The Story Hour: A Book for the Home and the Kindergarten — John Shaqi
The Story Hour: A Book for the Home and the KindergartenWiggin, Kate Douglas Smith
General
The Story Hour: A Book for the Home and the Kindergarten
Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith
Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Children's stories; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Short stories
Down, down, they went, oh! so fast and so far! Benjy screaming all the
way and Mr. Rough's collar jingling. They came to the river, and making
all the noise they could, in they fell. As Benjy sank he thought of all
the unkind things he had done. He came to the top, but sank again, and
sinking, thought of his papa and mamma and his little sisters, and of
his nice little bed, and of the prayers his dear mamma used to hear him
say. He rose for the last time, and saw Nox standing on the bank, and
thought, “Now he has come to do something to me because I have so often
hurt him.” Down, down he went, as a lark flew up in the summer sky. The
bird was almost out of sight when a soft black nose and great brown eyes
came close to his face, and a kind, gentle mouth took hold of him, and
paddling and swimming as hard as he could, Nox carried Benjy to the
shore and laid him under the willow-tree. There Benjy's papa found him,
and took him home, where he was sick for a long, long time. When he got
a little better he used to tell people of his visit to Beastland, but
they always said it was only a dream he had during the fever.
In the long weeks of his sickness he grew much kinder and sweeter. But
something happened when he was getting well which softened his little
heart once and forever.
While he was sick, Mr. Rough was given to one of the servants to be
cared for and fed well, but he did not treat him kindly, and besides,
the dog wanted his little master; he wanted to see him, but no one would
let him; so poor faithful Mr. Rough got thinner and weaker every day,
till at last he would not eat anything nor even go out for a little
walk.
One day the barn door was open and Mr. Rough thought of Benjy and crept
into the house. When he got into the front hall he smelled Benjy and ran
into the parlor; and when he got into the parlor he saw Benjy, who had
heard the jingle of his collar and who stood up and held out his arms
for him. Mr. Rough jumped into them, and then fell dead at his master's
feet.
Yes, dear children, Mr. Rough died of joy at seeing Benjy again. Benjy
felt very sorry for him, and it kept him from growing well for a long
time, but it did him good in other ways, for as the tears rolled down
his cheeks on to Mr. Bough's poor little scratched face, he felt as if
he never could hurt or be unkind to any animal again.
THE PORCELAIN STOVE.
Adapted From Ouida.
“The story-teller must take life into himself in its wholeness, must let
it live and work whole and free within him. He must give it out free
and unabbreviated, and yet STAND ABOVE THE LIFE which actually
is.”--Froebel.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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