EARLY LESSONS.
PART X.
PRICE SIX-PENCE.
THE
LITTLE DOG TRUSTY;
THE
ORANGE MAN;
AND THE
CHERRY ORCHARD:
BEING THE TENTH PART OF
EARLY LESSONS.
BY THE AUTHOR OF THE PARENT'S
ASSISTANT, SIX VOLUMES.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR J. JOHNSON,
NO. 72, ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD,
By H. Bryer, Bridewell-Hospital, Bridge-Street.
1801.
THE
LITTLE DOG TRUSTY;
OR,
THE LIAR AND THE BOY OF TRUTH.
Very, very little children must not read this story; for they cannotunderstand it: they will not know what is meant by a liar and a boy oftruth.
Very little children, when they are asked a question, say "yes,"[2] and"no," without knowing the meaning of the words; but you, children, whocan speak quite plain, and who can tell, by words, what you wish for,and what you want, and what you have seen, and what you have done; youwho understand what is meant by the words "I have done it," or "I havenot," you may read this story; for—you can understand it.
Frank and Robert were two little boys, about eight years old.
Whenever[3] Frank did any thing wrong, he always told his father and motherof it; and when any body asked him about any thing which he had done orsaid, he always told the truth; so that every body who knew him,believed him: but nobody who knew his brother Robert, believed a wordwhich he said, because he used to tell lies.
Whenever he did any thing wrong, he never ran to his father and motherto tell them of[4] it; but when they asked him about it, he denied it, andsaid he had not done the things which he had done.
The reason that Robert told lies was, because he was afraid of beingpunished for his faults, if he confessed them. He was a coward, andcould not bear the least pain; but Frank was a brave boy, and could bearto be punished for little faults: his mother never punished him so muchfor such little faults, as she did Robert[5] for the lies which he told,and which she found out afterward.
One evening, these two little boys were playing together, in a room bythemselves; their mother was ironing in a room next to them, and theirfather was out at work in the fields, so there was nobody in the roomwith Robert and Frank; but there was a little dog, Trusty, lying by thefire-side.
Trusty was a pretty playful [6]little dog, and the children were very fondof him.
"Come," said Robert to Frank, "there is Trusty lying beside the fireasleep; let us go and waken him, and he will play with us."
"O yes, do, let us," said Frank. So they both ran together, towards thehearth, to waken the dog.
Now there was a basin of milk standing upon the hearth; and the littleboys did not see where-abouts it stood; for <