black nurse, old Dinah, fast asleep, 
 and quite as happy, in her own opinion, as 
 the rest of the party.
 
 84 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " Presently the father laid the baby ten- 
 derly down in her beautiful cradle, and while 
 gently rocking her, said softly : ' I wonder 
 what the baby was thinking about while I 
 sang to her ? ' 
 
 " * She looked so wonderfully wise,' said 
 the mother. 
 
 " ' Did you ever come across that lovely 
 little poem " "What is the little one think- 
 ing about ? " ' said Mr. Vernon. ' I can only 
 remember the last part of it, though my little 
 daughter has often read it to me,' and he re- 
 cited, in a sweet, low voice, this exquisite 
 little fragment : 
 
 " What is the little one thinking about ? 
 What does she think of her mother's eyes ? 
 What does she think of her mother's hair ?
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 85 
 
 What, of the cradle roof that flies 
 Forward and backward through the air ? 
 What does she think of her mother's breast, 
 Round and beautiful, smooth and white, 
 Seeking it ever with fresh delight 
 Cup of her life, and couch of her rest ? 
 What does she think, when her quick embrace 
 Presses her hand, and buries her face 
 Deep, where the heart-throbs sink and swell 
 With a tender love she can never tell, 
 
 Though she murmurs the words 
 
 Of all the birds, 
 
 Words she had learned to murmur well ? 
 Now she thinks she'll go to sleep ! 
 I can see the shadow creep 
 Over her eyes in soft eclipse 
 Over her brow, and over her lips. 
 Out to her little finger-tips ! 
 Softly sinking down she goes ! 
 Down she goes ! down she goes ! 
 See ! she is hushed in sweet repose."
 
 86 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " As the doctor gazed on this lovely scene, 
 and heard the beautifully touching words so 
 fitly spoken, instead of smiling, he frowned 
 and sighed, for his heart was troubled. 
 
 " Coming forward, he grumbled out, ' A 
 family party, I see.' 
 
 " ' Yes,' said the father, rising and smil- 
 ing ; ' and no one but yourself would find a 
 welcome.' 
 
 " * So much the better,' growled the doc- 
 tor. ' Nurse, light the gas.' 
 
 " ' We have not lit it yet,' said the young 
 mother, pointing to the two wax lights in a 
 distant corner, * because they tell me the eyes 
 of infants are very weak and tender.' 
 
 " The doctor took no notice of this, only 
 nodded to the nurse ; and she, standing in
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 87 
 
 mortal fear that he would cut her head off 
 immediately if she hesitated, obeyed his 
 order. 
 
 " The mother looked at her little child, 
 who was still peacefully sleeping, and then 
 shaded her eyes with her hand from the sud- 
 den blaze of light, thinking that though the 
 doctor seemed very cruel, he must be doing 
 what was right. Poor young mother ! 
 
 " ' I only need this last test before I tell 
 you what it means, 1 said the doctor. ' Here, 
 give me the child.' 
 
 " The father tenderly laid the little Eva 
 in his arms, though quite at a loss to imagine 
 what experiment was to be tried. The light 
 was certainly too strong to be let suddenly 
 into a darkened room, he thought ; but the
 
 88 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 doctor knew best. It was strange that only 
 the noble-looking gentleman, Mr. Vernon, 
 seemed to divine the meaning of the rough 
 but kind-hearted man, bnt he knew only too 
 well ; he was sadly sure. I will tell you why, 
 presently. 
 
 " And now the tender head of the sleep- 
 ing child lay helplessly against the physi- 
 cian's rough coat, encircled by his arm. 
 
 " Suddenly he dashed some cold water, 
 that stood near, into her face. 
 
 " Little Eva awoke, and opened her dark 
 blue eyes immediately under the bright 
 stream of light. She did not cry ; she did 
 not shrink; calmly she looked up, never 
 flinching, never winking as she lay. 
 
 " The doctor raised her nearer and nearer
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 89 
 
 to the flame ; he turned the screws, and let 
 out each burner to its fullest capacity, and 
 passed his hands rapidly to and fro close to 
 the child's eyes, then turning towards the 
 wondering, panic-stricken group, who were 
 slowly beginning to understand the meaning 
 of that fearful pantomime, he laid her once 
 more in her father's arms, and looking in his 
 face, said, in a rough, broken voice, while a 
 great tear trembled in his eye ' God help 
 little Eva, SHE is BLEOX' 
 
 " The doctor went away that night with 
 the sorrowful wail of the poor parents smit- 
 ing his heart. 
 
 " He came again and again, but never- 
 more in that house did he open the door 
 upon a group so smilingly happy, as that
 
 90 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 which greeted him on the fatal night, when 
 he told them the dreadful truth, that their 
 child would never see their faces, for she was 
 blind. 
 
 " And now I will tell you about Mr. Ver- 
 non. When he was quite a young man, rich, 
 handsome, and surrounded with friends, he 
 was taken ill with a dreadful fever, which 
 left him totally blind. For a long, long time 
 he murmured at God's will, and refused to 
 believe there was any thing left worth living 
 for ; but God's ways are not our ways, and in 
 His own good time He so softened the wilful 
 heart of the blind man, so that he became 
 not only resigned, but happy. 
 
 "After a few years, God gave him a 
 beautiful wife, who loved him more because
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 91 
 
 of the affliction which made Mm so depend- 
 ent upon her loving care ; and oh ! how I 
 hope that all who are reading this true story 
 will have a tender pity for those upon whom 
 God has caused outward darkness to fall. 
 They cannot see the sunshine, or the beauti- 
 ful flowers let them/e^ the warm sunshine 
 of a loving heart. 
 
 " In due course of time Mr. Vernon had 
 two lovely children, the elder a pretty little 
 maiden, with deep blue eyes, and dark, wavy 
 hair, whose sweet name was Ruth. The dear 
 little girl was six years old before the other 
 darling came to gladden his parents' heart, 
 and having no companions but her blind 
 father and gentle mother, she grew to be 
 quite a dignified little woman. None so
 
 92 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 proud and happy as Ruth, when she was 
 guiding her blind father ; none knew better 
 all his favorite walks in and around the 
 beautiful country place where they lived ; 
 and her gentle, patient ways made her the 
 very darling of his heart. 
 
 " In a few years there was another little 
 being in the world, to whose happiness Ruth 
 was necessary ; and that was her poor blind 
 cousin, Eva, and though Ruth's parents 
 missed her sadly, they would often give up 
 their darling, and send or take her into the 
 city, to visit and comfort and amuse Eva. 
 
 " Ruth understood Eva better than any 
 one else, because she had been her dear blind 
 father's constant companion ; and Eva loved 
 her with all her heart ; she knew her step ;
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 93 
 
 she would hear it before any one else did, 
 and the color would rush in her face, and 
 she would wait with beating heart till the 
 door opened, and then she would rush to 
 her, throw her arms round her neck, and 
 cry, . ' Oh, dear Ruth ! darling Ruth ! ' and 
 kiss her twenty times, and Ruth would kiss 
 Eva just as many, and then they would sit 
 down close together, and have such a nice, 
 happy talk ! for Ruth had to tell all about 
 the chickens, and Dandy, the pony, who 
 loved sugar so dearly; and how she had 
 hemmed six pocket-handkerchiefs for her 
 dear father, and most wore a hole in her 
 little thimble ; and how her little baby 
 brother had scrabbled off with old Dobbin's 
 bran-bag, just as the poor old horse was
 
 94 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 going to eat his dinner, and poked his own 
 dear little head in it, and when he pulled it 
 out, the bran was all over his face, making 
 him look as if he was covered with freckles ; 
 which funny caper made Eva laugh like ' any 
 thing. 7 
 
 " And when the talking was over, Ruth 
 read to little Eva, for all toys were useless to 
 the "blind child ; but her books were doubly 
 dear, and Ruth was never tired of reading 
 to her ; so while she staid, Eva was as happy 
 as it was possible to be. 
 
 " One day the good doctor brought a 
 celebrated occulist to see Eva. An occulist 
 is a physician who cures diseases of the 
 eyes, and devotes his whole time and talent 
 to that precious and delicate part of the hu- 
 man frame.
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 95 
 
 "The occulist examined her eyes very 
 carefully, and then said : ' After a few years 
 I can perform an operation on Eva's eyes 
 that may give her sight ; but it will be a 
 very painful one, and perhaps I may not suc- 
 ceed. If this dear little child were mine, I 
 would almost rather let her remain blind 
 than give her such terrible pain, which may 
 end in disappointment.' 
 
 " But oh ! what a blessed hope ! her pa- 
 rents would not see the dark side ; they dwelt 
 upon the happiness it would be for little 
 Eva to see ; and one day her father took her 
 upon his knee, and, fondly kissing her, said : 
 ' Eva, my darling, would you like to see the 
 beautiful sunlight and sweet flowers ? ' 
 
 " ' O papa ! yes ! yes ! but, most of all,
 
 96 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 I want to see you and mamma, and Kuth 
 and Dinah.' 
 
