Child's Story Garden, - [ebook reader wifi .txt] 📗

began to grow, and to laugh and to cry, just as all

babies do, the mother’s heart was very sad, for she knew she could hide

him no longer.

 

One day she took the baby and went down to the river. There she gathered

a great many of the tall grasses that grew on the river bank, and of

these grasses she made a little basket, or ark, just large enough to

hold the baby. She wove it carefully, and when it was finished she

covered it over with pitch and slime, so that no water could come into

it.

 

Then she lifted her baby, put him into the queer little basket, carried

the basket to the river and set it down carefully in the water. The tall

rushes growing there held the little cradle, that the water might not

wash it away.

 

The mother turned and went quickly to her home. But do you think she

left the baby alone? Ah, no. Among the tall grasses near the river’s

brim stood Miriam, the sister, patiently watching the queer cradle.

 

While Miriam watched, the princess came to the river to bathe. The

maidens who had come to help her walked along the river’s side.

 

Presently the princess saw the queer little basket and sent one of her

maids to get it.

 

When the princess opened the basket, the baby wakened and began to cry,

and the princess felt very sorry for the little one.

 

Miriam, who had watched so faithfully beside the river, now came to the

princess.

 

“Shall I go and find thee a woman who will take care of the child?” she

said. And the princess said, “Go.”

 

What did Miriam do, do you think? She ran as fast as she could and

brought the baby’s own mother.

 

When the princess saw the mother she did not know that it was the baby’s

own mother, and she said to her: “Take this child away and nurse it for

me, and I will give thee thy wages.”

 

Do you not think that mother’s heart was glad as she took her own baby

home? The baby could run and play now, and laugh and crow as much as it

liked, for the great princess loved him, and no harm could come to him.

 

The mother called the baby’s name “Moses,” she said, “because I drew him

out of the water,” and in that far country that is what the name “Moses”

means.

 

Bible [Adapted]

THE STORY OF DAVID

Long, long ago, on the green hills of Bethlehem, a little shepherd boy

tended his sheep.

 

Ruddy and strong was little David, for the sun gave him rosy cheeks, and

the bracing wind made him long to run races with his own shadow, just

from pure happiness.

 

Many a time he lay on the soft grass, gazing up at the blue sky, dotted

with fleecy white clouds—white as his own lambs. Many a time, as he led

his flock homeward at evening, he saw the sun sink in the gold and

crimson west, and, as the dusk deepened, the great round moon rise above

the hills, flooding the world with silvery light.

 

With all this beauty around him, do you wonder that he was good and

happy?

 

One day, while David was watching his sheep in the field, Samuel, the

High Priest of the Lord, appeared before Jesse, David’s father.

 

On a very wonderful errand had he come.

 

He told David’s father that the Lord had chosen one of his sons to be

the new king of Israel, because Saul, the old king, was no longer fit to

rule.

 

“Call all your sons before me,” said Samuel, “that I may anoint the

Lord’s chosen one.”

 

Oh, how proudly Jesse called his eldest son!

 

Tall, and straight, and strong, he stood there, looking every inch a

king.

 

“Surely,” thought Samuel, “I have found him!”

 

But the Lord looked down into his heart—just as he looks into our

hearts today—and saw that all was not right there, and so the Lord said

to Samuel: “He is not the chosen one.”

 

Then Samuel asked Jesse to call his second son.

 

But when the Lord read his thoughts He said to the priest: “No; I have

not chosen this one.”

 

Jesse called his third son, but Samuel only shook his head. In haste,

Jesse called all his other sons before the High Priest, but Samuel was

forced to say sadly, “The Lord hath not chosen these.” Almost in

despair, he turned to Jesse, asking: “Are all thy children here?” And he

answered: “There remaineth yet the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the

sheep.”

 

Joyfully Samuel cried: “Send and fetch him, for we will not sit down

till he come hither.” And he sent and brought him in.

 

When Samuel looked into his pure, innocent face, he knew that now the

chosen one of the Lord stood before him.

 

Taking his horn of oil, he anointed him King of Israel, “and the spirit

of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.”

 

When Samuel left him, David went quietly back to the field, and tended

his sheep, just as of old.

 

Day by day he tried to do every duty well, so that bye and bye he would

be worthy to be a king.

 

Meanwhile, up in his royal palace, King Saul was in deep trouble. In his

distress he longed to hear the beautiful music of the harp. He therefore

sent for David, that he might play for him. When David came he paused

beside the throne, and Saul, looking up, saw before him a tall and

handsome youth, bearing a golden harp.

 

Bowing low, David begged permission to play for his King. Gladly Saul

bade him begin.

