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Title: A Tale of Two Monkeys and other stories
Author: Anonymous
Release Date: February 15, 2021 [eBook #64564]
Language: English
Character set encoding: UTF-8
Produced by: Richard Tonsing, Juliet Sutherland, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A TALE OF TWO MONKEYS AND OTHER STORIES ***
Transcriber’s Note:
The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
A TALE
OF
TWO MONKEYS
And Other Stories
THE METHODIST BOOK CONCERN
NEW YORK CINCINNATI
5
A TALE OF TWO MONKEYS.
The late Dr. John Torrey, of Columbia
College, was extremely fond of pets,
and expressed admiration for the pretty
little Brazilian monkeys with gentle, human
faces and velvety, mouse-colored
coats. A gentleman who heard it went
shortly afterward to Brazil. Upon his return,
he presented the doctor with a choice
pair. A cage was provided for them, and
they soon became members of the family,
petted by all, and tenderly loved by the
doctor, in whose study they lived.
One Sunday, the entire family went to
church and the monkeys were left at home
in their cage. When the churchgoers returned
they found the stay-at-homes on
the top of the folding doors of the parlors,
trembling and crying piteously—and for
6reasons, as they soon discovered. The
little mischief-makers had forced open the
door of their cage, and, finding themselves
free, had proceeded to enjoy themselves in
a manner that was scandalous.
In the cellar a bag of hops and ten baskets
of strawberries were dumped together
7and hopelessly mixed; the pans of milk
were without cream, and there was unmistakable
evidence that the monkeys had
skimmed them with their tails! A cistern
in the yard offered a fine opening, and the
little mischiefs gathered some clothes from
the line, the cook’s aprons from the kitchen,
and plumped them all in.
An open watch belonging to a daughter
of the house attracted one of the monkeys.
He removed the hands, took it down stairs
and carefully covered the face with mud,
and then brought it back and placed it on
her bed. Not so carefully did they pull
the cover from her writing table, bringing
ink and papers with it, and spilling the
ink; and when it came to the pulling down
of muslin curtains and bed hangings, and
tearing them into strips, the fun must have
risen to frenzy, for they proceeded to do
up the parlor window draperies in the
same style. The dining room table next
engaged their attention, and the fact that
8they made a salad of the flowers in the
center with the pepper, salt, and mustard
may have accounted for their tearful state
when they were found perched above the
door.
The little penitents were forgiven, for
they seemed really sorry. But soon afterward
one of the midgets carefully removed
the glasses from the doctor’s spectacles,
twisted the bows and put them in the
stove, from which they both took ashes
and sprinkled round the room. Fortunately
there was no fire in the stove, for
the next thing in order was the discovery
of a gross of matches, which they scattered
over the floor.
This began to look like danger, so the
doctor was obliged to sell them to Mr.
Barnum. But, whenever he went to visit
them, as he often did, they greeted him
with unmistakable signs of delight and
affection.
9
THE OLDEST CHRISTMAS STORY.
What is the most
beautiful Christmas
story in the world?
It is found in the gospels
of Matthew and
Luke. Matthew tells
the story of the wise
men and the star, and Luke of the shepherds
and the angels; and Luke’s story is
the longest, but together they make the
most wonderful story that ever was written.
It is a great truth, so great that we
cannot learn it all, and the heart of that
truth is love. God our Father is a great
Spirit, filling the earth and heavens, and
we, his children, are spirits made in his
likeness, living in earthly bodies, and he
has made all things that are. When his
10children were forgetting their Father, and
losing their likeness to him, he so loved
them that he said, “I will
go down and live among
them, and teach them how
to live and how to love.”
So he began to live just as
we all begin to live in this
world, by being a helpless
little child. He was
first loved by Mary, the mother, and then
Joseph and the shepherds, and the wise
men all adored him.
As he grew up many
wondered at his words,
and loved him so much
that they left all to follow
him. At last he laid
down his life for us all.
Then his children began
to understand who he was
and how he loved them, and many gladly
suffered and died for his sake, and the
11story of the holy Child is now read by
those who love him around the whole
world, and they now
begin to understand
his words when he
said, “I and my Father
are one.” Is not
this the most beautiful
Christmas story in
the world?
