Chapter I: Front Matter

THE

NURSERY

_A Monthly Magazine_

FOR YOUNGEST READERS.

VOLUME XXIII.--No. 2.

Contents.

IN PROSE.

PAGE
Ebony and Lucy 34
Daisy 37
My First Attempt at Fishing 40
New Method of Catching Mice 43
Jamie Canfield's Sand-Heap 45
Dick's Dream 47
Drawing Lesson 49
Romeo the Shirk 51
Tied Not Mated 54
My Kitten 55
A Lesson in Flying 58
How Little Edith Went to Sleep 62

IN VERSE

PAGE
The Terrible Trio 35
Shy Little Pansy 41
A Song for Baby 44
Three Little Chicks 50
Mother's Last Look 53
"Lullaby!" 60
Blow, Blow, East Wind (_with music_) 64

EBONY AND LUCY.

BONY is the name of Lucy's black dog. I will leave you to guess why he is so called.

On a bright, cold winter day, when no wind was stirring, and the ice of the pond was smooth as glass, Lucy went out, followed by Ebony. Such joyful barking as there was!

Her father knew that the good dog would pull her out of the water, if the ice should break through. But the day was so cold, there was little danger from thin ice.

A bright idea occurred to Lucy when she had put on her skates. She had scarfs and handkerchiefs with her, and, tying three or four of these together, she made a noose, which she threw over Ebony's head. Thus she held him, so that he could pull her on her skates over the ice.

"Now, Ebony, let us see how fast you can go," said Lucy. Ebony started at a full gallop; and she began to sing,--

"We issue no tickets, we close no gate,
We blow no whistle, and nobody's late;
Our train is off as soon as we're in it;
We go at the rate of ten miles a minute,
(And that is six hundred miles an hour!)--
For ours is an engine of one-dog power;
But that dog's Ebony, bold and fleet,
A dog, you'll find, that is hard to beat:
So look out, stragglers and tramps! I guess
You'd better not trifle with our express!"

Hardly had Lucy finished her song, when Ebony, who had been going at great speed for some distance, slipped on his haunches, where the ice was very smooth, and, sliding along, fell over on his side.

Lucy fell too, but she was not hurt. "You good Ebony," said she. "You have done well. But it is too bad to make you play the part of a locomotive engine. And so, old fellow, I will take off your harness, and let you go free."

Then Lucy took the scarf from the dog's neck, and darted off alone on her skates to a part of the pond where her brother Felix had just had a tumble on the ice.

But Ebony would not forsake her. He kept close at her heels; for he knew there was water underneath the ice, and he meant to be near at hand, should any accident happen. I am glad to say, that, after a good frolic on the ice, they reached home safely in time for dinner.

UNCLE CHARLES.

THE TERRIBLE TRIO.

THESE are the robbers,--the terrible three!
In showing no mercy they all agree;
They fill the woods with their war-whoops dire:
Policemen and soldiers, beware, retire!

Rinaldo's the name of the captain: you learn
His rank from his cap, and his frown so stern.
The next is Grimaldi, a desperate fellow!
His eyes they are blue, and his hair it is yellow.

The youngest but dreadfulest of them all
Has a terrible name that I cannot recall:
'Tis hard to pronounce; and it's well, perhaps,
That memory here has suffered a lapse.

Oh! doesn't it make you all shudder to look
At their likenesses even, all here in a book?--
Rinaldo the fierce, and Grimaldi the grim,
And that young, nameless bandit, so bold and so trim.

But if you should meet with this terrible band,
Now don't run away, but come quick to a stand:
Be humble and quiet, and don't act amiss,
And all that they'll rob you of, will be--a kiss!

IDA FAY.

DAISY.

A FRIEND of mine, Mr. S., had a beautiful colt named Daisy, who was the pet of all the family. She was so tame she would put her head in at the open windows to see what was going on in the house; and very often, when she saw the front-door open, she would go up the steps of the piazza, and deliberately march into the hall. No one ever struck Daisy with a whip, or even a switch. A little slap of the hand, and a "Go out, Daisy," were all that were necessary.

Mrs. S. had a new cook; and one day she set a pan of custard on the back-porch to cool. When she went out to get it, an hour or two after, she found nothing but the empty pan. Molly ran to Mrs. S. in great distress, and told her of the loss of the custard. "Ah!" said Mrs. S., "then Daisy has eaten it." And, sure enough, Daisy was the thief.

Another time the naughty colt put her head in the kitchen-window, and ate up some apple-pies that were on the table. All this was very bad indeed, but Daisy was always forgiven because she was so lovely and gentle. She would follow any of the family about the grounds, and rub her head against them to show how much she loved them.

