Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-06-14
A LESSON FOR A FIRST READER

From Harper's Weekly
see book. 1t Is First Reader. First
reader Is book for very young children.
And being book for very young children
containing in condensed form the milk of lit
| erature, who would have imagined that it ever
could have by any possibility become the means
OF bringing the greatest confusion and vexation
to grown-up? But it did. /, Samuella Col
den, am that grOwn-up. And / am the author
/ or nearly the author (under the ablest super
! vision, l frankly confess) of that First Reader
| The way it came about was this. I have al
| ways been passionately fond of children. When
/ but decidedly small specimen of humanity my
/ self L adOred all the smaller specimens with
| whom CHANGED to meet. AT the tender age of
/ six. there being then no baby at my own home
/ l deliberately entered the home of our washer
/ woman one day. knowing her to be absent at
/ the time and stole her fve-months- old Patsey
! from the cradle in which he was peacefully
! sleeping, and in spite of his kicks and yells.
! when he awOke to the situation. managed to
/ carry him safely TO our house-fortunately not
| far distant-and place him in the arms of my
| very much astonished mother. And when he
was reclaimed and carried away again by his
! rghtful owner sat me down on the floor with
! bang. and opened my mouth to it's utmost
| width. and lifted up my voice to its utmost
| height, and refused most emphatically to be
! comfOrted.
! This love of little ones did not diminish In the
| least as grew in stature and in years. On the
| contrary, it seemed to increase. and it became
| as natural tor me to talk baby talk to and make
| baby rhymes for every wee darling that came in
my way as it was for me to breathe. And for
/ the older youngsters had always story ready
| some simple thing about simple things but,
by virtue of creation, my own. And having
cOntriyed to be an unobserved listener to sew
eral OF these stories, and having also learned
from Sue. his little niece, that 'made I'D out
of my own head" the jingles with which she
often sought to entertain him, Mr.. Erickson,
Our schoomaster-and a very clever fellow too
said TO me one afternoon: Miss Golden have
undertaken a task In which thnk-nay am
sure-that you can, if you WILL be of great
assistance to me-"
''And pray what may that task be?o asked 1,
wOnderingly.
The preparation of First Reader" he re-
phed. II do not expect the pecuniary resultsto
be prlncely, though no doubt you would realize
enough to compensate you for whatever time
you might expend; but the practice would be
excellent for you, and perhaps open the way for
better paying literary work"
Literary work." repeated I. "Why, 1 never
even dreamed of such q thing"
Ibid you nOt?' he said, with q smile ''Well.
you are not the first person who has remained
In Ignorance OF his or her particular talent
until friend discovered it. But are YOU will
ing to give me helping hand with the book?"
''Most willing" said l. Tell me plainly what
am to do, or to try to do, and will begin this
| very evening"
And did begin that very evening, and ex-
trernely glad was to do so. For had already
although April had scarcely set in, trimmed INV
usual amount of spring hats and bonnets, which
our community not following strictly for good
and sufficient reasons, the DEGREES of fashion,
also Included most of the summer ones. thereby
cutting oil that source of income for four or five
months. And it had been highly necessary that
another source should be discovered Immediate
/ ly From which statement you will naturally in
Ter that the Golden family was golden only in
name. 1t was. Otherwise. of course mean In
money sense, 1t was nickelly, and rot that to
/ as great an extent as desirable.
/ Father-well, any kind Of steady business
/ seemed to disagree with father; consequently
lie contributed to our support only by fits and
/ starts Daniel our eldest boy, worked faith
/ fully as an assistant bookkeeper in a publishing
! house in New York city, and sent nearly half
/ his salary to mother the first of every month
+ George, our youngest boy. was Clerk with a
! hope OF some day becoming one of the firm)
+ at the Wildwood general store; and l. as | have
4 intlmated above, was the Wildwood miIliner
But work as hard as we might. Daniel, George
and |, We could do no more. eveu with the in
termittent helps from father, than take care OF
/ ourselves and the rest Of the family i'm the
/ humblest way. CThe rest of the family con-
sisted of mOther-a darling-grandmOthe
another darling-and three of the sweetest
/ cunningest little girls. two five and six wears
/ Old, that ever needed to be taken care of So.
, y
lighted, but extremely deli lighted. to get the
chance OF assisting Mr.. Erickson with the
Reader. And | Confded as much to Matt
brewster when we We're coming home from
church together the next Sunday, evening
Because. You see, Matt said /. IF / succeed
with this maybe can go ON writing until
and Caught my breath at the boIdness of the
ldea-'I AIN found worthy of place in the jul
! Teniie magazines. and, as a successful writer.
| could help the family much more than can
B literary flr al
millinery only for two or three months out Of
the whole year"
You forget" said Matt, "your rich uncle
who is coming here from Australia soon, and
VINO WILL no doubt, so arrange things that the
family will need no help at all from your hands"
| ''Oh DEAR" said |, $50 did But he has for
/ gotten US for so many years--ever since was
/ five, and was nineteen on my last birthday
| that now he has condescended to remember our
! existence, and promise US visit. it's no wonder
/ that can't keep him in mind. And we are not
/ sure that his coming will benefit US any, He
may be cranky old man. and very hard to please
/ lt is more than likely he is, for father with
! whom he could never agree, though he is his
/ only DrOther) tells me he was an unusually
cranky young one"
! 'oh, you must make him pleased with you."
declared Matt, declsively. You have one adj
vantage. and great one, over the others You
are his granddaughter, you know"
Il KNOW it to my sorrow" assented. ''Sam-
ueIa. What name to give an unfortunate
girl baby, If it hadn't been for that saving Ella
what would have done? Fancy WOman's
being called sam all her life!n
'But You will do your best to get into the old
chaps good graces, won't you?" said Matt,
cOaxingly.
well, yes, will. since your heart seems to
be set upon 1t" promised though / wondered
at the time why he was so anxious that should
become favOrite of Uncle SANS I'm do ey-
erything but give up the Reader"
Matt Brewster was chief proprietor of the
store where my brother George was clerk. and
he was also my acknowledged lover. The latter
fact made me the envy of half the girls in Wild
wood, for Matt was considered the handsomest
and most fascinating young bachelor in the
place. He was tall anu SLENDER with very fair
hair, light blue eyes, straight nose, and a
small mouth.
Mrs. Leroy. the young wife of old Captain
Leroy-looked up to with great respect by
three-fourths of the population of Wildwood,
because she had her bonnets and gloves straight
from Paris gave it as her opinion that his
brow was too narrow, and his chin too retreat
Ing. 'Glye me-" she said, calmly and coolly,
1.-THE school-master, any day, In preference. He
ls not quite as tall, but his shoulders are
broader. so Is his forehead and he has a certain
manly look and way about him that Is utterly
lacking In Mr.. Matthew Brewster
Strange as it may appear did not feel as in
dignant at this adverse criticism of nv betrotbed
! (by the way, had stipulated at the time of our
engagement, now two months old that mar
rage should not be thought of for at least two
yearS) as some of the other prls did Natt;o