Aunt Jo's scrap-bag, Volume 6 : $b An old-fashioned Thanksgiving, etc.Alcott, Louisa May
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Aunt Jo's scrap-bag, Volume 6 : $b An old-fashioned Thanksgiving, etc.
Alcott, Louisa May
Children's stories
As Moppet spoke, she took Gulliver in her arms, and stole away in the
dim light, over the hill, down to the lonely spot where nothing went but
the winds and waves, the gulls, and little Moppet, when hard words and
blows made heart and body ache. Here she left the bird, and, with a
loving "Good-night," crept home to her bed in the garret, feeling as
rich as a queen, and much happier; for she had done a kind thing, and
made a friend.
Next day, a great storm came: the wind blew a hurricane, the rain
poured, and the sea thundered on the coast. If he had been well,
Gulliver wouldn't have minded at all; but, being sick and sad, he spent
an anxious day, sitting in a cranny of the rock, thinking of Davy and
Moppet. It was so rough, even in the cove, that he could neither swim
nor fly, so feeble was he; and could find no food but such trifles as he
could pick up among the rocks. At nightfall the storm raged fiercer than
ever, and he gave up seeing Moppet; for he was sure she wouldn't come
through the pelting rain just to feed him. So he put his head under his
wing, and tried to sleep; but he was so wet and weak, so hungry and
anxious, no sleep came.
"What has happened to Davy alone on the island all this while? He will
fall ill with loneliness and trouble; the lamp won't be lighted, the
ships will be wrecked, and many people will suffer. O Dan, Dan, if we
could only find you, how happy we should be!"
As Gulliver spoke, a voice cried through the darkness:
"Is you dere, honey?" and Moppet came climbing over the rocks, with a
basket full of such bits as she could get. "Poor birdie, is you
starvin'? Here, jes go at dis, and joy yourself. Dere's fish and tings I
tink you'd like. How is you now, dear?"
"Better, Moppet; but, it's so stormy, I can't get to Davy; and I worry
about him," began Gulliver, pecking away at his supper: but he stopped
suddenly, for a faint sound came up from below, as if some one called,
"Help, help!"
"Hi! what's dat?" said Moppet, listening.
"Davy, Davy!" called the voice.
"It's Dan. Hurrah, we've found him!" and Gulliver dived off the rock so
reckless that he went splash into the water. But that didn't matter to
him; and he paddled away, like a little steamer with all the engines in
full blast. Down by the sea-side, between two stones, lay Dan, so
bruised and hurt he couldn't move, and so faint with hunger and pain he
could hardly speak. As soon as Gulliver called, Moppet scrambled down,
and fed the poor man with her scraps, brought him rain-water from a
crevice near by, and bound up his wounded head with her little apron.
Then Dan told them how his boat had been run down by a ship in the fog;
how he was hurt, and cast ashore in the lonely cove; how he had lain
there half dead, for no one heard his shouts, and he couldn't move; how
the storm brought him back to life, when he was almost gone, and the
sound of Moppet's voice told him help was near.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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