And the hero of this great Christmas
story still lives in heaven, and hears our
prayers and watches over us so lovingly.
He is glad when we are like him and
grieved when we forget his teachings.
12
THE ELEPHANT’S TOOTHACHE.
A dentist tells this story of an elephant
that belonged to a circus. He
was very good-natured, but one day when
his keeper went near him he made a vicious
switch at him with his trunk.
The keeper knew the elephant so well
that he said at once that the elephant was
sick; something was the matter with him.
He sat at a safe distance from the elephant
and watched him.
The elephant trumpeted loud and acted
as though he was very angry, but no one
could decide what was the cause of the
change in this good elephant’s disposition.
This continued for three days. At the
end of that time one of the men said,
“Why, when Jack” (that was the elephant’s
name) “lies down he keeps rubbing
13one side of his head; I think he has got
the toothache;” and everybody immediately
said, “Yes, that’s what’s the matter.”
The elephant was chained safely to
posts and iron rings, so that he could not
move, and the dentist was sent for. The
dentist looked in his mouth and saw that
one tooth was badly decayed. He touched
it, and the elephant trumpeted as though
in great pain; then the dentist went to
work and filled the tooth.
After a time the elephant seemed to
14understand that the dentist was trying to
do something for his pain, and he gave
every evidence of appreciating the attention.
Some weeks later the dentist visited
the winter quarters of the elephant and
the elephant recognized him. It was rather
an expensive operation, for it cost one
hundred dollars to fill that one tooth.
Doubtless, then, the elephant’s toothache
is a larger ache than either you or I ever
know when our teeth ache.
There is an old story, something like
this, about a lion which showed gratitude
to a man who had taken a thorn out of his
foot. Do you remember it?
15
WHERE ARE THE SWALLOWS?
There’s a swallow in the air
Somewhere!
It is on its way to me
Over land and over sea,
Over pine and over palm,
Through the storm and through the calm,
And it finds the summer fair
Everywhere.
Swallow, bring the stork with you,
Swallow, do!
Bring the bird of paradise,
And the parrot, bright and wise,
Birds in scarlet, gold, and green,
Such as we have never seen;
Bring the crested cockatoo,
Swallow, do!
16
A CURIOUS KIND OF BEAR.
These little animals are called ant-bears,
though no respectable father
bear or mother bear would own for a cub
such a queer, sharp-nosed, bushy-tailed
creature as this. The ant-bear hasn’t a
tooth in his head, and any little Goldilocks
might eat his porridge, sit in his chair, and
lie in his bed as long as she pleased without
being afraid of him. The Creator has
given to the ant-bear a taste for insects—he
prefers ants—and has fitted him with a
long and prying snout. Out of his mouth
he can dart a very long, threadlike tongue,
which is so sticky that the ant which it
touches is caught fast and must go down
the red lane, whether he will or not.
There are various kinds of ant-eating
birds and animals on the globe, in feathers,
fur, and scales, but this ant-bear lives in
the New World only. Can you tell in
what part of it we should look for him?
17
18
ROVER IN CHURCH.
’Twas a Sunday morning early in May,
A beautiful, sunny, quiet day,
And all the village, old and young,
Had trooped to the church when the church bell rung.
The windows were open, and breezes sweet
Fluttered the hymn books from seat to seat.
Even the birds in the pale-leaved birch
Sang as softly as if in church!
Right in the midst of the minister’s prayer
There came a knock at the door. “Who’s there,
I wonder?” the gray-haired sexton thought,
As his careful ear the tapping caught.
Rap, rap, rap, rap—a louder sound.
The boys on the back seats turned around.
What could it mean? for never before
Had anyone knocked at the old church door.
Again the tapping, and now so loud,
The minister paused (though his head was bowed),
Rappety-rap! This will never do;
The girls are peeping, and laughing too!
So the sexton tripped o’er the creaking floor,
Lifted the latch, and opened the door.
In there trotted a big black dog,
As big as a bear! With a solemn jog
Right up the center aisle he pattered;
People might stare—it little mattered.
