COPY'RIGHT 1897. BY.

ROS,

5

NeWwYorr

Me foveniin

 

 

 
 

FARMER MEANWELL’S FAMILY.

ARMER MEANWELL was at one time a very rich. man.
He owned large fields, and had fine flocks of sheep, and
had plenty of money. But all at once his good fortune seemed
to desert him. Year after year his crops failed, his sheep died
off, and he was obliged to borrow money to pay his rent and
the wages of those who worked on the farm.

At last he had to sell his farm, but even this did not bring
him in money enough to pay his debts, and he was worse off
than ever. :

Among those who had lent money to Farmer Meanwell
were Sir Thomas Gripe and a farmer named Graspall.

Sir Thomas was a very rich man indeed, and Farmer
Graspall had more money than he could possibly use. But
they were both very greedy and covetous, and particularly
hard on those who owed them anything. Farmer Graspall
abused Farmer Meanwell, and called him all sorts of dreadful
names; but the rich Sir Thomas Gripe was more cruel still,
and wanted the poor debtor shut up in jail.

So poor Farmer Meanwell had to hasten from the place
where he had lived for so many years, in order to get out of
the way of these greedy men.

He went to the next village, taking his wife and his two
little children with him. But, though he was free from Gripe
and Graspall, she was not free from trouble and care.

He soon fell ill, and when he found himself unable to get food
and clothes for his family, he grew worse and worse, and soon died.

*

a
    
 
 
  

His wife could
not bear the loss of

her husband, whom she
loved so dearly, and in a
few days she was dead.

The two orphan children
seemed to be left entirely alone
in the world, with no one to look
after them, or care for them,
but their Heavenly Father.

They trotted around hand in
hand, and the poorer they be-
came, the more they ciung to
each other. Poor, ragged, and
hungry enough they were!

Tommy had two shoes, but
Margery went barefoot. They
had nothing to eat but the ber-
ries that grew in the woods, and

VIARGERY AND TOMMY. the scraps they could get from
the poor people in the village,
and at night they slept in barns or under haystacks.

Their rich relations were too proud to notice them. But
Mr. Smith, the clergyman of the village where the children
were born, was not that sort of a man. A rich relation came
to visit him—a kind-hearted gentleman—and the clergyman
told him all about Tommy and Margery. The kind gentleman
pitied them, and ordered Margery a pair of shoes, and gave
Mr. Smith money to buy her some clothes, which she needed
sadly. As for Tommy, he said he would take him off to sea
with him, and make him a sailor. After a few days, the
gentleman said he must go to London and would take Tommy
‘with him, and sad was the parting between the two children.

Poor Margery was very ionely indeed, without her brother,
and might have cried herself sick but for the
new shoes that were brought home to her.

 

   

TOMMY GOES AWAY,

TTL Fisrida Jj

The Baldwin Library
Ri B University

 
 
 

 
   

They turned her thoughts from her grief; and as
soon as she had put them on, she ran to Mrs.
Smith, crying, ‘‘Two shoes, ma’am, two shoes!”

These words she repeated to every one she met, and

thus it was she got the name

Goody Two Shoes.

Little Margery had seen how
good and wise Mr. Smith was,
and thought it was because of his
great learning; and she wanted,
above all things, to learn to read.
At last she made up her mind to
mask Mr. Smith to teach her when
he had a moment to spare. He
readily agreed to do this, and
Margery read to him an hour
every day, and spent much time
ag with her books.
eo Then she laid out a plan cc

eC teaching others more ignorant
than herself. She cut out of thin

GOODY TWO SHOES LEARNING
TO READ pieces of wood ten sets of large

and small letters of the alphabet,
and carried these with her when she went from house to house.
When she came to Billy Wilson’s, she threw down the letters
all in a heap, and Billy picked them out and sorted them in
lines, thus:

J

eB Ce De eG en eke 2
des Drse od ea oe aie parle

E o
and so on, until all the letters were in their right places.

From there Goody Two Shoes
trotted off to another cottage, and
here were several children waiting
for her. As soon as the little girl
came in they all crowded around
her, and were eager to Desi. their
lessons at once.

