“Pray, grandfather, read me a story. Grandfather, why don’t you speak to me? Gran’ther, gran’ther! Pray speak to Bell!”
“Well, child, what do you want?”
So spoke the old man to the little child, patting her under the chin. “What do you want?” said he. The child begged him to read her a story. Thus teased, the old man began. Whether he read out of the book, or made up a tale as he went along, suited to his grandchild, I cannot tell; but here is the story.
The Snow Drift.
There was once a boy who kept all the cents that were given to him, till he had laid up two dollars. I can hardly tell the reason why it was so, but Dick Liston really found as much pleasure in putting his cents into a box as most children do in buying sweetmeats with theirs.
The reason was probably this: in the first place, we like to feel that we have it in our power to buy anything; to gratify our wants and wishes; to buy things, not only for ourselves, but for others. The feeling of this power is a very agreeable feeling; and the possession of money gives it to us.
But Dick had another motive, added to this. His father owned a few sheep, and Dick wished to own one himself. So he laid by his money till he had amassed two dollars; he then bought himself a sheep. What pleasure he did take in feeding his own dear sheep! He called her Nan; for everything is dearer, if you give it a name.
Well, Nan must have the best potatoes, and the best turnips, and the sweetest hay,—for it was now winter, you know. She learned to know Dick, and as soon as she saw him, she would gallop to him, expecting of course to get some nice tit-bit. She was seldom disappointed. Thus a great friendship grew up between Nan and Dick.
But, now a new event came to pass. Nan had a lamb! Dick was in a perfect flurry of joy. He ran to his mother to announce the happy circumstance. He flew to his brothers and sisters, to unburthen his bosom. He told the cat of it—he told the dog of it—and away he flew to tell his neighbor, Jack Fletcher, of it. He then went back, boiled some potatoes, and fed Nanny.