One day a man came to Mr. S.'s house to make a visit. He was not in the habit of visiting the family, and so had not made Daisy's acquaintance. After tea, Mr. S. and his visitor were standing on the piazza, when Daisy came trotting up, as she always did when she saw one of the family there, and opened her mouth, expecting Mr. S. to put a piece of bread or apple in. The stranger did not understand this little trick, and (coarse man that he was!) spat a quantity of tobacco-juice into Daisy's face. Poor little Daisy! She hung her head down, and walked off under the trees, where she stood looking very miserable.

The next morning Mr. S. asked his visitor to walk with him through his grounds; and, as they were walking along, they passed a place where Daisy, who still looked as if she felt insulted and injured, was quietly grazing.

As soon as she saw her enemy (as she must have considered him), she pricked up her ears as if some happy idea had come into her head. She gave herself a little shake, and, walking behind him until she was quite near, suddenly wheeled around, and gave a kick that would have broken some of his bones, if he had not jumped out of the way just in time to escape her heels.

As it was, he was very much frightened, and looked very mean; for he knew that a kick was just what he deserved for his vulgarity and insolence.

Daisy had never been known to kick at anybody before, and she never kicked anybody afterwards.

A.

THE FAMOUS MOZART BAND.

THE famous Mozart Band, as everybody ought to know, was formed in our village. It has serenaded almost every family on the street; and there is no end to the money (in the form of beans and smooth stones) that has been poured into the hat carried round by Miss Amy, the youngest member.

The band is composed of five members, whose names are Charles, Edwin, Susan, Bella, and Amy. Charles was the founder of the band. While on a visit to his uncle in the city, he had seen a strolling band of men in the street, who played finely on trumpets and flutes. He resolved to form a band at home, and to call it the Mozart Band.

But why call it the Mozart? Well, Mozart was a wonderful musical genius, who could compose music when he was five years old, and who astonished all Germany by his skill and aptness as a performer. So Charles decided on calling his band the Mozart Band.

At great expense I have obtained a drawing of the members of the Mozart Band. Charles (first drum) is the leader; Edwin (second drum) is next in rank; Amy (trumpet) is the next, for she owns the trumpet, and so comes before the other two ladies, who are merely vocal performers, by which I mean singers.

Now, if you want to hear the famous Mozart Band, you must come to our village. Performances take place every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon, and sometimes oftener. If you come, you must bring some money to put into Amy's hat; for the band cannot afford to play for nothing. They are getting to be so famous that I should not wonder if they were to have an invitation soon to come on to New York or Boston, and give a concert in one of the large halls.

AUNT CECILIA.

MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT FISHING.

WHEN I was seven years old, my father took me down to the river to fish. I had a nice new line, and a little hook that I bought of a peddler the week before. My father cut me a pole from the woods near by; and I caught a grasshopper for bait.

I tried to put the grasshopper on the hook, but I pricked my finger: so my father put it on for me. Then I threw in my line, and kept moving it up and down.

Pretty soon I thought I felt a bite, and called out to my father, "O father, I've got a fish!" I pulled it up, and what do you think I had caught? You could not guess in a week. It was my sister's old rag baby.

FRANK LYNN.

SHY LITTLE PANSY.

"WHY so shy, my Pansy,
Tell me why so shy?
Mother's arms are round thee;
This is grandma by.
She can tell you stories
Of the time, my dear,
When she was a little girl
Just like Pansy here.

"Once there was a dolly,
And its name was Bess;
Grandma then, like Pansy,
Was--how old? Now guess!
Just the age of Pansy!
Well, one night, you see"--
"Grandma," said the little girl,
"Take me on your knee."

Pansy's shyness melted;
Grandma won the day:
Now hugged tight in grandma's arms
Little Pansy lay;
And she heard a story
Of a doll so fine,
Left out on the cold, cold ground,
Where no sun could shine.

And the snow fell slowly,
Softly fell, like down,
Till a heap of drifted flakes
Covered dolly's gown.
Yes, it hid and covered
All the bright blue dress,
Then her hair and rosy cheeks--
Poor forsaken Bess!

Dolly's little mother
Hunted for her child;
But no trace of her was seen
Till the air grew mild.
When the snow was melted,
There was dolly found,
With her silken dress all soiled
On the muddy ground.

EMILY CARTER.

NEW METHOD OF CATCHING MICE.

PERHAPS some of your youthful readers will be glad to know how I catch mice. If you think so, you are at liberty to publish the following; for I do not intend to apply for a patent.

One evening last week we made some molasses candy; and, as too much of it, eaten before going to bed, is not good for the teeth, I spread some on a baking-tin, and set it away to cool for the next day.

It was not cooked enough to harden thoroughly; and a little mouse had the curiosity to taste it; but, the moment his feet touched it, they stuck fast, and he could not get away.

His cries for help brought two other mice to his assistance; but they shared the same fate, the molasses candy holding all three prisoners.