Then she threw the letters ome
and said to the boy next her, ‘‘ What,
did you have for dinner to-day?”
“Bread,” answered the little: boy.
“Well, put down the first letter,”
said Goody Two Shoes. Then he
put down B, and the next ue R,
and the next E, and the next A, and
the next D, and there was the whole
word—BREAD.

‘‘What did you have for dinner, —
Polly Driggs?”

“ Apple pile, said Polly; upon -
which she laid down the first letter, GOODY TWO SHOES CUTTING

OUT THE LETTERS. |

 

   
   
 
   
   
  

———

GOODY TWO

A, and the next put down a P, and the next another
P, and so on until the words Apple and Pie were
united, and stood thus: APPLE. PIE.

Now it happened one evening that Goody Two
Shoes was going home rather late. She had made a
longer round than usual, and everybody had kept her
waiting, so that night came on before her day’s work was
done. Right glad was she to set out for her own home, and
she walked along contentedly through the fields, and lanes,
and roads, enjoying the quiet evening. The evening was not
cool, however, but close and sultry, and betokened a storm.

Presently a drop fell on Goody’s face. What should she do? If

she did not make haste, she would soon be wet to the skin.

Fortunately there was an old barn down the road, in which
’ she could find shelter, and Goody Two Shoes gathered her skirts
about her and took to her heels, and ran as if somebody was after
her. The owner of the barn had died lately, and the property
was to be sold, and there was a lot of loose hay on the floor
which had not yet been taken
away.

Goody Two Shoes cuddled |
down in the soft hay, glad of a |
chance to rest her weary limbs, 4
and quite out of breath with her
long run; and just then down
rattled the rain, the thunder |
roared, the lightning flashed,
: and the old barn trembled, and

- so did Goody Two Shoes.

She had not been there long
before she heard
footsteps, and
three men came
into the barn for
Slreltete: line
hay was piled
up between her
and them, so that
they could not
see her, and,

Pthinking- they,
were alone, they
Spoke qurve
loudly.

They were plotting to rob

. \ Squire Trueman, who lived in

ii ee .~ the great house in Margery's

inh h village, and were to break in
ih, i, . ml and steal all they could that
ui | MS very night. This was quite

GOODY TWO SHOES IN THE RAINSToRM, enough for Goody Two Shoes.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
      
     

     

 
 
 
 

  

    

 
 
 
 

iW THE Barn.

HILE SHE WAS

 
   

She waited for nothing, but, dashed
out of the barn, and ran through rain
and mud till she came to the Squire's
house. fe
He was at dinner with some friends,
and any one else but Goody would
have found it difficult to gain admis-
sion tohim. But she was well known
to the servants, and was so kind and
obliging, that even the big, fat butler could
not refuse to do her bidding, and went and
told the Squire that Goody Two Shoes wished very much to

Sees hana:

So the Squire asked his friends to excuse him for a moment,
and came out, and said, ‘‘ Well, Goody Two Shoes, my good girl,
Wildtdswte! —:Orsinit she replied ““ityou do not talcecate,
you will be robbed and murdered this very night.”

Then she told all she had heard the men say while she was
in the barn.

‘The Squire saw there was not a moment to lose, so he went
back, and told his friends the news he had heard. They all said
they would stay and help him take the thieves. So the lights
were put out, to make it appear as if all the people in the house

were in bed, and servants and all kept a close watch both inside
and outside.

Sure enough, at about one o’clock in the morning the three
men came creeping, creeping, up to the house, with a dark lantern,

g,
and the tools to break in with. Before they were aware, six men
Sprang Our. on them, and held them fast. .. The thieves
struggledinvainto getaway. Gg& They were locked in an out-
house until daylight, when A acart came and took them
off to jail. :

— eS ee

 

: THE ROBBERS IN CHAINS AT WORK ON THE ROADS,

 
   
  
   
  
  
 
 
   
  
   
   
  
 
   
  
 
   
  

They were afterward sent out of the country,
where they had to work in chains on the roads; and
it is said that one of them behaved so well that he was
pardoned, and went to live in Australia, where he became
a rich man.

