.'Qi.^ 
 
 DEAN'S 
 
 THE BOY 
 
 AND THE RAINBOW. 
 
 'M^J^'^^^^^N^^^^^S^J 
 
 LONION: DEAN & SON, 
 11, Ludgate Hill. 
 
 4 
 
 
 2^:^ 
 
 3P 
 
THE BOY AND THE RAINBOW. 
 
 ** At the foot of the rainbow li^s a pot of gold. 
 
 ■09 
 
 Some rather unscrupulous wag had told 
 Johnny Payson so ; and one afternoon, 
 when a DeautiSil shower marched off to 
 the east with a splendid rainbow on its 
 back, like the gay sash of a miUtia officer 
 across his shoulders, Johnny looked sharp 
 for the exact location of one foot of that 
 4 
 
THE BOY AND THE RAINBOW. 3 
 
 bright ** bow of promise,*' and saw pre- 
 cisely were it rested — in the corner of his 
 father's great garden. 
 
 He snatched a hoe, and slipped around 
 behind the shed, and ran for the charmed 
 spot — without being observed, he fondly 
 fancied ; and on climbing the last wall 
 which intercepted his vision, what was his 
 disappointment to find that he was mis- 
 taken in the locality, that the foot of the 
 raindow was a quarter of a mile beyond, 
 in a little valley in the publure. " Never 
 mind," thought Johnny ; '* I can run 
 there directlv, and it is not more than 
 digging in the garden after all." 
 
 Boy-like, he ran at full speed for the 
 valley, scarcely looking at the object of 
 his search till on the brow of a hill 
 overlooking the golden valley, when, to 
 his great grief, he saw that the glitter- 
 ing promise was away on the opposite hill. 
 A tangled swamp lie in his path ; but the 
 rainbow -gold lay beyond. Torn clothes, 
 torn feet, and bleeding hands, were draw- 
 backs to the enjoyment, to be sure, but a 
 pot of gold would not only repay all 
 
THE BOY ANI> 
 
 damages, but also serve to purchase u 
 much -coveted bat and ball, upon which 
 young Johnny had set his affections. 
 
 But the most serious drawback to the 
 enjoyment was the final discovery, on 
 emerging from the brambles, that th« 
 
THE RAINBOW. 5 
 
 rainbow was *' nowhere/' and that the 
 settmg sun had left but a small legacy of 
 light to the weeping earth, for the benefit 
 of our Johnny in his homeward march 
 over a long mile of swamp, and hill, and 
 valley. His father and mother spared him 
 that night, judging that meditation was 
 the best sauce for such a dish as he had 
 made for himself. 
 
 In the morning, his mother brought 
 him his wet and torn clothes, nicely dried 
 and mended, and with a smile and a kiss, 
 told him his father wished to see him. 
 
 For what could it be? Nothing bad, 
 surely ; for his mother would not betray 
 with a kiss. He hurried up, and went to 
 his breakfast, with a look which inquired 
 what was meant, but afraid to ask, after 
 all. Breakfast over, his father said, 
 kindly, 
 
 ** Johnny, you want some money, do 
 you f 
 
 Johnny looked down, and the rainbow 
 began to shine in his face as svell as his 
 thoughts, for he blushed warmly. 
 
 *' And so you thought you would chase 
 
TITK BOY AND 
 
 the rainbow, last night — led off by Billy 
 Wilson's joke. It was no use to slip 
 behind the woodhouse ; I saw you and 
 guessed your errand." 
 
 The rainbow grew all red on Johnny's 
 face , but he was mute, and hardly peeped 
 out from under his hat tu see w^hat was 
 coming next. 
 
 " You saw the foot of the rainbow in 
 the garden, did you ?" 
 
 " Yes, father/' Johnny said, timidly, 
 and looked up a little. 
 
 ** Well, so did I," added Mr. Payson ; 
 ** and now get your hoe, and come with 
 me; we will dig there, and you shall 
 have half the money." Johnny looked up 
 full and fair, with a world of wonder and 
 delight in his great eyes. 
 
 ** Why, father, I thought you would 
 call it all nonsense ! you said Billy was 
 joking." 
 
 "Oh! well, we will see if there is any gold 
 there." 
 
 They went off to the great garden^ 
 Johnny in a wonderment at every motion, 
 and prompt to do whatever his father 
 
THE RAINBOW. 
 
 directed. Mr. Pay son turned up the 
 ground with a spade, and Johnny raked it 
 all over ; and, by direction of his fatlier, 
 was very careful to pick up every pebble 
 
 and stick which might interfere with the 
 charm that was to be wrought. They 
 furrowed the land into little squares, like 
 a checker- board, and Johnny w^ondered 
 and wondered ; till directly Mr. Pay son 
 
8 THE BOY AND Till] RAINBOW. 
 
 produced a bag of some small matter, in 
 wiiicli the boy began to look- " Why, 
 lather, thgt h e&rrQ.i §ee^ I You are plaiit- 
 iugcarrots ! 1 thought we were going to 
 dig gold !" 
 
 His face fell considerably at the discos- 
 very. 
 
 '* Not digging gold to-day, my son, but 
 getting ready. In the autumn, when the 
 carrots are grown, we will dig their beauti- 
 ful gold, and you shall have more money to 
 purchase what you desire than if you were 
 chasing rainbows all the year." 
 
 Johnny was not quite satisfied, for the 
 gold fever was on him high at that time ; 
 but when the harvest came, he learned a 
 very pleasant and permanent lesson — that 
 industry, in regular productive channels, 
 is worth much more than the golden roots 
 of all the rainbows since Noah's flood.