 " ' Well, my darling, if you can make up 
 your mind to endure a terrible pain, when 
 you are older we will have the operation 
 tried. It will only last a moment, dear Eva, 
 and then just think ! you will see the whole 
 beautiful world ! and know all of us by our 
 faces, as you now do by our steps and voices ; 
 you will see the birds flying in the air ; the 
 moon sailing slowly in the heavens, the 
 little twinkling stars, and the rippling water, 
 and we shall be so happy! so happy! I 
 will not tell you when to have it done ; I 
 will wait till you are ready, my darling.' 
 
 " Then Eva thought long of it, and had 
 many an earnest conversation upon the sub-
 
 EVA PRAYING FOE STRENGTH TO SAY THE WORDS.
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 97 
 
 ject with her little cousin Ruth; and one 
 day she said : ' Ruth, will you promise me, 
 true for true, that you will come and hold 
 my hand when they operate upon my eyes ? 7 
 
 " * I promise you, true for true] said 
 Ruth. 
 
 " And so the matter was settled. 
 
 " Time passed on ; and Eva was now 
 eleven years old, and Ruth nine. 
 
 " Then Eva made a great resolution, and 
 going to her father, she said : ' Father, I am 
 ready NOW.' 
 
 " They were simple words ; but poor lit- 
 tle Eva had prayed to God, for nights and 
 nights, and many times in the day, to give 
 her strength to say them, and God had heard 
 her prayer ; for though her father turned 
 7
 
 98 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 deadly pale at the words, the low sweet 
 voice of the child did not tremble. 
 
 " And now the good doctor came, all his 
 roughness gone, and he held that little head, 
 with its glossy waves of hair, to keep it 
 steady, but it trembled far less than he did ; 
 for he had watched Eva from her infancy, 
 and dearly loved her, aritl he was intensely 
 interested in the result of the experiment 
 about to be performed. 
 
 "Near Eva stood her mother and her 
 brave and faithful cousin Ruth, holding her 
 hand, as she had promised ' true for true] 
 and telling her to take courage, for all would 
 be well. 
 
 " ' Patience,' said the operator, softly ; * a 
 pang, and half the suffering will be over.'
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 99 
 
 " The little hand which held Kuth's was 
 clasped more tightly, and a groan smote on 
 the listeners' ears. The room reeled a faint- 
 ness came over the heroic child; but she 
 was soon herself again. 
 
 " l Would you not rather wait a day or 
 two for the other eye to be operated upon ? ' 
 said the kind physician. ' A week hence, or 
 a month, will answer.' 
 
 " ' Oh ! no,' answered Eva, with quiet self- 
 possession, * let it be done to-day ; let it be 
 done NOW. I do not think I could bear 
 the suspense, and it would please my father 
 to know that it was over/ 
 
 "Love sustained her. Another sigh 
 another groan, and it was finished. 
 
 "Then came the bandages, the darkened
 
 100 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 room, the stillness, the repose, for one whose 
 nerves had been so shaken ; but often those 
 little cousinly hands were clasped together 
 in a pressure which spoke more love than 
 many words. 
 
 " Her father hardly ever left the house, 
 and her mother wept often, for she loved her 
 child in her blindness as much as a mother 
 could love, and had never wished her to go 
 through so much suffering suffering which 
 might be fruitless; and she waited for the 
 result with trembling anxiety. 
 
 " A look from a physician has often more 
 weight than many words spoken ; and Ruth, 
 who read the good doctor's face with the 
 keenness of a child's perception, was the first 
 to see an expression of hope shining upon
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 101 
 
 it. When the day came for the bandages 
 to be removed, Eva's father and mother 
 were so dreadfully agitated, that they had to 
 leave the room. Trembling, they stood out- 
 side in the hall, waiting for the happy or 
 wretched tidings. 
 
 "But Ruth brave little Ruth held 
 Eva's hand as before. Those little clasped 
 hands gave each other courage, for Ruth 
 needed it as much as Eva, and her heart- 
 beats could almost be heard in the silence. 
 What a study her sweet little face was, as 
 the emotions of love, pity, fear, and hope, 
 crossed it, as shadowy clouds flit across the 
 sky! 
 
 " Slowly, cautiously, the bandages were 
 removed, and at last the end came, and the
 
 102 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 little girl saw upon the physician's face a 
 broad, cheerful, happy smile. Ruth was a 
 heroine, and had great self-control ; but now 
 control became impossible. She thought not 
 of consequences she only thought of the 
 unceasing prayer which had been breathed 
 by that household for mctny weeks she 
 only saw that that prayer had been granted. 
 
 " ' SHE WILL SEE ! she will see ! ! ' she al- 
 most screamed. ' Eva ! Eva ! love ! darling ! 
 do you hear ? ' 
 
 " The physician gave her a stern look of 
 rebuke, but it was too late ; Little Eva had 
 fainted. 
 
 " ' Ruth is right] said he to the father 
 and mother, who had rushed in at this 
 blessed announcement, ' but she has been too
 
 POOA RICH LITTLE EVA. 103 
 
 abrupt. Her cousin and herself are wonder- 
 ful little women in times of trial and. danger ; 
 but neither of them are equal to a sudden 
 
 joy.' 
 
 " It was a long time before Eva got well, 
 and was permitted to use her new and 
 precious gift o. sight ; but then the amaze- 
 ment and delight with which she ran from 
 one thing to another the joy with which 
 she gazed upon the faces of her parents and 
 Ruth, no one of us, who have always seen, 
 can ever know or appreciate. 
 
 " And old Binah said, as she hugged her 
 darling to her faithful breast, l God bress 
 de good massa dat gib de sight to my little 
 missis. It don't make no sort of difference 
 to she, case old Binah black. Dear, no ! she
 
 104 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 iub her just de same when.she see dot I don't 
 you, little missis \ ' 
 
 " ' Why, of course I do,' answered little 
 Eva, and she kissed good old Binah, and ran 
 off with Ruth to look at some flowers. Oh, 
 that precious sight! how dear it was to 
 her!' 
 
 " And now she is no longer poor rich lit- 
 tle Eva." 
 
 The children had listened to the story 
 of Eva, with eager, breathless attention ; and 
 when Ruth screamed out, " She will see ! she 
 will see ! " they very nearly screamed, too, 
 so rejoiced were they that the blindness had 
 been removed ; and the dear little girl had 
 not suffered so much for nothing.
 
 POOR RICH LITTLE EVA. 105 
 
 "It must be so terrible to be blind," 
 said Anna ; " don't you remember when we 
 went to see the exhibition of the blind chil- 
 dren at the Academy of Music, the tears 
 were rolling down mamma's face nearly the 
 whole time, and we all felt so sorry, that we 
 came home quite unhappy ?" 
 
 "Dear me," cried Harry, "I do wish 
 there was no such affliction ; why must there 
 be, mamma ! " 
 
 " God knows best, dear Harry," answer- 
 ed the little mother. " If He did not, for 
 His own wise purpose, permit us to know 
 trouble and sorrow in this world, we would 
 never desire that blessed rest and peace here- 
 after, which he promises to all those who 
 put their trust in him."
 
 106 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " Yes, God must know best," said Clara, 
 in a low voice ; " for dear Charley has had 
 more suffering and sorrow than any of us, 
 and yet he loves Him, and wants to go to 
 heaven." 
 
 " When Charley was very little," said the 
 mother, "I found him crying bitterly one 
 day. ' Why, what is the matter, my darling ? ' 
 I said. 
 
 " ' Oh mamma ! ' he sobbed, 'I am so 
 afraid there won't be room enough in heaven 
 for me! Do you think such a poor, lame 
 child can get there ? ' 
 
 " I took him in my arms, and kissed and 
 comforted him, and told him that Jesus look- 
 ed at the heart, not at the weak, crooked 
 body ; and that the better and purer his life
 
 POOR EICH LITTLE EVA. 107 
 
 was, the greater would be his welcome to 
 His house Beautiful, when life . had ended 
 here." 
 
 All the children looked at Charley, with 
 their eyes full of love ; and in their prayers 
 that night, they entreated that Jesus would 
 remember their dear little brother's life-long 
 suffering, and give him a place close to Him 
 in heaven.
 
 THE FOUKTH LETTER. 
 
 ILL TEMPER. 
 
 For George. 
 
 "DEAR GEOEGE: You know you are 
 now nearly seventeen years old, and quite a 
 patriarch in the Nightcap family ; and I am 
 rejoiced that I can say with truth, that you 
 have been, and are, a most excellent elder 
 brother, unselfish, sweet-tempered, and al- 
 ways setting a good example." 
 
 " Dear me," interrupted George, laughing
 
 ILL TEMPER. 109 
 
 and blushing very much, " I do not deserve 
 such high praise ; " but here' the expression 
 of his face changed, his lip began to tremble, 
 and running up to his mother, he kissed her, 
 and said "Whatever I am that is good, 
 you, dear mother, have made me." 
 
 " With God's help and blessing, my dear 
 son," said his mother, returning the kiss ; and 
 then she went on reading. 
 
 " When you were a little fellow, of not 
 quite seven years, you had the scarlet fever, 
 and were very ill ; and perhaps you remem- 
 ber how cross you were for a long time after." 
 
