Ida and Baby Bell : easy reading for the dear little ones

Contents

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I. The New Book 7

II. The Fall of the Year 12

I. The New Book

I have writ-ten one book to tell you, dear lit-tle ones, a-bout some chil-dren who lived at Brook-side, Rose, and Tom, and Ned Bale.

But I have more to tell, which I think you will like to read ; so I

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will make a new book, as I said I would.

Try to read it all by your-self, each one of you ; for it is just for this that I put what I have to say in short words, and your good friend at the book-store will have these books made in nice, clear print, that you can read with ease.

When you find what fun it is to read a book all by your-self, you will w r ant to try it a-gain, and not wait un-til some one can sit down to read to you.

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But I dare say you want to get to the sto-ry now ; so I will stop this talk.

May be you would like to be told, in the first place, what the pic-ture in the front of this book means.

It is a pic-ture of the brook which ran at the foot of the hill, back of Mr. Dale’s house.

It was a sweet, clear brook, and the chil-dren all loved to run down and see it, and play be-side it.

Some-times, in the spring, it

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was quite high ; but at most times in the year it was low, so low that Rose and Tom could cross it on the big stones which lay in its bed.

Their mam-ma did not fear at a-ny time to let them go down to the brook, if Tray, the dog, were with them.

That is Rose, whom you see in the pic-ture. She is go-ing to cross the brook, on the stones, for the fun of it, and then come back a-gain.

She seems to be a-lone. But

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yon may be sure, though we do not see them in the pic-ture, that Tom and lit-tle Ned are not far off.

The name Brook-side was giv-en to the place where these chil-dren lived, be-cause of this brook.

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II. The Fall Of The Tear

If you read the first book, you will know that, when we left off, Rose and the lit-tle boys had had a sad time with the hoop-ing cough.

For a long time they could not go to church, nor go in-to the town to see their dear Aunt Kate ; and Tom was so sick with it, that for some days they were in fear that he would not get well.

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These sad days were o-ver now ; and the dear lit-tle ones at Brook-side were well as ev-er, thanks to the good God who had kept them from harm.

The bright, warm days of sum-mer were gone, too, by that time. Now, the wind was cold, and the leaves fell from the trees, and the days grew short.

But the chil-dren did not mind this ; they found much to please them out-of-doors, and, with good warm sacks on, they did not mind

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the wind; as Rose said, “it was nice to run a race when the sun did not burn them so.”

The two kits which these chil-dren had for pets, Net and Snow, had got to be quite large now. Old Puss gave up the care of them some time be-fore, and would have no more to do with them. If they came near to play with her, she would growl at them, and lift her paw to give them a box on the ear.

Rose said, “ I hope my mam-ma

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will not send me off so, when I get to be a big girl.”

But the two kits did not mind it , much. For a few days they did sit and look at old Puss, as if they did wish she would let them come to her ; but soon they did not care for her a-ny more than she cared for them, and were as full of play and tricks as they could be.

That is the way with cats. But your mam-ma will care for you all her life, and I hope, when you grow up, you will care for her, more than you do now.

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“ I wish we could see Spot,” said Rose, one day ; “ I won-der if she is as large as our two kits ! ”

Spot was a kit-ty which they had giv-en to their Aunt Kate’s lit-tle girl.

Mam-ma was near, and lieard Rose say this.

“I think we will go and see,” said she; “would you like to go and spend a day at Aunt Kate’s now ? ”

Rose was in high glee at this; she did not know that her Aunt

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Kate had got home. She had been out of town for two or three weeks, with Ida, her lit-tle girl.

Rose’s mam-ma told her they would all go the next day, if it were fine. Ked was. full of joy, too, at this, and they both ran to find Tom, and tell him all a-bout it.

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III. The Dat In Town

The next day was a clear, fine day as need be.

Mam-ma and the lit-tle ones were to go in by the train, when pa-pa went to his store; so they all had to be up in good time that morn-ing. But Jane did not find it hard to wake them that time.

The chil-dren were glad they were to go in the cars, for it was

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quite a treat to them ; they did not of-ten go that way, but drove in, with old Dick.

Ned was half a-fraid when the cars be-gan to move, for he could not see what made them go ; but he saw Tom laugh; so he felt it was all right, and he be-gan to laugh, too.

When they got in-to the town they went right to Aunt Kate’s; and 0, how glad she was to see them !

