Title : Baby Chatterbox
Author : Anonymous
Release date
: September 11, 2005 [eBook #16681]
Most recently updated: December 12, 2020
Language : English
Credits
: Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Melissa Er-Raqabi and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net.
NEW YORK
R. WORTHINGTON
770 BROADWAY
Copyright by R. Worthington, 1880.
Transcriber's Note: the following corrections were made to the text: |
couldn't for could'nt |
foxglove for foxglore |
curtsied for curtised |
servants for sevants |
Hop, hop, hop! In it came at the window, the dearest little yellow canary, not a bit afraid; chirping, turning its pretty head this way and that, and asking its little bird questions which nobody could understand.
George, and Winifred, and little Bruce were all filled with delight and amazement at the small visitor. Wise George flew to shut the window, kind Winny ran for cake, and solemn Bruce took his finger out of his mouth and stared.
Meanwhile Dicky sidled, and fluttered, and chattered, and at last showed he was used to society by setting down on George's finger, winking at Bruce, and making a good meal of Winny's cake.
"Do you think he can have flown straight from the Canary Islands?" asked Winny.
But George shook his head; it was too far.
But still they had a feeling that the little visitor was a sort of emigrant, who must be led to settle at Fairleigh Cottage; and Winny ran to ask her mother for the half-crown out of her money-box to buy him a cage.
"Mother's coming," she said. "She thinks Birdie belongs to some one else, because he is so tame."
"But there are no canaries in the village, except the schoolmaster's pair," said wise George; "and this little beauty is not one of them. I really think this bird must have come to look for a home."
Stands over Apples,
So rosy and round. |
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Begins the word Berries,
Which grow near the ground. |
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Commences Cherries,
They grow upon trees. |
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Date-Palms or Desert,
Spell which word you please. |
Twined by Evergreens.
They never fade. |
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Found in Fern-leaves,
Which grow in the shade. |
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Is a Grape-vine,
Bearing some fruit. |
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Holds a Holly bush
Plucked by the root. |
The children are fond of a merry tune, so they have given the organ-boy a penny to play. The babies stare at the organ, as though they thought it a very funny box to make such a noise. One little child, with a doll in her arms, is giving a piece of bread to the monkey, but he looks as if he suspected it was a trick. The boy has a cloth over his organ, to protect it when it rains. I do not like to see monkeys led about in this way. I think it is cruel, and must cause them much suffering, especially if they have a cruel master. But I think this little boy will be kind to his little companion, and not twist and throw it about as some of the men do. Monkeys are very amusing, after they go through a short training, and will do all manner of tricks for their master.
Is an Ivy vine,
It clings where it grows. |
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Is a Jessamine,
Most fragrant it blows. |
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The rich Kidney bean,
Nutritious for food. |
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Is the Lily,
An emblem of good. |
Holds a Moss rose,
Covered with down. |
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Stands for Walnuts,
In the woods they are found. |
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Is an Orange,
So juicy and sweet. |
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A Pine-apple,
Both are good to eat. |
Quinces when ripe,
Have an excellent flavor. |
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The Rose when presented,
Is a sign of favor. |
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Strawberries in dish,
With sugar and cream. |
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Tomatoes as fine
As ever were seen. |
The name of the bear is Jack . I fetched him from the West India Import Dock on the 5th of November, 1870. He was running about with another bear on board ship, but the job was to catch him. After many attempts we at last put a strong collar round his neck, to which was attached a long chain, and then we got him into a large barrel and fastened the head on with hoop-iron, lowered him over the side of the vessel into a boat, and then pulled to the quay, and hauled him up into a cart. For a time the little fellow was quiet enough, but he got very inquisitive when being driven towards the city, and wanted to have a look round. I managed to quiet him by giving him pieces of lump-sugar. He arrived safely at the Crystal Palace, and has lived in an aviary till the beginning of last month, when he was put into his new bear-pit. The little fellow has grown twice the size he was when he first came. He is very playful, but sometimes he shows his teeth when he is teased.
The lessons are learned, and now we all join hands, and march to the play-ground. And a nice play-ground we have, and every day when it is fine we enjoy ourselves very much. Some like to swing round the great pole, others join hands and form a large ring, and then we try to see which side of the ring can pull the hardest. Others like to run a race, and try who will run three times round the play-ground first. When it is wet we march round our large school-room, keeping time with our feet. And then we have such splendid fun playing "Tag," first one, and then the other, racing round over benches, and under and around the desks, until we are fairly tired out. Then we hear the bell ring, and we march in, two by two, to commence our lessons again.
