Page:Gadsby.djvu/244

 XXXVIII

boy, your historian was told that “A king was in his counting room, a-counting out his cash,” or similar words, which told, practically, of his taking account of stock. So, also, Gadsby was on his thinking-porch, a-thinking of his past. (A mighty good thing to do, too; if anybody should ask you!)

“If,” said His Honor, “you can’t find any fun during childhood, you naturally won’t look for it as you grow up to maturity. You will grow ‘hard,’ and look upon fun as foolish. Also, if you don’t furnish fun for a child, don’t look for it to grow up bright, happy and loving. So, always put in a child’s path an opportunity to watch, talk about, and know, as many good things as you can.”

Lady Gadsby, from a parlor window, said:

“Practicing for a stumping tour, or a political pow-wow?”

“Ha, ha! No. Just thinking out loud.”

So, as thinking cannot hurt anybody, His Honor was soon going on:—

“Affairs which look small or absurd to a full-grown man may loom up as big as a mountain to a child; and you shouldn’t allow a fact that you