Читать книгу: «The Little Nightcap Letters», страница 2

There was one picture of a cross old school ma'am, with a great hook nose, and a long whip, looking so savage at three poor little children that did not seem to know their lessons – that Minnie cried out:

"Oh! see the poor chillens! they don't know their A, B, C. Ah! I so sorry for them!" and then all the children said: "Poor things! why don't they run away – I would! Because she looks so cross! let's scratch a smile on her face with a pin, and make her look pleasant."

But the best picture of all was Noah's Ark. First the ark came on alone – then a plank seemed to be put down – then came the great elephants, lions, tigers, and bears, marching up the plank two and two into the ark – and after them all the rest of the animals in the world, getting smaller and smaller, until little wee monkeys, and kittens, and mice, and robins, and grasshoppers, and blind beetles, and big spiders, and tumble-bugs, ran and hopped, and skipped, and crawled up the plank in such quantities, that it was quite a wonder they were not all suffocated in such a crowd. But didn't the children clap their hands and cry: "Look! look!" when Noah and his wife, and his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet, and their families, marched gravely past, looking straight before them, and went into the ark, and the ark sailed slowly off! It was perfect! they wished they could have gone into the ark, too, to put apples into the elephant's trunk, and play with the monkeys, and count all the animals – George guessed there must have been at least a thousand – while Annie thought a million went in. How many do you think, you dear little darling?

The magic lantern was a great success, and Minnie said: "the magic nightcat was the bestest of all."

After the show was over, I kissed everybody, and went home quite happy in the promise of my new stories – and you may be sure, you dear little poppet, that Kitty, and you, and all the darling children shall have them as fast as the printer can print them. If you like them, just go to Mr. Appleton's, and coax him to tell you where I live; and then run up to my house on your dear little feet, and give one real good kiss to your loving Aunt Fanny.

INTRODUCTION

One evening the little nightcap mother said: "Children, I have had a most charming present. It is a copy of some letters and stories that were written and told to your little friend, Bella Curtis. They are a kind of baby stories, for children like Minnie. Do you think you shall like them? Do you Charley?"

Then the children all shouted out "Certainly! Of course! the baby stories are the best! no, not the best, but just as good as the old stories – yes, mamma, do read them. Letters! why that is something new – how very nice."

"But I don't want to hear A – B – C," cried little Minnie, who was just learning her letters, and thought it very hard work – "I don't like letters a bit."

How the children did laugh when they saw Minnie's long face, and heard her queer speech; but they soon explained to her, that these letters were a new sort of delightful story – upon which she folded her little fat hands and sat down quite comforted, that these letters had nothing to do with her A, B, C.

And Charley said: "I love that dear little Bella, mamma, and I shall be so pleased to hear her letters. I thank her very much for sending them to you."

Then the children seated themselves, and puckered up their mouths – so as to keep all the little laughs in. They couldn't keep their eyes from sparkling; but as that could be done without making a noise – it was rather a help, as it showed how delighted they expected to be – and gave the little mother such a happy look, that they came very near all rushing upon her to kiss her; but they managed to keep still, and the new nightcap letters began as follows: —

THE NIGHTCAP LETTERS, HOW THEY CAME TO BE WRITTEN

Bella's mother was quite ill; and the doctor said she must go for awhile to the sweet, sunny South – far away from the cold March winds.

Poor little Bella did not want her mother to go. When she heard of it, she began to cry, and climbed up into her mother's lap, and kissing her cheek said: "Stay with Bella, mamma, do please; Bella will take care of you, and make you well."

"But the doctor says I must go, my darling," answered her mother. "If you cry, it will make me worse, because I shall feel so miserable to see you crying; but you mean to be good, don't you? and when I get to Charleston, I will write you ever so many little letters one after the other, and you must tell papa what to say, and he will write the answers. Won't that be nice? The postman will bring you your letters, and then you must pay him two cents apiece for every one of them, think of that! Dear me! how much money it will take! do you think you will have money enough?"

"My pasense," exclaimed Bella; "what a heap of letters! Oh, how glad I am! I'll buy every one, mamma! I'll go and count my money now!"

So she ran to her drawer, and took out a little velvet purse. It looked very fat and heavy. Then she sat down on the carpet and opened it, and out tumbled ever so many bright pennies into her lap – quite enough to astonish the postman, and make him wish he could sell her six letters at once. Bella clapped her hands and laughed, and thumped her heels merrily up and down, and made the pennies jingle in her lap so pleasantly, that it seemed as if they were singing a little song.

The thought of the letters was such a comfort to Bella, that she saw her mother's trunks packed without crying a bit, though a poor little sigh would come out once in a while; but she told Edith, her elder sister, that she meant to behave in the "goodest manner," and almost to seem glad that her dear mamma was going away, because that would help to make her well.

It would have delighted you to see little Bella "helping." She ran all round the room, to find something to put in the trunks. She tucked a little cake of soap into one corner, and half a dozen hair pins in another; and then hunting in her funny little pocket, she found two gum drops, which her Cousin George had given to her – these she did up in a scrap of paper, and very carefully stowed away under the fold of a pair of stockings.

Well, at last the time came to say "good-bye," and poor little Bella clung to her mother, and the great sobs would come, and no one could blame her, for her mamma was crying too – and her little Bella's face was covered with tears as well as kisses. But this dear mamma had to go – and the steamship went swiftly away with her, and in a little while she could no longer see the great city of New York, where her darling lived.

Bella cried a long time, and did not want to go back into her mamma's room. At last she thought she would go. On the bed was a large paper parcel. Something was written on the paper, and she called her sister to "read the reading" to her.

"Why! what's this?" exclaimed Edith. "'For my little Bella.' How very strange."

"Dear me," cried Bella, giving a jump; "it must be for me – 'spose I look? I want to look so much."

"Certainly," said Edith. Then the paper was taken off by the little girl's dimpled fingers, and there was displayed a most beautiful bedstead, with a lovely baby tucked up in it, fast asleep!

I only wish you could have seen the dimples on Bella's face then! and the sparkles in her eyes! She softly lifted the baby up – and pop! her blue eyes opened as wide as possible – and she never cried a bit, but just looked at Bella, not the least afraid of being among strangers.

Then Bella laid her gently down, and the good little thing shut her eyes and went fast asleep again.

"My pasense!" said Bella, "I'm apprised! What a dear baby! Is it for me?"

"It must be," said Edith; "but wait, here is a little letter pinned fast to her sleeve. Let's see what it says."

"A letter," cried Bella; "must I pay two cents for it?" and she ran to get her little velvet purse.

"You will not have to pay for this one, because the baby brought it – it is only the postman that wants two cents."

So Edith opened the letter, and Bella jumped up and down all the time her sister was reading these loving words: —