THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF ALL
: The Tale Of Tommy FoxIt was a pretty big surprise for Tommy Fox, when Mr. Grouse sprang out
of the snow, right beneath his feet. But it was nothing at all,
compared with the surprise Tommy had when he reached home.
Very late at night Tommy stole into his mother's house. In fact, it
was nearly morning. And Tommy crept in very quietly, for he hardly
expected that his mother would be awake and he did not want to disturb
her.
Tommy had just curled up on his bed and was all ready to go to sleep,
when to his great astonishment he heard his mother talking. She was
not talking to _him_, but to someone near her, for she spoke so low
that Tommy could not hear what she was saying.
He thought right away that somebody had come to pay them a visit. And
he called out--
"Who's here, Mother? Is it a visitor?"
"Yes, Tommy," Mrs. Fox answered. "Come here and see who it is."
Tommy jumped out of bed and hopped across the room. At first he
couldn't see anybody but his mother.
"It's just a joke!" Tommy exclaimed. "You're only fooling!"
"Look sharp!" said Mrs. Fox. "It's a surprise. What do you call this?"
She moved aside a bit, and pointed to a little, soft, woolly thing
which lay close beside her. Tommy had to look two or three times to
see what it was. And even then he wasn't sure.
"Is it--is it--a baby?" he asked.
"That's just what it is," his mother said.
Tommy certainly was surprised. And before he could find his voice
again Mrs. Fox showed him another baby fox, and another and another
and another.
Yes--there they were--five of them all together, small and soft and
woolly. They weren't nearly so brightly colored as Tommy and his
mother--just a pale, brownish red. Tommy Fox could hardly believe it.
As he stared at them he suddenly noticed something strange about the
baby foxes. "Why--they're all blind--every one of them!" he cried.
"Hadn't we better send them back and get some good ones?" he asked.
Mrs. Fox laughed.
"Of course they're blind," she said. "You were blind when you were
their age. Their eyes will be open in a few days.... Well--what do you
think of them, Tommy?" she asked; for Tommy Fox seemed to be lost in
thought.
"I was wondering how they would ever be able to hunt--they're so
small."
"Oh! I'll have to hunt for them, for a long time," his mother
explained. "When they get big enough I shall teach them to hunt for
themselves, just as I taught you.
"Now you see why I showed you how to catch mice and rabbits and
woodchucks," Mrs. Fox said. "You'll have to look out for yourself now,
Tommy. For I shall have all I can do to find enough for myself and
five children to eat, without feeding a big fellow like you."
That made Tommy Fox feel very proud. He felt bigger, and stronger, and
wiser than ever before.
"I shall get along all right," Tommy said. "I almost caught Mr. Grouse
tonight. But he got away." Tommy yawned, for he was very sleepy. And
pretty soon he was curled up on his little bed again, dreaming of a
wonderful bird that he had caught, which was so big that he and his
mother and his five little brothers and sisters made a fine meal off
it.
But of course it was only a dream.
More
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SOME PSALMS OF DAVID
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Only a lad, slight-limbed and slenderly framed to the eye, yet for all that gifted with a gallant heart, else he surely must have been cowed to terror by the huge bulk of such a dire adversary at close quarters. Instead of trying to find safety i... SOMETHING MAKES TOMMY VERY PROUD
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"Mamma, did you hear what they were saying about Squinty?" asked Wuff-Wuff, as the boy and the two men walked away from the pig pen. "Oh, yes, I heard," said Mrs. Pig. "I shall be sorry to lose Squinty, but then we pigs have to go out and take our... SQUINTY RUNS AWAY
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... STRINGING CRANBERRIES.
Arthur Bancroft was feeling very cross one morning in December. He had a bad cold, and his mother did not think it would be wise for him to go out-of-doors. That was why he was cross. The skating was finer than it had been that season; every other b... SUSY'S CHRISTMAS PRESENT.
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'Excuse me if I sit on you,' the cup said to the saucer. 'I fear I've been here all the afternoon.' 'Spare excuses,' said the saucer; 'you have sat on me before, sir.' 'Oh, I'll stir him up directly,' said the spoon. 'Stop your clatter! Stop... THE ADVENTURES OF THE LITTLE FIELD MOUSE
Once upon a time, there was a little brown Field Mouse; and one day he was out in the fields to see what he could find. He was running along in the grass, poking his nose into everything and looking with his two eyes all about, when he saw a smoot... THE ALTAR ON MOUNT EBAL.
Before Moses died he called the Israelites together, and urged them to faithfully serve God; also directing that when they entered Canaan, they were to build an altar of rough stones, covered with plaster, on Mount Ebal, and to write the words of ... THE ANGEL'S TIDINGS.
It was night. In the fields near Bethlehem a company of shepherds kept watch over their flocks. Probably they were holy men, and often thought of God in the stillness of the early morn. And now they may have been thinking of the coming of the prom... THE ANGRY BOBOLINK.
