SQUINTY'S BALLOON RIDE
: Squinty The Comical PigThis was the third time Squinty had run away. But not once did he intend
to do any wrong; you see he knew no better. He just found his pen door
open and walked out--that was all there was to it.
"I wonder what will happen to me this time?" thought the comical little
pig, as he hurried along over the ground, toward the woods. "I don't
believe Don, the dog, will find me here, for he must be back on the
farm
When Squinty thought this he stopped and looked carefully around for any
signs of a barking dog. But he saw none. It was very still and quiet,
for it was nearly supper time in the big house where Bob lived, and he
and his sisters were waiting for the bell to ring to call them to the
table.
But Squinty had had his supper, and, for the time, he was not hungry.
"And if I do get hungry again, I may find something in the woods," he
said to himself. "Acorn nuts grow in the woods, and they are very good.
I'll root up some of them."
Once or twice Squinty looked back toward the pen he had run away from,
to see if Bob, his master, were coming after him. But Bob had no idea
his little pet had run away. In fact, just then, Bob was wondering what
new trick he could teach Squinty the next day.
On and on ran the comical pig. Once he found something round and yellow
on the ground.
"Ha! That looks like a yellow apple," thought Squinty, and he bit it
hard with his white teeth. Then his mouth all puckered up, he felt a
sour taste, and he cried out:
"Wow! I don't like that. Oh, that isn't an apple at all!"
And it wasn't--it was a lemon the grocery boy had dropped.
"Oh! How sour!" grunted Squinty. "I'd like a drink of water to take the
taste of that out of my mouth."
Squinty lifted his nose up in the air, and sniffed and snuffed. He
wanted to try to smell a spring of water, and he did, just on the edge
of the big wood. Over to the spring he ran on his little short legs, and
soon he was having a fine drink.
"Now I feel better," Squinty said. "What will happen next?"
Nothing did for some time, and, when it did it was so strange that
Squinty never forgot it as long as he lived. I'll tell you all about it.
He walked on through the woods, Squinty did, and, before very long, he
found some acorns. He ate as many as he wanted and then, as he always
felt sleepy after he had eaten, he thought he would lie down and have a
nap.
He found a place, near a big stump, where there was a soft bed of dried
leaves, nearly as nice as his straw bed in the pen at home. On this he
stretched out, and soon he was fast asleep.
When Squinty awoke it was real dark. He jumped up with a little grunt,
and said to himself:
"Well, I did not mean to stay away from my pen so long. I guess I had
better go back."
Squinty started to go back the way he had come, but I guess you can
imagine what happened. It was so dark he could not find the path. He
walked about, stumbling over sticks and stones and stumps, sometimes
falling down on soft moss, and again on the hard ground. Finally Squinty
thought:
"Well, it is of no use. I can't get back tonight, that is sure. I shall
have to stay here. Oh dear! I hope there are no dogs to bite me!"
Squinty listened carefully. He could hear no barks. He hunted around in
the dark until he found another soft bed of leaves, and on that he
cuddled himself up to go to sleep for the night. He was a little afraid,
but, after all, he was used to sleeping alone, and, even though he was
outside of his pen now, he did not worry much.
"In the morning I shall go back to the boy who taught me tricks,"
thought Squinty.
But something else happened in the morning.
Squinty was awake when the sun first peeped up from behind the clouds.
The little pig scratched his ear, where a mosquito had bitten him during
the night. Then he stretched first one leg and then the others, and
said:
"Ha! Ho! Hum! Uff! Uff! I guess I'll have some acorns for my breakfast."
It was a very easy matter for Squinty to get his breakfast. He did not
have to wash, or comb his hair, or even dress. Just as he was he got up
out of his leaf-bed, and began rooting around in the ground for acorns.
He soon found all he wanted, and ate them. Then he felt thirsty, so he
looked around until he had found another spring of cool water, where he
drank as much as he needed.
"And now to go back home, to the boy who taught me tricks," said Squinty
to himself. "I guess he is wondering where I am."
And indeed that boy, Bob, and his sisters Mollie and Sallie, were
wondering where Squinty was. They saw the open door of the pen, and the
boy recalled that he had forgotten to lock it.
"Oh, Squinty is gone!" he cried, and he felt very badly indeed. But I
have no time to tell you more of that boy now. I must relate for you the
wonderful adventures of Squinty.
Squinty went this way and that through the woods, but he could not find
the path that led to his pen. He tried and tried again, but it was of no
use.
"Well," said Squinty, at last, sitting down beside a hollow log, "I
guess I am lost. That is all there is to it I am lost in the big woods!
Oh dear! I almost wish Don, the dog, or the farmer would come and find
me now."
He waited, but no one came. He listened but he heard nothing.
"Well, I might as well eat and go to sleep again," said Squinty, "Maybe
something will happen then."
Soon he was asleep again. But he was suddenly awakened. He heard a great
crashing in the trees over his head.
"Gracious! I hope that isn't a dog after me!" cried the little pig.
He looked up, Squinty did. He saw coming down from the sky, through the
branches of the trees, a big round thing, like more than ten thousand
rubber balls, made into one. Below the round thing hung a square basket,
with many ropes, and other things, fast to it. And in the basket were
two men. They looked over the edge of the basket. One of them pulled on
a rope, and the big thing, which was a balloon, though Squinty did not
know it, came to the ground with a bang.
"Well, at last we have made a landing," said one of the men.
"Yes," said the other. "And we shall have to throw out some bags of sand
to go up again."
