Big Nightcap Letters Read online

  THE SECOND LETTER.

  HEEDLESS HARRY.

  _For Harry._

  DEAR HARRY:--I have happened upon an odd story of a heedless namesake ofyours, and as you are a dear head-over-heels little fellow, I think youwill be both amused and instructed by reading it; or at any rate, youwill resolve never to cut any thing like the very extraordinary capersthe other Harry did, either in the vegetable or travelling line. Once,when you were a very little fellow and were visiting at a cousin's housein the country, you busied yourself all one morning, pulling upradishes, eating the roots, and then setting the tops back in the earth,and when the gardener came to gather some for tea, he found them allwilted and flat to the ground. Do you remember how you had to run forit, when he caught sight of you laughing at him? and how his having therheumatism in his knee, so that he could not move fast, was all thatsaved you from a good thrashing? _I_ do. So here is the story, andhoping it will be very serviceable in helping you to "mend your ways," Iam your loving

  AUNT FANNY.

  "HEEDLESS HARRY.

  "'Oh! how I do hate to write exercises!' exclaimed Harry, one Mondayafternoon in the summer time; 'what's the use? they are abominable!' andhe stamped his foot and threw down his pen, clapped his hat on his head,and rushed out of the front door.

  "No wonder he was called 'heedless' Harry; for he was so thoughtless,that he never stopped one moment to reflect, when he set about doing anything, whether or not it would get him into trouble; and consequently hewas always in some scrape or other. He was old enough, certainly, toknow better, and pleasant enough, in other respects, to be liked verymuch by all who knew him. He was full of fun, perfectly fearless, andbore an accidental scratch or tumble like a man. But, dear me! what aheedless, careless little scamp! That very morning, before school began,his mother had sent him into the garden to gather vegetables. He cut thecarrots so that they would stand up on end, and with great onions beganknocking them down, as if they were tenpins; then he had a game ofjack-straws with some small slender beans, and ended the vegetablebusiness by stringing a dozen red peppers and tying them round the cat'sneck, making her sneeze her head nearly off; for the poor thing went'tchitz! tchitz! tchitz!' for a quarter of an hour.

  "When he was tired of laughing at her, he marched away to skip stonesin the brook, and ended by slipping on the bank and tumbling into thewater, and treating himself to a very thorough ducking.

  "Harry lived with his parents on a large pleasant farm, about twentymiles from the city of New York. He had never been in New York; and thisafternoon, at which my story commences, when he rushed to the frontdoor, he put his hand in his pockets and said to himself: 'I've a greatmind to run away! I know I shall catch it to-morrow, about that oldexercise, and I can't write it. I won't! now!'

  "He walked to the fence, and climbing up, looked over into a neighbor'smeadow.

  "A beautiful white horse was quietly grazing, and lazily switching theflies off his back with his long and silken tail.

  "'Halloo!' exclaimed heedless Harry, 'there's Lightfoot! Jolly! what achance to go off on my travels! I'll catch him. There! now he isdrinking out of the brook. I'll go and jump on his back.'

  "As usual, the little scapegrace had entirely forgotten that the horsewas very swift and spirited, and also that he did not belong to him orhis parents. So Harry, with one bound, jumped the fence, paying no kindof attention to a great thorn which tore down the leg of his pantaloonsfor half a yard, ran up to Lightfoot, caught him with one hand by hisflowing mane, placed the other on his back, and tried to mount him.

  "Horses are animals, but they are not stupid or fools for all that. SoLightfoot, while he kept his nose in the brook, had been quietlywatching Harry out of the corner of his eye; and when the younggentleman tried to jump on his back, the horse gave a quick little startto one side, and a knowing flourish with his tail, which sent Mr. Harryplump into the brook for the second time that day, and then Lightfootscampered off with a neigh which sounded remarkably like a horse laugh.

  "The angry boy scrambled up the low bank like a lame grasshopper, andscreamed out, 'You hateful old thing! I _will_ get on your back! see ifI don't!' So he cut a stout branch from a tree, stripped it, made itwhistle through the air, and with a spiteful chuckle advanced once moreupon Lightfoot.

  "The horse gave another neigh. Harry approached him softly, hiding thewhip behind him, smoothed his neck, and patted his side, and then, witha sudden spring, leaped upon his back.

