HAWTHORNE AND HIS CHILDREN.
Nathaniel Hawthorne had three children. They had great fun together.
In the spring he made them boats to sail on the lake, and kites to fly in the air.
In the summer he went fishing with them and took them into the woods to gather flowers.
In the autumn they went nutting.
One day the children were standing at the foot of a tall walnut tree. Soon they heard a shout.
When they looked up the children saw their father high up in the top of the tree. Then down came the nuts! The children put them into bags and carried them home.
When the snow came, their father took them coasting. Sometimes as they went down the hill they fell into the snow.
Then how they shouted and laughed!
Hawthorne liked to take long walks with his son. The little boy thought that his father was the best playmate in the world.
Once when they were out walking, they passed through some tall grass and weeds. They played these were giants and dragons which had to be cut down.
Hawthorne struck so hard that he broke his cane. Then he sat down and watched the little boy fighting with the giants and dragons.
Hawthorne loved children so much that he wrote books for them.
His three children loved his stories. They read his Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales so often that they knew them almost by heart.