 " Oh, yes," exclaimed George ; " mother 
 used to say somebody else must have jumped 
 into my skin, for, certainly, I was not 'the same 
 George."
 
 110 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " I have written a story about this change 
 in temper, and how a cure was effected. You 
 became sweet-tempered again, as soon as you 
 got quite well ; but Arthur, in my story, re- 
 quired a lesson and some punishment, as he 
 became cross without scarlet fever, rhyme, 
 or reason. I hope you will let me know if 
 you think I have invented a good plan to 
 cure a cross-patch. You know I am a great 
 believer in our always trying first upon our- 
 selves, what we propose to ' do to others] as 
 the very best way of finding out if we would 
 like the same ' done to us? r ' 
 
 " Why, that's the ' golden rule ! ' " cried 
 little Minnie ; and now the children settled 
 themselves, and eagerly listened to the fol- 
 lowing story :
 
 ILL TEMPER. Ill 
 
 ILL TEMPER. 
 
 "When Arthur was about seven years 
 old, he was one of the very best boys to be 
 found in a long summer's day. In the morn- 
 ing he would spring out of bed with a bright 
 smile, wash and dress himself quickly, with 
 the help of Mary, his kind nurse, say his 
 prayers slowly and reverently, (ah ! that was 
 the secret of his goodness !) and then all day 
 long he would be so obliging and good-tem- 
 pered, that no one could help loving him that 
 knew him ; and so they didn't try to help it, 
 for everybody loved him dearly. 
 
 " But, alas ! I have heard the doctors say, 
 (and of course they must know,) that once in 
 every seven years the whole body is renewed,
 
 112 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 flesh, bones, blood, nerves, muscles; and I 
 grieve to have to relate, that in Arthur's 
 case the change seemed to include his spirit- 
 part also ; that is, his good temper and lov- 
 ing ways marched out of him, and some very 
 bad substitutes marched in, as I shall proceed 
 to relate. 
 
 " One morning Arthur awoke at his usual 
 hour, but not with his usual smile. His face 
 was all puckered up like a frozen apple. He 
 floundered about the bed, and bumped his 
 head against the head-board, and was just as 
 cross as forty bears. 
 
 " Of course every thing went wrong ; he 
 put his stockings on wrongside out, tied his 
 shoes in a hard knot, pulled on his panta- 
 loons with the back part before, and drew
 
 ILL TEMPER. 113 
 
 his arms through his jacket upside down. 
 Did you ever hear of such a piece of 
 work ? 
 
 " When Mary came to brush his hair and 
 wash his face, he screamed out, stamping his 
 foot at her ' Do stop ! Stop ! I tell you ! 
 You brush me as hard as ever you can ! I 
 wish you would leave me alone, you ugly old 
 thing ! ' 
 
 " Oh, dear, dear, what a sad boy ! He 
 puts me in mind of that other naughty boy 
 who scolded his nurse in a piece of poetry. 
 This is it: 
 
 . " ' Oh why must my face be washed so clean, 
 And scrubbed and scoured for Sunday ? 
 When you know very well, as you've always seen, 
 'Twill be dirty again on Monday. 
 
 8
 
 114 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " ' My hair is stiff with the hateful soap, 
 
 That behind my ears is dripping ; 
 
 My smarting eyes, I'm afraid to ope, 
 
 And my lips the suds are sipping. 
 
 " ' They're down my throat, and they're up my nose, 
 
 And to choke me you seem to be trying, 
 That I'll shut my mouth, you needn't suppose, 
 For how can I keep from crying ? 
 
 " ' And you rub as hard as ever you can, 
 
 And your hands are hard, to my sorrow ; 
 No woman shall wash me, when I'm a man, 
 And I wish I was one to-morrow.' 
 
 " But at last Arthur went sulking down 
 to breakfast, forgetting to say Ms prayers ; 
 and taking his seat at the table, whined out, 
 the very first thing ' Just look at this piece 
 of toast ; it is all burnt, and as hard as a
 
 ILL TEMPER. 115 
 
 stone. I won't have it!' Then he tasted 
 his coffee, and exclaimed * Pooh ! what cof- 
 fee ! perfect slops ! ' 
 
 " His mother was grieved to see him act- 
 ing so naughtily, and said, gently 4 I am 
 sony, Arthur, you are not pleased ; will you 
 have an egg ? 7 
 
 " Arthur cracked an egg with his tea- 
 spoon, looked at it, threw it down, and turn- 
 ing up his nose with disdain, said ' Eggs ! 
 Brickbats you mean ! they have been boiling 
 all night.' 
 
 " This exhibition of ill temper distressed 
 his mother exceedingly, but she did not say 
 any thing to him then ; being a woman of 
 excellent sense, she formed a plan in her mind 
 which she hoped would effect a cure.
 
 116 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " Arthur was an only child. His parents 
 were rich, and they preferred that he should 
 be educated at home ; they feared his learn- 
 ing evil as well as good at a large school. 
 Hitherto this plan had been very successful, 
 for Arthur was as studious and obedient as 
 his tutors could possibly wish ; and this sud- 
 den and sad change made all around him 
 unhappy. I will give you a history of one 
 of these miserable days. 
 
 " On this morning, his tutor arrived, as 
 usual, at nine o'clock; and commenced by 
 giving his pupil a lesson in penmanship. 
 There was an ominous scowl on Arthur's 
 face. He twitched his copy-book before him, 
 pretended he could not find a good pen, 
 scratched and blotted the paper from top to
 
 ILL TEMPER. 117 
 
 bottom, and so, when the lesson was finished, 
 the page was a sight to behold. 
 
 " ' You have not tried to write well,' said 
 his master, mildly. 
 
 " ' My pen was abominable, and the paper 
 was greasy,' said Arthur, sulkily. 
 
 " ' A bad workman always pretends that 
 his tools are to blame/ said the master. 
 
 " ' Oh, dear me ! you are never satisfied ! 
 If I write too lightly, you say it looks as if a 
 spider had scampsred over the paper with 
 inky legs ; if I bear on harder, you ask me 
 how much horse power I have put on to 
 make such heavy strokes. I don't know 
 what to do ! I don't ! You are always grum- 
 bling.' 
 
 " * Oh, no ! not always, for here are a great
 
 118 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 many pages on which I have written, * Very 
 well ; very well, indeed.' 
 
 " ' That was only by chance,' said Arthur. 
 
 " ' But if these chances do not always oc- 
 cur, whose fault is it ? ' 
 
 " ' Oh, mine ! I suppose you mean to say,' 
 answered Arthur, pettishly. 
 
 " ' Well, my dear boy, only look at your 
 writing to-day. It resembles a company of 
 soldiers, each of whom carries his musket to 
 suit himself, this one to the right, that to the 
 left, a third horizontally, a fourth perpen- 
 dicularly, and all the rest of the letters with 
 broken backs and crooked legs. Just look 
 at it ! ' 
 
 " ' Oh, dear ! you are always mocking me,' 
 whined Arthur. ' One would think I did it 
 all on purpose. Oh, dear me ! '
 
 ILL TEMPER. 119 
 
 " At last this lesson came to an end ; but 
 the others were no better, and the poor mas- 
 ter went away with his temper sorely tried, 
 sadly remembering the happy and good little 
 Arthur of the year before. 
 
 " In the afternoon, his mother said, in a 
 pleasant tone, ' Come, dear Arthur, come 
 and take a walk with me ; it is such a lovely 
 day ; the robins are singing in the trees ; and 
 look, how fast the delicate white clouds are 
 sailing through the air ! Come, dear.' 
 
 " ' It isn't pleasant ! and I can't bear 
 robins,' said Arthur. 
 
 " His mother sighed and went alone. 
 
 "Left at home, Arthur tried to amuse 
 himself. He got out his puzzle, or dissected 
 map of the United States ; but as ill-temper-
 
 120 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 ed people are never patient or gentle, in a 
 very little while lie had cracked South Caro- 
 lina nearly in two, snapped off the top of 
 Maryland, broken New York into three 
 pieces, and made mince-meat of the Union 
 generally, which was a very shocking thing 
 to do, even on a dissected map ; and then, 
 the cross boy ended by throwing all the 
 States into the black coal-scuttle. 
 
 " After this he tried to read ; but nothing 
 seemed to amuse him. From ' Robinson 
 Crusoe ' he went to the ' Eollo Books,' and 
 from those to ' Nightcaps,' and declared they 
 were all stupid alike, ( a perfect pack of non- 
 sense ! ' 
 
 " As a last resource, he called Jumbo, his 
 big cat, who was so fond of Arthur, that he
 
 ILL TEMPER. 121 
 
 would let him do just what lie pleased with 
 him, that is, as long as his little master was 
 kind ; but to-day he pinched his ears, and 
 pulled his tail, and twitched his whiskers at 
 such a rate, that poor Jumbo puckered up 
 his face like a pudding-bag, and squalled like 
 a first-class opera singer. 
 
 " ' The bad old thing ! ' exclaimed Arthur. 
 'I declare, he ought to be drowned! I'll 
 never play with him again. Scat ! scat ! get 
 out ! ' and off scampered poor Jumbo, and hid 
 himself behind the kitchen door. 
 
