Aunt Fanny

“ THE FAIRY BENEVOLENCE.
There never was a more loving son than little Mark. He was only seven years old. Yet already he was of great use to his mother, who was a very poor widow, as poor as could be, and she had to work, without ever resting, from morning till night, to get food and clothes for herself and her dear child.
Oh, that terrible stitch, stitch, stitching! It must never stop; for all she got for making a whole shirt was ten cents, and with her utmost efforts she could only finish two in a day. ”

“ Langdon; Master Edward is your [111] son; but I no longer think of him as the child I fed at my breast, and loved nearly as my own. He has struck his brother! Come, my son, you are not his equal; therefore you cannot be his friend.
Mrs. L. But listen one moment, Mary.
Mary. No, ma'am; we will not stay where we have been so humbled; we are plain country folks, but we have hearts and feelings, and your son has neither. God will never bless him. Such pride has no place in heaven.
Mrs. L. You are right, Mary; but perhaps Morris offended him. You have not heard both sides. ”

“ Edward. How kind you are to me, who have deserved it so little! Pray forgive me, and forget my bad conduct.
Andrew. I forgive you with all my heart! and now that you are in trouble, I remember nothing. I will come to see you next Sunday evening, and bring you some nice little present. Keep up a stout heart, and a stiff upper lip; you are not used to work, and at first it will come very hard; ploughing is not quite so easy as playing cat's cradle, and backgammon in the parlor. ”

“ Mark looked up as Harry said: "Come, Mark, don't cry so: here is a fairy who will help you, and your mother too." When the little boy saw the genial, kindly smile of the doctor, he felt comforted; and sitting down on the side of the bed, he told his wonderful dream.
It was listened to with the deepest interest; and when he had finished, the doctor patted him on the head, and said, "Never mind, my fine little fellow! if we can't give you a grand house and a snuff box full of servants, and a thistle which drops out of it all the clothes you want, I think we can cure your mother ”

“ Mark obeyed, somewhat frightened, and holding fast to his steed's ears; the wolf went to the edge of the ravine, gave a prodigious jump; and, lo and behold! Mark was safely over.
And now, at last, the high wall of the garden appeared, in which grew the plant of life. In the distance was a tall tower, from the window of which a pretty little girl was watching him.
Mark uttered a thankful exclamation, [62] but alas! before he could get inside the garden, there was a deep moat to cross. He walked along the edge, hoping to come to a bridge; but found none. ”

“ Mark was surprised to hear a bird talk; [52] but he hurried on, and soon after he saw a rooster chased by a fox. Mark caught the rooster up in his arms, and concealed him under his coat; and the fox, staring, surprised, in every direction, ran off disappointed. As soon as he was out of sight Mark let the rooster go, who turned and said, with a grateful and very long crow, "Thank you, Mark; I will repay you."
"Why, they can all talk!" exclaimed Mark; "they must be fairy people, turned into birds!" ”

“ Far from despising you, I shall take care to let everybody know the sacrifice you are making for my son's sake; and every one will praise you for helping me, and believe that love for Edward has alone induced you to consent to this plan. If he should grow up to be a man with such selfish, cruel ways, it will break my heart. I should be in my grave before many years, killed by the misconduct of my only child. I have but one objection to what we are about to do. We shall practise a deception.
Mary (weeping) . Oh, ma'am, and my son, my poor little Morris, he too must be deceived ”

“ I don't like writing lessons. They are a perfect plague. They give me the cramp in my thumb, and kinks in my fingers.
Mr. S. Essence of switch on the fingers is good for taking out kinks. Has your dancing master been here?
Edward. Oh yes! I love him dearly, he is so funny! He tells me comical stories, and can imitate everybody in the [103] house. Andrew's lumbering, poking walk, Jane's prinking ways, and even you, with your long dismal face, your eyes staring at a book like a cat looking at a fish, and your solemn walk, oh, it would make you die a-laughing! His lessons always seem too short. ”

“ You must go right to work to learn the parts in this little play. I do not approve of some parts of it, because a deceit was practised to bring one of the boys to a sense of his selfish and undutiful conduct. This was 'doing evil that good may come,' and was very wrong. If your mother were to punish you by deceiving you, you would doubt her ever after; and for a child to doubt a parent is, I should think, one of the most miserable feelings in the world. ”

