The Apple Dumpling and Other Stories for Young Boys and Girls | Page 6

the end of his nose, and laid gently down between them.
In a few minutes, her Papa woke up, and said,--
"Why! what little monkey is this in the bed?" which made Annie laugh very much. She then jumped out of bed, and put on her stockings and shoes herself, as all little boys and girls of five years old ought, and washed her face and hands, and put on her clothes; and her Mamma, who was now awake, fastened them, and brushed her hair nicely. After that, she said some little prayers that her Mamma had taught her, and then ran down stairs, singing as gaily as a lark, and dancing as lightly as a fairy.
After breakfast, her Mamma got her school basket (it was a cunning little basket), and put in it a nice slice of bread and butter, and a peach, and gave her a little bouquet of flowers to present to her teacher, whom little Annie loved dearly; and then her Mamma said, "Good bye, my darling!" and Annie made her such a funny little curtsey, that she nearly tumbled over, and off she went to school with her Papa, who always saw her safe to the door.
Annie staid in school from nine o'clock until two. When she came home, her Mother kissed her, and said--
"Have you been a good little girl in school to-day?"
"I think I have," said Annie; "Miss Harriet said that I was very diligent. What is diligent, Mamma?"
"To be diligent, my dear," answered her Mamma, "means to study your lesson all the time, without thinking of play, or anything else, until you know it perfectly."
Annie said she was glad it meant such good things, and added, "Mamma, will you play I am a lady coming to see you, if you are not too busy?"
Her Mamma said she would. So Annie got her two dolls. One was a very pretty wax doll, with eyes that could open and shut. Her name was Emily; and the other was not wax, but was larger. Her name was Augusta. Annie put on their hats and shawls, and dressed herself in an old hat, with a green veil, and came near her Mamma, and made believe ring a bell, and said, "Ting a ling, ting a ling."
"Come in," said her Mamma.
Little Annie shook hands with her Mamma, and said, "How do you do, Mrs. Browne?"
"Thank you, I am very well," said her Mamma. "Take a seat, my dear Mrs. Frisby," that was Annie's name. "How are your children, Mrs. Frisby?"
"Oh! they are very sick," answered Annie; "one has the toothache, and the other has a little square hole in the back of her head, and it has made her head ache."
"Dear me! Mrs. Frisby," said her Mamma, "I am very sorry to hear it; you ought to go to the doctor with them."
Then Annie pretended to go to the doctor, and she took out of the drawer a little bit of sugar for medicine. She ate the medicine up herself, and said that it had done the dollies a great deal of good. In this pleasant way she amused herself until dinner time.
After dinner, her Papa and Mamma took her to the Park, as it was a pleasant day; and there Annie jumped about with other little girls, or ran with her great hoop. She could roll the hoop very well.
Then she came skipping home, and had her tea; and after that her mother undressed her and heard her say her prayers, and kissed her for good night; and she jumped into bed, and in a moment was fast asleep. Don't you think Annie was a happy little girl? I think she was, for all her days passed in this pleasant manner. Some other time, perhaps, I will tell you more about little Annie Browne.

THE THREE BEARS.[1]
[1] From "The Doctor," by Robert Southey.
Once upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together in a house of their own, in a wood. One of them was a Little, Small, Wee Bear; and one was a Middle-sized Bear, and the other was a Great, Huge Bear. They had each a pot for their porridge, a little pot for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized pot for the Middle Bear, and a great pot for the Great, Huge Bear. And they had each a chair to sit in; a little chair for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized chair for the Middle Bear; and a great chair for the Great, Huge Bear. And they had each a bed to sleep in; a little bed for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized bed for the Middle Bear; and a great bed for the Great, Huge Bear.
One day, after they had made the porridge for their breakfast,