 "All this time you are wondering his 
 mother did not punish him. Wait a little. 
 Just read to the end, and then tell me what 
 you think of her mode of punishment. I shall 
 wish very much to know if you approve of it.
 
 122 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " One evening, after Arthur had gone to 
 bed, his father and mother had a long con- 
 sultation with each other about the best way 
 of curing Arthur's ill temper; and they 
 agreed upon a plan his mother had thought 
 of during the day. 
 
 " The next morning came, when the trial 
 was to be made. Every one received his or 
 her instructions from Arthur's mother, and 
 were quite ready to begin the new mode of 
 punishment. 
 
 " But, for a wonder, on this particular 
 morning Arthur awoke feeling very pleasant 
 and amiable. Never mind, he was to receive 
 his lesson all the same. 
 
 " While Mary was helping him to dress, 
 she seemed very snappish and impatient.
 
 ILL TEMPER. 123 
 
 " l Do, for goodness sake, keep still, Mas- 
 ter Arthur ! ' slie said ; * you are always fidg- 
 eting and fussing.' 
 
 " 1 1? ' said Arthur, laughing. l Why, I've 
 been as still as a mouse ! ' 
 
 " Mary was silent for a moment, but pre- 
 sently she exclaimed ' How carelessly you 
 have washed your hands, your shirt is all 
 wet. I have shown you how to wash without 
 splashing a hundred times. You worry my 
 life out ! ' 
 
 "'I tried to do as you told me,' said 
 Arthur, with a little sigh. 
 
 " ' Oh, fiddlesticks ! don't tell mo ! You 
 are a terrible boy ! ' and Mary bounced out 
 of th<j room, banging the door behind her. 
 
 " Arthur went down to breakfast, and
 
 124 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 ran up to his mother to tell her about Mary. 
 ( I think she was " terrible," ' he said. ' What 
 could be the matter with her, mamma ? ' 
 
 " ' Perhaps she was indulging in ILL TEM- 
 PER,' answered his mother, significantly. 
 
 " When they sat down to breakfast there 
 was no toast. 
 
 " ' I should like a piece of toast,' said 
 Arthur. 
 
 " His mother rang a little bell, and the 
 cook came in. She looked first at the mis- 
 tress, with a peculiar smile, and then she 
 looked at Arthur. 
 
 " ' Margaret,' said he, ' there is no toast.' 
 
 " 'I know it, Master Arthur ; it was too 
 brown ; and you are so hard to suit, that I 
 did not dare to serve it.'
 
 ILL TEMPER. 125 
 
 " ' I hard to suit ? ' cried Arthur, who 
 seemed to have forgotten what a naughty 
 boy he had been. ' ./hard to suit ? Not at 
 all. If the toast is a little too brown, I don't 
 mind it. Give it to me, Margaret/ 
 
 " ' I threw it away,' said the cook. 
 
 " ' Oh, well, I'm in no hurry ; I will wait 
 while you make me another piece.' 
 
 " ' My fire has gone out,' said the cook. 
 
 " ' Well, you can re-light it, can't you ? ' 
 
 " ' Do you think I have nothing to do 
 but to wait upon you ? ' cried the cook. * You 
 know nothing ever suits you ; and you al- 
 ways speak rudely to me ; ' and she flounced 
 out of the room. 
 
 w ' How can she say so, mamma ? ' cried 
 Arthur. * I speak rudely to her ? Why, I
 
 126 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 was as polite as ever I could be. It is too 
 bad!' 
 
 " ' Servants find it very hard to attend 
 upon you, Arthur. They are accustomed to 
 polite treatment from the rest of us. 1 
 
 " ' "Well but mamma to accuse me to- 
 day, when it was she who ' 
 
 " ' "Was indulging in ILL-TEMPEK,' inter- 
 rupted his mother. 
 
 " Arthur understood, and was silent. 
 
 " The hour for his grammar lesson had 
 now arrived. The tutor bowed to Arthur's 
 mother, smiled, and commenced : 
 
 " c Do you know your lessons, my young 
 friend ? ' 
 
 " ' I have studied them, sir.' 
 
 " ' Do you know them ? It is of little
 
 ILL TEMPER. 127 
 
 consequence that you have studied them, if 
 you do not know them.' 
 
 " ' I believe I do, sir.' 
 
 " c Well, let us see begin.' 
 
 " * In the tenses] began Arthur a little 
 embarrassed, 'we should distinguish the 
 moods and the verbs.' , 
 
 " l Nonsense ! you should have said, " In 
 the verbs we should distinguish the moods 
 and the tenses." ' 
 
 " ' Yes, sir, that is what I meant to say ; 
 I knew that, but my tongue slipped. 1 
 
 " ' Your tongue slips very often. Con- 
 tinue' 
 
 " Arthur, still more embarrased, said 
 ' We should also distinguish the moods and 
 the persons.'
 
 128 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " * You must be demented ! What Lave 
 the moods to do in that sentence ? Perhaps 
 you are expecting a visit from the man in 
 the moon, and that makes you talk such 
 nonsense. The grammar says " We should 
 distinguish the numbers and the persons." 
 Your tongue does nothing but slip ; you 
 do not know your lesson. 7 
 
 " ' Excuse me, sir ; I do know it.' 
 
 " * You are not respectful, Master Arthur,' 
 said the teacher in a cold, severe tone. 
 
 " ' But, sir' 
 
 " * When a boy knows his lesson he does 
 not make such abominable blunders in re- 
 citing.' 
 
 " ' But, sir, you troubled me ; you put 
 me out.'
 
 ILL TEMPER. 129 
 
 " ' I trouble you ? A very singular ex- 
 cuse, and a very poor one. Come, let me 
 look at your composition.' 
 
 " But here matters became worse and 
 worse. The master ' pshawed,' and frowned, 
 and grumbled to himself. ' No application ! 
 no thought ! bad spelling ! bad grammar ! a 
 perfect mass of faults ! ' 
 
 " Arthur grew red and pale by turns, as 
 his teacher wrote right across the page in 
 large letters : ' A composition so badly done, 
 that it is impossible to correct it. 7 
 
 " Then he rose coldly, looking very grim, 
 took his hat, and addressing Arthur's mother, 
 said 'Madam, I cannot consent to teach 
 your son any longer ; I have so little suc- 
 cess, that I feel I have no right to the very 
 9
 
 130 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 liberal salary you have accorded me. An- 
 other, perhaps, will do better.' 
 
 " ' Oh, sir ! no ! pray, don't go ! ' exclaim- 
 ed Arthur ; ' I will try to do better ! indeed, 
 I will ! upon my word and honor I will. I 
 love you, sir ! ' 
 
 " A pleasant light suddenly came into 
 the teacher's eyes, and a soft smile passed 
 like lightning over his lips. 
 
 " ' Do, please, give me your hand, sir,' 
 said Arthur, ' and promise me that you will 
 continue to teach me.' 
 
 "His broad, black eyebrows immedi- 
 ately contracted into a great frown ; and he 
 said gruffly ' Very well, I will try you once 
 more,' and left the room. 
 
 " For a few moments there was silence ;
 
 ILL TEMPER. 131 
 
 then a distressed expression came over Ar- 
 thur's face, as lie said ' Mamma, my teacher 
 was very (he was at a loss for a word) 
 very singular with me to-day don't you 
 think so, mamma ? ' 
 
 " ' What do you mean by singular ? 
 
 " ' Why, not as he usually is not at 
 all.' 
 
 " ' His reproofs seemed perfectly just to 
 me ; you were not perfect in your lessons.' 
 
 " * Well, mamma, I do not deny that ; but 
 at all other times he has been so kind and pa- 
 tient, and never treated me with such unex- 
 pected severity.' 
 
 " ' Ah ! ' said his mother, ' I am afraid, 
 then, that this morning he was indulging in 
 
 ILL TEMPER.'
 
 132 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " Arthur hung his head, and was silent : 
 his conscience was busy whispering to him, 
 and the rest of the morning passed painfully ; 
 but after luncheon, he prepared for a walk 
 with joy, for the day was lovely, and the air 
 exhilarating. 
 
 " But all at once the sky became over- 
 oast, and very soon after the rain fell in tor- 
 rents. 
 
 " ' Oh, dear me, how tiresome ! ' cried 
 Arthur, 'just when I am going to take a 
 walk ; it is perfectly hateful.' 
 
 " ' God sends the rain,' said his mother, 
 gently. 
 
 "Arthur hung his head again without 
 answering. What could he say, indeed? 
 But with his new resolution strong in his
 
 ILL TEMPER. 133 
 
 mind, lie determined to bear this disappoint- 
 ment with patience ; and he called Jumbo to 
 play with him. 
 
 "But the cat, usually so quick to come 
 purring to his knee, remained just where he 
 was,, as if he had been suddenly struck deaf, 
 and dumb, and blind. Arthur went to him, 
 and tried to take him in his arms ; but he 
 hissed at his playmate, and scampered away 
 with his back and tail high in the air, and 
 hid under the sofa. 
 
