John Habberton

“ Had not the butterfly girls of my acquaintance always been surrounded by hosts of admirers, while women of great heart and soul were attractive only to one another and an occasional widower of discernment—and extreme age? ”

“ I teach them about the world, and the stars, and the ocean, and about the people who live in other countries——"
"In de moon, an' all dem places?"
"No, dear; there are no people in the moon, that we know of."
"But we can make b'lieve, can't we? 'Cause it's so much nicer to fink when you look up at a big round moon,—not one of dem little ones dat look like a piece of watermelon wiff all de red part out out,—it's so much nicer when you look up at de moon to fink dat dere's people in it lookin' down an' seein' de world goin' sailin' along in de sky, just like anuvver moon. ”

“ Just call me 'teacher:' I'll give you the rest of my name afterwards."
"Well, if you's goin' to make me like 'em, you's got to be awful nice,—just awful nice,—and you's got to teach me noffin' 'bout dolls,—not one fing; 'member dat."
"I shall remember it, dear. Now listen to me. Far away from here, in New York, where I live, there are thousands upon thousands of little girls about as old as you who don't know anything good unless they learn it at school. ”

“ My fahver says if a person don't want to grow up wivout knowin' noffin' dey'd better ask questions 'bout what dey see oftenest an' fink 'bout most. So when I sits on de piazza nights, in papa's lap,—when he's home,—I ask him lots of fings 'bout de stars, an' he tells me 'em, an' when he ain't home gran'ma tells me 'em. She's got a great big map of de sky, wiff de names of all de stars,—bunches an' big stars. Sometimes, rainy days I plays stars on de floor. ”

“ You know de moon's noffin' but a star,—don't you?—only it's nearer, so it looks bigger, an' de world's noffin' but anuvver star,—don't you?"
"Yes," said I; "but when and where did you study astronomy?"
"Gracious! what a big word!" exclaimed the child. "I didn't ever study anyfin' as big as dat, I'm sure."
"Astronomy is the study of the stars," said I. "Where did you——"
"Oh, is dat all it means? Oh, yes, 'stron'my. Well, I's been learnin' 'bout 'em ever since I was a dear, tiny little fing, not much bigger dan one of my dolls, I guess. My fahver told me 'bout 'em ”

“ I'll reach dem stars pretty soon. Well, one day while Job was a-grumblin' away, de Lord came along in a whirlwind: my fahver says de Lord really was wiff Job all de time, but when folks gets into trouble dey fink dere's nobody near 'em but de Ole Bad Man, so it takes a storm, or a club, or somefin' awful big and strong, to bring 'em to deir senses. Den de Lord give Job a good talkin'-to. He just let him know dat Job nor no uvver man knew just how everyfin' in de world ought to be, an' no man could be as smart as de Lord. ”

“ But how had her father brought practical astronomy within the comprehension of so small a head? I asked her to tell me all about it, as her father had explained it to her.
"Well," said she, "once dere lived 'way 'cross de ocean a farmer named Job, an' he was de richest farmer in all de country round. It never troubled him if de butcher's wagon didn't come round in time, 'cause he had just fousands of sheep, an' would go out an' kill one in time to have meat for dinner; an' gran'ma says when folks was offered spring lamb at his house dey got spring lamb. ”

“ He couldn't help finkin' 'bout it, you know, 'cause stars was all Job had ever had to look at in de night-time. My fahver says what de Lord told Job in dat verse was de first lesson in de world in practical 'stron'my,—'stron'my is all 'bout de stars, you know,—an' he says I must 'member it all my life, so if ever I get to havin' bad times an' fink de Lord isn't strong enough to make fings right, I can just go out an' look at de stars awhile, an' get my mind right again. ”

“ As I was saying, their parents teach them almost nothing; but there are hundreds of big schools where the poor little things are taught a great deal, and learn to become wiser and better than their parents."
"Den," remarked Miss Alice, with much positiveness, "I'm glad I'm not one of 'em. I don't want to be any smarter an' better dan my fahver and gran'ma. It makes my head just ache sometimes to fink how smart an' good dey is, an' I's sure my head would split right open if I had a muvver too dat was just as smart an' good, an' I had to fink 'bout her too. ”

“ He says dat's what makes it so interestin',—cause it's always doin' somefin' new. He says it's just de same way wiff folks: de ones dat's most changeable gets de most 'tention, even if dey's as weak as water."
"Quite true," I murmured. Alice's father knew something, it was quite evident, although his knowledge lacked comprehension of woman. I was willing even to admit that he might have acquired his simile of waves and human inconstancy by observation of women,—some women. ”

“ I asked. "Most girls are two or three times as old as you before they are taught anything about astronomy."
"Can't help learnin' 'bout 'em." she replied. "Dey're always where dey're lookin' right at me, after dark; dey keeps winkin' at me from my window almost every night till I go to sleep; an', besides, we don't see noffin' else from our piazza, dese warm nights, 'xcept de stars an' de ocean, so I can't help finkin' 'bout 'em an' askin' questions 'bout 'em. ”

“ It's too big, an' it's millions an' millions of miles away from here. Besides, most of de time it's turned up endways, or upside down, or somefin' so it would spill all the water out anyway. I mean de big dipper up in de sky,—de seven big stars dat's on de backwards end of the big bear dat's goin' roun' an' roun' de norf star all de time, like as if it wanted to bite it an' was 'fraid to. ”

“ Den he lost his patience, an' began to say lots of cross fings, an' talk as if de Lord didn't have anyfin' to do but look after him, an' how if he'd made de world he'd have had fings diff'rent in a good many ways. My fahver says a man never knows ev'ryfin' so much as when fings ain't goin' to suit him."
"All this is very interesting, dear, though I think I've heard something of the kind before. But what has it to do with the stars? I don't want to lose the story; but try and remember that you were going to tell me how you had learned all about the stars." ”

“ It 'splains somefin', dough, 'cause once I asked fahver whever de lady in de picture wasn't finkin' very hard about somefin', an' he said 'yes,' an' I asked him what it was, an' he smoked a lot of smoke out his cigar first, an' looked at de picture a long time, an' den he said, 'I 'spect she's finkin' whever she ought to say "yes" or "no."’"
Just like a man! All men are alike. ”