The other two went from bad to worse, and it
is likely that they came to some dreadful end,
for sin never goes unpunished. :

But to return to Goody Two Shoes. One day,
as she was walking through the village, she saw
some wicked boys with a raven, at which they were
throw stones. To stop this cruel sport she gave the boysfé penny
for the raven, and brought the bird home with her.
him the name of ‘Ralph,’ and he proved to be a y
creature indeed. She taught him to spell and to read, and he
was so fond of playing with the large letters, that fhe children
called them ‘‘ Ralph’s Alphabet.”

Some days after Goody had met with the yaven, she was
passing through a field, when she saw some nafghty boys, who
had taken a pigeon, and tied a string to its legs/in order to let it
fly and draw it back again when they pleased.

Goody could not bear to see anythin
so sae bought the pigeon from the boys,
to spell and read. But he could not talk.
raven, took the large letters, Peter,
the small ones.

Mrs. Williams, who lived in M
and taught little ones their A BC,
and wanted to give up this imp
to Sir William Dove, he aske
Two Shoes and see if she

This was done, a

tortured like that,

nd taught him how 4
And as Ralph, the \

He pigeon, took care of

rgery’s village, kept school, |
She was now old and feeble, |
‘tant trust. This being known |
Mrs. Williams to examine Goody
as not clever enough for the office.
Nilliams reported that little Margery

 

  

fe

THE NAUGHTY BOYS WITH THE PIGEON,

 
 

 

 

 

Goony Two QHoES Tescdivc Hoon.

 
 

Goopy Go Hoes WAS so (ise AND Gov THAT SOME

TooursH TroPue CALLED HER A C)itcs.
   

was the best scholar, and had the best heart of

any one she had ever examined. All the country

had a great opinion of Mrs. Williams, and this

report made them think highly of Miss Marcery, as
we must now call her.

So Margery Meanwell was now a schoolmistress, and a
capital one she made. The children all loved her, for she
was never weary of making plans for their happiness.

The room in which she taught was large and lofty, and there
was plenty of fresh air in it ; and as she knew that children liked

to move about, she placed her sets of
letters all round the school, so that
every one was obliged to get up to find
a letter, or spell a word, when it came
his turn. :

This exercise not only kept the chil-
dren in good health, but fixed the
letters firmly in their minds.

‘The neighbors were very good to her,

»and one of them made her a present
of a little skylark, whose early morning
song told the lazy boys and girls that
it was time they were out of bed.

; Some time after this a poor lamb lost its dam, and, the farmer

being about to kill it, she bought it of him, and brought it home
to play with the children.

Soon after this a present of a dog was made to Miss Margery,
and as he was always in good humor, and always jumping about,
the children gave him the name of Jumper. It was his duty to
guard the door, and no one could go out or come in without leave

-from his mistress. og

Margery was so wise and good that some foolish people

accused her of being a witch, and she was taken to court, and

 

 

JUMPER PLAYING WITH THE BOY.

 

 
   
  
   

tried before the
Judge. She
soon proved that
she was a most
sensible woman, and
Sir Charles Jones was
so pleased with her,
that he offered her a large
sum of money to take care
of his family, and educate
his daughter. At first she
refused, but afterward went,
and behaved so well, and
was so kind and tender, that
Sit Charles would not permit
her to leave the house, and
soon after made her an offer
of marriage.
The neighbors came in
crowds to the wedding,
and all were glad that
-one who had been such
=a good girl, and had
grown up such a good
“woman, was to become
a grand lady.

va Just as the clergyman
GOODY TWO SHOES TAKEN TO COURT. had opened his book, a

gentleman, richly dressed,

ran into the church, and cried, Stop fe Scop!

Great alarm was felt, especially by the bride and groom,
with whom he said he wished to speak privately.

Sir Charles stood motionless with. surprise, and the bride
fainted away in the stranger’s arms. For this richly dressed
gentleman turned out to be little Tommy Meanwell, who had
just come from sea, where he had madea large fortune.

Sir Charles and Lady Jones lived very happily together, and
the great lady did not forget the children, but was just as good
to them as she had always been. She was also kind and good to
the poor and the sick, and a friend to all who were in distress,
Her life was a great blessing, and her death the greatest calamity
that ever took place in the neighborhood where she lived. and
. was known as

 
      
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
   
  
  

 
 

 

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