 " ' Ah me ! ' sighed Arthur, ' I suppose 
 Jumbo is like the rest ; he is indulging in 
 
 ILL TEMPEE, tOO.' 
 
 " * Not quite that,' observed his mother ; 
 ' but animals have memories? 
 
 " ' I think you had better say that they 
 are spiteful, mamma.'
 
 134 BIG NIGHTCAT? LETTERS. 
 
 " ' Perhaps they are, my son ; but they 
 have no reason, while we are capable of con- 
 trolling our impatience, and governing our 
 passions, if we ask God to help us.' 
 
 " Upon this Arthur fairly broke down ; 
 and, bursting into tears, sobbed out ' Oh, 
 dear mamma, I understand the lesson I have 
 received from every one to-day. Do be- 
 lieve that I will try with all my strength to 
 conquer my ill temper : I promise you. Do, 
 please mamma, forgive me.' 
 
 " His mother wound her loving arms 
 around her son, and tenderly kissed him, and 
 said ' I forgive you, my dear child, with all 
 my heart, and we will both pray to our Heav- 
 enly Father to send down His Holy Spirit to 
 guide and direct your efforts to do right. 

 
 ILL TEMPER. 135 
 
 You have borne your disappointments to- 
 day with patience and resignation ; and I 
 feel that you will soon be the good, sweet- 
 tempered boy, you were a year ago.' 
 
 " Arthur kept his promise, and whenever 
 he was tempted to give a cross answer, or 
 get in a passion, he was sure to remember 
 in time the celebrated day when everybody, 
 by his mother's instructions, attempted his 
 cure, by showing him, in their own persons, 
 the unlovely consequences of indulging in 
 
 ILL TEMPER." 
 
 "What a nice story!" exclaimed the 
 children, " and what a good way of curing 
 Arthur better than a hundred whippings.
 
 136 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 When we do any thing bad, mamma, you 
 must punish us Aunt Fanny's way. Couldn't 
 you punish us for something now ? " 
 
 The little mother laughed at this com- 
 ical request, and said " I can't think of any 
 thing just now to punish you for; and I 
 hope you don't want to do any thing 
 naughty on purpose." 
 
 " O dear, no ! " cried the children, but 
 George, with a good-humored twinkle in his 
 eye, added " At any rate, mamma, the next 
 time Harry puts salt into the sugar-bowl, 
 and makes me spoil my coffee, I intend to 
 put powdered sugar into the salt-cellar for 
 him to sprinkle over his stewed oysters." 
 
 " Oh, do ! w cried all the children ; " only 
 think of oysters and sugar ! perfectly dread- 
 ful!"
 
 ILL TEMPER. 137 
 
 "'Well,' said Harry, laughing, 'I shall 
 have to buy a snuff-box, then, and keep it in 
 my pocket full of salt.' 
 
 " ' But don't forget yourself,' said Anna, 
 ' and politely offer a pinch of it to the first 
 old lady you meet ; she might think you 
 meant to play a trick upon her, you know.' 
 
 " 'What an idea!' cried Harry; 'I 
 wouldn't do such a thing ; I should think it 
 would make her sneeze worse than any snuff. 
 Wouldn't it ?' 
 
 " ' The best way to find that out,' said 
 George, with a roguish smile, ' would be to 
 take a good pinch yourself.' 
 
 " While this conversation had been going 
 on, little Johnny had disappeared in the 
 pantiy ; and now, at this very moment, he
 
 138 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 came out, screaming : ' Oh ! my nose hurts ! 
 my nose hurts ! ' and ran to his mother. 
 
 " It seems that, anxious to find out what 
 kind or snuff salt would make, he had pri- 
 vately walked into the pantry, and had 
 snuffed and poked quite a quantity into his 
 poor little nose, and now it smarted as if 
 twenty hornets had stung him at once ; and 
 he jumped up and down with the pain. 
 
 "They had a great time soaking his 
 nose in warm water, and felt very sorry for 
 him, though they could not, for their lives, 
 help laughing when George said that Johnny 
 had salted and pickled his nose so well, that 
 it would keep in the hottest weather; at 
 any rate, it would last him as long as he 
 lived; which comforted Johnny very much,
 
 ILL TEMPER. 139 
 
 for he thought that it might have to be cut 
 off to get the salt out. 
 
 "After this they bid everybody good 
 night, and went to bed, and Johnny said he 
 felt ' pretty compertuffle? His mother had 
 told him that ' good little Henry,' of whom 
 you have read, always said ' compertuffle' for 
 1 comfortable,' and Johnny thought it was 
 just the right word to express his feelings."
 
 THE FIFTH LETTEE. 
 
 THE ROSE CROWN. 
 
 For Clara. 
 
 DEAR, TENDER-HEARTED LITTLE CLARA : 
 In the olden time, there was a beautiful 
 superstition in Germany, that on Christmas 
 eve our Saviour, just as he was when a little 
 child here below, comes at midnight in at 
 the door, and fills all those children's shoes 
 with .gifts, who have followed His example 
 of goodness and obedience. You know that 
 
 NOTE. This story was suggested by reading about Christ- 
 mas in Germany, in Bayard Taylor's " Views Afoot."
 
 THE ROSE CROWN. 141 
 
 you hang up your stockings, and Santa Clans 
 comes down the chimney; but the little 
 German children believe that they are far 
 more blessed. It is a beautiful idea, for it 
 brings Him, who for our sakes became a little 
 child on earth, more closely and lovingly to 
 the children's hearts. They grow up sure of 
 His love and sympathy, from infancy to old 
 age. 
 
 I have asked Sarah ("the doctor") to 
 write me another story after the German 
 fashion, on purpose for you. She has given 
 me this " Eose Crown ; " and the story turns 
 upon the sweet and solemn belief of the Ger- 
 man children. 
 
 You will perceive that the little Gott- 
 fried in the story thought of this with such
 
 142 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 intensity, and with such perfect faith in its 
 truth, as to cause him to walk in his sleep, 
 like a somnambulist. No doubt your dear 
 mother can tell you many strange and extra- 
 ordinary stories of somnambulists, who do 
 the most wonderful and startling things 
 while in this kind of trance state, of which 
 they are utterly unconscious when they 
 awake. 
 
 I hope this story will please my dear 
 little Clara ; it is called 
 
 THE ROSE CROWN. 
 
 " It was Christmas eve, and a cold win- 
 ter's day. The flakes of snow fell softly and 
 thickly, and had already covered the earth 
 with a white cloak.
 
 THE ROSE CROWN. 143 
 
 "At one of the windows of the large 
 house that stands on the top of the hill, 
 where the purple violets first peep out in the 
 spring-time, stood the little Gottfried and his 
 sister Marie. 
 
 " ' Only look, dear Marie,' said Gottfried, 
 1 how fast the snow falls ! What large flakes ! 
 They look like little milk-white doves.' 
 
 " * It is the Mother Holle shaking her 
 feather-beds,' cried Marie, laughing; and 
 looking up towards the sky, and beckoning 
 with her hand, she sang 
 
 " ' Mother Holle, 
 
 Good wife Holle, 
 Fill the meadows fair and full : 
 
 Stay not, pause not, 
 
 Shake away, 
 Make the snow fall fast to-day.'
 
 144 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " ' Oil ! I can sing a prettier song than 
 thine,' said Gottfried. 'Listen, now. The 
 good wife Katarine taught it to me ; and he 
 sang 
 
 " ' See the snow-flakes, 
 Merry snow-flakes ! 
 How they fall from yonder sky, 
 Coming lightly, coming sprightly, 
 Dancing downwards, from on high. 
 Faint or tire, will they never, 
 Wheeling round and round forever. 
 
 Surely nothing do I know, 
 
 Half so merry as the snow ; 
 Half so merry, merry, merry, 
 
 As the dancing, glancing snoWt 
 
 " ' See the snow-flakes, 
 Solemn snow-flakes ! 
 How they whiten, melt and die.
 
 THE ROSE CROWN. 145 
 
 In what cold and shroud-like masses 
 O'er the buried earth they lie. 
 Lie as though the frozen plain 
 Ne'er would bloom with flowers again. 
 
 Surely nothing do I know, 
 
 Half so solemn as the snow, 
 Half so solemn, solemn, solemn, 
 As the falling, melting snow.' 
 
 " ' Ah ! thy song is sad, brother,' said 
 little Marie : * it makes me sigh. 7 
 
 " As she spoke, a little boy, poorly clad, 
 was seen coming up the avenue ; and Gott- 
 fried exclaimed ' Here comes Heinrich ! ' 
 and running out of the room, he presently 
 returned, leading by the hand Heinrich, the 
 little faggot-maker, whose mother, a poor 
 but pious widow, lived in a hut just out of 
 
 the village. 
 
 10
 
 146 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 ! 
 
 " ' "Why, Heinrich, where Last thou been 
 this cold day ? ' asked Marie. 
 
 " * Taking my faggots to Herr Kauffer- 
 man's,' said the poor boy. * But oh, Gott- 
 fried, they have there the most beautiful 
 Christmas Tree ! ' and then Heinrich paused 
 and sighed. 
 
