Then I said: "I am so glad to know that you were pleased with Baby Nightcaps. Would you like me to ask poor lame Charley's mother for more?"
With a joyful little scream, she hugged me again, and kissed my cheek—very softly this time, for fear of hurting me, and said: "Oh! Aunt Fanny! if you only will, I will give you a whole paper full of perlasses candy, and one of my new handkerchickers; and when you are old and blind, I will take you in my arms, and carry you up stairs, and put you in my lap and teach you your letters, and ask mamma to read the Bible to you—all about Joseph, you know, and his wicked bredders; it will make you ki."
Wasn't she a cunning little thing? I could not help laughing, to think of such a little mite of a child, talking of taking me in her arms; and then I could not help the tears coming, at her offer to have her own mamma read the Bible to me—was it not sweet? You would have done so too, wouldn't you? You see, it must have been Kitty's greatest pleasure, to have God's Holy Bible read to her; so she promised me, what she thought was the very best thing in the whole world. And so it is.
You may be sure, that I told her, I would try to get the stories very soon.
Pretty soon Kitty and her mamma went away; but not before we had given each other one more real good kiss, and I had prayed in my heart that God would bless the precious little child, and guide me with my new book, so that it would help Kitty and you to be good, obedient children, His precious little lambs here upon earth, and His bright, beautiful angels in Heaven.
In the evening I put on my bonnet and shawl, and went to see lame Charley's mother. As I rang the bell, I heard such a quantity of laughing voices, and so many little feet pattering, I was almost certain, that at least twenty cousins must have come to town to help them have a good time: but when the door was opened, I saw they were all Nightcap Children, rushing down stairs together. They had gone up to wash their faces and hands and brush their hair, and were coming down all laughing and talking at once, so you may be sure it made a great noise.
Bless their little chattering tongues, and pattering feet! You can't expect children to be as grave and solemn as judges—of course not. I, for one, would not give a pin for a child that did not make a noise—that is—a pleasant noise.
So they were jumping and tumbling down, when I entered, and in a moment they were all about me crying. "How-de-do, Aunt Fanny? Come in, come in, mamma is in the parlor, and Charley is sitting in her lap—and the tremendous DOG is asleep on the rug—and we are not to have a Nightcap story to-night—but something grand! splendid!"
THE TREMENDOUS DOG!