Pretty little bobolink In your satin coat, Trimmed with white across the neck Black about the throat, Why so angry do you seem? Why so fierce your mien? That you're scolding somebody Plainly can be seen. "Don't you know," says bobolink, As h... THE ANT EXPLORER
Once a little sugar ant made up his mind to roam-- To fare away far away, far away from home. He had eaten all his breakfast, and he had his ma's consent To see what he should chance to see and here's the way he went-- Up and down a fern frond, rou... THE ANT'S HOUSE.
"What a curious picture that is at the head of this story." That is what I think I hear some of the "Little Ones" say. "What does it mean?" some one asks. It looks like a procession of ants. That is just what it is. A procession of ants all marching... THE AXE-MAN
High on the hills, where the tall trees grow, There lives an axeman that I know. From his little hut by a ferny creek, Day after day, week after week, He goes each morn with his shining axe, Trudging along by the forest tracks; And he chops and h... THE BAKER
I'd like to be a baker, and come when morning breaks, Calling out, "Beeay-ko!" (that's the sound he makes)-- Riding in a rattle-cart that jogs and jolts and shakes, Selling all the sweetest things a baker ever bakes; Currant-buns and brandy-sna... THE BALL GAME.
Did you ever know a boy Make believe he had a toy? That's the way Babies play; Babies who are young and small Make believe they play at ball! ... THE BAND
Hey, there! Listen awhile! Listen awhile, and come. Down in the street there are marching feet, and I hear the beat of a drum. Bim! Boom!! Out of the room! Pick up your hat and fly! Isn't it grand? The band! The band! The band is marching by... THE BARBER
I'd like to be a barber, and learn to shave and clip, Calling out, "Next please!" and pocketing my tip. All day I'd hear my scissors going, "Snip, Snip, Snip;" I'd lather people's faces, and their noses I would grip While I shaved most carefully al... THE BARREN FIG-TREE.
In the morning, when Jesus had left Bethany and was coming towards Jerusalem, He was hungry. Seeing a fig-tree afar off, covered with leaves, He came to it, hoping to find some fruit on it. But the tree was a young one, and had not yet commenced t... THE BEARS' FEAST.
A man had come to town with two tame bears. They were very clever bears, and could climb posts and trees, dance and turn summersets and do a great many other tricks besides. One day the man was taken ill and had to stay in the house all day. He t... THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF ALL
It was a pretty big surprise for Tommy Fox, when Mr. Grouse sprang out of the snow, right beneath his feet. But it was nothing at all, compared with the surprise Tommy had when he reached home. Very late at night Tommy stole into his mother's ho... THE BIRDS' CHRISTMAS
Founded on fact. "Chickadee-dee-dee-dee! Chickadee-dee-dee-dee! Chicka--" "Cheerup, cheerup, chee-chee! Cheerup, cheerup, chee-chee!" "Ter-ra-lee, ter-ra-lee, ter-ra-lee!" "Rap-atap-atap-atap!" went the woodpecker; "Mrs. Chickadee may speak... THE BLACKBERRY-BUSH
A little boy sat at his mother's knees, by the long western window, looking out into the garden. It was autumn, and the wind was sad; and the golden elm leaves lay scattered about among the grass, and on the gravel path. The mother was knitting a ... THE BOX TUNNEL
The 10:15 train glided from Paddington May 7, 1847. In the left compartment of a certain first-class carriage were four passengers; of these two were worth description. The lady had a smooth, white, delicate brow, strongly marked eyebrow... THE BOY WHO CRIED "WOLF!"
There was once a shepherd-boy who kept his flock at a little distance from the village. Once he thought he would play a trick on the villagers and have some fun at their expense. So he ran toward the village crying out, with all his might,-- "W... THE BOY WHO RODE INTO THE SUNSET
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Do you know what a Brahmin is? A Brahmin is a very good and gentle kind of man who lives in India, and who treats all the beasts as if they were his brothers. There is a great deal more to know about Brahmins, but that is enough for the story. ... THE BRAVE HEBREW BOYS.
Brave boys and girls! We all wish to be brave, do we not? Then we must learn to say "No," when tempted to do wrong. These Hebrew boys were young nobles who had been carried captive from Jerusalem to Babylon; but though in a strange land, subject... THE BRAVE LITTLE BOWMAN
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Jesus Christ says that "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." What did Jesus mean? Nearly forty years had passed since God gave His law from Mount Sinai; and frequently the people had sinne... THE BROWN THRUSH
There's a merry brown thrush sitting up in the tree. He's singing to me! He's singing to me! And what does he say, little girl, little boy? "Oh, the world's running over with joy! Don't you hear? Don't you see? Hush! Look! In my tree I'm ... THE BUCKWHEAT
Down by the river were fields of barley and rye and golden oats. Wheat grew there, too, and the heaviest and richest ears bent lowest, in humility. Opposite the corn was a field of buckwheat, but the buckwheat never bent; it held its head proud ... THE BUGLE SONG
Alfred Tennyson The splendor falls on castle walls And snowy summits old in story; The long light shakes across the lakes, And the wild cataract leaps in glory. Blow, bugle, blow, set the wild echoes flying, Blow, bugle; a... THE BURNING OF THE RICEFIELDS
Once there was a good old man who lived up on a mountain, far away in Japan. All round his little house the mountain was flat, and the ground was rich; and there were the ricefields of all the people who lived in the village at the mountain's fo... THE BUSY BLUE JAY
Olive Thorne Miller One of the most interesting birds who ever lived in my Bird Room was a blue jay named Jakie. He was full of business from morning till night, scarcely ever a moment still. Poor little fellow! He had been stolen fro... THE CAKE
A child quarrelled with his brother one day about a cake. "It is my cake!" said the child. "No, it is mine!" said his brother. "You shall not have it!" said the child. "Give it to me this minute!" And he fell upon his brother and beat him... THE CAPTAIN OF THE LORD'S HOST.