 " ' And to-night the dear Christ-kind- 
 cherr, or Holy Child, will bring them pres- 
 ents,' said Gottfried. 'I hope he will fill 
 thy shoes full.'* 
 
 " ' Alas ! the Christ-child never comes to 
 me,' said Heinrich. 
 
 " l What ! hast thou never heard how he 
 comes at midnight, bearing a lighted taper 
 
 * In Germany, they fill the children's shoes instead of 
 their stockings.
 
 THE BAD BOY TAUNTING HEINRICH.
 
 THE ROSE CROWN. 147 
 
 and a crown of white roses, and gives pres- 
 ents to all the good children ? ' 
 
 " ' My mother has told me of this,' said 
 Heinrich, ' and I have waited and watched, 
 but he never comes ! He never will come. 
 It was only yesterday that I met Hans, the 
 butcher's son, and he mocked me, and snap- 
 ped his fingers in my face, and said " Thou 
 art so poor, that thy shoes will never have 
 any thing in them ; " and I was so angry, and 
 wanted to strike him, but my mother said I 
 must never fight or quarrel with any one, 
 and I went away from him ; but it is hard 
 to be poor,' and here he began to cry. 
 
 " * Ah ! yes, it is sad, dear Heinrich ; but 
 do not weep ; here, wipe thine eyes with my 
 new pocket-handkerchief. Come, now, be
 
 148 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 happy ; and I will pray to the Christ-child, 
 and beg him to come this very night to 
 thee.' 
 
 " At this the little faggot-maker's face 
 brightened, and soon after he went away. 
 
 " In the evening, the children had their 
 supper, and soon after they stood by the 
 knee of their kind mother, and sang this 
 hymn: 
 
 " Jesus, our Shepherd ! we ask for thy blessing, 
 Through the long hours of this dreary night; 
 Let us not know (thy kind favor possessing) 
 Danger or sorrow, till morning is bright. 
 
 " Jesus, our Saviour ! oh ! grant thy protection, 
 To thy dear arms we have trustingly come ; 
 Oh, Lamb of God ! make secure our election, 
 Guard us, and keep us, and call us thine own.
 
 THE ROSE CROWN. 149 
 
 " Jesus, our Crown ! Ob, thou Heavenly Glory! 
 
 Humbly we kneel, and entreat tbee to love, 
 Bless and receive us, as in Bible story, 
 Till we shall come to tby mansion above." 
 
 " When they had finished the hymn, they 
 reverently repeated their prayers ; and then, 
 each bidding the other good night and sweet 
 dreams, went to their white-curtained beds. 
 
 " Later at night, their mother came to 
 see that they were warm. Gottfried was 
 still awake ; he was troubled about little 
 Heinrich ; and he told his mother how the 
 poor boy had grieved because the Christ- 
 child never came to him. i I have prayed 
 to Him, dear mother ; do you think He will 
 hear me ? ' said the tender-hearted boy.
 
 150 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " ' Yes, dear child,' said the mother, ' dost 
 thou not remember what the hymn says ? 
 
 " And when, dear Jesus, I kneel down, 
 
 Morning and night to prayer, 
 Something there is within my heart, 
 Which tells me THOU ART THERE." 
 
 " ' He works sometimes through human 
 hands ; and now look thou, my little Gott- 
 fried,' continued his mother, kissing him, ' I 
 will make this night a wreath of white roses 
 for thee, and fasten a purse about the stems, 
 with some golden guilders within, and thou 
 shalt take it to Heinrich to-morrow morn- 
 ing.' 
 
 " ' Ah, thou dearest mother ! ' cried Gott- 
 fried, joyfully, and the loving kisses were
 
 THE ROSE CROWN. 151 
 
 pressed upon her cheek. 'The dear Jesus 
 has heard me already ; ' and kneeling in the 
 bed, he poured out his grateful thanks ; and 
 then lying down, he soon fell asleep, with a 
 bright flush of happiness upon his face. 
 
 "The snow had ceased to fall, and it was 
 late, but still in the widow's cottage the fit- 
 ful fire-light (for candles there were none) 
 showed her bending over some work. By 
 her side on the hearth crouched the little 
 Heinrich. 
 
 " ' Go to bed, dear child,' said his mother ; 
 4 it is too late for thee.' 
 
 " ' Ah, dear mother ! let me wait for 
 thee,' answered the boy ; i it is so cold and 
 dark in our little room above.' He was silent
 
 152 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 for a moment, gazing into the fire in a wish- 
 ful manner ; then he said ' Mother, dost 
 thou think the Christ-child will indeed hear 
 Gottfried's prayer, and come to me and 
 thee ? ' 
 
 " ' I hope he will, my Heinrich/ said the 
 sad mother, smiling faintly. 
 
 " ' Ah, but mother, dost thou not know it ? ' 
 
 "The fire burned low, and the poor 
 woman could no longer see. She put up the 
 coarse sewing with a sigh, and resting her 
 hand tenderly on her boy's head, sat quite 
 still. 
 
 " Not a sound was heard. The light in 
 the room was dim, and gloom had settled 
 upon the hearts of both mother and child. 
 
 "Hark! what was that?
 
 THE ROSE CROWN. 153 
 
 " A low tap sounded at the door,- and 
 then it slowly opened ; and to the astonished 
 gaze of the two sitting by the hearth, there 
 appeared the figure of a little child. A 
 snow-white robe draped his slender limbs. 
 In one hand he bore a lighted taper, and in 
 the other a most beautiful wreath of white 
 roses. His dark blue eyes shone with an un- 
 earthly lustre, as it appeared to the amazed 
 and bewildered Heinrich, and his golden 
 curls floated upon his shoulders. 
 
 " ' Oh ! mother! mother !' whispered Hein- 
 rich, almost breathless, ' it is the Christ-child 
 in very truth come to me at last. His face 
 is like Gottfried's only far more beautiful ; ' 
 and mother and son sank on their knees. 
 
 "Slowly the little form advanced to-
 
 154 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 wards them, paused before Heinrich, lightly 
 placed the rose crown upon his head, and 
 then, the sweet lips parting in a faint, tender 
 smile, it waved its little hand towards him, 
 and disappeared from their sight. 
 
 "When they could speak, the mother 
 and son bowed their heads in thankful pray- 
 er, then lifted their brimming eyes to each 
 other. 
 
 " ' Truly thou hast been wondrously re- 
 warded, my Heinrich,' said the poor widow ; 
 ' give the beautiful crown to me, that I may 
 see what the dear Christ-child has brought 
 to thee.' 
 
 " She stirred the fire, and put on some 
 light wood to make a blaze, and then Hein- 
 rich lifted the crown from his head. As he
 
 THE ROSE CROWN. 155 
 
 did so oh ! wonder ! there fell from it a 
 silken purse, and through the deep crimson 
 network they could see the yellow gleam of 
 gold. 
 
 " With the early blush of morning little 
 Gottfried awoke, and the first thing he did 
 was to run smilingly to the door to find his 
 shoes. There they were, in good truth, 
 crammed to the very top with presents. 
 Marie, too, awoke at the moment, and from 
 each little white bed there arose delighted 
 exclamations and merry shouts of joy. 
 
 " Now their mother entered, and said 
 ' A merry Christmas to you, my children.' 
 
 " With joyful kisses they welcomed her, 
 and breathlessly showed her their gifts;
 
 156 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 then Gottfried exclaimed 'Oh! mother! I 
 have had such a pleasant dream ; I dreamed 
 that the dear Christ-child went to Heinrich 
 with the wreath, and gave it to him.' 
 
 "'Well, thou shalt take it thyself this 
 morning, dear child, when thou hast eaten 
 thy breakfast.' 
 
 " But what was this ? Where could the 
 wreath be.? The good mother, faithful to 
 her promise had made it the evening before, 
 and had laid it on the table in the parlor, 
 but it was not to be found. 
 
 "This loss put the little Gottfried in 
 such distress, that his mother promised quick- 
 ly to make another ; and she was just pre- 
 paring to hasten out to purchase the roses, 
 when Heinrich ran in, his mother following ;
 
 THE ROSE CROWN. 157 
 
 and, scarcely pausing for breath, the boy 
 told the wonderful thing that had happened 
 to them in the night. 
 
 " With a sudden understanding of the 
 strange and beautiful story, Gottfried's 
 mother took Heinrich's mother aside, and 
 whispered to her how the rose crown had 
 mysteriously disappeared from the house in 
 the night. 
 
 " The two mothers gazed into each other's 
 faces, and then looked with love and won- 
 der at the little unconscious Gottfried. Ten- 
 der tears and smiles struggled in 'their faces, 
 for they knew in a moment that it was he 
 who had risen in his sleep, had taken the 
 rose crown to Heinrich, and had laid his 
 head upon his pillow again without waking.
 
 158 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 "When they gently and tenderly told 
 the strange tale to the wondering children, 
 Heinrich, bursting into tears, threw his arms 
 passionately round Gottfried's neck, and 
 sobbed out ' Oh! Gottfried ! how thou must 
 have loved me to have done this thing, even 
 while sleeping ; ' and the grateful boy never 
 forgot it. He kept his crown of roses as 
 his dearest treasure, though they soon be- 
 came withered and brown ; and Gottfried 
 and Heinrich were always friends, though 
 one was rich and the other poor ; and 
 each mother loved and blessed the child of 
 the other even as her own." 
 