  "Lightfoot stood perfectly still. Then Harry clucked his tongue againsthis palate to coax him to go.

  "But the horse pretended not to hear him. 'Get up! Get up!' cried Harry.'Come now, get up, I tell you.'

  "Lightfoot went on eating, as if there was nobody within a mile of him.

  "Harry became more and more impatient; he thumped the horse with hisknees, and drummed with his heels, and finding that did no good, heraised the switch, to strike him.

  "Lightfoot was a 'cute' Yankee horse, he wasn't 'raised' in Vermont fornothing; so when he caught sight of the switch, he ducked his head, andoff went Harry like a flash of lightning, and found himself sprawling onthe grass.

  "You would think that was enough; and that Harry, after all thesegymnastics, would go home like a boy that had some sense pounded intohim by all these hard knocks. Not at all. Up he sprang, ran toLightfoot, and jumped for the third time upon his back.

  "'Get up! Get up! you goose!' he cried. This time the horse heard him,without any doubt; he gave a nourish with his long tail, cleared thefence with a bound, and rushed down the road like an arrow shot from abow.

  "And now our young friend would gladly have dismounted, but that waseasier thought of than done. To get off a horse in full gallop may notbe difficult, if you are not particular whether you come down on yourheels or your head. Harry reflected, that though possibly his head mightbe harder than the stones in the road, and the stones would be hurt themost, yet there was rather a chance that the stones might crack his headinstead, so he concluded to hold on if he could.

  "On dashed Lightfoot for miles and miles, with Harry clinging for dearlife to his neck and mane. At last they approached a large town, andLightfoot stopped of his own accord at a public house.

  "Out came the landlord, staring with surprise, and lifted Harry off,half-dead with fatigue and fright, while the hostler led the horse tothe stable.

  "After the heedless boy had washed his face and brushed his clothes, hefelt better, but desperately hungry; there was no fun in that; so heconcluded to hunt up a dinner.

  "When he entered the dining-room, the people looked at him from head tofoot. Of course this was because they were admiring him, he thought; sohe drew himself up, and putting on an air of dignity, as if he was agentleman on his travels, he said: 'I want my dinner. Bring me abeefsteak, some potatoes, and an apple-dumpling.'

  "At these words the landlord advanced, put his hand on Harry's shoulder,and said: 'Who are you?'

  "Harry preferred eating to talking just then, so he answered: 'Give me abeefsteak directly. When I have eaten my dinner I will tell you myhistory.'

  "'Um! we'll see--tell it to me this instant, or you may get your dinneras you can, like a gipsy under a fence--but you won't have any here.'

  "'I will have it,' cried Harry, in a rage.

  "'You shan't!' said the landlord.

  "'I will!' cried Harry.

  "'John,' said the landlord to the waiter, 'I forbid your bringing anydinner to this impertinent little scamp.'

  "'Impertinent yourself!' screamed Harry, nearly beside himself withpassion; and he seized a glass to throw it in the landlord's face.

  "At this riotous noise, some more servants and the landlady rushed intothe room; and the latter screaming out, 'You little wretch!' andsnatching up a broomstick, rushed full tilt at Harry, who, concludingthat it was best not to wait for the fight, jumped over the table,darted out of the door, and flew up the street.

  "He ran for a long time,
as if a mad dog were after him, until he hadgained the outskirts of the town, and stopping, breathless andexhausted, began to reflect upon his situation.

  "We always make remarkably wise reflections when we are suffering fromour misconduct. Harry began to think he had been acting very like adonkey, and would very willingly have returned home, and taken tostudying his hated lessons.

  "Night was now approaching; the twilight deepened and darkened; and itwas only by the stars which came peeping out one by one, that he couldsee his way. A strange feeling of dread and loneliness came over him,and he was rejoiced at last to see dimly before him a large barn.Jumping the fence, he went up and tried the door; fortunately it wasopen, and our heedless friend was glad enough to throw himself down on aheap of fragrant hay, and spite of his hunger, was soon in a dreamlesssleep.

  "The dismal screech (for it isn't crowing) of one of those long-leggedShanghai roosters, awoke him just as the dawn was streaking the sky; andshaking the hay from his dress, Harry went out into the road again.

  "He was walking along, wondering whether he should ever see home again.A market-wagon came up behind him, and he turned to inquire his way.

