Fanny, the Flower-Girl; or, Honesty Rewarded. To Which are Added Other Tales Read online

  I.

  The Little Pavior.

  "Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, andwhether it be right,"--PROVERBS, xx. 11.

  Happy the child who is active, intelligent and obliging, and who takespleasure in serving those that are about him! Happy above all is thechild, who, fearing and loving the Lord, shows himself thus zealous andobliging, from a feeling of piety, and a desire to please God.

  Such was Francis, and this we shall soon see, from the followingnarrative:

  Francis, who was about eight years old, was spending the month of Junewith his Grandpapa in the country.

  His Grandpapa lived in a pretty house, roofed with slates, andsurrounded with a verandah, in which were seats, and between each seat,some flower-pots. Jessamine and roses entwined themselves around theverandah, and adorned it with elegant festoons of flowers.

  Behind the house was a yard, where chickens, turkeys, and guinea-fowls,were kept; and in the front, looking towards the west, was laid out afine garden, well provided with evergreens, such as holly, yew, andpine-trees, and amongst these, also, many birch and ash-treesflourished.

  At the bottom of the garden, which sloped a little, flowed a pure, butshallow stream, which was crossed by means of a wooden bridge,surrounded with elders and large hazels.

  This was a delightful dwelling-place, but those who inhabited it, werestill more delightful than the beautiful garden or the smiling groves.For it was the beauty of piety which was found in them, united withthat gentleness and amiability of character, that humble spirit ofcordiality, which our Saviour enjoins upon all his true disciples.

  These inhabitants, so good and so amiable, were the Grandpapa andGrandmamma of Francis, and their domestics, who, with them served theLord, and lived in that peace, which His Spirit gives to such asdelight in His Word.

  This dear Grandpapa then, since he was pious, was charitable, and tookparticular pleasure in visiting his aged neighbors, especially the poorpeasants, to whom he always carried comfort and encouragement from thatgracious God, with whom he himself daily endeavored more and more tolive. He used generally to pay these charitable visits in the middle ofthe day; after having read the Holy Bible for the second time, in aretired summer-house in the garden, near which a little gate openedupon a footpath, which, passing through the orchard, led to the village.

  Francis, who was already acquainted with his Grandpapa's habits, nevercame to disturb him while he was in the summer-house, and whenever hesaw his Grandpapa going out of the little gate he took good care not tofollow him.

  But in about an hour or two, he would go to meet him, sometimes towardsthe road, at others, as far as the bridge over the stream;--hisGrandmamma was never uneasy, because she knew that Francis was aprudent boy, and that God watched over him, as one of the lambs of thegood shepherd.

  Grandpapa then, had just finished reading; he had put on his hat andtaken his cane, and had gone out through the gate.

  Francis, who was sitting before the house, under the pretty greenverandah, saw him pass behind the garden hedge, and was alreadythinking of going to meet him at the end of an hour, when to his greatsurprise he saw his Grandpapa pass again behind the hedge, and thenenter the garden through the little gate, walking apparently with muchdifficulty.

  "What is the matter, dear Grandpapa?" cried Francis, springing towardsthe garden.--"Oh! how you are covered with mud! It must be that rudeDriver who wanted to fawn upon you. He has always such dirty paws."

  "You must not scold Driver, but _me_," mildly replied his Grandpapa,"for I incautiously, and most imprudently, walked upon that part of thepath which has been inundated by the water from the fountain."

  "Grandpapa, did you fall?" asked Francis, quite alarmed.

  "Yes my boy, your Grandfather fell like a heedless man.... But thanksto our gracious God, who ever takes care of us! it was nothing; I wasonly a little frightened. You see, Francis, you must not forget that weonly stand, because God supports us."

  So saying, his Grandfather entered the house, and with the sameserenity related his accident to his wife, who bestowed every attentionupon him.

  Whilst his Grandfather was resting himself, and Francis had ascertainedthat he had not suffered much, he hastened to look at the spot wherehis kind Grandpapa had slipped and fallen. It was a little bit of thepath, perhaps about three paces long, covered with the water which wasissuing from the fountain, and which being of clay, had become veryslippery.

  The trench round the fountain had been already deepened more than once,in order to turn its course from that part of the orchard, but as theground was rather low, the water always returned.

  Francis examined all this, and tried to find out what could be done toremedy the evil, in a more durable manner.

  "_I know!_" he cried at last. "I must make a pavement here, a littlehigher than the path is at present!"

  "Come! cheer up! 'Where there's a will,' says Grandpapa, 'with God'shelp there's a way.' To work, to work! 'For he who does nothing makeslittle progress,' says also, my dear Grandpapa."

  It may be here well asked, how a little child, eight years of age,could even conceive such a project, and much more how he could have hadsufficient strength to accomplish it.

  But Francis was not a thoughtless or inattentive child; on the contraryhe observed on his way _to_, and _from_ School, and when he walked outwith his Papa, everything that workmen did.

  It was thus that he had often noticed how the Paviors first laid downthe stones, and then pressed them together, and as we shall soon see,he found no difficulty in what he was going to attempt.

  "First and foremost," said he, "the tools!" and immediately he ran offto look for a little wheel-barrow which his Grandpapa had made for him;with the spade, the trowel, and the iron rake, which were at hisdisposal.

  When the tools were collected, Francis, having taken off his jacket,traced out the portion to be paved.

  "Now," said he, "I must take away two or three inches of earth, thatthe stones may fit in."

  He then took away the earth, and piled it up on the upper side of thepath, in order to compel the water to pass by the drain.