Unicorn root,
Good at times for the health. |
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A beautiful Vine,
All alone by itself. |
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Wheat in the field,
Gently waved by the wind. |
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Xanthic flowers, which
Are a bright yellow kind. |
Topsy had four kittens, but as it was settled that we could not keep more than one, and little Milly Knight wanting one, the other two had to be drowned. So Milly came one day and selected a nice little black and white one. We were very sorry when Tom took the little creatures and put them in the pond at the bottom of the garden. As they were very young and could not feel much, we thought Topsy would soon forget them. Well, on the evening that they were drowned, while the cook was in her pantry, with the window open, she saw something come rushing along, and, in another minute, Topsy leaped through the window, carrying in her mouth one of the kittens, dripping wet, which she laid on the mat and began to lick with all her might. And how she licked it! Over and over, and over again, till, as the cook said, she "licked it into life." The little kitten got well, and became, owing to its narrow escape, and the love displayed, a great pet ever afterward.
To find these bright flags,
In the marsh you must hunt. |
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A Zigadenus flower,
Changing color each month. |
This stands
Firm, and strong Another one We'll build hereon. Keep away, Now we'll see, If 'twill hold A number three. |
Try another,
One more, Raise it to A fourth floor. Yet another; Oh, what fun! That's too many— Down they come. |
A very interesting story is told by Mr. Youatt: "I wanted, one day, to go through a tall iron gate, from one part of my premises to another, but just within it lay a poor lame puppy, and I could not get in without perhaps seriously injuring him. I stood for a while hesitating, and at length determined to go round through another gate, when a fine Newfoundland dog, who had been waiting patiently for his wonted caresses, and wondering why I did not come in, looked accidently down at the invalid. He comprehended the whole business in a moment. He put down his great paw, and, as quickly and as gently as possible, rolled the invalid out of the way, and then drew himself back in order to leave room for the opening of the gate."
Little Ruth, like the woman of old of that name,
Returns from the field, where she gathered the grain. |
"Oh, papa! will you please buy me a donkey?" said little Ella Clark to her father, as she ran to meet him. "Well," said her father, "if you will promise to be a very good girl, and give your sister May a share of the rides, I will get one in the city and send it home." So, in a few days the donkey came, with a new bridle and saddle. The next thing to do was to give him a name; so, after trying a great many they agreed to call him "Jack." The next day Ella and May were up early and went to the barn, where they found Henry, and asked him to saddle "Jack." Henry brushed down "Jack's" thick coat of hair, and made him look quite trim, and he then placed Ella on "Jack's" back, and walked him up and down, holding on to Ella, and in a short time she could ride alone, and felt as proud as a queen when her father saw her sitting up on "Jack's" back. She then gave May a ride, and at last got so bold as to take "Jack" down the lane alone, and had a splendid time riding up and down.
Little Elsie and Gertie live in the country. They do not see the gay shops full of pretty things that amuse children in New York, and they have never been to a bazaar, or to the Zoological Gardens, but they have sweet flowers to smell and look at, and live creatures about them at home. They find amusements at all seasons of the year, and are very merry. You see them now in the field where the grass has been cut and is drying into hay that the horses and cows will eat. The children have had fine fun in the hay; they have spread and tossed it, and Gertie has pretended to feed her toy goat with it, and now she wants Elsie to hide her in it that she may jump out and surprise James their brother, who is coming in at the gate.
"Lamb of God! I look to Thee,
Thou shalt my example be; Thou art gentle, meek and mild; Thou wast once a little child.
Fain I would be as Thou art.
Give me thy obedient heart: Thou art pitiful, and kind; Let me have thy loving mind.
Let me above all fulfil
God my heavenly Father's will; Never his good Spirit grieve, Only to his glory live.
Loving Jesus, gentle Lamb!
In thy gracious hands I am; Make me, Saviour, what Thou art; Live thyself within my heart.
I shall then show forth thy praise;
Serve thee all my happy days; Then the world shall always see Christ, the Holy Child in me." |
Mary is a good little girl, but is meddlesome. She has a good Grandmother, called Mrs. Mason, and she sometimes goes to her house. One day Mary got into mischief. Seeing her Grandmother's spectacles on the table, she put them on her nose, and said, "I'm Grandmother." Mary began to march about the room in a very grand way. Presently the spectacles fell off, and the glasses were broken. Poor Mary cried bitterly, and at first did not know what to do; but when Mrs. Mason came in, she told her all, and promised never to play "Grandmother" again. Mrs. Mason told her not to cry, and she might play "Grandmother" as much as she liked, but she was to be very careful not to take her spectacles, and she would get her papa to get a pair of tin ones, with holes in them, so that she could see as well, and look all the funnier.
