【儿童英文读物】My Short Story Book.docx

【儿童英文读物】My Short Story BookThe Snow Witch THERE was skating on the ponds where the snow had been cleared; there were icicles on the trees, nice blue, clear skies in the daytime, cold, bright, wintry moonlight at night. Lovely weather for Christmas holidays! But to one little five-year-old man, nothing had seemed lovely this Christmas, though he was spending it with his Father and Mother and his big sisters at Grandpapas beautiful old country-house, where everybody did all that could be done to make Grandpapas guests happy. For poor little Roger was pining for his elder brother, Lawson, whom he had not seen for more than four months. Lawson was eight, and had been at school since Michaelmas, and there he had caught a fever which had made it not safe for him to join the rest of the family till the middle of January. But he was coming to-morrow. Why, then, did Roger still look sad and gloomy? “Stupid little boy,” said Mabel. “Im sure weve tried to amuse him. Why, Mamma let him sit up an hour later than usual last night, to hear all those funny old fairy tales and legends Uncle Bob was telling.” “Yes, and werent they fun?” answered Pansy. “I did shiver at the witch ones, though, didnt you?” Poor little Roger! Pansys shivering was nothing to his! They had all walked home from the Vicarage, tempted by the clear frosty moonlight, and the hard, dry ground; and trotting along, a little behind the others, a strange thing had happened to the boy. Fancyin the field by the Primrose Lane, through the gateway, right in a bright band of moonlight, he had seen a witch! Just such a witch as Uncle Bob had describedwith shadowy garments, and outstretched arms, and a queer-shaped head, on all of which the icicles were sparkling, just as Uncle Bob had said. For it was a winter-witch he had told the story about, whose dwelling was up in the frozen northern seas; “the Snow Witch” they called her. Cold as it was, Roger was in a bath of heat, his heart beating wildly, his legs shaking, when he overtook his sisters. And the night that followed was full of terrible dreams and starts, and misery, even though nurse and Baby were next door, and he could see the nightlight through the chinks. If it had not been that Lawson was comingLawson, who never laughed at him or called him “stupid little goose”; Lawson, who listened to all his griefsRoger could not have borne it. For, strange to say, the little fellow told no one of his trouble; he felt as if he could only tell Lawson. No wonder he looked pale and sad and spiritless; there was still another dreadful night to get through before Lawson came. But things sometimes turn out better than our fears. Late that afternoon, when nursery tea was over and bed-time not far off, there came the sound of wheels and then a joyful hubbub. Lawson had come! Uncle Bob had been passing near the school where he was, and had gone a little out of his way to pick him up. Everyone was delightedthough of them all, none so thankful as Roger. “Though I wont tell him to-night,” decided the unselfish little fellow, “not to spoil his first night. I shant mind when I know hes in his cot beside me.” And even when Lawson asked him if anything were the matter, he kept to his resolution. But he awoke in the middle of the night from a terrible dream; Lawson awoke too, and thenout it all came. “I thought she was coming in at the window,” Roger ended. “Ifif you look outits moonlightI think praps youll see where she stands. But no, no; dontdont; she might see you.” So Lawson agreed to wait till to-morrow. “You go to sleep,” he said. “Im here, and you can say your prayers again if you like.” Lawson was up very early next morning. When breakfast was over he told Roger to come out with him. Down the Primrose Lane they went, in spite of Rogers trembling. “Now, shut your eyes,” said Lawson, when they got to the gate. He opened it, and led his brother through. “Look, now!” he said, with a merry laugh. And what do you think Roger saw? An old scarecrow, forgotten since last year. There she stood, the “Snow Witch”an apron and ragged shawl, two sticks for arms, a bit of Grandpapas hat to crown allthat was the witch! “Shake hands with her, Roger,” said Lawson. And shake hands they both did, till the old scarecrow tumbled to pieces, never more to frighten either birds or little boys. “Dear Lawson,” said Roger lovingly, as he held up his little face for a kiss. And happy, indeed, were the rest of the Christmas holidays. L. Molesworth.The Christmas-tree Punch OU mustnt go into the dining-room, children,” said Mother, popping her head in at the school-room door. “All right, Mother!” Jack and Dorothy and Eva called after her, but Jim didnt say anything. He was the naughty boy of the family, and went by the name of “Jim the Terrible,” and I am afraid he very often deserved his name. When the