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1. Typographical errors and hyphenation inconsistencies were silently corrected.
2. Table of Contents and the List of Illustrations have been added by the transcriber.
3. Some illustrations appearing before chapter heading in the original, are placed next to the relevant chapter heading.
Table of Contents.
List of Illustrations.
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HAPPY HOURS FOR THE
LIT-TLE ONES
ILLUSTRATED
BOSTON
LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY
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Copyright, 1897,
BY
Lothrop Publishing Company.
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[WILL YOU COME?]
[AT THE SPRING.]
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Once on a time—the story-book time when an-i-mals wore clothes and could talk—there were three mod-el mice. Their names were Gray Cloak, Fine Ear and Sat-in Slip-per. Sat-in Slip-per had a spoon of her own, Fine Ear had a knife, and Gray Cloak owned a fork.
One day they thought they would club the knife and the fork and the spoon to-geth-er, and keep house. As they were mod-el mice, they eas-i-ly a-greed where to live. They chose Farm-er Jones' cel-lar, be-cause there were bar-rels of ap-ples, bas-kets of eggs, and shelves loaded with good-ies, and an egg, or an ap-ple, or a stray cake would not be missed.
"I lived once," said Gray Cloak, "in the cel-lar of a wom-an who bought by the doz-en or the dime's worth, and she missed the least lit-tle thing at once, so that fi-nal-ly I left in dis-gust."
Such good times as those three mice had! The cel-lar had a smooth, wa-ter-limed floor, a beau-ti-ful place to play mar-bles, blind-man's-buff and Kit-ty-kit-ty-cor-ner. They always ate from the same egg, and as Farm-er Jones kept his cats at the barn, there was noth-ing to spoil their comfort for many years.
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[NECESSITY BEING, AS EVER, THE MOTHER OF INVENTION.]
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[ISN'T THIS FUN?]
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["HERE WE'LL WAIT!"]
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[Meas-ur-ing Tom-my.]
Tom-my goes ev-er-y day to look at a board in the gar-den fence. There are four lit-tle hacks in that board, one a-bove an-oth-er, made with a knife. The first hack shows how tall Tom-my was when he was one year old; the sec-ond how tall when he was two; the third how tall when he was three; and yes-ter-day Nel-ly made a hack for the fourth birth-day.
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[The Twins.]
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[SEE HOW BRAVE!]—[WHAT IF SHE BITES!]
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[CHILD-LIFE ON THE FARM.—A NO-VEM-BER RAIN.]
[Bringing Home The Thanks-giv-ing Dinner.
SLATE PICT-URE—THE NIGHT BE-FORE THANKS GIV-ING.]
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Floss and Fluff were the hap-pi-est dogs in the world. Floss knew how to snap, and Fluff knew how to whine, and if they had been let to go hun-gry, or cold, or had been scold-ed, they'd have been cross, naught-y dogs.
But Floss and Fluff had a good mas-ter. He was a lit-tle boy on-ly six years old, but he was a first-rate mas-ter. His pa-pa said when he brought Floss and Fluff home:
"Now, Fred-dy, just as long as these lit-tle fel-lows are hap-py, just so long they are yours!"
Fred-dy knew what that meant. He fed his beau-ti-ful pets at reg-u-lar hours ev-er-y day, and e-ver-y day he combed and brushed them, and ev-er-y day he took them out for a frol-ic, and they had their baths at the right time, and he nev-er held up a bone and did not give it to them. Be-cause he was so prompt and true and kind, Fred-dy was hap-py, and so were Fluff and Floss.
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(To be said on Ba-by's Fin-gers.)
| I. | Shall have an ap-ple; | |
| II. | Shall have a pear; | |
| III. | Shall have a lit-tle kid, of which he'll take good care; | |
| IV. | Shall have some can-dy; | |
| V. | Shall have a ride; | |
| VI. | Shall have a lit-tle sword, all buck-led on his side; | |
| VII. | Shall have a po-ny; | |
| VIII. | Shall have a sled; | |
| IX. | Shall have a dream-ing cap, and | |
| X. | shall go to bed. |
The birds in the grove know lit-tle farm-house Kate. The fish-es in the brook know lit-tle farm-house Kate. She is the girl that walks a-bout with her a-pron full of nice crumbs.