News of the miraculous way in which the Israelites had been brought across the Jordan spread rapidly among the Canaanites, and when they heard what God had done, they were very much afraid. We are told that "their heart melted, neither was there s... THE CARRYING TRADE
Who wants to engage in the carrying trade? Come, Lottie and Lula and Nina and Mary, all bring your maps, and we will play merchants, and see what is meant by the carrying trade. Lottie shall have the bark "Rosette," and sail from Boston to Calcu... THE CASTLE OF FORTUNE
One lovely summer morning, just as the sun rose, two travellers started on a journey. They were both strong young men, but one was a lazy fellow and the other was a worker. As the first sunbeams came over the hills, they shone on a great castle ... The Cat and the Mouse
The cat and the mouse Played in the malt-house: The cat bit the mouse's tail off. "Pray, puss, give me my tail." "No," says the cat, "I'll not give you your tail, till you go to the cow and fetch me some milk." First she leapt, and t... THE CAT AND THE PARROT
Once there was a cat, and a parrot. And they had agreed to ask each other to dinner, turn and turn about: first the cat should ask the parrot, then the parrot should invite the cat, and so on. It was the cat's turn first. Now the cat was very me... THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS
Oliver Wendell Holmes This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign, Sails the unshadowed main,-- The venturous bark that flings On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings, And coral reefs lie b... THE CHARACTER OF A HAPPY LIFE
Sir Henry Wotton How happy is he born and taught, That serveth not another's will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth, his utmost skill; Whose passions not his masters are, Whose soul is still prepared for death, Unt... THE CHICKADEE-DEE.
Little darling of the snow, Careless how the winds may blow, Happy as a bird can be, Singing, oh, so cheerily, Chickadee-dee! Chickadee-dee! When the skies are cold and gray, When he trills his happiest lay, Through the clouds he seems to see ... THE CHILD-MIND; AND HOW TO SATISFY IT
"It is the grown people who make the nursery stories," wrote Stevenson, "all the children do is jealously to preserve the text." And the grown person, whether he makes his stories with pen or with tongue, should bring two qualities at least to the... THE CHILDREN OF THE SUN GOD.
No difficulty whatever was experienced in reaching that retreat, and milder prisoner never knew a guard than Ixtli proved himself to be, silently yielding to each impulse lent his arm by Waldo, smiling when, as sometimes happened, he was brought mor... THE CHILDREN'S PARTY.
What a merry, merry rout! See the wee ones dance about! Dickie's leading off the ball; There,--he almost had a fall. Who's his partner in the whirls, --Rosiest of all the girls? But a doll--a DOLL you say; Dancing in that sprightly way? Wel... THE CHRISTMAS CAROL OF THE BIRDS.
Do you know, when we are having such good times at Christmas, what sweet music they have in Norway, that cold country across the sea? One day in the year the simple peasants who live there make the birds very happy, so that they sing, of their own... THE CHRISTMAS MASQUERADE
On Christmas Eve the Mayor's stately mansion presented a beautiful appearance. There were rows of different coloured wax candles burning in every window, and beyond them one could see the chandeliers of gold and crystal blazing with light. The f... THE CIRCUS
Hey, there! Hoop-la! the circus is in town! Have you seen the elephant? Have you seen the clown? Have you seen the dappled horse gallop round the ring? Have you seen the acrobats on the dizzy swing? Have you seen the tumbling men tumble up and do... THE CITIES OF REFUGE.
Revenge is contrary to the teaching of Jesus Christ, "If thine enemy hunger, feed him," says the Saviour; but among the Israelites and other eastern nations a different practice prevailed. If one slew another, the kinsman of him that was slain fel... THE CITY MOUSE AND THE GARDEN MOUSE
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A very little boy made this story up "out of his head," and told it to his papa. I think you littlest ones will like it; I do. Once upon a time there was a little boy, and he wanted to be a cock-a-doo-dle-doo. So he was a cock-a-doo-dle-doo. And... THE COUNTRY MOUSE AND THE CITY MOUSE
Once a little mouse who lived in the country invited a little mouse from the city to visit him. When the little City Mouse sat down to dinner he was surprised to find that the Country Mouse had nothing to eat except barley and grain. "Really," ... THE CRATCHITS' CHRISTMAS DINNER
Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present stood in the city streets on Christmas morning, where (for the weather was severe) the people made a rough but brisk and not unpleasant kind of music, in scraping the snow from the pavement in front of th...