Transcriber's Note:
The last story "Winter Pleasures" seems to end abruptly. But this is so in the book. There is no missing text.
The Rose-Bud Stories,
FOR YOUNG CHILDREN.
Illustrated.
THE GOAT AND HER KID.
BY
MRS. HARRIET MYRTLE.
New York:
SHELDON AND COMPANY.
1870.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, by Sheldonand Company, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of theSouthern District of New York.
The Goat and her Kid.
he grass plot at the back of the cottage was a very bright green, andsparkled with the morning dews. It was kept smooth, and level, andshort, by the garden-roller going over it once a week, and still moreby the constant nibbling of the goat, who was allowed to be there allday, because she had a pretty little young kid that ran by her side.
But it is not to be supposed that this kid was contented with alwaysrunning close to its mother's side. Kids are very fond of dancing andfrisking about, and this one was more fond of it than any other in thewhole village.
One day a poor Italian boy came down the lane playing upon a pipe, andbeating a little tabor. He used to play these for two dolls thatdanced upon a board by means of a string which went through theirbodies, and was fastened to his knee, so that when he moved his kneequickly the dolls seemed to dance about upon the board.
The boy stopped at the gate, put down his board, placed his dolls uponit, with the string at his knee, began to play his pipe, and beat uponhis tabor, and, as he played, the dolls danced up and down, and roundand round, first on one side, then on the other, now bobbing downtheir heads, now frisking about their feet.
But while this was going on at the gate, the kid heard the pipe andtabor, and after listening to it a minute, with its head on one side,suddenly jumped up in the air, gave a great many little kicks, veryquick and funny, then ran frisking round its mother, and at last stoodupon its hind legs, and danced all across the grass plot.
Little Mary, who had been looking at the dolls, happened to turn roundat the moment when the kid was dancing. "O, you little dear, dearkid!" cried Mary, first running towards the kid, then back to look atthe dolls, then again at the kid, then at the dolls, and the Italianboy played away with his pipe and tabor, and made his dolls jump up inthe air, and reel, and set, and hop; but it was all nothing to thejumps in the air of the kid, and its frisking kicks and flings, andits fun and its fancies.
At last the Italian boy went away, with a large piece of bread andcheese in his hand, and his dolls and dancing-board at his back; butplaying his pipe and tabor all down the lane. The goat stood lookingafter him, with her head raised tall in the air, and a serious face;but the kid continued to dance as long as the pipe and tabor could beheard.