"Oh Aunt," said Kate one day, "do tell Blanche that droll tale, with which you made me laugh so much, when she was not here." "Yes, pray do," said Blanche, and she took a chair by her friend, whilst Kate stood by full of smiles and winks. The Aunt was on a seat by the glass door, and soon did as she was bid in these words:—
THE THREE CROWS.
There was once on a time a poor man, who was sick, and the poor folks who dwelt near him knew he was ill, and would talk much of his sad state. One night, strange news were heard of him; a man said, he had been sick and had thrown up three crows, for so his wife told him. When they spoke to the wife, "yes," said she, "three black crows; it is all true, quite true."—"Did you see the crows, wife?"—"No, my dear, but Joan at the mill told me she did."—Some one went to the mill to beg Joan to shew the crows. "I have not seen them," said she, "nor did I say three crows; I said two, and I am sure that is right, for Sue, at the shop, has them, so do not laugh all of you, but go ask Sue."
They went to Sue, she had no crows to shew, and was cross, and said, "Who dares to tell me of two crows? I did but say one; one I did name, and that was all, on my word."—"Then who spoke of two?"—"Not I, good folks, trust me, I am too fond of the truth—the mere truth."—"But there was one crow?"—"Yes, yes, that is sure, the man's wife's old aunt told me so." They ran to the man's wife's old aunt; she swore her niece had told her of one black crow; that the poor man had thrown up: "Go to the cot," said she, "and see it." The folks flew to the cot and told their tale; the sick man could not but smile when he heard them, and he was fain to laugh, when his wife set all to rights and said, "Good folks, there are no crows at all in the case; I did but say that my poor man had been sick all night, and had thrown up some stuff, as black as a crow."
A KISS AND GOOD NIGHT.
By the time the tale was done, and the laugh was done, it was the hour to go to bed, and the maid came with a light for the young girls. They each gave a kiss and a kind good night to their dear friend, and ran off to their own snug room. The cot had but three small rooms on the ground floor, and three small rooms on the first floor, and that was the whole of the house.
There was a nice piece of ground round it: part was a lawn to play and run on, and part was a court for fowls and ducks, with a small pond in it, and nests for the hens to lay their eggs in; and part was full of fruits and flowers, and beans, and peas, and greens of all sorts, and each girl had a plot of her own, for pinks and such plants, and each had a rose-bush full of buds. Then there were pears, and plums, and nuts, and a vine full of grapes that hung on the walls, and the roof of the low cot; and a clear stream, with its soft turf bank, ran by the side of the lawn, and a hedge with wreaths of hops bound the end of the lawn. The boughs of trees hung on a seat made of roots, which in the hot months was a cool nook to work and read in, and drink tea in, and, more than that, to think in. For who could be there, and see the sun rise or sink with mild beams, but felt their thoughts rise to the great God who made the sun? Who could feel the soft breeze waft health and strength, and not bless Him who gave the pure gale? Who could taste the juice of fruits, and smell the scent of buds, and not send up their hearts to Him who made fruits and buds? Then would the mind pause and think, "All things are made for the good of all: these for me, and I for them; they serve me, and I must serve them; I must be of use, as well as they; so let me make the best of life, and use my mind and my limbs, whilst I am young and strong, and can do good. By and by I shall be old, and weak, and not fit to work: then it will be too late to mourn the loss of time. This, this is the hour when I must toil with head, and hands, and heart; and think, and work, and feel."