“ MISS FLORENCE.
"Oh, mamma, please do buy me a new doll," said Lillie, one day in June.
"Why, how you talk!" answered her mother. "What has become of your large family?"
"Oh, mamma! Minnie, the china doll, has only one leg, and my three wax dolls are no better. Fanny has only one arm; both Julia's eyes are out; and the kitten scratched off Maria's wig the other day, and she has the most dreadful-looking, bald pate you ever saw! Instead of its being made of nice white wax, it is nothing but old brown paper! I think it is [13] very mean not to make dolls' bald heads like other people's! ”

“ Oh dear mother, I am crazy to be in action! I am afraid, if we don't have a battle soon, I shall get motheaten. Our General is a glorious fellow, and is just as anxious as we are to have it over; peace will come all the sooner. ”

“ It is his heart that is to be put to the trial; reverses and adversity often soften the heart; when one has suffered, he knows better how to pity the deprivations and sufferings of others. Your son has never been contradicted; he may be unkind and cruel sometimes from thoughtlessness and ignorance. Now, let us put his heart to a severe trial. Let us pretend that he is [114] Mary's son, and Morris is really your son. Push the experiment so far as to send him to live with her, until he is thoroughly humbled, and his faults disappear. ”

“ It was Harry, the one who personated the little old gentleman in the true story of "The Party Lillie gave to Miss Florence." His father had a country seat in the neighborhood, and Harry often took long walks in search of adventures.
"Why, what is the matter, little fellow?" he asked.
Mark raised his tearful eyes, and seeing a kind face, told his pitiful story.
"Oh, don't be down-hearted," cried [48] Harry. "Why, don't you know the fairies are not all dead yet? Now, there's the fairy Benevolence; just you ask her, good and loud, to help you, and see if she won't do it;" ”

“ A long pause took place when the letter was finished; the children were so astonished, as well as delighted, at the new work prepared for them.
"Well!" cried Harry at last, "what would George say, if he knew the monkeys and crabs would turn actors next?"
"He would think it splendid," answered Anna. "You know the poor soldiers, who were made prisoners at that dreadful Bull Run battle, acted plays in their prisons, to keep themselves from dying of home-sickness." [76]
"I want to act," said Willie.
"I want to act," echoed Bennie. ”

“ And Helen—mother's own darling,
And Maggie, the baby of all."
The summer was passed by our dear little Lillie in playing and frolicking, and sometimes tearing her frocks; which last, her mother minded not the least bit, as long as it was an accident. I don't, either. Children had better tear their frocks a little, jumping, climbing over fences, and getting fat and healthy, than to sit in the house, looking pale and miserable. My Alice often comes in, a perfect object to behold! ”

“ Miss Florence was the very doll Lillie's mother had bought in the summer time, and Helen, the kind sister, had made every one of the beautiful things in the little trunk. To show you [41] how handsome they all were, I have had Miss Florence's portrait taken in an everyday dress, and begged the printer to put it in this book. Don't it make a flourish? And was not Helen a perfect darling of a sister? ”

“ Mary (running up to kiss him) . How do you do, dear, dear child! how handsome you are! Here's your old play-fellow, Morris; don't you remember him?
Edward. No!
Morris (who has a nice little cream cheese wrapped up in a napkin) . I remember you. You're my dear brother Edward. See—I have brought you this cream cheese; my mother made it on purpose for you—take it—don't you know me now?
Edward (who recoils, and takes twenty-five cents out of his pocket) . Here, take this, Morris. [106]
Morris (coloring indignantly) . I did not ask you for money; I don't want it; I am not a beggar. ”

“ Sherwood, the tutor, because he is naturally such a sober little fellow," said the mother; "and we will invite Gus Averill, Harry's friend, to be Morris, because he and Harry are of the same age and height, and that will be excellent. Minnie can do Jane, the maid, very nicely; and Willie and Bennie can be Patrick and Andrew, the waiter and gardener."
So it was all settled; and the next morning the children began to study their parts—the larger ones assisting the little ones—so that they learned as quickly as the best. ”

“ I must make a catalogue of them;" and then, to Mark's great amazement, she took the carving knife and cut off one of her paws, and handed it to him, saying, "Take this cat's paw: when you feel ill, weary, or are growing old, touch this paw to the end of your nose with the claws spread out, and all illness and weariness will disappear over your left shoulder." ”

