Page images
PDF
EPUB

72

ARABELLA CLARK; Or pride punished.

Now it happened that a grand spectacle was to be seen in 4 the park, and every one expected that the place would be thronged with fashionable people. A few of the older girls 5 of the school were permitted to attend ; and as the park was at some distance, a coach was ordered for the occasion. Arabella was foolishly determined to outdo her comrades; 6 and for this purpose she borrowed of a friend a very handsome feather.

With this feather stuck in her hat, she walked about 7 among her companions, giving herself more airs than before, and ridiculing the less showy bonnets of those around her. Pride ought always to be mortified, and generally is: but 8 whether the means taken on the present occasion, to mortify the pride of Arabella, were proper, may be doubted. Be that as it may, two of Arabella's companions made up their minds to punish her for her ill behavior; and before the 9 coach drove up to the school, they contrived to pin on her back the following inscription: "Miss Wiggins lent her the feather."

Little suspecting the trick which had been played her, 10 Arabella skipped into the coach, and in a short time alighted at the park; which was thronged with company. Scarcely had she proceeded a dozen yards, looking about her with an air 11 of great self-satisfaction, before she heard a titter; while some one whispered loud enough for those around to hear, 12" Miss Wiggins lent her the feather." Arabella, believing

that one of her companions was the whisperer, turned round, 13 with a frown, and saw a whole party laughing. “I wonder who Miss Wiggins is," said one of them provokingly. "I 14 cannot tell that,” replied another"; "but you see, Miss Wiggins lent her the feather"."

Mortified by these remarks, Arabella hurried on to get 15 away from the ill-mannered people around her; but wherever she went, a laugh reached her ear, and the provoking observation, "Miss Wiggins lent her the feather."

The higher you shoot an arrow into the air, the deeper 16 will it sink into the ground when it falls; and in like manner,

the prouder a spirit is, the deeper shame and humiliation it 17 has to endure when humbled. Arabella Clark was stung to 18 the quick "Look: look," cried a young man, fashionably 19 dressed: "what do you think of that, Tom? Miss Wiggins

SHIP ON FIRE.

lent her the feather."

73

"I wish Miss Wiggins would lend

20 me one," replied his companion'; "but what necessity is 21 there for the whole world to be told of it?" "A well-dressed

young woman," said a fat gentleman as he passed her. 22 “True, my love,” replied his wife, who turned back to look at her; "but Miss Wiggins lent her the feather"."

In pushing among the crowd, to get out of the park, the 23 paper fell from Arabella", but not before fifty persons, at least, had repeated in as many different tones, " Miss Wiggins lent her the feather."

Arabella with a flushed face, a heavy heart, and a wounded 24 spirit, reached the school, without ever suspecting the cause of her mortification.

DEFINITIONS, &c.—Define finished airs, displeased, insufferable, common, saying, circumstance, mortifying, vain, companion, park, thronged, fashionable, people, coach, outdo, comrades, borrowed, feather, friend, handsome feather, stuck in, (what is the difference between stuck in, stuck on, stuck up, stuck through?) less showy bonnets, ought, proper, doubted, punish, behavior, contrived, to pin, inscription, little, suspecting, trick, skipped, alighted, scarcely, dozen, titter, whispered, frown, party, (any thing understood after this word? of ladies, gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen?) provokingly, hurried on, away, ill-mannered, shoot, arrow, deeper, like, spirit, (person?) shame, humiliation, (state of one being humbled?) stung. To the quick-i. e. to the alive: quick is opposed to dead thus the quick and dead in the scriptures. To be stung to the quick, is therefore, to have the sting pass through the dead or insensible flesh, to that which is alive and can feel pain. Instead of stung to the quick, we sometimes say stung to the soul, which means the same. Define necessity tones.

SECT. LXXXIII.-SHIP ON FIRE.

1 THE flames rush on, licking up the water which continues to be thrown, as if in mockery. One after another has fled 2 to the remotest part of the boat, that he may preserve life a little longer, or has crawled over, and is clinging to the guard-braces, while overhead the fire crackles and hisses, triumphing in their subjugation. Some have thrown over bales of cotton, or other articles of freight, and are floating 3 upon them; while others, maddened by the intolerable heat which is every moment growing more and more terrible, have cast themselves into the sea, and are struggling as desperately 4 with the waves, as if there was a chance of life! Can a moment of more horrible, agonizing suspense be imagined?

74

THE QUAKER AND THE LITTLE THIEF.

But amid this raging destruction, the Christian stan

as

5 the sun among the flying clouds of heaven, calm and seene. one moment lost in the confusion, the next emerging from it to utter words of comfort, or raise a prayer to God for the 6 pardon of the guilty and horror-stricken. Moment of terror ! 7 It chills the blood to think of it! 8 But that moment passes. 9 The burned mass begins to settle. Each end of the boat sways for a moment in the yielding waters, and the eddying 10 of the troubled waves tells that the Lexington, with her unfortunate passengers and crew, rests where the sea sings forever the dirge of the lost!

