Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-07-09
A TALK WITH MY CHILDREN.
BY MRS. II. IL. T.

A IALh With nj CHILDREN.
BY MRS. H. II. t.
OFTEN, when put the children to bed,
tell them some simple story. I have
| just been telling them two or three stories
which seemed to interest them very much,
and the thought came into my mind that,
| perhaps, the thousands of little folks
whose parents take the Hearth end Home
might like to hear too what [ said to nv
little boys and girl-for | have but one
little girl and three boys, and one of the
ooys is baby only two years old. I
fancy ne does not know what am talk
ing about; but he listens all the time
and looks at me with his round black
eyes; and then when the children laugh
he laughs harder than any of them NV
oldest boy, Willie, is seven years old:
Sarah is five and Georgia is four. Sonow
you have been introduced, we will sit
down and have our talk over again.
"My dear children. Can any of YOU tell
me what is the reason why we should
always obey our mother?"
Because God gave us mother to
mind" said Willie. - alFa
Because God told us to mind our
mother" said Sarah.
II alias minds YOU ma; honest, does"
said George" #s,i tEfy
"That is right, my DEAR always mind
your mother, for God has told you to do
SO; besides that, you might get into great
| trouble by not minding your mother
| will tell you now a little story to show
you what mean.'' tfH ff
| ooh! yes; tell us about old grand
mother Hobble de Gobble"
mo, my dear; not that now. / am
| going to tell you a new one that you have
not heard before
"Once there was little boy playing in
the kitchen while his mother was at work.
She had a kettle of boiling lard on the
fire. Johnny used sometimes to put his
| little lineup full of water into his mothers
iron pot, just as he had seen her do with
the dipper. Johnny said his mother, 4
| am going up stairs minute YOU stay there
| till [ come back, and don't 90 near the
stove But | am sorry to say ohnny did
not always mind his mother; so, just as
soon as she had gone out Of the room, he
ran and filled his little cup at the water
pail and went right up to the stove and
! poured the water into the hot lard. In
minute the lard boiled all over the stove
and blazed clear up to the ceiling. and
the black smoke filled the whole of the
house, and the flames came very near set
ting the house on fire. Johnny screamed
so that his mother soon came running
down stairs, and got him out of the kitch-
en- as quick as she could. That was the
last time Johnny put water into any Of his
mothers kettles He is big man now,
and has little children of his cun, and he
tells them never to go near the stove in
the Kitchen, because it is no place for a
little boy or girl to be, for they might get
burned up before anybody could get to
them" -
"Is that alls' said Willie. Didn't he
burn up?" "
He'd ought to burned up, cos ne didn't
mind his MOTHER said Sarah. Didn't
he get his nose scorched bit?"
| mo, my dear, he was not burned at all :;
and | am glad he was not. We must
always feel sorry when we hear Of any
body being hurt; but now | have another
story to tell you. 1t won't turn out so
well as the other, for the poor little girl,
named Martha, who did not mind her
mother in the story that am going to tell
you now, was in great pain and sick in
bed for many weeks.
"Her mother told this little girl never
to touch the candle. Well, one evening
while her mother was washing the supper
dishes in the kitchen, she left Martha in
the parlor. A candle was burning on the
table, and Martha took some paper and
| lighted it. Before she saw her danger her
clothes were all on fire. Obi how she did
/ scream. Her mother came running in
and picked up her husbands coat and
wrapped it all around Martha, and that
put the fire out in minute. But Martha
was dreadfully burned. She was a pretty
little girl before this happened, and people
used to say, What pretty little girlp but
when she got well you would not have
known her again. Her chin and neck
had grown together, SO that she could not
LIT her head. She is a woman now, and
a very good woman-always tells little
children to obey their parents She has
to wear handkerchief round her neck to
hide the great red cords that draw down
her CHM
"ls that all, ma?'' said Willie
eyes, my dear, that is all of that story"
81 reckon they was poor fclks,'' said
Sarah; burning candles in the parlor."
ooh! well, my dear, that happened
nearly thirty years ago, when they did not
have lamps as we do now; and then il
was out In the country, where they do not
nave gas. Besides, you are right; they
aoere poor, and | have no doubt made their
own candles, but they were none the
worse for that. But must tell you one
more story, and then you must shut your
eyes and go to sleep as fast as ever you
can:
once lady and gentleman took their
TWO ch1ldren-a boy and girl-to see a
high tower. They had to go up great
many steps that wound around the tower
IN order to get to the top. The little boy
was in a great hurry to get up to the top
and his mother let him go, for there was
arailing to keep people from tumbline
OFT and getting killed. but she did MOI
know that very near the top the railing
was badly broken. When Harry got up
there, be stood looking down. and soon