Lucy Ellen Guernsey

“ As the sun began to sink low in the sky he grew uneasy, and hinted to his new friend that they might as well be turning homeward.
"We are going to stay here to-night," said the wood-beaver, stretching himself and yawning. "One place is as much home as another to us. I say, Binney, just pull that burr out of my ear, will you?"
Binney pulled out the burr, and then said, trying very hard to speak bravely, "Well, I must go home at any rate, so good night, and thank you."
"Heyday!" cried the largest of the wood-beavers. "Not quite so fast, my young friend. ”

“ Now Binney had not had any water to wash in for a long, long time, and seeing this fine bowl of clean water, he plunged into it head first, rolling about and grunting with delight.
"Poor thing, how pleased it is with its bath," said the old lady, who was very neat herself, and a great admirer of cleanliness in others. "I have heard that beavers live mostly in the water. I wonder what it eats?"
"I am sure I don't know," said Thomas, who, to say the truth, did not know much about any thing except opening the door, and waiting upon the table. "I can't think why master wants so many animals about. ”

“ Its feet were shaped much like a man's hands, and it had a very long furry tail. It was a white-fronted lemur, from the island of Madagascar, far away in the Indian Ocean.
"O ho, Mackey! So you have waked up," said Mr. B—. "You seem in fine spirits to-night. Here is a new playmate for you."
At that moment Mackey, for that was the lemur's name, caught sight of Binney, whom he had not noticed before. With one bound he sprang from the rug by the fire to the top of a high door, a distance of many yards, where he sat staring down at the newcomer as though he did not know what to make of him. ”

“ BINNEY was a young beaver, who lived with several brothers and sisters, and a great many aunts, uncles, and cousins, in a beautiful pond by a stream which empties into the Missouri a long way off to the north-west.
This was not a natural pond. Some years before, two beavers, whose house had been destroyed by the Indians, set out on a journey to found a new town. They travelled along at their leisure, living upon the tender bark of the low and cotton-wood shoots, which they found in great abundance, and looking for a home. They found no place to suit them for a great many days. ”

“ No one would ever take him for my cousin."
"I should say not," remarked Binney. "Slowness is not one of your faults, Mackey."
"For all that, he is always kind and good-natured," resumed Mackey. "Nothing can put him out of temper, except being hurried. Then there are tigers and wildcats, and many other such creatures, besides poisonous snakes, whose bite would kill you in a few minutes, and huge serpents big enough to kill a deer, squeezing him to death, and swallowing him whole afterwards." ”

“ The stranger began to laugh in a very rude way. "O, sent for twigs, were you! If I were a smart young fellow like you, I would be above being sent here and there, and working like a slave for all the town. I would take to the woods; and live by myself, and for myself! That's what I would do."
"But my mother says the wood-beavers often go cold and hungry, and that no decent beaver would speak to them," said Binney. ”

“ These things he piled up as well as he could, till he had made quite a high dam.
Just as he finished it, Mackey, who had been asleep on the mantel over the fire, waked up, and jumped down to see what his friend was about.
"I am building a dam," said Binney; "only there is no water."
"A dam!" said Mackey. "What is a dam? I never heard of such a thing."
"We always built dams at home," said Binney. "Where I used to live there was such a big one—O! as long as this house, and almost as high as this room. Its use is to set back the water in the brook, and make a pond, in which we build our houses." ”

“ So these idlers went away and lived in the woods, not very far from the beaver dam. They were too lazy and stupid to build nice houses, so they just scratched holes in the ground to sleep in, and spent their whole time in doing nothing at all, which is just the hardest work in the world when one has too much of it.
It was about two years after the idlers were driven from the village that Binney was born. As soon as he was able to notice anything, he found himself lying on a nice bed of hay with three other little beavers just like himself. ”