 " A h ! " sighed the children, when the
 
 THE ROSE CROWN. 159 
 
 story was finished ; " this is the best of all ! 
 How those two German boys must have 
 loved each other ever after." 
 
 " Gottfried must have been almost as 
 good as Charley,"said Clara, with a glance full 
 of love towards her brother. The little girl, 
 with her sweet, sensitive nature, and gentle, 
 caressing ways, seemed closer to Charley than 
 the rest, though he loved all his brothers 
 and sisters with his whole heart ; but Clara 
 was softer and tenderer, and murmured out 
 her love in such a dove-like way, that, next 
 to his mother, the sick boy liked to have her 
 smooth his hair, and hold his hand, and 
 kneel by his side in prayer ; and the rest of 
 the children knew this, and lovingly gave
 
 160 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 * 
 
 Clara " her place." Not a shade of envy, 
 that black and wicked passion, ever entered 
 their hearts ; for, as I have many times writ- 
 ten, this was the home of LOVE.
 
 THE SIXTH LETTEK. 
 
 THE HUNT FOR A STEAMBOAT. 
 
 To Johnny. 
 
 DEAR LITTLE Jomonr": I have heard such 
 a cunning little story about two little children 
 that live in New York, that I have written 
 it out for you ; I shall begin it, " Once 
 upon a time " the way you like best. Here 
 it is: 
 
 THE HUNT FOR A STEAMBOAT. 
 
 " Once upon a time little Harry was play- 
 ing in the parlor, and his kind mother was 
 11
 
 162 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 reading. Presently the door opened, and a 
 lady entered, holding by the hand the dear- 
 est little bit of a girl you ever saw, about 
 
 * 
 
 three years old, with such sweet blue eyes 
 and soft curling hair, that she looked almost 
 like a fairy. 
 
 "Harry's mother was very glad to see 
 the lady; she kisse^her and little Nannie, 
 and made them sit on the very best sofa, and 
 Harry kissed Nannie, and everybody seemed 
 very much pleased. 
 
 " After saying what a very fine day it was, 
 just as all the grown people do when they 
 begin to talk, Nannie's mamma began to tell 
 Harry's mamma something very wonderful, 
 when, all at once, they saw Harry's eyes 
 opened about as big round as a pair of
 
 THE HUNT FOR A STEAMBOAT. 163 
 
 saucers, and a dozen ears seemed to have 
 sprouted out all over his head ; and he was 
 listening to the wonderful story with every 
 one of them. 
 
 "Harry's mamma thought that would 
 never do, and she said ' My son, Nannie's 
 mamma and I want to talk secrets, and it 
 is not right for such a li ttle boy as you, to 
 hear them ; so take the dear little girl out of 
 the room, and show her every thing she 
 wants to see. Mind, dear ! show her every 
 thing? 
 
 " So Harry took Nannie's hand, and led 
 her out of the room. He felt quite bashful 
 at first, and when he got into the hall and 
 had shut the door, he dropped her hand ; 
 and then the two children stood and looked
 
 164 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 at each other like two pussy cats on a fence ; 
 only they looked a great deal prettier, be- 
 cause, you know, neither of them had any 
 fierce whiskers or long claws. Not they, in- 
 deed ! I suppose Harry will have whiskers 
 one of these days, if he lives to be a man ; 
 but Nannie will never have any, because if 
 she Jives a thousand years she will never be 
 a great, rough man, but a beautiful little 
 woman, which is a great comfort to think of. 
 
 " At last Harry said ' Say, Nannie, 
 what do you want to see ? ' 
 
 " ' I want to tee a 'teamboat.' 
 
 " ' A steamboat ! ' exclaimed Harry. 
 
 " ' Ess, a 'teamboat big one ! ' said little 
 Nannie. 
 
 " Harry looked puzzled ; but he took her
 
 THE HUNT FOR A STEAMBOAT. 165 
 
 band again, and led her very carefully np 
 the long flight of stairs, and into every room 
 on the second floor. They looked under the 
 beds and into the band-boxes, opened all the 
 bureau drawers and wardrobe doors, peer- 
 ed down into the bath-tub, and almost tum- 
 bled in, and couldn't find a steamboat. Then, 
 they went up stairs again, and all over 
 the rooms in the third story no steamboat 
 there. 
 
 " Then they went up stairs again, and all 
 over the rooms in the top of the house, 
 opened all the cook's bundles, the waiter's 
 boxes, the chambermaid's trunk, and the 
 laundress's umbrella ; but not a single steam- 
 boat was to be seen. 
 
 " What was poor Harry to do ?
 
 166 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 " He must mind his mamma ; and Nannie 
 kept saying ' I want to tee a 'teamboat.' 
 
 " All of a sudden Harry spied a globe of 
 the world in one corner of the attic, and he 
 cried out l Here, Nannie, let's look on this 
 world and see if we can find one.' 
 
 " So down they nestled close together, 
 and turned the world round and round, but, 
 strange to tell, there was not a single steam- 
 boat sailing on it. It was really too bad.
 
 THE HUNT FOR A STEAMBOAT. 167 
 
 " They came down stairs again, and then 
 a bright thought struck Harry ' Oh, yes ! ' 
 he exclaimed, ' I know where a steamboat is. 
 Dear me ! certainly ! Come, Nannie, hurry.' 
 
 ." Down they went to the hall, and Harry 
 put on his cap, and opened the front door, 
 and the children went out. Hand in hand 
 they trotted merrily along, both delighted 
 to think that at last they were on the track 
 of a steamboat. 
 
 " After walking a long way, they came 
 to a rough board fence, and Harry peeped 
 through a knot-hole to see what was inside. 
 He looked so long, that Nannie cried impa- 
 tiently ' Let me see the 'teamboat.' 
 
 "'No, it isn't,' said Harry; 'it's some 
 boys playing ball. Come and look.'
 
 168 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 "Nannie went close to the fence, and 
 stood on the very tips of her little toes, but 
 the knot-hole was too high ; so Harry lifted 
 her with all his strength, and she had a fine 
 time seeing the boys playing ball. 
 
 " As he let her come down rather sud- 
 denly, she caught her frock in a splinter of 
 wood in the fence, and it was torn from top 
 to bottom. l Oh, my ! ' said Nannie, looking 
 at her dress, ' what a gate hole ; oh, my ! ' 
 
 " Oh, never mind it,' cried Harry, ' that's 
 nothing ; ' and he laughed so merrily, that 
 Nannie thought to tear dresses was great 
 fun, and laughed too. 
 
 " On they went, hand in hand, and every 
 fence they came to where there were no 
 houses, they peeped through and searched
 
 THE HUNT FOR A STEAMBOAT. 169 
 
 for the steamboat ; and they scrambled and 
 fell against so many rough boards, that Nan- 
 nie's pretty little new hat that her kind 
 grandmamma had just given her, was all bent 
 and torn and twisted, till from a nice little 
 round hat, it came to be a queer-looking, 
 five-cornered one, with one end of ribbon 
 over her nose, and another sticking out be- 
 hind ; and the beautiful lace cap inside was 
 only fit for the rag-bag. Did you ever hear 
 any thing like it ? 
 
 " Well, the dear little things wandered 
 on, Harry knowing that he was minding his 
 mamma, like a good boy. He was very 
 happy ; because, you know, children that are 
 obedient and good are never any thing else. 
 Of course not.
 
 170 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 "And little Nannie's lovely blue eyes 
 were very busy looking all over the world 
 for the steamboat. 
 
 " At last they came to an open space I 
 believe, in Seventy-second street, where the 
 Central Park is ; and a very amiable-looking 
 policeman, who fortunately at that time 
 was wide awake, happened to look that 
 way. 
 
 " He was very much astonished when he 
 saw such little creatures all alone ; and 
 Nannie, looking as if she had been in the 
 wars ; but, in spite of her torn dress, looking 
 like just what she was the tender little pet 
 of a household, watched over, and loved, and 
 cared for night and day ; and Harry, too, it 
 was plain to see, with his bright eyes and
 
 THE HUNT FOR A STEAMBOAT. 171 
 
 manly bearing, was of gentle birth and breed- 
 ing. 
 
 " So the policeman walked up to them, 
 and said ' I suppose this is Tom Thumb and 
 his wife out for a walk.' 
 
 " ' No, it isn't,' said Harry ; * my name is 
 Harry/ 
 
 " c And what is yours, little lady ? ' 
 
 " ' My name 'ittle Nannie.' 
 
 " ' "Where did you come from ? ' 
 
 " ' Home,' said Harry. 
 
 " ' Where is home 2 ' 
 
 " ' Why, in Thirty-second street, to be 
 sure ; don't you know ? ' 
 
 " * Did you run away ? ' said the police- 
 man. 
 