“ Now, where is I-da, Aunt

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Kate ? 0, we do want to get hold

of her ; we can’t wait.”

“Well, run and find her; I think she just went down, with Spot in her arms, to get her some 1 mik,’ as she calls it.”

Rose, and Tom, and lit-tle Ked most fell ov-er each oth-er, in their haste to get down the stairs.

The door of the room was o-pen, and there, to be sure, was dear little I-da, down on her hands and knees, look-ing at kit-ty as she took her milk.

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The shout that the chil-dren gave made her jump up ; she for-got kit-ty then in her joy at seeing Rose, and Tom, and Ned once more.

But when they had all kissed

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each oth-er as much as they could stand, Rose ran and took Spot in her arms, and gave her a good hug.

“You dear old kit!” she said; “ how nice and fat you are ! Why, I-da, you have tak-en good care of her, I see!”

“Yes, I gives her mik all the days!” said the lit-tle girl.

“Come up and take off your things, chil-dren ! ” they heard their mam-ma call.

“Let’s take Spot, too,” said Ned.

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When they were all right for a good play, they had to look at all I-da’s new toys, for her birth-day had been a few weeks be-fore, and she had a good ma-ny gifts.

Then Aunt Kate came and said, “ she knew they must want some-thing to eat, for lit-tle folks were not apt to eat much when they were starting off.”

“Yes, /do,” cried Ned ; “ I want some-fing real good, Aunt Kate.”

Rose said, u 0, Ned! ” and shook her head at him; but Aunt Kate

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laughed, and said, “He tells the truth, I know ! ”

So she drew out a small, round ta-ble, and set out a lit-tle feast for them, — some nice, red ap-ples, and lit-tle sponge cakes, and sticks of white can-dy.

I-da’s doll was set up on a seat, and Spot, too, at the table; but Spot would not stay; she had had so much milk, that she did not care a bit for fruit and can-dy.

But, 0, dear ! I can-not tell you all that these four hap-py tots said

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and did that day, for it would take too much time.

The day was all too short for them ; and they all cried out, “ 0, dear ! ” when their pa-pa came and said it was time to start for home.

But Aunt Kate said, “Kever mind ; it will not be long, I hope, be-fore you come a-gain.”

“We shall come on Sun-days, now we are all well,” said Rose.

“ Yes, dear, you will come on Sun-days, and some play-days, too, I hope.”

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IV. The New Fkiends

A small new house had been built near Mr. Dale’s place, a-bout half way to Mr. Ray’s.

In the time that the chil-dren were sick, this house was all done, and the folks came to live in it.

These were Mrs. Bond and her chil-dren. There were two lit-tle girls, one not much old-er than Rose, and one grown-up girl — Miss El-la.

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Mrs. Dale went to call on them as soon as she could; but it was some time be-fore the chil-dren saw a-ny one from the new house.

At last, one day, Mrs. Bond and Miss El-la came to call.

Rose and Tom were in the room. They knew they must be still when mam-ma had calls, and not talk, or play, or make a noise in the room.

So they were not sent out of the room, as some lit-tle folks must have been, if they had been there !

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Rose and Tom liked to stay, for these new friends spoke to them in a ver-y kind way ; and then Miss El-la had such a sweet, kind face, that they liked to look at her.

When Mrs. Bond said they must go, Miss El-la turned to the lit-tle folks, and said, “ Will you not both come and see my lit-tle sis-ters ? They will be so glad to see you, for they feel lone-ly, some-times, in our new home.”

11 May we, mam-ma? ” said Rose.

“ Yes, dear, to be sure you may, if they would like to see you.”

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“ What are their names ? ” said Tom.

“One is named Lu-cy, and the oth-er we call A-my.”

“ I like those names,” said Tom.

“ Then I hope you will like the lit-tle girls that own them,” said Miss El-la, with a smile.

When they were gone, Rose said, “ I think Miss El-la is real nice ; don’t you, mam-ma ? And Mrs. Bond, too.”

“Yes, dear, I like them ver-y much, what I have seen of them.”

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“Mam-ma,” asked lit-tle Tom, “ why do they wear all black things? Why don’t they wear nice, blue frocks, like yours ? ” “Black is worn by those who have lost some dear friend, my son. Mr. Bond, Miss El-la’s father, died last spring.”

“ Is that why they have come here to live ? ”

“ I think so, for one thing ; but why do you ask ? ”

“ 0, ’cause I like them so much,” said Tom.

