Mary Erskine

Mary Erskine

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Title: Mary Erskine
Author: Jacob Abbott
Release Date: December 26, 2004 [EBook #14475]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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ERSKINE ***

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[Illustration: MARY ERSKINE'S FARM]
MARY ERSKINE
A Franconia Story,

BY THE AUTHOR OF THE ROLLO BOOKS.

NEW YORK: HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS. FRANKLIN
SQUARE.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1850, by HARPER
& BROTHERS, In the Clerk's Office for the Southern District of New
York.

PREFACE.
The development of the moral sentiments in the human heart, in early
life,--and every thing in fact which relates to the formation of
character,--is determined in a far greater degree by sympathy, and by
the influence of example, than by formal precepts and didactic
instruction. If a boy hears his father speaking kindly to a robin in the
spring,--welcoming its coming and offering it food,--there arises at
once in his own mind, a feeling of kindness toward the bird, and toward
all the animal creation, which is produced by a sort of sympathetic
action, a power somewhat similar to what in physical philosophy is
called induction. On the other hand, if the father, instead of feeding the
bird, goes eagerly for a gun, in order that he may shoot it, the boy will
sympathize in that desire, and growing up under such an influence,
there will be gradually formed within him, through the mysterious
tendency of the youthful heart to vibrate in unison with hearts that are
near, a disposition to kill and destroy all helpless beings that come
within his power. There is no need of any formal instruction in either
case. Of a thousand children brought up under the former of the
above-described influences, nearly every one, when he sees a bird, will
wish to go and get crumbs to feed it, while in the latter case, nearly
every one will just as certainly look for a stone. Thus the growing up in
the right atmosphere, rather than the receiving of the right instruction,
is the condition which it is most important to secure, in plans for
forming the characters of children.

It is in accordance with this philosophy that these stories, though
written mainly with a view to their moral influence on the hearts and
dispositions of the readers, contain very little formal exhortation and
instruction. They present quiet and peaceful pictures of happy domestic
life, portraying generally such conduct, and expressing such sentiments
and feelings, as it is desirable to exhibit and express in the presence of
children.
The books, however, will be found, perhaps, after all, to be useful
mainly in entertaining and amusing the youthful readers who may
peruse them, as the writing of them has been the amusement and
recreation of the author in the intervals of more serious pursuits.

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
I.
--JEMMY
II.--THE BRIDE
III.--MARY ERSKINE'S VISITORS
IV.--CALAMITY
V.--CONSULTATIONS
VI.--MARY BELL IN THE WOODS
VII.--HOUSE-KEEPING
VIII.--THE SCHOOL
IX.--GOOD MANAGEMENT

X.--THE VISIT TO MARY ERSKINE'S

ENGRAVINGS.
MARY ERSKINE'S FARM--FRONTISPIECE.
CATCHING THE HORSE
THE LOG HOUSE
MARY BELL AT THE BROOK
THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS
MRS. BELL
MARY BELL AND QUEEN BESS
MARY BELL GETTING BREAKFAST
THE SCHOOL
GOING TO COURT
THE STRAWBERRY PARTY

THE FRANCONIA STORIES.
ORDER OF THE VOLUMES.
MALLEVILLE.
WALLACE.
MARY ERSKINE.
MARY BELL.

BEECHNUT.
RODOLPHUS.
ELLEN LINN.
STUYVESANT.
CAROLINE.
AGNES.

SCENE OF THE STORY
The country in the vicinity of Franconia, at the North.
PRINCIPAL PERSONS
MARY ERSKINE.
ALBERT.
PHONNY and MALLEVILLE, cousins, residing at the house of
Phonny's mother.
MRS. HENRY, Phonny's mother.
ANTONIO BLANCHINETTE, a French boy, residing at Mrs. Henry's;
commonly called Beechnut.
MRS. BELL, a widow lady, living in the vicinity of Mrs. Henry's.
MARY BELL, her daughter.
MARY ERSKINE.
CHAPTER I.

JEMMY.
Malleville and her cousin Phonny generally played together at
Franconia a great part of the day, and at night they slept in two separate
recesses which opened out of the same room. These recesses were deep
and large, and they were divided from the room by curtains, so that
they formed as it were separate chambers: and yet the children could
speak to each other from them in the morning before they got up, since
the curtains did not intercept the sound of their voices. They might
have talked in the same manner at night, after they had gone to bed, but
this was against Mrs. Henry's