The first morn-ing this win-ter that the brook froze o-ver, Kate went down to the bank and broke the ice with a stick, and fed the fish-es with bread crumbs.
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[CHOOSE THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE BEST.
SLATE PICT-URE FOR BA-BY TO DRAW.]
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["PUT OUT."—GLAD TO MEET.]
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The ba-by in the house and the ba-by in the barn, are great friends. The barn ba-by is not per-mit-ted to come in-to the house, but the house ba-by vis-its the barn ev-er-y day.
The house ba-by is a year old, and the barn ba-by is just a year old too; but the house ba-by can on-ly take lit-tle trem-bling steps, holding fast by moth-er's hand, while the barn ba-by, if he can on-ly get out of doors, throws up his heels and runs a-cross the fields, and no-bod-y can catch him.
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[The ba-by in the house and the ba-by in the barn.]
The house ba-by laughs to see him go, and dear-ly likes to pat his red hair, and feel his two stout lit-tle horns. And I think the barn ba-by likes to feel the soft hand of his lit-tle friend from the house, for some-times there is salt, and some-times there is su-gar on the lit-tle pink palm, and the barn ba-by licks it off with his rough tongue. Once the barn ba-by tried to say, "Thank you." He tried this way: He reached his head up and licked the house ba-by's rose-pink cheek. The house ba-by was scared, and so was the house ba-by's moth-er—and she ran in-to the house with him just as fast as she could; and then pa-pa laughed at them both, and the barn ba-by stood and looked o-ver the fence for half an hour.
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[PRET-TY, PRET-TY KIT-TY!]
[NAUGH-TY, NAUGH-TY KIT-TY!]
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Not Cin-der-el-la of the glass slip-per—our Cin-der-el-la wore i-ron shoes. She was an In-dian po-ny, and we all loved her. The pet chick-en made a roost of her back, and the white cow licked her glos-sy sides as she would her own calf.
Our four lit-tle out-door boys learned to ride on her gen-tle back, and some-times they all got on at once—Ba-by Frank close to her neck in the curve of Willie's arms, who held the bridle; Ed-die next, with his chub-by hands clutch-ing Willie's sides; and Char-lie last, much a-fraid of slip-ping off be-hind. They were all so small that their short legs stood straight out a-cross her broad back. Mam-ma was nev-er un-ea-sy, for Cin-der-el-la had nev-er been coax-ed out of a walk since they had had her.
But one day a cow came in sight of this horse-back par-ty, and Cin-der-el-la pricked up ears, and started off in a gal-lop! Char-lie slipped off be-hind. Ed-die went o-ver side-wise. Frankie screamed, but Wil-lie held him close, and kept his seat un-til the cow turned off in-to a fence-cor-ner, and lay down. Then Cin-der-el-la stopped, and the boys that fell off came limp-ing up.
They found out that the po-ny had been used on the plains to fol-low cat-tle. Af-ter this, when these boys want-ed a brisk ride, they tried to get be-hind a cow.
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BY MA-RY E. BRAD-LEY.
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"I'll take care of Sis-sy," said broth-er John-ny.
Ba-by was so sweet and ro-sy! Mam-ma had just dressed her, all white and fair. John-ny held out his arms for her. Mam-ma kissed both gold-en heads, and went out to get din-ner.
John-ny was ver-y proud to be trust-ed with his lit-tle sis-ter. He sat down with her in the great green ea-sy-chair, and put both arms round her.
"Now Sis-sy shall hear a nice sto-ry," he said, "all a-bout Christ-mas. Sis-sy shall have beau-ti-ful things Christ-mas—a big i-vo-ry rat-tle with long red rib-bons, and a pict-ure-book, and a dol-ly with black hair, and a soft ball all blue and yel-low—and broth-er will buy them for her all him-self."
Ba-by said, "Goo-goo," and smiled a hon-ey-smile.
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One day, when mamma went to drive and left Ba-by-boy Joe with Nel-ly, she found out ten things that lit-tle ba-by-boys like.