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Mrs. Dale smiled, but did not say a-ny more then, and Rose and Tom soon ran off to play.

A few days af-ter this, mam-ma let Mike take the lit-tle ones, in the wag-on with two seats, for a nice treat.

They were to call and ask Lu-cy and A-my Bond to take a drive with them. And when they came back, their mam-ma said they might stop and see their lit-tle friends for an hour more, at their home.

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Lu-cy and A-my were glad to go to ride. Miss El-la came out with them, and made them all feel at once as if they had been friends a long time, she spoke in such a fun-ny way.

How fast they did talk, as they drove a-long ! Hid you ev-er hear five lit-tle tongues go all at once ? Then you know how it sounds.

And just think ! they saw lit-tle Ma-ry Ball, a lit-tle girl whom they had seen be-fore, who had a goat. Ma-ry knew them, and

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was glad to see them ; and Mm, the goat, seemed as gay as ev-er.

Lu-cy and A-my had to be told all a-bout the goat, and they were pleased, too.

When they had been out a-bout an hour, they drove back to Mrs. Bond’s. She came out to the gate, and told Mike she would like to have them stay to tea, if their mam-ma would let them; and Miss El-la would see them home.

But Mike said he would come for them ; for it was quite dark

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soon af-ter tea, at this time of the year.

Mrs. Dale told Mike they might stay, and he need not go for them till af-ter tea.

The chil-dren soon knew they might stay, as Mike did not come back at once. So they had a fine play-time; Lu-cy and A-my did all they could to please them, and by the time the vis-it was o-ver, they were just the best friends in the world.

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V. Lit-tle Ned’s Watch

One day Mike had to go in to town to the stores, with the wag-on, and he asked if he might take Tom with him.

Mrs. Dale said he might go, for it was a fine, clear day, and she knew that Mike would take the best of care of him.

Then Ned cried to go, too ; but his mam-ma said she could not let

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her lit-tle wee boy go in that way, for Mike would have to run in-to this store and that, and Ned would be in his way, and might get hurt.

“See,” said she; “we will give Tom a ten cent stamp to spend for Ned, and one to buy some-thing for Rose, too ; and then we will wait and see what they bring ”

Then Ned wiped his eyes, and smiled, for he thought it was fun for Tom to go to the shop to get some-thing for him.

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“Won’t Tom have some to spend for him-self? ” said Rose.

“Why, I shall have the ride, and all the fun, you see,” said Tom.

“ But,” said Rose, “ when you get in the shop, you will want just a lit-tle to buy some-tiling your-self — won’t you? I’ll tell you, Tom 5 you buy some-tiling for me with five cents, and spend the other five cents for your-self ! ”

“ JSTo,” cried Tom, “ I won’t ! I mean to buy some-tiling for you that costs ten cents ! ”

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“ I can fix it, I think,” said mam-ma ; “ here is a five cent bit that will just do for Tom to buy some-thing for him-self with

“0, thank you, mam-ma; that is just right ! ”

“ Will Tom go to Aunt Kate’s, and see I-da? ” asked Ned.

“No, dar-ling, not to-day; Mike will not have time to go there. He will stop at pa-pa’s store just a lit-tle while, may be.”

Rose and Ned went out to see Mike get up the horse, and hitch

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him to the wag-on. Then Tom came out, with his coat and cap on, and a warm scarf tied round his neck, and some red mit-tens on his hands, for mam-ma knew it would be cold rid-ing in the wind.

Then they drove off. Tom felt quite like a man as he went off with Mike to town, and Rose and lit-tle Ned felt lone-ly as they saw him go.

But just then mam-ma called them, and Rose sat down to her les-sons, and tried not to think of Tom till they were all done.

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As for Ned, mam-ma let him take her box of black but-tons, and he played they were coal, and so lie would load his cart with them, and draw it a-eross the room, to Miss May’s house, and then dump it at her door. Then he would load his cart a-gain, and sell to some one else. So he had fine fun, all by him-self.

And so, be-fore they thought of it, Mike and Tom were at the gate, with a load of meal, and flour, and such things.

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Tom gave a jump from the wag-on, and ran in.

“Have you had a nice time?” asked Rose.

“ 0, yes ! a grand time ! And see here, what I got for you ! ”

For Rose, Tom had got a fun-ny lit-tle black doll, that made her laugh.

And for Ned he had got a toy watch, that made him jump for joy, it was so like a real watch.