Squinty did not know what this meant. But I'll explain to you that a
"landing" is when a balloon comes down to the ground. And when the men
in it want to go up again, they have to toss out some of the bags of
sand, or ballast, they carry to make the balloon so light that the gas
in it will take it up again.
The men began tossing out the bags of sand. Squinty saw them, but he was
not afraid. Why should he be? for no men or boys had ever been cruel to
him.
"Uff! Uff!" grunted Squinty, getting up and going over to one of the
bags of sand. "Maybe that is good to eat!" he thought. "If it is I will
take a bite. I am hungry."
"Oh, look at that pig!" suddenly called one of the men in the balloon
basket.
"Sure enough, it is a pig!" exclaimed the other. "And what a comical
little chap he is!" he went on. "See the funny way he looks at you."
At that moment Squinty looked up, as he often did, with one eye partly
closed, the other open, and with one ear cocked frontwards, and the
other backwards.
"Say, he's a cute one all right," said the first man. "Let's take him
along."
"What for?" asked his friend. "We'd only have to toss out as much sand
as he weighs so we could go up."
"Oh, let's take him along, anyhow," insisted the other. "Maybe he'll be
a mascot for us."
"Well, if he's a mascot, all right. Then we'll take him. We need some
good luck on this trip."
Squinty did not know what a mascot was. Perhaps he thought it was
something good to eat. But I might say that a mascot is something which
some persons think brings them good luck. Often baseball nines, or
football elevens, will have a small boy, or a goat, or a dog whom they
call their mascot. They take him along whenever they play games,
thinking the mascot helps them to win. Of course it really does not, but
there is no harm in a mascot, anyhow.
"Yes, we'll take him along in the balloon with us," said the taller of
the two men. "See, he doesn't seem to be a bit afraid."
"No, and look! He must be a trick pig! Maybe he got away from some
circus!" cried the other man. For, at that moment Squinty stood up on
his hind legs, as the boy had taught him, and walked over toward the big
balloon basket. What he really wanted was something to eat, but the men
did not know that.
"He surely is a cute little pig!" cried the tall man. "I'll lift him in.
You toss out another bag of sand, and we'll go up."
ground.]
The next moment, before he could get out of the man's grasp if he had
wanted to, Squinty felt himself lifted off the ground. He was put down
in the bottom of the basket, which held many things, and, a second
later, Squinty, the comical pig, felt himself flying upward through the
air.
Squinty was off on a trip in a balloon.
More
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PSALM 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through... PSALM 23
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1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. A... SOME PSALMS OF DAVID
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It was a cold day. Fred was tired of reading, tired of looking out of the window, and so he poked the fire for a change. "I suppose there are a good many different sorts of fires," he said to his mamma, as he laid down the poker. "Yes, indeed,"... SOMETHING LIKE A WHITE ELEPHANT.
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A sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed some fell by the wayside and was trodden down, and birds came and devoured it. And some fell upon a rocky place, where there was not much soil, and as soon as it sprang up it withered away, because... SQUINTY AND THE BOY.
Did you ever have a little brother or sister who ran away from home, and was very glad to run back, or be brought back again, by a policeman, perhaps? Of course your little brother or sister may not have intended to run away, it may have been that t... SQUINTY AND THE DOG
Squinty was a little pig. You could tell he was a pig just as soon as you looked at him, because he had the cutest little curly tail, as though it wanted to tie itself into a bow, but was not quite sure whether that was the right thing to do. And Sq... SQUINTY AND THE MERRY MONKEY
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This was the second time Squinty had run out of the pen and into the farmer's garden. The first time he had been caught and brought back by Don, the dog. This time Squinty did not intend to get caught, if he could help it. So, after crawling out ... SQUINTY LEARNS A TRICK
Squinty, the comical pig, tried to look out through the slats of the box, in which he was being taken away, to see in which direction he was going. He also wanted to watch the different sights along the road. But the sides of the farm wagon were so ... SQUINTY ON A JOURNEY
"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
Between the barking of Don, the dog, and the squealing of Squinty, the comical pig, who was being led along by his ear, there was so much noise in the farmer's potato patch, for a few moments, that, if you had been there, I think you would have wond... SQUINTY'S BALLOON RIDE
This was the third time Squinty had run away. But not once did he intend to do any wrong; you see he knew no better. He just found his pen door open and walked out--that was all there was to it. "I wonder what will happen to me this time?" thoug... STONE.
... 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.
"Tell us a story, nursie; please do", begged two little golden-haired girls, as they snuggled on the soft rug before the fire. "Did you ever have just what you wished for at Christmas, when you were a little girl?" "Yes, I did once. I was the o... T He King Who Would Have A Beautiful Wife
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There was once a girl named Tarpeia, whose father was guard of the outer gate of the citadel of Rome. It was a time of war,--the Sabines were besieging the city. Their camp was close outside the city wall. Tarpeia used to see the Sabine soldiers w... TEA TALK
'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.
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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
Once upon a time--it was not so very long ago, either--a little boy, named Neville, lived with his people in a house which was almost in the country. That is to say, it was just at the edge of the city; and at the back of the house was a rather larg... THE BRAHMIN, THE TIGER, AND THE JACKAL
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
Once upon a time there was a little man with a crooked back who was called the wise little bowman because he used his bow and arrow so very well. This crooked little man said to himself: "If I go to the king and ask him to let me join his army, he... THE BRAZEN SERPENT.
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...