She found that Ba-by-boy Joe liked to dance at the Ba-by-boy Joe in the mirror. He liked to hold the paper-weight—a smooth round stone, like an egg. He liked to hold a soft, fragrant, red rose—Nel-ly gave him a white one, but he dropped it and held the red one. He liked to be carried all a-bout the house. He liked to sit up in his crib and pound a pillow with his lit-tle fists. He liked to hold papas cane. He liked to put his hand on Pussy and smooth her soft fur. He liked a tiny sip of wa-ter. He liked a branch of green leaves. And he liked to hear Nel-ly sing.
All these things Ba-by-boy Joe had and did, in one short hour, while mamma was a-way.
And when mamma came back he was fast asleep in his lit-tle brass bed, and Nel-ly had put the house in or-der.
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Ba-by Rat sat up in bed. She nudged her moth-er. "I smell cheese!" said she. "Cheese!" cried the moth-er-rat! "that's the worst thing you could say! Stay here, while I look."
The moth-er-rat went to the door. "Ba-by!" she said. Ba-by came. "Jump on my back," she said. Then she gave a great jump, and a-way she went, her child on her back, down-stairs, down and down-stairs, in-to the cel-lar, and off out-doors.
"The thing I jumped o-ver was a TRAP!" she said to her trem-bling child.
Once there was a fair swan with a coal-black neck. She had three pret-ty ba-by swans, but they were lazy lit-tle things. They did not wish to pick their own bugs, nor cut their own grass-salads, nor to swim. They wished to take their bugs and grass from their moth-er's bill, and to go up stream and down on her back. It was a pleasure to their moth-er to feed them and to give them rides. But she knew they must be taught to seek their own food, and to swim up and down.
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When she spoke to them a-bout it, they said, "Next week we will." Next week one of them did keep her word and swim, and seek her own bugs, and nip grass for her-self. But the others still sat on their moth-er's back. So one day when she was out in the stream, and they were catching but-ter-flies from her back, the moth-er swan—with a fun-ny smile at her good child—dived, heels o-ver head, and let the lazy swans fall off. Then up she came and swam off as fast as she could, in among the reeds, where she stayed all night. By morn-ing her lit-tle swans had learned their lesson.
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[A REGIMENT OF ROBBY'S SOLDIERS.]
[ROBBY THINKS HE LOOKS LIKE THIS.]
Mrs. Nye loves peace and a quiet house. But Robby Nye, her lit-tle son, loves racket, noise, hubbub, con-fu-sion and war. Mrs. Nye has to fold newspapers in-to soldier-caps and she has to cut out epaulets and belts and straps and stars and badges, and her room is strewn with these things—some-times she has to cut out and pin on whole suits of armor.
And when Mrs. Nye leaves her chair she is likely to step on a tin soldier and her dress sweeps down whole regiments. Bang! bang! cries Robby, and charges up and down the room. He thinks he looks like a great general—in his own mind he swells up to a tre-men-dous size. But at night this terrible soldier creeps up in-to his mamma's lap just like other boys.
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[AN INVITATION TO TAKE A WALK.]
In ran Tiptoe. Tiptoe had news to tell. But they were all asleep. Asleep in the daytime, Grandpa in his big chair, Ned on one knee, and Ba-by on the other. "O what a waste of time!" thought Tiptoe. "They don't know what I have seen! dandelions in the grass! bluebirds on the fence! Chickens in Speckle's coop! three lit-tle new cats at the barn! and the sun shines and the wind blows! and the clouds race a-cross the sky!" Tiptoe barked for joy, his lit-tle dog-heart was so glad in him. I am quite sure it was the bright weather with all things growing and stirring, that made Tiptoe bark for joy.
The barking awoke Ba-by. Ba-by woke Ned, and Ned woke Grandpa, and they all went out with Tiptoe for a walk, and were so glad and gay they could have barked too.
I wish I knew the names of those first two dear lit-tle chil-dren who thought how to clasp their four hands in a way to make a seat to carry a child, and where they lived, and how long ago it was. Don't you? They must have been kind chil-dren.
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[SYBIL GOES OUT TO MAKE CALLS.]
One rainy day last week, when Ba-by Sybil was not well and cried and would not play, Jack and Jessie made a carriage with their hands, and Sybby rode all o-ver the house, and made calls and saw the sights, as hap-py as she could be. "Trot! Trot fast!" Sybby cried. Then her span went fast. "Whoa! Slow, slow!" called the lady in the coach. Then her horses walked. This was Sybil's favorite play.