  "'Where do you come from?' said the market man. Harry told him. 'Blessmy wig!' said the man, 'you can't get home to-day, no how you can fixit. Come with me. I'm going to York to sell my sass, and to-morrow Iwill take you half-way home.'

  "'Jolly! that's a good fellow,' cried Harry, brightening up, 'and you'llbe a better fellow yet, if you'll give me one of these rosy-cheekedapples; I'm hungry enough to swallow the horse and wagon.'

  "'Massy sakes! air you? Well, eat one out each basket. 'Twon't make anydifference; they don't count apples.'

  "So the heedless boy went into the apple-eating business with all histeeth; and before he had made a finish of it, they had crossed theJersey City ferry, and rumbled into the streets leading to WashingtonMarket, where the market man speedily disposed of his fruit andvegetables, which he called 'sass.' When he had concluded this business,he took Harry down into one of the cellars, where he ordered a nicebreakfast, and strange to say, Harry had some inside room left, for hedid his part in clearing the plates in fine style.

  "After that, they went to a public house, where the good market man leftHarry, as he had some business in a distant part of the city; but hecharged the boy on no account to leave the house till he returned. Harrypromised he would not.

  "When he was gone, Harry put his nose out of the window. The day wasclear and beautiful, and at the end of the street he could see thewater.

  "'Dear me,' said Harry to himself, 'what's the harm of going to look atthe water. It's a real ocean. I've never seen the ocean. I'll just takeone peep and come back.'

  "Down he went to the edge of the pier, and sat upon the end, to starearound him. A steamboat coming quickly alongside, one of the waves shemade flew up in Harry's face, and splashed him from top to toe. Hejumped up in such a particular hurry, that a sailor on a large ship onthe other side, burst out laughing, saying, 'Are you afraid, Mr. SugarCandy?'

  "'Afraid! I!' cried Harry, indignantly, and turning round suddenly, hisfoot tripped against a stone, and he tumbled over backwards into thewater.

  "Harry opened his mouth to bawl, but instead of that, had it well filledwith salt water. The sailor ran faster than a lamplighter, jumped in thewater, caught Harry by the collar, and dragged him on shore, and sethim down in the sun to dry.

  "While Harry was drying, the sailor asked him all manner of questions,and soon had his whole history. Then the cunning fellow invited him todinner; and heedless Harry, delighted to get on board a great ship, wentwith him, never thinking again of the kind, generous market man.

  "And now, boys, and girls too, read for your benefit what happened next.The old sailor was commissioned to find one or two cabin boys for hisship, which sailed that very evening, as soon as the tide served. Harrywas strong and quick--Harry was fearless--Harry had run away fromhome--Harry wanted to see the world--Harry was the boy, the very dandy,for a cabin boy; so the sailor proposed that Harry should continue histravels in his company.

  "'Where are you going?' said our young friend.

  "'To Senegal,' said the sailor.

  "'And what sort of a place is Senegal?'

  "'Senegal,' answered the sailor, 'is a most magnificent country, wherethe rivers are made of milk, and the mountains of sugar. The rain iscomposed of lemonade, and the birds fall down from the trees all stuffedand roasted, ready to eat, from morning till night. The trees arecovered with sugar-plums; and all the streams are full of goldfishes,which come when you whistle to them. They are real gold, and used formoney by the inhabitants!'

  "'But--do they ever _write exercises there_?' asked Harry, with acunning twinkle in his eye.

  "'NEVER!' cried the sailor, who saw what the trouble was with the sillyboy. 'The king of this delightful country has expressly forbidden it. Hehas burned down all the colleges and blown up all the schools.'

  "'Jolly!' cried Harry, snapping his fingers, 'that's the country for me!I'll go with you, sure pop!'

  "You perceive that heedless Harry did not use very elegant language, butas a true historian, I must tell you of persons, places, and things justas they are, and I hope your good sense will teach you to avoid all suchvulgarities.

  "The sailor, taking advantage at once of Harry's delight in his accountof Senegal, carried him to the captain, and making an awkward bow, said:'Captain, here is a new hand.'

  "'Good!' cried the captain. 'He looks strong. I hope he won't die ofweariness and fatigue, like the other ones.'