 

First, the young harpist struck a ringing chord that thrilled through

the vast hall.

 

Then he began to play a low, sweet melody!

 

It sounded like the summer breeze sighing softly over a grassy meadow,

and setting the dainty daisies and buttercups swaying on their stems.

Suddenly the music swelled stronger, until it seemed like a flashing

fountain, springing up in a burst of sparkling spray.

 

Then the sweet tones slowly softened.

 

Fainter they grew—and yet fainter—like the music of a dream—till at

last they died away into silence.

 

Spellbound sat King Saul when the player ceased.

 

And David came to Saul and stood before him, and Saul loved him greatly,

and he became his armor bearer.

 

Long afterward David wore the crown of Israel.

 

He was a wise and good king, for the Heavenly Father, who blessed his

youth, watched over him all his days.

THE STORY OF JOSEPH

Many years ago there lived a little lad named Joseph. He was comely, and

his face was beautiful, because his heart was pure and good.

 

Joseph had many brothers, but because of his gentleness and comeliness

the old father loved him more than all the others. One time he gave

Joseph a coat woven with many beautiful colors, as a token of his love

for his favorite son.

 

Now, when the older brothers saw this they were angry and jealous, and

from that time on they sought to do him harm.

 

Jacob, the father, owned many sheep, and the sons cared for them,

sometimes leading them far from home to find the best pastures. Joseph

often went with the brothers to tend the flocks, but he loved best to

care for the tender little lambs, leading them into the greenest

pastures and beside the quiet water.

 

One time the brothers were far from home with the flocks, and the

father, being anxious for them and longing to know how they fared, sent

Joseph, the beloved son, with many provisions, to the place where his

brothers were. The lad started on his journey with a light and merry

heart, for all the world looked bright to him. He wore the beautiful

coat of many colors, and the people often stopped to look at the lad,

with his comely face and beautiful coat.

 

As he approached the place where his brothers were they saw him when he

was yet some distance away, but the anger and jealousy arose in their

hearts, and they said: “Ah! Here comes the best beloved son. Let us do

away with him. Then the love which our father gives to him may be

bestowed upon us.” So, as the lad drew nearer, they planned how they

might destroy him. But one, the oldest brother, loved Joseph, and tried

to save him from the hands of his evil brothers. So when they said, “Let

us destroy him,” Reuben, the eldest, said: “Nay, but let us cast him

into a pit near by,” thinking he would save him when the other brothers

left.

 

So when Joseph drew near they seized him, stripped him of his coat of

many colors, and cast him into a pit, and left him there alone.

 

Then they said: “Let us make a feast. See, our father hath sent us many

things.” And they sat down and made a feast with the things which their

brother Joseph had brought to them.

 

As they were eating they looked up, and, coming down the roadway, they

saw a large company of merchantmen passing on their way to Egypt. Then

an evil plan came to the mind of one brother, and he said: “It is going

to bring us no gain to keep Joseph in the pit. Let us sell him to those

men and gain money for ourselves.” The brothers agreed, and Joseph, the

beloved son, was sold into Egypt for twenty pieces of silver.

 

When the brothers went home they took the coat of many colors to the old

father, and said: “Is not this thy son’s coat which we found? An evil

beast hath surely destroyed him.” And the old father wept for Joseph,

his son, and would not be comforted.

 

PART II.

 

The great caravan moved toward Egypt, and there the boy was sold again

into the hands of a very rich man, in whose sight he found great favor,

and who placed him in a position of honor in his own household. And

Joseph grew in comeliness and beauty, for his heart was pure and the

Lord was his friend and helper, prospering him in all that he did. He

grew in favor with his master, who in turn made him ruler over all his

house.

 

But Joseph had an enemy in the house, one who was jealous of his great

honor and position, and she tried in every way to do Joseph harm. One

day she falsely told the master of the house that Joseph had done a very

evil thing. The master, being exceedingly angry, and thinking Joseph had

betrayed his trust, stripped him of his fine garments and cast him into

prison.

 

But the Lord was still with Joseph in his great trouble, so that he

found favor with the keeper of the prison, who treated him most kindly,

and Joseph sought in many ways to relieve the suffering and sorrow of

those in the prison with him.

 

One day he helped two of the king’s servants by telling them the meaning

of two strange dreams they had, for dreams in those olden days were

often sent to people by God to warn them, or prepare them for something

which would happen, and God gave to Joseph the wisdom to understand the

meaning and interpretation of those dreams. Thus, when the two servants

were troubled because of their dreams, Joseph told them the meaning. One

servant was released