Then Tom took out one more pa-per. “ I got this with my five

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cents,” said he ; a so we can each have a piece.”

He had five sticks of can-dy, and he gave one to Rose, and one to Ned, and one to mam-ma, and one to Jane, who came by just then, and he had one him-self.

Tom was not a self-ish boy — was he?

Ned had to take his watch from his belt, to see what time it was, twice, or more, while he was eating his can-dy, and he was quite proud of it for an hour or two.

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Blit, by and by, as they were all out at play in the yard, Ned said, “ I don’t see why my watch does not go 1 tick, tick,’ like pa-pa’s.

“One day pa’s watch did not go, and I saw him ope it, and poke it with his key.

“ I mean to ope mine, and give it a poke. 0, dear, now, I can’t ope it ! ”

Ned turned to ask Tom to o-pen it for him, but Tom and Rose had gone down the walk, and he had been talk-ing to him-self all the time.

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u 0, 1 can ope it with a stone ! ” said Ned ; and he took up a stone, and gave the poor watch such a hit as did ope it, and smash it, too !

There were no wheels in-side, to go round, and make the hands go ; there was noth-ing of it but the back, and a pa-per face, with a glass o-ver it, and this Ned broke all to bits with his stone.

When the lit-tle boy saw what he had done, he be-gan to cry quite hard, and Tom and Rose ran back to see what was the mat-ter.

NED OPENING WATCH. Page 44

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“ 0, 0 ! ” cried Tom ; “ you bad boy ! what made you pound up that watch now, just as soon as I got it for you ? ”

“ I ain’t a bad boy,” said Ned, with a sob ; “ I did want to ope it, to see if I could make it go, and it brolced! ”

Tom looked vexed; but as he was a-bout to speak, Rose said, “He did not mean to break it, I am sure, Tom ; and he feels bad to see that it is brok-en. You must not be cross to him ”

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“ Can yon mend it, Rose ? Can mam-ma mend it ? ”

“ No, we can’t mend it, Ned, dear ; but never mind ; we will go and see the kits now, and play with them.”

But Ned kept on cry-ing ; he could not bear to think that his watch was gone.

Then Tom felt sor-ry for him, and he said, “0, come, Ned; let’s get our reins, and play horse ; and, I’ll tell you ! the next time I get ten cents to spend, I will get you

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a new watch, and yon won’t smash that — will you ? ”

“ No,” said Ned ; “ I’ll put it in my belt, and take good care of it.”

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VI. The School

One day, when Rose and Tom came in to get their les-sons, their mam-ma said, “ Chil-dren, how would you like to go to school ? ”

Rose and Tom looked up at her with wide o-pen eyes, and Tom said, —

“What is school, mam-ma? like what we play, when we make the dolls all sit up and hold their books ? ”

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“Lit-tle chil-dren go to a real school, not dolls ; dolls are blockheads at books, I think.

“School is a place where chil-dren go to learn their les-sons, with a teach-er, who gives his or her time to help them learn.”

“Do they have to sit up in a row, on a hard bench?” asked Rose.

“Why, no, not in all schools; not in the school to which you would go.”

“ 0, mam-ma,” said Rose, as she

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put her arms round her mam-ma’s neck, “/don’t want to go to school ; I want to say my les-sons to you, just as we do now ; it is nice ! ”

“But, my love, I am not ver-y well, and some days I do not feel as if I could hear your les-sons; and you know I do not want you to leave them off, and play all the time.”

Rose and Tom looked ver-y grave at this ; they thought school must be a hard place, and they did not want to go.

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“ Will the teach-er be cross ? ” said Rose, at last.

“Why do you not ask who the teach-er is ? ” said mam-ma, with a smile.

“ Who is it, mam-ma ? No one that we ev-er saw — is it ? ”

“Miss El-la Bond is to be the teach-er.”

It would, have made you laugh to see how the so-ber fa-ces grew bright at this.

“ 0,” cried Tom, “ that is gay ; I shall like her for a teach-er.”

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“And so shall I,” said Rose; “ but how fun-ny, mam-ma ! I did not see a school at her house.”

“She has not be-gun it yet; it is to be-gin next week.”

“Will Lu-cy and A-my be in the school ? ”

“Yes, it was in part for their sake that she made the plan ; and Nell and Fred Ray are to go, and John Wilde, and his sis-ter.”

“ 0, it will be fun ! ” cried Tom.