  "At these words, Harry began to feel rather uncomfortable. 'What!' saidhe to the sailor, as they left the cabin, 'do boys have to work on boardyour ship?'

  "'Sartain, for sure; all the time,' said the sailor, laughing.

  "'I want to go away,' cried Harry, already disgusted with the maritimeservice.

  "'What's that you say?' shouted the sailor, with a mocking air. 'Youforget, my fine friend, that I gave you a dinner; pay me for it.'

  "Harry shook his pockets, they were empty. 'If you can't pay, you muststay,' cried the sailor, and just then the ship left the harbor.

  "The heedless boy burst into tears. Alas! sorrow and repentance came toolate! It was only now that he remembered his father and mother, probablymade ill with grief at his disappearance; and the worry the good marketman must be in, thinking the boy to whom he had been so kind was lost,perhaps murdered, in the great and wicked city.

  "In the midst of these doleful lamentations, the sailor came up andpulled Harry by the ear.

  "'Come, you sniffling booby! go to work,' he said.

  "Harry looked at him in astonishment.

  "'My eyes! do you think you can eat and drink for nothing? Come, takethis broom; do you hear?'

  "Our dismal friend took the broom, and would liked to have broken itover the head of the brutal sailor, but he was not strong enough.

  "'Will you go to sweeping or not?' cried the sailor, swearing in themost terrible manner.

  "'I don't want to sweep,' said Harry.

  "'Don't want to?'

  "'No!' Harry, perfectly red with anger, threw down the broom, andcrossed his arms.

  "'Oh! that's the way you behave, is it?' said the sailor. 'Come to me,Susan.'

  "With that he caught up a knotted rope's end, and gave Harry half adozen blows over his shoulders. You see blows from Susan were givenrather more frequently on board ship than sugar plums. 'Now, my dearfriend,' said the sailor, 'this is only the beginning of your fun. Now,you know what will happen if you are idle. Susan is my wife, and my nameis Jack Bowsprit; so take care of Susan and Jack, and pick up the broomand sweep the deck, if you don't want some more of our delicateattentions.'

  "Poor Harry began, to sweep with a trembling lip, his heart swellingwith rage and misery: then he had to wash the decks, and after that toscrape the carrots and peel the potatoes, and then he was rewarded byhaving a piece of salt pork given him for his supper, and eating it withthe
sailors.

  "Harry was in despair. When supper was over he came up and sat on thedeck to think. Tears came thick and fast as his misconduct and itsmiserable consequences rose up in his mind. He knelt down for the firsttime since he had left home, and prayed his Heavenly Father to forgivehim, and promised that if he only was permitted to see his dear parentsagain, he would indeed be an obedient, thoughtful boy: he would try tobe so from that moment.

  "Meanwhile, a fair, keen breeze rose, and continued for many days, andthe ship sailed swiftly on to her destination. In a month more theybeheld Senegal. Entering the river, they soon came to Saint Louis, wherethey landed.

  "You can imagine how rejoiced Harry was to set foot once more upon thefirm earth--not with the permission of the captain, though: for fearingthey might keep him on the ship all the time, in the dusk of the eveninghe slid down a rope that was hanging over the side, and, scrambling onshore without being seen, made the best possible use of his heels.

  "Liberty is a very fine thing; but some other things are wanted besidesto make it perfect--dinner, for instance, and a house containing acomfortable bed to sleep in.

  "Harry was not much afraid at first at finding himself in a savagecountry, alone and unprotected. To the heedless, whatever is new ischarming.

  "It was now bright moonlight, serene and still. Harry, exhausted andtired with his flight, lay down on the luxuriant grass.

  "At home, lying down in such a bed would have given him so severe a coldin his head, that he would have nearly sneezed and snuffled it off. Notso in Senegal. Still there were other inconveniences, for Harry had notrested for five minutes, when he heard a stealthy footstep; his heartbegan to beat. He had learned in his Geography that Senegal was full ofwild beasts, as well as the sugar plums the treacherous sailor talkedabout. He began to wish he had staid in the ship; but if he returned,there was Jack Bowsprit, and there was SUSAN as sure as a gun. It is nodoubt very disagreeable to be devoured by wild beasts; but then again itis very painful to be beaten by a Susan. Harry was sure of the beatingif he returned, and he was not quite sure of being eaten up if heremained; so he concluded to stay.

