The Louisa Alcott Reader: a Supplementary Reader for the Fourth Year of SchoolAlcott, Louisa May
General
The Louisa Alcott Reader: a Supplementary Reader for the Fourth Year of School
Alcott, Louisa May
Children's stories; Readers (Elementary)
Rosy took the mouse carefully in her little hand, and tied up the broken
leg with a leaf of spearmint and a blade of grass. Then she carried her
to the nest under the roots of an old tree, where four baby mice were
squeaking sadly for their mother. She made a bed of thistledown for the
sick mouse, and put close within reach all the berries and seeds she
could find, and brought an acorn-cup of water from the spring, so they
could be comfortable.
"Good little Rosy, I shall pay you for all this kindness some day," said
the mouse, when she was done.
"I'm afraid you are not big enough to do much," answered Rosy, as she
ran off to go on her journey.
"Wait and see," called the mouse; and all the little ones squeaked, as
if they said the same.
Some time after, as Rosy lay up in a tree, waiting for the sun to rise,
she heard a great buzzing close by, and saw a fly caught in a cobweb
that went from one twig to another. The big spider was trying to spin
him all up, and the poor fly was struggling to get away before his legs
and wings were helpless.
Rosy put up her finger and pulled down the web, and the spider ran away
at once to hide under the leaves. But the happy fly sat on Rosy's hand,
cleaning his wings, and buzzing so loud for joy that it sounded like a
little trumpet.
"You've saved my life, and I'll save yours, if I can," said the fly,
twinkling his bright eye at Rosy.
"You silly thing, you can't help me," answered Rosy, climbing down,
while the fly buzzed away, saying, like the mouse and fish,--
"Wait and see; wait and see."
Rosy trudged on and on, till at last she came to the sea. The mountains
were on the other side; but how should she get over the wide water? No
ships were there, and she had no money to hire one if there had been
any; so she sat on the shore, very tired and sad, and cried a few big
tears as salt as the sea.
"Hullo!" called a bubbly sort of voice close by; and the fish popped up
his head. Rosy ran to see what he wanted.
"I've come to help you over the water," said the fish.
"How can you, when I want a ship, and some one to show me the way?"
answered Rosy.
"I shall just call my friend the whale, and he will take you over better
than a ship, because he won't get wrecked. Don't mind if he spouts
and flounces about a good deal, he is only playing; so you needn't be
frightened."
Down dived the little fish, and Rosy waited to see what would happen;
for she didn't believe such a tiny thing could really bring a whale to
help her.
Presently what looked like a small island came floating through the sea;
and turning round, so that its tail touched the shore, the whale said,
in a roaring voice that made her jump,--
"Come aboard, little girl, and hold on tight. I'll carry you wherever
you like."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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