Straight he went to a little maid,
Who blushed and hid, as though afraid,
19And there sat down, as if to say,
“I’m sorry that I was late to-day;
But better late than never, you know.
Besides, I waited an hour or so,
And couldn’t get them to open the door
Till I wagged my tail and bumped the floor.
Now, little mistress, I’m going to stay,
And hear what the minister has to say.”
The poor little girl hid her face and cried!
But the big dog nestled close to her side,
And kissed her, dog fashion, tenderly,
Wondering what the matter could be!
The dog being large (and the sexton small),
He sat through the sermon and heard it all,
As solemn and wise as anyone there,
With a very dignified, scholarly air!
And instead of scolding, the minister said,
As he laid his hand on the sweet child’s head
After the service, “I never knew
Two better list’ners than Rover and you!”
20
The sailors call this bird “Little Peter”
because he is always trying to walk
on the sea. Strangely enough, he does not
care to live on the land, or even very near
it. He even tucks his head under his
wing and goes to sleep with a wave for a
cradle. He is a feather ball, so oily that
the water cannot wet him, and so light that
he cannot sink. The petrel is sometimes
called “Mother Carey’s Chicken,” and follows
21the ships to get the bits of food that
are thrown overboard. He is very fond of
fat, and so he follows the whaling ships for
the bits of “blubber” that are thrown overboard.
They get very fat themselves, and
the people of the Faröe Islands catch
them to make candles of them. Think of
it! They draw a wick through the fat
little body and hang them up in their huts
to give light at night. Poor “Little Peter!”
If you think that it is strange to use a
bird for a candle, what do you think of the
Indians of Alaska who take a greasy little
fish and run a wick through and use that
to light their little huts. Those who have
seen the candlefish and smelled him burning
prefer the electric light.
22
A BRAVE LITTLE GIRL.
There is a story, in a beautiful book
called The Queens of England, about
a little girl who saved her father’s life. It
happened a long time ago, when a
woman named Mary was queen. Lord
Preston, the father of the little girl, loved
King James, who had been sent out of
England, and wanted him to be king
again. So there was a trial, and they said
he must die. While the trial was going on
the little Lady Catherine, only nine years
old, was left in the queen’s room in Windsor
Castle. The next day after the trial
the queen found the little girl in a picture
gallery, looking earnestly at the picture of
King James which hung there. “Why do
you look at my father’s picture so
strangely?” asked the queen.
23“I was thinking,” said the child, “how
hard it is that my father must die for loving
yours.”
The queen was so touched by the reply
that she pardoned Lord Preston and gave
him back to his loving little daughter, to
the great joy of both.
24
ONE AFTERNOON.
Papa and mamma went out to row,
And left us three at home, you know—
Roderick, James, and me.
“My dears,” they said, “now play with your toys,
Like dear little, good little, sweet little boys,
And we will come home to tea.”
We played with our toys the longest while,
We built up the blocks for nearly a mile—
Roderick, James, and I;
But when they came tumbling down, alas!
They fell right against the looking-glass—
O how the pieces did fly!
Then we played the stairs were an Alpine peak,
And down we slid with shout and with shriek—
Roderick, I, and James;
But Jim caught his jacket upon a tack,
And I burst the buttons all off my back,
And Roderick called us names.
Then we found a pillow that had a rip,
And all the feathers we out did slip—
Roderick, James, and I.
And we made a snowstorm, a glorious one,
All over the room. O wasn’t it fun,
As the feathery flakes did fly!
25But just as the storm was raging around
Papa and mamma came in and found
Roderick, James, and me;
O terrible, terrible things they said!
And they put us all three right straight to bed,
With the empty pillowcase under our head,
And none of us had any tea.
26
A STORY ABOUT A STARLING.
A starling had been taught to answer
certain questions, so that a dialogue
like this could be carried on:
“Who are you?”
“I’m Joe.”
“Where are you from?”
“From Pimlico.”
“Who’s your master?”
“The barber.”
“What brought you here?”
“Bad company.”
27
A picture of the Jewish Tabernacle which the Israelites had instead of a church. It was made of skins and beautiful cloth—purple and fine linen—and could be folded together and carried about from place to place during the forty years in which the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness.