When I found them the next morning, all three were stuck fast. This shows what a useful thing molasses candy is to have in a house, and is a warning to all mice not to meddle with it.

ARTHUR F. CORBIN.
GOUVERNEUR, N.Y.

A SONG FOR BABY.

NUTS for all the baby-birds
In the merry budding spring;
Roses, where the dusty bees
May sip and cling.

Shade for all the pretty lambs
That in the summer stray;
Hedges, where the crickets chirp
Their time away.

Holes, where nimble squirrels hide
When autumn hours are chill;
Heaping barns, where horse and cow
Have shelter still.

Homes for rabbit, mouse, and mole,
When winter strews the ground;
But mother's arms for baby dear
The whole year round!

GEORGE COOPER.

JAMIE CANFIELD'S SAND-HEAP.

JAMIE CANFIELD is a three-year-old boy who lives in Lawrence, Kansas, the prettiest town in the State. He and Freddy Bassett, a four-year-old neighbor, love to play in the dirt; and their mammas allow them to do it, because it is so healthy.

It certainly has proved to be so in Jamie's case; for he was quite pale and delicate in the spring, and now he is brown and rugged, and ready to eat all the food he can get. But dear me! he used to get so dirty!

What was the use of washing him, and putting on clean dresses and aprons, when he was constantly throwing aside his other playthings, and making mud pies, or carting earth in his little red wagon?

His papa laughed and said, "Oh, never mind! Dirt is good for him." But mamma thought it was not very good for his clothes; and, besides, she wanted him to be clean enough to kiss without being washed every time he came into the house.

So she said one day to his papa, "James, I think it would be a good idea to get a load of sand for Jamie to play in. It will at least be cleaner than that dust-heap."

That very day up came a load of yellow, shining sand. It was heaped into a shady corner by mamma's bedroom-door, and Jamie and Freddy dived into it at once.

They made pies; they dug holes, and filled them with water for wells; they made mountains with caves in their sides, and every thing else they could think of. When dinner-time came, Jamie had to be coaxed away from his sand-heap; and mamma said she believed he would sleep in it, if he were allowed to.

After dinner, as soon as he waked from his nap, he went straight to his sand again. Freddy was there before him; and soon Minnie Rich, a little girl eleven years old, came out, and played with them.

She knew how to work sand better than any of them. First she wet it. Then she made a house with holes in the sides for doors and windows, and a chip for a chimney. Then she made a smooth lawn in front of the house, and some hills and valleys in the rear, fenced in a yard, and set out some flowers.

The boys were delighted; and mamma went to the door more than once to look at the plantation, as Jamie called it, before it was finished. It was really quite a pretty thing, and Jamie declared his intention of keeping it just as it was. But the hot sun dried the sand, so that the house crumbled away; and the two boys were soon digging and shovelling in their own way as before.

JAMIE'S MAMMA.

DICK'S DREAM.

"YES, step right down upon me, and kill me, if you like," said Mrs. Tarantula to Dick, as they met at the schoolhouse door. "This is a hard world, Dick Adams, and I am about tired of living in it.

"You don't know what a fine home I once had! It was in that clay mound; and, when I had dug me a hole fully a foot deep and an inch across, my jaws and my eight legs were quite tired out. I left some small stones on the side for stairs: I lined the hole with brown silk next to the dirt, and with white satin inside, both of which I spun and wove on the spot.

"My nice round lid fitted so snug and even, that I thought no one but myself ever could find my house. But, last week, your brother Will's sharp eyes spied the round ring that marks my nest; and he went and tore the lid from its hinges, and left my hundred and ten children without a roof to cover their heads. _How I would like to bite that boy!_

"I found the lid, and tried to fasten it down again; but a heavy shower came up, and I could not fix it in the rain. Then my husband came over from his house. You know our husbands never live with the rest of the family. They are too cross and get too hungry at times.

"We were not on very good terms; for, some time before, when he thought I was away from home, he tried to get into my house. I heard him, and, running up stairs, I put my claws in the two little holes in the lining of the lid, and braced myself so that he could not pry open the lid. He said he only wanted to pay me a visit; but I knew he was hungry, and wanted to eat up our children.

"But now he spoke very kindly to me, and told me that my lid could not be fixed on; but, as my children were now old enough to care for themselves, I had better go home with him. I went to his house to talk it over and forgot to give the children their supper, and tell them to work for themselves after this.

"My husband told me a few days after that my boys and girls got into a fight, and, before they quit, ate each other up; but he was away from home for two days, and looked very full when he came back.

"He may have told the truth; but I can't see how one of my little ones could eat the other one hundred and nine, and then swallow himself too."

This is what Dick Adams dreamed that a tarantula said to him. He had seen one on his way to school, and what the teacher told him about the insect had interested him so much that he found himself dreaming about it all night.