Chapter 2

Little Emma was his especial favorite; and one December day he said to her, "What shall I get you, darling, for a Christmas present? A nice pair of shoes would be just the thing, I'm thinking."

"Oh, no, grandpa! Give me a book--a book with pictures in it: that will be better than new shoes. By going barefoot, I can make my old shoes last me a year longer."

Well, in the shop where Grandpa Payson bought a beautiful bound copy of "The Nursery" for his darling, he happened to mention to the shopkeeper the fact that Emma had preferred a new book to a new pair of shoes.

An old lady who stood near could not help hearing the conversation. That evening, while Grandpa Payson, Emma, and the two boys, were gathered around the table, feasting their eyes on the new book, there was a knock at the door, and a package was left, directed to "Miss Emma Payson."

"Dear me! What can it be? I never had a package left for me before in all my life," cried Emma.

She opened the package, and there found several pairs of shoes, and a note, telling her to select two pairs that would fit her, and to send the rest to the shopkeeper.

In the note the old lady wrote: "You must not only fill your head with knowledge, but keep your feet warm, if you would preserve your health. If your brothers will go to Mr. Lane's to-morrow, he will fit them both to new shoes, a gift from me. A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!"

IDA FAY.

HELP ONE ANOTHER.

ONE day, passing through a meadow, I saw a sheep much troubled by flies. Presently I saw it walk to a small pond where there were some young ducks, and stand there quietly. Soon the ducks took notice of the flies, and, coming out from the water, began snapping them up, as if to punish them for worrying the poor sheep.

By and by a starling, from a tree near by, flew down, lighted on the sheep's back, and helped in the good work of ridding her of the flies.

This, thought I, is a clear case of putting into practice the golden rule of "Help one another." Perhaps you will say, that the ducks and the starling wanted to make a meal of the flies; but I like to think that some less selfish motive was mingled with their work.

ALFRED SELWYN.

THE FAITHLESS FRIEND.

MY little lamb, in early spring, Was but a timid, weakly thing: His old sheep-mother did not own him: He would, no doubt, have soon been dead, If I had not some pity shown him, And seen that he was warmed and fed. I was the only friend he knew, And fond of him each day I grew; And, as I stroked his woolly head, "Wherever you may be, I know, my little lamb," I said, "You will remember me."

But, when the fields grew green in May, They sent my little pet away To pasture, where the brooks were flowing Through yellow beds of cowslip flowers, Where purple violets were growing, And scented blossoms fell in showers From off the shading chestnut-trees, And daisies nodded in the breeze: And many mates my lambkin found, As young and gay as he, And all day long they frisked around And gambolled full of glee.

But when the robin-redbreasts flew, And loud and shrill the north-winds blew, Back from the pastures hard and frozen, Through winter in the barn to keep, The little lamb that I had chosen They brought with all the other sheep; And, oh! how glad my face to see, I thought, my pretty pet will be! But when to meet him I went out, And tried to coax and call, He drew away, and turned about, And would not come at all.

With his white fleece and playful ways, My lamb now all about me praise; But dearer far to me the sickly, Poor, shivering thing he used to be; When to my call he came so quickly I thought that he was fond of me! But if I pet him now, I know He'll take my gifts, and off he'll go; For I, to my regret, have found I can no more depend On one who will go frisking round, And quite forget a friend.

MARIAN DOUGLAS.

BILLY AND THE PIG.

HERE is another story about my father's wise old horse, Billy.

One day, when my father wished to go away to the mill, he sent my brother Robert down to the pasture to catch Billy. Robert brought the horse up to the house, tied him to the fence in the backyard, and gave him some oats in a pail.

In a pen back of the house we kept three pigs: two of them were white; and the other was spotted,--black and white. These pigs had got out of the pen by pushing off a board from one side of it.

Soon after Billy began to eat his dinner, the two white pigs came running through the yard. They saw Billy eating his oats; and, thinking it would be nice for them to have some as well as he, they ran up to his pail, and without as much as saying, "By your leave," began to help themselves.

Billy had no idea of sharing his dinner with such company as this: so he lopped back his ears, looked as cross as he possibly could, snapped at the pigs fiercely with his teeth, raised his hind-feet from the ground, as if to kick them, and at last succeeded in frightening them away.

Scarcely had they left the yard, however, before the spotted pig got his eye upon the pail of oats; and he at once ran for it with all his might.

Billy tried to scare him as he had the others; but Spotty was not so easily frightened. He took no notice of any thing but the oats.

Finding that threats were of no use, Billy seized him by the back of the neck, raised him about two feet from the ground, shook him a little, and then let him drop.

Spotty was satisfied. He lost his appetite for oats, and ran squealing out of the yard.

EDITH'S PAPA.

JOCKO, THE RAVEN.

THE raven is a sly bird, and has not many friends. He will steal from you, if he can. He can crow like a cock, mew like a cat, and bark like a dog; and sometimes he will imitate the sound of the rattle with which the farmer tries to frighten him away from the corn.

The raven, like the parrot, can learn to talk a little. He is even capable of learning a little Latin. Dr. J. Franklin's raven, which was named Jocko, pronounced the word _aqua_ (water) distinctly; but he much preferred wine to water. Sad to say, Jocko was a toper.

"One day," says the doctor, "my housekeeper placed a glass of red wine on the table: in an instant the bird plunged in his beak, and began sucking up the wine, drop by drop. The housekeeper, fearing he would break the glass, took it away; but at this Jocko was very angry, and tried to peck at her face.

"If three glasses are placed on the table,--one of water, another of beer, and the third of wine,--Jocko will leave the first two, and will pay his respects only to the glass of wine."

The raven has a strong memory, great prudence, and some capacity for reasoning. The keen watchfulness with which he will regard a man armed with a gun has often been noticed.

A traveller in the arctic regions relates that he once saw some ravens outwit a dog. While the dog was at his dinner, they would make him angry, and entice him away in pursuit of them; and, when they had led him some distance, they would fly quickly back, and snatch up the best bones, before he could prevent it.

That was hardly honest, was it? The raven, you see, does not set a good example. He drinks wine, he fights, and he steals. But I suppose he knows no better, and has not been taught, like you and me, that to do such things is very wrong.

ALFRED SELWYN.

CHIPPEREE, CHIP.

Words by G. COOPER. Music by T. CRAMPTON.

1.

I once knew a couple that liv'd in a wood,-- Chipperee, chipperee, chip! And up in a tree-top their dwelling it stood,-- Chipperee, chipperee, chip! The summer it came and the summer it went,-- Chipperee, chipperee, chip! And there they lived on though they never paid rent,-- Chipperee, chipperee, chip!

2.

When winter came on with its frost and its snow,-- Chipperee, chipperee, chip! They cared not a bit when they heard the wind blow,-- Chipperee, chipperee, chip! For wrapp'd in their feathers they lay down to sleep,-- Chipperee, chipperee, chip! But oh, in the spring, how their bright eyes did peep,-- Chipperee, chipperee, chip!

3.

Their parlor was lined with the softest of wool,-- Chipperee, chipperee, chip! Their kitchen was warm and their pantry was full,-- Chipperee, chipperee, chip! And four little babies peep'd out at the sky,-- Chipperee, chipperee, chip! You never saw darlings so pretty and shy,-- Chipperee, chipperee, chip!

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Transcriber's Notes:

The January edition of the Nursery had a table of contents for the first six issues of the year. This table was divided to cover each specific issue. A title page copied from the January edition was also used for this number.