Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1857-10-07
Ckoite gitrrature.
The child's Story.
BY CHARLES DICKENS.

D1 OhARADo DlChENSs |
Once upon time, good many years
ago, there was traveller, and he set out
upon journey. 1t was magic journey,
and was to seem very long when be began,
and very short when he got half way
through.
He travelled along rather dark path for
some little time, without seeing any thing,
untilat last he came tn beautiful child. So
he said to the child what d., you do here?'
Aud the child said, Il am always at pay. /
Come and play with me!'
So he played with that child the whole
day long, and they were very merry The /
sky was SO blue, the sun was SO bright, the |
water was so sparkling, the leaves were 81
green, the 6nwers were s, lovely and they
heard such singing birds, and so many but
teraies, that every thing was beaut fui-I
THIS was in fine weather. When it rained,
they loved very much to watch the falling
Drops and to smell the fresh scents. When
it blew, it was delightful tl listen to the
wind, and fancy what it said, as it came
rushing from its home where was that,
they wondered !-whistling and bowling,
driving the clouds before it, bending the
trees, rumbling in the chimneys, shaking
the house and making the sea roar in fury.
But when it showed, that was the best of
all; for they liked nothing so well as tn look
up at the white fakes falling fast and thick
like down from the breasts of millions of
white birds; and to see how smooth ana
deep the drift was and to listen to the
hush upon the paths and roads
They had plenty of the finest toys in the
world, and the most astonishing picture
books all about scimitars, aud slippers. and
turbans, and dwarfs, and giants, geni aud
fairies, and blue-beards, and bean-stalks,
and riches, and caverns, and forests, and
Valentines and Orsons-and all new, and
all true
But one day, of sudden, the traveller
lost the child He called to him over and
over again, but got no answer. So he went
upon his road, and went on for little
while without meeting anything, until he
came to handsome boy. So he said to
the boy, What do you do heref Aud
the boy said, i am always learning. Come
and learn with me-
So he learned with that boy about Ju-
piter and Juno, and the Greeks and the
Romans, and don't know what, and learn
ed more than | could tell he either, for
he soon forgot great deal of it. Blu,
they were not always learning they had
the merriest games that ever We're played
They rowed upon the river in Summer, and
skatrd on the ice in win,er they were ac
tive afoot, and active on horseback al
cricket and at all games at bali the pris
ouers base, hare and hounds, follow my
leader. and more sports than | eau think
of; nobody could beat them. They har
holidays too, and Twelfth cakes, aud par
ties, where they danced all night till mia
night, and real theatres where they behelt
palaces of real gold aud silver rise out o
the real earth, and saw all the wonders O
4 the world at once. As to friends, the
had such dear friends, and so many of them
! that want the time to reckon them up
They were all young, like the handsom
boy, and we're never to be strange to on
another all their lives through.
Still, one day, in the midst of all thes
pleasures, the ira. eler lost the boy as b
had lost the child aud. after calling to hil
in vain, went on upon his journey. So, h
went on for little while without seein
anything, until at last he came to youn
man. So he said to the young man, 'Wh,
do you no here?' And the young ma
said L am always in love. Come aud 10y
l with me-.
! So, he went away with that young mai
and presently they came to one of the pre-
tiest girls that ever was seen-just ill
.. Fanny in the corner there-and she ha
eyes like Fanny, and hair like Fanny, au
= dimples like Fanny's, and sue laughed an
colored just as Fanny does while am tai
e ing about her. So, the young man fell i
; love directly-just as somebody | won
= = mention, the first time he eame here, d
with FANNY. Well He was teased som
times just as somebody used to be /
Fanny and they quarreled sometimes
!. just as somebody aud Fanny used to qua
rel; and they made it up, and sat in Il
dark, aud wrote letters every day, al
j never were happy asunder, aud we're
toI ways looking out for one another and pr
If tending not to, and were engaged at Chri
to mas time, and sat close to one another
is the fire, aud we're going to be married We
ot soon-all exactly like somebody | wol
n mention aud Fanny?
40 But the traveller lost them one day,
he had lost the rest of his friends, al
after calling TO them to come back, whi
of they never did, went out upon his journt
So, he went on FIR little while withc
seeing anything until at last he came t,
ne e middle aged gentleman. And he said
# + the middle aged gentleman, What arc y
'. doing here p Aud his answer was, 4
h. always busy. Come and be busy with m
es So, he began to be very busy with Il
ne gentleman, and they went on through I
IS wood together. The whole journey '
n, he through wood, only it had been open i
* green at first, like wood in spring; q
to now began to be thick and dark. like
wood in summer; some Of the little TT
is, that had come out earliest, were even tu
ry- ing brown. The gentleman was not aio
ny but had lady of about the same age "
na him, who was his wife and they had C
sgu dreu, WIN were with them too So, t
MS. all went on together through the We
cutting down the trees, and making 2
through lhe branches and the fallen lea
l..