28Now it came to pass one day that the
starling got out of his cage and flew away
to enjoy his liberty. The barber was
troubled. Joe was the life of the shop;
many a customer came because he had
heard of the bird, and the barber saw his
custom falling off. Then, too, he loved
the bird, which had proved so apt a pupil.
But all efforts to find the stray bird were
in vain.
Meanwhile Joe had been enjoying life
on his own account. A few days passed
very pleasantly, and then, alas! he fell into
the snare of a fowler, in truth.
A man lived a few miles from the barber’s
house who made the snaring of birds
his business. Some of the birds he stuffed
and sold. Others, again, were sold to the
hotels near by, to be served up to guests.
Much to his surprise Joe found himself
one day in the fowler’s net, in company
with a large number of birds as frightened
as himself. The fowler began drawing
out the birds one after another, and wringing
their necks. Joe saw that his turn
was coming, and something must be done.
It was clear that the fowler would not ask
questions, so Joe piped out, “I’m Joe!”
29
30“Hey! What’s that?” cried the fowler.
“I’m Joe,” repeated the bird.
“Are you?” said the astonished fowler.
“What brings you here?”
“Bad company,” said Joe, promptly.
It is needless to say Joe was soon given
back to his master.
ORIGIN OF THE NAME PUSSY.
Did you ever think why we call the cat
“puss?” A great many years ago
the people of Egypt, who have many idol
gods, worshiped the cat. They thought
she was like the moon, because she was
more active at night, and because her eyes
changed, just as the moon changes, which
is sometimes full and sometimes only a little
bright crescent, or half moon, as we say.
Did you ever notice your pussy’s eyes to
see how they change? So these people
made an idol with the cat’s head, and
named it Pasht, the same name they gave
to the moon; for the word means “the
face of the moon.” That word has been
changed to “pas,” or “pus,” and has come
at last to be “puss,” the name which almost
everyone gives to the cat. Puss and pussycat
are pet names for kitty everywhere.
Whoever thought of it as given to her
thousands of years ago, and that then people
bowed down and prayed to her?
31
32
PATSY BRYAN.
Patsy Bryan was a little street peddler.
Patsy was always ragged, often
hungry, yet kept a brave heart and wore a
happy look.
His father was dead, his mother drank,
and Patsy’s scanty earnings went a long
33way toward maintaining the family, which
consisted of his mother, himself, a younger
sister, and a cripple brother. Poor Patsy
had never been to church or Sunday
school, and was little better than a heathen.
One Sunday afternoon, however, Patsy
strayed by a large building in which a
mission Sunday school was in session, and
hearing the singing, he stepped in to see
what was going on. He was kindly invited
to enter a class, and soon found himself
quite at home amid a number of boys of
his own age.
After that Patsy became a regular attendant,
and when, in the summer time, a
company of children were sent into the
country for a few weeks by the benevolence
known as the Fresh-Air Fund, Patsy found
himself one of the fortunate number.
34
Jamie has a Little Talk with Piggie-Wig.
35This was one of the great events of his
life. Never before had he seen the beautiful
country. How rapidly the days passed!
What fun it was to roam the green fields
and to gather fruits and flowers without
the fear of the ever-present “cop,” and
then what royal fare—vegetables fresh from
the gardens, plenty of nice, fresh milk, berries,
and fruit without any stint! The days
flew by only too swiftly, and soon Patsy
returned to the great city and his daily
work. But he returned with a new color
in his cheeks and with new ideas and hopes
in his mind, and there is every prospect
that, keeping good company and refraining
from bad habits, he will grow into a
useful and happy man.
36
That little girl is very rich,
With an old doll like a perfect witch,
A broken chair and a bit of delf,
And a wee cracked cup on the closet shelf.
She can play with only a row of pins;
Houses and gardens, arks and inns,
She makes with her chubby fingers small,
And she never asks for a toy at all.
Poor little girl and rich little girl,
How nice it would be if in Time’s swift swirl
You could—perhaps-not change your places,
But catch a glimpse of each other’s faces;
For each to the other could something give,
Which would make the child-life sweeter to live,
For both could give and both could share
Something the other had to spare.