  "While he was cogitating all these things, he heard again the samestealthy tread; and, in a moment, he saw in the bright moonlight ajackal, about the size of a big dog.

  "Our heedless Harry was without weapons of defence, but he was by nomeans without courage. Up he sprang, seized a large stone, and flung itat the jackal; at almost the same instant the wild beast leaped at himand bit his leg.

  "Both gave a howl of pain at the same moment. Happily, Harry was notmuch hurt; while the jackal, with another cry, lay dead at his feet.

  "Harry gazed at his fallen enemy, his heart beating with excitement; hecould not help thinking that if any thing a quarter as bad had happenedto him at home, his kind mother could not have found caresses andcourt-plaster enough to console him; and here he was, alone, andwounded. He went to a stream near by, and washed and tied up his leg aswell as he could; and then he began to think how he could pass the nightwithout danger. To rest on the bosom of the earth was not safe; anotherjackal might come after the first to help him pick the bones. To be surehe might regain the ship--but SUSAN!! At last he concluded he wouldleave the earth, and climb a tree. After much toil, and terriblescratching and scrambling, he managed to get into an immense tree, andsettling himself in a fork like an arm-chair, he fell into a troubledsleep.

  THE ANACONDA THAT HARRY KILLED.]

  "The first rays of the sun awoke our hero. Just as he was about todescend from the tree, he heard a slight noise above. He looked up, andthere he saw (oh! oh! what I hope you may never see except in aMenagerie or Barnum's Museum) an enormous boa constrictor, at leastfifty feet long, suspended from the top boughs of the tree, twistingabout. With a fierce and horrible hiss, which froze the blood in Harry'sveins, he twisted, and turned, and looked at the terrified boy.

  "Harry screamed aloud. He had read of this dreadful monster, how hethought nothing of swallowing a bull whole for his breakfast; and, ofcourse, our young friend would be only a side dish--a mere trifle. Theboa advanced towards him with another dreadful hiss, which seemed tosay--'Here's a nice little mouthful! wait for me.'

  "But Harry was determined to make one desperate attempt to postpone thefeast. He slid down the trunk of the tree like lightning, and when hestood on the ground he did not stop to ascertain which way the windblew, but ran like a rail car, under full steam, panting and screamingvery much as they do.

  "All at once he stopped short, for a terrible roaring, like an immensepeal of thunder, shook the earth. What was it? Oh, mercy! it was a greatlion who was just waking up.

  THE LION.]

  "What was the luckless, heedless boy to do? Between the lion and the boaconstrictor, Harry was certainly lost. Whichever was to eat him, it wascertain he would make a breakfast for one of them; for on turning hishead, he saw, to his increased horror, that the monstrous snake hadfollowed him; and at the same moment an enormous lion appeared running,making bounds as high as the arch of a bridge.

  "Harry threw himself on his knees. For one moment he was a prey to themost agonizing despair. Then he clasped his hands together, and imploredfor pardon for all his faults; and then rising, with a white andterror-stricken face, he endeavored to await with fortitude the comingof his cruel fate.

  "But now a very remarkable thing happened. Harry, nearly petrified withamazement, saw the lion and boa advance with savage fierceness upon eachother!

  "Oh! then he thanked God in his heart! He carefully crept to one side,and watched, with an eagle-like glance, what would happen next.

  "With a wild roar and savage bound, the lion sprang upon the serpent,and tried to tear him in pieces, while the boa, hissing like a thousandgeese, twisted himself, fold after fold, round the body of his enemy,crushing him, squeezing him, and rolling over till his bones cracked.The angry roar changed into a cry of despair and frenzy. Soon that crybecame weaker and weaker, fainter and fainter, then ceasedaltogether--the lion was dead.

  "The monstrous serpent, without waiting to lay the table, or call formustard, licked his prey all over, and then swallowed him whole.

  "You will ask, perhaps, why Harry did not run away. He had two excellentreasons. The first was, he did not know where in this part of the worldto run; he might find a tiger at the very next turn; and the second,that he was too frightened to move.

  "So Harry stood by and witnessed this ruthless, shocking spectacle, tothe end, his heart beating as if it would leap out of his breast; andwhen the boa had finished his frightful meal, the poor little fellowobserved that the monster was so gorged, he could scarcely move, andthat in a few moments more he was fast asleep.

