The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1884-08-16
A LESSON FOR A FIRST READER.


see book. 1t is First Reader.
A First Reader is book for very young
children.
And being a book for very young
children, containing in condensed
form the milk of literature, who would
have imagined that it ever could have
by any possibility become the means of
bringing the greatest confusion and
vexation to a grown-up? But it did.
/, Samuella Golden, am that grown
up. And l 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. l
have always been passionately fond OF
children. When but decidedly small
specimen OF humanity myself l adored
all the smaller specimens with whom |
CHANGED to meet. At the tender age OF
six, there being no baby then at my
own home, deliberately entered the
home of our washer-woman one day,
knowing her to be absent at the time,
and stole her five-months-old Patsey
from the cradle in which he was peace
fully sleeping, and in spite of his kicks
and yells, when he awoke to the stua-
ton, | managed to carry him safely to
our use-fortunately not far distant
and place him in the arms of my
very much astonished mother. And
when be was reclaimed and carried
away again by his rightful owner,
sat ine down on the floor with bang,
and opened my mouth to its utmost
width, and lifted my voice to its utmost
height, and refused most emphatically
to be comforted.
This love of little ones did moi
diminish in the least as grew in stature
andin years. On the contrary, it seemed
to increase, and it became as natural fol
me to talk baby talk 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 l hat
always a story ready-some simple
thing about simple things, but, by
virtue of creation, my own. AND
having contrived to be an unobservet
listener to several of these stories, ant
having also learned from Sue, his littl,
niece, and II made up ont of my owl
head the jingles with which she Otter
sought to entertain him, Mr.. Erickson
our school-master--and a very cleve
fellow, too-said to me one afternoon
''Miss Golden, l have undertaken /,
task in which think-nay, / am sur,
that you can, if you will, be of grea
assistance to me"
"And pray what may that task be?'
asked l wonderingly.
1.-The preparation of First Reader, ,
he replied. 81 do not expect tn,
pecuniary results to be princely
though no doubt you would realiz
enough to compensate you for what
ever time you might expend; but tn
practice would be excellent for you
and perhaps open the way for bette
paving literary work"
Literary work." repeated I. "Why
never even dreamed of such thing
"Did you not" he said, with a smile
"Well, you are not the first person VIII
has remained in ignorance of his or he
particular talent until friend dis
covered it. But are you willing to Civ
me helping hand with the book?''
''Most willingly said l. Tell m
plainly what am to do, or to try to dc
and will begin this very evening"
And did begin that very evening
and extremely glad l was to do so. Fo
l had already, although April ha
scarcely set in, trimmed my usua
amount of spring hats and bonnets
which-our community not followin
strictly, for good and sufficient reasons
the DEGREES of fashionable includes
most of the summer ones, thereby cut
ting off that source of income for fou
or five months. And it had been highl
necessary that another source shoul
be discovered Immediately. From wh;c
statement we shall naturally infer tina
the Golden family was golden only il
name. II was. Otherwise, of course
mean in a money sense, it was nickelly
and not that to as great an extent a
desirable.
Father--well. any kind of stead
business seemed to disagree with father