others went to say good night to Mother, Jim paused outside the dining-room door; it was open just the least little bit in the world, and he peeped in and saw a wonderful tree, standing in the middle of the room, laden with toys. Right at the top hung a Punch doll, dressed in satin and tinsel, and he shone and glittered so that Jim could see him better than the other toys. But his Mother called to him, so he could not wait to examine the tree more closely. When the children were in bed Jim made up his mind to lie awake, and as soon as the others were asleep, he stole softly downstairs to have another look at the Christmas-tree. The room was a blaze of light now, and the Punch doll at the top shook his staff at Jim as soon as he entered. “Oh! you naughty boy,” he cried. “You Terrible Jim. What do you mean by coming here when your Mother told you not to go near the dining-room! Ill teach you to disobey! Ohooo! Go to bed! go to bed!” All the while Punch was speaking he was growing larger and larger, until at last he seemed as big as the giant in the pantomime, and then he gave a terrific jump from the top of the tree, and began to chase Jim upstairs. Oh! how the little boy ran, with Punch close behind him all the time. At length he reached the nursery, and with a bound sprang into his bed and tucked the clothes up round him. There he lay trembling for ever such a time, but when at length he ventured to peep out, the nursery was quite dark, and Punch had evidently gone away, so he curled himself up and went to sleep. The next day when the children were called in to the forbidden room, they simply danced and screamed with delight when they saw the beautiful Christmas-tree. At least all except Jim, for when he looked at the Punch doll on the top of the tree, it seemed to him that it was frowning at him, and he made up his mind never to peep through cracks of doors again, when it was forbidden him, however much he might want to know what was behind them. Now, before he had made this good resolution he had been thoroughly miserable. He could take no pleasure at all in the beautiful presents which Mother gathered for them from the Christmas-tree, for all the time he was watching the Punch doll to see if he would come down from his perch and chase him upstairs again. No sooner did he resolve to be a better boy in future than the expression on Punchs face changed in a most surprising manner: he seemed almost to smile at Jimmy. Even when the tree was stripped of everything except Punch, and the children were busy pulling the plums out of the big snapdragon Father had lighted, Jimmy fancied the old fellow nodded his head at him once or twice in a friendly fashion, and the little boy was so relieved and happy that he clapped his hands for joy, and shouted with the rest. L. L. Weedon.The Grateful Pedlar THERE was once a poor old pedlar who sold ribbons and brooches and tapes and needles; his hair was long and his back was bent, and perhaps he did look rather strange; but that was no reason why the boys should have called him names and thrown stones at him as he went through the village. At last a stone hit him on the forehead and he fell on the dusty road, and the bad boys ran away, afraid of what they had done. But one boy named Jack had seen the thing from a field some way off, and now he came running up, and bathed the poor old mans head and spoke kindly to him, and when the pedlar was better he said: “You are a good boy and you may have what you like out of my pack.” Now, Jack did not like to take anything valuable out of a poor mans pack, so he looked at all the pretty things, and then he picked out an old knife. The pedlar laughed. “You have chosen the most valuable thing I have,” he said; “that knife will cut through iron or stone as easily as through butter.” “Oh! then,” said Jack hastily, “let me have these old spectacles.” The pedlar laughed louder than ever. “Those spectacles will make you see to any part of the world, and see through stone or iron as easily as through glass,” he said; “theretake both!” And putting the two into Jacks hand he vanishedand he did it quite easily, because he was a magician. So now Jacks fortune was made; he could see where gold and precious stones lay under the earth and he could cut away the rocks that covered them as though they were butter. So he was rewarded for his kind-heartedness. But the greatest reward of all came to him when the Princess of that land was carried off and hidden by an enchanter. And the King, after vainly offering all sorts of other prizes, at last said that any man who could find the Princess and set her free should marry her. So Jack put on his spectacles and saw the Princess sitting crying in a lonely tower. It was a years journey off, but he made the journey, and wherever he was, he put on his spectacles again and looked at the beautiful