United States or Slovenia ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
In the days of yore children were not all such clever, good, sensible people as they are now. Lessons were then considered rather a plague, sugar-plums were still in demand, holidays continued yet in fashion, and toys were not then made to teach mathematics, nor story-books to give instruction in chemistry and navigation.
But at last, as he was sitting upon the box thinking about giants' castles, and princesses tied up to pegs by the hair of their heads, and dragons bursting out from behind gates, and other incidents of the like nature, common in story-books to youths of low degree on their first visit to strange houses, the door was gently opened, and a little servant-girl, very tidy, modest, and demure, but very pretty too, appeared.
"I read story-books of crime in which the detectives are 'sleuths. It is American. Italians say 'sbirro, England says 'police officer." "How is everybody?" "Everybody very well. Time passes; tears dry; Providence watches." "And you are still looking for the rich woman to restore the last of the Dorias to his castle?" Giuseppe laughed, then he shut his eyes and sucked his evil-smelling cigar.
In story-books girls were wont to bid a sentimental adieu to their maiden bowers before leaving for a new sphere, but Rhoda did not feel in the least inclined to be sentimental; she took to her heels instead and ran downstairs, only too glad to escape from her dreary surroundings, and presently she and her mother were driving towards the station on the first stage of the eventful journey.
She made no promises, but busied herself with getting my foot into its place again, singing softly to herself all the while. Then she read me stories from our few story-books till I fell asleep. It was twilight when I wakened. Where I lay I could hear Esmond Clarenden and Aunty Boone talking in the kitchen, and I listened eagerly to all they said.
That was a funny thing to say, Marmaduke thought, and he looked up. He had to look up ever so high. There was the tall giant, sitting on a great big chair. Big were his feet and his legs and his hands, and big were his chin and his nose and his hat. Still he didn't look cross like the giants in the story-books, just nice and kind. Marmaduke stared up at him and he smiled down at Marmaduke.
Do not, therefore, get into the habit of reading foolish story-papers and cheap novels. Read good books in which you can find information that will be useful to you all through your life. If now and then you read story-books for amusement or rest from study, let them be good story-books, written by good authors.
Afterwards she kept him carding wool until he began to think he had laid the good King Alfred about far enough in the shade for the present in the matter of showy menial heroisms that would read picturesquely in story-books and histories, and so he was half-minded to resign. And when, just after the noonday dinner, the goodwife gave him a basket of kittens to drown, he did resign.
And in that first fair world whose men and manners we knew through story-books, before experience taught us far other, the Prince mounts his horse one fine morning, and rides all day, and sleeps in a forest; and next morning, lo! a new country: and he rides by fields and granges never visited before, through faces strange to him, to where an unknown King steps down to welcome the mysterious stranger.
Dear friend, I wonder you can believe such things." "The world is full of strange things, my child, stranger than anything you ever read in story-books." "If she was only Papasito's slave," said Flora, "I don't think Mamita found that any great hardship." "She did not, my dear. I don't suppose she ever thought of it; but a great misfortune has grown out of it."
Word Of The Day