  "Now," he said, "I must find some sand; where is there any? Oh! behindthe hen-house; the masons, who plastered the walls of the yard overagain, have left a large heap of it there"--and then he quickly ranwith his wheelbarrow, once, twice, and even three times, and soon hadas much as was necessary. He spread it out, and arranged it, and thenpronounced the great word of all his work, "_Stones!_ No stones, nopavement! I must have at least fifty of them!" He ran about, searchedand gathered, near the fountain, round the house, and along the wall ofthe yard, and soon brought back four wheelbarrows full of nice stones,well shaped, and not too large.

  But there were not enough, for he was obliged to put five or sixabreast. Where are there any more to be found?

  "In the brook," cried he! "It is rather far off, but I shall soon bethere!" And indeed in about a quarter of an hour, he had collected allthe proper materials.

  Then should he have been seen at work! The trowel in his right hand, astone in his left; the sand which he placed between each stone, and theblows which forced it down, these things succeeded each other rapidly,and were often repeated; till at length, at the end of the third hour,the slippery bit of foot-path was no longer in existence, but in itsstead was to be seen a pavement slightly raised, which could never bewetted by the overflowing of the fountain.

  "That will not do well," said Francis, when he had finished, and waswalking over the pavement; "it is uneven, Grandpapa will hurt his feetupon it." And so saying, he ran to the woodhouse in the yard, andreturned, bending under the weight of the mallet, with which Thomasused to strike the axe and wedges, when he split the large pieces ofoak.

  "Here is _my_ rammer," said Francis, laughing, as he thought of thoseused by the paviors; and holding the mallet perpendicularly, he struckwith the butt-end, first one stone, and then another, until at lengththe pavement was completed! It was solid, eve
n and clean, and Francis,repeating in truth, "Where there's a will, with God's help, there's away," gave thanks in his heart to that good heavenly Father, who gavehim both the idea and the will to do this act of filial love, andenabled him to accomplish it.

  Some sand and a few stones remained; Francis took them up and carriedthem back near to the house. Then he cleared away the rubbish, andhaving put on his coat again, returned joyfully to replace his tools inthe green-house.

  All this was done after dinner, between the hours of three and six. Theevening passed quietly away. Grandpapa had not received any bruises,and he could not sufficiently thank the Good shepherd, the Lord Jesus,who had, as it were, "carried him in his arms," and "kept all hisbones."

  Grandmamma joined in his praises and thanksgivings, and these twofaithful servants blessed the Lord together, whose mercies are over allhis works.

  "To-morrow, please God," said Grandpapa to Francis, "I shall go and seeold George. He must have expected me to-day! But be assured, my dearFrancis, that your Grandpapa will walk no more like a giddy child; andif the path is still slippery, I shall place my foot prudently upon it."

  Francis said he hoped the path would be better; and however that mightbe, that the Lord would preserve him thenceforth from slipping, andabove all, from falling.

  Grandpapa made Francis read the Bible as usual to the whole household.He spoke piously of God's paternal care for our bodies as well as forour souls, and in his prayer he gave abundant thanks to the Saviour whohad so graciously preserved him.

  The morrow came. Grandpapa had quite recovered his accident of thepreceding day, and after reading in the summer-house, he got up to goand see old George.

  Francis, who was observing him from beneath the verandah, no sooner sawhim come near the little gate, than he ran round the house to hidehimself behind a hazel bush, a short distance from the pavement, inorder to see what his Grandpapa would do.

  Grandpapa walked on towards the orchard, and as soon as he set his footon the path, he prepared to proceed very carefully. He took three orfour steps, and then suddenly stopped, and raising his hands,exclaimed, a "pavement! a pavement here already! How does this happen?Who could have done this? It must be my faithful Thomas!"--hecontinued--"I must thank him for it;" and he called out loudly,"Thomas! Thomas!" Thomas, who was in the cow-house, heard his voice,and ran to him in alarm.

  "Have you tumbled again, sir," he asked anxiously?

  "On the contrary," said Grandpapa, "thanks to _you_, Thomas, for havingmade this good substantial pavement so quickly and so well; it isreally excellent," said he, stamping upon it with his foot, and walkingover it in every direction. "It is solid, and even, and slopes oneither side! I am very much obliged to you, Thomas."

  "Alas! sir," said the man, "it is not I who did it--how vexed I am thatI did not think of it what stupidity!"...

  "Who is it then?" asked Grandpapa, "for this has been done sinceyesterday, and surely these stones are not mushrooms! Who could havethought of this?"

  "I think I know who it is, sir," answered Thomas, "for yesterday in theafternoon I saw master Francis going down to the brook with hiswheelbarrow. I could not think what it was for, but now I understand."

  "Francis! did you say," exclaimed Grandpapa; "how could that child havedone it even if he had wished? Are these stones only nuts, that _that_dear boy's little hands could have been able to knock them into theground?"

  "Do you wish, sir, that I should look for him and bring him here?"asked Thomas.

  Francis could no longer remain concealed. He ran from behind the bush,and threw himself into his Grandpapa's arms; saying, "Dear Grandpapa,how happy I am to have been able to succeed."

  "It is _you_ then, indeed, my son!" cried Grandpapa, as he shed tearsof joy. "God bless your filial piety towards me! May He return youtwo-fold all the good you have done my heart. But how did you manage?"

  "You have often told me, dear Grandpapa, that 'Where there's a will,with the help of God, there's a way,' and I prayed to God, and was ableto do it."

  "Well then, dear Francis," said Grandpapa, solemnly, "I promise you,that every day of my life, as long as I shall walk here below, when Ipass over this pavement, which your affection has made for me, I willsay to God 'O Lord, prevent Francis from falling in his way! May thygoodness _pave_ for him the path of life, whenever it becomesslippery.'"

  Francis understood, and respectfully received this blessing; and whilsthis Grand father paid his visit, the little pavior went and told hisGrandmamma, what he had been able to do, and how God had alreadyblessed him for it.