“ Binney was much alarmed, for the stranger looked very big and savage.
"Please, sir, I did not mean to be saucy," he said, humbly. "I did not know that you were a wood-beaver."
"You are a fool!" said the wood-beaver roughly. "The wood-beavers are much better off than such poor sneaks as you. ”

“ We shall soon have a family about us again, and every thing will be as pleasant as before our misfortunes commenced. See how handily those young cotton-woods grow for our dam. We can never be at a loss for food here, as you know was sometimes the case in our old home. We ought to be thankful also that it is early spring instead of fall. We have all the summer before us in which to work, and I can see no reason why we should not have a very nice, pleasant home before winter comes upon us. ”

“ But seriously, husband, if I should take so young a nurse, I fear, instead of relieving me, she would add to my perplexities."
"Well, what say you, Aunt Hannah?" asked Mr. Ellison of a prim, but mild-looking old lady in the quaint Quaker dress, who had been listening to the conversation.
"What do I say? Why, that in this matter thee has erred more than is thy wont. Thee knows that a girl taken from the streets of this wicked city is not a fit companion for thy innocent little Kate, who, though only six years old, is an apt scholar. ”

“ How I wonder—how I wonder—how I wonder—"
"How I wonder what comes next," suggested Fred.
"No, that ain't it," said Ben. "How I wonder—how I wonder—"
"How I wander from the subject," suggested George. "I'll tell you what, Ben, you'll think it is splendid to hold up the curtain. You may wear my soldier cap if you want to, and I guess mother 'll let you have the peacock's feather over the looking-glass to put in it."
"Yes," said Alice, "and you may have my red scarf for a sash." ”

“ Binney told Mackey about the dam and they pond, the deep woods and the meadows, the tame and good beavers in the town and the wild beavers in the woods; but as you have heard all that before, I shall not repeat it. Then Mackey told his own story, as follows:
"I was born a great many thousand miles from London, in the island of Madagascar. There is never any cold weather in that island. Water never freezes as it does here, and there is no snow nor sleet; but it rains a great deal in one part of the year. ”

“ They were merry little things, and soon began to have fine games of play with the other little beavers in the town. With these little friends they swam in the pond, dived from the dam, and ran about the banks of the stream all day long.
But they soon found out that life was not to be all play. As soon as they were big enough, their mothers began to teach them to work. First they learned to bring grass and straw for the nest, holding the load under their chins with one paw, and walking with the other three. ”

“ The next year there were many young beavers frisking about the dam and in the water, and in the course of time the colony grew to be a very large one. They had not been disturbed by hunters or trappers; they always had plenty to eat; they were kind to one another, and upon the whole, they were very happy.
However, nobody gets through the world without some trouble, and the beavers had their share. One year three or four of the young beavers refused to work at the dam, or at bringing in bark and branches for food. ”

“ This was speedily done, though not without some delay, caused by Tom and Fred, who, younger than their brothers, had not their business turn, and persisted in turning somersaults on the fragrant hay.
"What shall we do for a curtain?" said George. "We never can get along without one."
"I know," said his sister Alice; "there's that red patch bed quilt: I guess mother will let us have that." ”

“ After that I was more careful.
"After a voyage of many months I came to this country, and the captain gave me to our master. I am very happy here. The days are cold and dark, and there are no pretty trees; but every one is kind to me, and now that I have you to play with, my dear, good old Binney, I am as contented as if I were at home in Madagascar."
So saying, Mackey put his little arms round Binney's neck, and gave him a good hug; and when Mrs. Smith came up to see what had become of her pets, she found them fast asleep together in the nest which they had made. ”

“ The family assembled in the barn soon after dinner, for it had taken all the morning for the preparations. One bench held the whole audience—Aunt Mary, Uncle George, Grandma, and Patty, the maid.
The eleven performers were unseen, but not unheard behind the curtain. Then the six boys appeared in front, each with a red scarf round his waist, to signify that they were a band in uniform. ”