37
PRINCE AND PIGGIE-WIG.
Jamie had no brothers or sisters, so he
made friends with everything about
his father’s farm. He loved the trees because
he could climb them and sit among
the branches.
Prince, his dog, was his constant companion,
who always felt it his duty to keep
his eye upon everything about the premises,
for when anything went wrong he
knew it, and had to help make it right.
One day Jamie and Prince were playing
tag; Prince stopped
and began to growl.
He heard something stir
in the cornfield, and soon
found that the mother
pig had worked her way
out of the sty and was rooting up the
beautiful corn. Prince knew what to do.
He pulled the mother pig’s ear until she
38was glad to go back again, and Jamie fastened
her safely in. “Where is little
Piggie-Wig?” said Jamie; “he is out too.”
They found him in Prince’s kennel fast
asleep. Prince soon hustled him out, and
Piggie-Wig sat down upon the garden walk
to rest. Jamie threw himself down before
him to have a little talk with him. Piggie-Wig
opened his pink eyes and lifted his
funny nose and looked at Jamie.
“Well,” said Jamie, “you thought you
had found a fine little house when you got
into Prince’s kennel, I suppose.”
Piggie-Wig grunted and lay down upon
the walk.
“You are a lazy fellow,” said Jamie;
“boys are sometimes lazy—you like to pull
weeds, though, and I don’t.” Piggie-Wig
grunted again.
After having a little talk together Jamie
and Prince took Piggie-Wig home, which
was not a very easy thing to do, and went
to the house for a rest.
39
Grandmamma Spider is building a nest
Right there by the crack in the wall;
Look sharp, little friends, the threads are so fine
You hardly can see them at all.
Two little birds—see them up in that tree?—
Are singing a beautiful song,
All about grasses, and flowers, and leaves,
And summer that waited so long.
The wind is a lullaby, soft and sweet;
Miss Pussy is purring a tune;
Towser is happy—he’d talk if he could;
Sir Cricket chirps loud, for it’s June.
40
Pods and Blossoms of the Vanilla.
VANILLA.
Most of the vanilla which goes into
American cake and ice cream comes
from Mexico. It is made from the beans
and pods of a climbing plant which grows
wild in that country, and is also cultivated
on great plantations. It is a sort of orchid,
and has flowers of a greenish white. After
41these come the pods, which are from six
to twelve inches long and dark brown in
color. When these are ripe enough they
are picked off and treated with heat and
moisture until they begin to “work,” or
ferment. When the “vanillin” has been
extracted from them it is dissolved in alcohol
and bottled for use.
Holy Jesus,
Heavenly Friend,
Let thy word
My soul defend.
42
Africa is the hottest country in the
world, because it lies in that part of
the world where the burning sun shines
straight down upon it. The beautiful
snow, which falls about us every winter, is
unknown there, except on the highest
mountain peaks. There lies across that
country a belt of great forest trees, forming
a jungle so dark and dense that no
43man has yet been able to pass through it.
Only wild beasts hide there to get away
from the heat of the sun. But north and
south of this great forest are beautiful
woods and palm trees and wild flowers.
In such places the natives live in rude
huts, and sometimes huddle together in
villages. Their food is mostly bananas,
dates, African maize, goat’s milk, roots, and
barks.
44
Jack Dawe a new idea possessed
That would not let that young man rest;
He watched with care his grandpapa
Indulging in a big cigar,
And argued, “Smoking is, I guess,
The outward sign of manliness.”
So from the box abstracting one,
He took good care his prep. to shun,
And perched upon a shady stile,
He puffed away with sickly smile;
But soon slid down with aching head,
Stole home “quite cured,” and crept to bed.
46
“Hurrah, boys, the early morning
Is the time for play!
Faithful Donald stands in waiting;
Let us haste away.”
47
TWO PAIRS OF FETTERS.
Eighty years ago a fierce war was
waged in India between the English
and Tippoo Sahib. On one occasion several
English officers were taken prisoners.
Among them was one named Baird. One
day a native officer brought in fetters to
be put on each of the prisoners, the
wounded not excepted. Baird had been
severely wounded, and was suffering from
pain and weakness.