Definitions, &c.—Define licking up, thrown. As if—so licking up, as then it would lick up, if it licked up in mockery. Define remotest, boat, presence, longer, crawled, clinging, guard-braces, (braces that guard?) overhead, crackles, hisses, subjugation, bales, cotton, articles, freight, floating, maddened, (does this mean made angry, or crazy?) intolerable, moment, terrible, cast, struggling, desperately, as if, (supply what is wanting here, as I have supplied above,) chance, horrible, agonizing, suspense, amid, raging, destruction, (fire that causes destruction or destroys?) flying. What is the difference between calm and serene? Define confusion, emerging, utter, pardon, guilty, horror-stricken, (stricken by horror?) settle, (sink?) sways, yielding, eddying, sings, dirge, lost.

SECT. LXXXIV.—THE QUAKER AND THE LITTLE THIEF.

1 CHILDREN, have you ever heard of Isaac T. Hopper, or Friend Isaac, as he is familiarly called? He belongs to the Society of Friends; and if you should ever happen to meet 2 him, you would not need to be told that he is a very goodnatured man: not particularly averse to an occasional joke. Well, a few days ago, the old gentleman came into our 3 office; and among the stories he told was one which we must retell.

4 While residing in Philadelphia, I had in my yard a peartree, which bore most excellent fruit. Between my yard and 5 that of one of my neighbors, was a very high fence, with sharp iron pickets upon it. Now I did not put those sharp 6 pickets there'; I do not approve of such things"; it was the landlord's work. Well, one year, when the pear-tree bore very abundantly, there happened to be a girl belonging to 7 my neighbor's family, who was as fond of pears as I was myself; and I saw her several times climb the high fence, and walk carefully along between the pickets, until she came

THE QUAKER AND THE LITTLE THIEF.

75

8 opposite the pear-tree. Then she would reach over, fill her basket with fruit, and carry it away.

66

9 One day I called upon my young friend with a basket of 10 the nicest pears I could find. Rebecca," said I, "here are some fine pears for thee."

11 She did not know what I meant. 12 I explained: "Rebecca, I brought these pears on purpose for thee. I wish 13 to make thee a present of them; as I see thou art fond of them."

[blocks in formation]

66

15 'Ah, but thou dost, Rebecca: else thou wouldst not take so much pains almost every day to get them."

16

17

Still she would not take the pears, and I used a little more eloquence.

[ocr errors]

'Rebecca,” I said, "thou must go and get a basket for these pears, or I shall leave them on the carpet. I am sure 18 thou must like them, or thou wouldst not climb such a

high and dangerous fence to get them. Those pickets are very sharp, Rebecca; and if thy feet should slip while thou 19 art walking along on the fence (and I am very much afraid they will) thou wouldst get hurt a great deal more than the 20 pears are worth. Now thou art welcome to the fruit, but I hope I shall not see thee expose thyself any more so foolish21 ly. But perhaps thou hast taken the pears so long, that they seem to belong to thee, as much as they belong to me. 22 So I do not wish to blame thee, any more than thy con23 science does. But pray look out for those pickets. 24 They 25 are dangerous. I would have them removed: only I am

afraid the landlord would not like it. Thou art welcome to 26 the pears though, and I will bring thee a basketful every day."

The little girl did not steal any more pears, and I ven27 ture to say she was sufficiently rebuked before the end of the pear season; for I remembered my promise, and carried her a basketful every morning.

DEFINITIONS, &c.-Define particularly, averse, occasional, joke, retell, (tell over again,) residing, pear, pickets, approve, abundantly, belonging, climb, opposite, basket, nicest, on purpose, (purposely,) present, (gift, something presented,) pains, carpet, welcome, (you are at liberty to take. this word is properly addressed to a visiter only,) expose, belong, blame, basketful, steal, venture, rebuked, remembered, promise.

76

CHILDHOOD AND HIS VISITERS.

SECT. LXXXV.-CHILDHOOD AND HIS VISITERS.

ONCE on a time when sunny May

Was kissing at the April showers,
1 I saw fair Childhood hard at play
Upon a bank of blushing flowers:
Happy'; he knew not whence or how;

2

3

5

And smiling; who could choose but love him? For not more glad than Childhood's brow,

Was the blue heaven that breathed above him.

Old Time, in most appalling wrath,

That valley's green repose invaded;
The brooks grew dry upon his path;
The birds were mute; the lilies faded:
But Time so swiftly winged his flight
In haste a Grecian tomb to batter,
That Childhood watched his paper kite,
And knew just nothing of the matter.

With curling lip, and glancing eye,
Guilt gazed upon the scene a minute';
But Childhood's glance of purity
Had such a holy spell within it,
That the dark demon to the air
Spread forth again his baffled pinion,
And hid his envy and despair,

Self-tortured, in his own dominion.

Then stepped a gloomy phantom up,

(Pale, cypress-crowned, Night's awful daughter,) And proffered him a fearful cup,

Full to the brim with water:

Poor Childhood bade her tell her name;

And when the beldame muttered "Sorrow,"

He said, "Don't interrupt my game';

I'll taste it, if I must, to-morrow."

The Muse of Pindus thither came,

[ocr errors]

And wooed him with the softest numbers

That ever scattered wealth and fame,

Upon a youthful poet's slumbers:

« PreviousContinue »