“ You may perhaps wonder how the two beavers contrived to do so much work, but they knew beforehand just what they wished to accomplish, and they had tools well adapted to their uses. Their sharp teeth were their saws and axes, wherewith to cut down the trees, and strip them of their bark, while their paws and their broad, flat tails served for hoes and trowels, to dig up the mud, and spread it for mortar. *
* Some say the beavers never use their tails for trowels. ”

“ But there were others in that city who saw nothing in the bright red sky to assure them that the new year was likely to prove to them any better than the old, and who would have been glad enough, amid many years of want and sorrow, to have one happy new year. ”

“ Almost the whole island is covered with thick, deep woods, in which grow all sorts of curious and beautiful things. There are many large vines which run from tree to tree for long distances, making the nicest bridges in the world for us lemurs to run upon. ”

“ It was indeed needful to keep up a stout heart, for the two beavers had a deal of hard work before them. Their first care was to build up a dam to shut in the water and make a pond. They began operations by cutting down a great many young trees about as thick as a man's wrist. Then they cut off the branches, and stripped them of their bark, which they piled away in heaps for food in winter. ”

“ He carried me on board the ship, and gave me to the captain, who received me kindly, admired my fine fur and long bushy tail, and offered me all sorts of good things to eat. But you may guess I had not a great deal of appetite at that time. From the ship I could see the shore and the green woods, and I almost fancied I could hear my father and mother calling me.
"The next day the ship sailed away. I saw the woods sink lower and lower, and the land grow more and more dim and distant, till at last it faded away entirely, and nothing met my eyes but water, water in every direction. ”

“ And besides, if you will excuse me for saying so—"
"Say away," said his friend.
"I do really think that town-beavers have better times than wood-beavers. To be sure, they have to work sometimes when they don't like it, but then each one has his own special task, and no one crowds or imposes on another. They have plenty of time for fun, and when they do play, they enjoy it very much."
"You did not think so when you were sent after the birch twigs," said the wood-beaver.
"No," said Binney, with a deep sigh ”

“ Then you may see the loris, or slow-monkey, which sleeps nearly all day, and crawls about the trees at night so slowly that you can hardly see him move. You would think a snail could far outrun him any day, and yet he manages to catch game enough to live upon very nicely. ”

“ But Thomas did not speak kindly, and Binney would not follow him.
"I will take him up myself," said the kind housekeeper, rising. "Come along, there is a good little fellow."
Binney was very ready to follow the old lady who had been so good to him, and he trotted along after her up the stairs, which were very low and easy, till he came to the drawing-room. It was a large, handsome room, nicely furnished, and had a thick, soft carpet upon the floor. Mr. B— sat before the bright fire, reading the paper; but he looked up as the housekeeper came in with Binney behind her. ”

“ Then they were taught to dive for mud and moss at the bottom of the pond, and at last to gnaw down twigs and sticks for the dam.
At first Binney thought it would be a fine thing to work like a grown-up beaver, but he soon found out that work is not as easy as play. ”

“ The idlers said they did not care; they could live well enough anywhere. So the old beavers drove them out of the village, and would not let them come back any more. They also warned the other young beavers to have nothing to do with them in any way, for they were wise enough to know how soon good manners are spoiled by bad company. ”

“ The lady told me about herself; how she had been to a far off counthry, where her husband died. Then she started to come home, and many weary months was she on the way, sometimes obliged to lay by for weeks, until her money was spint, and then she feared she niver should see her own counthry. ”

“ Ellison had been calling on a friend, and had just stepped from door when he was accosted by a young girl, who asked, "Please, sir, do you know of any one wanting a nurse-girl?"
He looked earnestly at the face before him, and replied, "I have a little boy at home who lost his nurse lately, but you look rather young for that position. What is your name?"
"My name is Norah, sir; my mother is dead, and I live with Judy Finegan; but the times are too hard for her to keep and feed me any longer. I would try to suit you, sir, if you would take me."
"It is too cold to stand here ”