“In the cottage down by the river,” answered the child; “and she is all alone, for there is no one near to help us in our trouble.”

“Come,” said Mistress Madge, rising to her feet and taking his hand; “lead us to your home, and we will see if we cannot assist your poor mother.”

So the Squire and his daughter and Little Boy Blue all walked down to the little cottage, and the Squire had a long talk with the poor widow.  And that same day a big basket of dainties was sent to the cottage, and Mistress Madge bade her own maid go to the widow and nurse her carefully until she recovered.

So that after all Little Boy Blue did more for his dear mother by falling asleep than he could had he kept wide awake; for after his mother was well again the Squire gave them a pretty cottage to live in very near to the great house itself, and the Squire’s daughter was ever afterward their good friend, and saw that they wanted for no comforts of life.

And Little Boy Blue did not fall asleep again at his post, but watched the cows and the sheep faithfully for many years, until he grew up to manhood and had a farm of his own.

He always said his mother’s accident had brought him good luck, but I think it was rather his own loving heart and his devotion to his mother that made him friends.  For no one is afraid to trust a boy who loves to serve and care for his mother.

The Cat and the Fiddle

    The Cat and the Fiddle

    Hey, diddle, diddle,
    The cat and the fiddle,
    The cow jumped over the moon! 
    The little dog laughed
    To see such sport,
    And the dish ran off with the spoon!

Perhaps you think this verse is all nonsense, and that the things it mentions could never have happened; but they did happen, as you will understand when I have explained them all to you clearly.

Little Bobby was the only son of a small farmer who lived out of town upon a country road.  Bobby’s mother looked after the house and Bobby’s father took care of the farm, and Bobby himself, who was not very big, helped them both as much as he was able.

It was lonely upon the farm, especially when his father and mother were both busy at work, but the boy had one way to amuse himself that served to pass many an hour when he would not otherwise have known what to do.  He was very fond of music, and his father one day brought him from the town a small fiddle, or violin, which he soon learned to play upon.  I don’t suppose he was a very fine musician, but the tunes he played pleased himself; as well as his father and mother, and Bobby’s fiddle soon became his constant companion.

One day in the warm summer the farmer and his wife determined to drive to the town to sell their butter and eggs and bring back some groceries in exchange for them, and while they were gone Bobby was to be left alone.