Princess, and that gave him courage. At last he came to the tower, and with his magic knife he cut through the iron door and set the Princess free, and with the same knife he killed the wicked enchanter. Then he took the Princess home in triumph and the grateful pedlar came to the wedding-feast. E. Nesbit.The Little Lost Doll SHE was lost as they went through the wood. How it happened nobody quite knew, but they supposed she must have tumbled out of the perambulator as Kitty pushed it through the ferns and long grasses, and so poor Dolly was left there, lying on her back, staring up at as much sky as was visible through the fern-fronds, and the foxglove leaves, and the branches of the trees overhead. Would they come back for her? The childrens voices and footsteps grew fainter and fainter, till at last they died quite away in the distance, and the robin began singing again on the branch over her head. Presently the little bird caught sight of Dolly, and flew down and looked at her with his bright eyes, and then a tiny field-mouse ran round and over her with her little light pawswhich must have tickled, but still Dolly never moved, and a wise old beetle came out of his hole, and twiddled his long whiskers as he peered at her curiously. “Sweet! sweet!” said the robin. “Who is she?” “Twee! twee!” whispered the mouse. “I dont know!” “Hum, hu-um!” buzzed the beetle. “Why doesnt she speak?” But Dolly didnt say a word! Now, eventide came, and the sun grew tired, and put himself to bed under a crimson-and-gold counterpane. The robin found a comfortable twig on which to perch, and tucked his head under his wing. The mouse went home to her babies, of whom she had sixall packed warm and tight in a neat little nest hung on to a cornstalk in the next field. And the beetle spread his shining wings and went for a fly round before he, too, rolled himself in a roseleaf blanket and went to sleep! But Dolly never closed her eyes! Then the great stars lit their lamps, and looked down at her through the fern-fronds, but if they said anything no one heard themthey were too far off! “Dolly, dear Dolly, where are you?” cried a little voice, and little footsteps came pressing through the tall bracken fern. But Dolly didnt answer! “Dolly! Dolly! Oh! I wish I could find my Dolly!” There were tears in the little voice now, and the footsteps were more hurried. Yet Dolly lay still! The sobs grew louder and louder, the little feet almost touched Dolly as she lay hidden under the big foxglove; then the little steps went on, and the sobs grew fainter in the distance, and Dolly lay still staring up at the sky! So the days went by, and the winter came, and the falling leaves drifted over Dolly, and the snow covered her, but she never moved nor shiveredtill one day in spring-time a great wind arose, which blew all the dead dry leaves away in little rustling dancesand lo! John the woodman caught sight of Dollys pink cheeks and blue eyes still staring up at the sky! “Why,” he exclaimed, “I do believe theres little missies doll, as she fretted so at losing!” And he took Dolly home in his pocket! M. A. Hoyer.The Uninvited Guest EFFIE was quite in distress about the spare room in her dolls-house, because she had no “visitor doll.” All the other rooms were occupied, for there were two smart maids in the kitchen who were beginning to cook the dinner; then in the dining-room there was a “mamma” sitting on the blue sofa, gazing at the bowl of gold-fish. In the nursery, the three children were already put to bed, and the poor, tired nurse rested by the bright coal-scuttle on the floor. In the drawing-room, two gay dolls in ball-dresses sat by the piano; but there was no one for the spare room! “It seems a great pity,” said Mamma, “because you put all the nicest things in this room, Effiethe wax candles, the pretty box of chocolates, the lace curtains to the bed, and the dumb-bells; we must try and think of someone to come and stay here.” “Mamma, do you think Rosie would lend me one of her dolls?” suggested Effie. “Supposing you write and ask her,” said Mamma. Effie seemed to think this a good idea, but then she would have to wait a few days, because her friend was away, staying at a farmhouse. “Shall we put the china baby in,” said Mamma, “or is he quite one of the family?” “Oh, Mummy, hes the youngest child of all!” replied Effie, shaking her head. “I am afraid he is too much of a baby,” said Mamma, looking into the spare room, “and he might get into the shower-bath or open the door of the bird-cageperhaps it would be unsafe.” Effie nodded. “We will write to Rosie, then,” said Mamma encouragingly. That night, when Effie was fast asleep, a little grey mouse peeped through a crack in the nursery floor, and seeing that the room was empty, she hurried into every corner to find some chance crumb of cake or bread, but alas for her! the