Rub-a-dub, rub-a-dee,
Oh, such jolly fun! I'm Signor Blowmore, And he's Herr Bertrun. Rub-a-dub, rub-a-dee! Do we make a noise? That's the very thing you know Pleases little boys. Rub-a-dub, rub-a-dee! Full of young life's joys, Playing with the horn and drum, Best of all the toys. Rub-a-dub, rub-a-dee! Music now hath charms; You can blow and beat away, And it no one alarms. |
W.R.E.
"Ponto," the dog, who was longing for a run with nurse and baby, came up into the nursery to see if they were nearly ready for their walk. Nurse had gone out of the room, leaving baby fastened into her chair with a saucer of milk on the ledge in front of her. Ponto would not have taken the milk without leave—he knew better how to behave than that; but he wanted baby to give him some, and did not know how easily the saucer would be upset: one great paw put on the little shelf sent it over, broke it, and spilt the milk. You see the baby is not at all afraid of the dog, and she is too good-tempered to cry about the milk being spilt; but she holds her spoon out of Ponto's way and says, "Naughty, naughty!"
I want to tell you a true story about the terrier dog you see having a game at hide-and-seek with our two children.
One evening, nurse had put baby to bed, and tucked her in quite snug and warm. Having to do some shopping, nurse went out, and, in going along the street she felt something pulling her skirt, and on looking down discovered Tray with her skirt in his mouth. Nurse thought he was only playing, and tried to shake him off, but he began to bark and whine, and seemed to say, in his doggish way: "Please do attend to me; do come back with me!" that at last, just to see if he would leave off, she began to walk home. And oh, how delighted Tray was! When they reached the house Tray ran up-stairs, and nurse discovered baby sitting up in bed, and screaming sadly. The little thing had awoke, and finding herself alone, began to cry; and the faithful dog had heard her, and set off directly to find nurse.
When I was a very little girl, one of my best friends was Washington Henry. He was one of our servants, who made himself useful inside of the house, and was as black as night, as you may see by the picture. He liked nothing better than to meet me outside the house and have a romp, and he would take me all round the barn and show me the ducks, and hens, and the nice little chickens, and wheel me round in the baby-carriage, while he capered and danced about like a high-mettled steed. I can tell you we had plenty of fun, and father often used to wonder how it was I liked Washington so much, but it was only because he was more kind and considerate than any of the other servants. His old mother lived in a little cottage with his younger brother and sister, and he used to take me round there sometimes, and they had always something new to show me.
A few days ago I was passing through Sonning, an old English village on the Thames, when I was attracted to a field near the road by hearing the merry sounds of the village school at a game of cricket. I could not resist the pleasure of pausing to watch the boys at play. Before long my curiosity was aroused by shouts of "Look out!" "Take care!" "Mind where you're going!" whenever any boy approached a certain spot, which seemed to be within a few yards of one of the wickets. I asked one of the party what such outcries meant. He replied—"Oh, that's our lark, sir!" On inquiry I found that some weeks before, the boys discovered a titlark's nest in the ground close to their cricket-piece. One of the boys seems to have made the suggestion that the school should take the lark under their special patronage. The proposal was adopted, and it became a daily business to see, before settling to their play, that all was right with the lark.
The Paris Figaro says:—"On Friday a new kind of robber was arrested not far from a hatter's, and holding a hat between his teeth. When efforts were made to take the hat away he stood on the defensive, and there was a fight, which ended very badly for the hat. The thief was a dog. His master, who has not yet been found, had taught him to bring home goods to him for sale, and the hatter accuses him of having carried off no less than six hats within a week."
Amusing creatures! I can look at the picture with pleasure, because they are evidently well treated, and have not the miserably cowed expression we see upon many of the monkeys that go about our streets. Sometimes when I have given a monkey a piece of cake or fruit, I have made a bargain with the master to let him sit still and eat it, and much amused I have been watching the little animal's extreme enjoyment of the treat and the holiday. The monkeys at the Zoological Gardens have tolerably large cages. I wish the parrots were as well off: they sadly need more space, and would be glad of bits of stick to play with.