CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY AND OTHER STORIES TOLD FOR CHILDREN By W. D. Howells CONTENTS CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY 3 TURKEYS TURNING THE TABLES 25 THE PONY ENGINE AND THE PACIFIC EXPRESS 51 THE PUMPKIN-GLORY 71 BUTTERFLYFLUTTERBY AND FLUTTERBYBUTTERFLY 111 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE “Having Bonfires in the Back Yard of the Palace” Frontispiece “The Old Gobbler ‘First Premium’ said They were Going to Turn the Tables Now” 35 Two Little Pumpkin Seeds 75 Took the First Premium at the County Fair 83 “‘Here's that little fool pumpkin,’ said the farmer” 85 “Caught His Trousers on a Shingle-nail, and Stuck” 93 “‘My sakes! it's comin' to life!’” 103 Tail-piece 107 “‘Fix dusters! Make ready! Aim! Dust!’” 121 “The General-in-Chief used to go behind the Church and Cry” 125 “The Young Khan and Khant entered the Kingdom with a Magnificent Retinue” 131 “She was Going to Take the Case into Her own Hands” 135 “The Imam put His Head to the Floor” 139 “They began to scream, ‘Oh, the cow! the cow!’” 143 BOY LIFE STORIES AND READINGS SELECTED FROM THE WORKS OF WILLIAM DEAN HOWELLS AND ARRANGED FOR SUPPLEMENTARY READING IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS BY PERCIVAL CHUBB DIRECTOR OF ENGLISH IN THE ETHICAL CULTURE SCHOOL, NEW YORK ILLUSTRATED CONTENTS PAGE Introduction ix I. Adventures in a Boy's Town HOW PONY BAKER CAME PRETTY NEAR RUNNING OFF WITH A CIRCUS 3 THE CIRCUS MAGICIAN 13 JIM LEONARD'S HAIR-BREADTH ESCAPE 23 II. Life in a Boy's Town THE TOWN 41 EARLIEST MEMORIES 45 HOME LIFE 47 THE RIVER 51 SWIMMING 55 SKATING 61 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 64 GIRLS 68 MOTHERS 69 A BROTHER 73 A FRIEND 79 III. Games and Pastimes MARBLES 89 RACES 91 A MEAN TRICK 93 TOPS 96 KITES 98 THE BUTLER GUARDS 103 PETS 108 INDIANS 124 GUNS 129 NUTTING 138 THE FIRE-ENGINES 145 IV. Glimpses of the Larger World THE TRAVELLING CIRCUS 151 PASSING SHOWS 163 THE THEATRE COMES TO TOWN 168 THE WORLD OPENED BY BOOKS 171 V. The Last of a Boy's Town 183 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE KITE-TIME Frontispiece HE BEGAN BEING COLD AND STIFF WITH HER THE VERY NEXT MORNING 5 THE FIRST LOCK 43 THE BUTLER GUARDS 105 ALL AT ONCE THERE THE INDIANS WERE 127 NUTTING 141 A LIKELY STORY Farce BY W. D. HOWELLS