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 THE OLD MAN'S STORY. 
 
 L0:NU0N: DEAIN & bOxN, 
 11, Ludgate Hill. 
 
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THE OLD MAN'S STORY. 
 
 
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 There lived in the village of C. a kind. 
 
THE OLD man's STORY. 3 
 
 hearted old man, who was generally called 
 •* Uncle John.'' The children loved to 
 hear his stories, and, many a Wednesday 
 afternoon, sat upon the grass at his feet, 
 while he told about what he used to do 
 when he was a boy. One of these stories 
 of his I will tell to you. 
 
 ** When I was about as high as you are 
 now," said Uncle John, *' I was very fond 
 of playing with gunpowder. All my odd 
 half-pence were carefully saved, to buy 
 the materials for making such fire -works 
 as boys are able to do. I did this secretly, 
 for my mother would never allow me to 
 do so. It happened one day that a gen- 
 tleman came to visit my father, and 
 among other things, he asked me if I had 
 ever read a little book which he named. 
 When I replied I had not, he gave me 
 some money, saying, * I should like to 
 have you buy and read it.' 
 
 ** * I wish he had given it to me to buy 
 gunpowder,' said I to myself as soon as he 
 had gone ; for I well knew that no one 
 was aware that I had the money in my 
 possession. 
 
4 THE OLD man's STORY, 
 
 '' It then occurred to me that I could 
 still do with it as I pleased ; and I bought 
 a quantity of gunpowder. As I was 
 returning home with it, I met a boy of 
 about my own age, with whom I often 
 played. 
 
 *' * Come, Harry,' said I, * Fve got a 
 fine lot of powder, and I want you to 
 come with me this afternoon, and we'll 
 have real sport.' 
 
 *' * Oh ! I cannot/ said Henry. 
 
 "*Why not? It is Saturday, and 
 there is no school this afternoon.' 
 
 " ' Yes, I know that," he replied ; *.but 
 the truth is, John, my mother has such 
 fears that I shall get killed or hurt, that 
 I've promised never to play with powder 
 again.* 
 
 *' * Oh ! dear !' cried I, * this is always 
 the way. Now, I do think you miglit 
 just this afternoon come and help me, for 
 there's no fun in playing alone. Come, 
 you shall have half the powder for your 
 own.' * 
 
 " ' Let me see it,' said Henry. 
 
THE OLD MANS STORY. 5 
 
 * I opened the brown paper, and 
 showed him the quantity I had bought. 
 
 *' ' Oh ! this is capital !* cried he ; ' yes, 
 ril come just this once,'' 
 
 " We met in the afternoon, and began 
 to make squibs and crackers. We had 
 
 made a few, when Henry proposed that 
 we should get some fire and amuse our- 
 selves by throwing powder into it, a fevV 
 
6 THE OLD man's STORY. 
 
 grail vs at a time. Henry went for the 
 lire, while I went on with my work. I 
 did not perceive that in the paper which 
 held the powder, there was a large hole, 
 and that I was losing my treasure, as it 
 run through to the ground. Irritated by 
 this accident, I threw away the paper, and 
 Bat down to wait for Henry's return. He 
 came to me in a few moments. 
 
 ** • We must make haste, John,' said 
 he, * for here comes a great troop of girls, 
 and your sister Mary and our Lucy are 
 among them. If they see us, they'll run 
 home as last as they can, to tell tales of 
 us.' 
 
 ** ' Well, then,' I answered, ** come, 
 help me scrape up this powder, which is 
 all on the grass here, and we'll hide away 
 the whole of it, till they are gone.' We 
 knelt down, and began to take the powder 
 in our hands. 
 
 " * John,' said Henrj^ * Til get up the 
 powder, and you go hide away those 
 squibs among the bushes ; and make 
 haste; do, for I hear the girls, and they'll 
 be here in a minute.' 
 
THE OLD man's STORY. 7 
 
 *' I caught up the bundle of squibs, 
 and was running with them towards a 
 duster of bushes, when I heard a loud 
 cry from Henry, and turning quickly, I 
 saw the powder flashing into his eyes; 
 and in a moment, he had fallen forward 
 
 into the flame. 
 
 "As I darted forward, the party of 
 girls, pale and trembling, appeared among 
 the trees, and 1 shouted loudly for help. 
 But how can I describe poor Henry, as he 
 lay upon the ground ; his beautiful face 
 blackened with the powder, and so shock- 
 ingly torn and mangled, that it bore no 
 resemblance to that of a human being. 
 
 ** ' Is he hurt? Is he dead?" said the 
 little girls, pressing around me. 
 
 ** * Who is he ? oh ! who is he f cried 
 Lucy, throwing herself by his side, * it is 
 not Henry, our Henry !— you will not 
 say so?' said she, looking in my face. I 
 could only answer by cries and tears. 
 Lucy raised her poor brother in her arms. 
 Her face was perfectly calm, and cold, 
 while the rest of the children were 
 drowned in tears, and seemed not to thmk 
 of doing anything to obtain help. In a 
 
8 THE OLD man's STORY. 
 
 few minutes several men, who had been 
 alarmed by the noise, came running 
 toward us. Without asking questions, 
 they took up the body gently, and we 
 followed them towards the house of his 
 mother, whose last wishes I had tempted 
 Henry to slight. 
 
 ** As we approached the door, we saw 
 the poor widow sitting quietly at work in 
 her neat little parlour. I cannot tell you, 
 my children," said the old man, drawing 
 his hand before his eyes, **how her sweet 
 face changed, as the dreadful sight met 
 her eyes ; but the same grave where they 
 laid poor Henry was opened twice in two 
 weeks, and his mother was placed by his 
 side. Little Lucy was left all alone in the 
 world, till I persuaded my mother to take 
 her to our home, and let me be her bro- 
 ther, in place of the one she had lost. 
 And I have spent my life in trying to 
 make poor Lucy happy. And now, my 
 dear children, you know why I so often 
 urge you to obey your parents, and be 
 willing to do as they wish. May none of 
 you learn the importance of this, by so 
 painful a lesson as was mine."