“ But, my boy, I hope you will not go to school to make fun;

Miss El-la would not like such chil-dren in her school ; she will want you to be good, and mind what she says to you, and try to learn well.”

“Yes, I will, mam-ma; I did not mean that ”

“ I dare say you will have time to play at re-cess ; and I hope you will find it nice to learn with other lit-tle folks.

“ So you think, af-ter all, you will like to go to school % ”

“ 0, yes, mam-ma, I know we

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shall like Miss El-la’s school, for she is as kind as you are, hnost; and she could not be cross.”

“Then I think,” said mam-ma, “I shall let you rest from your books for the rest of this week, so you may be-gin all fresh on Mon-day.”

“0, thank you, mam-ma; that is nice, too,” said Rose.

“What will Ned do when we are gone to school ? ” said Tom ; “he can-not go, can he, mam-ma?”

“ No, he is too young to go yet ;

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but we will try to make him hap-py while you are gone, and then he will be so glad to see you when you come home ! ”

The chil-dren had a great deal of talk a-bout the new school, and Ned heard them, but he did not think much of it ; he did not know what it was all a-bout.

On Sun-day, when they went to town, to go to church, they told Aunt Kate of the school, and she seemed glad to hear of it, and ver-y glad that they liked the plan.

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“And my boy Ned,” said she, “will take care of his mam-ma, when Rose and Tom are off to school; won’t he?”

“Yes,” said Ned, “ course I will” And it made him feel quite like a man to think of it.

“Mam-ma did not feel well; so she could not come to-day,” said Rose; “and at first she said it would not do for Ned to come; but he did want to so much, that pa-pa said, ‘Let him go; I am sure he will be a good boy.’”

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“ So am I sure of it,” said Aunt Kate ; “ and, Ned, I-da is to go to church to-day, and I want you to show her how to sit still ; will you ? ”

Ned was glad I-da was to go. He want-ed her to walk with him, and to sit by him ; and, as he was to teach her to keep still, he tried to sit as still as a mouse him-self.

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VII. Go-ing To School

Mon-day came, and Rose and Tom were up in good time, and felt in great haste for the hour of school.

When they went in-to their mam-ma’s room, to kiss her, she said, “ My lit-tle ones are to be-gin a new way of life to-day ; did you think to ask God to bless you in your school, and help you to

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o-bey your teach-er, and to be kind to your school-mates ? ”

“No, mam-ma,” said Rose; “I did not think of that.”

“Nor I” said Tom.

“Then you may kneel by me, and ask Him now ; for you know we can do no good thing with-out the help of God.”

They did kneel down, and each said this prayer, af-ter their mam-ma : —

“0 God, bless me, and make me live as Thy own child, in

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school and at home ; and keep me in all my ways. For Je-sus’ sake. A-men.”

When break-fast was done, Mike drove with their pa-pa to the cars, and when he came back, he let the horse stand a lit-tle while, till it was time for Rose and Tom to go to school; for it had been rain-ing in the night, and the road was damp and mud-dy.

Mam-ma put up a nice lunch for them to eat at noon, for they were to stay at noon on wet days ;

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then she put their read-ing books and slates in a bag she had made for them, and then it was time to start.

They went off feel-ing ver-y hap-py, for they were glad to go to Miss El-la’s school.

But you know they need not' have been a-fraid, if it had been some one else who was to teach them, for teach-ers are sure to love good chil-dren, those that mind what they say, and do their best to learn well.

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Miss El-la had the back par-lor shut off, and fit-ted for her school-room. She did not need much to fit it, for she Avas not to have a large school, not more than ten or twelve chil-dren.

It was a bright, warm room — a nice place for lit-tle folks to stud-y in.

Most of the chil-dren were there when Tom and Rose got there.

Miss El-la gave them each a kiss, and led them to the seats they were to have.

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She told them where to hang their things, and where to put their books and slates.

It was now nine ; that was time for school to be-gin.

So Miss El-la rang a lit-tle bell, and told them when that bell rang they must all stop talk-ing, and look at her.

Then Miss El-la saw that each one had a Bi-ble who could make out to read a verse.

Fred Ray could not, and one little girl was too young to read yet.

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Miss El-la found the place where they were to read, and had each one read a verse in turn.

When it was Tom’s turn, or Nell Ray’s, Miss El-la would help them, if there were hard words in the* verse.

When the Bi-ble les-son was read, Miss El-la made them all kneel down, while she said a short prayer, and then they said the Lord’s Prayer with her.