[Ill.u.s.tration: Phbe Cary.]
Alice and Phbe loved children, and they wrote many beautiful verses for their little friends. In their charming stories they tell us about their life in Clovernook, and of their plays in hayfield and barn.
OUR HOMESTEAD
Our old brown homestead reared its walls From the wayside dust aloof, Where the apple boughs could almost cast Their fruit upon its roof;
And the cherry tree so near it grew That when awake I"ve lain, In the lonesome nights, I"ve heard the limbs As they creaked against the pane.
The sweetbrier, under the window sill, Which the early birds made glad, And the damask rose, by the garden fence, Were all the flowers we had.
We had a well, a deep old well, Where the spring was never dry, And the cool drops down from the mossy stones Were falling constantly.
And there never was water half so sweet As the draught which filled my cup, Drawn up to the curb by the rude old sweep That my father"s hand set up.
--PHBE CARY.
SUPPOSE
Suppose, my little lady, Your doll should break her head, Could you make it whole by crying Till your eyes and nose are red?
And wouldn"t it be pleasanter To treat it as a joke, And say you"re glad "twas dolly"s And not your head that broke?
Suppose you"re dressed for walking, And the rain comes pouring down, Will it clear off any sooner Because you scold and frown?
And wouldn"t it be better For you to smile than pout, And so make sunshine in the house, When there is none without?
Suppose your task, my little man, Is very hard to get, Will it make it any easier For you to sit and fret?
And wouldn"t it be wiser Than waiting like a dunce, To go to work in earnest And learn the thing at once?
Suppose the world doesn"t please you, Nor the way some people do, Do you think the whole creation Will be altered just for you?
And isn"t it, my boy or girl, The wisest, bravest plan Whatever comes or doesn"t come, To do the best you can?
--PHBE CARY.
THE RIGHT WAY
The air for the wing of the sparrow, The bush for the robin and wren, But always the path that is narrow And straight, for the children of men.
--ALICE CARY.
NOVEMBER
[Ill.u.s.tration]
The leaves are fading and falling, The winds are rough and wild, The birds have ceased their calling, But let me tell you, my child,
Though day by day, as it closes, Doth darker and colder grow, The roots of the bright red roses Will keep alive in the snow.
And when the winter is over, The boughs will get new leaves, The quail come back to the clover, And the swallow back to the eaves.
The robin will wear on his bosom A vest that is bright and new, And the loveliest wayside blossom Will shine with the sun and dew.
So, when some dear joy loses Its beauteous summer glow, Think how the roots of the roses Are kept alive in the snow.
--ALICE CARY.
COLUMBUS IN THE NEW WORLD
haste remained different gentle spread orchard delighted cotton bodies paddled ornaments natives
[Ill.u.s.tration: Columbus in the New World.]
When Columbus reached the New World, he landed on a beautiful green island. He tells us that the island was covered with trees like an orchard. The trees and the flowers and the fruits were different from any that he had ever seen before.
All day he remained on sh.o.r.e with his men. They were delighted with the warm air, the clear streams, the bright flowers, and the fresh fruit.
The natives were friendly and gentle. They wore no clothes, but their bodies were painted with many colors. They came near the strangers and seemed to wonder at their white faces.
Some of the natives wore rings of gold in their noses and ears.
Columbus tried to learn from them where they had found the gold. They pointed to the south and said "Cuba." By signs they led him to believe that Cuba was a land where there was much gold.
Columbus was in haste to reach the mines of gold and the rich cities about which he had read. The next day he sailed with all his ships and sailors toward the south.
They pa.s.sed by many green islands as beautiful as the one on which they had landed. Columbus sat on deck, watching the sh.o.r.e. He hoped and he believed that he should soon see the towers of a city rise toward the sky.
The news of the visit of the white men spread from island to island.
The natives ran to the sh.o.r.e to see the wonderful ships with sails like white wings. They paddled out to the ships in their canoes, and they brought fruit and b.a.l.l.s of cotton yarn.
Columbus and his men were looking everywhere for gold. Whenever they saw a village of huts they visited the chief and asked him where gold could be found. They traded bells and beads for the gold ornaments which the natives wore.
Soon Columbus reached the sh.o.r.es of Cuba. Everywhere he saw beautiful flowers and fruits. He found gentle natives living in poor huts. But he saw no cities and he found no mines of gold.
Columbus supposed that he had reached some small islands on the coast of India. For this reason he called the dark-skinned people living there Indians. He did not know that he had found the New World.