A gray-haired officer said to the native
official, “You will not think of putting
chains upon that wounded man?”
“There are just as many pairs of fetters
as there are captives,” was the answer,
“and every pair must be worn.”
“Then,” said the noble officer, “put two
pairs on me; I will wear his as well as my
own.”
48This was done. Strange to say, Baird
lived to gain his freedom—lived to take
the city—but his noble friend died in
prison.
A noble act—to bear a heavy burden
for another which that other could not
bear for himself. Thus our Saviour showed
his love for the world. “When we were
yet without strength, in due time Christ
died for the ungodly” (Rom. v, 6).
49
STORY OF THE CENTURY PLANT.
The century plant, as we call it, though
it does not live much longer than fifty
years, is a kind of cactus. The cactus
50family—or the “cacti,” for we never say
cactuses—numbers fully forty members,
and you are pretty sure to find them growing
in those parts of the far south where
the sun and sand dry up every other green
thing.
The true century plant, or agave, is
found chiefly in Mexico. It is composed
of a clump of thick and fleshy leaves, each
having a hard, sharp, thorny point at its
extremity, as well as an edging of prickly
spines growing the whole length of the leaf.
At the flowering time a tough, tall stem
grows from the center of the plant, rising
to the height of ten or fifteen feet, and
producing a blossom of a yellowish-green
color.
It is said that the century plant has
been put to no less than one hundred uses.
For example, the fiber of the plant is spun
into thread and made into garments; the
thick, fleshy leaves produce an extract
which is used as a substitute for soap;
51while the tough flowering stem, when withered,
serves the purpose of a razor strop.
The pointed thorns at the tip of each great
leaf are used by the natives as needles, and
the leaves themselves are made into shingles.
It seems possible to make paper out
of almost any substance, and this plant is
not an exception.
Just at the time when this juicy, pulpy
plant begins to flower the flower-bearing
stem is cut off, together with the thick
leaves immediately around it. A basinlike
hollow is made in the center, into which
all the rich sap or juice flows. A single
plant will, for two or three months, produce
at the rate of two gallons of this fluid
each day. It is collected in vessels of raw-hide,
and kept until it ferments. Many
Mexicans get drunk on this “pulque.” The
city of Mexico contains eight hundred and
twenty shops in which this beverage is
sold. Eighty thousand gallons are consumed
daily throughout Mexico.
52
NESTING TIME.
“’Tis June, ’tis June, my sweet, sweet mate.”
“I know it, I know it,” said she.
“The sun is bright and the sky is fair,
The sheltering leaves are everywhere;
It is time to build,” said he.
“O joy, joy, joy! Let us build our home
On a rock-a-bye bough,” said she,
“Where our baby birds may safely rest
Till they get too big for the little nest.”
“We will, my sweet,” said he.
“My little nest is full to the brim,
And my heart with song,” said she.
“Our baby birds are ready, I know,
To try their wings, so let us go
And see the world,” said he.
53
THE DEAD TURKEY.
“Mrs. Wells, here is your little turkey,
and it is dead,” said a pitiful
voice. Little Eddie, the ministers son,
who was Mrs. Wells’s next-door neighbor,
held the limp turkey in his hand as he
stood in the door.
“O, I’m so sorry,” said kind Mrs. Wells,
and Edward went home with a troubled
face. Something hurt him so.
“What is the matter with my little
boy?” said Eddie’s mother. “All the sunshine
has gone out of his face.”
Eddie gave a deep sigh; then he looked
up. “I’m going to tell you all about it,
mamma,” he said; “you know Mrs. Wells’s
dear little chickies and turk-a-lurks?
They looked so cunning that I just picked
up one little turkey and hugged it a little
bit, and it was dead. The old mother turkey
was ’most crazy. I carried the poor
54little turkey chick to Mrs. Wells and told
her it was dead, and—and something hurts
me so right in here,” and he clasped his
little hands over his heart.
“Was that all you told Mrs. Wells, Eddie?”
asked his mother, gravely.
“Yes’m,” said Eddie; but a little later
she saw him trudging toward Mrs. Wells’s
door. “I killed your turkey, I squeezed it
so hard. Will you please to forgive me?”
said little Eddie.
