THE RAFT.
Doyou remember any thing about Jonas;—how they found him by the side of the road and brought him home? When Rollo’s father found him, he meant to have sent him to the poor-house, where all poor boys are taken care of, but he kept him in his house a few days first, and hefound that he was a very good boy. He had a great many faults, but he was a good-natured, pleasant boy, and he was willing to learn, and so Rollo’s father thought he would let him stay and live with him, and work for him.
Jonas was very industrious and faithful. Do you know what industrious means? Do you know what faithful means? He was kind too. He was very kind to Rollo. He used to help Rollo a great deal, and play with him, and tell him stories.
There was a beautiful brook very near the house which Rollo lived in. I have made you a picture of the elm yard, behind the house. By and by, I shall make you a picture of all the house, and the trees, and fields around it, and the brook, and then you will understand it all exactly. Now I can only tell you there was a brook, and Jonas used to take Rollo downto the brook sometimes to play. The brook was wide, and the water flowed slowly and smoothly, but it was not very deep. Jonas liked to be near the water. He had sailed over the seas, and he liked the water.
One day Jonas found two great logs on the shore of the brook. He rolled them into the water. Then he went up to the house and got some pieces of board, and a hammer and some nails. He gave Rollo the hammer and nails to carry, and he carried the boards. He walked back then to the pond. He floated the logs side by side, and nailed the boards across, and then he stood upon it, and it bore him up on the water. Jonas called it his raft. Then he took a pole and pushed himself off from the shore and shouted, “Hurrah,Hurrah.”
Rollo stood upon the shore looking athim, and Rollo too shouted, “Hurrah,Hurrah.”
Then Rollo said, “Let me get on and sail too.”
“No,” said Jonas, “not till I ask your mother if she is willing.”
That day when they went home, Rollo asked his father and mother if they were willing that he should sail on Jonas’s raft. His father said he would go down and look at it. When he came to the brook, he was surprised to see such a good strong raft, and he said that Rollo might sail on it, if they would both be careful. Then Jonas got on before, and pushed with his pole, and Rollo sat behind and held on, and they sailed away up towards the bridge. You can see them in the picture. You can see the raft, and Jonas pushing with a pole, and Rollo holding on, and the brook, and the bridge. Rollo andJonas had a great many good sails on this raft.