  "'There is one good thing,' he said to himself, 'the awful thing don'tcare to breakfast twice, so I am safe for the present.'

  "As the boa seemed perfectly helpless, he conceived a splendid but boldidea, for he was by no means a timid child.

  "He approached and stamped upon the tail of the reptile, who remainedimmovable; then he made a cord of a vine that was growing near, with arunning knot at the end, and slipping this round the boa's neck, anddrawing it with all his might, he strangled the serpent.

  "Hardly had he concluded this brilliant achievement, when he heard thegalloping of horses. Terrified and trembling, he waited half in hope andhalf in fear for what was to come, when in a few moments, to his greatjoy, he beheld some officers of the marine service, whom he was surewere Americans, approaching him.

  "What was their astonishment at seeing a little boy standing, pale, andwith eyes wild and distended with excitement, over the dead body of anenormous snake.

  "'Good gracious!' exclaimed the one who appeared to be the captain,'what on earth are you doing with that amiable creature?'

  "Harry, with his eyes full of tears, simply told his history.

  "The officers were very much affected. They belonged to an American shipof war that was just about returning home.

  "'Would you like to go
back with us?' said the captain, kindly.

  "'Oh, Captain!' cried Harry, 'gladly will I go with you, but--'

  "'But what?' asked the captain.

  "'I want you to promise me that I shan't be beaten by Susan.'

  "'What on earth do you mean?' cried the captain, as he and the restburst into a laugh.

  "Harry explained how Jack Bowsprit used to beat him with a rope's end,which he called his wife, Susan, and how he hated Susan worse thanpoison.

  "They all laughed again at this, and the captain promised that Susanshould be thrown overboard as far as he was concerned, and that heshould be taken safely home.

  "So Harry went with the officers, who treated him as if he was theirson; and after a prosperous voyage, he arrived safely at New York; andmoney was given him to get home.

  "That very evening Harry stood once more before his sorrowing, almostbroken-hearted parents. What did they do? They did not utter one word ofreproach; they just opened their arms, and the boy flung himself upontheir breasts; and amid tears and blessings all was forgiven. But notforgotten. Oh, no! for Harry, once so heedless, tried his utmost tocorrect his faults, and with God's help, he _succeeded_; and now he isso steady, industrious, and obedient, that it is almost impossible tobelieve that he ever was called

  HEEDLESS HARRY."

  * * * * *

  There was many a roguish, laughing look cast at Harry as this strangestory was being read; and when it was finished, George exclaimed,eagerly--"Oh, mamma! what a pity Aunt Fanny did not know about Harry,and the old black cook, and the dishcloth! Wouldn't she have laughed?"

  "Tell us about it, Harry, do! do!" cried all the brothers and sisters.

  The children knew the story as well as Harry, but they delighted towatch the sparkle of his eyes, and his animated gestures, for to tellthe truth, he _did_ enjoy mischief beyond words to describe.

  "Well," cried Harry, jumping up, "you see I _would_ go down in thekitchen and teaze the cook; and she could never touch me with thebroomstick, because I ran full tilt; and she was very fat, you know,always trod on her dress, and sometimes came down flat on her nose.

  "Well, one day she said--'If you come in the kitchen again, I'll pin thedishcloth fast to your jacket!' I _came right back_. 'PIN IT!' said I,'that's all I want.' So she pinned it, and I stood very, _very_ stilltill it was done. Then I made one jump in the air, and gave onetremendous shout, and put _square_ up stairs for mother's room, the cookafter me; but I ran fastest, she was so fat. I got in the room first,tore off the dishcloth--her best dishcloth--bran new, and threw it intothe very middle of the fire; and she had the pleasure of seeing the lastof her new dishcloth blazing up the chimney. So that's what a cook getswhen she pins her dishcloth on a boy."

  The children clapped their hands, and screamed with laughter at thisstory; and they laughed still harder, when Harry put on a comical,half-provoked look, and added, "But you know mother made me take thevery money I was going to buy a new ball with, and buy a yard of crashto make another dishcloth for the cook; that crashed _me_, so I don'tthink I shall burn any more for the present."

  And now the children, bidding each other "good night," went skipping anddancing to bed, delighted with the evening's entertainment, wonderingwho would have the next story from Aunt Fanny.