NOVEMBER.
How dark and dismal it is! No more flowers! no more pleasant sunshine! no more haymaking! The sky is very black: the rain pours down. Well, never mind it; we will sit by the fire, and read, and tell stories, and look at pictures. I wonder what poor little boys do that have no fire to go to, and no shoes and stockings to keep them warm, and no victuals to eat? Here is a halfpenny, Harry, and when you see one of those poor boys you shall give it to him. He will say, “Thank you, you are very good!” and then he will buy a roll.
Where are Billy, and Harry, and Betsy? Now tell me who can spell best. Good boy! Now you shall all have some cake. That is right, Jane, shut the cupboard door.
DECEMBER.
Christmas is coming, and Betty is very busy. What is she doing? She is paring apples, and chopping meat, and beating spice. What for, I wonder? It is to make mince-pies. Do you love mince-pies? Oh, they are very good!
Look! a pretty little robin is flying against the window. Open the window. Well, what do you want, little robin? Only a few crumbs of bread. Give him some crumbs, and he will hop, hop about the parlour, and sit upon the top of the screen, and sing—oh, he will sing all day long! Now pray do not let that wicked cat take him. No, puss! you must go and catch mice; you shall not eat poor robin.
Little boys come from school at Christmas. Pray wrap them up warm, for it is very cold. Well, spring will come again some time.
THE IDLE BOY.
There was a little boy; he was not a big boy, for if he had been a big boy I suppose he would have been wiser; but this was a little boy, not higher than the table, and his papa and mamma sent him to school. It was a very pleasant morning; the sun shone, and the birds sung on the trees. Now this little boy did not much love his book, for he was but a silly little boy, as I told you; and he had a great mind to play instead of going to school. And he saw a bee flying about, first upon one flower, and then upon another; so he said, “Pretty bee! will you come and play with me?” But the bee said, “No, I must not be idle; I must go and gather honey.” Then the little boy met a dog, and he said, “Dog! will you play with me?” But the dog said, “No, I must not be idle; I am going to catch a hare for my master’s dinner: I must make haste and catch it.” Then the little boy went by a hay-rick, and he saw a bird pulling some hay out of the hay-rick, and he said, “Bird! will you come and play with me?” But the bird said, “No, I must not be idle; I must get some hay to build my nest with, and some moss, and some wool.” So the bird flew away. Then the little boy saw a horse, and he said, “Horse! will you play with me?” But the horse said, “No, I must not be idle; I must go and plough, or else there will be no corn to make bread of.” Then the little boy thought with himself, “What! is nobody idle? then little boys must not be idle neither.” So he made haste, and went to school, and learned his lesson very well, and the master said he was a good boy.
GATHERING APPLES.
See, here is Mamma, and here are Maria, and Harry, and Herbert. They are in the orchard gathering apples to put into puddings. See, Mamma is shaking the tree, and Maria is catching the apples in her frock. And look, how busy Harry and Herbert are! I hope they will not eat too many apples.