True Stories of History and Biography | Page 2

eyes were closed, his thoughts were
with the young people, playing among the flowers and shrubbery of the
garden.
He heard the voice of Laurence, who had taken possession of a heap of
decayed branches which the gardener had lopped from the fruit trees,
and was building a little hut for his cousin Clara and himself. He heard
Clara's gladsome voice, too, as she weeded and watered the flower-bed
which had been given her for her own. He could have counted every
footstep that Charley took, as he trundled his wheelbarrow along the
gravel walk. And though Grandfather was old and gray-haired, yet his
heart leaped with joy whenever little Alice came fluttering, like a
butterfly, into the room. She had made each of the children her
playmate in turn, and now made Grandfather her playmate too, and
thought him the merriest of them all.
At last the children grew weary of their sports; because a summer
afternoon is like a long lifetime to the young. So they came into the
room together, and clustered round Grandfather's great chair. Little
Alice, who was hardly five years old, took the privilege of the youngest,
and climbed his knee. It was a pleasant thing to behold that fair and
golden-haired child in the lap of the old man, and to think that,
different as they were, the hearts of both could be gladdened with the
same joys.
"Grandfather," said little Alice, laying her head back upon his arm, "I
am very tired now. You must tell me a story to make me go to sleep."
"That is not what story-tellers like," answered Grandfather, smiling.
"They are better satisfied when they can keep their auditors awake."
"But here are Laurence, and Charley, and I," cried cousin Clara, who
was twice as old as little Alice. "We will all three keep wide awake.
And pray, Grandfather, tell us a story about this strange-looking old
chair."

Now, the chair in which Grandfather sat was made of oak, which had
grown dark with age, but had been rubbed and polished till it shone as
bright as mahogany. It was very large and heavy, and had a back that
rose high above Grandfather's white head. This back was curiously
carved in open work, so as to represent flowers and foliage and other
devices; which the children had often gazed at, but could never
understand what they meant. On the very tiptop of the chair, over the
head of Grandfather himself, was a likeness of a lion's head, which had
such a savage grin that you would almost expect to hear it growl and
snarl.
The children had seen Grandfather sitting in this chair ever since they
could remember any thing. Perhaps the younger of them supposed that
he and the chair had come into the world together, and that both had
always been as old as they were now. At this time, however, it
happened to be the fashion for ladies to adorn their drawing-rooms with
the oldest and oddest chairs that could be found. It seemed to cousin
Clara that if these ladies could have seen Grandfather's old chair, they
would have thought it worth all the rest together. She wondered if it
were not even older than Grandfather himself, and longed to know all
about its history.
"Do, Grandfather, talk to us about this chair," she repeated.
"Well, child," said Grandfather, patting Clara's cheek, "I can tell you a
great many stories of my chair. Perhaps your cousin Laurence would
like to hear them too. They would teach him something about the
history and distinguished people of his country, which he has never
read in any of his school-books."
Cousin Laurence was a boy of twelve, a bright scholar, in whom an
early thoughtfulness and sensibility began to show themselves. His
young fancy kindled at the idea of knowing all the adventures of this
venerable chair. He looked eagerly in Grandfather's face; and even
Charley, a bold, brisk, restless little fellow of nine, sat himself down on
the carpet, and resolved to be quiet for at least ten minutes, should the
story last so long.

Meantime, little Alice was already asleep; so Grandfather, being much
pleased with such an attentive audience, began to talk about matters
that had happened long ago.
Chapter II
But, before relating the adventures of the chair, Grandfather found it
necessary to speak of the circumstances that caused the first settlement
of New England. For it will soon be perceived that the story of this
remarkable chair cannot be told without telling a great deal of the
history of the country.
So, Grandfather talked about the Puritans, as those persons were called
who thought it sinful to practise the religious forms and ceremonies
which the Church of England had borrowed from the Roman