Year: 1867

alone in a little red house by the river. His
father and mother were dead, and he had
never had any brothers or sisters; so you
can imagine how very, very lonely he was,
with no one 10 talk to, and no voice to hear
but that of the river as 1t rushed past his
| house; and that sound only made him the
more lonely.


! Now little bunch had one very bad fault
he was terribly lazy; if he had occupied
himself by working in his garden, Or the
door-yard, or by piling his wood, or picking
up the chips, OF doing any of the work which
an industrious boy can always find to do, he
need not have been so lonely; but he did
nothing but sit on his doorstep, or throw
stones into the water all day long.


This want of exercise had made HIM very
fat, and think it was on this account that
people called him "Bunch.'


Once hen strayed away from her own
home, and came into Bunchs barn, which
pleased her so much that she Immediately
laid an egg in his hay. Bunch was delight
ed at this, and gave her some corn, so that
she concluded to stay there; and every day
she put a new egg into her nest, until at last
she had ten there; and then she sat down
upon them, and did not leave them except
for a few minutes at time, when she want
ed something to eat or drink, until one morn
ing ten tiny chickens picked their way out
of the shells. Bunch was so much pleased
to see them that he really exerted himself TO
make a coop for them; but to make his work
as easy as possible, he drove the stakes into
the soft sand, down on the rivers bank, and
a few days after he put them there, there
came q hard rain, which so swelled the river
that it rushed up the bank, and swept away
the crazy coop, with the poor hen and all her
little chickens. Bunch really felt ashamed
of his share in this sad accident, and he sin
cerely mourned the loss of his little pets.


After this, he lived alone for several weeks;


until one morning, feeling as if he could


bear it no longer, he sat down in his door,


determined TO ask everything that went by


to share his home, and see if he could not


get something to live with him.


1t was very early in the morning, so it


was some time before anything came along,


and Bunch was almost tired with waiting,


when he saw nice, comfortable looking old
l


COW coming up the road, chewing her cud,


and whisking her tail.


Bunch shouted out, ooh good Mooley
Cow, please come and live with me; live


all alone in this little red house, and want


some one to live with me.'


The cow turned her head, and looked at


hlm with her great soft eyes, as if she won


dered he could ask such q foolish question;
: then "4Ioo" she said, ''There are two little
girls at home who could not live without the
y nice warm milk give them every night and
y morning l am going TO the pastures now,
I, to eat the sweet grass and yellow buttercups,


that may get good bagful of milk to take
It home to them tonight. Moor" So the
d faithful COW went on her way.


Presently Bunch saw lamb coming up
the road "oh," thought he, "that is nice
= l am sure such pretty little lamb as thai
4 will have nothing to do but play with me. =
II So he called out, "Pretty little Lambie
y please come and live with me; 1 live al
= alone IN this little red house, and l wan
- some one to play with me-"


81 am sorry for you, y said the little lamb



II to the river, where my masters men art


washing sheep; they want us all there, ant
, my wool is to be cut off to make my littl'


mistress Mary pair of warm stockings
= So the little lamb skipped down the road.
20 Bunch was rather saddened by this; bu


he was not discouraged "After all, HI
- thought, sit would be much nicer to have
r. r. cat" This thought was still in his mind
:. when he looked across the road and saw


beautiful gray cat coming toward him.
: "Pussy, pussy" said he, "won't yol
=. come and live with me? live all alone il
% this little red house, and am very lonely
ha please come, pussy"


80 "Mew, mew;" said the cat; ~ can't leav
~ my mistress; she loves me, and feeds m
!, well, and in return kill all the rats an
"a mice for her; there would be great man
~ in her house if it were not for me. Oh,
ho am very useful person, assure you, an
40 l have no time TO waste with idle boys.
~ Here the cat made fierce jump at beet
m in the grass, and would say no more.


"oh, DEAR" sighed Bunch, 81 wondt
bs why everybody in the world is so bus.
,so Perhaps dogs do not have anything TO d
NM there's big fellow coming toward me nov
.os I'll try him." So he called, "Doggyl doggy
i,h but the dog would not look up Then
~. whistled, and at this the creature came |
~, to him, stopping at a safe distance to s.
81, what he wanted. Then Bunch asked hiI


as he had asked the others, to come and Ii
art with him; the dog wagged his tail and loo
mr. ed pleased with the invitation, but he sal
oh "oh, no. My masters sheep would I
ID be stolen, or would run away, if did n
re watch them. I have just been at home aft
and my breakfast, and must hurry back on
va the hill as soon as possible. So goodbye
lar And with hearty "bow-wowl" the go


dog ran on his way.


q or "Oh, dear, dearv' said Bunch, "wl
IA n shall do? Is there any other anima
ice can ask? Oh, yesl l haven't asked
ir- horse, and that would be better than al
,bs thing else, for then l should never have
hat walk down to the village, but could ride
rho his back. Oh, I am so glad thought
nts thatl There is white one coming this W
e1vs minute; rather an old one, am afraid,
oats he will be all the more steady and conten


in his new home"


LIE Soa the horse came toward him, Bur
be called out in loud voice, "Good old he
care will you come and live with me? I will
, of very kind to you, and you shall not h
here anything to do all day. 1 live all alon,
tbe tbis little red house. and want some on