“ I sometimes wonder the ragman, [20] who drives the old cart with a row of jingling bells strung over the top, don't mistake her for a bundle of rags gone out for a walk. I don't feel worried about it; for if he should happen to make this mistake, and pop her in his cart some day, Alice would make one of her celebrated Indian "yoops," as she calls it, and I rather think he would pop her out, quicker than she went in.
When September had come, Helen returned home; and soon after, the mother said, "Lillie, there is a young lady in town, who wishes to make your acquaintance. ”

“ Good Samaritans are very scarce nowadays.
When she was well enough to go out, she found that her rent was paid, a load of wood was piled away in the wood shed, half a barrel of flour was in the pantry, and some nice hams were hanging up. Plenty of work at good prices soon poured in. Little Mark was sent to the district school, for now he had comfortable clothes [73] and shoes on his poor little feet; and really, as he told his mother one happy evening—"After all, dear mother, I like my waking fairy Benevolence best—whiskers and all!" ”

“ I wish to cultivate the earth, because Mr. Sherwood says the most respectable men in the world are farmers; and Andrew, mad as fury, comes and drives me away. Suppose I do spoil some of his stupid cabbages ”

“ Mrs. L. The darling! How he loves me! Andrew, you are a brute! [96]
Andrew. Thank you, ma'am. That's what I call justice.
Mrs. L. My dear son was only seeking to gratify me, and you did very wrong to hinder him. Dear child! he was willing to work like a farmer to please me.
Andrew. I'm dumb! If you wish it, he may scratch up the whole garden, and empty it into the duck pond; he may break down fifty trees a day; he may have a mass meeting of the dogs, pigs, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and the old gray donkey, in the best flower beds ”

“ You will find a fishing rod and bait on the sand. Come! begin! while I set the table."
"Oh!" said little Mark, "how can I catch all these fish! Oh, fairy Benevolence! come to me."
The Cat shot up in the air.
[63]
"I will help you," said a sweet voice. He turned, and there stood beside him the very little girl he saw looking out of the window in the tower. How she got there nobody knows; and what Mr. Nobody knows he never tells; but the dear little maiden said, "I am called 'Little Goody.' The old cat shall have the fish, and you shall have the plant of life ”

“ So saying, she killed all the game for him. It took four times twenty-one days, and he killed five hundred thousand, of all sorts and sizes, woodcocks, partridges, quails, chip birds, [61] robins, and cat birds, for a wolf likes all varieties. As fast as the crow killed, Mark cooked, and when it was all done, he called out, "Mr. Wolf, here are your pies with plenty of pepper and salt."
The wolf tasted the first and last, smacked his lips, and exclaimed, "My! how nice!" He then gave Mark a stick, saying, "When you have found the plant of life, and want to go home, get astride of this stick ”

“ A few evenings after the last story had been read, the little mother drew from her pocket quite a thick roll of paper, saying: "Here is something from Aunt Fanny, with a proposal that will surprise you."
"What can it be?" cried the children with eagerness.
"She wants you to act a play."
"We act a play! Who ever heard of such a thing?"
"Yes; she has partly written, partly translated a little play, and here is her letter with it." [74]
"My Darling Children;
"Don't you wish, you could get on faster than ever with your mittens? ”

“ Mary O'Reilly (that's our kitten) always rubs her coat against his legs when he comes home; so you see that is a sign that he is never cruel to animals. He once tried to teach a crab at Long Branch to dance the polka, but he didn't hurt it; no, indeed!
"Please, my dear friend, to make him a General, with a long sword, saddle, bridle, and a whack fol de rol; though I don't know what that is—I heard a soldier singing it—and I will come and hug and kiss you as hard as a rock. [147]
"Clara and Anna say, they will hug and kiss you too, if you will make George a General ”

“ Langdon did.
Edward (his lips quivering) . Oh! she is no longer my mother! [121]
Mary. Well, am I not as good? I don't live in such a fine house, crammed full of gimcracks; but I've got a dictionary that you can study in, and big Peter, your father, shall hang a great switch over the mantelpiece, to remind you that he won't stand any nonsense, or idleness, from you. Dear me! how glad he will be to see you! Come, run with a hop, skip, and jump, to the stable, and harness up old Whitenose: it's high time we were off. ”