66 17. When Walter found I was gone, he cried, Boys, I have lost my penny! Help me find it!" They all looked, but couldn't find me. 18. Walter soon began to cry very hard over his loss. I felt so sorry for him, I cried out, "Here I am!" but my voice was not loud enough to make him hear. 1. A few days after a snow-storm came and covered me up. In a few days the sun came out bright and warm and melted the snow away. How glad I was! 2. Then for several days there was a cold rain. Then fair weather followed, and then several very windy days. O, how cold the wind was i 3. I heard some men riding by say, " March is nearly over, and we shall soon have better weather." This was good news to me. 4. The next day was very pleasant, and Walter and the other little boys stopped by the roadside to play marbles. Although he almost stepped on me, and although I shouted out "Here I am!" at the top of my voice, he did not see me. 5. Soon the first bell rang, and the boys ran to the school-house and left me again lying by the roadside. 6. After school that day, I was found by a very little girl named Susie. hands and danced for joy. I belonged to Walter. She clapped her She did not know 7. I had been lying out-of-doors so long that I was very dirty and rusty. No one could read the word "LIBERTY" on my feather band. 8. Susie took me home and rubbed me bright and clean on the kitchen rug. How good it felt to get warm again! for the rubbing made me so warm, I almost burned Susie's fingers. 9. "What have you there?" asked Susie's mother. "O," said Susie, "I have a penny. I am rubbing it on the rug to make it bright and clean. 10. "I am going to put it into the mission box. Don't you think, mother, it is the best thing I can do?" "Yes," said her mother. "I am glad you intend to help the missionaries." 11. But Susie loved candy too well and did not put me into the mission box. She went to the store instead and exchanged me for a stick of candy. 12. The store-keeper gave me to a little boy who sold him a newspaper. 66 13. Soon some boys came along, and one of them asked the newsboy to change ❝ a nickel" for five one-cent pieces. The newsboy accommodated them. 14. These boys were rough, bad boys. They soon began to pitch pennies. Soon I heard one boy cry out, "That is not fair-you cheated!" Then they began to quarrel. Soon they got so angry, they began to fight. 15. Some rough men came along, and encouraged the fight, but a gentleman came along and stopped the fight and sent the boys home. 16. While the boys were fighting they dropped me, and I was lost a second time. I was glad to be lost this time, for I did not like the company I was in. 17. A man found me next day and dropped me into the slot of the first weighing-machine he came across. The man weighed one hundred and fifty-eight pounds. 18. I had not been in the weighing-machine long when two men came along, with a large traveling-bag. They opened the machine, took out all the pennies (and there were several hundred of us), and put us all into their bag. 19. They took us to a place where we were counted out and rolled up, twenty-five at a time, in paper. Soon the roll I was placed in was taken to the cashier's desk in a fancy-store. 20. I was given in change to a little girl who bought a ribbon. She took me home and put me into her savings-bank. 21. Here I am lying on the shelf in the bank, in company with a large number of pennies, nickels, and dimes, a few quarter-dollars and halfdollars, several silver dollars, and one gold dollar. 22. I hope I may stay here a long while, for I like the people that live here. They are always kind and polite to one another. They are educated, and I learn so much by listening to their conversation. 23. One thing I don't like. It is this: Every day the little girl comes to the box and gives it a shake to hear the money rattle. I don't like the noise; but as this is all, and as I can't have everything just as I like, I have made up my mind to be contented. The Two Hungry Kittens. 1. Two kittens grew hungry in licking their feet, And ran around snooping for something to eat. 2. "Meow!" said Curly Tail, “milk would be nice." "Sk-spf!" said Smutty Nose, "I shall eat mice." |