Mrs. Wells said, “Yes, dear; you didn’t
mean to kill it, I know.”
55When Eddie came home the sunshine
was in his face again. “I told her the
whole truth, mamma, and the hurt is gone,”
he said, gleefully.
A GENTLEMAN IS FIRST A GENTLE BOY.
There is nothing which will make a
man angry so quickly as to be told that
he is not a gentleman. But one becomes a
56true gentleman by beginning early to practice
gentle deeds.
On a crowded trolley car going out of
Boston, one evening, an old woman was
packed in the crowd in the narrow aisle
where the standing room was all taken. She
was bent with age and was very feeble.
Her shabby dress and worn shawl told of
her poverty. She carried a large basket,
and it seemed to grow heavier and heavier
as she changed it from one arm to the
other. Seated where this woman was
standing sat two persons—one whose tailor-made
clothes of expensive fabric showed
he was a well-to-do man. The other was
a ragged newsboy. Tired from his work,
the little fellow’s head now and then
dropped on his shoulder and his weary
eyelids closed.
Awaking from one of these naps, he saw
standing near him the shabby old woman
with her heavy basket, and he put his little
hand out on hers and said, very gently, but
57manfully: “You must be tired. Take my
seat. I’ll hold your basket.”
There was the making of a splendid
gentleman in that boy.
So Many Letters to Write!
THE BROTHERS.
There was a time when the world was
very young, and the first people were
like children who cannot understand how
to worship God, so they were allowed to
offer sacrifices upon an altar. You have
58heard about Cain and Abel, the two sons
of Adam and Eve. One was gentle and
good, and he kept the flocks. The other,
the elder, took care of the ground and the
fruit trees. When they came to offer their
sacrifices Abel brought a lamb and Cain
brought grain and fruit. The Lord looked
upon the hearts of Cain and Abel, and he
59saw true worship in Abel’s heart, but in the
heart of Cain he saw selfishness and sin.
So he did not accept his offering. Then
the sin in Cain’s heart rose into his tongue
as he talked angrily with his brother, and
by and by it crept out into his hand, and
he struck his brother and killed him. The
seed of murder, which is hate, had sprung
up quickly in Cain’s heart.
HIS WORK.
One time a man came to one of the
men who worked for him, gave him a
big stone, and said, “Now cut in this stone
leaves just like the ones in this picture.”
The stone did not look very pretty, and the
man said, “I will do just the very best I
can, but I wish I could cut in this beautiful
marble here.” So he toiled away with his
sharp tools, and, after much work, he finished
the leaves according to the pattern.
When he finished this the master brought
60him another just like it, and told him to
cut a branch in it. So for weeks he worked
on these big, rough stones, and he did not
know what they were for.
One day, when he was walking down
town in the large city, he saw a beautiful
building. He went over to look at it, and
there, in front of that large building, were
all those big, rough stones upon which he
had been working for so long; but they
were all put together now to form a most
beautiful picture. The man looked at it
a long time and then said: “O how glad I
am I did it well! Now I see what the
master meant.”
FORGIVE THE WRONG.
Dear child, has some one done you ill?
Don’t hasten to resent it;
Oft those who seek a swift revenge
Find leisure to repent it.
Though anger loud for vengeance cries,
Again, again deny it;
Two wrongs will never make one right,
Howe’er you multiply it.
61
“I have a little storybook;
I love to read it too;
It tells about the fairy folk,
And what they say and do,
“And how they sleep in lily bells
And scare away the bees,
And visit birdies in their nest,
And do just what they please.”
62
Said a little girl: “It is easy enough
to remember that the old woman
who lives down in the Row is my neighbor, for she is very poor and lives in a
poor house, and when I carry her things
mamma sends she says, ‘Bless you, my
little lady;’ but it isn’t so easy to remember
that my own grandma is my neighbor
when she wants me to run up stairs after
her spectacles, or hold some yarn for her
just when I’m playing.”
63
The Man with the Gridiron Collar.
64
- Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling.
- Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed.
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A TALE OF TWO MONKEYS AND OTHER STORIES ***
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