The New McGuffey Fourth Reader | Page 8

W.H. McGuffey (compiler)
me."
But the traveler lost the young man as he had lost the rest of his friends,
and, after calling to him to come back, which he never did, went on
upon his journey. At last he came to a middle-aged gentleman. So he
said to him, "What are you doing here?" And his answer was, "I am
always busy. Come and be busy with me."
The traveler began to be very busy with the gentleman, and they went
on through the wood together. The whole journey was through a wood,
only it had been open and green at first, like a wood in spring, and now
began to be thick and dark, like a wood in summer; some of the little
trees that had come out earliest were even turning brown.
The gentleman was not alone, but had a lady of about the same age
with him, who was his wife; and they had children, who were with
them too. They all went on together through the wood, cutting down
the trees, and making a path among the branches, and carrying burdens
and working hard.
Sometimes they came to a long green avenue that opened into deeper
woods. Then they would hear a very distant little voice crying, "Father,
father, I am another child! Stop for me!" And presently they would see
a very little figure, growing larger as it came along, running to join
them. When it came up, they all crowded round it, and kissed and
welcomed it; and then they all went on together.
Sometimes they came to several avenues at once; and then they all
stood still, and one of the children said, "Father, I am going to sea;" and
another said, "Father, I am going to India;" and another, "Father, I am
going to seek my fortune where I can;" and another, "Father, I am
going to heaven."
So, with many tears at parting, they went, solitary, down those avenues,

each child upon its way; and the child who went to heaven rose into the
golden air and vanished.
Whenever these partings happened, the traveler looked at the
gentleman, and saw him glance up at the sky above the trees, where the
day was beginning to decline, and the sunset to come on. He saw, too,
that his hair was turning gray. But they could never rest long, for they
had their journey to perform, and it was necessary for them to be
always busy.
At last, there had been so many partings that there were no children left,
and only the traveler, the gentleman, and the lady went upon their way
in company. And now the wood was yellow; and now brown; and the
leaves, even of the forest trees, began to fall.
They came to an avenue that was darker than the rest, and were
pressing forward on their journey without looking down it, when the
lady stopped.
"My husband," said the lady, "I am called."
They listened, and they heard a voice a long way down the avenue say,
"Mother, mother!"
It was the voice of the child who had said, "I am going to heaven!" and
the father cried, "I pray not yet. The sunset is very near. I pray not yet."
But the voice called, "Mother, mother!" without minding him, though
his hair was now quite white, and tears were on his face.
Then the mother, who was already drawn into the shade of the dark
avenue, and moving away with her arms still around his neck, kissed
him and said, "My dearest, I am summoned, and I go!" And she was
gone. The traveler and he were left alone together.
And they went on and on, until they came very near to the end of the
wood; so near, that they could see the setting sun shining red before
them through the trees.
Yet once more, while he broke his way among the branches, the
traveler lost his friend. He called and called, but there was no reply, and
when he passed out of the wood and saw the peaceful sun going down
upon a wide purple prospect, he came to an old man sitting upon a
fallen tree. He said to the old man, "What do you here?" And the old
man said, with a calm smile, "I am always remembering. Come and
remember with me."
So the traveler sat down by the side of the old man, face to face with

the serene sunset; and all his friends came softly back and stood around
him. The beautiful child, the handsome boy, the young man, the father,
mother, and children every one of them was there, and he had lost
nothing. He loved them all, and was kind and forbearing with them all,
and they all honored and loved
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