A Gift for the Young.
Reading edition
BY
T. S. ARTHUR
AND
F. C. WOODWORTH.
NEW YORK:
CHARLES SCRIBNER,
36 PARK ROW, AND 145 NASSAU ST.
1851.
Stereotyped by BAKER & PALMER 11 Spruce Street.
oung friends—stop a moment. We have set up a sort of turnpike gate here, as you see, between the title-page and the first story in our book, in the shape of a preface, or introduction. "What! do you mean to take toll of us, then?" Why, no—not exactly. But we want to say half a dozen words to you, as you pass along, and to tell you a little about these WREATHS which we have been twining for our friends. So you need not be in quite so great a hurry. Wait a minute.
You have no doubt noticed that it is a very common thing for an author to take up several of the first pages of his book with apologies to his readers. First, perhaps, he apologizes for writing at all; and secondly, for writing so poorly—just as if it was a crime to make a book, for which crime the author must get down on his knees, and humbly beg the public's pardon. We think we shall not take this course, on the whole, for this reason, if for no other—that we do not feel very guilty about what we have done. But as the plan of our book is somewhat new, we have been thinking it would be well enough, in introducing it to you, at least to tell how we came to make it.
We have both of us published a good deal, in one way and another, for young people; and we got a notion—a very pleasant one, certainly, and rather natural, withal, whether well founded or not—that among that class of the public composed of boys and girls, we had a pretty respectable number of friends. Under this impression, we put our heads together, one day, and made up our minds to invite these friends of ours, every one of them, to a kind of festival, and that we would share equally in the pleasure of giving the entertainment. The book, reader, which we have named WREATHS OF FRIENDSHIP, as perhaps you have already guessed, grew out of that plan of ours.
We have not, as you will perceive, indicated the authorship of the tales and sketches, as they appear; and those readers who have any curiosity in this matter, are referred to the index.
We hope the volume will please you. More than this: we hope it will prove to be useful—useful for the future as well as for the present life; and, indeed, if it had not been for this hope, much as we love to entertain our young friends, these Wreaths would never have been twined by our hands.
We have little else to add, except the fondest wishes of our hearts; and, to tell the truth, it was to express to you these kind wishes—to give you something like a hearty shake of the hand—rather than because we had any thing of importance to say in our preface, that we stopped you at the outset.
THE AUTHORS.
Authors. Page.
What shall we Build? T.S.A. 13
The Two Cousins F.C.W. 16
A Noble Act T.S.A. 28
The Word of God T.S.A. 35
Harsh Words and Kind Words T.S.A. 36
The Herons and the Herrings F.C.W. 41
Early Spring Flowers F.C.W. 43
Temptation Resisted T.S.A. 51
Evening Prayer T.S.A. 61
Stretching the Truth F.C.W. 63
The City Pigeon T.S.A. 67
A Day in the Woods T.S.A. 72
The Spider and the Honey Bee F.C.W. 81
Emma Lee and her Sixpence T.S.A. 88
Uncle Roderick's Stories F.C.W. 93
Honesty the Best Policy F.C.W. 94
How a Rogue Feels when he is Caught F.C.W. 97
The Weekly Newspaper F.C.W. 100
The Cider Plot F.C.W. 103
My First Hunting Excursion F.C.W. 107
Saturday in Winter T.S.A. 111
Rover and his Little Master T.S.A. 113
Something Wrong T.S.A. 117
The Favorite Child F.C.W. 121
The Mine T.S.A. 129
The Miner T.S.A. 132
Visit to Fairy Land F.C.W. 135
The Hermit T.S.A. 143
A Picture T.S.A. 147
The Boy and the Robin F.C.W. 150
Something about Conscience F.C.W. 152
Old Ned T.S.A. 166
The Freed Butterfly T.S.A. 175
Julia and Her Birds F.C.W. 177
The Song of the Snow Bird T.S.A. 185
How to Avoid a Quarrel T.S.A. 189
Passing for More than One is Worth F.C.W. 197
The Lament of the Invalid F.C.W. 205
The Use of Flowers T.S.A. 207
Sliding Down Hill F.C.W. 211
A Garden Overrun with Weeds T.S.A. 217
Disappointment Sometimes a Blessing F.C.W. 221
The Old Man at the Cottage Door T.S.A. 232
Story of a Stolen Pen F.C.W. 234