Willy's travels on the railroad : $b Intended for young childrenMarcet, Mrs. (Jane Haldimand)
General
Willy's travels on the railroad : $b Intended for young children
Marcet, Mrs. (Jane Haldimand)
Children's stories; Country life -- Juvenile fiction; Families -- Juvenile fiction; Nature stories; Railroad stories
their little friends arrived, dolly was in full dress, and very much
admired by them all."
THE RETURN TO OLD FRIENDS.
"Well, that is a pretty story," said Willy; "and do you know a great
many others?"
"Yes," said the lady; "but I should be out of breath if I told you
stories all the way; besides, I want to talk to other people as well as
to you."
Willy thought that was but fair; and, after thanking the lady for her
kindness, he returned to seat himself by his mamma, who told him they
would soon reach Derby. This pleased him highly. "Then," said he, "I
shall see my old friend Anna, the landlady's daughter at the inn. Oh!
but we shall not see the blind woman and her children."
"Possibly we may," replied his mother, "for to-morrow is Sunday, and
that is the day they are most likely to go to see their old mother."
Soon after they reached Derby, Willy renewed acquaintance with Anna and
the landlady; and in the evening they went to walk in the Arboretum,
and there they met all the family, except the blind woman herself.
"Where is she?" asked Willy's mother. "I hope not ill?"
"Oh dear, no, Ma'am," cried Martha, her eyes sparkling with joy at the
good news she had to tell; "well, quite well; and she can see us all
now, she is no longer blind."
"Oh, how glad I am," said Willy. "Where is she? How happy she must be,
and how I should like to see her now she can see!"
"She is at the hospital," said Martha. "She was couched only about ten
days ago, and is not allowed yet to go abroad in the daylight; but if
you had but seen her kiss us all round when her eyes first saw, and
then kneel down and thank God for restoring her sight, and preserving
all her children so that she had the blessing of seeing them again.
Well, I really thought we should have cried our eyes out, we were all
so happy!"
"Cry for being happy!" said Willy; "why I thought people laughed when
they were happy."
"So they do," said Martha; "but when they are very, very glad, they
cannot laugh, and then they sometimes cry for joy."
Willy told Betsey and Johnny all about grandmamma's farm and his own
little garden; and they, in return, told him all about their mother
going to the hospital, and how the surgeons had done something to her
eyes which made her see; and what a treat their grandmother was going
to give them when mother was well enough to leave the hospital. "It is
to be a grand drinking tea in the gardens," said she, "and I don't know
how many nice things there will be. She is, I believe, making some of
the pies and cakes already."
When they returned to the inn, there was still daylight enough for
Willy to go over the landlady's garden with his friend Anna, and she
showed him the apricot and peach trees, which were now full of ripe
fruit, whilst, at their first visit, Willy had scarcely noticed them,
seeing nothing but small green balls growing on their branches.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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