 " ' No,' said Harry, and his eyes blazed
 
 172 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 with indignation, ' I'm minding mamma ; she 
 told me to show Nannie every thing, and 
 Nannie wanted to see a steamboat, and I'm 
 finding one for her now ! ' 
 
 " At this the policeman laughed, and then 
 he looked so kindly at the children, that I 
 suspect he had a dozen children of his own at 
 his house, and that made him love every 
 other little child. Why, bless your dear lit- 
 tle heart, I love all the little children in the 
 whole world, because I love you so dearly. 
 
 " Then the policeman said ' Well, Har- 
 ry, you are a long way from home ; and I 
 think you had better put off the steamboat- 
 hunting business till some other day. Your 
 mother may think you and Nannie are a 
 little too young to travel about the world by
 
 THE HUNT FOR A STEAMBOAT. 173 
 
 yourselves. Come; I will go back with 
 you. 
 
 " It was very fortunate lie did, for though 
 Harry knew very well what street he lived 
 in, he did not know how to get to it ; and it 
 would have been a sad thing for the dear 
 little creatures if they had been lost. But 
 now the good policeman took Nannie in his 
 arms, because she was getting very tired, and 
 Harry by the hand, and they all got into a 
 railroad car, and before long were at the 
 house. 
 
 " But oh ! what a distracted house ! For 
 when Nannie's mother had finished the won- 
 derful secret, and wanted to leave, the chil- 
 dren were not to be found. They searched 
 the house ; they examined the bath-tubs and
 
 174 
 
 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 wash-tubs ; they went out into the garden 
 and down into the cellar, but they were not 
 to be found ; and then the weeping, terrified 
 mothers went out into the street, and asked 
 everybody they met, if they had seen the 
 children. 
 
 " The waiter, who was just setting the 
 table for dinner, rushed round the corner, 
 brandishing the carving-knife like a pistol, 
 
 and frightened a fashionable young gentle- 
 man out of all his five wits, for he thought it
 
 THE HUNT FOE A STEAMBOAT. 
 
 175 
 
 was a crazy man, trying to kill him ; and 
 when he turned round he was scared again, 
 for there was the laundress, who had started 
 out with a wet shirt in her hands, which she 
 was just starching ; there she was, waving it 
 about in the wind, tike a flag of distress, and 
 crying as hard as she could. 
 
 " Then the waiter dropped the carving- 
 knife, and flew up the street, while the fat 
 cook, who had left a pudding half-made in 
 the kitchen, ran after him, dropping her pud-
 
 176 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 ding-stick, and wheezing dreadfully; and 
 away in the distance, they saw the chamber- 
 maid, with the broomstick in her hand, and 
 her hair all about her ears. She looked so 
 like a witch, from grief and fright, that a3 
 she disappeared, the people looking after her 
 were sure she had mounted the broomstick 
 the very next moment, and had flown over 
 the tops of the houses. 
 
 " Dear me ! what a terrible time it was ! 
 But you see they all loved Harry so much, 
 that they were almost crazy, and that made 
 them cut up all these didoes. 
 
 " All came back lamenting, for no children 
 had been found ; and the distressed mothers 
 were just writing a note to send to the police- 
 office, to order the whole city to be searched,
 
 THE HUNT FOR A STEAMBOAT. 177 
 
 when a quick ring at the bell Could it 
 be ? Out they all rushed, mothers, cook, 
 waiter, chambermaid, laundress, the cat, and 
 the dog. The door was opened, and, oh, joy- 
 ful sight ! there stood the children and the 
 policeman, all laughing together. 
 
 " No wonder they all screamed and cried, 
 and laughed and talked, all in a bunch. No- 
 body cared a pin for Nannie's torn dress and 
 five-cornered bonnet, when the darling child 
 was safe, and hugged tight to her mother's 
 breast; and Harry and his mother had a 
 grand kissing time too. Why, dear me ! 
 they almost wanted to kiss the good police- 
 man, they were so glad ; not quite, though ; 
 but they gave him what he thought was 
 quite astonishing something that came out 
 12
 
 178 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 of a purse, and shone like gold ; and between 
 you and me, it was gold. 
 
 " And Harry's mother was not the least 
 angry with him, when she heard that he was 
 such a good boy, and was only minding his 
 mamma when he went all over the world 
 with Nannie to find a steamboat : no, indeed ! 
 She kissed him again. But let me tell you 
 as a great secret, that she was very careful 
 after that to tell Harry to look for steam- 
 boats, or any thing else little girls or he might 
 want to see, inside of the house; and al- 
 though it is many months since this happen- 
 ed, I know that Harry and Nannie have not 
 been steamboat-hunting since ; but they are 
 both good, lovely children, and both mind 
 their mammas."
 
 THE HUNT FOB A STEAMBOAT. 179 
 
 " Oh, dear ! " exclaimed Johnny, " my 
 story is tip-top ! I wish you would read it 
 right over again, mamma." 
 
 " Yes, mamma, do ! " cried all the rest. 
 "It is so interesting. Dear little Nannie, 
 she's a darling ! " 
 
 " I wonder if her grandmother gave her 
 a new hat," said Minnie. " I would, if /was 
 her grandmother." 
 
 The children laughed at 'the idea of Min- 
 nie's being a grandmother, and Harry said 
 " Come, sit on my lap, grandmother, and 
 let me see if you know your letters yet." 
 Minnie did not like this much, but as Harry 
 called her his " dear little pet " the next mo- 
 ment, she forgave him immediately. 
 
 " But Aunt Fanny has written something
 
 180 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 else in this letter," said the mother. " Shall 
 I read it, or repeat the story ? " 
 
 " Oh ! read all the letter this time" cried 
 the children, " and the story again to-morrow 
 night." 
 
 The little mother read on. 
 
 " And now, my dear children, I have 
 sent you six stories ; and if any one will count 
 the boots and shoes in the first Nightcap 
 "book, they will *find that there are the sur- 
 prising number of thirteen of you ! a baker's 
 dozen. 
 
 " Let me see how many are left. 
 
 "Minnie and Willie, and Bennie and 
 Lillie, and dear little Fanny, my namesake, 
 and Katie and Pet. I think I will write to 
 this dear little band collectively, and the
 
 . THE HUNT FOR A STEAMBOAT. 181 
 
 stories shall make the l Little Nightcap Let- 
 ters ; ' and the little darlings shall have them 
 all to themselves." 
 
 " Oh, yes ! yes ! yes ! that will be a grand 
 plan ! " cried the children. " Did you ever 
 hear of such a sensible Aunt Fanny ? She 
 makes it just as we like it." 
 
 " If you like this plan," Aunt Fanny goes 
 on to say, " then the l Big Nightcap Letters ' 
 are finished with this story sent to Johnny ; 
 and that you will all grow wiser, and better, 
 and fatter over them, is the loving wish of 
 your 
 
 " Aimr FAOTTT." 
 
 And so the Big Nightcap Letters were end- 
 ed ; and the children went off to bed good,
 
 182 BIG NIGHTCAP LETTERS. 
 
 thankful, and content, and rose the next day 
 good, thankful, and content. 
 
 Pray Heaven, dear little reader, you may 
 always do the same. 
 
 THE END.
 
 Jmprtatt $jteto 
 
 PUBLISHED BT 
 
 D. APFLETON & CO., 346 & 348 BROADWAY. 
 
 snss MciNTosH's JUVENILE LIBBABT. 
 
 1 volfl. 18mo., 87 cents each. 
 
 i. GEACE AND CLABA; or, 
 
 Be Just as well as Generous. 
 ri. ELLEN LESLIE; or, The 
 
 Keward of Self-Control 
 
 ui. FLORENCE AENOTX; or, 
 
 Is She Generous? 
 
 IT. EMILY HEEBEET; or, The 
 
 Happy Home. 
 
 V. ROSE AND LlLLIE SlAIT* 
 HOPE ; or, The Power ol 
 Conscience. 
 
 vi. JESSIE GRAHAM ; or, 
 
 Friends Dear, but Truth 
 Dearer. 
 
 viz. BLIND ALICE. 
 
 " Mise Mclntosh is the most fascinating writer of Juvenile Books of th 
 present day. She endeavors to enforce good principles, while she at tha 
 Mme time caters for the amusement of children." 
 
 TWO HEW JUVENILES, 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR OF THE "HEIR OF EEDCLYFTE." 
 L 
 
 RICHARD THE FEARLESS ; OR, THE YOUNG DUKE. 
 By tha author of the " Heir of Redclyfie." With Il- 
 lustrations, 1 vol. 16rno., price 62 cents. 
 
 THE LANCES OF LYNWOOD. With Illustrations, 1 
 vol. 16mo., 75 cents. 
 
 No English writer has succeeded in BO faithfully portraying th 
 human passions as the talented author who has given to the world ' Heartn- 
 ease ' and tha ' Heir of Kedclyffe.' Her Juvenile "Writings have a charm 
 of historical interest thrown around them, which cannot fail to render her 
 works as much admired by young people as by those more advanced "
 
 This book is DUE on the last 
 date stamped below 
 
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 The big nigut 
 cap letters. 
 
 PZ7 
 327b 
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 AA 000567938 6
 
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